Owners of California Business. Power. Influence.™

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS v CALIFORNIA v WINTER 2012

NAWBO CA NAMES FIRST

Woman Business Owner Of TheYearOrange County’s Laura Neubauer Awarded Honor At

2011 National NAWBO Women’s Business Conference

IN THIS ISSUE

(continued on page 4)

NAWBO CA Names First

WBO of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Thanks To WBC Sponsors . . .1

President’s Message . . . . . . . .2

Members In The News . . . . . .3

NAWBO CA Launches

New Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Epitome Of A NAWBO

Business Owner . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Meet The NAWBO CA

Chapter Presidents . . . . . . . . .6

NAWBO California Corporate

Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Mary Schnack Update . . . . . .8

NAWBO-CaliforniaNational Association ofWomen Business Owners

855-629-2622www.nawbo-ca.org

NAWBO CA named Laura Neubauer, Owner and CEOof Deliver-It, Inc., as recipient of its inaugural“NAWBO CA Woman Business Owner of the Year”

award. NAWBO CA President May Pon presented the awardto Neubauer at the opening reception of the NAWBOWomen’s Business Conference (WBC) in August 2011 in SanDiego. The state board cited Neubauer’s extraordinary deter-mination, integrity and successful growth as key factors inchoosing her for this prestigious honor. A member of NAWBO Orange County,Neubauer started Deliver-It of Mission Viejo in January 2005, and grew theovernight delivery company into a multimillion-dollar business.

“In just five years, Laura grew Deliver-It into a flourishing company that’sbecome a trusted resource relied on by hundreds of businesses across theregion,” said Pon. “Her strong record of success, along with her businessintegrity and inspiration, truly exemplifies the NAWBO entrepreneurial spirit.Laura is a proud representation of millions of hard-working California entre-preneurs, and credits her NAWBO participation as vital to her continuedgrowth and success.”

The other accomplished California women business owners, each honoredand chosen by their own chapters, were also recognized at A Taste ofCalifornia, the reception sponsored by NAWBO CA. Honorees were:

Special Thanks For Apple Inc., DomaineCarneros and Azure Antoinette

NAWBO CA would like to thank our generous sponsors and guest partici-pants for sponsoring and participating in the NAWBO CA A Taste of CaliforniaOpening Reception at WBC 2011. They were instrumental in making theNAWBO CA-hosted reception such a success at the fall NAWBO NationalConference in San Diego.

Apple Inc.'s generous sponsorship enabled us to provide gifts to the attendees

(continued on page 4)

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NAWBO means business. Get involved.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEMay Pon, President, NAWBO-California

M. Butterfield-Brown & Associates, Ltd.

As a New Year begins, we can look back with prideover our accomplishments of 2011, especially ourrole at the exciting NAWBO National Women’s

Business Conference 2011 in San Diego, which had morethan 600 attendees. We held our NAWBO CA board meet-ing just before the opening of the conference. Thatevening, NAWBO CA was part of the opening reception;we presented our inaugural Women Business Owner ofthe Year award to Laura Neubauer and recognized nineoutstanding women businessowners nominated by eachchapter.

If you weren’t there (and evenif you were!), you can feel theenergy created by this stellargroup of women business own-ers by viewing the photo galleryprepared by NAWBO memberand photographer extraordi-naire Deb Halberstadt, HalfCity Productions, on Facebookand our website.

Under the direction of the tal-ented group of women who siton our NAWBO CA executiveboard, we’ll continue to dedicate this year to adding valueto the California NAWBO chapters, following the strategicplanning initiatives introduced last year by our esteemedImmediate Past President Carla Cobb Davis (NAWBOSilicon Valley).

NAWBO CA works to spark connections and sharing,through sharing by providing this state-of-the-art electronicnewsletter, giving NAWBO members throughout Californiaa place to share their business accomplishments and chap-ter best practices. NAWBO CA will continue to support theCalifornia chapters by offering board, public policy, andleadership training for chapter leaders and members.

We hope you’ll help NAWBO CA gain credibility, pro-

vide important access to the community, and serve as aneffective advocate by attending the Public Policy SummitDays in Sacramento, scheduled for May 30, 2012.

Sixteen women delegates from the China LiaoningWomen's Federation met with San Francisco chaptermembers in early November. In spite of the cultural differ-ences, it was amazing to realize how all women businessowners, whatever the economic context, must work hardto balance their business and personal lives. NAWBO CA

facilitates relationship building in a variety of ways, andwe are looking forward to pursuing more connectionsthrough online networks. We encourage you to participatein our NAWBO CA LinkedIn group, as well as the newTwitter and Facebook channels started by the acclaimedSilicon Valley-based media relations firm Media Owls, oneof our newest corporate partners. A special thank you tothe wonderful Sandy Allan (VP of Technology for NAWBOCA and President and CEO of Technology & OperationalSolutions), through whose tireless efforts we’re soonlaunching a new, robust website. Please check out our newlook...and have a prosperous 2012!

