Tomorrow - Thursday, October 6 - is absolutely the last day that we can accept late entries for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's premier honors for women entrepreneurs, executives and the organizations they run.

You'll find the entry kit here, online. It explains how to choose categories and prepare entries. When you've written your entries, submit them here.

Late entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. Preliminary judging to determine Finalists closes on Sunday, and Finalists will be notified next Wednesday.

This year's Stevie Award winners will be announced at a dinner in New York on Friday, November 11. Attendance is not required to win.

Who do you know who should be nominated in the Stevies for Women?

Q&A with Sherry Chris, President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC in Parsippany, New Jersey, USA, who was named Best Executive in a Service Business (up to 100 employees) in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women In Business.  She is also Chair of the committee for final judging of the Best Executive categories in the 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  The final entry deadline for the awards is September 30.

What are your top 3 tips for using social media in business?

• Be authentic when you are online. Make sure your voice is real and that you are not hiding behind a persona.
• Be doggedly determined.  Being active in the social-media space is not a one-time marketing campaign or stunt. You need a long-term strategy and you need to stick to it.
• Always remember that technology is a tool that creates efficiencies; however, it does not—and never will—replace the importance of face-to-face or personal contact.
  

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

The recent stepping-down by Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple was significant to me not only because of his indelible impact on the technology industry, but also because his innovation forever changed the way we live our lives with technology.

As a CEO myself, this news was an opportunity to further reflect on the tenets I live by:

• Do your best, in small and large endeavors, every single day
• Attack your goals with passion
• Make a big impact: on your company, on your industry, in your community
• Inspire your team
• Empower your team to move the business forward: ground them with a common vision

Do you have a favorite business app?

Flipboard for iPad is my favorite business app.  It’s the world’s first social magazine, allowing the more than 3.5 million people who have downloaded the app to organize their social and news streams into an easy-to-read electronic magazine format on their iPad.  Our Twitter feed--@bhgrealestate--is featured content in the Business & Finance category of Flipboad.  We are the only real estate franchise to be featured, a distinction that makes us very proud.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

Real estate is in my DNA.  I have been in this wonderful industry for 30 years and could not see myself anywhere else.  One of the reasons I love my job and my industry is because, while technically I am in real estate, I consider myself in the customer service business.  Another industry that mirrors this is hospitality. I attended the Ritz Carlton executive customer-service training program because I believe customer service is the way to stand apart.  I have integrated the philosophy of extreme customer service into everything we do at Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?

One of the first things we did when we built the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand was to create a set of core business values, which we call PAIGE: Passion, Authenticity, Innovation, Growth, and Excellence.  These are the values I follow both professionally and personally.  They are qualities that are consistent across my team and across our network of brokers and agents.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?

I believe one bad habit that holds many leaders and companies back is not having the courage to acknowledge mistakes quickly, correct them, and move on.  We live in a dynamic business world.  With the right core values, strategies, and team, a company is empowered to tackle any roadblock that comes its way—and to emerge stronger because of it.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?

I believe my job is not only to build the most innovative lifestyle-real-estate brand, it is also to change the way we do business in our industry.  When you fully believe in something; when you are fortunate enough to truly be passionate about your company, your customers, and your goals; and when you have been empowered to look at and do things differently to achieve those goals, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. 

About Sherry Chris

Sherry Chris was appointed President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC in October of 2007. Her appointment followed Realogy's announcement that it had entered into a 50-year agreement with Meredith Corporation to license the Better Homes and Gardens® name to launch a new and dynamic global residential real estate brand.

Sherry has more than 27 years of real estate experience, including significant senior management positions in the areas of sales, marketing, new technologies, and franchise management. A native Canadian, she began her real estate career in Canada and held increasingly senior positions with Royal LePage for 16 years before taking on executive roles with Real Living (Ohio) and Prudential CA/NV/TX Realty. She joined Realogy in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

Well known within the real estate industry, Sherry is a frequent speaker at real estate and technology conferences. She serves on Zillow's broker-advisory board and has served on a number of industry- and technology-related advisory boards, including Trulia and Google Real Estate. She is a past chairman of The Realty Alliance. Sherry is a graduate of The University of Western Ontario, and she earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business.

