Our Members» Member Spotlight» Member Benefits» Contact Us» " I have been a NEWBO member since 1990 and in the time I grew my business, turned a substantial portion of ownership over to my children and then sold the business!  NEWBO, and the wonderful women that are part of it, were with me every step of the way.  I have found vendors, gotten clients, and made lifelong friends!" - Roz Holt, Emeritus Member

We love sharing the wonderful successes of each of our NEWBO members.  Below are many Kudo's as shared in several issues of Contact.  If you are a member and have news to share, be sure to send it to the Contact editor! July-August 2006 May-June 2006 March-April 2006 January-February 2006   July-August 2006 DeGrazia Wins Athena Award Loretta DeGrazia, President of East Coast Petroleum, recently received the Metro South Chamber of Commerce Athena Award.  The award honors DeGrazia for exemplifying business success, serving the community in a meaningful way and for assisting other women in developing their own leadership potential. Striving to create a business in a “man’s world”, DeGrazia started her business with only sweat equity and her own two feet. She now runs a multi-million dollar organization, a full-service heating oil and air conditioning company.  Over the years, she and the company have been extremely active in both civic and charitable activities. Wojnar Wows Them on XM Feng Shui consultant, Chris Wojnar, was interviewed by six-time Emmy award winner Nancy Glass on XM Satellite (HGTV on the radio). Introduced by Nancy as "HGTV's Feng Shui expert," Chris discusses Feng Shui in three segments airing in July and August. Woo-hoo, Chris! Siegel Makes the Media Rounds Debbie Siegel of Westchester Mortgage recently appeared on FOX 25 News at 5 p.m. to discuss what to do when you have problems making your mortgage payment and ways to protect yourself against foreclosure. On May 30, she appeared on an NECN segment about housing prices and rising interest rates. To round things off, she was quoted in the June issue of Newton Magazine about home offices. Keep at it, Deb! Who's Who Among Professional Women? Teodorescu, That's Who! Tina Teodorescu, CPT, President of Competence Systems has recently been appointed to represent Melrose, Mass, in the "Empire Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women." Congrats, Tina! Weiner Wins Them Over Susan Weiner, CFA of Investment Writing presented "The Six Deadly Sins of Investment Commentary, or How to Write What Your Clients Will Read" to a sold-out crowd at the Boston Security Analysts Society in June. Great job, Susan! Cohen Continues to Shine Ronna Cohen of The 20-20 Group has been sharing her expertise on small business management and growth strategies to a number of local business groups this spring. Ronna had an article entitled "Filling the Holes in Your Business Plan" in May's issue of Boston Women's Business. Ronna has also spoken at The 495 Business Expo, Office Depot's Small Business Series, and the American Association for Training and Development. Awesome work, Ronna! May-June 2006 Rutzick Keeps Them Rapt Angela Rutzick of A-Type Marketing and Design spoke at the Women's Bar Association on May 11th about websites that work and on May 20th at the Employee Lawyers' Convention at the Omni Parker House in Boston on effective websites. Angela, you get an A+ for public speaking! Planning a "Good" Retirement Ellen Good of Redesigning Retirement has successfully completed the Retirement Options training program, making her an RSP-Trained Retirement Coach. She is also authorized to administer the Retirement Success Profile, a scientifically-designed assessment that identifies personal retirement strengths and concerns for people over 50 who are currently retired or planning their retirement. Excellent work, Ellen! Pat on the Back for Patel President Jean Patel of MarketingMastery is delighted to report a very successful Partners For Youth with Disabilities event, which exceeded its net fiscal goal of $90,000 by 50 percent. The 20th anniversary gala that Jean planned was attended by 300 people, and the deputy director says, "Jean…is event planner extraordinaire…we received so many compliments about our event, surpassed our fundraising goals, and are now planning for next year. You can't go wrong with Jean." Woo-hoo, Jean! Minding Your Manners on Fox Jodi R. R. Smith of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting has partnered with Fox 25 for a new segment entitled "Monday Manners," which can be seen every Monday on Fox 25, usually right around 5:45. If you have a pressing etiquette emergency, please e-mail to Jodi at info@mannersmith.com and your question may just make a future broadcast. Jodi’s books From Clueless to Class Act, Manners for the Modern Man and From Clueless to Class Act, Manners for the Modern Woman have just hit the shelves. You're making us proud, Jodi! Levine Launches Book Joyce Levine announces that her new book Breakthrough Astrology, Transform Yourself and Your World will be released this June. Here's what Dr. Christiane Northurp had to say:  "Astrology is such a useful tool for creating a healthy life. Breakthrough Astrology provides the reader with a practical, insightful guide to uncover their innate strengths and weaknesses." Congrats, Joyce! Kerrigan Keeps Getting Ink Nancy Kerrigan of Pets at Play was featured in last quarter's NAFE Magazine with a write up on her company and what it's like being a woman entrepreneur. Keep at it, Nancy!   