Women in Business Guide

8/14/2019 Women in Business Guide

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Austin Weekly News October 30, 2013 B25Special Advertising Section

Fall 2013

WomeninBusiness

Strengthen | Create | Build | Transform | Mentor


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B26 Austin Weekly News October 30, 2013 Special Advertising Section

Lori Hannigan

518 N. Lombard Ave.

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-848-8631

Tuckpointing

Building Cleaning

Window Caulking

Chimney Repairs

Fully Insured

Lori Hannigan remembers the timeshe built her first chimney afterbeing hired by Edward Cross &

Son, Inc. in Oak Park. Mr. Cross put her inhis garage on a rainy day, mixed mortarand laid out a pattern for a chimney. Hestarted the structure, handed the troweland bucket of mortar to Lori, said it wasall hers and left. She wanted to insure shedid the best work possible and thereforedecided to start the structure over. WhenMr. Cross returned two hours later, he wasimpressed to find a chimney about eight

courses tall that was both exactly plumb,or aligned, and level.

Edward Cross & Son, Inc. has beenin business since 1937. After years ofdedicated, quality work, Lori became theowner in 1987. She continues to strive forperfection in all her projects and does notexpect her staff to complete any task sheherself cannot do. Whether it is setting upa forty foot ladder or pulling up a heavybucket of mortar to the roof of a house,Lori shows her employees she is not just

the boss, but a determined laborer andtuckpointer. Consequently, she is proud tohave made a name for herself in a maledominated industry.

Lori specializes in chimney rebuildingand masonry repairs. With her attentionto detail, Lori and her team use theirskills as artists to rebuild and repair oldstructures to their former glory. She haseven worked on many Frank Lloyd Wrighthomes. The project with the biggest chal-lenge, but that resulted in the biggestsuccess, was rebuilding the large chimneyon the Adams Home at 710 Augusta inOak Park. It involved a large scaffold-ing system, cleaning all the bricks, andrestoring the chimney to the exact same

design in order to satisfy the Frank LloydWright Historical Board.

Lori helps clients understand the stan-dards of the industry so they know whatto expect from contractors in the future.She even teaches her customers aboutwhat caused the problems that are beingfixed. These qualities truly make EdwardCross & Sons, Inc. a unique business.

Building a Business One

Brick at at Time

Women coming together to make connectionsand grow business opportunities.

To nd out more information

Contact Dawn Ferencak708.613.3329 or [email protected]

Or Visitwww.austinweeklynews.com

Connect. Grow. Share.


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773-499-5603 [email protected] facebook.com/photochick40

Harris Photography

creating memories www.harrisphoto.netT

anya Harris was alwaysfascinated by cameras.From a young age, she

began taking pictures ofeverything and everyone. Shetook pleasure in reminiscingas she gazed at framedpictures and albums of herfamily, so carefully assembledby previous generations. Nowas an adult, she still findsit important to have thoseframed photographs in herhome to serve as remindersof happy moments andimportant occasions. Today,

the appreciation for printphotography is overshadowedby how quickly a picture canbe taken on a phone andinstantly sent to friends. AtHarris Photography, familiescan create a legacy that willlast a lifetime. Tanya Harrisunderstands and respects her craft. Shetakes the time to construct a beautifulportrait of your family. Ms. Harris isdedicated to her profession. She attends

workshops and classes to insure she keepsup with the latest industry trends. Sheis also a member of several prestigiousphotography associations that allow her

to constantly learn new techniques. Herpassion shows through on any project. Nomatter the occasion, Harris Photographyprovides quality boutique photographyservices that produce photographs youwill love for years to come.

A legacy that lasts a lifetime

Tanya Harris

Deb Sloan | 7089172693 | [email protected] | w ww.stageritebydeb.com

We do event planning and decor installations.

Let us know how we can help you with your nextproject,celebration or party.

Birthday Parties Holiday Celebrations Retirement Parties

Confrmation Parties Graduation Parties Business Events, Parties &

Meetings Wedding Showers Baby Showers

Event planning | Decor Installations

byDeb

StageRite

Deb Sloan began party planning

at age 17 when she orchestrateda theme event on a whim. The

Western themed party was complete withhomemade bandanas, hats and MostWanted posters made from paper bags. Iteven included a sandbox for guests to panfor gold nuggets, made from spray painteddry dog food, and trade them for food andbeverages at the cardboard saloon.