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates, and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems, and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes approximately 7,000 sales associates and more than 200 offices serving homebuyers and sellers in 23 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.  For more information, please visit www.BHGRealEstate.com.       

Better Homes and Gardens(r) is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.  Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens(r) Real Estate Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.

Preliminary judging opened this week for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's premier honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, and the organizations they run.  The awards are open to all organizations and individuals worldwide - entries will be accepted through September 30.  Similarly, anyone around the world may apply to participate in the preliminary round of judging - the application form is online.

Preliminary judges determined the Finalists who will be announced on October 12.  Later in October, final judging panels will determine the Stevie Award winner in each category from among the Finalists.

Judging is conducted online, and the preliminary judging web site will be available online, 24/7, through October 9.

Among the benefits of participating as a Stevie Awards preliminary judge are:

* Acknowledgment on the awards web site and in the awards dinner program (this year's event is on November 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York)

* The opportunity to win free tickets to the awards dinner (the two judges who score the most entries receive them)

* A certificate of appreciation, suitable for framing

* The opportunity to learn how extraordinary women and organizations around the world are innovating and succeeding.

Even if you have only an hour or two to contribute to judging over the next month, your contribution will be useful and appreciated.  Interested in participating? Then complete the online application form.  If accepted, you'll be assigned categories based on your experience and function.

Q&A with Beth Smith, co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of HybridMom.com of New York, USA, and winner of the Women Helping Women Award in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  (The 2011 awards are now accepting entries – the deadline is August 31.  The entry kit is online, here.)

What are your top 3 recommendations for being a successful working mother?

1. Take time on Sunday to organize your week, check your calendar for things that require errands, and do what you can in advance. Nothing is more stressful than buying and wrapping a birthday gift in your car on the way to a party!

2. Know that however organized you are things will not always be perfect. And that’s OK. Be kind to yourself, and make time for friends. Not only is this important for you, but your children are also learning the importance of self-care.

A friend of mine who recently lost her mom told me one of her favorite memories of her was her weekend ritual of reading the paper in bed.  She loved seeing her—a working single mom constantly in motion­—luxuriate for several hours in her satin sheets with the Sunday paper spread all around her. I love that image, too. Life is meant to be savored and enjoyed.

3. Make sure every member of the family pitches in. It’s sometimes easier to quickly make a bed than to call your child to come and do it, but in the end, if every family member does his or her part, it will make a big difference.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

I was deeply saddened by the recent helicopter crash in Afghanistan that took the lives of 30 Americans, including 22 members of the now-fabled SEAL Team Six.  Watching several families talk about their lost loved ones, I was struck by how proud and brave they still were despite their grief.

Do you have a favorite business app?

I check Google Analytics several times throughout the day. An article not getting quite the number of hits I suspected? I’ve been known to change a title (which can make all the difference) while waiting on a deli line. Priceless!

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

I would love to be a pastry chef. When I’m not working I’m usually baking.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?

Thinking outside the box. Hybrid Mom was founded on a shoestring budget and I love people who can make things happen, no matter what.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?

Procrastination. It takes more energy to worry about getting something done than actually rolling up your sleeves and doing it. 

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?

I love that every day I have the chance to help women entrepreneurs. I know what it’s like to ride the roller coaster, and if I can make the journey a bit easier for others, it’s a good day. Platforms such as the HybridMom.com Bazaar, where women can buy and sell products, and the soon-to-be-launched Freelance Circle, in which women can use their professional skills to help other businesses, were created to help women realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

About Beth Smith
After a 15-year career in publishing for a global business media company, Beth Smith decided to take off on a quest to find a happy medium … a way to have the best of both the working and the mom worlds. And she found that with Hybrid Mom. A co-founder of the company, and currently the Editor-in-Chief, Beth has been an instrumental part of creating and growing the Hybrid Mom brand. Today, she’s dedicated to providing a platform that allows other moms to do exactly what she did.