NEWBO "Shout-Out" Mitzi Weinman of TimeFinder sends a shout-out to the NEWBO Speaker's Bureau. Mitzi says, "Several months ago the Speaker's Bureau sent a notice that ITTC (Information Technology Training Conference) was looking for speakers for their June 2006 conference.  Because of their diligence in informing members who are registered with NEWBO's Speaker's Bureau about the opportunity, the proposal I submitted was accepted and I will be one of ITTC's conference speakers. A very heartfelt thank you to Maureen Woods and Ronna Cohen for their work in making NEWBO's Speaker's Bureau a wonderful benefit to members." Weiner Wins More Clients Susan Weiner's new clients in 2006 include a mutual fund firm, an insurance company, authors of a financial planning book, three investment management firms, and an Israeli summer program for high schoolers. Her 2006 articles have appeared in Financial Planning, Interior Design, Newton Magazine, Retirement Weekly, and Wealth Manager. Way to go, Susan! Wristies is "Certifiable" Wristies, Inc. is pleased to announce its certification as a Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE).  The certification, conducted by the Department of Business and Technology, State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, was completed and accepted on April 13, 2006.  This certification expands Wristies visibility among decision makers in corporate supplier diversity and procurement. "The process was quite involved and exhaustive," says Susan Gregory, President. "The most rewarding, for sure, was when the State contact remarked that it was the most interesting interview she’d ever had!  Of course for me it was fun reliving some of our history. But the interview itself was minimal, compared to the pile of documents required for certification. One of my NEWBO friends encouraged me to get certified—so I did!" For more information on certification, visit  http://www.somwba.state.ma.us/. Congrats, Susan! Strategies For Growth Adds New Client Heather Edelman, president of Strategies For Growth, announces Reichard, Chabot & Messineo, M.D., P.C. as a new client. They are a well-established physician group practice specializing in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine in Norwood. Congrats, Heather! Cratsley Honored Holly B. Cratsley, AIA, 5-Star Member of NEWBO, was presented with the "Distinguished Alumni in Service Award" by the Boston Architectural Center during its recent commencement exercises. Cratsley is Principal and Owner of Nashawtuc Architects Inc. of Concord, MA. She graduated from the Boston Architectural Center in 1984 and is currently a member of the BAC's Board of Directors. Woo-hoo, Holly! March-April 2006 Smith Says Goodbye and Hello NEWBO member Concy Smith sold her financial planning business last year and has since launched her new business: Senior Care Advisors, which provides care management and financial guidance for seniors and their families. For more info, visit www.sca-ma.com. Congrats, Concy! Ghioldi…A Star is Born Congratulations to Gina Ghioldi, a Lexington attorney and a Five-Star member, on her new venture with NECN. Gina is featured on NECN’s "NewsDay" on Thursdays during the 4:00 p.m. newscast. Catch her segment as Gina discusses legal and consumer issues. Check out her website at www.ghioldilaw.com to find out more about her and her firm. Congrats, Gina, our new STAR! Deaner Cooks Up Business Ellie Deaner of Let's Get Cooking has recently run several culinary team-building events for companies, such as Raytheon, Fidelity, Ensim, and Eli Lilly. These programs enable employees to "bond over a hot skillet" while together they prepare a sumptuous meal and then sit down and enjoy it.   A recent attendee said, "Let's Get Cooking got us cooking—best team-building event I've ever attended!" Keep them cooking, Ellie! Smith the Scribe Jodi R. R. Smith, owner of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting, announces that the second editions of her books Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Man and Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Woman will be released this April. For info, visit www.mannersmith.com. Congrats, Jodi! Edelman Keeps on Growing Heather Edelman, president of Strategies For Growth, announces Massachusetts Historical Society as a new client. MHS is a major research library and manuscript repository holding millions of rare and unique documents and artifacts vital to the study of American history. Strategies For Growth services to MHS include compliance and performance management consulting. Great work, Heather! Liff Moves about Lexington Carol A. Liff, founder and owner of Lexington Learning Center, Inc., announces the move of the current Lexington office to the center of Lexington on 18 Muzzey Street the beginning of April. She invites everyone to an Open House on Sunday, April 30 