Women in Business: Still a Ways to Go

By Laura Bray

According to the 2005 Texas Glass Ceiling Report from the Texas Diversity Council, women hold only 10% of the 1,124 executive positions in Fortune 1000 companies located in Texas. Nearly 43% of companies have no women executives, and 36% have no female representation on the board of directors. The National Association of Female Executives reports that women continue to earn less than men—only 76 cents for every dollar. A 2006 study by Catalyst, a research firm that studies issues affecting women in business, found that most large U.S. companies haven’t made much progress in advancing women. “If this rate of progress continues, it could take 40 years for women to achieve parity with men in corporate officer positions,” the study said.

Pretty bleak statistics.  “Our research has shown that women leave corporate America because they felt they couldn’t influence the direction of the company,” said Sharon Hadary, Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Business Research. “It’s not so much ‘I can’t be promoted’ as it is ‘my ideas didn’t count.’”

A lack of flexibility also leads women to leave companies. “Women don’t want to work fewer hours; they just want to have the ability to choose the hours worked,” Hadary said. Offering more options has wider benefits, also. “It turns out that the things you do to create a positive culture and work structure for women are valuable to men as well,” she said.

June Bratcher, President of bus company Daisy Tours, still faces the challenge of being one of the few women in an industry dominated by men. Several years ago, she sat between two men at a briefing on a military transportation contract. “One of them leaned in front of me to talk to the other, completely ignoring me. They discussed how they were going to ‘go in’ together on the bid. It just made me mad. So I bid on it and won!”

It took Bratcher seven years to get her first business loan. Banks wanted her husband to co-sign, an option she refused. Not to be denied, she signed up for a class for women in business, got extra help on her loan application, and eventually received a $125,000 loan. “It’s important for women to have stamina and persistence,” she said.

“Women haven’t been trained in leadership roles,” said Janet Holliday, President of The CE Group. “There aren’t as many training and mentoring opportunities for women. But I believe we’ll start to see the gap closing; it takes a while to level the playing field.”

The news isn’t all bad. “I’ve been lucky to work for a company that has made a great effort to ensure that women and minorities have leadership roles,” said Peggy Walker, Senior Vice President at Bank of America. “It may just take a while for the rest of corporate America to catch up.”

“When women do rise through the ranks, they tend to be in communications or HR, not operating areas,” said Erin Fuller, Executive Director of the National Association of Women Business Owners. “That hinders their ability to move higher in the organization.”

Mark Douglas, Director of the Texas Diversity Council, strongly recommends that companies set up formal mentoring programs. “These programs nurture the ‘rising stars’ of the organization,” he said, and allow companies to develop a pipeline of talented women and minorities. The Texas Glass Ceiling report found that by 2008, almost 70% of new entrants into the workplace will be women, people of color, and immigrants. Companies without programs in place to recruit and provide leadership skills to these segments will be at a disadvantage. “Companies should develop concrete goals for achieving a diverse management team,” Douglas said.

“Women need to create relationships with other women who have broken through the glass ceiling,” he continued. “If no formal program exists, women should look outside their companies to forge those relationships.”

“If companies don’t look at ways to move women ahead, they’re losing out on a huge resource,” Hadary said.

Many women choose the option of starting their own businesses. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, women are forming new businesses at twice the rate of men. Between 1997 and 2006, privately-held, majority women-owned firms increased by 61% in Texas. Fuller said these women are mostly coming from corporate America.

Whether they remain in corporate America or start their own businesses, women need to take concrete steps to get ahead. “You need to work hard, take the job seriously, prepare yourself, and understand what it takes to reach a goal,” Walker said. “If special skills are required, seek out ways to take classes or get training.”

Hadary said that financial literacy is critical to moving ahead. “Women must have the ability to read financial statements, understand budgeting, and know the financial measures of the business. Women tend not to focus on these areas.” She also suggested being willing to try new things and take new assignments.

Holliday suggested moving out of the comfort zone to advance a career. “Women need to learn how to be decisive, good negotiators, and good problem solvers,” she said. “If women want to lead, they need to get out of that ‘safe spot.’”

“Women bring unique gifts to the table,” she said. “We’re good multi-taskers, good nurturers, good communicators. If women embrace those gifts, they’ll do better.”

Laura Bray is a San Antonio-based freelance writer.

Women in Business

By Laura Bray

Linda Hummel-McAlpin
CEO
Humana South Texas Region
Before she became the chief executive officer of the Humana South Texas Region, Linda Hummel-McAlpin was perfectly happy – indeed, fulfilled – in her position as vice president of commercial sales for the company’s South Texas operation.

In fact, when approached as a potential candidate for the CEO slot in 2002, she didn’t give the opportunity a second thought.

“I was passionate and challenged,” Hummel-McAlpin. “My career was running on course, (and I had) no regrets. I didn’t want or need a new title.”

And then her mentor posed a question that stays with her to this day: “What do you want out of your career long term – to be the violinist or the conductor?”

She chose the latter. And her career and her life, she says, have been all the richer for it.

