Women in Business

It's been almost a year -- 11 months, to be precise -- since Athena Albright purchased The Andrew Jackson bridal salon, a fixture in Uptown Jackson for decades. "The previous owner (Gina Jansen) had it for 20-plus years," Albright says. "People built relationships with her. Some people come (to a store) because of the owner." Buying an established business was a bit daunting. "Some people aren't OK (with change)," Albright says. "There was some worry how they would perceive me as compared to her." But after a grueling year that included gutting the interior, adding new merchandise lines and dropping others, Albright says it's all been worth it. "It's been amazing," she says. "No one is complaining." Albright says she had a vision for what she thought would be more helpful for customers, and that's what guided her. "To this day I get looked at like, 'You own a business?'" she says. "I'm not sure if that's because of my gender or my age. People perceive I don't know anything." But, she says, once she starts talking business, that changes; she makes sure to do her research, which is her advice for other female business owners. "Women need to dive in and do it," Albright says. "Take your time and learn, do your research, use your resources and ask questions." -- Heather Collier (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

When Becky Brown first met her husband Mike, he had recently moved to Southeast Missouri from St. Louis and had a big interest in health food. When he asked her where the nearest health food store was, she told him he'd have to go back to St. Louis for that. Eventually, the couple grew tired of driving to and from the city to shop at the health food stores, so they decided to open their own, right here in Cape Girardeau. "I do love to cook. I grew up on a large farm where my mom canned everything," says Becky, who has owned Natural Health Organic Foods for 17 years. The ingredients in her mom's cooking where always fresh and wholesome, and when Becky moved out on her own, she missed those qualities. "As an adult, I realized the food was not as good as it used to be," she says. And as an avid cook, she would often be on the hunt for unique ingredients that were difficult or impossible to find in Cape Girardeau. "It's nice to be able to offer these things to people," she says now. Interest in health food has grown considerably in the past 17 years, says Becky, and so has her store. Over the years, she has expanded the food selection, added fresh produce, bulk products and a room full of health supplements. Her favorite part of the business? Knowing that she's making a difference in the community by providing healthy products that weren't easy to access before, she says. -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Dana Townsend says she's always been "one of the guys," so when she decided to become a funeral director, she didn't think twice about whether or not she would be accepted in the field. The funeral director at the home where she did medical billing had other ideas. "He thought women were not supposed to be funeral directors," says Townsend. So the Indiana native took a job at another funeral home in a nearby town, where the director fully supported her goals and mentored her while she went to back to school. "He gave me a chance," she says. "In today's world, if no one gives you the opportunity, how are you going to learn?" Townsend has been a funeral director and embalmer for 10 years, and in 2012, she moved to Cape Girardeau, where she now fills that role at Ford & Sons Funeral Home. One of the best parts of her job, she says, is meeting all different types of people. Though she meets folks at a very difficult time in their life, she likes that she can help them through it and arrange a meaningful goodbye for their loved one. "It takes a lot of patience and attention to detail," she says. "You only get one shot, and you have to get it right. Every detail has to be considered -- flowers, obituaries, clerical work, music. ... The details make all the difference." And for any woman who's ever been told "no," Townsend's advice is to go for it anyway. "Work toward your goals and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. Honesty and personal integrity will get you a long way in life," she says. -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Dr. Julie Weathers grew up on a farm, and as a child, she was more likely to be feeding and medicating the cows than staying inside watching cartoons. Today, she works as an assistant professor of agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University, where she says her favorite part of job is getting to know students and, of course, spending time with the cows on the university farm. And even though her family is back home in Texas, Weathers is still involved with making decisions and handling the farm operations. Weathers knows that many people think of agriculture as a male-dominated field, but "that's not necessarily true anymore. More women are becoming the moneyholders in the agriculture industry," she says, noting that many of them have worked on the farms all along. "Now they're saying, 'You know what? I want to own part of the farm.'" Weathers' special interests are in beef cattle reproduction and genetics. She does her own research, and also gives her students as much hands-on farm experience as she can. "I want to make sure our cattle herd is the best it can be -- long-lived, productive cattle, and a good product," she says. -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Jayson Jewelers started from a love of jewelry that has spanned generations. "I always loved jewelry. I learned an appreciation for jewelry from my grandmother and my mother," says store owner Jayne Ervin. Today, she is joined in the business by her husband Loyd Ervin and two daughters, Kendra Harris and Regan Laiben. Jayne started the business after her three children were old enough for school. She wasn't sure what she was going to do all day with the kids gone, but "I loved colored stones and diamonds. I was ready for an adventure," she says. "Kendra strung beads for me when she was a little girl, and Regan helped out after school and around the holidays." Jayne's mother, Joyce Blattner, helped her get the business up and running while she traveled near and far to learn the jewelry trade. Most jewelry stores were owned by men, a fact that became especially clear when Jayne traveled to other countries and found herself the only woman at the trade shows and educational events. She wasn't intimidated, though. "I was brought up to be very independent," she says. "I'm a small-town girl, but I like the influence of other cultures." The store started small, selling fashion jewelry and some fine jewelry, and has evolved over 29 years to become known for its unique fine jewelry. It's been a fulfilling career, and Jayne says she enjoys meeting new people and making them happy. Her main goal now is to keep the business going so her daughters can carry it through their lives as well. "My daughters enjoy the business, and if they want to continue the next generation, I want them to be able to do that," says Jayne. -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

