2009 Outstanding Women in Business

Friday, February 13, 2009

Welcome to the fourth annual Outstanding Women in Business special section, saluting the winners of the 2009 Outstanding Women in Business Awards. Presented by New Hampshire Business Review and Centrix Bank, the awards celebrate the success and achievements of women in our state?s business community. We profile six women who have truly excelled, not only in their professional lives, but as leaders and role models. While they come from different industries and walks of life, they share several things in common ? extraordinary accomplishments, a strong sense of self and a belief that anything is possible. Their commitment and vision make them true leaders in their chosen fields.

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Suzanne Bresette, Bresette & Company While developing her career as a marketing professional, Suzanne Bresette put herself through college and raised a son as a single parent without outside support. Today, she is president and chief executive of the Portsmouth-based marketing agency Bresette + Company, a firm she launched in 1990.

To say the company is successful is an understatement. With clients ranging from Compaq to Visa, Bresette + Company has grown over 200 percent since 2002. Bresette has devoted a considerable amount of her time to mentoring other women. Half of her company?s workforce is made up of women, as are the interns who spend time at her firm. She has been so good at it, several former employees now own their own firms or have taken senior positions at agencies in Boston and New York.

Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work?

A. I was working in insurance. After I became pregnant with my son, I wanted to work parttime, but they would not allow me to. I was in the lobby, fuming, while the president of the company?s ad agency was there. He talked with me, handed me his business card, and said he would hire me part-time. That was in 1975. It was quite a fluke, but a wonderful fluke.

Q. What did you find to be the biggest challenge as a woman on the road to achieving your success?

A. I personally never found it difficult to be a woman in the workforce. I was always treated with respect and given every opportunity a man was given.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. When I first opened my own business, I underestimated the complexity of running a business as well as performing all the duties of an ad agency. I learned rapidly that you have to run the company by the numbers, not just with the passion of doing good work.

Q. Who has been most instrumental in your success and why?

A. Lee Baer, the gentleman who first hired me. He came from Madison Avenue. I?m grateful for the incredible knowledge and network that he exposed me to. George Silverman really taught me a great deal about how to structure and run a business. He is still a mentor to this day. Joe Hoffman, the former president of Ingalls Quinn & Johnson in Boston, gave me my first large agency experience.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

A. I think it?s very important to listen and to be willing to take guidance. It?s also very mportant to go the extra mile and really put in extra effort to show what you can do. Do not be timid when given opportunities. Do not be fearful of making mistakes. It may not be 100 percent correct, but your initiative will be respected. ? Cindy Kibbe

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Janet Dunican, North American Equipment Upfitters Janet Dunican?s journey from the financial industry and then teaching to owning North American Equipment Upfitters, a Hooksett-based manufacturer of aerial lifts and bucket trucks, might have been based on the thought of spending more time with her family. But in doing so, she shattered a glass ceiling.

In 1999, she and her husband founded the company, which remains the only female-owned upfitter in the country.

In the past decade, North American Equipment Upfitters has grown from 12 employees and one plant in Hooksett to 84 workers, with facilities in Syracuse, N.Y., Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and the newest ? Colebrook Manufacturing in Colebrook, N.H., which created eight much-needed jobs in the North Country.

Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work?

A. At the time, my husband was doing a lot of traveling and was spending a lot of time away from the family. I felt it was something my husband and I could do together. I felt if we both had a vested interest in it, it would be more doable for family needs.

Q. What did you find to be the biggest challenge as a woman on the road to achieving your success?

A. The need to get our name out there and to be able to present ourselves in a fashion suitable to a man was a challenge. We were fortunate that Verizon gave us our first order. It?s a scary thing to go through. It was a long, hard struggle. We?ve had our share of hurdles.

Q. Have you found a difference in how women are accepted as successful in their chosen careers as compared to their male counterparts?

A. One benefit of this industry is the tax breaks customers receive from dealing with a women/minority-owned business, which we are. It?s cost-effective for our customers.

Our other locations have female management as well. You have to have a certain personality to be out in the shop with the guys. The two women we have now are doing great.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. There have been such a number of things that I didn?t know and have grown from. I?ve had bad employees that I?ve had to let go. There are certain business decisions that could have been better. I learned so much about what to document in HR.

Overall, I?m very happy with where we are and what hurdles we?ve overcome. Every day I learn something.

Q. Who has been most instrumental in your success and why?

A. It?s very difficult for me to actually name all those that helped me. You also learn from things in the past, your history and moving forward. Jeanne Shaheen was inspiring. There was also Eleanor Roosevelt, who was such a humanitarian.