“The opportunity to chart a new course and lead this enterprise and its team into new territory, the chance to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of our community ... it was such a compelling prospect,” she says. “I took the opportunity and haven’t looked back.”
In 2002, Hummel-McAlpin was named the first female market CEO within Humana, which is one of south Texas’ largest health insurers, boasting 250,000 members.

Recently married, Hummel-McAlpin is responsible for Humana’s efforts in a wide region, spanning across the Rio Grande Valley from San Antonio to Laredo to Corpus Christi.

As she says, it’s not a job she ever planned on having, but it’s one she loves. As a vice president, she led her region to double-digit sales and membership growth. But as a chief executive officer, she feels her impact can be farther reaching: helping people in her community live longer and healthier lives. “Humana’s innovation around health benefits has clearly differentiated us in this marketplace,” she says.

And, personally, it has been a rewarding choice. “I never wanted to look back on my career – or anything in my life, for that matter – and think, ‘What if?’ I’ve been incredibly fortunate and am privileged to work for a company that has such a strong public spirit and fits so well with my personal and professional life goals.”

In 1990, Hummel-McAlpin found her way into the health care industry from the buttoned-up world of banking. According to her, the two business models are more alike than one would think. “Both are a somewhat emotionally based industry,” she says. In other words, people care about their money and they care about their health – so they keep an eye on the folks they’ve chosen to watch out for both. “Helping people navigate the complexities of our industry really appealed to me,” she says. “I knew instinctively this was the place I could make a difference.”

Hummel-McAlpin’s work with Humana began when, in 1990, she served on the board of the former Humana Women and Children’s Hospital. (This is when Humana owned hospitals, which they no longer do.) Professionally, at the time, she was the senior vice president of marketing and retail sales for San Antonio Savings Associations. When the company, which was the city’s largest privately owned savings and loan association, was bought out, Hummel-McAlpin didn’t want to leave San Antonio to follow her job.
And then Humana called.

It was, she believes, the opportunity she had been waiting for. “Serving on the hospital board inspired me to make a career change from banking to the health care industry,” she says. “I knew this change would afford me the chance to be a more active participant in some dynamic shifts that were shaping our city.”

As an individual and as a CEO, Hummel-McAlpin is particularly passionate about women’s health. She chaired the KLRN Women’s Health Conference in 2003 and 2004, and continues to look for programs and educational opportunities to promote healthcare for women.

“I’ve embraced women’s health, and I’d like to think the (KLRN conference) was a catalyst for inspiring women to take care of all aspects of their health,” she says. Those conferences, which served more than 1,000 women each year, offered seminars, wellness information, and health screenings for women across the region.

Away from Humana, Hummel-McAlpin works to impact the San Antonio community through a variety of efforts. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as the Executive Committee for Biomed-SA. She is also on the board of directors for the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, and theFund, which supports San Antonio’s arts community. Hummel-McAlpin also served as the community chair of the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk.

A charter board member of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Hummel-McAlpin has also chaired many volunteer events and conferences, including many for the San Antonio Heart Association and Cancer Society.

That component of life – giving back – crosses over into her professional world as well. Mentoring is an important part of her daily endeavors, and she encourages her staff members by mentoring them and also providing the support for them to mentor others.

“Along the way, I’ve been very fortunate to have been given some wonderful guidance by many incredibly generous people,” she says. “Now, it’s my turn.”

Phyllis Browning
Chairman and CEO
Phyllis Browning Company
When asked what quality she’d most like people to think of when they hear the name “Phyllis Browning Company,” real estate doyenne Phyllis Browning doesn’t mince words. In fact, she offers just one. And it’s a good one.

“Professionalism,” she says.

Founded in April 1989 when Browning, then a 10-year real estate veteran, felt that there was a potential for the San Antonio market to head in a new direction, the company is continually one of the region’s top agencies. “I had a lot of my own ideas about how a company should be run,” Browning says in her company biography, “especially with regard to how people investing in the largest asset in their portfolio should be treated.”

The brokerage began with just five people and 31 property listings. Now, not quite 20 years later, the enterprise boasts two offices – one on Broadway and one on Blanco Road – and more than 170 agents and staff. They are also the exclusive regional representative for Christie’s “Great Estates,” a network of brokers focused on luxury listings.

Still, Browning’s proudest achievements have nothing to do with the numbers. Instead, she says, it was “raising three wonderful children and being inducted into the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame.”

Now co-owner with her daughter of the company she founded, Browning is active in countless community efforts, including the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation and the Alamo Heights School Foundation.

Professionally, the company continues running as it always has – with one change. “With my daughter (Jennifer Browning Shemwell) now the president of the company,” Browning says, “she is going to be growing the company while continuing to keep it personal and professional.”

Barbara Canales
President
Canales Exploration, LLC
Barbara Canales has conquered the engineering field, a business traditionally dominated by men. When she entered the College of Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, Canales knew the odds would be stacked against her, especially as a Hispanic woman.

But the odds didn’t deter her, not even during the oil and gas recession of the mid-1980s. After graduation in 1989, she and her husband founded BNP Oil and Gas Exploration. Specializing in governmental affairs and special projects, Canales also spent much of the 1990s raising five children.

