At only 36, Gabriella Vavrasek, Global Head of HR, Roscommon, has had lots of success to brag about- personally and professionally! She is a mom, adjunct professor, marathoner, and college mentor, but for her, the journey has been the most rewarding part. “There have been many highs and many lows in every part of my life. It’s easy to get caught up and let the lows drag you down; and I’m guilty of letting it happen more often than I would like to admit. Over time, I’ve had to learn how to let things go, ride the wave, and focus on only what I can control. I’m not perfect at it, I will never be, but I am progressing!”

Gabriella brings Roscommon a breadth and depth of expertise in Human Resources. But it was her drive and passion for making companies better and more fulfilling places to work that earned her the clear choice for the position, and it was evident as soon as she walked through the door.

An open mind and ability to listen generously enabled her to get their needs, challenges, and thoughts on culture from every employee. Her contagious energy and people expertise have quickly helped the Roscommon community feel at ease and supported while also assisting the senior leadership team to appreciate the importance of a strong culture and back initiatives that ensure the company’s existing talent is given priority and continues to attract top talent as they grow.

For Gabriella, it has always been important to surround herself with mentors, advocates, and coaches to help keep her grounded, challenged, and inspired. “I was fortunate enough to learn from very powerful female (and male) leaders throughout my career and I want to give other young females the same opportunity,” she adds. “Outside of work, I teach graduate-level HR courses and mentor female students. It gives me a great sense of joy helping young women navigate their careers and see them succeed.”

Gabriella’s energy is infectious. She brings authentic technical expertise, thought leadership, and passion that can’t help but affect and inspire those around her. Colleagues all agree she is always accessible and, most importantly, direct and transparent. “Giving and receiving feedback can be difficult, but I have always felt most empowered after receiving constructive feedback because that is how I continue to learn and grow. I’ve made it a point to give others the same opportunity and be honest with them so that they too can learn and grow.”

According to Gabriella, despite great strides, female leaders continue to have to push through barriers to serve their mission and reach their full potential. “As my career has continued to grow, I have become acutely aware of how important, impactful, and necessary it is for women to take risks.

Men are notoriously greater risktakers and will more often take on roles they may not be fully qualified for,” she explains. “I have left cushy and stable jobs in exchange for risker ones that I was not 100% ready for, but that’s how I’ve been able to stay engaged and challenged in every role; and I have made plenty of mistakes, but there were many people I met along the way that helped guide and empower me to keep moving. Find those people and hang on to them! Risk is OK, especially when you have a support system around you to help navigate it.”

One of the biggest reasons Gabriella joined Roscommon was their unique self-awareness as a growing business that they could do better for their people – their most valuable asset. “Culture, diversity, inclusion, the employee experience, development – we are reimagining it all! I am so proud to sit on an Executive Committee that is 50% female and work for an employer that gives its employees the same attention they do their clients [and appreciates that, when hiring, if a male and female candidate appear equal “on paper” that the woman has likely had to work much harder and overcome more to get to the same place as the man].”

For the days to come, the steadfast leader is excited to be part of a firm that is empowering her, other women (and all employees) to focus on both their personal and professional goals. “We are a firm focused on growth – for the business and for its people and I am thrilled to be part of it.” WL

Dr. Winnie Chu, founder, and CTO of Nanozen, tenacity is her biggest strength. She has that essential entrepreneurial quality of not giving up when faced with obstacles. This was crucial when founding a startup with extremely limited resources and a new brand and not yet recognized by the industry. Her second biggest strength is her ability to empathize with others. Her empathy, plus her effort to truly listen to customers and understand their pain points, has guided Nanozen’s product and service development. Winnie’s laser focus on solving critical occupational health and industrial safety challenges across multiple industries has created billion-dollar opportunities for Nanozen.

Winnie has participated in female entrepreneurial panels sharing her experience with local women entrepreneur groups. But more importantly, starting from her time at the University of British Columbia as a faculty member, Dr. Chu continues to take on young women scientists and engineers consciously. She mentors and trains these young women while providing opportunities to earn work experience and gain confidence as young professionals. Winnie believes work experiences and confidence building are critical cornerstones in establishing a young women’s future career.

