|
|
The
2006 WBO Nellie Cashman
Finalists
Candidates for the Nellie Cashman award are judged based on their entrepreneurial spirit, ethics and community spirit, financial and management skill, and the difficulty and risk they have endured to achieve their success.
Women Business Owners congratulates
2006 Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year

Amy Haugerud
RoseWater Engineering
and all our distinguished finalists
Rita Brogan
PRR
Lisa Dupar
Lisa Dupar Catering
Leasa Mayer
CRG Events
Jan Scott
Another Source
Rita Brogan is chief executive officer of PRR, Inc. - one of the Northwest’s leading public affairs and communications consulting firms. Brogan leads PRR to provide strategic planning and communications solutions with focus on environmental, community, and human health. Since taking over the leadership reins in 1989, Brogan has led PRR with unwavering commitment to combine the firm’s individual passions and perspectives to serve a greater good. Brogan and her team of 42 operate with commitment to social responsibility while positively benefiting the environment, remaining visionary in partnerships between public and private enterprises, and offering people a better quality of life.
As the largest independent public relations firm in the region, the 38th largest minority firm in Washington State, and the 76th largest public relations company in the U.S., Brogan and her team have set an industry standard for social marketing, public involvement, and collaborative planning. Clients have included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Centers for Disease Control; Washington State Department of Health; Washington State Department of Transportation, and Vulcan, Inc., among others.
Brogan’s commitment to community has translated from her professional endeavors to her personal life in her thirty-year history of public service. She is the immediate past chair of the Municipal League of King County, and serves as chair of the Marketing Committee of the Intiman Theater. She is also an active member of the Downtown Seattle Association Board of Directors, and is a founding leader of the Asian Pacific Islander Roundtable and has agreed to serve on the Foundation Board for Seattle Central Community College. Brogan is also former chair of the Washington State Women’s Council.
Other finalists
Lisa Dupar, owner of Lisa Dupar Catering, has been creating unique, world-class culinary experiences for clients around the Puget Sound and across the country since 1984. Dupar opened the business after extensive culinary training and three years as the first female chef for Westin International. Since, she has built a reputation as the premier catering operation in the Seattle area.
Dupar and her staff are esteemed for not only providing refined service and fresh creations, but also a touch of Southern charm in their event planning, catering, and at Pomegranate Bistro – a family-style restaurant attached to Dupar’s 14,000-square-foot catering kitchen in Redmond. Dupar has build a company to offer her 200 employees a culture that cares about family, clients, products, resources, and the viability of the future. Lisa Dupar Catering is governed by the core values of 100% integrity, responsibility, respect, active communication and value.
Dupar participates regularly in fundraising events and donates services to many local organizations including Seattle Operation Frontline, Women’s Funding Alliance, SOS, PONCHO, NW Medical Teams, Children’s Hospital and others. Since 1999, Lisa Dupar Catering has donated five percent of net profits to charities and non-profit organizations. Dupar also serves are secretary of the Seattle Chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier International, a women’s culinary organization. She is an active member of Women Chef’s and Restaurateurs, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, ASTRA Women’s Business Alliance, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, National Restaurant Association, Washington State Restaurant Association, Seattle King County Visitors and Conventions Bureau, and the Redmond Chamber of Commerce.
Other finalists
Amy J. Haugerud, P.E., FACEC, founded RoseWater Engineering, Inc. in 1983 in the basement of her Seattle home. Now located in downtown Seattle, this growing firm employs 32 staff and provides civil engineering design services on public and private projects throughout Washington State. In addition to providing strategic direction to the firm as a whole, Amy serves as president, chief financial officer and project manager, and is a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
Haugerud has built her reputation on her in-depth knowledge of engineering and her ability to galvanize key stakeholders to get things done. Since RoseWater’s inception, she has provided service to clients with a rare insight, sensitivity and sense of humor.
She has been acknowledged for her leadership in a number of areas outside of RoseWater. Haugerud has served on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, is a past president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington, and served on the National ACEC Board of Directors for two years. She was named a Fellow of the American Council of Engineering Companies (FACEC) in 2000 in recognition of her leadership and service to the engineering profession. She is currently serving her third term as a member of the Seattle University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board. Haugerud also supports many local community organizations and events, including the United Way Day of Caring, Water for Life, the Pike Place Market Foundation and Training in Power.
Other finalists
Leasa Mayer is president of CRG Events, a full-service event management company offering strategic consulting, planning and execution for corporate meetings, conferences, product launches, road shows and employee incentive/recognition events. Mayer and her team of 80 professionals offer a unique blend of industry experience and innovative technology to provide high-quality service with consistent delivery at cost-effective pricing. CRG Events has managed thousands of conferences and events throughout the U.S. and beyond for Microsoft, Washington Mutual, F5 Networks, Cingular, Johnson & Johnson and others since 1980. Mayer assumed leadership in 1995.
CRG continues to evolve and grow as corporations worldwide increase marketing and training budgets and realizes that bringing individuals together to learn, communicate and innovate is a key component to achieving their goals. Mayer and her executive leadership team remain committed to caring passionately about delivering outstanding service to customers, clients and event attendees while constantly improving the workplace environment for employees.
As a devoted wife to her husband Brian, and mother to Callie, 11 and Danno, 10, Mayer keeps family at the top of her priority list. She has also served on the YWCA Annual Luncheon Planning Committee, and is actively involved with Meeting Professionals International, previously serving as president of the Washington State Chapter and currently as member of MPI’s national technology committee. In 2004, Mayer was honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a woman of influence
Other finalists .
Jan Scott founded Another Source, Inc. in 1991 to bridge the gap between employment agencies, classified job listings and Internet job boards. Scott combined nearly 20 years of employment industry experience with entrepreneurial vision to create a service for employers and applicants that saves time, identifies talent and creates choice. This has positioned Another Source as the Seattle area's only employment referral service.
Together with her team of 12, Scott is committed to helping introduce employers and candidates, looking to match knowledge, skills and abilities with company culture. As a leader, Scott strives to build an organization where employees have the opportunity to contribute to overall success. Scott strives to understand the personal and professional goals of her staff and provides the tools, teaching, leadership and encouragement to help them succeed.
Her commitment to her business, employees and community has been recently honored with various awards including a Best Company to Work For by Washington CEO magazine, Innovative Business Practices winner by the Better Business Bureau, a Fastest Growing Private Company by the Puget Sound Business Journal, and a YWCA Major Donor. Scott has served as a board member for the Southcenter Rotary supporting Habitat for Humanity, Tukwila Food Pantry and Northwest Harvest. She has been active with the Society of Human Resource Management, Seattle Chamber of Commerce and YWCA.
Other finalists
|