By 2002, her marriage had ended and Canales found herself at a crossroads. “It was time to reinvent myself after a major life change,” she recalled.

And so Canales Exploration, LLC was born, utilizing her unique combination of strengths including a law degree and an extensive engineering background. The company leases land and assists developers in marketing prospects for natural gas. “I frequently meet with prospective business investors regarding land which has the potential to produce oil and gas throughout South Texas,” she said.

Changing public perception about female oil and gas executives has been an important goal for Canales. “There have been a few times executives have automatically assumed I was the assistant for the energy executive. I like to break down those barriers.”

Canales added she hopes to encourage minorities to go into the engineering field. “I’d like to see more minorities in the science world in general,” she noted. “I mentor young girls and tell them about the exciting world of engineering.”

Edna Gonzales Posada
Owner
Spa La Posada
Edna Gonzales Posada is the happiest she’s ever been in her life. The 45-year-old McAllen resident, who often didn’t have running water while growing up, says she can finally admit to herself that she’s doing pretty well.

Actually, Posada is doing very well. The owner of Spa La Posada in McAllen, Harlingen and Brownsville, she continues to watch her businesses grow and thrive year after year.

“I guess I’m at that age where I don’t feel I have to prove anything to anyone,” says the single mother of two teenagers. “I love my job, my kids are great, and I’m very comfortable with myself. It’s a good place to be.”

After high school, Posada, armed with an associate’s degree in computer programming, began a job with the City of Brownsville but quickly learned she didn’t like working in a cubicle and missed interacting with people. She thought she might enjoy marketing and decided to work at Dillard’s to gain sales experience. She landed in the cosmetics department and loved it.

“I really enjoyed talking to the women who came in,” she says. “So, when I heard about a Merle Norman franchise being for sale I decided to buy it.”

Posada opened a Merle Norman studio in the Harlingen mall and later at the mall in Brownsville. Before long, Posada decided she wanted to go into the spa business.

“I love going to spas,” she says, “and I knew there was a market for it in the Valley. It was a natural progression - spas and cosmetics just go hand-in-hand.”

Posada did some research and found that 75 percent of spas nationwide are not profitable. Nevertheless, she decided to pursue it.
“Of course, customer service is key to a business like this,” she says, “and I have a very good staff. We set goals and we meet them. We work hard, but we also have fun.”

In her spare time, Posada co-founded the Rio Grande Valley chapter of Dress for Success, a charitable corporation that provides clothing and job-seeking skills to women preparing to enter the workforce. In 2003, she was named the Business Woman of the Year for the McAllen Hispanic Chamber and the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce. She was named the Women in Business Advocate of the Year for the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Region VI. She’s also served on the Merle Norman Cosmetics Corporate Board of Directors.

Susan McGee
President and general counsel
U.S. Global Investors
When Susan McGee was a senior at St. Mary’s University Law School, she took a class that changed the direction of her professional life.
And it wasn’t even a class she particularly wanted to take.

At the time, the dean of the law school was leading a class on securities law. “I didn’t even know what a security was,” McGee says now, with a laugh. But the dean begged her to take it, telling her how much she would enjoy it.

So, she signed up. “I took it, and I loved it,” she said.

Now, she serves as president and general counsel for U.S. Global Investors, overseeing, along with the CEO, everything from policy to budgetary functions.

“What’s so fascinating about our company is that we’re focused nationwide,” McGee says. “I like that focus. It’s really a wonderful blend: being able to live in a smaller town that’s more family oriented, but still having a flavor of the world.”

McGee began at U.S. Global in 1992 as associate counsel. Five years later, she became general counsel, adding president to her title in 1998. In addition to her presidential duties, McGee utilizes her legal expertise as the company’s general counsel.

Her days are often long. She’s normally up and going at 5:30 a.m., and she’s often in the office until 7 or 8 at night – but the position satisfies her intellectually. “It’s a very long day, and a very busy atmosphere here, but I think that’s what attracted me to it,” McGee says. “I like the variety. I like putting all the different pieces together and making it work.”

And some of her best executive training came from an unlikely source: her three children. “Raising a family, dealing with kids ...” well, it’s not so different from working in an office, she says.

McGee also supports San Antonio through her work with a variety of organizations, including the San Antonio Sports Foundation and the San Antonio Women’s Bar Association.

Suzanne Alford Wade
President
HEB San Antonio Food/Drug Retail Division
H-E-B Grocery Company, which now boasts more than 300 stores and 56,000 employees, was begun more than 100 years ago by a woman in Kerrville, Texas.

Her name was Florence Butt, and with a $60 investment, she founded the C.C. Butt Grocery Store on Nov. 26, 1905.
From that one-room store, an empire was born.

These days, an important part of that empire is Suzanne Alford Wade, the president of the grocery giant’s San Antonio Food/Drug Retail Division.

“What specifically attracted me to H-E-B was the commitment to excellence in every aspect,” Wade says. “We strive to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest cost in a Texas-friendly manner.”

