Avon Honors Women For Achievements
At 21, when Teresa McBride took over her family’s small restaurant, one of the first things she did was buy a computer to help take care of some of the time-consuming administrative tasks. She didn’t know then that her computer savvy would eventually spawn a $150 million-a-year business.
Today, McBride & Associates, the Albuquerque, N.M.-based firm she founded in 1986 at age 24, has 150 employees providing computer solutions to corporate and federal clients. Last week, McBride and five other women were presented Women of Enterprise awards by Avon Product Inc. at a lavish luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. About 1,300 people attended the highly charged, emotional event.
The awards, co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, recognize women who have overcome adversity on the road to business success. “This year, there is more emphasis on women and technology,” said Susan Kropf, president of Avon-United States.
Other 1997 winners include Georgia Buchanan, president of All Pro Construction Inc. in Grandview, Mo., who took over her husband’s construction company after he died. A former teacher, she turned the company around, and now sales are $6 million a year.
Carmen Munoz, chairperson of GSC Industries Inc. in Detroit, is one of the few women business owners in the automotive industry. She started her own company three days after she was fired by the son of the business owner she worked for. The son told her that no woman should make as much money as she did - especially a Hispanic woman. Today, GSC Industries has 185 employees and revenues of $20 million.
Deborah Naybor, president of Naybor Land Survey in Alden, N.Y., turned her passion for the outdoors into a $1 million-a-year real estate surveying company. Naybor said she took advantage of being certified as a minority-owned business at first, but now she rarely needs the extra help. “It’s still hard to find women in this industry,” said Naybor, who employs 21 people - 18 men. An avid scuba diver and licensed instructor, Naybor says she likes to teach willing clients how to dive because it’s fun and it builds trust.
Arlene Maus, an Avon sales representative in Green Bay, Wis., is legally blind, but her disability didn’t stop her from generating $325,000 in revenues last year.
The sixth winner, Janet Avery, left Citibank to found Vehicles Inc., a New York City-based not-for-profit group that helps at-risk youth and adults.
“It’s been incredible to get people to believe in me to the point that they are investing $60,000, $70,000 or $80,000. It’s mind-boggling,” she said.
McBride credited her strong Hispanic grandmother with teaching her how to listen to customers.
“I was raised by my grandmother, who believed you should only speak when you’re spoken to,” she said. “Now, I do that with my clients. I let my customer talk, and I listen, and I listen hard.”
She also said she felt prejudice from male colleagues because of her gender and youth.
“At an event I was keynoting, a man approached me several times and asked me to take care of the coffee situation,” she said. “After I made my speech, he couldn’t look me in the eye.”
The winners received plaques and will represent Avon as keynote speakers at events across the country. It’s time for my annual best and worst business card competition. Send your entries to: Jane Applegate, P.O. Box 768, Pelham, N.Y. 10803. If it’s not your card, please write your name, address and phone number on the back. All entries are due July 4, and winners and prizes will be announced in August.
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