There has not been one mentor, but a lot have influenced me.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

A. I would have to tell them to strive for whatever their heart desires. If you really want it, you?ll make it. When a door closes, a window opens, as they say. I also have to say, if it wasn?t for my employees, I wouldn?t be where I am today. ? Cindy Kibbe

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Julie Gustafson, Amoskeag Business Incubator Julie Gustafson, as president and chief executive of the Amoskeag Business Incubator in Manchester?s Millyard, not only helps to create jobs, she helps create businesses.

With Gustafson at the helm, the incubator has nurtured the creation of over 80 businesses generating over 500 jobs. She also has played a key role in helping to found five SBA Business Information Centers in New Hampshire, and she has overseen the placement of more than 1,500 students in internships and other career-experience positions.

Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work?

A. I sort of fell into it. While studying for my master?s in business degree at Southern New Hampshire University, I was doing business consulting as well as my previous job. I was looking around to see what was out there. There was ad in the paper for incubator manager. It sounded really interesting.

You get to wear so many different hats ? it takes a unique person to manage an incubator because of that.

Q. What did you find to be the biggest challenge as a woman on the road to achieving your success?

A. I have a family with a husband and three daughters. My biggest struggle is trying to juggle them and the incubator. When one or the other is out of balance, it?s still manageable. But when with both are out of whack, it?s really crazy.

Q. Have you found a difference in how women are accepted as successful in their chosen careers as compared to their male counterparts?

A. At the incubator, I haven?t run across that. I feel like we?re equal counterparts. Outside of the incubator, there?s a big difference. There?s a big difference in pay. Women have to work harder to prove themselves.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. I tend to take on too much. I sometimes find it hard to ask for help because I feel like I?m being intrusive. I?ve learned to delegate more.

Q. Who has been-most instrumental in your success and why?

A. When we were young, my father decided to open up a ski and sporting goods store. It was very successful. My parents taught me a good work ethic ? I grew up watching them build the business.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

A. If you want to achieve something, and really care about it, you can make it if you want it enough. Be honest and respectful of others. It really makes a difference. It?s also important, if you make a mistake, to own it, correct it and learn from it. ? Cindy Kibbe

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Mary Jordan, Nashua Adult Learning Center Mary Jordan joined the staff of Nashua?s Adult Learning Center as a GED instructor 35 years ago. Her knowledge and dedication earned her the title of executive director two years later.

Throughout her tenure with the ALC, Jordan has put forth strategic planning efforts, instituted innovative programming and secured the grants needed to move the organization forward.

Now the largest center of its kind in the state, Nashua ALC offers its adult learners GED services, literacy programs and technology and job training. At-risk adolescents find academic success at ALC?s Clearway High School and school-aged children are well cared for in ALC?s before- and after-school programs. Even the youngest of learners benefit from the organization?s pre-school and childcare programs.

In addition, ALC?s English Speakers of Other Languages classes have aided hundreds of foreign-born residents from the region in learning the English necessary to secure local jobs, and a pilot program launched 15 years ago at the center has enabled women from around the country to move from welfare to secure employment.

Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work?

A. My first experience outside the safety of growing up in New Jersey and going away to college was teaching in an inner-city Washington, D.C., elementary school. Children came to school tired, hungry and unable to concentrate on learning. It was the first time I really understood about inequality, poverty, violence and the helplessness of not having a voice.

Q. Have you found a difference in how women are accepted as successful in their chosen careers as compared to their male counterparts?

A. Some things that women need to do that might not be second nature to them are asking for money and not taking rejection personally, being sure of themselves as good managers as well as being caring and supportive employers. Women?s empathy needs to be balanced with the goal of creating or managing a financially sound organization.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. I wish that I had taken more time over the years for myself. I always said that when my kids went to college I?d learn to play the piano or go into the Peace Corps. I didn?t do either of those things, but I do have a retirement list ? cooking school, art appreciation classes, music lessons, snowshoeing, volunteer tutoring - the list goes on!

Q. Who has been most instrumental in your success and why?

A. A family friend, Helen Jenkins, was a career woman when working women were the exception. I first met her when I was 5 years old and had lost my mother to a heart attack. She had no children of her own and endeared herself to me by always taking my side in family disagreements. She will be 97 in March. I visit her in her Florida retirement home regularly, and she still inspires me. She returned recently to the library that she started in New Jersey 60 years ago and was hailed with a celebration for her vision. I need her in my life as an inspiration for resiliency and determination.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

A. I would tell them to make sure they keep balance in their lives, not to define themselves by their work, take a break if they need it, and if they stop being excited about going to work, it?s probably time for a change. I would say to take every opportunity that?s presented, either personal or work-related, and enjoy your kids because they?re gone in a flash. ? Tracie Stone

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Grace Mattern, New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Grace Mattern?s tenure with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence began in 1981 when, as a young mother with a passion for social justice, she accepted a part-time clerical job with the newly formed organization. Mattern was named assistant director within her first year and has been its executive director since the mid-1980s.