Nanozen was born from Winnie’s frustration with existing inefficient and inadequate methods of measuring inhalation levels of toxic airborne particles in industries such as mining and pharmaceuticals. Regulatory-approved methods still required companies to draw air using a pump, collect airborne hazardous materials onto a filter, and then ship the filters to an accredited lab to wait for the results. “Critical safety data can take anywhere from weeks to months to be determined; meanwhile workers handling hazardous materials continue to be exposed,” explains Dr. Chu. “The lack of timely data and information also makes it very challenging to establish how and where the exposure happened and to prevent instances from reoccurring.” Nanozen’s patented technology is a perfect fit for an IIoT aerosol sensor to protect workers and the community within the framework of this digital transformation.

Nanozen’s specialty is its personal, wearable sensor that determines an individual’s exposure in real-time as they perform their daily work. Dr. Chu recruited a talented group of specialists in spectroscopy, aerosol physics, fluidic dynamics, optics and digital signal processing to form a strong research and development team. “Together, we are building chemical speciation aerosol spectrometers utilizing artificial intelligence that are generations ahead of the competition.”

In 2018, a $400 million settlement was reached between six global mining companies and South African miners who suffered deadly health issues due to silica inhalation on the job. Nanozen’s sensors offer an effective method of determining the concentration of silica dust in workers’ breathing zones. Ten of the top 15 global mining companies have adopted Nanozen’s DustCount 9000 to alert workers when high levels of silica dust are present. Teck Resources in Canada describes how crystalline silica dust can enter a worker’s breathing zone during mining operations. Teck took advantage of Nanozen’s innovative real-time dust monitoring technology to gain detailed, real-time data on dust exposure levels. Teck Resources’ Vice President of Health and Safety, Lawrence Watkins’ comments, “This advancement in real-time particulate monitoring represents a fundamental shift for the industry and helps us improve on our commitment to protecting the long-term health of Teck employees.”

In pharmaceutical industries where manual handling of Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (HPAPI’s) remains part of the production and R&D process, HPAPI’s pose hazards to workers and potential cross-contamination of batches during drug production. Such crucial information cannot depend on the traditional method of sending sample filters to the laboratory and waiting for results. Now 6 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies utilize Nanozen’s technology to protect workers better and prevent cross-contamination when handling HPAPI’s. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has given a presentation on the advantage of using Nanozen’s real-time monitors to understand and determine exposure in real-time instead of waiting weeks and months for the results.

“The marriage of our wearable sensor with portable Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers (FTIR) to quantify exposure to specific chemicals immediately after each shift has revolutionized communication of crucial safety data and the prevention of cross contamination,” says Dr. Chu. “This novel approach has also saved millions of dollars per year for all industries involved so far.” IEWL

Nanozen

Management

Dr Winnie Chu
founder & CTO of Nanozen

Description

Nanozen Industries Inc. pioneers innovative approaches to aerosol exposure analysis for industrial workplace environments. Nanozen’s mission is to build, test, and market leading edge technologies that drive new, emerging standards for workplace analysis, worker protection and timely corrective action in the Occupational Health and Safety industry. Know the air your breathe!

Estate planning: Why this media article should inspire you to engage and act now

An article has been shared a bit lately, likely because, simply said, it is tragic beyond words and, to many, absolutely unbelievable and unfathomable. One cannot be moved in some way, by this article.

One in three women worldwide suffer from urine leakage when working out or when they laugh, cough, or sneeze; but they wait an average of seven years before consulting a doctor about it. By that time, the problem can become debilitating. Fortunately, Watkins-Conti Products, Inc. is working to intercept those seven years by offering an easy-to-access non-invasive solution to this issue that women are often ashamed to talk about. This solution is called Yoni.Fit.

