Starkey Entreperneurial Woman by Indianapolis Monthly

10th Annual

and

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 1

11/12/12 12:43 PM

2012 WINNER KATE BOVA DRURY The Flying Cupcake

irst and foremost among my priorities, before my business ventures, I am a wife and mother. I am married to Cameron Drury, who is not just my husband, but my best friend and partner in life. Together, we have three children: Keegan (12), Henry (10), and Naomi (9). As much as I enjoy running my businesses, nothing compares to the love I have for my amazing kids and my husband. I am the sole owner of Girly Chic Boutique, a local women’s boutique I opened in 2003. In 2007, I started The Flying Cupcake, Indiana’s first cupcake bakery. While I enjoy managing and maintaining Girly Chic Boutique, The Flying Cupcake truly ignited my entrepreneurial passion. The Flying Cupcake now encompasses four area locations, including a 4,000-square-foot baking commissary in Carmel and close to 40 employees. The Flying Cupcake has experienced substantial yearly growth since its humble beginnings five years ago. Back in 2007, I was a recently separated mother of two trying to make ends meet while running Girly Chic Boutique. During a buying trip for the boutique in New York, I visited a local and popular bakery known for its pastel-frosted cupcakes. I was immediately taken by the cute vintage décor and sweet treats. An avid collector of vintage items myself, I was inspired to bring something similar back to Indiana. While the New York bakery offered only four cupcake flavors and included additional bakery items such as pies and cakes, I envisioned a specialized cupcake bakery that would offer its customers dozens of unique cupcake flavors to choose from daily. Completely abandoning the original purpose of my trip, I spent the rest of the trip working on my new cupcake bakery business plan. When I returned to Indianapolis, I began looking for the perfect space to

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 2

make my dream a reality. While driving downtown one day, I passed a sign in the window of the old Baskin Robbins storefront at 56th and Illinois streets, which simply read “Ice Cream Store for Rent.” Ignoring the first two words on the sign, I called the landlord and convinced him to take a chance on me and my unusual idea. After some initial resistance, he eventually capitulated, but not before insisting that I bring in some cupcakes to convince him that I could succeed with such a radical idea. I worked for months on my recipes— some old family favorites and some new, untested ideas. Using family, friends, and neighbors as my taste-testers, I finalized my menu mere weeks before the grand opening. I was not independently wealthy and my impending divorce left me financially strapped. Nonetheless, I went to a bank for a business loan. This proved to be a tremendous challenge, as the bank could not accept the concept of a cupcake bakery. They were not sold on the idea,

as there was no local market example from which to draw projections. With no alternative, I took out a second mortgage to pay for the initial buildout and the associated startup costs. Ultimately, the risk was worth it, as I was able to pay off that loan within the first 20 months of opening. I opened a second location downtown in March 2010. The business was producing income substantial enough that I could sidestep the banks and pay for this location with money exclusively generated by sales. The downtown location was a rapid success, prompting me to consider other areas for expansion. This led to the opening of a Carmel location in October 2011 and finally our East 82nd Street location in March 2012. Petunia, our mobile cupcake truck, is now rolling through the streets of Indianapolis, and a southside location is also in the works. As long as there is customer demand, I will continue to offer the supply and work toward additional market growth.

11/12/12 9:11 AM

ever one to shy away from a challenge, I made the decision to enter the male-dominated construction industry by forming Nubian Transport Management in 1994 where my responsibilities included public relations, public involvement, economic outreach, and project administration. Since its inception, I have worked tirelessly to develop the business, and today Nubian Construction Group is a certified Woman Business Enterprise (WBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in the state of Indiana.

2012 1st RUNNER-UP DEBORAH OATTS Nubian Construction Group

My greatest achievement came when I made the decision and successfully diversified Nubian from a traditional dump-truck company to a construction management firm. This transition occurred when we joined the Turner Aviation and Trotter Construction Joint Venture Landside Team as a WBE associate construction manager on the new Indianapolis Airport project. The parking garage, quick-turnaround facility, and fuel-farm projects managed by the Turner-Trotter-Nubian team served a vital role in fulfilling the Airport’s Master Plan. Additionally, my command of construction-management practices provided cost-saving measures throughout the runway paving and rehabilitation, surface parking lot construction, and building the five-level, 2.5 million-square-foot airport parking garage. International leadership trainer John Maxwell once said, “Leaders may impress others when they succeed, but they impact others when their followers succeed.” This statement is a profound description of how I work tirelessly to help fellow W/ MBEs excel within the construction industry. Throughout my entire career, I have remained committed to assisting fellow W/ MBEs by serving as a link, connecting minority business owners to key players and leaders. I have personally presented workshops that address both the psychological and practical challenges of business ownership. Interestingly enough, through this effort, many firms have formed collaborative partnerships that have dramatically increased their efficiencies and overall effectiveness.

