The Top 10 Class for NAWBO’s Woman Business Owner (WBO) of the Year Award, sponsored by Bank of America, has been announced! And before it’s narrowed down to the Top 3 and then the top winner is announced during this year’s awards gala on October 11th at the National Women’s Business Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, you’re invited to meet this prestigious group who were selected for their overall business excellence.
Christina “Tina” Reger, Law Offices of Christina Reger, LLC – NAWBO Philly
Tina is founder of the Law Offices of Christina Reger, LLC, a certified WBE. In 2022, Tina joined forces with her friend and colleague Robyn Pollack, Esq. to form Loutel, a company that combines legal and cultural perspectives for companies to create innovative and integrative solutions for business owners. Their legal team provides litigation and counseling services related to labor and employment for corporate, entrepreneurial and start-up enterprises. Through their consulting services, they use the proprietary VIBE approach, layering a Voice, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity lens across the employee lifecycle. This year, Tina was recognized as a SuperLawyer by her peers.
Christine E.B. Howard, E.B. Howard Consulting – NAWBO Buffalo Niagara
Christine is founder and CEO of E.B. Howard Consulting. Her firm works with high-growth startups and small businesses to find and apply for grant funding. She actively mentors and advises small businesses through programs like the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, Columbia Technology Ventures, Verizon Forward for Good Accelerator and Startup Grind. She has also served as a pitch judge for start-up competitions like 43North and many others. Her firm is certified as a women-owned business with New York State, New York City and the SBA. She is a NAWBO Buffalo Niagara past board member and past president.
Diana Dibble, Design To Delivery Inc – NAWBO Greater DC
Diana is president and co-founder of Design To Delivery Inc, an award-winning government contracting firm founded in 2001. She is passionate about business operations and enjoys speaking about it to entrepreneurs at various stages of their business. She is a brain tumor survivor, and is sharing her story to bring awareness, fundraise and help entrepreneurs create contingency operations plans when faced with a chronic illness or as a caregiver. She has served as NAWBO Greater DC president (2019-2020) and Board of Directors member (2019-2021). She has received several industry awards, including a 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year award.
Jacqueline “Jacquie” Baly, BalyProjects – NAWBO Houston
Jacquie is president of BalyProjects and has been a leader in the Texas business and policy communities for decades. She began her career as a city and regional planner, then served as vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership before her public service as Governor Rick Perry’s appointee on water and wastewater issues, then Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Sugar Land. Twenty-three years ago, Jacquie founded BalyProjects with the objective of providing government affairs and media relations services to clients. She is currently an adviser to Governor Greg Abbott on Higher Education initiatives.
Kathy Durfee, TechHouse – NAWBO Virtual
Kathy is a 25-year entrepreneur whose commitment to leveling the playing field has earned recognition from Ingram Micro, GrowFL, Microsoft, NAWBO, Women in Cloud and more. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Master of Arts in English Literature. After graduation, Kathy got her start in information technology, working at Accenture, a multinational consulting company. When family matters required Kathy to stay at home, she began doing tech consulting from her house; this led Kathy to found TechHouse in 1995.
Kimberly Groves, KCW Engineering Technologies, Inc. – NAWBO Greater DC
Kimberly is president, CEO and co-owner of KCW Engineering with 27-plus years of experience as a registered professional engineer in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. She earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering at The University of Delaware and worked through the ranks at KCW from an intern, now leading the strategic direction of the company. Kimberly is a dedicated mentor to local youth through KCW’s Girls STEM Program and Scholarship, and partnerships with local schools. Her recent awards include a second-time Top 100 Women Award from the Daily Record (2022) and Mentor of the Year from the Baltimore Business Journal (2021).
Laura McHolm, NorthStar Moving Company – NAWBO Los Angeles
Laura is co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. As one of the few women at the helm of a moving company, Laura is changing the way we move by selling the red-carpet treatment. Her fastest-growing privately held company is the go-to mover for A-List celebrities and The Getty and has been featured in Elle Décor, Vanity Fair, The Robb Report, Fortune and more. In 2022, Laura was a speaker at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and in 2019, she was invited by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be a lead speaker at the LA Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.
Moira Vetter, Modo Modo Agency – NAWBO Atlanta
Moira is founder and CEO of Modo Modo Agency. She’s spent 30 years driving market leadership and growth for the world’s leading brands. She is an author, has contributed 200 articles on entrepreneurship to Forbes and holds leadership positions on the executive advisory board of AMA Atlanta, the sales and marketing board of Kennesaw State University and the board of non-profit 48in48. Her awards include Enterprising Women Entrepreneur, TIE Atlanta Entrepreneur of the Year, Atlanta Business Chronicle Women Who Mean Business, AMA Agency Marketer of the Year, the Inc. 5000 and 305 company creative awards.
Sandy Heard, Prime Waste Solutions – NAWBO Houston
Sandy is president of Prime Waste Solutions LLC, a waste and recycling consulting company. She is a leader in her field with over 25 years of experience in the solid waste and recycling industry. Sandy formed Prime Waste Solutions in 2011 to focus on reducing businesses’ overall spend and provide a positive impact to the environment and the community by recycling. Prime Waste Solutions, a certified Minority and Women-Owned Business, operates with a high level of integrity, putting their clients’ needs first while finding solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and increase sustainability.
Shital Daftari, Saris and Things and SNT Biotech – NAWBO Chicago
Shital is founder and CEO of Saris and Things and SNT Biotech. Shital started Saris and Things in 2011 as an online platform to rent or buy designer Indian clothing for weddings and special events. Within a year, she became a successful seller on Amazon, Walmart and every online marketplace. In 2020, she pivoted to selling PPE and face masks and soon expanded her product line to sell COVID test kits and lab supplies. She eventually launched SNT Biotech in 2020, wholesaling to hospitals and labs across the country with annual revenues of over $31 million in 2021.
Learn more about the WBO of the Year Award here.
Learn more and register for the National Women’s Business Conference, October 9-11 in Louisville, Kentucky, where the top award winner will be announced here. Early Bird savings is available through July 31st.