Yoni.Fit was invented by single mom, Allison Conti, who is helping one woman at a time tackle the taboo issue of urine leakage throughout their daily lives. Most people would find it surprising that many first experience this problem in their early twenties or even sooner. The common misconception about urine leakage is that it only impacts older women or obese women; this is simply not true. A large number of women are healthy and active when they first have the problem, yet it is an embarrassing subject to discuss.

Watkins-Conti Products hopes to eradicate the stigma and normalize the issue by simply talking about it now; as they work to bring a product to market that solves it. Clinical trials are currently being conducted at New York Langone University, Stanford Medical Center and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.

“Most of my patients report being dry with the device. For context, dry is not a word used often in incontinence care with many patients being improved with therapy but a smaller percentage being dry.” – Dr. Christina Escobar, NYU Langone Hospital

“Of our ladies who have participated, they have LOVED the device.” – Kathryn Batham – Clinical Study Manager, Stanford Medical Center

The current solutions cleared to market today are adult diapers and pads that only address the symptoms by absorbing the urine. Absorbency products like these run the risk of either odor, skin irritation, or visible bulking under clothes. Other options are invasive surgeries, which can come with serious complications and bulking agents that prevent the leaking but typically last only for the short term. Yoni.Fit is the only product in the market that offers the best possible solution to this troubling condition.

“YoniFit is a game changer! I’ve tried every comparable product and NOTHING is as effective. This product gave me my quality of like back! I’m so thankful!,” ~ Angie

Yoni.Fit is simple, easy to use, and is shown to prevent urine leakage. It is a 100% medical-grade silicone vaginal insert similar to a tampon that can be worn for just an hour while a woman works out up to 12 hours if she needs it all day. Women can use this discreetly in the comfort of their own home. The reusable device that is replaced every 30 days is designed to stop the leaking by placing a gentle amount of pressure on the bladder neck through the intravaginal canal. In most cases, the product does not have to be removed to urinate; it simply stops involuntary leaking and most women report that they can’t even feel it when inserted properly.

“It honestly feels like it is my ‘calling’ to bring this product that has so profoundly changed my own life to the millions of women who need it.” said Allison Conti

Founder and CEO of Watkins-Conti Products, Allison Conti has filed over 44 patents in 17 countries across the globe. She most recently received her third US utility patent, taking Watkins-Conti Products, Inc from a one product company to a platform women’s healthcare company. Being fully dedicated to the innovation and development of affordable, effective solutions for common life-altering difficulties faced in today’s environment; product extensions include diagnostics, medication administration and other therapeutic options that improve the overall consumer experience within the pelvic floor.

The firebrand, scrappy entrepreneur was recently named among the top 20 under 40, recognized as a 20th Century Woman in Innovation and selected as a Top Ten Inspirational Woman. Her company, Watkins-Conti Products, Inc, was recognized with “Most Promising New Venture” award by the Oklahoma Venture Forum for 2021, as well as named Top Ten Nephrology and Urology Companies by MedTech Outlook. Most recently, Allison was nominated for Woman of The Year and recognized as one of 50 women leaders making a difference. We can see that she is making a difference, indeed! WL

Country: United States

Media Contact: Brooke Wigley

Company: Watkins-Conti Products, Inc.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 405.330.3550

Website: www.LeakyLady.com/sales

Carmen Robinson, Qmerit’s Vice President of Client Success, is the driving force behind Qmerit’s strategic client partnerships and program implementation. Her goal of producing raving fans ripples through her team’s commitment to delivering white-glove service throughout the entire customer experience, which has produced a consistent 9.2 customer satisfaction rating.

Qmerit has been on a steep climb to scale operationally in anticipation of the growth and expansion of the electrification market. With little time to ramp up, Carmen has had to evaluate and activate strategic plans in three primary areas: people, processes, and technology. The most effective way she has grown a highly motivated, highly productive team has been through empathetic leadership, by listening carefully, assessing each individual’s core strengths and opportunities, and engaging deeply in relationship building. “Leading well and delivering excellent results requires me to assess how each individual’s performance raises the bar for the whole team,” says Carmen. “I’ve considered carefully how to strip down redundant processes and look for new innovative ways to deliver results and ensure each team member is given the opportunity to contribute to both ideation and problem-solving.”

