Reporter’s Notebook
Notes and thoughts from the travels of Virginia Business writers and editors

Virginia Business
July 2005

The number of women in business has reached such a critical mass that someone threw a party for them. And boy was it fun! The first-ever National Women’s Business Conference last month at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington drew about 400 businesswomen, many of them entrepreneurs. They spent the day listening to inspirational speakers, networking and attending workshops on everything from federal procurement to international trade. In between, people swapped stories on how to advance their business goals.

Sponsored by the National Women’s Business Center in conjunction with the governors of Maryland and Virginia and the mayor of Washington, the event marked the first time the region came together to put on an event promoting the advancement of businesswomen. And no wonder. Today, women are at least 50 percent owners of nearly half of all privately held U.S. firms. As keynote speaker Julianne Malveaux put it: “There are 10.6 million of us, generating nearly 20 million jobs and $2.5 trillion in sales.” Virginia Business’ August issue will report in depth on some of the state’s successful businesswomen.

Virginia’s Small Business Person of the Year has found Rockbridge County to be fertile ground for his enterprise. Louis Zak, the founder and president of PowerSystems International Inc., relocated the company from New York to Natural Bridge Station in 2002 with the help of a Small Business Administration loan. Sales have risen from $3.6 million in 2002 to an estimated $14 million this year, and Zak expects that total to double to $28 million next year. The company’s work force also has grown, from eight employees in 2002 to 90. PSI was formed in 1995 by acquiring the assets of Euclid Equipment Inc., a manufacturer of power generation equipment and switchgear. Zak has focused on the development of customized power generation systems for the military. These systems supply power for shelters or tents used by the armed forces for tactical operation centers, command posts and mobile surgical hospitals.

Thankfully, the pursuit of excellence in human endeavor goes on around us uninterrupted. Take, for example, the three young leaders honored by the Virginia Jaycees at its May black-tie ceremony in Herndon with the 2005 Outstanding Young Virginian awards: Anthony Drew Akers, Staff Sgt. Juan Carlos Bender and Secretary of Technology Eugene Huang. These young leaders were selected as the “best of the best” in their fields on the basis of excellence in business, leadership and public service, as the following snapshots reflect.

• Akers, 34, is community activities director with Pulaski County and is a member of several community commissions and boards. Previously, he was a full-time teacher in the county’s in-school suspension program.

• Bender, 28, a 10-year active duty member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Hampton, manages a staff of 18 that supports four flying squadrons. During his career, Bender has chaired or advised several air base committees sponsoring events celebrating Asian-Pacific and Hispanic-American culture, and has been awarded numerous medals.

• Huang, 29, who lives in Richmond, is the youngest cabinet secretary in the history of the commonwealth. His other accomplishments include running marathons, being a U.S. patent holder, and holding two undergraduate as well as two master’s degrees.

The Virginia Jaycees also honored David Matthew Lewis of Hampton with the Outstanding Emergency Medical Services Responder award and recognized two high school seniors, Alyona Sergeevna Kudina of Hampton and Paige Donovan Wigginton of Pulaski County, as Outstanding Future Leaders. Each of these students received a $1,000 college scholarship. Virginia Business is a sponsor of the Jaycees awards program.

The Fairfax County Economic Development Auth-ority has established a new Asian beachhead in its efforts to attract foreign investment. The authority recently opened an office in Seoul, South Korea, to build awareness of Fairfax among Korean technology companies. Fairfax is the only U.S. county with a permanent investment representative in the country. More than 50 Korean businesses currently have operations in Fairfax, up from four in 2000.

Organizers of Richmond’s first Italian festival are pitching the event to potential business sponsors as a low-cost opportunity to increase their brand awareness. “VIVA ITALIA — The Original Italian Festival,” is scheduled for Oct. 1-2. The festival will include Italian food, cultural displays, folk dancing, children’s activities, wine tasting and music. Organizing the event are three Italian-American organizations in Richmond: the Italian-American Business & Professional Societa, Italian-American Cultural Association and the Giuseppe Verdi Lodge — Sons of Italy. For more information, contact Bill Poveromo at (804) 426-4055 or e-mail Bipovero@comcast.net.