Wade joined the company as group vice president for sales and advertising in January 1997. In her tenure in that position, she worked to establish the H-E-B Own Brand program, and H-E-B also unveiled its “Go Home A Hero” tagline. Wade then turned her attention to the human resources division, which she headed as its senior vice president from 1999 to 2001. In March of 2001, she stepped into the role of executive vice president of retailing. In this position, Wade managed all merchandising and store operations for the San Antonio Food Drug Division.

From there, it was a short step to her current position as division president, which she assumed in July 2003.

The charitable arm of H-E-B is a critical part of the company, Wade says. “It also means a lot to me that H-E-B is such an active community participant. Since the beginning, over 100 years ago, H-E-B has given back as much as possible to the areas where we do business,” she says. The company earmarks five percent of its pre-tax profits to support community relations, and it is the largest contributor to the Texas Food Bank.

In addition to her active support of the United Way, Wade contributes to her community by serving on the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business Advisory Council and the United Way Coordinating Council.

Jeanie Wyatt
President
South Texas Money Management Ltd.
Jeanie Wyatt isn’t just the chief investment officer for South Texas Money Management Ltd. – she founded the company.

So she knows better than anyone else does what makes STMM unique. “No question ... our people. We are all south Texans,” she says. “We are committed to serving our clients well and giving back to our community.”

Wyatt’s name is familiar to people across the south Texas region not only because of her company’s sterling reputation, but also because of her column in the business section of the San Antonio Express-News. People in the know also might read her regular column in National Public Accountant magazine.

Wyatt founded South Texas Money Management after 27 years in the trust-banking industry, including serving as executive vice president and head of Frost Investment Services with Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. In that role, Wyatt assumed responsibility for roughly $13 billion in assets from nine trust departments around the state.

Now, with South Texas Money Management, she’s looking ahead to caring for the changing needs of the state’s investors.

“Texas is a big and diverse state,” she says. “Quite frankly, investors with between $1 million and $20 million in assets to invest are not being taken care of as they should be. We want to fill that void and have a good time doing it.”

The field is a “perfect match for women seeking professional careers,” she says. “This is a service business that requires excellent communicators.” Advice for folks interested in making a career in the field? “Sharpen your writing skills and force yourself to give public presentations.”

Her own business acumen has earned her accolades from around the state. Wyatt was named 2003 “San Antonio Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and is also an honoree of the Texas Business Hall of Fame. She has also served on a variety of professional and community boards, including the State Pension Review Board, the National Endowment Fund Board of Trustees of the American Red Cross, and the Board of Trustees for the Southwest School of Art and Craft, among others.

Candy Hein
Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Texas A & M International University
Candy Hein has worn an array of hats since she first entered the business world. The vice-president of Institutional Advancement at Texas A&M International University for the past five years, she has also been a travel agent, high school teacher and administrator, financial analyst and public information officer.

“My job is essentially about cultivating and sustaining relationships,” says 60-year-old Hein. As a team member of the university president’s executive committee, she helps advise, council and support the committee in its decisions, as well as providing leadership, supervision and management to the university’s fundraising department.

“I really enjoy working for a president who is visionary with boundless energy, and for a cause I strongly believe in: higher education for all,” Hein says. A native of Laredo, Hein obtained a bachelors degree in business education in 1969 from the University of Houston, following it up with a masters of education from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi 18 years later.

In a position where relationships are crucial, collaboration is an invaluable ability and it is here that Hein shines. “I’m relationship oriented, and enjoy accomplishing goals with my team, though I’m somewhat uncomfortable asking people to work as hard as I do,” she confesses.
Hein gets to the office by 7am and is usually still there at 7pm. After that, you’ll find her attending a variety of social events, games, concerts and lectures at the university, functions that help her stay in touch with students and faculty.

A first-generation American, Hein was the first in her family to attend college, an experience she found difficult. “I couldn’t let my family down, and I had a lot to prove, so I was committed to succeeding,” she says. Though she now occupies a role as an important decision maker at the university, Hein well remembers a time when the odds were against her succeeding in a man’s world. “But there were mentors who saw a young woman from a small town working hard, so they helped me create my opportunities,” she says.

“Don’t try to be a superwoman,” Hein advises others. “We women can’t do it all. So if you want a clean house, hire help; if you want your children to participate in different activities, carpool with other families; if you are having communication problems with your husband, make time to get away alone and talk about them; and if you still can’t solve your communication problems at home, seek professional help. There is no shame in it.”

Diana M. De Montemayor
President
Diana M. De Montemayor, Inc.
Twenty-five years ago, if you’d asked Diana M. De Montemayor whether she was likely to venture into the business world, the housewife and mother of four would have answered with a flat ‘no.’ “I never had a need at that time to go to work, or even to study,” she confesses.

Times have changed. For the past 19 years, De Montemayor has been the founder and head of a business specializing in importing, exporting, distributing and warehousing. As a licensed customs broker and international forwarder based in Laredo, De Montemayor has a staff of 18 and a 50,000-square-foot warehouse distribution facility that she built in 2000./

After her kids went off to college, she had searched for Piano or French courses until an administrator at a local college suggested she pursue a business course in international trade. “After the first course I knew it was the path I wanted to follow,” says De Montemayor, who obtained an associates degree in import and export management and passed her brokers’ exam in 1987. She opened the doors of her business a year later and incorporated the company in 1992.

