Werner: We salute 14 exceptional businesswomen
by Larry Werner
Thisweek Newspapers
Later this week, our newspaper staff would like you to join us for lunch to honor women who have made a difference in the Dakota County business community.
On Feb. 3, we will be convening the second annual Dakota County Tribune Exceptional Businesswomen Luncheon. It will be at the new LaGrand Conference Center in Apple Valley. It is one of the most enjoyable things I get to participate in as general manager of the Tribune and Thisweek Newspapers.
We will present awards to 14 women nominated by our readers and selected by a panel of judges that included some of last year’s honorees and members of our news staff. Darlene Miller, CEO of Permac Industries in Burnsville and one of last year’s winners, will tell her story as our keynote speaker.
The Jan. 27 Dakota County Tribune contains the stories of this year’s winners – the 2011 class of the county’s Exceptional Businesswomen.
Eva Mooney, the newspaper’s business manager, is the project manager for this event, and she’ll tell you it’s a lot of work. Eva has been working on the 2011 event since last summer, and it’s tempting to ask why we’re taking on a project like this while publishing three editions of Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune every week.
The answer to why we do it isn’t a simple one. I suggested the project a couple of years ago after we decided that the Tribune, our 127-year-old subscription newspaper, would start focusing on Dakota County business. A recognition event would be a way of emphasizing that we pay attention to business in our area as no one else does.
Why else do we spend months seeking nominees, selecting the winners and writing stories about them?
Another reason has to do with the role the newspaper plays in the community. The newspaper is more than a vehicle for conveying news. It’s a community institution that brings people together as few other organizations can. We not only provide information to readers and opportunities for advertisers to reach those readers, we also connect our neighbors with each other on the pages of the paper, on our website and increasingly through events.
A former boss of mine once declared that the mission statement for a newspaper is to “enrich the shared life of the community.” I like that definition of what we do.
And there’s no doubt that last year’s event was an enriching experience for the women who were honored and for those of us who honored them. We sold out our first Exceptional Businesswomen Luncheon at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. We hope we do the same at the new LaGrand at the Grandstay Hotel in Apple Valley’s Central Village area.
But why women?
That’s not an easy question to answer, especially in a time when women have risen to top positions in many organizations. A few members of the news staff have suggested we honor business leaders, regardless of gender.
That might be what we do someday. But studies still show that women are underrepresented in the board rooms and at the top levels of our organizations. And women still make less than men in similar positions.
Another important role of newspapers has been to shine a light on those who have overcome the odds. In our most recent edition of the Tribune, we invite you to enjoy the stories of 14 women who have overcome odds and excelled as founders and managers of organizations in Dakota County while contributing their time and energy to their communities.
And if you want to join us in thanking these women for their contributions, go to sunthisweek.com and click on the luncheon-registration button at the top of the page.
Larry Werner is editor and general manager of the Dakota County Tribune and Thisweek Newspapers. He can be reached at larry.werner@ecm-inc.com. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.