When she’s not busy seeking out moms who’ve found creative ways to blend work, life, and family, Beth can be found (in her yoga pants) reading, traveling, or exploring ways to ignore the barking of her Yorkiepoo. Beth lives on Long Island with her husband of 18 years and her 10-year-old daughter Jenna.

About HybridMom.com
Hybrid Mom is a community connecting moms on the things that matter most—family, lifestyle, and work style. HybridMom.com was a recipient in the 2010 and 2011 Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 Websites For Women awards.

What do you think of Beth's tips for working mothers?  What are your favorite working-mom tips?

Susan Davis International of Washington, D.C., USA, won a Stevie Award for Communications Campaign of the Year in the PR awards categories of the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Here we look at how the communications firm brought widespread recognition to the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II.

Congressional Gold Medal

The unsung heroines of World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), were finally honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in a March 10, 2010 ceremony at the United States Capitol. The WASP—1,102 trailblazing civilian female pilots—were the first women to fly military aircraft. They were not granted military status until 1977, and today fewer than 300 survive.

Susan Davis International (SDI) worked on behalf of the Women In Military Service for America Memorial Foundation to tell the long-forgotten story of the WASP, their service, and their honor. The firm gained the WASP widespread international, national, and local media attention with a combined national and grassroots media strategy.

Media Campaign

To increase awareness of the WASP, SDI designed a media campaign to communicate the unique stories of each WASP as well as the broader story of their collective service. To create additional opportunities for the WASP and media to interact, SDI recommended, developed, executed, and managed two events including a Wreath Laying and Remembrance Ceremony and a Military Salute Reception on March 9, 2010.

Personal Stories

SDI researched personal WASP stories to build a comprehensive media
strategy for coverage in advance of, and during, the celebratory activities. SDI’s initial press release announced events the Foundation would host to honor
the WASP. Preview articles were secured in national and regional outlets
including U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times.

Grass Roots Strategy

In advance of the ceremony in Washington, D.C., SDI developed state-specific press releases for the ten states with the highest number of surviving WASP, which they strategically distributed to print, online, and broadcast media.

Media Interviews

As the sole connecting resource between the WASP and the media, SDI managed and coordinated hundreds of phone and in-person interviews in hometowns and in Washington, D.C. SDI also pitched and secured media interviews for Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, president of the Women in Military Service For America Foundation, and modern day aviator Lt. Col. Nicole Malachowski, who both contributed to the WASP story.

During the celebratory events, SDI worked closely with WASP and their military escorts to fulfill media requests. Immediately following the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, SDI worked with NBC and ABC pool cameras to facilitate on-camera interviews requested by affiliates around the country, most of which had been generated through SDI’s hometown outreach.

SDI also matched specific WASP with print journalists. The firm had interested ABC World News in following WASP Bernice “Bea” Haydu on her journey to Washington and connected the ABC pool camera with her for a conclusion to the story.

The Story is Finally Told

SDI’s strategy produced more than 925 print articles, 1,200 online articles, and
68 stories on national radio and television. Local radio and television affiliates aired more than 1,170 stories across the nation. More than half of earned media coverage told the individual stories of the WASP, with 174 of those stories on front pages from Alaska to Maine.

SDI’s efforts produced more than 200 million media impressions, including a CNN live interview in the Capitol Visitors Center the morning of the ceremony. The WASP story was told on PBS News Hour, CBS Evening News, CNN, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, and NPR.  It also earned front-page coverage in such publications as the Washington Post, Contra Costa Times, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Anchorage Daily News, and Denver Post.

The WASP story resonated in more than 180 markets across the nation, ensuring Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II their long-delayed and much-deserved recognition.

About Susan Davis:

Susan A. Davis, Chairman and Founder of Susan Davis International, is an internationally renowned communications strategist. For more than two decades, she has created and managed innovative, award-winning media and public affairs campaigns for domestic and international industry leaders, governments in the U.S. and abroad, non-profits, and NGOs. Ms. Davis is widely known for her expertise in strategic positioning, alliance and relationship building, government relations, and crisis communications. She has provided counsel to government and industry leaders throughout the United States, Europe, and Central America, and continues to counsel key public figures worldwide.