In her early days as a business woman, it was a tough environment, she says. “I had to work harder to prove myself 19 years ago, because I had no experience and it was more of a man’s industry.”

De Montemayor says it was her hard work, dedication and perseverance that led her to success. “I kept knocking on doors, and as a result, I’ve done well,” she confesses. “I am a firm believer that anyone can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.”

Elizabeth Chu Richter
CEO
Richter Architects
Despite taking a 12-year break from her career to raise three children, Elizabeth Chu Richter is one of the most sought after architects in the industry.

“Once those precious years are gone, you can’t get them back,” she recalled. “The first day my youngest went to school, I re-started my internship.”

And there’s been no stopping Richter since.

In 1989, she joined her husband, architect David Richter, at Richter Associates and by 1993 became a principal. Now Richter Architects, the company has garnered national recognition for its work, which includes Water Street Market, the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University and the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center, all in Corpus Christi.

Richter, who emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States with her family when she was five, has served as a director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas-San Antonio branch, since 2003 and was recently Chairman of the Board for two years.

“Serving on the board has broadened my view of our economy and its impact on globalization,” she noted. “It has also heightened my sensitivity to the entrepreneurial spirit of American ingenuity.”

Only the second woman to serve as president of the 6,000-member Texas Society of Architects in its 68-year history and host of a popular radio show about architecture syndicated on National Public Radio affiliates across the country, Richter believes tenacity has been the key to her success.

“Good instincts and judgment are important traits in business,” Richter confided. “But it’s also crucial to remember that success is not age sensitive or gender specific.”

Jeni Garrett
President and CEO
Woodhouse Day Spa
Jeni Garrett was working as an accountant while pursuing her Master of Business degree and Certified Public Accountant license when she was struck by a revelation. “I noticed there was a need for a national brand of day spas,” she said. “There were many individual owners who provided spa services, but nothing offered a consistent set of experiences across the board.”

At 23, Garrett opened the first Woodhouse Day Spa in September 2001 in her hometown of Victoria. Currently, there are 20 operating spas in 14 states across the country, including Florida, New York, Indiana and Arizona. Another 10 locations are under development, with the ultimate goal of 200 spas franchised by 2010.

With 70 luxurious services available at Woodhouse Day Spas, it’s not a typical facial and massage treatment getaway, but also offers a wide range of energy balancing, hydrotherapy, microdermabrasion, holistic treatments and wellness programs. “We treat people from the inside out, treating the whole person,” Garrett added. The nation’s leading day spa franchise saw an average growth of 45 percent in 2005, providing an estimated 30,000 massages, 16,000 facials and 22,000 pedicures system wide.

“I’ve always loved spas and what they could do for people,” she continued.

Over a dozen employees at the Victoria-based corporate office assist franchise owners with a variety of operational issues, from research and development to marketing and spa design.

“The quality of our people and franchisees are essential to our success. I believe you’ve got to do what you love.”

Kathryn J. McDonagh, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Christus Spohn Health System
Whether it’s taking on politicians to fight for the medically uninsured or recruiting specialized physicians to practice in South Texas, Kathryn McDonagh is well-armed for battle. Since she joined the Christus Spohn Health System in 2003 as president and chief executive officer, the once-struggling healthcare conglomeration has been nationally recognized for its superior quality and customer service.

McDonagh, who was raised in Detroit, has over 30 years of healthcare administration experience and served as chief executive officer of various hospital systems nationwide. At Christus Spohn, she oversees a system which last year saw a $610 million net patient revenue stream. The system includes six hospitals, three in Corpus Christi and one in Alice, Beeville and Kingsville.

“I think it boils down to having the right leadership team on board to help make the changes,” she confided. “We have many great leaders and managers here. I’m a firm believer in hiring the best and brightest and letting them do their jobs.”

A registered nurse with a clinical background, McDonagh has been credited as the driving force behind innovative strategies and improved quality clinical outcomes at the region’s largest charity care provider and not-for-profit based care system.

“Last year we provided $55 million in charity care and $10 million in community services and grants,” she noted. “We’re also the area’s largest employer, with over 5,000 employees and 1,000 physicians.”

Motivating that many people is a task that seems to come naturally to McDonagh. “I create the vision that inspires people to be their best.”

Lew Vassberg
President and Owner
Valley Designs, Inc
When Lew Vassberg started her own interior design business her dream was to decorate beautiful homes. She never imagined her company, Valley Designs, would be where it is today - the only certified health care design firm in the Rio Grande Valley.

“When I first started the business I think I was trying to do too much,” Vassberg, 55, says. “It took me a long time to realize that you can’t do everything. I decided I wanted to be good in a particular area, so when I was introduced to health care design I knew that was it.”

Vassberg says she quickly saw that health care design was very different from residential design, and she loved the impact it could have on people’s lives. She also saw that she had better get busy because there was a lot she needed to learn about this type of work.