Under Mattern?s long-standing leadership, awareness of the societal impact of violence against women has grown along with funding and programming. Victims of violence have become more empowered, and the understanding and response of members of the state?s legal system, schools, human services organizations and society as a whole have continued to evolve. Thanks in great part to Mattern?s guidance and collaborative efforts, 14 crisis centers across the state now work together, maximizing services and advocacy for victims of violence and making New Hampshire a national leader of model legislation.

Q. What did you find to be the biggest challenge as a woman on the road to achieving your success?

A. The biggest challenge for anyone working in this area is being under resourced and underpaid. Balancing the desire to do meaningful work with the need for financial security while trying to raise a family is an ongoing challenge.

Q. Have you found a difference in how women are accepted as successful in their chosen careers as compared to their male counterparts?

A. Because I?m not part of the corporate world and because I work in a field that is highly dominated by women I?m not a good person to answer this question. Women often make different choices. I know we work hard at striking a balance in our lives, and for many of us being successful means being able to do just that.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. Something I?ve learned is how important it is to hold people accountable to do the best work they can. I have found if you expect the best from people that?s what you?ll get. Also, in the first decade of this movement we put a lot of emphasis on working with the criminal justice system. Since then we?ve realized there are so many other places people can turn to for help - their church, school, other social service agencies, mental health professionals. We?ve shifted our focus to include these other resources. We?ve expanded out scope.

Q. Who has been most instrumental in your success and why?

A. All the people who do this work across this state and the staff here at the coalition office. There are so many people who have been doing this work for as long as I have, and there are so many others who come forward to talk about their experiences in hopes of helping others. This is such a collaborative effort, things couldn?t happen without our statewide network.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers? A. If you have a passion for fighting injustice or are interested in women?s issues in general follow your heart. You?re not going to get rich doing this type of work but what you get back makes up for it. ? Tracie Stone

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Anu Mullikin, Devine Millimet & Branch Attorney Anu Mullikin grew up watching both parents balance demanding medical careers while raising children. Today, Mullikin herself balances the joy and demands of raising her own two children alongside her husband with a successful law career at Devine Millimet & Branch, where she is a shareholder and chair of the firm?s Trusts and Estates Practice Group and member of the firm?s board of directors.

Committed to the professional development of women, Mullikin serves as a mentor to many young women attorneys and paralegals and has developed a referral network of professional women. Currently vice chair of the advisory board of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation?s Manchester region, Mullikin is also involved with the New Hampshire Estate Planning Council and is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Q. What made you decide to go into this type of work?

A. At about age 5, I just decided I wanted to be an attorney. In undergraduate school I took an accounting class and liked the numbers, so I majored in accounting. I was very interested in tax as well. I took several tax-related courses in law school and also took a class on wills and trusts, which really clicked with me.

I like the fact that my practice involves helping families. I get to know my clients and their families on a very personal level, and I can be the problem resolver that really puts their minds at ease.

Q. Have you found a difference in how women are accepted as successful in their chosen careers as compared to their male counterparts?

A. There are far fewer women partners in larger law firms than men, and therefore fewer women in leadership roles within those firms. So sometimes when women do find themselves in a leadership role, they have to work harder in that position.

Q. What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

A. My biggest mistake continues to be taking on too much. I have trouble saying no, whether it is to client demands, firm tasks or family commitments. In the workplace, I am able to delegate a lot to my team, which alleviates that to some degree, so I suppose I am slowly correcting this bad habit.

Q. Who has been most instrumental in your success and why?

A. My husband John, my parents and I are a team in taking care of my children. This allows me to be able to do what I do in my profession. My mother practiced medicine for 30 years, so being a full-time working professional mother is something I was used to seeing, and something supported by my family. Without that support, I couldn?t put what it takes into being successful in my profession.

Q. What advice would you give to young women just starting their careers?

A. First decide what is really important. If it is success in your career, then the next step is to define what success means. Success in a career has different meanings to different people. No matter how much ?equality? we have, women will always face choices when it comes to career vs. family. Women can have very successful careers, and can do it the same way men do it, or they can find other ways to make it work. The options these days are endless. ? Tracie Stone

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