About Susan Davis International

Susan Davis International (SDI) is a full-service, woman owned/operated boutique public affairs/strategic communications firm with a 25-year history of producing award-winning campaigns and events. SDI, with more than 68 agency partners worldwide, services clients including multinationals, the U.S. and foreign governments, federal agencies, non-profit organizations, NGOs, and trade associations.  For more information go to www.susandavis.com.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business today launched the Call for Entries for its eighth annual competition.  Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at www.stevieawards.com/women. 

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business feature over 50 categories including Best Entrepreneur, Best Young Entrepreneur, Best Executive, Mentor or Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Employee of the Year, Best Overall Company of the Year, and Most Innovative Company of the Year, among others.  The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards. 

All female entrepreneurs, executives, and the organizations they run, worldwide, are eligible to be nominated.

The discounted early-bird entry deadline is July 27 and the final deadline is August 31, 2011.  Entrants save 25% by entering early. Winners of the eighth annual competition will be announced at a gala awards dinner in New York in November.

New categories in 2011 include Non-Profit or Government Organization of the Year, Smartphone or Tablet App of the Year, Video of the Year, and multiple new Marketing Campaign, Communications/PR Campaign, and New Product or Service of the year categories.

Winners of the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business included, among others: Teach for America’s Rebecca Fishman Lipsey (Best Executive), Nu Skin Enterprises’ Melissa Tantoco-Quijano (Best Asian Executive), International Financial Data Services’ Debralee L. Goldberg (Best Canadian Executive), Métier, Ltd.’s Sandra Richardson (Mentor of the Year), and Australia’s WildlyWealthy.com (Best Overall Company of the Year). A complete list of 2010 honorees is available at www.stevieawards.com/women.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are judged by many leading women entrepreneurs, executives and luminaries in business. 

A portion of each ticket sold for the November 11 awards dinner will be contributed to Camfed (www.camfed.org), which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change. 

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Sponsors of the 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business include Infogroup and KeyBank’s Key4Women program.  Localization partner of the 2011 Stevie Awards is SDL.  The November 11 awards presentations will be broadcast by the Business TalkRadio Network.

Who are the outstanding women you think should be nominated in this year's awards?

 

With the month-away launch of the call for entries for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, here's a profile of Debralee L. Goldberg, president and CEO of International Financial Data Services Canada in Toronto, named Best Canadian Executive in the 2010 Stevies for Women in Business.

Since joining IFDS Canada as CEO in 2006, Debralee Goldberg has compiled an impressive record as a female chief executive in the traditionally male- dominated world of financial services. IFDS Canada’s operating income has risen by nearly 300%, and the number of clients has grown by 30%. Three of IFDS Canada’s 10 largest accounts were signed on in 2009–10.

Debralee Goldberg’s impact as CEO extends beyond the usual operating numbers, however, and includes initiatives in technology, the environment, and community giving.

Debralee began her 30-year career as an entry-level call-center employee in a Boston bank’s mutual fund division. Over the next eight years, she earned a number of management-level promotions, took additional courses, and learned the mutual fund business. She then took a five-year break to raise her family.

After her return, she rose to the executive ranks of First Data Investor Services, a spin-off from American Express, and then joined Kansas City-based DST Systems Inc. before being tapped to run IFDS Canada.

Reducing Environmental Impact
Since arriving in Toronto, Debralee’s solid understanding of mutual fund operations has allowed her to contribute as a board member of FundSERV, the Canadian financial-funds network responsible for managing intercompany settlements. Her deep knowledge has also enabled her to identify and champion ideas to improve client relations and operating efficiency, and to reduce the environmental impact of IFDS Canada. For example, new smart-screen technology has eliminated the company’s need to print received forms for data entry. In addition to eliminating paper, this advance increased data entry productivity by 60% and reduced by 70% the number of items requiring quality review.

Similarly, a new touch-screen solution now allows IFDS Canada mailroom associates to distribute incoming documents without printing and attaching paper routing instructions. This innovation has reduced monthly mailroom paper use by 50%.

