When I was originally nominated as a candidate for the Visionary Award, I did a little research to define exactly what a Visionary was.  The dictionary provided me with very little help so I turned to query some ASC employees, one of whom is a Native American.  He told me that the Lakota Sioux did not have a word for Visionary but did have a term for a vision quest.

A vision quest is undertaken by a person who seeks an answer.  The quest is undertaken alone and on a night of howling winds.  One must go alone into the night and reconnect with their sense of being and feelings, meditate, and fear nothing knowing that one will not be harmed by the quest alone.

The successful visionary will emerge unharmed from the quest with the answer or pathway.  While the quest alone may curl the hair of those who have experienced it, the real difficulty begins when trying to implement the successful answer or pathway.  This is where the Lakota Sioux turn to their fellow natives for assistance and, for the Visionaries in this room, this is where we turn to our friends and colleagues for assistance.  I have been very lucky when attempting to implement visions gained during my vision quests.  From the beginning I had the advice and support of Martha Otto, who was and still is my mentor.  She is the first woman of archaeology and is Curator Emeritus of the Ohio Historical Society.  I thank you Martha.  

I have my good friend Kitty McLaren who has listened for countless hours to my ideas and provided valuable personal and business feedback.  I thank you kitty.

Finally, I have had my business partner, Elsie Immel-Blei, who has suffered through my 20 years of vision for the company.  She is a very patient and supportive partner and we could not have been as successful without our team arrangement.  Thank you Elsie.

I would like to end by thanking the corporate sponsors of this event.  Their backing of this event reflects the fact that they recognize woman-owned businesses as a significant player in today’s business market.  You are the true Visionaries.

I would like to thank the selection committee who through their application process and interviews have made me step back and remember ASC Group’s basic mission and reflect on my personal business philosophy.

I would like to thank the other Visionary finalists.  During our group interviews, your energy, enthusiasm, and commitment overwhelmed me and impressed me so much that I became re-energized about my own business.

I would like to thank NAWBO, whose commitment to helping and advancing woman-owned businesses has opened new doors for sharing information and networking that were not in the past easily available to women.

I look forward to a continued successful relationship with NAWBO and I hope that I can give back as much as you all have given me.