Atlanta's Top Entrepreneurs

Women are leaving traditional business in droves in pursuit of their own plan. Here, some of this year's best examples of entrepreneurs.

by Martha Nolan McKenzie

September 1, 2005

" O ur members tell me they went into business for themselves for the control it offered," says Mary Rodriguez, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). "They want to control the hours they choose to work, the time they devote to family or other interests and the income they earn based on their efforts."

More and more Atlanta businesswomen are chasing this ideal. Indeed, almost 44 percent of all privately held firms in the metro area are women-owned - a total of nearly 172,000 businesses. To put that in a national perspective, Atlanta ranks 5th among the country's top 50 MSAs in the number of women-owned firms and 3rd in the growth in the numbers of such firms.

"The surge in women-owned businesses can be attributed to the female-friendly business climate in Atlanta," says Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox. "From seed money to government resources, such as our office's First Stop Business Information Center where start-up businesses get assistance navigating governmental red-tape, to professional networking groups, Atlanta offers tremendous resources to women entrepreneurs.

"The remarkable growth of women-owned businesses in Atlanta has been created one product at a time, one sale at a time, one investment at a time and one new job at a time by aggressive, courageous and innovative business women," says Cox. "These trailblazers are acting as mentors and providing an extensive support network to other women seeking to achieve their business goals."

Here is a look at seven such women. Though their stories differ and their industries are divergent - from trucking to concierge services - they share much in common. They all built their businesses from the ground up. They persevered through an obstacle course of finding financing, hiring good personnel and landing clients. And all achieved their most sought-after goal - freedom.

Katherine Henson
CEO and Chairman
Avail Workforce Management Solutions

Two days before Katherine Henson was set to open her fifth office of Avail Workforce Management Solutions, terrorists flew two passenger planes into the World Trade Center. Everyone told her she should put the planned office on hold. Henson ignored their advice and stuck to her original plan.

"I've always felt I have to keep my focus, no matter what happens," says Henson, 48. "I went ahead and opened that office, and it has turned out to be my most profitable one."

That kind of determination helped Henson build Avail into one of Atlanta's fastest growing companies, with revenues in 2004 of $36.5 million, and clients such as Atlanta Gas Light, Coca-Cola Company and Cingular.

Raised by a single parent in very modest circumstances, Henson was motivated to succeed from the beginning. She quickly distinguished herself at her first job with a California staffing firm by landing two large accounts. After moving back to her hometown of Atlanta, she became the top producer first at TRC Temporary Services and then at TempForce. However, her career trajectory was derailed when Randstad acquired TempForce, leaving Henson unemployed.

"At the time, I thought my world had ended," says Henson. "But it turned out to be a blessing, because it pushed me to strike out on my own."

Henson founded Avail in 1993 and, by working "24/7, 365 days a year," built a solid temporary staffing business. But she saw changes on the horizon. "Staffing was growing very commoditized," she says. "I knew I needed to be able to bring more to the table if I wanted to continue to grow."

When the Sarbanes-Oxley Act CQ was passed, Henson saw another opportunity and started 2bcompliant, an affiliate company that helps businesses meet the internal auditing control standards imposed by Sarbanes-Oxley. She went on to add TalentSolutions, a unit that places contract professionals whose annual salaries range from $25,000 to $350,000. And in February 2005 she launched Anserteam, a partnership of 40 staffing firms around the country linked by proprietary software that was developed by parent company Avail. This partnership allows Avail to compete with national staffing firms.

Avail's success has brought Henson wealth and recognition, but neither were her goal. "I've never cared all that much about money or about a big corner office," says Henson. "The thing that is the most rewarding to me is being able to give work to people who want it and to help corporations improve their business. That is what I am passionate about. And that's why, after all these years, I still absolutely love what I do."

Patricia Boezio
Vice President and Co-Owner,
Abaco Mortgage Group

Patricia Boezio became an entrepreneur so she could better serve her community. Born and raised in Ecuador, Boezio was working with Norwest Mortgage in Atlanta when she noticed prospective Hispanic homebuyers were not well-served by the traditional mortgage industry. So in 1999, just after Norwest was merged with Wells Fargo, Boezio and a partner struck out on their own and opened Abaco Mortgage Group, specializing in serving Hispanic first-time homebuyers.

"We wanted to help this community reach the truly American dream - home ownership," says Boezio, 44. "And to service the minority markets, you have to specialize if you really want to do a good job."
Boezio and her partner, Ben Rincon, started Abaco with two loan officers and a commitment to service. Today, Abaco employs 19 loan officers and seven administrative professionals in three offices, with plans to open four more offices by year-end. Abaco closed $50 million in loans last year.

"We have been blessed," says Boezio.

Boezio began her financial career in Ecuador, starting in public relations with a small bank. She and the bank grew together, and after seven years she was vice president of the fifth largest bank in the country. Then her husband, Amiel Bibliowicz, found a job in the United States.

So Boezio left her lofty position and followed her husband to a land where she didn't even speak the language. After three years of studying English at Georgia Tech, she felt she was fluent enough to go back to work. And did she ever. In her second year at Norwest, she distinguished herself as the national top-seller for the minority market.