Raised in the Panhandle town of Childress, Vassberg was working in Lubbock for its convention and tourism bureau when she gave a presentation at a conference in Austin and met a Willacy County businessman. The two married and Vassberg soon found herself in deep South Texas. She decided to open a department store, which offered gifts, clothing for men, women and children. Eventually she added a design corner.

“My first design job was building a gazebo for a friend’s patio,” she says with a laugh. “I guess you have to start somewhere.”

Vassberg later worked with an interior design firm for a while before going out on her own in 1991. When she opened Valley Designs in Harlingen it was a 1,220-square-foot, two-person design firm. Today it’s grown to a 14,000-square-foot showroom with 10 employees.
“We’re unique in that we’re a full-service firm,” Vassberg says. “Besides interior design, we also provide space planning and project management. We have a furniture/accessory/art showroom, an upholstery shop, and we offer lighting design and acoustic services.”

After decorating hundreds of homes, Vassberg was approached by the then-CEO of Valley Baptist Medical Center about doing health care design. That’s when she realized she had a lot to learn. Never one to turn away from a challenge, Vassberg began taking continuing education courses and attending conferences. She soon discovered that health care design was a highly specialized area of the business.

She began learning about the numerous codes and regulations required by the health department, as well as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which is the board that evaluates and accredits health care organizations and programs in the United States.

“I saw how special and important this work is,” Vassberg says. “I love that you’re creating an environment that helps with the healing process. It really makes a difference to the patients and their families and even the staff.”

Currently, Valley Designs is working on seven health care projects in the Houston area, Vassberg says. Though the company still does some residential design, for the most part it concentrates on health care.

Lula Morales
Owner
Lula Morales Realty Inc
Real estate was an easy choice for Lula Morales 29 years ago, when she determined she needed a flexible career to accommodate her role as wife and mother. Morales, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico who lives in Laredo, began by selling properties, but soon learned that her strength was in land development. As various opportunities arose over the years, Morales approached each one as a challenge and an opportunity for learning, from build-out to sale and completion of the deal.

“The learning experience never ends in this field, which is why I find real estate so fascinating and exciting,” she says. “My philosophy has always been to be motivated by service to others rather than by monetary rewards, to do good for our city and to go the extra mile for the clients. This profession is so rewarding, and if you invest the time, hard work and persevere, the rest follows.”

Completing real estate deals in a border town has been no picnic over the years, and more than once, Morales has seen the market reel as it’s been hit by economic crises, with devastating effects on real estate. In 1982, for example, the devaluation of the Mexican peso and tight controls on money transfers from the Mexican banks taught Morales the importance of adapting to circumstances and making the necessary changes to survive as a businesswoman in a tough economic climate.

Now focused on industrial real estate, Morales often encounters clients who are surprised to learn she is a woman in a male-dominated field. “I’ve never felt intimidated by my gender, and my experience in industrial, commercial and residential sales and development has given me a lot confidence,” she confesses.

“The road of a working woman is difficult, especially when you have to be a wife, mother and businesswoman at the same time, but with determination you can accomplish all.”

Lynne Tate
Owner
Lynne Tate Real Estate
Lynne Tate didn’t realize her business was successful until someone pointed it out to her. The owner of Lynne Tate Real Estate on South Padre Island says she doesn’t pay attention to profit margins and the accounting part of her business. She just works.
“I have a coffee mug that says ‘Success is doing what you love and loving what you do,’” says 55-year-old Tate. “It’s true. I love what I do and that’s what I focus on.”

Raised in Dallas, Tate received a degree in psychology form the University of Missouri, which she says is an excellent degree to have when you work with people. She eventually got into real estate because she had friends in the business that were doing well.

From Dallas, Tate and her husband moved to Alaska for eight years, where she did sales-related jobs in the Anchorage area and in 1992, they moved to South Padre Island. Within a couple of years, Tate started her own real estate company. Initially, she was the company, but today it includes 18 agents.

“We’ve developed a wonderful team,” Tate says. “That’s my proudest achievement – to work with great people and to love what you do. I enjoy going to work and I think everyone else in the office does, too.”

Besides the Island, Tate’s company also sells property across the Causeway in Port Isabel and the neighboring communities of Laguna Vista and Bayview.

“The real estate market here is consistently good,” Tate says. “Coastal property is always popular, and Baby Boomers love coastal property.”
Along with a healthy real estate market, comes a lot of competition. There are 185 real estate agents on the Island, Tate says, but it doesn’t bother her. She believes what sets her company apart from the others is its service.

“Customer service is the most important part of any business,” she says. “I don’t see real estate as a sales job. I see it as a service. We’re helping people sell their home or buy a home and that’s a big deal for most people. Our job is to help them in the best way possible.”

Tate also believes an important component to a successful business is community involvement. Through the years, she has served on several boards and is supportive of a number of South Padre’s non-profit organizations. In turn, she says the community is very supportive of her and her company.

“We do advertise,” she says, “but most of our business comes from referrals, word of mouth, which is the best compliment.”

Though the hours in the real estate business are long and sometimes require a seven-day workweek, Tate says it’s worth it when you enjoy what you do.