“Across North America, our turnkey installation and integration solutions are simplifying the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) and other green energy transition technologies. And while the electrification movement is relatively young, our team’s legacy in advancing energy efficiency goes back 25 years. During that time, our leaders have worked together to perfect the processes and technology platform at the core of Qmerit,” says Carmen.

Qmerit is the electrification expert leading the way to a more resilient, sustainable future. Qmerit provides turnkey solutions to consumers and businesses to shift to electric vehicles and other new electric technologies. The Qmerit digital services platform guides customers through every step in their electrification journey—making EV charging and other sustainability solutions easy to install, integrate, and maintain. “Our proprietary technology is purpose-built to make it simple for our B2B customers, their clients and our network of certified electricians to have a seamless installation experience. Qmerit solves the myriad elements involved in satisfying multiple constituents who are all attached to the same customer journey,” adds Carmen. “Qmerit’s network of installers are certified for responsiveness, transparency, compliance, quality and pricing.”

Qmerit has become a trusted partner to leaders in every aspect of EV charging and other electrification solutions. Premier auto brands and EV charger manufacturers rely on Qmerit to provide their customers with high quality co-branded turnkey charging installation services.

Through her work at Qmerit, Carmen has been able to look back on inspiration from several key women in her life that have guided her to becoming the great leader she is today. Through their engagement, the lessons she has learned are what she uses to continue to inspire today’s young emerging leaders, beginning with her two daughters. “A line I have always said to them is “if it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing,” says Carmen. “When you love what you do and love who you are doing it with, the work you invest your time in should be fun,” she adds. There is nothing that inspires creativity, a passion for excellence, and a drive to succeed more than linking arms with others who share common core values, align with similar passions and purpose, and advocate for one’s success.

“With young women I have mentored through my non-profit experiences, I have been cognizant of leading by example in setting the bar high and striving for excellence, and not without the grace to recognize I am going to make mistakes, but with the tenacity to learn from those mistakes and excel because of them,” explains Carmen. “Doing things halfway has never been an option for me. If I commit to it, I’m all in! I hope to continue to inspire the next generation of leaders to do the same throughout my career at Qmerit.” IE

Qmerit

Management

Carmen Robinson
Vice President

Description

Qmerit, headquartered in Irvine, California, simplifies the adoption of electrification products for residential and light commercial markets. A leader in green energy transformation, the company provides value-driven services throughout the renewable energy equipment implementation lifecycle, from system planning, contractor selection, installation oversight and ongoing maintenance.

Kira Jabri is no stranger to setting a goal and going for it. As co-founder of EMMA International, Kira wanted to be part of creating a company that provided a true management consulting experience for the Life Sciences industry. Headquartered in Metro Detroit, family-owned, and serving the globe, EMMA International is a well-known global leader in FDA consulting services.

Kira oversees EMMA International’s corporate planning efforts. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations at EMMA International, she is also responsible for the strategic growth of the firm, overseeing the growth of the various divisions and partnerships. Her impressive career in the healthcare sector laid the foundation that would put her on the path to success. Kira has over twenty years of experience as a healthcare professional and is an industry expert in company culture and diversity, organizational behavior management, organizational leadership, business strategy development, and contemporary challenges in business. Under Kira’s leadership, EMMA International has achieved major growth accomplishments over the years, including being named to the Inc.5000 list for 2020 and 2021 in addition to ranking No. 96 on 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list by Inc. Magazine.

Kira serves on the advisory board of Medical Main Street and also on the Membership and Diversity Network committees of MichBio. Additionally, she is one of the founders of the Michigan Medical Device Innovation Forum (MMDIF), which focuses on connecting medical device professionals, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers to discuss some of the current challenges and opportunities to advance the medical device sector in Michigan. Kira holds a Master of Public Health from Walden University, a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Social Work and Psychology from Cedar Crest College.

