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2006 Teal Heart Award

Amanda Jahn

This NJAWBO member is truly one-of-a-kind.     

After working tirelessly on our chapter’s silent auction in April of 2005, this member recognized that our chapter had the opportunity to make a greater difference in our fundraising efforts for a local charity.  In the past, we have been able to contribute to many worthy organizations through our fundraising efforts.  But she wanted a greater return on this investment.  She was convinced that we could do it better, contribute more.  Literally, the day after this event, she began planning. She assembled a committee of NJAWBO members who shared her vision.  She encouraged them to bring new ideas to the table, to set their sights high and their goals higher.  It took five months of planning and, at some times, full-time work to pull it off, but this member lead the effort that resulted in our highly successful November Tricky Tray auction that raised $5,000 for the Haven homeless shelter. 

 Now, this if this isn’t accomplishment enough, she did this in addition to running her successful business, staying dedicated to her client, taking care of her two young children, and attending to her ailing parents.  But you’d never know she was juggling all that.  This member is never without a smile.  She is always upbeat and cheerful, willing to take on the most daunting organizational tasks.  She is a natural leader with a style that is welcoming, team-based and collaborative.

This is not her first Teal Heart.  We have recognized her talents before.  But this year she clearly went “above and beyond” in her efforts.  Please join me in honoring Amanda Jahn with this Teal Heart award. 

Bernadette Flaim and Susan Corbo 

Now, Amanda will be the first to tell you she didn’t pull off the Tricky Tray event alone.  In fact, there were two NJAWBO members that were instrumental in really making that event successful by dreaming big.

These women have style and big ideas.  More importantly, they have the tenacity and energy to pull those ideas off.  They have an artistic flare and vision that afforded us on this event a Ritz Carlton style on a Holiday Inn budget.  Those of you who attended the event got to gander at the 130 or so beautiful baskets that were assembled so elegantly (and named so cleverly) by these women.  If you ever need a spectacular bow or want to see perfection in the use of a hot glue gun, these are your gals. 

 These women were instrumental not only in the creative side of the basket-making, they worked tirelessly to help gain donations of gifts and shop (frugally of course) for additional items to complete their vision.  They also envisioned the room décor and designed table centerpieces that were festive and fun.  They gave up their homes as donations and baskets filled every square inch of their dining rooms, living rooms, garage, kitchens – I’m not kidding, you should have seen it! 

 Normally we don’t give out Teal Hearts two at a time, but I’m sure you’ll understand why because these two members are really a dynamic duo.  I’ve often joked that they need a moniker that joins them – like Bennifer, Branglina or TomKat.  I’ve tried to come up with one, but so far FlaimBo or BernaSue doesn’t seem to quite cut it.

 It’s with great pleasure that we award Teal Hearts to Bernadette Flaim and Susan Corbo.

Caryn Starr-Gates: Teal Heart 

Our last Teal Heart awardee is someone who has been incredibly active from the moment she first joined NJAWBO.  It is rare to attend a meeting – breakfast, lunch or dinner, and not see her there.  Many a new member will tell you a story about how welcomed they felt when they first joined our organization.   

This member reinvented the word follow-up.  She contacted each potential member as soon as they expressed interest, called to invite them, searched them out when they arrived, introduced them around, encouraged them to return and invited them to join.  And she did this with an enthusiasm that just radiated.

Membership hit a chapter high while she was Vice President of membership.  The chapter continued to flourish when she served a two-year term as Bergen’s President.  Her goal as President was to give members and guests more reasons to come to meetings and judging by how many of you jointed while this member was either VP of membership or President, I’d say she accomplished her goal.   

Well, her organizational abilities, enthusiasm and dynamic personality were not lost on those at the state level. They recognized her talents and tapped her serve as the State Vice President of Membership.  In that position, she has launched the state diversity initiative, Membership Madness 2 and an upcoming member retention program.  And still, she is never too busy for Bergen.  This accomplished woman is the true example of “if you need something done, ask a busy person”.   

To thank her for the countless things she does for the chapter and our organization, our hats go off to Caryn Starr-Gates, our Teal Heart winner.

2006 Rose & Scroll Award

Each year, our chapter asks for nominations for one of our most prestigious awards - The Rose & Scroll Woman of Achievement.  We look to our communities for women who are not NJAWBO members, but who have distinguished themselves as a proactive voice for women. 

This year, we are honored to have chosen a remarkable and accomplished woman as our honoree:  Ms. Maxine Frampton.  Maxine has dedicated her career to community service.  She began this commitment back in 1984, working first for the United Way in Stamford, CT and then, since 1987, in positions with the United Way of Bergen County.  For the past 22 years, she has worked to better our communities through programming and fund-raising efforts aimed at women, trouble teens and the less fortunate. 

Anyone who takes five minutes to talk with Maxine will immediately understand that she is very, very passionate about her work.  She admits that her friends say she never stops talking about it.  Last year, Maxine launched the first women’s giving circle in the state of NJ -- Women United in Philanthropy.  Women United in Philanthropy is made up of women who believe emphatically that women leaders have the power to affect other women, and that we can achieve a greater level of impact by drawing on the collective financial and informational resources of each other.  It supports the advancement and growth of women as business and community leaders, and educates its membership about community needs and the business in philanthropy in meeting them.