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Enjoy the new digs, Carol! Weisner Speaks Up Maureen Weisner of Coaching & Consulting announces two upcoming "Dust Off Your Dreams" speaking engagements: Thursday, April 27th at Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport (978-463-1185) from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and Thursday, May 11th at The Enterprise Center at Salem State College (978-542-6343) from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Break a leg, Maureen! Andre Heads Out on Tour Mary Lou Andre, president and founder of Organization By Design, Inc., has teamed up with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to deliver "Your Visual Resume—How to Land (and Keep!) Your Dream Job" on a five-college tour to help juniors and seniors understand how to present themselves in the job interview. For a list of the colleges Andre will be presenting at, visit www.dressingwell.com. Sounds like a five-star tour to us, Mary Lou! Edelson Makes Her Mark Marilyn Edelson of OnTrack Coaching & Consulting presented "The Five Principles of Transformation" of the Best Year Yet program in two separate workshops to the staff and to the patients and families at the Moffitt Breast Cancer Center's FACTORS program in Tampa Florida on March 3rd and 4th. She also hosted the eWomenNetwork Women's Sales & Marketing Summit on March 22nd at Maggiano's. Way to go, Marilyn! Davis Makes the Top 10 Last November, the readers of Boston Women's Journal voted Jackie Davis, owner of RoomScape Interiors, one of the top 10 interior designers/architects in the region. Jackie provides decorating information, products, and services for individuals and design professionals for room redesigns, realty enhancement/staging, and moves to new residences. Great job, Jackie! January-February 2006 Hall Has the Right Stuff Shelley Hall, Principal & Managing Director of Catalytic Management, is pleased to announce the addition of two new banking clients. Both Chicopee Savings Bank and Lawrence Savings Bank have engaged Catalytic Management to deliver sales consulting, training, and coaching targeted for their branch systems. Catalytic Management is also active in the non-profit arena and has just been awarded its third consulting project with Morgan Memorial Goodwill, a $25 million non-profit. This new project is focused on developing business strategies and processes that will strengthen Goodwill's partnerships with corporations throughout New England. Way to go, Shelley. Let’s Hear It for Liff Back in November, Carol Liff, owner of Lexington Learning Center, Inc., and her staff celebrated their first year in their second location in Sudbury, where they continue to elevate academic skills for students of all ages. Congrats, Carol! Kerrigan Sleeps Tight Inventor Nancy Kerrigan, founder and owner of Pets at Play, was featured on the popular HGTV series "I Want That" in January. The show featured Nancy’s Sleep-N-Store™ pet bed, which is now available from up-scale pet retailers as well as from the Pets at Play website. Keep it up, Nancy! Edelson "Works" It Marilyn Edelson, President of OnTrack Coaching & Consulting became Managing Director of eWomenNetwork’s Boston chapter last Fall. eWomenNetwork, the largest online women's networking membership organization in North America, holds monthly "Accelerated Networking Events" in Boston at Maggiano's every third Tuesday of the month. Good luck, Marilyn! Wingspan Consulting Takes Flight Wingspan Consulting celebrated its three-year business anniversary on January 6th. Founder Jennifer Houghton has served a wide-range of clients, including more than 20 law firms and individual attorneys by providing innovative marketing and business development strategies. Nice work, Jenn! Stephenson Sparkles Jan Stephenson, Founder and CEO of Spark Craft Studios, announces two awards her company won in 2005: The Stevie Award for Women Entrepreneurs for "Best New Company of the Year" and the “Excellence in Retailing Award” from the Retailers Association of Massachusetts for "Creative Concept." Spark Crafts Studios also just celebrated its one-year anniversary in January. Congrats and Happy Birthday! Strategies For Growth Keeps on Growing Heather Edelman, president of Strategies For Growth, announces The Colibri Group as a new client. Colibri is a $100 million manufacturer and marketer of flame, jewelry, and clock products, headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. The company employs approximately 500 people. Great job, Heather! Weisner's Dreams Pass the White-Glove Test Maureen Weisner of Coaching and Consulting was featured at a workshop called "Dust Off Your Dreams" at Anna Jacques Hospital in January. The workshop focused on taking the time to realize the dream that you've been ignoring by providing exercises, tools, and tips on how to stay "on dream." Sounds like a great way to ring in the New Year, Maureen! Siegel the Scribe In the December issue of Women's Business, Debbie Siegel of Westchester Mortgage had an article called "Use Your Home to back a New Business." She's also contributing a monthly column called "Debbie's Mortgage Minute" to foreclosuremass.com's e-newsletter. Congrats, Deb!