The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Paola-Marie Alvarez de Bennett, Alvarez de Bennett Law, P.C.

Attorney Paola-Marie Alvarez de Bennett founded Alvarez de Bennett Law, P.C. in 2009 after working for a prominent Oklahoma City law firm for two years. Paola-Marie was born in Mexico City, D.F., to her U.S. citizen mother and her Mexican citizen father. At a young age, her family came to the United States where she grew up in Gallup, New Mexico and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Paola-Marie obtained her Bachelors from Oral Roberts University and then decided to attend law school where she felt that she could help people and make a difference in her community. As a law student at the University of Oklahoma, Paola-Marie dedicated herself to several advocacy programs such as Students for Access to Justice Program (University of Oklahoma), Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (Toledo, Ohio), and Corporation for Enterprise Development (Washington D.C.).

Now operating her own law firm. Paola-Marie especially enjoys working on immigration law cases and international adoptions where she helps people come to the United States and take part in the American Dream like her family did.

She also serves in the Oklahoma City community as a:

♦ Volunteer attorney for Trinity Legal Clinic (nonprofit that provides access to legal services for clients who could not otherwise afford hiring their own attorney)
♦ Bi-lingual Tutor for the Whiz Kids program of Oklahoma City (program that provides tutoring for elementary students)
♦ Board Member for Metro Tech Foundation (providing financial assistance to students that could not otherwise afford an education at Metro Tech)
♦ Member of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Her favorite book is “Banker to the Poor” written by Dr. Muhammad Yunus which has impacted small business owners around the world by showing that a little assistance, training, and mentorship can make a world of difference in teaching others to become self-sufficient.

Paola-Marie lives in Oklahoma City with her husband who serves in the U.S. Air Force.

Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC is an Oklahoma based company that has successfully combined the creative talents of the owner Johnece Handley-Thompson with the southern charm of a time gone by.

About the owner: I Johnece Handley-Thompson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma but moved to Richmond, California with my parents when I was a year old. I lived in the Bay Area until the age of 21 and decided to move back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I find Tulsa to be a small but charming city to raise a family but I still consider the Bay Area home and I go back to visit every chance I get. Growing up in a State like California afforded me privileges that I don’t think I would have received in many other States. Looking back I found my teachers to be very creative, thinking out of the box and encouraging us to do the same. I was exposed to a very diverse culture which was fostered in school as well and resulted in a melting pot of cultures more willing to accept differences than to belittle them.

My home life was very much Southern. Both of my parents were born and raised in Oklahoma. My dad was from Inola, OK and my mother was from Chouteau, OK the Brushy Creek area (the two towns were about 3 or 4 miles apart). A lot of my family still live in both towns. My mother was a stay at home mom so we had home cooked meals every day. She was and still is a great cook even though my sisters and I didn’t really appreciate it back then. Any way looking back on my childhood I can reflect back to how my company Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC was created. I was able to combine my creative West Coast education with my Southern roots which when combined equals a line of great products that take you back to times gone by. I named my company from the area that my family originated from Brushy Creek in Chouteau, OK. I come from a back ground of GREAT cooks so to honor them all and to honor our Brushy Creek Community as a whole thus the name Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC “the flavor that brings food and folks together.”

About the products: We currently have BBQ sauce with three different heat levels Mild (no heat) Hint of Heat and Fire they come in 16oz jars and 64oz jugs(half gallon). We also a have BBQ rub that is great on beef, pork and chicken and a hamburger seasoning that is great for any ground meat including ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey. All of our products are lower in sodium yet high in flavor! Our products are mainly sold as fundraiser to schools, churches and any other organization looking for fundraising ideas. We also sell our products through our website.

Jenny Findley, Subway Restaurants

An Ada, Oklahoma native and former Miss Chickasaw I am the Vice President of Y.N.Y. Enterprises, DBA Subway. My husband Timothy and I currently have four Subway restaurants 2 in South Oklahoma City and 2 in Purcell.

Every year I host a toy drive for the foster children of McClain County. Involved in the development of a summer reading program for teens with the Pioneer Library System where Subway was a sponsor. Provide scholarships for graduating seniors of Lexington High School and for the Oklahoma Children’s Baptist Home.

Last summer had the privilege of participating in a Health Fair at the LCDA where I put together a slide show of nutrition and healthy snacks for low income families and did instruction of exercises that were safe for children to do while home alone.

We have four children three boys and one girl. Active member of Women of the South, a board member of Club services for the South OKC Rotary, a member of South OKC Chamber of Commerce, and the Tri-City Gun Club.

I am very passionate about working with young women promoting education to combat teen pregnancy. In my spare time I enjoy reading, riding motorcycles, and fishing with my family.

Mina Acquaye, Excell Home Care & Hospice

Mina Acquaye is the CEO of Excell Home Care & Hospice. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma School of Nursing in 1982 and the University of Oklahoma in 1988 with a Masters Degree in Public Health Administration.

She started off her career as a Registered Nurse, later became the Nursing Quality Assurance Coordinator and the Director of the cancer program all at Southwest Medical Center.

