Downriver Women of Distinction Honored at Local Awards Event

The Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber (SWCRC) hosted its sixth annual Women of Achievement Awards on Friday, October 14. The event was held at Crystal Gardens in Southgate. Main sponsors for the event were Beaumont Health, PNC Bank, Wayne County Community College District, and Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency. The event showcases exceptional women in business and community leadership in the downriver region in four separate categories.

President and CEO of SWCRC Ron Hinrichs explained how the honorees were determined. "We receive nominations from the community and the chamber membership, and then we have a committee that will get together and they look at each nomination sheet and the names and business names of each nominee are taken off of those sheets so it's judged blindly, so it's a very fair and transparent process where they don't know who the nominee is...they're only looking at the content of the nomination form," he said. "Nominations are submitted by colleagues and fellow business professionals from the community, and I think that makes our award ceremony very unique as we're asking for the community's involvement in helping us to choose who the award recipients are each year."

Media personality Christy McDonald served as emcee for the event and interviewed each award recipient to highlight their contributions to the community. "I am always inspired when I listen to other women's stories, and I think that's something we need to stop and do more often because everyone has a story. To be in a room like this and hear their stories is really unbelievable and we need to have more dates that we set aside and recognize women who are working, they're raising their families, they're volunteering in the community and giving back, and to me those are the things we need to celebrate," she said.

The Kyle F. Stack Leadership Award was awarded to the Telegram's own Gina Wilson Steward. Steward, who has been publisher of the Telegram since 2006, spoke of the newspaper's history since its establishment in 1944. She also spoke of her and her family's commitment to education and giving back to your community.

The Entrepreneur Award was given to Jessica Bazner, owner of Kevin James Menswear in Trenton. Bazner named the store after her father and spoke of the support she has received from her family in her business venture. Now 26 years old, Bazner opened the store in 2019 only to be hit by the COVID pandemic a year later, yet she persevered, refusing to quit, and her business has survived and provides casual and business wear along with formal wear rental.

The Unsung Heroine Award was awarded to Lisa Rutledge, board chair of The Information Center in Taylor. An advocate for empowering communities and non-profit organizations, Rutledge maintains a strong background in community health improvement while quietly doing her work without ceremony or fuss.

The SWCRC's Distinguished Young Woman Award was presented to Alyssa Angellotti, vice president of Business Development at Expert Heating and Cooling in Taylor. As part of a family-owned business, Angellotti spoke of the mentorship she received from her father and the dedication she has given to her ambition to higher education, pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree.

The event also included a Women's Frontline Heroes Panel, featuring Amy DiBrano, a nurse with Beaumont Health in Trenton, Jenna Dicker with Howe-Peterson Funeral Home, and Firefighter Courtney Gutierrez, first responder with the Allen Park Fire Department. The panel was also moderated by McDonald, who allowed the women to share their personal experiences of struggle and growth through the COVID pandemic.

Hinrichs said the event was a huge success and added, "Our hope is that this continues to be the most impactful and most inspirational event of the year for the downriver region and I think it is."