FWBN - Women Entrepreneurs: what can we learn from them?

EVENT                                  April 16, 2015, 5:30-8:00pm

Topic                                    Women Entrepreneurs: what can we learn from them?

Want to start your own business in the US?
Where do you start? How do you make it viable?
Join us on April 16 to learn from a panel of women entrepreneurs how they started and they are - not just sustaining their business but - thriving.
After sharing their experience, our speakers will take questions from the audience. A networking reception will follow.

When:           Thursday, April 16, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm
Where:          Liquid Art House, 100 Arlington Street, Boston
What:            Panel Discussion followed by Q&A, then Networking

Meet the Panelists

Stella Karavas, CEO, Voltree Power Inc.
Stella Karavas has over 10 years of experience in the management of a custom component manufacturing company serving the radar, defense, aerospace, alternative energy and other industries. Stella received a B.S. in Business Administration at Stonehill College, North Easton, Massachusetts and Certified by the Mass Board of Accountancy in 1990.

Since 2000, she is co-founder and Vice President of MagCap Engineering, LLC in Canton, Massachusetts.  MagCap Engineering, LLC is dedicated to the design, engineering, manufacture and repair of magnetic of all sizes for the defense, aerospace, telecommunication, industrial microwave, industrial laser, radar, solar, wind power and other industries.

Prior to entering the Private Sector, Stella spent 12 years in public accounting specializing in taxation. Her most recent position includes tax supervisor at Tofias PC concentrating on individual, corporate, partnership and international taxes. 

Professional memberships include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Massachusetts Society of CPA’s (MSCPA). Stella is also a member of the AICPA Ambassador Program, AICPA Grassroots Committee, MSCPA Academic Committee, MSCPA Mentor Program, MIT Enterprise Forum and MIT/Harvard Energy Club.

Suzanne Lombardi, Chef and Owner, The Plate
Intro: An artistʼs road can take many paths.

As a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art with a degree in Sculpture, Suzanne Lombardi had no plans for a career in the culinary arts, until she found herself in a professional kitchen. Within the first few days she realized that this setting would be her new canvas.

Consumed by a growing passion for food, Suzanne left her art studio for the kitchen, thus beginning a long culinary journey. After spending eight years in various professional kitchens on both the East and West coasts, Suzanne was ready to embark on a business of her own. Her culinary vision and passion led to two award winning specialty food companies which still produce her recipes today.

Growing Up: Family is often our first line of inspiration.

Suzanne grew up in Milton Massachusetts. She credits her father, a jazz musician and her grandmother; a feminist and accomplished baker as two of her greatest inspirations. When Suzanne founded her first company, Dancing Deer Baking Co., she named it after her grandmotherʼs antique store in Bar Harbor Maine.

Culinary Career: Hard work, passion for learning and moxie.

Suzanneʼs culinary career began in 1983 while still in college. She took a job as a prep cook in a Boston neighborhood cafe. It was there she devoured as much as she could about the basics and the art of food. After honing her skills as a prep cook, she became an assistant to Boston food writer and stylist, Sheryl Julian. Suzanne acknowledges Sheryl as one of her greatest mentors who inspired her to further pursue a career in the food industry.

In 1990, Suzanne moved to California with her husband where she worked at Il Fornaio, and became entranced with the newly emerging independent coffee houses. In 1992, she returned to Massachusetts and started her own baking business supplying freshly baked goods to one of the only local, independent coffee houses around.

In 1994, facing either expansion or going to work for someone else, Suzanne found a business partner and the Dancing Deer Baking Co. evolved. In 2000, after having her first child, Suzanne sold her part of the business and began an obsession with artisan candy making. Over the next year and a half she painstakingly researched recipes, vintage candy making equipment and manufacturing techniques then worked to design packaging that reflected her vision for her next endeavor; Tiny Trapeze Confections.

In 2003, Suzanne incorporated Tiny Trapeze with her original Dancing Deer business partner. A couple of years later, Whole Foods Market recognized the quality and ethos of the company and in 2005 bought Tiny Trapeze, retaining Suzanne as Director of Operations.