In 1996 she founded Excell Home Care and later added the Hospice component in 2002. She currently has over ninety employees.

She is a Certified Home Care & Hospice Executive. She is currently serving on the Oklahoma City Community College Foundation board, is a member of Women of the South a philantropic women’s organization and is also a member of Rotary International.

Nancy Hyde, Hyde & Company CPA’s, P.C.

Nancy Hyde is President of Hyde & Company CPA’s, P.C. an accounting firm located in Oklahoma City established in 2002.

Nancy has extensive experience with individual and small business tax clients covering a variety of industries for over thirty years. She frequently represents and assists clients with the Internal Revenue Service examinations and other issues. Nancy’s specialties include individual and business tax and compensation planning, retirement plan design and administration.

Nancy’s prior experience as a court appointed trustee for individual and business debtors in bankruptcy included responsibility for management, protection and liquidation of assets. These duties require direct coordination with business owners, creditors, lending institutions, court employees and bankruptcy judges.

Nancy’s active involvement with the Oklahoma Society of CPAs reflects her current membership as a member of the Small Firms Committee. She previously served as the Oklahoma Society of CPAs President, past Chair of Nomination’s Committee and Committee on Taxation. She has also served as Chair of the Internal Revenue Service Liaison Subcommittee. Nancy was inducted to the Society’s Accounting Hall of Fame. She was honored for her innovative leadership of the Small Firms Committee with the OSCPA Presidents award in 2003. Nancy was a finalist in the 2003 Journal Record Woman of the Year “50 Making a Difference”. She is also a member and past president of the Oklahoma City Chapter of American Woman’s Society of CPAs and a current member of the Executive Women’s Forum.

Current activities with the American Institute of CPAs reflect Nancy’s active involvement as a past member of the Tax Executive Committee, the governing body for the AICPA Tax Division. She has also served as Past Chairman of the Tax Forms Committee and Member of Relations with IRS Committee, National Task Force on Restructuring the IRS, and Group of 100 Committee. Nancy received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma. Nancy is also a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Nancy is also a qualified expert witness in United States District Court for Western District of Oklahoma, District Court of Oklahoma County and District Court of Cleveland County, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Nancy has served the community as a member and Past President of Church of the Servant Foundation and Chaired the Finance Committee. She volunteers her time to speak to numerous business and non-profit organizations on income tax, business and management topics. She has hosted international college students from Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. In August, 2009 Nancy participated as an instructor in the Peace Through Business Program at Northwood University, Dallas, Texas. She also serves as a mentor to an Afghanistan Woman Business Owner. She is involved as a co-chair of the Peace Through Business Oklahoma City, Peace Pal Program. Nancy is committed to mentoring at the local, national and international levels.

Pam Guffey, Gold Star Graphics

Gold Star Graphics, a screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products family business was founded in 1987 by Pam Guffey and her husband, Stan Guffey. Gold Star creates custom t-shirts, bags, sweats, hats, as well as other products from ink pens to high-end golf accessories.

Gold Star began as a contract screen printing company and has grown substantially, acquiring a diverse customer base ranging from elementary schools, churches, and major universities, to global, corporate, and retail enterprises.

Customer satisfaction is the number one priority at Gold Star. She feels that purchasing apparel, accessories, and promotional items should be an enjoyable experience, free of pressure and free from stress. Her account representatives work closely with customers to help create the perfect product for their business. With 22 years of experience assisting customers with custom imprinted goods, Gold Star Graphics is a fundamental resource for business marketing needs.

In addition to her business acumen, Guffey is very active in her community and was recently elected to the Oklahoma State Board of PEO. A devoted member who is committed to the PEO sisterhood, Guffey is serving the organization as treasurer for the current year. She was appointed as chairperson for the Program for Continuing Education and Oklahoma Continuing Education, and was the representative on the 2009 State Convention Hostess Board, on which she served as treasurer. Additionally, she was the delegate to the International Convention in 2007. Guffey’s PEO heritage is long and rich, having had a grandmother and mother serve the same chapter, as well as numerous other family members.

As an active member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Guffey donates time and talent chairing the decorating committee. Pam and Stan are always willing to help with church functions in any way possible.

Married to Stan for 38 years, Guffey lives in Oklahoma City with her husband. They have two sons, Lance and Kyle. Lance works in the family business, while Kyle is an entrepreneur.

About Gold Star Graphics
Gold Star Graphics has greatly evolved from its beginnings as a contract screen printing company 22 years ago; to the company it is today. Still providing screen printing, Gold Star Graphics also provides embroidery and discharge custom imprinted services, as well as promotional products from insulated mugs, pens, and padfolios to belt buckles, tool sets, and golf gear.

Gold Star is located at 8812 S. Bryant, just south of I-240. Additional information about Gold Star is available at www.goldstarok.com.

Ronda Mikles, Mikles’ Marketing & Management, Inc.

Ronda Mikles is the president of Mikles’ Marketing & Management, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in customer relations seminars, staff development workshops, sales and motivational conferences as well as retreats.

Her workshops have taken her all across the United States from San Francisco to Philadelphia, Chicago to Denver, as well as Washington, D.C. and Kodiak, Alaska.