Years later, while raising four children, shefound herself getting involved in school andneighborhood committees that allowed

for creative entertaining and decorations.Ms. Sloan would consistently go with herinstincts when making design decisions.Some would say less is more, but DebSloan's motto has always been more isbetter!

As the responsibilities of motherhoodtook up less and less of her time, she de-cided to pursue her love of event planningprofessionally by organizing promotionalevents for local businesses. Her schedulewas soon filled with commitments for largeevents, especially during the holidays, andStage Rite by Deb was born!

Deb Sloan's business offers event plan-ning services for all types of celebrations

from birthday parties to corporate events

and promotions. She also specializes indecorating homes, offices and retailers, nomatter how small or large.

Ms. Sloan sees each day as an opportu-nity to create memories for guests with herevent planning and decorating skills. Thesmiles on the faces of satisfied clients arethe reason she loves her job so much.

Deb Sloan, PlanningAmazing Events

Deb Sloan


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A

BC Bank focuses on building and maintainingrelationships, says Colette Loesher, President andCEO.

Ms. Loesher has been with ABC Bank for nearly 25 yearsand has 38 years of banking experience. Her extensiveprofessional background and expertise as well as herattention to providing excellent customer service have madeher a perfect fit for her role at ABC Bank.

Prior to her current position, she served as the BanksSenior Vice President and Senior Loan Officer. Ms. Loesherscurrent responsibilities include developing and implementingvarious strategies and providing overview, direction andsupervision on all aspects of operations for five locations.She is also a member of ABC Banks Board of Directors.

Ms. Loesher is committed to improving the quality of life

and well being of people in the communities served by theBank by sponsoring events, supporting local fundraisers andvolunteering employees time to non-profit organizations.

Currently she is working with local developers to rehabforeclosed homes in an effort to provide quality affordablehousing. It is this commitment to the communities that as

resulted in ABC Bank earning the FDICs highest rating forCommunity Reinvestment for many years.

If you desire to do business with a local community bankwhose focus is on its customers and communities, stop in toone of the five ABC Bank locations today, and take the firststep in building that relationship. Accounts and services arein place to help you reach your personal or business goals.

ABC Bank has five locations, four in Chicago and one inBensenville; 5645 West Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60644, 6400West Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60707, 9443 South AshlandAvenue, Chicago, IL 60620, 1301 West Taylor Street, Chicago,IL 60607, and 2 South York Road, Bensenville, IL 60106.

Visit www.abcbank.net to learn more.

ABC Bank, building relationships

Colette Loesher


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We provide informaon to churches, senior

residences, block clubs or neighborhood groups.

The following are currently available

College MinistryCollege Tours

Bus tours to local city colleges and universies; State

Colleges and Universies; Historically Black Colleges

Remaining Tours for 2013University of Illinois Northern Campus

November 11, 2013

Workshops:

- Preparaon and choosing high schools

- High school class selecons

- Preparaon and choosing colleges

- ACT and SAT preparaon

Real Estate Workshops- Reverse Mortgages

- Tax Exempons

Estate PlanningSimple Wills

Minister Jane Connie McClendon(773) [email protected]

Connie McClendon has been a resi-dent and devoted activist within theAustin community for more than

forty-five years. In her years of serving theAustin community, she has worked with po-litical figures, non-profit organizations andthe election board, providing a voice for theresidents.

Ms. McClendon has worked with the29th Ward Alderman on community issuesand events. She assisted with the 15th

District Precinct, as a volunteer aide withExplore Scouts. She served as the firstrepresentative of the Austin CommunityAction Council, for Austin High Schoolslocal council. In this position, she organizedthe first out-of-state College Tour. This tourincluded visiting Historically Black Collegesand Universities (HBCU).

In addition to her dedication to the Austincommunity, she worked with the NorthAustin Coalition (NAC) for housing. As partof this organization she helped institutea prescreening process for prospectivehomeowners eligible for Housing andUrban Development (HUD). Ms. McClendonserved as president of her neighborhood

block club for ten years. She worked withthe Positive Alternative Project, as well asassisted in other community projects. Ms.McClendon has worked as an election judgefor twenty years and deputy registrar forfifteen years.