Today, Suzanne finds herself in her own back yard of Milton, Massachusetts having landed the perfect location for her first retail venture. All of her passion, creativity and experience have been cultivated and she is excited to open and operate, the plate, a small neighborhood shop that will offer handcrafted, artisan comfort foods.

Nadia McKay, President, Mom Corps Boston
Nadia McKay owns and operates the Mom Corps franchise in Boston. Between 2007-2010, she served as the organization’s Regional Vice President using her 20 years of agency and client-side experience in staffing, advertising and client service to grow the Mom Corps presence in the Boston market and beyond. Prior to joining Mom Corps, Nadia spent 14 years at Digitas, a global marketing services firm. In her role as Vice President/Director of Staffing, Nadia served as a key business partner and advisor to the EVP of Strategy & Analysis, translating the company’s business objectives into appropriate resource allocation strategies to exceed financial and organizational goals. Prior to that, Nadia held various account management roles at Digitas, Nets, Inc. (formerly AT&T New Media Services and AT&T Interchange Network Company), Bronner Slosberg Humphrey, and Ingalls, Quinn and Johnson. Nadia is a frequent speaker at conferences, educational forums, and business and working mother networking groups, and has appeared on Cable TV and in the local media providing her expertise on topics such as returning to the workforce during a difficult economic climate and how flexible work arrangements can increase productivity, creativity and company loyalty. Nadia has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont. She lives in Milton with her husband and two sons who appreciate her flexible schedule.

Alexandra Suhas, CEO, Marie Landel & Associates
Alexandra Suhas is a French CPA and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
She currently serves as governor on the Board of MIT Sloan Fellows.

Her experience includes:

15 years with KPMG in Paris where she coordinated French and foreign reporting audits, provided advisory services in relation with governance and risk monitoring (SOX compliance) and assisted clients in IPOs, acquisitions and divestitures

2.5 years as Internal Audit Director Europe Middle East & Africa at Alcan (Canadian Aluminum Group) – She joined the group to restructure and grow the internal audit department after the merger with Pechiney

4.5 years with MLA, in charge of the US operations, currently Partner and CEO.

Iliana Rabago, Founder and Principal Lex Creative
Iliana Rabago is an Art Director and Graphic Designer with over 12 years of international, professional experience.

She is the founder of LexCreative, a firm focused on branding, visual identity, UI, UX design and collateral marketing materials for a wide range of industries in the Boston area: Pharmaceutical, Environmental Engineering, Start-ups, High Tech, Luxury Retail, etc. My clients include The French Embassy in the U.S. Office of Science and Technology, Vision Government Solutions, Pharmalucence Inc. Applied Tissue Technologies, PharmaLogic Holdings. I ensure that every project benefits from my strong aesthetic sense, as well as my  versatile, methodical design skills.

She is also a sponsor for the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge and a member of AIGA, The professional association for design.

Prior to establishing her professional activity in the U.S., I worked in Paris for Publicis Group, where she handled numerous print and web projects from conceptionto publishing and created collateral marketing materials for multiple campaigns, for clients such as British Airways, LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton, Moet-Henessy) Barclays and Société Générale banks.

Iliana is a graduate of the National School of Art, Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas, in Mexico City.

She has been an engaged member and contributor at the FACCNE since 2010.

Conversation moderated by

Anette van de Loo, Co-CEO POWERLING
Joint founder and Strategic Accounts Director at POWERLING, Anette Van De Loo has a master’s degree in history and international relations from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She has leveraged her 17 years’ experience in the translation profession to initiate a model for company growth, and is now in charge of sales development strategy and managing key accounts, handling both production and customer relations. Since September of 2013, Anette has been in Boston, developing the US market.
Anette has a thorough grasp of Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Logistics                    Panel Discussion & Networking
$15 for current FACCNE members
$15 for current Boston Accueil members
$30 for non FACCNE members
5:30-7:00pm: Panel Discussion & Q&A
7:00-8:00: Network