Sego Awards recognize women in business
Finalists for the Sego Awards, which honors female business founders in Utah, get ready to take a group photo May 11, 2018.
Allison Lew, founder of Braid Workshop, and Trent Mano of Convoi explain the purpose behind the Sego Awards, which honors female business founders in Utah. Photo taken May 11, 2018
From left, Buffy Bandley, CEO of Agnes and Dora, and Vanessa Quigley, co-founder of Chatbooks, pose after ther Sego Award win May 11, 2018.
Sara Dansie Jones, co-founder of Women Tech Council, speaks May 11, 2018 during the Sego Awards, which honors female business founders in Utah.
Finalists for the Sego Awards, which honors female business founders in Utah, get ready to take a group photo May 11, 2018.
Utah Congressman John Curtis networks before the start of the Sego Awards, which honors female business founders in Utah, Friday, May 11, 2018.
Women are founding and running businesses in Utah, even if they often go unnoticed.
In fact, women-owned businesses contributed $14 billion in 2017 revenue to Utah’s economy, according to Allison Lew, founder of Braid Workshop.
“We see a lot of women starting and running very successful businesses and not getting the recognition they deserve,” Lew said in a phone interview earlier this week. “They are focused mainly on building their business and growing revenue and are flying under the radar. And they are not getting recognized by mainstream awards.”
This was the reason Lew partnered with Trent Mano and Ken Frei, co-founders of Convoi; and Amy Stellhorn, founder of Big Monocle, to create the Sego Awards. The team held the first-ever Sego Awards Gala on Friday evening at Sundance Mountain Resort, honoring about 50 of the top female entrepreneurs in Utah with awards for advocacy, technology innovation, social innovation, social media, growth, e-commerce and revenue. Two student founders also were recognized.
“These women are all deserving of the mainstream awards — their revenue and growth would qualify them for these awards — but the women either don’t know to apply, or the awards don’t know they exist,” Mano said in a phone interview earlier this week.
Being a female founder is unique, especially if the woman is also a mother. Both are full-time gigs, and require a lot of creativity, support and skill. Or as Sara Dansie Jones, co-founder of Women Tech Council, put it Friday, being a female founder “is like parkour in heels.”
Lew was excited to see all these female founders in one room together at the Sego Awards Gala, explaining, “You don’t realize the power of these women, until you see them all in one space.” And there was a sense of empowerment, a sense of camaraderie Friday evening, even as the female finalists were winnowed down to the final awards.
Jenny Wecker, CEO of Fawn Design in Lehi, earned a huge hug from Rachel Nilsson, CEO of Rags, and second-place runner to Wecker’s first-place win for Fastest Growing Company Under 5 Years. Wecker designs and sells stylish diaper bags, has been in business for four years, and has 12 employees. Before the Sego Awards, she was operating out of sight. Since the award nomination, she’s already had three investors reach out to her.
“Before, no one even knew who I was. It’s such an honor — just being a part of the awards has already opened so many doors for me, just from being nominated,” Wecker said Friday.
Wecker, like many of the award winners Friday night, mentioned the challenge and joys of running a business while being a mother of two young girls. She said the key to success is to have a “crazy good support system” in place.
Rachel Parcell, CEO of Rachel Parcell, Inc. and winner of the Social Media Sego Award, agreed that women really are stronger than they think they are. When challenged to come up with advice for the person she was 10 years ago, this was her theme.
“I would tell myself to trust your gut. You are smarter than you think you are and you will be able to found and run two businesses, all while chasing two toddlers around,” she said Friday.
The following were the final award winners in each category of the Sego Awards, May 11, 2018:
Student Founder
First Place: Marissa Barlow of Nani Swimwear
Second Place: Emily Smith of Mentionables
Highest Overall Revenue
First Place: Teresa Whitehead, CEO of Citiwide Loans
Second Place: Shauna Smith, co-founder of Four Foods Group
Innovation in Technology
First Place: Sunny Washington, CEO of Because Learning
Second Place: Ayde Soto, co-founder of Simple Citizen
Social Innovation
First Place: Sara Day, co-founder of Even Stevens
Second Place: Neylan McBaine, CEO of Better Days 2020
Social Media
First Place: Rach Parcell, founder of Rachel Parcell, Inc. and Pink Peonies
Second Place: She McGee, CEO of Studio McGee
Fastest Growing Company Under 5 Years
First Place: Jenny Wecker, CEO of Fawnn Design
Second Place: Rachel Nilsson, CEO of Rags
E-Commerce
First Place: Buffy Bandley, CEO of Agnes and Dora
Second Place: Vanessa Quigley, co-founder of Chatbooks
Advocacy
Sara Dansie Jones, co-founder of Women Tech Council
Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Grills