Happy New Year!•

NAWBO California Business Leaders:“I envisioned a company in which any woman could become as successful as she wanted to

be. The doors were wide open to opportunity for women who were willing to pay the price andhad the courage to dream.” Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics

NAWBO SFBA members Robin Azevedo, Kathleen Thurmond, DeeDee Towery, Syndi Seid and May Pon along withAnn Singer ED were on hand to greet the China Liaoning Women's Federation Group in November 2011.

Women’s Initiative Names NAWBO SV Cecelia Mccloy “Entrepreneur Of The Year In Technology”NAWBO Silicon Valley’s Cecelia McCloy, President and CEO

of Integrated Science Solutions, Inc., was named

“Entrepreneur of the Year in Technology” in November by

the Bay Area nonprofit Women’s Initiative for Self-

Employment. This award recognizes women business own-

ers in the Bay Area who’ve been successful despite the bar-

riers that exist for them; exemplify how business ownership

and leadership is beneficial for women; have a positive

impact on the local community or the community at large;

and advance their business through innovation.

“I am honored to be recognized by the Women’s

Initiative,” said McCloy. “There are many deserving entre-

preneurs and I am thrilled to be included in this fine class

of nominees.” McCloy’s business, Integrated Science

Solutions, Inc., is a successful, certified, woman-owned

small business, providing cost-effective professional and

engineering services to a variety of federal, state, and

commercial clients.

Madelyn Alfano on CNBC: Big Business of Small BusinessGetting insight on the midterms from small business owners,

with Madelyn Alfano, (NAWBO Los Angeles) President of

Maria's Italian Kitchen, and Justin Moore, CEO of Axcient.

Watch this segment of CNBC Small Business Council, aired

October 29, with NAWBO LA's President.

16th Annual Remarkable Women Awards Go To Three NAWBO Members, Orange CountyNAWBO OC honored three Orange County women at the

16th Annual Remarkable Women Awards this past fall:

Victoria Betancourt, “Lifetime of Achievement”; Marushka

Kurtz, “Outstanding Innovator”; and Michelle Macis,

“Entrepreneur to Watch.” Betancourt is President of

Coneybeare Inc. and an architect for an eco-resort in

Columbia, South America. Kurtz is President and

CEO of OC Metals Inc./Cal Pac Sheet Metal Inc. Macis is

founder and CEO of Java Jean Bar.

The Remarkable Women Awards honor women busi-

ness owners who are “building thriving organizations that

promote women and celebrate their roles in society, busi-

ness and at home.” “Vicky, Mari and Michelle embody the

mission of NAWBO OC and are an inspiration to us all,”

said NAWBO OC President Maureen Rhyne. “They exhibit

a passion for what they do, and exemplify the theme

‘Inspiration, Courage and Hope’ with the integrity, tenacity

and acumen each brings to their business.”

NAWBO Sacramento Fetes 2011 OWL Awards RecipientsThe NAWBO Sacramento illustrious OWL Awards were pre-

sented to outstanding women of the chapter this past fall.

Awardees were:

n “Woman Innovator Award,” Donna Springer,

Go-Getters

n “Vision Award,” an award given an organization whose

vision provides opportunities for women and girls,

Soroptimist International Sacramento

n “Woman on the Way Award,” Dorene Humason,

The Chef in Black

n “Executive Woman Award,” Shelly Blanchard,

Cordova Community Council

n “Luminary Award,” Suzanne Brooks,

International Association for Women of Color Day

n “Achievement Against All Odds Award,” Myrlys

Stockdale, Stockdale Law Firm

n “Wise Woman Award,” Karen Stawicki,

Stawicki Financial Strategies.

NAWBO SV Immediate Past President Deb Shea Wins Multiple 2011 American Graphic Design Awards

Hellbent Marketing, an award-winning inter-

national marketing and design firm based in

Redwood City, has won seven prestigious

2011 American Graphic Design Awards for

work in the food, publishing, consumer

product and entertainment industry cate-

gories. Hellbent CEO and President,

Deborah Shea, is Immediate Past President

of NAWBO Silicon Valley and currently sits on the Board of

Directors for NAWBO California.