Ms. McClendon is a member of ChristTabernacle M.B. Church. She has servedas both a Director of Christian Educationand a Sunday School Teacher for overthirty years. Now retired, Ms. McClendon

is prepared to embark on a new journey.This journey will reunite her with the Austincommunity, as an activist. She has com-bined her professional and spiritual experi-ence to form a Helps ministry. The nameof her ministry is God Breathed Ministry,prepared to launch in February 2014. Herministry will integrate spirituality trainingand professional knowledge. Participants inthe Austin community will gain knowledgefrom other professionals in the health, busi-ness, law, medical and religion.

God Breathed Ministry will be hostinga tour to Northern Illinois University onNovember 11th. The cost of the trip is $15. Ifinterested, contact her directly.

5755 W. DIVISION | CHICAGO, IL 60651773-473-7300 | 773-473-7378 FAX

State Representative

CAMILLE Y. LILLY

78TH

DISTRICT

MOVINGFORWARD

State Representative Camille Lilly is a

caretaker at heart and people are herpassion. Initially she thought about

pursuing a career in nursing. Upon discover-ing she had a low tolerance for pain, not herown, but the pain and suffering of others,she switched for pharmaceuticals, but thendecided she had too much personality tobe a pill counter. For Camille, it came downto wanting to become a part of access tohealthcare. With this in mind she looked atthe business side of healthcare and becamea healthcare administrator.

When thinking about healthcare, sherealized that the business side of healthcare

is an even bigger part of what makes thesystem work. Working with doctors, nurses,and healthcare professionals, all who try tomake people feel better, Camille feels itsimportant that people who lack access tocare to have advocates on their behalf. It isimportant to her that they do not get lost inthe system.

Camille Lilly has spent most of her careeras a healthcare professional. She hasworked at Loretto Hospital for 23 yearsin various leadership capacities and iscurrently Vice President of External Affairsand Development. In 1999, she teamed up

with a group of concerned citizens andbusiness professionals, on the West Side ofChicago, and founded the Austin Chamber ofCommerce. Having seen her activity and hercommitment to service in her community,it was felt that she would be an asset in the

Illinois General Assembly, which led to her

appointment to represent the 78th District inApril, 2010.

Camille has connectivity. She has a wayof assessing individuals, organizations,opportunities and natural synergies thattogether help all better serve the communityand people in general. She hears many greatideas at all levels of government and getsexcited about helping ideas come to fruition.She also believes in the power of one personand if you tap into that power you canchange the outcome for many. Her abidingfaith in God inspires her and gives her thepatience to be a good listener ad a strong

advocate.As a State Representative, Camille is

motivated to helping and being a partof positive change. To help ensure thateveryone has access to healthcare and insur-ance, she is currently involved in supportof the Affordable Care Act. She has set upAffordable Care Act presentations and isparticipating in the enrollment process.

For more information on healthcare andcoverage contact State RepresentativeLillys district office at 773-473-7300 oremail [email protected] or the

provided following websites: www.HealthCare.govwww.Healthcarereform.illinois.govwww.hfs.Illinois.govwww.EnrollAmerica.orgwww.GetCoveredAmerica.org

State Representative CamilleLilly: people are her passion

Community Activist to

Start Ministry


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Deborah Williams has been assistinglocal nonprofit and faith leaders indocumenting their visions since

2004. She is passionate about assistingcongregations in addressing the needsof the communities they serve. Withthe help of Ms. Williams, congregationleaders can maximize their impact byincorporating and registering theirchurches as nonprofit social serviceagencies.

Ms. Williams also utilizes her exper-tise in technology, her diverse workexperience, and her Bachelors Degreein Accounting to help nonprofits reach

their goals. Through one-on-one con-sultations as well as group workshops,Ms. Williams is dedicated to creating agrowth strategy for the organizationsshe works with. Her vision is to posi-tively impact the community by helpingone agency at a time. For example, sheencourages churches to act as safe, nur-turing environments for youth duringafter-school hours.

As a graduate student at ConcordiaUniversity, Ms. Williams aims to receivea Master's Degree in Grant Writing,

Management & Evaluation in order toincrease and improve the services sheoffers her clients.

If you are interested in applying fora 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization or al-ready have a 501(c) 3 but need funding,please feel free to contact Ms. Williamsat 312-576-1085 to register for ProvisionConsulting Services.

Provision Consulting Services

Deborah Williams

Lydia I. Villanueva-Soto, president and

owner of Tan Travel, has being in thetravel industry for over twenty years.

