“Female executives in Florida are choosing not to participate, mentally, in the recession. They are not being defeated and are looking to grow their businesses as we work our way out of the current economic crisis.”
That was one insight Nathan Hiller, who teaches courses on leadership in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU), took away from a recent presentation of the findings of the fourth Florida’s Women-led Businesses survey conducted by the Center for Leadership at FIU.
“There was a lot to glean from the survey results,” said Joyce J. Elam, executive dean of the business school and academic director of the center. She presented the results to 250 attendees at a luncheon sponsored by The Commonwealth Institute South Florida (TCI).
Mayra Beers, the center’s administrative director, agreed.
“Among the new findings, we saw that women are developing more partnerships to cope with the economic downturn and are discovering new ways to finance growth,” she said.
The idea of growing revenue also impressed Deanne Butchey, assistant dean, accreditation, a member of the Department of Finance and Real Estate and a TCI member.
“It struck me that during these times of economic disaster, most mentioned trying to grow revenue not cut costs,” she said. “If they are able to grow revenue, they are well set for the future.”
Business leaders show support for the effort.
Among the guests were 20 from the top 50 businesses around the state, a list of which is included in the report. Barbara Keller, co-owner, ERA Showcase Properties, with revenues of $282,478,785-the top business on the list-attended. In addition to Elam, Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of Sapoznik Insurance, fourth on the list with revenues of $125,000,000, and Joyce Landry, CEO, Landry & Kling, Inc. with revenues of $22,570,023 17, and 13th on the list, spoke.
During the luncheon, two women received $2,500 awards to attend the next offering of Women on the Move: Advancing Women Leaders, scheduled for November 2009.
ADDITIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE
- October 25, 2009: “Local women business leaders strive to lead way to recovery,“ The Miami Herald. Read article.
For more information about The Center for Leadership (CFL), visit http://lead.fiu.edu/. The Center for Leadership (CFL), Florida International University conducts research and leadership programs to help organizations rapidly and predictably build leadership capacity. The Center’s unique approach to executive education designs and facilitates highly-customized, practical programs that weave together theory, real-world application, reflection, and feedback.