“If you work hard it pays off,” she says. “Success is just a by-product of hard work.”

Marion Luna Brem
President and CEO
Love Chrysler, Inc.
Homemaker Marion Luna Brem had just begun chemotherapy for both breast and cervical cancer when a divorce forced her to find a job to support two young sons. Without a résumé or any real employment experience, Brem set out to sell cars. At 32, she sold her first car and by 36 she was president and chief executive officer of her own dealership.

Brem founded Corpus Christi-based Love Chrysler, Inc. in 1989 with an $800,000 investment from a silent partner. Just two years later, she had made enough money to pay back the investor. On the fifth anniversary of her dealership, she opened another in nearby Alice, Love Chrysler Dodge Jeep. Other holdings include an advertising agency and real estate company, totaling more than $15 million in assets.
Today, sales at Love Chrysler, Inc. top $55 million and Brem is internationally recognized as a motivational speaker and best-selling author. Last summer, she announced plans to move her Corpus Christi dealership (which includes more than $15 million worth of inventory) to a larger, more visible location off a main city expressway, citing it as an opportunity for higher traffic volume and increased sales.
She has made appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Good Morning America” promoting her books, including Women Make the Best Salesmen and The Seven Greatest Truths About Highly Successful Women.

Brem’s list of accolades and honors is almost endless, with recent awards from Hispanic Business magazine’s 2006 list of largest Hispanic-owned businesses and Hispanic Trends magazine’s list of top Latino-owned auto dealerships.

Janet Holliday
President
The CE Group: Communications and Events
“We’ve grown a lot, but I don’t want that to be at the expense of our service,” said Janet Holliday, President of The CE Group: Communications and Events. In 2006, they purchased Destination: San Antonio (a destination management firm) and took over management of the newly renovated Pearl Stables (owned by Silver Ventures).

Formed in 1990 with founding partner Lainey Berkus, The CE Group has grown to a full-time staff of 33, with offices in Houston and Austin. Holliday also has a large team of staff and suppliers that she can draw on when needed. “The ability to build a team is critical to what we do,” she said. Holliday came from a background in non-profit management and marketing, which she feels makes her more cost-effective and resourceful.

Holliday’s biggest challenge has been getting her customers to understand the value of what her company provides and to be taken seriously. “The hospitality industry has a ‘glamorous’ side, so it took a while to get that respect,” she said. “Everything is about getting good outcomes.”
Holliday also stays actively involved in the community. She donates her time and resources to the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Special Olympics, and a variety of professional organizations.

Michaelanna Hunter
Realtor
Century 21 Brenda Hunter
Michaelanna Hunter, president of the Del Rio Board of Realtors and past president of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, comes from a family of very successful businesswomen who are committed to their community.

“I was in accounting in a previous life,” Hunter says. “God loves accountants. We couldn’t live without them, but accounting more than likely is a loner position. I’m somebody who likes to talk.” Twelve years ago Hunter got her Realtor’s license and joined her mother Brenda Hunter, owner and broker of her own Century 21 real estate office. “Thank God I saw the light! I have loved every minute of it. That’s the key to being successful. There’s a lot of emotion involved. You’re dealing with the buying and selling of the most expensive asset most people have, and it’s amazing how many wonderful people are out there,” Hunter says.

“To be effective you’ve got to be involved with your community,” Hunter says, explaining that it all works in all works in circle to the mutual benefit of your business and your community.

Hunter not only is stepping in the footsteps of her mother, she also is inspired by the example of her grandmother, Dorothy Hunter, the community-involved wife of an electrical contractor who was ahead of her time. As the Arizona state president of the American Legion Auxiliary, Dorothy Hunter was invited by President John F. Kennedy to a reception in the Rose Garden at the White House.

Reba Cardenas McNair
President
Cardenas Real Estate Development Co.
Reba Cardenas McNair never thought she’d end up back in Brownsville working in the family business, but life doesn’t always go as planned and sometimes that’s for the best.

“It’s all worked out very well,” McNair says. “I’m not doing what I thought I’d be doing, but I’m doing something I love and have always been interested in.”

McNair, 50, is the president of the Cardenas Real Estate Development Co., which develops land for subdivisions and homebuilders.
The oldest of five children, McNair’s parents stressed education, hard work and service to the community. No question about it, McNair has been active in the community. She has served on numerous boards including the Palmer Drug Abuse Program, the Camille Lightner Playhouse, the Mitte Cultural District Committee and the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, to name a few. She’s also been involved with public issues at the state level with Leadership Texas and the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.
McNair sees her development business as a contribution to the community, as well.

“We help build neighborhoods and that’s the heart of a community,” she says. “Homeowners tend to stay put, which lowers crime rate and leads to a higher education completion rate. It ultimately leads to a stable, prosperous, educated community.”

McNair has a journalism degree from the University of Texas and a master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. After a stint as a reporter at the Corpus Christi Caller Times, she worked for Texas Instruments in Houston doing press relations.
In 1984, she married Harry McNair, another Brownsville native, and they settled in their hometown.