She has a passion for her clients that theinternet or a computer cannot provide.She works with her clients needs, and iscommitted to providing lasting memories.Lydia works to build relationships with hercustomers, recognizing they are the breadand butter of my business, and what drivesme to work hard every day.

The travel industry was at its peak before9/11 and nowadays travel agencies are few

and far between. With the rise of onlinebooking engines, some folks have decidedto go that route. But lately shes noticedmore and more people are coming backinto the agency and asking for her personalopinion. The internet is great for research,but Lydia and her customers know thatnothing beats face-to-face communication.Especially when planning something asimportant as your destination wedding ora dream vacation, you cannot always trustwhat a computer website might say or notsay.

Owning a small business has had its upsand downs but I am grateful to our repeatclients and all of their referrals, Tan Travelis here because of that. Our love for the

travel industry

and the peoplewe have metand continueto serve makesour desire tocontinue in thisonce dieingindustry evengreater.

When askedwhat the favor-ite part of her

job is, Lydia says that number one has tobe interacting with her clientsboth old andnew. She enjoys getting to know people andlearning about them as individuals. Knownto her clients as the Travel Therapist shecraves conversation and the feeling shegets when clients come back from a dreamvacation with thanks and appreciation.

For more information, call Lydiaat 708-386-6363 or visit www.TanTrvl.com.

Tan Travel provides a personalconnection

Lydia I. Villanueva-Soto

Find us on OakPark.com or at TanTrvl.com

708.386.6363email: [email protected]

Your Door to the World

Vacation Packages

Domestic & International Vacations

Cruises

Destination Weddings

Honeymoons

Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter

PROVISION

CONSULTINGSERVICESFOR NONPROFITORGANIZATIONS & CHURCHES

INSTRUCTOR

DEBORAH WILLIAMSDo You Have A 501c3?

Are Your Records Up-to-Date?

Have You Registered with the Attorney General?

Have you Filed the IRS 990s?

Are you Looking for a Grant Writer?

IF YOUR NEED HELP WITH ANY OF THE ABOVEREGISTER TODAY ONLY $49Contact us at 312.576.1085 orEmail us at [email protected]


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Your Partner in Success

Dawn Ferencak Local Advertising Consultant708/[email protected]

Illinois Press Association 2011Sales Representative of the Year

MakeConnections

and GrowYourBusinessToday

Dawn Ferencak, a uniquelypersonal approach

Dawn Ferencak helps her clients make

their businesses grow beyond theirexpectations by truly understanding

their needs. She has been with Wednesday

Journal Publications for eight years now and

still has the same passion for empoweringthe community as she did when she started.

At first, when I inherited the West Side

territory in 2010, I was pretty nervous, shedescribes, but then realized that the best

way was to jump in full force. My first weekon the job, there was an invitation to a bus

tour of hair salons in Austin and I called and

asked if my son who was eight at the time

could come along with me. So we bothended up going and found the people on

the bus were so welcoming and engaging. Iknew then that the way to connect with the

community was for people to know me and

trust me.

Much more than a 9 to 5 job, her work is a

way of life. Dawn is passionate about serving

her clients. She knows how important it isto learn their background; why they started

their business; what their goals are; what

their challenges are; and what drives them

to succeed. This uniquely personal approachbuilds strong bonds of trust. Her clients know

that she always has their best interests inmind and as a result they truly consider her

a partner with them in their success. Dawn

says that she believes in bringing the bestskills, research and products to the tableevery time she has a chance to help a client.

Through her community outreach, Dawn

saw the need to offer more support to

the West Side community. In 2011, shesuccessfully advocated for this and the

Austin Weekly News expanded its coverageto include the entire West Side of Chicago.

In 2012 Dawn founded the West Side

Business Network and its subgroups,including the Austin Weekly News Business

Development Luncheon Group, West SideWomen, West Side Men and West Side Bridge,all with the goal of bringing professionals

from Chicagos West Side together with

those from Oak Park and nearby suburbsto network, grow and discuss challenges.

With anywhere from 35 to 100 attendees

per meeting, Dawn has successfully sewnanother thread across the communities she

dearly loves.

Watch for more relationship building asDawn launches the West Side Manufacturing

networking group and the Austin Weekly

News Foundation for Community Organizingand Journalism. Visit AustinWeeklyNews.

com to stay updated.

Home of the West Side Women

773.921.1100 5638 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60651

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Women in Business Guide