Business dynamos

Black Enterprise, August, 1998 by Cassandra Hayes

Providing services specific to a company's needs is another cornerstone of Conner's business philosophy, "We don't mimic other companies. There are standard protocols, but different interpretations. We design procedures and policies specifically for that client," states Conner, who averages 50 projects annually. Her husband, also an environmental engineer and biologist, left Scott Paper two years ago to handle G&C Environmental projects related to employee safety.

Earlier this year, G&C Environmental was given a J.C. Penney Supplier Development Award. "J.C. Penney didn't force me to `tap dance' in order to prove that I was competent. They took me at face value," says Conner. "That was important, especially in an industry dominated by men and nonminorities." Not testing on her laurels, Conner delivered and her contributions were recognized from on. high. "G&C has helped J.(. Penney keep its many facilities nationwide environmentally safe. The company has completed over 100 projects for us, resulting in zero regulatory citations on any project it has managed," says James E. Oesterreicher, J.C. Penney chairman and CEO.

Nonetheless, Conner says other organizations did take her to task. "Our greatest challenge came from our local Small Business Association, 11 says Conner of the SBA office in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. "We would have been a $20 million company by now without the obstacles they put in the way. They steered contracts towards a distinct few firms, while discrediting my company. We [black people] end up fighting each other over the crumbs, and then it's the other ethnic groups who end up profiting from the benefits."

But Conner has circumvented those hurdles and is looking ahead. Besides aiming to be a prime Department of Defense contractor, Conner is also preparing to enter foreign markets under the NAFTA and GATT agreements. Currently, Conner is studying international environmental law at Widener University in Wilmington, Delaware, so that she wilt be ready to provide global advice herself. "Business owners should never offer a service that they have to hire someone else to do," says Conner about her pursuit of the law degree. "They can take your clients or leave you in a bind. I don't enter a contract where I can't perform all the skill sets myself You must diversify to survive. If you don't recognize that, then your business won't grow."

JANICE BRYANT HOWROYD

Business strategy: Integrate the family into the business and expand into new markets

More than flying cross-country making multi-city stops and running the nation's largest black-owned personnel firm, the most important things in Janice Bryant Howroyd's life are God and her family. They are so important that she has woven them into the very foundation of the enterprise she has built.

"I was fourth in a family of 11 children, and it's so refreshing to have so any of them inside my company," says Howroyd, president and CEO of ACT*1 Personnel Services. On staff are seven family members, from brothers and sisters to nieces and nephews, who are responsible for everything from marketing to technology to accounting. As if that's not enough, her son, Brett, 13, and daughter, Katharyn, 14, own 49% of the $67 million entity. Howroyd owns the other 51%.