“We had gone to different high schools, so we didn’t know each other until we met in college,” she says. “He also works in his family’s business and his parents were very involved in the community, as well. I’d say we understand each other pretty well.”

Sylvia Whitmore
Executive Vice President
Frost Bank Corpus Christi
Sylvia Whitmore knows all about climbing her way to the top. Over 30 years ago, she began her career in the banking industry as a trainee. Now an executive vice president at San Antonio-based Frost National Bank, she oversees assets in the millions of dollars at four of the bank’s eight financial centers in Corpus Christi.

Responsible for meeting profitability, marketing and growth goals, she points to her team building skills as an important measurement of her success.

“We work together as a team because I know I can’t do this alone. Everyone I work with are so good at what they do, they help me be successful,” said Whitmore, immediate past chairman of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. “You’ll never hear me say: ‘I did this.’ It’s ‘We did this’ because that’s the truth.”

A graduate of Texas A&M University-College Station and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado, Whitmore worked for 19 years at Corpus Christi National Bank (formally CCNB and now Bank of America), eventually becoming a senior vice president servicing a $35 million commercial loan portfolio.

Whitmore made the move to Frost Bank, the largest Texas-based bank in the state, in 1994. With 100 financial centers in cities across Texas and Frost Bank assets totaling over $11 billion, the Falfurrias native tackles her job of building relationships with passion.

“My major responsibility is to build relationships with customers through loans, deposits and other services,” she noted. “But my ultimate goal is to put the “relationship” back into relationship banking.”

Pat Blum
Partner
Simply Divine Events
Event planner Pat Blum, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Woman of the Year, wants a “Wow!” response when guests walk into an event created by her company Simply Divine Events.

The company owned by Blum and her partner Tracy Leadbetter has produced special events for a former Texas governor, a U.S. senator, a member of Congress and private and corporate clients. The partners have become the most well-known event planners in the Rio Grande Valley.

Blum, a former officer manager for a law firm before starting her company in January 1996, suggests that event planners are born, not made. “When I was a child, I always was in charge of the playground. I told everybody what to do and when to do it. To a degree I’m still that way,” she says.

When she travels, she notices every detail on the plane or in the hotel. Her husband Mike Blum, who is in real estate, says, “It’s not your problem. You don’t have to fix it.”

“But I do anyway,” she says. “It just sort of comes naturally to me. I’m creative, I pay attention to detail and I enjoy working with people. I enjoy helping people create what is in their vision.”

Blum has made community service an integral part of her life. She has served as president or chairwoman of Leadership McAllen, the Cancer Classic Golf Tournament Board and the International Museum of Art & Science’s Collage ’89, ’90 and ’96, for which she helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars

June Bratcher
President
Daisy Tours/Conventions San Antonio
“It’s how you handle the ‘pits’ in business that determines your success,” said June Bratcher, President/CEO of Daisy Tours and Conventions San Antonio. Whenever the company needs to move in a new direction, Bratcher gathers her employees and brainstorms ideas on how to replace lost revenue. “The ‘no pass, no play’ legislation wiped out 42% of our business,” she said. “We made a strategic move to refocus on sports events, and now, we’re the official carrier for the Alamo Bowl, the Army All-American Bowl, and nine hockey teams.”

Daisy Tours also has a thriving military transportation contract. It’s the only motorcoach company in the world to be recognized for its quality of service by the Military Transportation Management Command. “We concentrate on providing a clean, safe ride,” Bratcher said.

Bratcher stressed the importance of having a good team. “I’ve surrounded myself with good people,” she said. “It’s the key to our success.” Her staff of 39 includes her four children.

Bratcher formed Daisy Tours in 1980 with $200 in her pocket and no formal business training. When she went before the Texas Railroad Commission to get her first bus permit, she couldn’t afford attorneys fees. She filled out the application herself, then simply sat in the back of the room, took notes on what other applicants were saying, and read her statement. The commission approved her application. Today, Daisy Tours operates a fleet of 18 buses throughout the United States and Canada.

Peggy Walker
Senior Vice President
Bank of America
“I’ve learned how to make opportunities where I am,” said Peggy Walker, Senior Vice President and Private Client Manager for Bank of America. “I’ve tried to take the paths that seem challenging. If I had said ‘no,’ I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now.”

Walker’s current duties include Bank of America’s private bank, where she and her group manage the relationships with high net worth individuals, families, and philanthropic organizations. They provide investments, trusts, lending, and wealth planning. “Relationship management is what this job is all about,” Walker said.

She stressed the importance of embracing change. “The job you take today won’t be the same a year from now,” she said. “If you can adapt to changes and be positive in the face of them, you’ll be more successful.”

Walker has worked for Bank of America (or its predecessor banks) for 27 years. Originally from Birmingham, she moved first to Dallas, then to San Antonio in 1988. She began her career at the bank in marketing, then moved into personnel management, where she supervised the company’s EEOC and disability programs nationwide. She moved into her current position in 1998. She’s also actively involved in the community, serving on the board for Sunshine Cottage, the Witte Museum, and the Texas Business Hall of Fame, among others.