As manager and franchise owner of Miracle-Ear, Joyce Hill Cooley splits her time among the locations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Farmington, Perryville, Sikeston and Poplar Bluff, Mo. She previously worked as a registered nurse for 17 years in a hospital setting, and what she loves about her current career is the challenge of running a business, and the freedom to do whatever it takes to satisfy her customers. "Hearing loss is a very personal thing, and it's an emotional thing," she says. "It's very gratifying to help individuals and their families overcome that problem." It's also important to Cooley to spend time with her employees and help them succeed. "I feel that it's important, when you lead people, to not ask them to do something you can't or won't do yourself," she says. Cooley says that when she started in the hearing care business 26 years ago, it was a male-dominated field, but it's evolved to more of a women's industry. It hasn't always been easy to raise her children, run a household, support her husband, manage a business and volunteer at her church, but Cooley has found ways to keep her balance: "As a woman, you have to be a good employee, and you have to do your job," she says. "I tell my daughters, 'You can do it all, but you can't do it all at once.' You have to decide on your priorities and you have to work toward them." -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Kathy Bertrand, president of First Midwest Bank, is in the process of building a bank -- another item she can add to her list of firsts involving in her extensive banking career. Bertrand is on her fourth bank, eighth bank name and one of many positions she has held in her nearly 30 year career in Cape Girardeau banking. Boatmen's Bank in Cape Girardeau was the first bank Bertrand worked at after graduating from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in elementary education in 1984. She was able to experience working in every area of Boatmen's for a year before she officially took the position as manager of the loan service department. She booked loans, encoded checks, worked as both a teller and loan teller, and also worked in bookkeeping and accounting. Employees now don't typically see how a bank operates on both the deposit and loan sides of the bank, she said. "That was invaluable to me. Invaluable," Bertrand said of her hands-on training. Women in the commercial lending business are rare, and Bertrand worked as the only female commercial lender in Cape Girardeau at Boatmen's, and one of two when she later worked at the Bank of Missouri. At the time, she was told men may not want to do business with her because she is female. To this day, Bertrand has not had that experience. Bertrand now is cross-training her employees to learn every aspect of the bank, as she did, and also passing on the same advice she received years ago. -- Amity Shedd (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Teresa McCulloch comes from a family of teachers, but it was never a job she wanted for herself. When she was 3, she put on a homemade nursing uniform and her mind was made up. Her first job out of college was as a school nurse, and in 1974, she began working with a brand-new, not-for-profit home health organization that had formed the year before. She's been with the organization -- now called the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri -- for 39 years, and currently serves as its CEO. "You have to have the heart and the drive to do the right thing," she says of her career success. "I've been blessed more than once because I had someone take care of me and believe in me." The VNA started with just a handful of nurses serving six counties, but has grown to a 15-county service area with several hundred employees on the payroll. And while nurses started out doing just the basics, like blood pressure checks, they're now trained for much more sophisticated care -- just about anything a hospital can do, but at home, says McCulloch. They're even teaching families how to help care for their loved ones. As CEO, much of McCulloch's time is spent in the office and serving on state boards and committees to enhance home care. But McCulloch is a nurse at heart, and says her best days are spent visiting patients in their homes. "What I enjoy so much about home care is that I get to know my patients. I can see everything I'm working with and see what teaching will be effective," she says. "I enjoy problem solving and finding ways to meet clients' needs, and it's not always nursing-related." McCulloch is also a breast cancer survivor, and she shares her experience and perspective with patients going through tough times. "Today might not be good, but tomorrow might be a better day. Just give it one more day," she says. "It's not always a perfect day, but the good outweighs the bad. As long as I'm helping patients and clients and making a difference, that's all that matters." -- Robyn Gautschy (LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com)

