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The
2002 WBO Nellie Cashman
Women
Business Owners congratulates
2002 Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner
of the Year:
Judith
Shulman
PHAROS
Corporation
Distinguished Finalists
Rosanna
Bowles
Rosanna Inc.
Brenda
Handley
Northwest Suites Inc.
Linda
Lorentz
All Freight International Inc.
Toni
Strawhecker
Shelter Mortgage Company
 Rosanna
Bowles
Rosanna Inc.
Rosanna Bowles is owner of 20-year-old Rosanna Inc. This company
designs and produces fashion forward and highly innovative tableware
products for the home for major national retailers such as Pottery
Barn/Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Target, and Saks, Inc.,
as well as a loyal base of specialty shops. The Rosanna retail store
in Seattle features one-of-a-kind home accessories, vintage finds,
and artisan-crafted items of beauty from Europe that are especially
selected to enrich and enliven the home environment.
Rosanna
was instrumental in establishing the Seattle Specialty Shop Association,
which is a cooperative of stores that features high quality products
for the home. The purpose of this association is to promote Seattle-based,
privately owned specialty store businesses. Rosanna donates her
collections to local Seattle charitable fund raising events such
as St. Bridget's Catholic Church, local public schools, Woodland
Park Zoo, and Childhaven. The company donated fund for families
of customer T.J. Maxx when nine buyers were killed in the September
11 tragedy.
 Brenda
Handley
Northwest Suites Inc.
Brenda Handley is president and CEO of Northwest Suites Inc. Northwest
Suites Inc. is a national market-leading provider of extended stay
and corporate housing services. The company provides "All the
Comforts of Home™" in the Northwest and around the world
at prices that make good business sense. Key clients include Microsoft,
Amazon.com, Washington Mutual, and Immunex, among others. The company
launched in 1988 and has distinguished itself as among the fastest
growing privately held companies in the Puget Sound and in the arena
of good corporate citizenship.
Handley
is a board member for the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia
Mason. She and her team donate a Saturday each year to refurbish
a home for the Way Back Inn, a non-profit organization that provides
temporary housing to homeless families saving for first and last
month's rent. Northwest Suites is also a sponsor of the BRI Seafair
Triathlon that raises funds for auto-immune disease research.
 Linda
Lorentz
All Freight International
Inc.
Linda Lorentz is President of All Freight International Inc., launched
in 1986. All Freight International Inc. is a customs broker and
freight forwarding company that acts as the interface between clients
and the U.S. Government. Clients are engaged in the buying/selling
of items that have been imported and/or exported from/to all over
the world. The company arranges for the movement of their freight
via ground, air, and sea transportation. All Freight International
Inc. provides superior customer service by focusing on the unique
needs of each customer, provides growth opportunities for customers
and employees, and utilizes company and industry resources and technology
to the fullest extent.
Lorentz
was the first woman owner of a customs broker and freight forwarding
company in the Puget Sound Region. She participates in a wide variety
of organizations and has served as President of the Global Federation
of Chinese Businesswoman Association of Seattle and was the first
business woman to be a member of the Chief Executive Forum in Seattle.
Her focus is to enhance opportunities for women in business by providing
successful models and best practices to enable more women to establish
companies on their own or improve their career paths within existing
firms.
 Judith
Shulman
PHAROS Corporation
Judith Shulman is owner of PHAROS Corporation. This company, founded
in 1989, provides real estate and right-of-way services associated
with major infrastructure projects, primarily for government agencies,
railroads, and utilities. Customers include The Burlington Northern
and Santa Fe Railway Company, Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority
(Sound Transit), King County Department of Natural Resources, and
Washington State Department of Transportation, among others.
PHAROS
sets itself apart from its national competitors, who often use out-of-state
contract labor, by using local employees who have a genuine interest
in the projects and the land owners and occupants who must sell
their properties or relocate. Over time, the company has been able
to attract the best people, diverse backgrounds, experience, and
interests, to work at PHAROS. This has enabled the company to expand
its services with an increasing emphasis on front-end planning,
communications, and property information and management. Shulman
belongs to a variety of professional organizations, speaks at law
seminars, and donates to a variety of civic organizations and projects.
 Toni
Strawhecker
Shelter Mortgage Company
Toni Strawhecker has owned Shelter Mortgage Company since 1999.
Shelter Mortgage Company educates and empowers consumers with the
information they need to make responsible financial decisions to
ensure their dream of home ownership. The consumer education part
of this equation sets Shelter Mortgage Company apart from its competition.
In addition, the company sets itself apart by providing qualified
clients with Mortgage Payment Protection insurance for the first
year of their mortgage at no cost. This point of difference is meaningful
to potential home buyers, especially in today's uncertain economic
environment.
Strawhecker
began her career until age 35 as a receptionist. At the time, she
was a single mother of two and a recovering alcoholic. Over the
last 25 years, she has survived three bouts with cancer and many
professional challenges to reach her current level of business accomplishment.
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Nellie
2006 