She is past president of the Oklahoma City chapter of American Women in Radio & Television, has served as a judge at the National Commendation Awards in Washington, D.C. for outstanding radio and television programming nationwide, has been named by Oklahoma Baptist University as a recipient of its prestigious Profile in Excellence award, and is a past president of OBU’s Alumni Board of Directors.

Ronda was the General Sales Manager of the Oklahoma News Network for over five years and was named one of the top two sales managers of the year for Clear Channel Communications.

Debra Murray, Blue Spring International, LLC

Debra Murray is the President and Managing Member of Blue Spring International, LLC. Ms. Murray has over 25 years of sales, consulting, and management experience in real estate, retail, and health and wellness. Ms. Murray’s primary focus in recent years has been in the restructuring of privately-owned companies after severe market impacts.

As an active member of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), Women’s Business Enterprises (WBE) Southwest, and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Ms. Murray works to further opportunities in the world of business for women. Because of her passion for empowering women, she has received numerous awards and public speaking invitations, both in the US and abroad. Ms. Murray is also dedicated to educating consumers on natural health and wellness.

To further her goals, she has been or currently is a member in good standing of several prominent trade organizations in the health and wellness industry. Ms. Murray is determined to take Blue Spring to the forefront of natural health and wellness. Her passion and dedication shine in everything she does, both personally and professionally. She uses her vision and leadership to motivate her team to take Blue Spring to The Platinum Standard

Angie Hedges Hendricks, Bentley Hedges Travel

Bentley Hedges Travel has been a leader in the travel industry in Oklahoma for over 38 years and a Travel Leaders affiliate for 4 years.

Angela “Angie” Hedges Hendricks began her career in the travel industry in 1972. Her parents, Bentley and Alice Hedges founded Bentley Hedges Travel in Oklahoma City, OK in 1970 in her grandparents’ living room.

Angie has worked in virtually every position in the company and now serves as President and CEO. The agency is a Certified Woman-Owned Business.

Under Angie’s guidance, Bentley Hedges Travel consolidated outlying offices throughout Oklahoma and Texas into the Oklahoma City corporate headquarters as technology allowed for remote servicing of clients. Angie’s ability to keep the business plan flexible as the travel industry changed has allowed the company to sustain growth of nearly $7 million dollar agency employing 12 employees.

Angie is active in the South OKC Rotary, Greater OKC and South OKC Chambers of Commerce, a member of South OKC Chamber Team South Class II, serves as a member of the Personnel Committee at First Baptist Church of Moore, OK and serves on the Advisory Board of Travel Leaders. She is a 2009 Enterprising Women of the Year Winner.

In July 2008, Angie was asked by The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women – Peace through Business®2008 to mentor a woman business owner from Kigali, Rwanda who also owns and operates a travel agency. Again in 2009, Angie mentored another woman business owner of a travel agency. The bond between Angie and the women from Rwanda continues to flourish as they exchange ideas about their common vocation.

Angie is married to Steve Hendricks and they will celebrate their 31^t wedding anniversary in 2010. They have two daughters, Dr. Stephanie Aldret of Tulsa, OK and Sgt. Audrey Hendricks, Army Reserves, currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq. They reside in Oklahoma City with their dog, Reuben.

Terry Neese, Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women

DR. TERRY NEESE is founder and CEO of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW). She leads the organization to accomplish its mission via two programs, both domestic and international training for women business owners in the area of public policy and entrepreneurial education.

Peace Through Business – educates and empowers women entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their dream of financial independence and community involvement as a woman owned business. Since its creation in 2007, the program has trained over 150 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda.

Empowering Women – a book and training program authored by Dr. Neese that encourages women business owners to affect change through involvement in public policy. Training sessions have been held in more than 15 states.

Founder of Terry Neese Personnel Services, and an inductee into the National and Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fames, Terry is a past national president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the largest women’s association of its kind. Terry’s involvement with women business owners and family issues is well documented through her participation in the following:

• Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP); Co-Founder and Past President – WIPP joins together a membership across the nation totaling over half-million women entrepreneurs and executives and serves as a voice for women in business at the United States Capitol.
• National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA); Distinguished Fellow – Terry led the organization’s Family Policy Center, where she developed policy ideas that helped women, families, and small businesses keep more of their earned money, and make better financial and health choices. In addition, Terry conducted bipartisan briefings on family issues with congressional leaders and their staffs and has regularly testified before the U.S. House and Senate.

A successful businesswoman, Terry made history in 1990 when she became the first woman nominated by a major political party for the seat of Lt. Governor of Oklahoma. She was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “Power 30” – the most influential small businesspersons in Washington, D.C. She was named an Outstanding Business Leader by Northwood University Board of Trustees in 2006. In 2008, Northwood University bestowed Terry with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Terry has been appointed to numerous councils and positions with nominations by prominent leaders, such as Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Terry is also a pilot and a member of the Ninety-Nines. She is married to Earl N. Neese. Their daughter, Kim Neese, is CEO of Terry Neese Personnel Services and is the proud mom of Emily and Erin. They all reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.