Maintaining an optimistic attitude has been key to Sonya Green’s successful staffing agency. WOODBELL EMPLOYMENT SERVICES was directly affected by the recent economic downturn, but Sonya’s positive attitude was not. She has a knack for finding jobs and matching people with the right employer. That ability kept her afloat. While most industries were downsizing, she knew that people with specialized skills would always be on demand. She began to focus on individuals with such skills and did what she does best, matching them with the right employer. Despite the challenges, her company keeps on staffing and she recently signed a contract in the aerospace industry.
Sabrina Kay, founder of CALIFORNIA DESIGN COLLEGE (CDC), first came to the United States with few business skills, very little money and no handle of the English language. She founded CDC in the early 1990’s with the goal of educating students and enhancing their fashion skills. Most of the schools graduates are employed in the fashion industry. Since profiling her in 1998, Sabrina has expanded her company and she plans to build a facility much larger than the current campus.
In 1973, Peggy Shreve began FRONTIER ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS in Stillwater, Oklahoma. With a background in accounting and her husband’s background in engineering, she started manufacturing electronic equipment in her kitchen. Frontier’s reputation grew, and in 1982, they won a multi-million dollar contract with the United States Navy in California. The company supplies electronic equipment and technical services and counts the United States government as one of its clients. Their design, development, and manufacturing support many high technology programs for NASA, the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and the Boeing Company. In 2005, Frontier Electronic Systems was named Boeing Supplier of the Year n the small business category. Peggy believes that her association with the Boeing Company is an excellent partnership that allows Frontier to grow in the right direction.
Bill Rivera (www.minimailers.com) and his company MMI first appeared on Making It! in 1989. Since then, the direct mail company has expanded its staff to 150 employees. Bill’s success can be attributed to his ability to provide added value to the clients he serves. He does this by using technology to create growth opportunities for his business. He believes he will be able to increase the response rate from 3% to an impressive 300% with the help of digital capability and one-to-one marketing. In addition, MMI participates in a significant portion of the pre-mailing process and is now considered to be a semi-partner of the United States Postal Service. Currently, Bill is working to expand his company by opening a third facility that specializes in digital color printing.
Maxwell Lee is the owner of ADENNA, INC., a manufacturer and distributor of latex rubber gloves. It currently supplies 1 billion gloves throughout the United States as well as to Mexico and Canada. He came upon the idea after speaking to relatives in Asia who were looking to push their products to America. Maxwell saw the potential but was unfamiliar with rubber gloves and had little money to create a business. Nonetheless, he decided to take the risk and used his savings as capital. His instincts were correct. His idea turned into a successful venture and was named one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies in 2004. Maxwell continues to innovate by reinvesting his profits into research and development. Adenna is creating a new glove called “Miracle,” which contains vitamins and herbal extracts for moisturizing and comfort. Maxwell is also working to expand his company by establishing a joint venture in China.
