Few awards exist for women who are leaders in business and the community, which motivated the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce to start Women Excel Bloomington in 2010, said Kelley Brown, director of marketing and public relations for the organization.
The Bloomington Chamber of Commerce has released the nomination form for Women Excel Bloomington 2016.
WEB is awarded annually to about seven female business leaders in the community who illustrate strong leadership skills and give back to their organization and the community, Brown said.
“We’re looking for women who’ve made a significant mark in their organization,” Brown said. “We’re looking for individuals who’ve done an outstanding job mentoring other women to help them find their place and their voice in their professions.”
Brown said community involvement is also important in a nominee.
The Bloomington Chamber of Commerce typically receives 13 to 27 nominations each year for WEB. The selection committee is made up of former WEB recipients, along with other Bloomington Chamber of Commerce award recipients.
“It’s always difficult for the selection committee going through them because every year we are incredibly amazed by the quality and caliber of the nominations put forth,” Brown said.
Leslie Green, CEO of Stone Belt Arc, a service provider for those with developmental disabilities, received a WEB award in 2012. Since then, Green said she has either nominated someone or attended the awards herself each year.
Green said she thinks the WEB awards are very important, and people should pay attention to the nominations.
“I think it really highlights the impact that women can make in the workplace and the people that are affected by the impact,” Green said.
Jean Scallon, CEO of Bloomington Meadows Hospital and a 2013 recipient of WEB, said the awards are important for networking and mentoring opportunities.
“It’s important for young women to see that there isn’t a glass ceiling,” Scallon said.
The recipients of the award serve as models for the rest of the community, Brown said.
Scallon said she has made many business connections and friends through WEB. Caroline Dowd-Higgins, a 2012 WEB recipient, is now Scallon’s executive coach, and Alisa Wright, a 2013 WEB recipient, is good friends with Scallon.
Since winning the award the same year as Wright, Scallon said the two have been invited to speak about career success at various conferences for young women.
Nominating someone you know is easy, Brown said.
“We tend to just accept that these women are a part of our lives and make such a big difference and someone else will nominate them,” Brown said. “It only takes a minute. I just want people to know how easy it is.”
WEB is all about leadership, community and connection, Brown said.
She said WEB marries the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce tagline, “better business, better community.”
“It’s important to celebrate success,” Brown said. “We’re celebrating success of women who have built better business and built a better community. Bloomington and this area are so fortunate to have the leaders that we have.”