At the core of Maxine’s work is her strong belief that women have the power to transform each other’s lives and the world around them when they work together.  Women helping women and advocating for the advancement of women can only bring about a better business climate for all.  By sharing our professional talents, doing business together and referring business to one another, we support each other and our collective communities.  Maxine’s group encourages women to learn about, talk about and use money as an effective, powerful tool.  Women United in Philanthropy sees its mission as advancing the economic well being of all women – supporting the advancement and growth of women as business leaders and community leaders, and building the skills and confidence to put our money into action.

Her community service extends beyond the United Way and Women United in Philanthropy.  She is active in her community in Connecticut, helping obtain grants for teen and parenting programs, working as board clerk for seven communities, and numerous other involvements on committees, in meetings, as a speaker and an advocate. 

On a personal level, Maxine knows first-hand the challenges of being a woman in business.  She is a single mother of four children.  She commutes from two states away to serve Bergen County – which she does with a fervor.  Maxine says the challenges of being a working mom have provided her with an opportunity to teach her children the importance of living a life where you love your work and have a passion for the causes you believe in. 

For her dedication and passion for helping the people of Bergen County and in celebration of her new endeavor to put the “power of the purse” to work to promote and serve women, we proudly honor Ms. Maxine Frampton of Women United in Philanthropy as our 2006 Rose & Scroll Woman of Achievement.

2006 Businesswoman of the Year

Lucille Skroce: BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Our most prestigious award given to a NJAWBO member is our Business Woman of the Year Award.  We look for women who have distinguished themselves in their business, their community and NJAWBO.  And if they bring fabulous chocolate to our meetings, that doesn’t hurt either.
 

We are extremely proud to honor this year’s Bergen Chapter Businesswoman of the Year, Lucille Skroce of Matisse Chocolatier.

 Lucille was a customer of Matisse Chocolatier before she was the owner.  Lucille was a nurse, working in medical sales.  She would stop in to Matisse to purchase chocolate as gifts for her clients – who raved about them.  Then she heard that the owners wanted to close.  Lucille and her husband Vlad had talked about owning a business, and Lucille thought this might just be one sweet opportunity to make that dream come true.  Lucille and Vlad purchased the business with a loan from Vlad’s parents.  With a few chocolate-making machines and a short course from the previous owners on the art of making chocolates, they began.  That was 11 years ago.

 Initially, it was Vlad who gave up his carpentry job to run the business.  Lucille stayed in medical sales.  The family juggled the business, Lucille’s job and their two small children.  Revenues were small; most of the inventory had been sold off.  The store was practically empty when they started. Little by little Lucille and Vlad educated themselves about chocolate and how to run a retail business.  In their first year in business, revenue was about $50,000 – this was barely enough to keep the business going.  They refinanced their home – three times – to keep investing in the business.  Each year the store grew little by little.  During this time they made the decision that Lucille should take over and run the business full time.  Since this humble beginning they have increased revenue 600% from that first year.

 Those of you who know Lucille will understand when I say that Lucille is doggedly determined.  She’s never satisfied; she doesn’t rest on these accomplishments.  She’s always thinking – about new products, new ways to offer the products, about expanding into new markets (like corporate gifts and platters) and more.  Every time I’ve been in the store, she’s asking me about my experience, how the store looks, and encourages me to try a new confection.  I first met Lucille when we sat next to each other at Louise DiScalfani’s Start Right class.  I was just starting out; she was established but looking for ways to improve and grow her business.  I looked up to her as a role model – I wanted to be in that position down the road. 

 Since then, Lucille has capitalized on her membership in NJAWBO to help grow her business.  In fact, she’s really a NJAWBO success story.  Through NJAWBO, she learned the importance of business planning, and set out to be purposeful with her future plans and goals.  She systematized her accounting, by taking the Profit Savvy course and hiring bookkeepers and computer consultants from NJAWBO.  Most recently, she hired a NJAWBO-member’s firm to be her business adviser.  Through this association, Lucille decided to revamp her image, creating a new logo and tagline that emphasizes her branding efforts.  She computerized her customer records and started a dynamic database that has allowed her to market more effectively to her past customers and expand her customer base by promoting to the lucky individuals who are on the receiving end of her chocolate creations.   She has evolved her web site to go from brochure-ware to a fully functioning e-commerce site.  And she continues to expand her product offerings, most recently taking on new space and offering children’s parties.

 Lucille is an innovator and a risk-taker.  She decided to move locations.  Take on more space.  Get Kosher certified.  These changes have led to a 40% increase in revenues in the past year alone.  And, perhaps more importantly, the business is the most profitable it has ever been.   

A NJAWBO member for five years, and she has been an active presence in our chapter since Day 1.  She served on the membership committee, attends most meetings (usually with her chocolate in tow) and has been a monthly sponsor.  She is a consummate supporter of other NJAWBO members, having hired the services of no less than 13 NJAWBO businesses.  She has attended NJAWBO classes and attended state conferences. 

 But Lucille’s generosity extends beyond NJAWBO.  She is a big supporter of her community.  In addition to donating her products to many, many fundraisers, she is on the board of the Englewood Chamber of Commerce, she hires women from the Woman’s Rights and Information Center and local underprivileged teens to work in the store, and works with the Englewood Community Foundation.  In the building of the business, Lucille was careful to respect the tradition and heritage of the business in her community.  She recognized that the store had been in Englewood for nine years before her ownership – she wanted to continue that.  Today, she boasts that the store is celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

 There’s more to this success story, of course, but I won’t go on.  Suffice it to say that Lucille is passionate about her store, her chocolate, her customers and her community.  And she credits her association with NJAWBO as a big contributor to her success.  We’re honored to have Ms. Lucille Skroce as our 2006 Business Woman of the Year Award Winner.