elissa graduated from Purdue University in interior design in the midst of Operation Desert Storm, and no firms were hiring. In fact, CSO Architects, one of Indiana’s largest design firms, had just terminated the jobs of 40 employees. But she knew she wanted a future in interior design and she wanted to gain valuable experience at a prestigious firm. That’s when she tenaciously approached the head of design at CSO and offered to clean the samples library every day for no compensation while she worked a second job at night to pay the bills. If Melissa could not work there, then, at the very least, she wanted to be present there so that she could take steps toward making her dream a reality. Within three months, after becoming familiar with her work ethic and ideas, CSO Architects hired her. That’s how Melissa got started in the industry.

2012 2nd RUNNER-UP MELISSA LAMB BROWN Relocation Strategies

Fast-forward 12 years to 2004. Melissa was then employed with a local real-estate firm working as a project manager on a corporate headquarters consolidation of seven different locations into one enormous new building. But the industry made cuts and her position was terminated. Once again, she found herself in a situation where no firm was hiring. But her heart was set on interior design, and because she is a self-starter, she decided to make an opportunity where there wasn’t one. Melissa approached Relocation Strategies because the company had been a vendor in her former job. She gave her pitch that she could expand the company’s current business model of move management. She sold owner David Bayse on her ideas of adding AutoCad, furniture, and data-cabling services to his move-management model. He hired her as a project manager, and they worked closely together for three years. His business grew by leaps and bounds. Melissa took great satisfaction in growing the business, and proved to herself that she had what it takes to drive a business. She had visions of owning her own company, and those visions came to fruition when Bayse asked if she would purchase his business since he would be retiring soon. She gave a hearty “yes” and worked diligently to see how she could make this a reality. Melissa considers Bayse a guardian angel because she was a single mother of two boys and needed a way to support herself and her children. He directly financed her loan over five years, which made it all possible. Melissa’s dream came true: She was a business owner in a field about which she was passionate.

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 3

11/12/12 9:12 AM

2012 FINALISTS

Kelly Maucere

Jana Bass

Denise Praul

My Sugar Pie

Bass Farms

Accurate Tax Management Corp.

On May 11, 2012, a crowd of about 120 people, made up of previous winners, nominees, and their family members, friends, and co-workers, gathered for the Starkey Entrepreneurial Woman Awards Breakfast in the Clowes Sculpture Garden at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. Guests heard each nominee’s inspirational story of courage, tenacity and selflessness in starting and running her own business.

PREVIOUS WINNERS 2004 | Marie Stanley Protection Plus Inc. 2005 | Abigail Lawlis Kuzma Neighborhood Christian Clinic 2006 | Ann Day Day Furs Inc. 2007 | Billie Dragoo RepuCare/RepuStaff LLC

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 4

11/12/12 9:12 AM

2012 STARKEY ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS

JIMMY CARTER Starkey Entrepreneurial Spirit Award - Male

lthough we know him as our former president, quite possibly the most significant work of President Carter’s career has been in the areas of worldwide eradication and elimination of diseases through The Carter Center. President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter founded The Carter Center 30 years ago to create a brighter future for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The Carter Center has become a leader in the eradication and elimination of diseases, such as Guinea worm disease, a painful and debilitating condition caused by a waterborne parasite; onchocerciasis, or river blindness, in Latin America, which is caused by repeated bites of infected blackflies; and, in Ghana, blinding trachoma, a bacterial eye disease. The list of the work of President Carter and The Carter Center to successfully advance human rights and healthcare could go on and on, but we are grateful that President Carter did not stop his passionate commitment to people all over the world when his presidency ended. It was actually only the beginning of the amazing work President Carter’s vision would accomplish.

CINDY PALMER Starkey Entrepreneurial Spirit Award - Female

fter a highly successful career in marketing management and marketing research for the food industry, Cindy Palmer left the for-profit world of business to donate her time, amazing skills and entrepreneurial business acumen to serve the less fortunate women and children of Indianapolis. Cindy began her professional career in marketing management for General Mills, Inc., and after remarkable success there, left to become the founder and president of Palmer & Palmer, where Cindy worked for companies throughout the globe on marketing strategies and to assess market viability of new products. Cindy now volunteers her time and skills in three areas: 1.) Cindy helped start Heart Change, a life-on-life discipleship ministry to women living in crisis. Cindy and her team serve women in our city, who come from generational poverty, were never really mothered themselves, started their own mothering-years as teenagers and have little to no supportive positive relationships in their lives. The program has now expanded to include three program tracks, with the cornerstone of the ministry being Mother’s University. Cindy oversees the work of 65 volunteers. 2.) Cindy and a friend, Barb Tait, started a group called Kaleo. On the surface, Kaleo appears to be a women’s giving circle, but it is so much more. Kaleo exists to engage women of resources and professional skills to come alongside organizations in our city to address the issues of mothers in crisis, homelessness, education and justice. In addition to giving time and talent, the women of Kaleo have given $197,000 in support to like-minded organizations. 3.) Cindy is in the embryonic stages of a third organization, called Two Girls and a Sarong. This is a job-creation concept to benefit women who are at risk or have been rescued from trafficking in Cambodia and women in our city who are at risk because legal forms of employment are not attainable for them due to their criminal histories or literacy challenges. Cindy hopes to be providing gainful employment in a safe and just working environment for women there and here.

