|
 White Plains, NY - Renee M. Brown of South Salem, Chief Executive Officer of C.W. Brown Inc. in Thornwood, has been chosen to receive the 2009 Lillian Vernon Award.
Given annually to a woman entrepreneur who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to community service, this prestigious honor is presented by the Women's Enterprise Development Center (WEDC) and the Alliance of Hudson Valley Women Business Owners.
Renee Brown has been the majority owner in C.W. Brown Inc. since its inception in 1984. The company is a full-service general contracting and construction firm serving commercial clients in the tri-state area. Currently based in Thornwood, C.W. Brown is building out a new corporate headquarters in Armonk that will be the first LEED Platinum office building in Westchester County. The firm is certified as a woman-owned business by New York City and by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Brown has incorporated a culture of caring into her company over the last 25 years. Instead of holiday gifts to clients, the firm donates labor and materials to build or repair a facility owned or used by a local charity. In place of a summer outing, her staff gives a day of service working for a charitable organization rather than playing golf.
As an active member of the board of the National Minority Business Council (NMBC), Brown develops programs to help minority and women business owners reach their goals. She and many of her employees serve as mentors through the Workplace Culture Coaching program at Westchester Community College to introduce female students to successful workplace behavior. She has also created the Renee M. Brown Multicultural Scholarship Fund to help a college-bound minority student at the Briarcliff Schools.
The Women's Enterprise Development Center and its affiliate, the Alliance of Hudson Valley Women Business Owners, work together to provide women with the training, tools, and resources they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency through small business ownership.
Since 2003, WEDC has been a designated women's business center by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), serving women entrepreneurs in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley. WEDC is also the designated New York Empire State Development Corporation EAP (Entrepreneurial Assistance Program) Center for Westchester County.
The Lillian Vernon Award will be presented at the WEDC/Alliance Networking Event to be held Tuesday, November 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, 2000 Westchester Avenue in Purchase. $55 in advance or $65 at the door includes wine and light supper. To register, call 914-948-6098 ext. 10.
 |