Debralee is raising environmental awareness in other ways at IFDS Canada. She created a green-initiatives committee, has reduced travel with the use of VOIP and other e-meeting technologies, conducts annual green-awareness campaigns, and has supported distribution of reusable thermal lunch bags, drink bottles, and coffee mugs to all employees. As part of her personal commitment, she walks to work nearly every day.

Improved Technology
Technology improvements introduced under Debralee have reduced IFDS Canada’s carbon footprint and resulted in the deployment of these technologies by IFDS affiliates. They also contributed to IFDS Canada’s two software awards in 2009 and 2010: Best Use of Technology at the Canadian Investment Awards, and Progress Software’s SaaS Excellence Award.

Under Debralee’s leadership, the company continues to seek new ways to improve, spending more than $20 million annually on research and development.

Corporate Giving
Debralee recognizes the importance of giving back. In 2010, IFDS Canada’s charitable giving was on track to rise 350% over 2008. Employee participation in the same period increased nearly 50%.

Today IFDS supports more than 25 charities, including the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, University Settlement, the Hospital for Sick Kids, HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre, and United Way.

Upon receiving her Stevie Award for Best Canadian Executive last November, Goldberg commented: “I am very much honored to be recognized by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Not only as the rare woman in a male-dominated world of financial services, but also as it reinforces the value of—and our commitment to—increasing customer satisfaction, increasing operational efficiency for our clients, contributing to worthy charities, and reducing our carbon footprint.” 

About Debralee Goldberg
Debralee Goldberg has risen from her first job as a mutual-fund call-center associate to CEO of IFDS Canada, where she demonstrates leadership in business growth and efficiency, R&D, green initiatives, and corporate giving. Prior to IFDS, Debralee spent 25 years in the mutual fund industry with Boston-based banks and services companies First Data Investor Services and DST Systems Inc.

As an alumna of Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, Debralee is an active member of the alumni board, the parents’ council, and the dean’s advisory board at her alma mater. She has been married to Bill Goldberg for 29 years and has two sons, Harrison and Benjamin. Their favorite family activity isskiing. A certified chef, Debralee enjoys cooking and reading in her spare time.  

About IFDS Canada
IFDS Canada is one of Canada’s largest transfer agencies, with over 500 employees and more than 10 million unit holder accounts. It has become a global leader in business process outsourcing and application services. IFDS Canada clients include a mutual fund managers, wealth managers, insurance companies and banks. The company is a joint venture of State Street Corporation and DST Systems Inc.  For more information visit www.ifdsgroup.com.

Today is the absolutely the last day we can accept entries for The 9th American Business Awards, and next Wednesday is the entry deadline for The 8th International Business Awards, but it's almost time to start thinking about this year's Stevie Awards for Women in Business, which will open for entries within a month.  Mary Reilly-Magee, Owner and Founder of Love to Swim and Tumble School in San Antonio, Texas USA, was named Best Entrepreneur in a Service Business (Up to 100 Employees) in the 2010 Stevies for Women in Business.

Mary Reilly-Magee is the embodiment of the two talents that make a top entrepreneur: Determination and Passion.  She is an extremely determined businesswoman, and she is passionate about the prevention of drowning.  She is also passionate about lifelong learning and about building relationships.

Mary taught swimming while earning her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She taught English and coached the swimming and water polo teams at Holmes High School for 5 years while directing the summer night lesson program at Northside Aquatics. In 1998 she resigned from high school teaching to focus on her young family. 

Mary began coaching at local area pools and fitness centers, but was frustrated by having to deal with facility issues and scheduling conflicts. She wanted to provide a more stable environment that would better facilitate teaching children and adults how to swim. Inspired by her vision and dedication, Mary’s friends and family decided to pitch in and lend her the start-up money she needed to build her own facility.

Love to Swim School, founded in 2001, was the direct result of this combination of determination and passion. It quickly became successful and profitable.

Expansion
After paying back her family and friends, Mary decided she wanted to do more to develop children’s fitness, so she incorporated a tumble facility into her swim school. Mary firmly believes that children that roll on mats, jump on trampolines, and balance on beams develop neurological connections that give them an academic edge over non-active children. Characteristics introduced in the gym such as risk-taking, focusing, following directions, and having an “I can” attitude lead to similar behaviors in the classroom.