About the Company

Founded in 2013, EMMA International has emerged as a global leader in FDA consulting services. It focuses on quality, regulatory, and compliance services for the Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Device industries. It provides specialized services to satisfy all quality and compliance needs, which are backed by extensive knowledge and industry experience.

EMMA International is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). It is also ISO 9001:2015 certified for its quality management system. Apart from a wide reach and capability in FDA compliance, the company’s core competency lies in its ability to develop and implement integrated Quality Management Systems (QMS) that conform to a multitude of international regulatory requirements and/or ISO standards. As FDA regulations become more stringent, EMMA International strives to serve companies across the globe by helping them develop an individualized plan to mitigate major challenges in implementing QMS processes.

A Symbol of Excellence

EMMA International provides a wide array of specialized quality, regulatory, and compliance services for companies in the Life Sciences industry across the US and the globe. Through an infrastructure that includes a proprietary methodology, unparalleled expertise and extremely competitive pricing models, the firm focuses on innovation to address client needs by providing cutting-edge solutions to common problems. Instead of implementing complex solutions in the clients’ processes, EMMA International goes that extra mile to ensure that it has delivered significant value to clients’ systems.

EMMA International works alongside clients’ teams to implement improvements and hence, bring more value to its services. The firm is on a mission to provide meaningful and permanent solutions that would exceed all expectations.

Apart from EMMA International’s wide reach and capability in FDA compliance, the company’s core competency lies in its ability to develop and implement integrated Quality Management Systems (QMS) that conform to a multitude of international regulatory requirements and/or ISO standards. As FDA regulations become more stringent, EMMA International strives to serve companies across the globe by helping them develop an individualized plan to mitigate major challenges in implementing QMS processes.

Empowering Women Leaders

Recognizing the gender imbalance in the Life Science sector, EMMA International takes additional pride in being certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Receiving this certification reinforces EMMA International’s long history of recognizing the significant role of women in life sciences. IEWL

Melissa Macerato’s senior leadership experience spans over two decades, having helped launch and grow new business ventures into profitable, market-leading programs within large corporations. But beyond her deep experience, at the heart of Melissa’s success is undoubtedly her natural ability to empower and motivate others as a leader. In her role at Longbridge Financial, Melissa oversees the company’s sales teams across retail, wholesale, and financial advisor channels, in addition to the marketing department. One of Melissa’s greatest strengths is her ability to adapt to change and face challenges head-on as a leader.

Like so many businesses, when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the US, Longbridge faced a truly unprecedented challenge. Melissa chose to take this challenge as a time of opportunity – and worked with her leadership team to transition Longbridge into a remote business model. Melissa’s quick thinking and adaptability paid off – the epicenter of the virus, New York, was just miles away from the company’s Mahwah, NJ headquarters. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced record earnings in 2020 stemming from persistent volume growth and improved productivity.

Amidst the rapid expansion and growth of the Longbridge team, Melissa has been a driving force behind employee retention and growth. She spearheaded the company’s newly unveiled management training program, designed to provide cross-training and leadership skills opportunities to help employees thrive in a long-term career with Longbridge. When asked about the program in a recent interview with Reverse Mortgage Daily, Melissa explains, “This program is just the latest in our ongoing commitment to providing all our employees with the resources, education, and support they need to thrive in a career with us.” She further notes, “We strongly believe in promoting within and will provide the necessary training to support our people and this belief.” 28% of current Longbridge employees have already received a promotion during their tenure at Longbridge.

Beyond Melissa’s leadership style and employee-centric approach to business, her innovative thinking has been an invaluable asset to the expansion of Longbridge Financial. She’s been especially instrumental in developing and promoting the company’s proprietary suite of reverse mortgage products, Longbridge Platinum, unveiled in 2019. The program, designed for older homeowners with higher value homes, has quickly become an attractive alternative to a HELOC.. In the Wholesale division, she’s been a big proponent in bringing the company’s Reverse Made Easy initiative to fruition, a program designed to streamline the process for new brokers to incorporate reverse mortgages into their lending operations.

