January 2009 - Andrea Nameche

The Columbus Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is proud to recognize Andrea Nameche as the 2008 Member of the Year.

Andrea is a financial advisor with the Columbus Financial Group and has been in business since 2004. Since joining NAWBO in 2005, Andrea has held the positions of Vice President of Corporate Partners, Vice President of Communications, First Vice President, and now, President-Elect. She will assume the role of President in 2010.

It seems as if Andrea and NAWBO were a perfect fit from the very beginning. "I remember being impressed by the level of energy when I walked into that first meeting four years ago. I remember being excited about the possibilities of the organization," she stated. "The best way to benefit from membership…is to get involved in a committee or on the Board. Relationships are developed at a whole new level when you're working alongside other people toward a common goal."

Involved, indeed - Andrea quickly took charge of revamping the Corporate Partners program by creating the Partner Matrix, a system which streamlined the way NAWBO worked with outside partners and improved the mutual benefits enjoyed by all.

While coordinating the Communications committee, Andrea organized the weekly e-blast newsletters, writing much of the content herself.

In 2008, she worked on the Visionary committee, helping to select Visionary winners and arranging the awards ceremony - which saw a record number of attendees.

Andrea is an active participant in the NAWBO-Columbus outreach program, which provides speakers for local events, representing both her own company and NAWBO.

Her devotion to NAWBO is evident, as another member expressed in their nomination of Andrea for member of the year: "From the day she became a member, Andrea has given tirelessly to NAWBO. She made tremendous strides that first year and has continued each year since. She takes on anything that needs done, if she doesn't know how or what is needed, she asks questions and figures it out. Andrea is endlessly positive, forward-thinking, and genuinely interested in the success of NAWBO and member businesses."

Andrea credits a great deal of her business success to her participation in NAWBO: "While I may be a sole proprietor on paper, through the relationships I've developed in NAWBO, as well as the NAWBO Business Roundtable I actively participate in, I have the power of a full team of professionals to learn from and support and build my business; 2008 was my best year yet."

2007 Member of the Year - Kristen Harris

Kristen Harris founded Portfolio Creative Staffing, based in Columbus, Ohio, in 2005 with Catherine Lang-Cline with the goal of providing a better way of connecting creative talent with clients in the Central Ohio area.

Portfolio fulfills client needs on a freelance, contract or fulltime basis from their specialized network of top creative talent. Applying their professional creative design and leadership experience, Kristen and Catherine clearly understand the needs of both the client and the associate, and are able to recruit and manage top creative talent in a variety of functions. [Read More...]