“We are honored to be recognized again, as it is always

encouraging when our work is acknowledged by our peers,"

said Shea. "Our top priority remains supporting our clients

with creative solutions that help them achieve their individ-

ual goals, resulting in website, packaging designs and collat-

eral materials that get the right attention."•

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS www.nawbo-ca.org

Public Policy Training and Educational Summit, June 12, 2012It's more important than ever to become better educated

on the issues that impact business here in California and

engage with your elected officials. Join fellow women busi-

ness owners in our state capital for our annual Public Policy

training and educational summit May 30, 2012. Watch our

communication channels for more details to come.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

NAWBO CA HONORS

that will always remind them of the great evening in thebeautiful state of California. We also want to thankMaurice Webb for attending the conference as the repre-sentative for Apple. Domaine Carneros, which providedexcellent sparkling wine to the attendees, also demonstrat-ed the historical art of Sabering. Thank you so much forsharing and adding a real flair to the program. And, whatcould make the evening better than to have Poet AzureAntoinette recite a poem she wrote specifically for theevent, NAWBO, women business owners, and California.

Without their support and participation, we couldn’thave had such a fabulous NAWBO CA-hosted openingreception, “A Taste of California” which showcased thespectacular culinary offerings from our state. We are great-ly appreciative of all these sponsors’ support.•

Special Thanks (continued from page 1)

n Adrian C. Ott (NAWBO Silicon Valley),Exponential Edge Inc., Los Altos

n Mary Griffin (NAWBO Sacramento Valley), Griffin & Associates, Sacramento

n Diane de Mailly (NAWBO Ventura County), DDM Metering Systems Inc., Ventura

n Lynda Weinman (NAWBO Santa Barbara),lynda.com, Inc., Carpenteria

n Mindy Bortness (NAWBO San Diego),Communication Works, Inc., San Diego

n Madelyn Alfano (NAWBO Los Angeles), Maria’s Italian Kitchen, Van Nuys

n Shaila Rao Mistry (NAWBO Inland Empire), Jayco, Corona

n Barbara Mark, Ph.D. (NAWBO SF Bay Area), Full Circle Institute, San Francisco •

Neubauer (continued from page 1)

FROM LEFT: Lynda Weinman, NAWBO Santa Barbara,lynda.com, Inc., Carpenteria; Laura Neubauer, CaliforniaWoman Business Owner of the Year, CEO of Deliver-It,

NAWBO Orange County; Barbara Mark, Ph.D., NAWBO SF Bay Area, Full Circle Institute, San Francisco;

Mary Griffin, NAWBO Sacramento Valley, Griffin &Associates, Sacramento; Diane de Mailly,

NAWBO Ventura County, DDM Metering Systems Inc.,Ventura; Mindy Bortness, NAWBO San Diego,

Communication Works, Inc., San Diego; and Adrian C.Ott, NAWBO Silicon Valley, Exponential Edge Inc.,

Los Altos. NOT PICTURED: Madelyn Alfano, NAWBO LosAngeles, Maria’s Italian Kitchen, Van Nuys.

PHOTO CREDIT: Deb Halberstadt, HalfCityProductions

FROM LEFT: NAWBO CA Businesswoman of the Year HonoreeBarbara Mark, Ph.D.; Past President NAWBO CA Carla CobbDavis; Maurice Webb, Apple Inc. and NAWBO CA President-Elect Ursula Mentjes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jackie Flaten, Media Owls

Mayor Jerry Sanders ofSan Diego Speaking atWBC Opening Receptionsponsored by NAWBOCalifornia.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jackie Flaten, Media Owls

4

www.nawbo-ca.orgYOU SHOULD KNOW...

NAWBO CA Introduces New Website To EnhanceMember Communication and Resource Access

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Take a look at the new website that just launched for

NAWBO CA! Developed and donated by Supporting

Sponsor Technology & Operational Solutions, Inc.

(TOpS), owned by NAWBO member Sandy Allan, the site

fairly sparkles with new functionality.

“There is a plethora of added bells and whistles for our

members and those considering membership with one of

the NAWBO California chapters,” said Allan, TOpS President

and CEO. “Our initial goal was to make it easy for NAWBO

members to access the many resources and networks avail-

able. We are very interested in member feedback and would

like to know what else you would like to see on the site.”