As the top female leader at Longbridge Financial, Melissa’s commitment to constantly improving and expanding is especially inspiring. Whether it be a new feature or change to a product, implementation of technology to streamline business functions, or introducing a new internal role to meet workload demands, Melissa always seeks feedback from customers, partners, fellow leaders, and employees alike. Her “never settle” mentality and determination have undoubtedly been a huge proponent of Longbridge’s success and growth over recent years. And with a majority of Longbridge’s managers being women, Melissa has had an empowering impact. Another area where Melissa excels in inspiring women leaders is by being transparent in communicating the importance of boundaries, namely when it comes to the work-life balance. Armed with these qualities, the steadfast leader has been taking the company to new heights.

Longbridge was founded with the mission to improve the reverse mortgage industry through unparalleled service, expertise, and transparency. Now a leading reverse mortgage and servicer, Longbridge remains committed to responsibly helping homeowners reshape their financial future by educating them on the power of their home equity while supporting their goals. At the heart of our mission to improve the reverse mortgage industry is one-word – education. “While reverse mortgages are just one of several offerings for most companies – at Longbridge, reverse mortgages are our sole focus. Our staff has years of experience and expertise in the industry,” says Melissa. “And we’re committed to developing innovative, reverse mortgage products and solutions to better meet the needs of older adult borrowers.” IEWL

Sarah Sample-Reif, Chief Strategy Officer, Zivaro, is the design and creative force behind the company’s programs and services related to healthcare. Having worked in the healthcare industry for over three decades, Sarah is well-versed in the changes in the landscape of healthcare which she has incorporated into the company’s vision for support to this critical market. Zivaro’s focus ranges from innovative technologies, analytics, and digital transformation to help build the medical center/hospital of the future.

Sarah is an advisor to many clients in predicting future trends and leading innovation alongside Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and several other boards. She is involved in many of the Women in IT events through various associations, has authored articles and blogs on Women Leaders, and is continuously working to mentor younger professional women in the technology industry. “Sarah represents the values of Zivaro and believes in growing through experience and is considered a leader because of her ability to listen and to guide members of her team through the empowerment of their decisions,” says Zivaro’s CEO, Greg Byles.

Being a vision-driven, goal-focused strategic thinker with a proven history of international team leadership and achievements, Sarah has been setting the standards and maximizing returns by harnessing team strengths to improve corporation-wide performance. For the steadfast leader, collaboration can build consensus among executive teams and stakeholders to promote transparency and influence positive change, which has been repeatedly proven. “Clear and effective communication with a wide range of stakeholders, including employees, customers, shareholders, and regulators, is the key,” Sarah explains. “I also lead by example, by being myself and true to myself, being aware that I am being observed and sometimes seen as a role model to other women.” She has been promoting learning and creative thinking to keep curiosity for leading-edge trends in the healthcare industry and self-development and striving for change that builds and rebuilds the organization that serves the customers well and performs at its best.

For Sarah, success is the journey of being willing to learn, evaluate and improve oneself constantly. “The biggest piece of advice I have is to be open-minded as we limit our ability by our constraints. There are opportunities everywhere, and if we limit our ability to engage because of a predisposition, we allow ourselves to miss the possibility of abundance,” she explains. “There is a misconception that it is harder for women to break the glass ceiling than for others, quite frankly there is a great distribution of talent among all people. If you focus on being and doing your best, which means putting in the effort, you will succeed. Women need to work harder and smarter to be seen, but it is not a ‘fight’.”

Sarah is continuously working to be better. “I don’t view it as doing better in just my work or just my personal life, it’s about being better in all facets of my life. There must be a balanced and consistent evaluation of oneself to increase performance and gain knowledge; this includes having your own personal “board of directors” from whom you can receive constructive feedback,” she elucidates.

With this unique mindset, Sarah has been taking the company to new heights. Zivaro comprises knowledgeable thought leaders who are passionate about what they do. Together, they can find solutions for complex problems and bring them to their clients – and genuinely enjoy doing this as a team. Zivaro seeks to serve those charged with serving others. The team works relentlessly to help regulated market customers stay outcome-focused.