She met Rincon, a fellow loan officer, at Norwest. The two worked well together and soon began discussing the idea of opening their own mortgage business.

For Boezio, the hardest part of owning her own company has been time. "I'm a workaholic," she admits. "But I'm first a mother and a wife and then an entrepreneur. It's very hard balancing all of that and finding enough time for everything."

The most rewarded aspect of business ownership has been the positive impact she has been able to have on her community. "I see families we made loans to 10 years ago, and today they are stronger and doing better in this country because we worked with them to help them own their own home," she says.

Her contributions have not gone unnoticed. In 2000, the government of her home country appointed Boezio Honorary Consul of Ecuador. "It is an honor for me to represent my country in Georgia."

Susan Singletary
President,
Peoples

When Susan Singletary was opening Peoples, an upscale fashion boutique in Buckhead, she was hard pressed to find anyone who thought it was a good idea.

"I was 26 at the time and opening a new retail store," says Singletary, now 37. "Everyone I spoke to - wholesalers, bankers, accountants - were all very cautious if not downright discouraging. Retail is a hard life and a lot of stores fail, but I knew it was what I wanted to do and that I was going to make it work."

And she did. Though more than 40 percent of all new businesses close their doors within the first two years, and the number for small fashion retailers is likely considerably higher, Singletary was able to establish herself as a long-haul player and attracted a local customer base numbering in the hundreds. She couldn't have done it without her family, she readily admits. Her parents co-signed her loans and her mother, JoAnn, joined her venture as vice president. Her father, brother and husband rolled up their sleeves and renovated the store space themselves, and her father helps her with the books.

Her family's help has allowed Singletary to focus on the two things that built her success. At the top of the list is fashion. Her boutique is filled with collections from European and young American designers that are not available in other Atlanta retail stores. Second is service. She'll go to nearly any length to make sure her customers are happy.

"If we don't have a pair of shoes in the store that look just right with the outfit a customer is buying, I'll go out and look for shoes that will complete it," says Singletary. "I like to complete the look for my customers so they are not stuck trying to complete it themselves."

Singletary got her start in fashion as a fashion merchandising major at the University of Georgia. After graduation, she went to London and ended up landing a job managing the Donna Karan line for Harrod's. She went on to work for Parisian in Atlanta, and then for a boutique in Vinings. She opened Peoples in 1994.

Her attention to detail and service has earned Singletary a loyal clientele of CEOs, entrepreneurs, fundraising chairs as well as stay-at-home moms. She gets to know each of her patrons personally, since she works the floor nearly every day, usually with her mother. "When we go to New York on buying trips, we have our customers in mind and we buy things specifically for them," she says. "We know how the clothes are going to fit them before they even try them on."

Carolyn Hogan Byrd
Chairman and CEO,
GlobalTech Financial

One of biggest challenges many new business owners face is landing the first client. That wasn't a problem for Carolyn Hogan Byrd, though. Even before she opened the doors of her company, GlobalTech Financial, Byrd had a $1 billion client on her roster.

Byrd was working as president of the Coca-Cola Financial Corp. in 2002 when the division decided to outsource the processing of its loans and leases. Byrd bid on the business (which included $1 billion in loan and lease assets), got it and GlobalTech Financial went from upstart to up-and-coming overnight.

The business works like this: Once Coca-Cola Financial approves a loan to a bottler, a franchisee of a customer (such as McDonald's) or a supplier, it turns over the maintenance of that loan to GlobalTech. GlobalTech funds the loan, files liens on the assets, invoices the customer, collects payments and reports back to Coca-Cola Financial. "Their core business is selling Coke," says Byrd. "Ours is servicing loans and leases. With this arrangement, they get to focus on what they do best, and we get to focus on what we do best."

Over the past five years, Byrd has expanded GlobalTech's offerings to include collections, payment processing and business consulting, and added clients such as the City of Atlanta, SBC Services and Optimus Financial Services. Its annual revenues are currently $3 million, and the company has 24 employees.

Byrd's 23-year career with the Coca-Cola Company prepared her well for entrepreneurship. "I had many different jobs inside Coke, and each one was like running my own business," says Byrd, 56. "It was like being an 'intrapreneur.' By the time I started GlobalTech, running a business was something I felt very familiar with."

For Byrd, the best part of running her own business is being able to bring her family in on the action. Byrd's sister, brother, sister-in-law, son and even her 78-year-old mother work at GlobalTech. "One of my primary goals in starting my own company was to build a family-owned business," says Byrd. "When I was growing up, there were not a lot of African-American or women role models in business. I want to do what I can to change that."

Nancy Juneau
CEO,
Juneau Construction Company

Nancy Juneau credits much of her success to being in the right place at the right time. Of course, it hasn't hurt that she's bright, not afraid to put in long hours and has a committed business partner - her husband, Les.

Juneau, 44, is CEO of Juneau Construction Company, a general contractor and construction manager specializing in hospitality, higher education and healthcare facilities, as well as historic renovation. Les, 46, is the president. Founded in 1997,just after Nancy's third child was born, Juneau Construction has grown to a $36 million in annual revenues with 42 employees.