Harrison & Moberly LLP, Marti Starkey and Indianapolis Monthly magazine are honored to present the Starkey Entrpreneurial Woman Award and the Starkey Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards, given to individuals who have exhibited extraordinary courage and tenacity in their field of endeavor.

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 5

11/12/12 9:12 AM

Harrison & Moberly has been an important member of the legal community since its inception in 1950. Founded by James D. Harrison and Warren C. Moberly, Harrison & Moberly has experienced balanced growth and currently serves a diverse clientele including large corporations, mid-market and smaller entrepreneurial business, and individuals. Harrison & Moberly’s mission is to work aggressively for client success by providing a comprehensive range of high quality and responsive professional services.

In furtherance of Harrison & Moberly’s growth plan, in recent years, Harrison & Moberly has been fortunate to attract a number of prominent attorneys from diverse backgrounds with substantial expertise in the areas of complex commerical litigation, general business and corporate transactions, real estate, construction law, health care provider representation, utilities law, probate and estate planning, fiduciary litigation, environmental law, appellate law, auto dealer legal services, bankruptcy and debtor-creditor relations. Harrison & Moberly has also broadened its

ability to serve the international needs of Firm clients by the selection to membership in the worldwide International Lawyers Network. As one measure of the Firm’s sustained success and reputation for excellence, Harrison & Moberly was proud to receive the Indiana Department of Commerce’s 2004 HalfCentury Business Award. Since it’s inception in 1983, “The Best Lawyers in America” has become the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Harrison & Moberly, LLP has the distinction of being listed in “The Best Law Firms 2013.”

fter graduating from the University of Evansville in 1976 as its outstanding senior woman, Marti Starkey went on to attend the IU School of Law – Indianapolis (now the Robert H. McKinney School of Law). In 1982, after graduation and a federal clerkship, she joined a progressive law firm which allowed her to build her trust and estate practice from scratch. Marti eventually took her practice and started her own trust and estate boutique law firm in 1999. During this time, Marti noticed that most entrepreneurial awards were given to male business owners. Recognizing that many female business owners were doing heroic work and deserved to be honored, Marti decided in 1998 to start an entrepreneurial woman award, thus the Starkey Entrepreneurial Woman Award was born. After Marti merged her law firm into Harrison & Moberly, LLP, they proudly continue this wonderful tradition. Marti is an Equity Partner at Harrison & Moberly and chairs the Trust & Estate Practice Group. In 2010, the YWCA named Marti as the “Woman of the Year in Law.” Marti was named as an Indiana Super Lawyer each year from 2004 through 2012, and in 2010, she was named as one of the top 25 female attorneys in Indiana. Indianapolis Monthly magazine gave Marti a “Best in Client Service Award” and a “Top Money Manager Award.” Marti also serves the State of Indiana on the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), being appointed in 1990 by then Governor Evan Bayh and serving under every Indiana Governor since then. In 1993, Governor Bayh named Marti to serve as the Chair of Indiana’s ULC delegation. The ULC also honored Marti in 1996 by naming her as the first female to ever serve as a national Division Chair of this prestigious 122 year old organization. Marti has served on its drafting committee of the Uniform Trust Code, the Uniform Power of Attorney Act and the review committee of the Health Care Decisions Act. She currently serves on the Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Trust and Estate Acts and as a Trustee of the Uniform Law Foundation.

he inspiration for the Starkey Entrepreneurial Woman Award derived from one of Marti’s longtime clients, Helen E. Marschke (right). Helen, a restauranteur and business owner, mananged her own financial affairs well into her late 90s. Helen passed away in 1998 at the age of 97, at which time Marti expressed her desire to Helen’s family to create this award in Helen’s memory.

2013 STARKEY ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMAN AWARD Do you know an inspirational female business owner? To nominate, log on www.starkey-law.com or www.harrisonmoberly.com.

STARKEY AWARDS FINAL.indd 6

11/12/12 10:55 AM