Calling all Women of Enterprise

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1990 by Liza Schafer

Are you a woman with a real-life Horatio Alger story to tell? If so, consider entering the Women of Enterprise Awards competition. Founded in 1987 by Avon Products, in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration, this prestigious awards program pays tribute to the indomitable spirit of American women. Each year, five winners are chosen for their courage in the face of adversity--and the search for 1991's winners is on.

To be eligible, you must be a woman who has been profitably self-employed for a minimum of five years and has overcome significant personal or economic hardship to achieve success. Selected by a panel of business and community leaders, each winner receives a crystal trophy, $1,000 in cash, and most important, the opportunity to inspire millions of women across the United States.

At an awards ceremony held at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is past summer, talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael and film producer Shelly Lansing helped honor the 1990 inductees. The include:

Kavelle R. Bajaj, 40, president of I-NET, Inc. An arranged marriage brought Bajaj from India to the United States, where she vowed to make it in the field of telecommunications. After getting the necessary technical courses under her belt, she formed I-NET, her $18 million telecommunications company, I-NET competes with the likes of AT&T and IBM and has 300 employees.

Janis L. Hahn, 36, director, Radiology Relief, Inc. Hahn's familiarity with X-ray technology began when she developed ovarian cancer at 17 and underwent intense radiation therapy. While being treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital, she asked about the school's radiology program. As soon as her health allowed, she enrolled. Founder of Radiology Relief, the former cancer patient is now directs 70 specialists trained to fill in for radiology staff members at hospitals and health centers.

Marie L. Mahan, 47, founder, Flour Pot Gourmet Foods, Inc. When Mahan left her abusive husband, she and a friend decided to bake and sell chocolate-chip cookies to local merchants. The team's big break came when they devised a cookie-and-ice-cream concoction and a local ice-cream company placed an order for 3.5 million of them. Those confections are now distributed nationwide, and last year Flour Pot Gourmet Foods, chalked up $5 million in sales.

Carmella M. Liberto, 59, president, R. J. Liberto When her husband left Liberto and their 10 children in 1978, she forged ahead with her family's debt-ridden commercial-refuse company. Twelve years later, her company boasts more than 1,000 accounts.

Katherine B. Moore, 48, president, Eastern Delivery Service, Inc. Moore had two children when her husband abruptly abandoned them and the trucking company the couple had started together just a year before. But something told her to stick with the business. "The idea of a black woman competing in the trucking industry was unsettling for many people," recounts Moore. By providing quality service, she has built a large and loyal clientele. Although her company employs 15, she is still known to jump into a truck and head to the docks to ensure a prompt delivery.

Inspired to apply? If you think you qualify as a Woman of Enterprise, get an application. Send a self-addressed, stamped (75-cent postage), 9-by-12-inch business envelope to Women of Enterprise Awards, Avon Products, 9 West 57th St., New York, New York 10019. Applications must be received by February 1. HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING is rooting for you!