Zivaro designs and delivers secure, scalable, and cost-effective IT solutions through infrastructure expertise and flexible service delivery models. CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Zivaro to its 2022 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Elite 150 category. CRN selected Zivaro for the Elite 150 category because they are an enterprise-focused channel reseller with a significant managed service footprint included in their service portfolio. “Being a part of the Channel Company’s MSP Elite 150 again is an honor and a rewarding recognition for everyone at Zivaro,” states Glenn Smith, President of Zivaro. “We’ve continued to put significant effort into creating a unique and value-driven Managed Services practice, including hiring exceptional talent, prioritizing creative and unique vendor tools, and ensuring we deliver critical, high-touch value for our customers.” WL

From as early as Lisa Matthews can recall, she has loved people. Lisa naturally gravitates toward almost any conversation and loves the feeling of networking and connecting with someone, and watching that play out over time. Usually, (eventually), that personal connection results in helping someone. “I love helping others, and I love watching problems get solved. Working in Business Development, Sales, and Marketing for almost two decades has taught me the value of relationships,” says Lisa. “As Director of Visionary Training Resources’ North American Business.

Development Team, I always open a new conversation with a client with: We’re here as problem solvers. We have a great platform, and transformational resources, but at the end of the day, what we really want is win-win. If we can offer you a solution that makes your life easier, great! If not, let’s keep in touch. Odds are, in an industry as small as this one, we’ll be able to help each other somewhere else down the line.” As a leader, Lisa wants to help, and networking with clients ensures they are always on the leading edge of that opportunity.

Lisa’s mother was an Airline Pilot: Trailblazing her career through the ’80s and 90’s in a time where women were barely starting to make their mark in an office, let alone a cockpit. She was exceptional in her ability to truly “have it all.” She was an incredible Mom, a devoted wife, and always had a wonderful home. “She made it look easy. As I grew older, however, she began to confide in me how much she felt her career had cost her, personally. I didn’t realize the impact those conversations had on me until I began my own career. Establishing that balance took me about 10 years,” says Lisa. “It really was all or nothing for me. For me, I have found that my work-life balance comes from finding the right employer, amazing leadership at work, and a supportive foundation at home are where I found my balance.” Armed with this ideology, Lisa has been taking the company to new heights.

According to Lisa, leadership is often viewed as one person pushing the limits of possibility: fearlessly slaying their obstacles. But the truth is that a leader can’t lead without someone to follow them. Success in leadership lies in a team of talented individuals who stand beside their leader, rather than behind them, to continue to push the bubble of potential outward. “But there is also leadership of thought. Just as you can lead a team, you can also lead yourself to success.”

In Aviation Entrepreneurship, as a woman, it can be lonely. With both Entrepreneurialism and Aviation taking the lead as male-dominated industries, it is not unusual for Lisa to find she is the only female in the board room that day or out on the ramp. She strongly advises others not to view being different as a handicap but rather think of these obstacles as opportunities to provide a unique view on a subject. “I made my mark in this industry not because I was just like the majority demographic: seamlessly gliding into inclusion. I’ve made my mark in this industry because I was the one person in the room like no one else: With a different perspective, a different idea, and the initiative to speak up—even if my input did not reflect the majority.” She adds, “Leadership of thought is supporting yourself and your ideas in a way that makes you feel safe to speak up—to be different. People rarely change the world maintaining the status quo.”