By 2008, the renamed Love to Swim and Tumble School’s sales had grown exponentially, allowing Mary to expand her reach and open a second location in 2009.

Mary’s swim schools had taught over 37,000 swim lessons by 2010. Currently, Mary is planning to open additional locations to provide more children with the opportunity to learn.  

A Reputation for Excellence
With its two unique indoor facilities, Love to Swim and Tumble School is able to offer swim and tumble lessons year-round. Mary has developed a progressive approach for teaching, and the coaches on her staff are required to undergo extensive ongoing training. With her child-centered teaching philosophy, parental involvement, and highly trained staff, Mary’s facilities have a well-earned reputation for excellence.

A certified Texas educator, Mary has established herself as an expert in her industry and has written numerous articles for various publications. She constantly seeks to engage and involve parents in their children's learning through newsletters and by offering informational sessions while their kids swim.

Mary speaks at various parenting groups and industry tradeshows, and she provides free drowning-prevention demonstrations to students in local elementary schools. She has been a presenter at the American Swimming Coaches Association SwimAmerica™ National Conference and at the U.S. Swim School Association Annual Spring Conference. She currently serves as the Vice President and President-Elect of the U.S. Swim School Association, a national organization of professional aquatic directors. 

About Mary Reilly-Magee
Mary Reilly-Magee, an athlete, passionate instructor, savvy businesswoman, and mom, has spent the last 25 years of her life teaching students of all ages to swim. She is the founder of the San Antonio-based Love to Swim and Tumble School, and the current president-elect of the U.S. Swim School Association. Mary has presented at numerous national and local conferences as well as to “Mothers of Preschoolers” and parent-teacher organizations.

About Love to Swim and Tumble Schools
Love to Swim and Tumble School’s mission is to develop lifelong swimmers who are confident and masterful. Founded in 2001 by Mary Reilly-Magee, Love to Swim and Tumble School has locations in San Antonio and Schertz that provide swim lessons and tumble lessons. Students range in age from six months to adult, and in skill level from beginner to advanced.  For more information, go to www.love-to-swim.com.

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Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher interviewed Wendi Goldsmith, founder and president of The Bioengineering Group on January 27 in a webinar presented by the School of Management at George Mason University. Check out the video on YouTube.

Wendi is a multiple Stevie Award winner for Executive of the Year, Company of the Year, and more.  She talked about how and why she started the business, the obstacles she overcame, how she learned to become both an entrepreneur and a manager, and the lessons she would share with would-be business creators and managers.

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The full-text of the Stevie Award-winning nominations in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business have been published on the awards' website.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are the world's premier awards honoring the achievements of women entrepreneurs, executives, and the organizations they run. Honorees in the 7th annual Stevies for Women were celebrated at an awards dinner in New York on November 12.

It is the Stevie Awards tradition to publish the full-text of Stevie Award-winning entries after a time in which honorees may redact any confidential or non-public information from their entries.

Reading Stevie Award winning entries is a great way to learn how other individuals and organizations are achieving success, and a great way to learn how to structure and compose entries that judges appreciate.

Just about every story in these winning entries in a gem in one way or another, but here are five we think you can't do without reading.

1. The story of Amanda Welliver, Stevie winner for Best Canadian Entrepreneur.  Amanda stirred the audience at November's awards dinner with her moving acceptance speech.

2. Ruth Elliott's (a Best Entrepreneur honoree) rise from rags to riches, which is just as riveting as her own acceptance speech.

3. A model of concise writing and achievement summarization: Teresa Poggenpohl of Accenture, a Best Executive honoree.

4. A great example of how well a PR agency can capture and express a client's achievements: Gutenberg Communications' entry on behalf of Blanca Treviño of Softtek in Monterrey, Mexico, another Best Executive winner.

5. One more rags to riches story to inspire you: Sandy Forster of WildlyWealthy.com in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, a 2010 Stevie winner for Best Overall Company of the Year.

Those are five of our favorites.  Which are yours?