Cindy Dervech, president of Breezin' Entertainment, has been named a 2009 Business Woman of the Year finalist by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Each year, the publication honors stellar business women in the Tampa area for their ingenuity, business ethics and overall contributions to their community at large. This year, 52 incredible business women from the bay area were named finalists.
Join us in congratulating all of the savvy business women who make Tampa a great place to live, work and play.
Business Services: Beverly F. Birkitt, president of Birkitt Environmental Services Inc.; Mary Forristall, president of Forristall Enterprises Inc.; Amy Ruth Maguire, managing partner of Southern Strategy Group Tampa Bay; Manitia L. Moultrie, managing associate, Tampa operations for Golder Associates Inc.; Mary Owens, managing partner, Black Diamond Associates LLC; Sandy Scheda, president/principal scientist, Scheda Ecological Associates Inc.; Rebecca J. Smith, president and founder of The A.D. Morgan Corp.; Lisa Smithson, founder, LS and Co.; Sheri' Taber, president/CEO, The Peak Performance Group Inc.; Jeanne Tate, managing partner of Jeanne T. Tate PA; and Nancy Walker, president of Walker Brands.
• Education: Julie M. Janssen, superintendent of Pinellas County Schools; and Lori Matway, school programs administrator for the city of St. Petersburg.
• Entrepreneur: Rose Averill, CEO of St. Francis Sleep Allergy & Lung Institute; Cate Baierlein, president of Change of Course; Cindy Dervech, owner/president, Breezin Entertainment; Charlene Ierna, VP (owner/operator) of Ierna’s Heating & Cooling Inc.; Melissa Stockman, owner/operator of Complete Care Placement Inc.; and Jane Strong, CEO of Happy Feet Plus.
• Financial Services: Edna V. Broyles, VP-Investments for UBS Financial Services Inc.; Cherise Candlish, president of Foundations Mortage Lending; Christine B. Cooper, president of Cooper Financial Services; Cherie G. DiNoia, investment adviser for Shelby Financial Group; Stephanie Goforth, senior VP/director of Wealth Strategists for Northern Trust; and Amy Samsal, certified mortgage planning specialist for Suncoast Mortgage Partners.
• Media: Joyce Cotton, director of Marketing & Community Partnerships for WEDU; Patty Cox managing editor/presentation for the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com; Laura Turner Fage, VP of Communications for WEDU; Lee Kercher, senior account executive for Viamedia; and Shawna Vercher, CEO of VTi-Web.
• Nonprofit: Mary C. Dillon, executive director of Rural Social Services Partnership Inc.; Cynthia Gandee, executive director of Henry B. Plant Museum; Susan Jacobs, founder and CEO of Wheels of Success; Trisha Rothman, VP Marketing & Sales for Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo; and Anna Trefethen, division VP Florida, Alabama & Georgia for American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter.
• Technology: Charlotte Baker, CEO and co-founder of Digital Hands; Deirdre Cavener, president & CEO of Kiss Marketing Inc.; Bridget Cline, president & CEO of Industrial Strength Inc. & Pilot House Audio Visual; Debra Curtiss, VP & GM of Peak 10 Tampa; Yvonne E. Murray, VP Marketing Services for PPi Technologies Global; Ilene Rosoff, president & CEO of The Launch Pad; and Vicki Zambito, VP of Content Development for VectorLearning.
• Young: Kim Francis, president of Kim Francis Communications Inc.; Jessica Kirkwood Alley, partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP; Melanie Lenz, VP of Development for the Tampa Bay Rays; Stephanie Narvades, CFO of Healthesystems; Michele Northrup, founder of Intensity Academy; Brooke Palmer, president of RSBP Events; Allison Renee Raver, CEO of Raver Medical LLC; Ester Venouziou, owner/founder of Local Shopper LLC; Shelby Weir, director of Kforce Inc.; and Laura Webb, president of Webb Insurance Group.