New functionality includes:

n A chapter locator to assist potential members connect

with their nearest chapter

n A mechanism to find California members with whom to

do business. Under the Membership tab, there’s a direc-

tory that can be searched by member name, business

name, business category, zip code and other search

choices. Are you looking for a business that holds certi-

fications? Are you looking for businesses that do busi-

ness internationally? You can find them — and more —

on the new website.

n An Event Calendar that displays corporate partner,

affiliate, and chapter events. You don’t have to worry

about missing an email event announcement; every-

thing you need to know will be right here. Each chap-

ter will be contacted about getting feeds from their

event calendars.

n Easy viewing of our newsletter (as you’ve already dis-

covered!) and a mechanism to submit articles for con-

sideration for future issues.

“There’s been a great deal of work put into this new site,

but there’s also more to come,” Allan said. “Watch the

progress and help us make this site the best for our NAWBO

CA chapter members!”•

January 2012 marked the 18th anniversary of BerkhemerClayton, Inc., and on behalf of NAWBO CA, PresidentMay Pon extends her congratulations to one of our most

active and dedicated members, Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire. “NAWBO CA has benefited immensely from Betsy’s

unmatched dedication and hard work over the years. Sheserved as NAWBO LA Chapter President with distinctionin addition to leading the NAWBO CA as President from2008 to 2010,” Pon said. “She is a role model for me, per-sonally, and countless other businesswomen across thestate because of her incisive business skills and ability tolead and inspire others.”

Berkhemer Clayton delivers top quality client service

and exceptional outcomes for clients in the corporate,higher education, and non-profit sectors, including Mattel,Occidental Petroleum, Kia Motors America, Gap Inc.,Oaktree Capital Management, University of SouthernCalifornia, UCLA, Cal State Northridge, City of Hope,United Way, L.A. Care and Kaiser Permanente.

In early 2011, her company launched its innovativeTrufflepig Search division to help client companies findsocial media and digital communications professionalsbelow the executive level. It also opened an office in HongKong – Trufflepig Search Ltd. – to serve client corpora-tions in Asia. Inaugural year clients include AutoTrader,GE, Gap, Huawei and Coca-Cola/Japan.•

Epitome of NAWBO Business Woman: Former NAWBO CA President Betsy Berkhemer-CredaireCelebrates 18 Years of Business

NAWBO California is a Consortium of Nine NAWBO Chapters Located in California

Inland Empire

Los Angeles

Orange County

Sacramento

San Diego

San Francisco

Santa Barbara

Silicon Valley

Ventura County

Some of these women recently assumed their new role as

Chapter President and some are continuing in that role.

Below this list is an “up close” look at two of the new lead-

ers, Maxine Goulding of NAWBO Silicon Valley and Maureen

Rhyne, Ph.D., of NAWBO Orange County. (Upcoming issues

of the NAWBO CA newsletter will include features on each

of these entrepreneurial and inspiring professional business-

women.)

6

MEET THE NAWBO CA CHAPTER PRESIDENTS FOR 2011-12

Hilda Kennedy

AmPac Tri State Certified

Development Company

Returning President

Madelyn Alfano

Maria’s Italian Kitchen

Maureen Rhyne, Ph.D.

Heritage Associates, Inc.

Returning President

Kammy Burleson

YNot Web

Returning President

Christine McDannell

Social Starfish

Kathleen Thurmond

Kathleen Thurmond, LLC

Diana Bull

Sterling Properties

Maxine Goulding

California Special Occasions

Debbi Reed

Balance Your Books

INLAND EMPIRE LOS ANGELES ORANGE COUNTY

SACRAMENTO SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO

SANTA BARBARA SILICON VALLEY VENTURA COUNTY

NAWBO Silicon Valley New President Highlight:

Maxine Goulding

NAWBO Orange County New President Highlight:

Maureen Rhyne, Ph.D.In 2003, Maxine Goulding purchased

California Special Occasions, a compa-

ny which specializes in business and

social event management based in San

Jose. As a Certified Event Planner who

earned her Wedding Consultant status

from the Association of Bridal

Consultants, Maxine started her event

planning career in managing employee recognition

events at Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CA. During

those years at Applied Materials, Maxine planned and

executed a wide variety of events, including quarterly

employee recognitions, annual holiday galas, and volun-

teer recognition dinners.

As an independent business owner, Maxine believes in

giving back to the community. She volunteers her time

to Child Advocates and Latina Contra Cancer – Mother’s

Day Walk in various roles such as stage manager, décor,

design and managing volunteers. Maxine sat on the

Board of Directors for the Greater San Jose Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce and was President for the

Greater Hispanic Chambers of Commerce from 2009-

2010, was a participant in the signing of a Memorandum

of Understanding between AMMJE, women’s organiza-

tion in Yucatan, Mexico, became President of the

National Association of Women Business Owners-Silicon

Valley in 2011, and is the co-Director for the Association

of Bridal Consultants – Bay Area.