Lisa suggests that the upcoming era of Aviation is an exciting one. They are experiencing unprecedented growth, and they also see unprecedented challenges, but 2021 has been an incredible year for VTR. “We were re-branded, launched, and have secured our first customer with our proprietary build. 2022 is sure to move at an even faster pace. We love our tradeshows,” says Lisa. “We see sometimes an upward of 150-250 demos in one show. The reactions of our attendees are priceless. Their excitement and passion for what they are seeing is almost instant. They are as excited as we are!” IEWL

For Danielle Silva Adornato, President at FBR Aviation, Inc., starting a company in the highly competitive aviation industry with a male predominance was not an easy task; however, it was certainly inspiring and exciting. FBR Aviation was initially created focused on the resale of aeronautical parts, a very competitive market. After approximately two years in the market, Danielle realized that her margins were getting smaller due to the clients’ easy access to competitors and e-commerce. That’s when she focused on three points:

• Adding value to her clients. Her goal was to provide excellent service, surprising the client from the first service contact to the after-sales.

• Find a way to work on the long-term success of the company while taking advantage of occasional opportunities.

• Build partnerships to add and create new services.

After some time and much dedication to those three points, Danielle saw the results of her efforts with the company’s revenue grow by about 700% compared to the previous year. This happened during the period when 2013/2014 World Cup was happening. A couple of years later, Danielle saw an opportunity to sell Diamond Aircrafts in Brazil, and she grabbed it, even though this brand wasn’t well known in the Brazilian market. FBR Aviation is now the exclusive distributor of Diamond Aircrafts in Brazil, having sold more new aircraft than any other that attempted the market. Due to the recent pandemic and people are looking for less exposure and flying privately, the sales of private planes in executive aviation grew, which boosted the company’s sales. FBR Aviation maintains its growth with private aircraft sales, has contracts with the Brazilian Air Force, and provides all logistics and AOG services to their customers. Today, they operate in the aerial security market, integration, and supply special mission equipment for Air Imaging Systems.

Danielle enjoys sharing her story to inspire women in any market segment and the business world. “We are responsible for our future, and I am a person who is dedicated to learning and sharing what I learn. I love to inspire women to believe in themselves and to go make a difference in the world,” she says. “I like to talk a lot about dreams and visualization, don’t limit yourself…Believe in yourself and never give up on pursuing what you want. Have discipline and persistence, learn from challenges and the “NOs” you get. With every NO I hear in my business journey, I consider myself closer to a YES. This perspective changed my way of thinking; I don’t get frustrated when I get turned down. I focus on how I will improve to get a YES next time.” Today FBR Aviation is predominantly made up of women, whom Danielle says are fundamental to the company’s success.

“The clearer you are visualizing your dreams, the brighter the spotlight will be to lead you on the right path.”

Danielle’s mother was her first role model who taught her, “when you do what you love and have passion for, you will find happiness and fulfillment. You live lighter this way and will always have the enthusiasm to perform your tasks while respecting others and the rules.” She adds, “My father also contributed to my professional life in a very positive way. He showed me that work can be completely pleasurable if you think about the contributions you are making and have a purpose in what you do; this makes work not overwhelming or painful.” Being ethical and loyal is also essential for Danielle, which helped shape her career when she started working. “I’ve always loved reading, and several books have driven me a lot towards knowledge, especially biographies. I learned many techniques and tools to improve my leadership and entrepreneurship. And finally, I invested heavily in personal development seminars that inspired me. We can be happy in all areas of life; I learned to balance my personal and professional life effectively. Today, I am more productive and have time for my family, which fuels my success.”

Early in Danielle’s career, she had to make sacrifices to dedicate as much time to the company as possible for its growth and development. The most significant gift was her time and the moments she couldn’t be present for family or friends, especially for her first daughter. “There were several moments that I questioned myself and was filled with doubts, but deep down, I felt the importance of being able to contribute more. The biggest leadership lesson I learned during my career was to be more empathetic and flexible; this has always contributed to my progress,” she says. “I believe that women’s ability to multitask and quickly act in different situations encourages participation and shares power and information with those she leads.” IEWL

FBR Aviation Inc

Management

Danielle Silva Adornato
President at FBR Aviation, Inc

Description

Founded in 2007 and built on a long family history of four generations in the aviation industry, FBR Aviation has a respected and established role in the market. The company has grown to be internationally known, dealing with complex solutions of special mission programs and with complete logistical support in the supply of parts and components for fixed and rotating aircraft for the whole world market.