Jana Jateff started her Mary Kay business with a postdated check and a giant leap of faith, and she hasn't regretted it for a second. Within six months, she was able to quit her other job to sell Mary Kay full time, and within a year, she had become a director and earned her first career car. She even met her husband through Mary Kay. In her 31 years with the company, Jateff says she has learned about more than makeup: She learned to believe in herself, grow in her spiritual walk and practice good business skills. Today, she has 80 women in her unit, and she also has three "offspring" units in East Prairie, Mo., Alabama and Chicago. "In today's world, women are overworked, underpaid and stressed out. They don't take time for themselves," says Jateff. "Our job as consultants is to make sure that women feel pampered and special. Whether we sell them anything or not, this is their time to relax and enjoy their time." Jateff also hopes to enrich others' lives through service outside of work. She serves on the boards for Teen Challenge and Project Charlie, is a small group leader at LaCroix Church, has taken church missions to Mexico and Guatemala, and spends as much time as possible with her grandchildren. "Anyone can be successful as long as they are willing to work," she says. "It doesn't take any special person. It just takes good work ethic. Get up in the morning, put on your makeup and a smile, and go to work. With a good work ethic and good customer service, you can go as high as you want to go. But nothing is given to you on a silver platter." -- Robyn Gautschy (FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com)

Sandy Ladd has been working in restaurants all her life, and when she had the opportunity to buy the restaurant she worked for at the time, she took the plunge. In July 2008, Ladd purchased The Drop Zone, inside the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, and renamed it Sandy's Place. The restaurant is known for its down-home cooking, especially its fried catfish. "I just really enjoy doing this. I don't look at it as a job," says Ladd, adding that the challenge of running a business and doing good work is what keeps her motivated. "I enjoy coming to work every day, and I enjoy the customers that we have." Ladd says the people are the best part of her job. "We see a lot of locals, and people are flying in all the time. We meet a lot of different people that way," she says. The business is also a family affair: Ladd's husband Tony cooks at the restaurant, and her two sisters, two sons, father and a niece all work at the restaurant, too. "It's a lot of fun most of the time. We have fun and enjoy our days," says Ladd. "I couldn't do this or be where I am today without my family." As for her business success, Ladd says it's pretty simple: "Good food, a reputation for good food and being blessed with good help." -- Robyn Gautschy (FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com)

For pediatric dentist Dr. Jayne Scherrman, it's all about keeping it positive and the phrase "a little something, a little extra." Scherrman said she chose pediatric dentistry because she is terrified of going to the dentist, and she believes it is her job to make a trip to the dentist a positive one for children so they grow to be positive adult dental patients. What helps build a positive relationship with patients is her relationship with her staff, Scherrman said. It is important for Scherrman's patients to see the same staff every time they visit the office and as they grow older and their children become her patients. People love knowing they can count on staff members to be there, Scherrman said. "It creates more of a family environment," where children feel safe and know everyone in the office is there to protect them, she said. Scherrman's staff are her "right and left hands," and the reason she comes to work every day, she said. The two have an invested interest in each other because they are helping each other develop careers, not jobs, Scherrman said. Scherrman's advice to future business professionals is to be a giver, because "it's the little things that mean the most to everybody." -- Amity Shedd