“As President of NAWBO Silicon Valley, my goals for

the association are to bring advanced education to busi-

ness owners, learn about the latest technology tools for

the workplace and bring opportunities for international

business to our members.”•

Maureen Rhyne, Ph.D. is owner and

President of Heritage Associates, Inc., a

boutique consulting and coaching firm,

where she heads the Executive Coaching

and Consulting Division. Prior to joining

Heritage Associates in 2007, Maureen’s

breadth of experience includes being co-

owner/founder of Spectra Consultants,

providing executive coaching services to an international

consulting firm, being Director of Behavioral Medicine at

Long Beach Memorial Family Medicine, and serving on the

faculty at California State University Long Beach.

Maureen has held clinical appointments at UCI and USC

Medical Schools. Since becoming an entrepreneur, her clients

include Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Versant Ventures,

Doheny Eye Institute, Harbor UCLA Medical Center and

Families Forward, to name a few. She works closely with

clients in their needs assessment, clarifying their goals and

expected outcomes, and develops and implements plans to

achieve desired results both at the individual and organiza-

tional level. Maureen earned her doctorate in counseling psy-

chology from the University of Southern California and is a

Licensed Psychologist and Certified Professional Coach.

“I am so excited about being president of NAWBO-OC

which  is filled with so many talented, gifted and successful

women. Imagine harnessing and focusing that talent and

energy toward creating a community where highly success-

ful business owners leverage and synergize their efforts to

become even more successful and help others to do the

same! That’s what my presidency is about. I am blessed with

a fabulous board of directors. In keeping with our theme for

the year ‘Community, Connections, Competitive Edge: Join,

engage and use the opportunity,’ we are intent upon increas-

ing the ROI for all our stakeholders including our Corporate

Partners, members and board members.

“So to slightly modify a quote of Maya Angelo’s ”Women

in harmony with their (collective) spirit is like a river flowing

(e.g. unstoppable!!)•

Thank you to all of the NAWBO-California Corporate Partners

Technology & Operational Solutions, Inc.

8

Mary Schnack has been along-standing member ofNAWBO and a great

leader in helping women from allwalks of life. As many of youknow, she’s been battling cancerfor a number of years and we’dlike to give you an update fromher family and friends:

A huge thank you to all who’veresponded with love, prayers andoffers of help and assistance forMary and her daughter, Erika.Through the unbelievable generos-ity of Michelle Robson, Mary hasbeen flown home to Sedona, whereshe was greeted by Sedona friends,hospice and a professional trans-port to the home of her goodfriend, Bobbie Surber, where she’llremain for her hospice care. Here's a note from Bobbie:

Hello to All: You are welcome to visit Mary anytime dayor night. Our home is open to all who love Mary.

1840 Gun Fury Sedona, AZ 86336 Bobbie Surber - LEED AP 928-203-6124 bobbie@esedona.net

There are also some great projects underway that all areinvited to participate:

First, Margot Wain Moss has begun compiling photos ofMary for a memory book for Erika:

“I've begun gathering photos of Mary for a memorybook for Erika. Some of you have sent some wonderfulshots so far. I've created a share site where you can viewthem as well as upload more photos of your own. You can

also add messages to be included inthe book. There are also some greatpictures that have been posted onMary's Facebook page. If you have a.jpg of any of those and could add tothe site or send to me atmcwm6@aol.com, that would begreat. I've found the photos off FBdon't always reproduce well in thebooks because of the resolution.Thanks, everyone!” Margot WainMoss

Site Name: Mary Site URL: http://photosofmary.shut-

terfly.com/

Second, Marion Johnson has puttogether a Voice Quilt so Mary canlisten to messages from friends.Leaving a message on a VoiceQuilt is

easy; just follow these steps: 1. Call 1-877-OurQuilt (687-7845) 2. When asked for your invitation number, enter

165502 3. Leave your message, just as if you were leaving a

voicemail 4. Press # to review your message – or just hang up and

save it

For best recording results, use a traditional phone – nota cell or cordless phone. If you have two or more callers,use a speaker phone.

Third, many conversations are going on now about howwe can help continue and broaden Up From the Dust, sostay tuned for more information. Submitted by Barbara Kasoff, President and CEO, and co-

founder of Women Impacting Public Policy, Inc.•

Update on Mary Schnack, NAWBO Arizona, Sedona

NAWBO California Business Leaders:

I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't.

I think it's an on-going process. And it's not just about being able to write a check.

It's being able to touch somebody's life.

Oprah Winfrey