|
In 1992, the NAWBO-NYC Board of Directors initiated an annual awards celebration to highlight the achievements of successful women business owners in the five boroughs and their contributions to the New York City business community. In 1994, the first NAWBO-NYC Business Owners Award was presented to Bettye Martin-Musham of Gear Holdings. Inc.
In 2001, the name was changed to the NAWBO-NYC Signature Award in recognition of the individuality of each award winner. Just as a signature is a personal mark that can never be precisely duplicated, so each Signature Award winner is a woman who has put her own unique mark — her "signature" — on her company, on its success, and on the New York business community. They had the courage, heart and determination to follow their dreams and they serve as an inspiration to us all.
Originally, only one award was given each year. However, with the steady rise in the numbers and types of successful women-owned businesses, it became more difficult to select just one winner when so many were deserving of recognition. Therefore, we increased the number of awards given and, in 2001, further defined the award categories to distinguish the areas of competition based on the number of years in business...
• Fast Track Signature Award: 5 years or less in business
• Benchmark Signature Award: 5-10 years in business
• Master Signature Award: 10+ years in business
In 2001, a Lifetime Achievement Award was created to recognize women who best exemplify the commitment, determination and endurance it takes to create a successful, long-term business. Our first recipient of this prestigious award was Muriel Siebert, President of the Women's Financial Network by Siebert and the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 2002, a Community Leadership Award was created to honor women in nonprofit and community-based organizations, who face the dual task of both running a business and striving to assist the community. We wanted to recognize the fact that a not-for-profit organization involves as much budgeting, management control and financial decision-making as a for-profit business. Our first recipient of this award was Julia Erickson, Executive Director of City Harvest, Inc., the world's first and largest food rescue organization.
The Signature Award categories will continue to evolve as we recognize women and their uniq businesses, please click here to learn more on the current Signature Award Categories.
|
