Photo by Nancy Royden. Left, Charlotte Duckworth, director of the Prince George's County Small Business Initiative; Yanic Hardie of Hardie Industries Inc. and Louis H. Gilford Jr. of The Banneker Group smile during an awards presentation Feb. 26 at Camelot in Upper Marlboro.

Published on: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

By Nancy Royden

The Prince George's County Small Business Initiative lauded four local leaders Feb. 26 during its Fifth Annual Awards Celebration at Camelot in Upper Marlboro.

The SBI Program has helped businesses build their capacity to be competitive in the Washington, D.C. marketplace and to gain access to more than $110 million in capital and contract opportunities, said Patricia Thornton, director of marketing for the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp., which oversees the SBI.

"Helping corporate executives learn how to use their inner passions will enable them to move their companies to the next level," said Charlotte Duckworth, SBI director.

Duckworth said over the last five years, the goal of the program was not just to provide technical assistance to people, but to provide additional services as well.

Yanic Hardie of Hardie Industries Inc. was named Outstanding Female Chief Executive Officer of the Year, Louis H. Gilford Jr. of The Banneker Group received the Male CEO of the Year Award, Charlie M. Partridge of Pepco received the Dedication and Commitment Award and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md. received the Outstanding Congressional Award.

Hardie founded her business in 1996, and it encompasses construction, construction management, design and build services, engineering and information technology services.

Hardie received a law degree from New York Law School in 1995 and has worked as a criminal defense attorney.

Gilford learned the construction business from his father and took over his company from 1999 to 2003 and then established The Banneker Group, based in Laurel. His company specializes in general construction and facilities maintenance.

Partridge is a member of the Pepco Holdings Inc. Supplier Diversity Team and regional supplier diversity manager. She began her career with Kraft Inc. as a key accounts manager for Baltimore and Washington markets. She has also been executive director for the National Business League of Southern Maryland and deputy director for Howard University's Small Business Development Center.

She holds an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a master's degree from the University of Maryland University College.

Hoyer, of the state's Fifth Congressional District, was first elected to serve as house majority leader in Nov. 2006 and again in 2008 by his colleagues in the Democratic Caucus. His service as majority leader makes him the highest-ranking member of Congress from Maryland in history.

The keynote speaker was Marion Luna Brem, founder of Love Chrysler in Corpus Christi, Texas; a cancer survivor; author and international speaker.

Brem wrote two books, The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Woman and most recently, Women Make the Best Salesmen.

Brem stressed the importance of resilience, nurturing, creativity, intuition, passion, self-esteem and sensitivity.

To have a successful business, Brem said it is vital for companies to go the extra mile to make clients feel valued.

"Customer service isn't going to cut it," she said. "You need a wow experience, and that's what it's going to take. We are going to be creative in how we are going to wow people, not only meet their expectations, but surpass them."

Living life well is something Brem said she wants to do, as she spoke to the audience about passion.

"I want to be all used up when I die, and I want to live long. I have a lot to do," she said.

Brem received the "Avon Woman of Enterprise" and "Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year" awards. She is also one of 40 women worldwide, 10 from the United States, who were named as one of the "Leading Woman Entrepreneurs of the World" during a recent ceremony in Madrid, Spain.

She founded and funded a program to honor civic-minded high school students and has awarded several new cars to students as part of an initiative called, "Love Chrysler's Top High School Students." Additionally, she founded and co-funded the Marion Luna Brem/Pat McNeil Teen Parent Scholarship Fund. Scholarships provide financial support for young parents facing the challenges of both parenthood and continuing their own education.

Overcoming obstacles is often not an easy thing to do, but Brem has a very pointed outlook about them.

"You can choose to be a victim or you can say I'm not going to stay in the land of victimhood. I choose to replace worry with planning," she said. "Don't ask, 'Why me?' ask, 'What now?' When you say that, you're energizing yourself."