It's not the future Nancy envisioned when she graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in education, but that's where being in the right place at the right time comes in. Fresh out of school, she landed a job as an assistant at a large structural engineering firm in St. Louis, where she quickly worked her way up. "I learned how to put proposals together, how to talk to clients, how to navigate the construction industry in general," says Juneau.

She went on to work for a general contractor in Florida, where she met Les. Another right place/right time scenario. When the couple moved to Atlanta, Juneau went to work for Heery International, an architectural design firm, and Les with Holder Construction, a design/build contractor. "Striking out on our own was really Les's dream," says Juneau. "It's something he just always wanted to do. And I was happy to follow him into it."

Like many potential business owners, the biggest hurdle they had to clear was raising the needed capital. "Neither of us had a lot of money at our disposal," says Juneau. "Luckily, we found two investors who were willing to put in the money, Les's brother and a non-family member. We have already bought out the latter, and we plan to buyout his brother in the future."

From the beginning, they concentrated on building a solid, professional team of employees. "We knew what our clients would ultimately be buying was our people, so we wanted the best," says Nancy. "We focused on attracting good people, and then treating them really well so they would like it here and want to stay."

And it helps to have Les on the same team. "We really compliment each other," says Juneau. "My strength is business development. His are technical issues and day-to-day operations. Working together as business partners is very rewarding for us, both personally and professionally."

Mary Parker
President and CEO,
All-N-1 Security Services

When her employers at General Motors gave Mary Parker a choice between leaving her post as manufacturing supervisor for a position as a security officer or being laid off, she chose the security position. "At the time, I considered it a demotion," says Parker, 51. "But now I see I was being promoted to the field where I really belonged."

Parker has not looked back. She worked her way up the security ladder at several companies before launching her own firm, All-N-1 Security Services, in January 2001. The only full-service woman-owned security firm in the region, All-N-1 has grown to $2 million in revenues, 75 employees and clients that read like a who's who in Atlanta: the City of Atlanta, the World of Coca-Cola, Home Depot and the Atlanta Braves, among others.

That's quite an accomplishment, particularly in the male-dominated security industry. Indeed, in the early years when Parker wanted to introduce a new idea at GM, she would have her friend and mentor, who is also the security director for SteelCase, meet with her boss and pitch the idea as his own.

"If I had suggested it, it would have been shot down," says Parker. "It wasn't an ideal way of doing things, but at least I got what I needed done."

It wasn't long before Parker began to view the lack of women in the field as an opportunity rather than a deterrent. "Women tend to see things differently than men," says Parker. "I realized I could bring a perspective to security that had not been tapped into."

She was right. She quickly saw that security was less about law enforcement and more about customer service. "Security is normally the first point of contact employees, clients and vendors have with the company," says Parker. "So customer service is an extremely important component of security. Customer service is what I was interested in all along, and what I'm good at."

So good that she has been able to grow her own business to the point where she can begin to reap the rewards. And perhaps the biggest reward for Parker is freedom to do what she wants: volunteer. An ordained minister, Parker gives much of her time to her community in southwest Atlanta. She serves on the Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts, the Hosea (Williams) Feed the Hungry campaign and the Visions of Unity Ministry, to name but a few. She sits on the board of the Georgia Women's Business Council. "I'd say 25 percent of my time is spent volunteering," says Parker. "Having the time and freedom to be able to give back is one of the real blessings of owning my own business."

Catherine Tabor
President,
Sparkfly

Catherine Tabor was a 27-year-old graduate student earning money by walking people's dogs and house sitting when The Coca-Cola Company called her and asked if she wanted to bid on its employee concierge business. "My husband, Matt, had made a Web site for my little service, and Coke found it on the Internet," says Tabor, now 34. "I had no business experience at that point. They asked me for an RFP (request for proposal), and I didn't know what an RFP was."

Against all odds, she landed the account. "When I got inside Coke, I realized I was in a town of 35,000 people and I was the only store," says Tabor. "I began to see there was a very interesting direct marketing company that could evolve out of this."

That company is Sparkfly, a direct market provider that negotiates employee benefits and discounts with suppliers, health clubs or car manufacturers, for example, for employee discount programs.

But Tabor's inexperience became a stumbling block. For one thing, no one would lend her fledgling business money. Luckily, one of her former dog walking clients was the daughter of finance magnate Charles Schwab, and she convinced her father to invest $2 million in Sparkfly. Another problem stemmed from insecurity. Tabor doubted her own judgement, so she hired expensive consultants and executives to help her grow the company. It was a mistake.

"I fell into the trap of letting people convince me that I didn't have enough experience," says Tabor. "If I had listened to my internal voice more, I wouldn't have had as many problems as I did. I wasted most of that $2 million on executive searches and consultants who didn't do for the company what they said they would."

Tabor learned from her mistakes, as her company's stats show. Sparkfly generated $2 million in sales last year, and it has added SunTrust, Northside Hospital and Post Properties, among others, to its client list. Today, Tabor focuses on bringing in young, motivated employees, training them and showing them their potential to grow within the company.

"It's taken a while," says Tabor, " but I've learned to trust myself."