Send This Story
Top 20 Woman-Owned Businesses
December 11, 2007
Bennett International Group Inc.
1001 Industrial Parkway
McDonough, GA 30253
770.957.1866
www.bennettig.com
Bennett International Group, led by
Marcia Garrison Taylor
, is not only the largest female-owned business in Georgia, but it also is one of the largest
in the country. The McDonough-based company boasted 2005 revenues of $270 million.
Bennett International Group has been providing reliable transportation services to customers
around the world and within the United States since 1974. President and CEO Marcia Garrison Taylor
took over the then-regional trucking company after the death of her husband in 1982. Since then,
she has guided Bennett and its related entities into a multi-faceted system of innovative
transportation-related companies, involved in such diverse modalities as drive away, manufactured
housing transport, heavy-haul freight, logistics, warehousing, port services, international freight
forwarding and transportation-related insurance.
In addition to her work at Bennett, Taylor also serves on the executive board of the Georgia
Motor Trucking Association and has received numerous recognitions for her professional and civic
accomplishments, including Entrepreneur of the Year (Venture Magazine) and Industry of the Year
(Henry County [Ga.] Chamber of Commerce). The Women's Enterprise USA Magazine ranked Bennett
International Group as the fifth largest female-owned companies out of its Top 25 list.
Taylor says one of her proudest moments was being invited to the White House to participate
with other women during the "Working Women's Top 500 Women-Owned Business Conference," where she
was recognized in the top 107 out of 500 women-owned businesses.
The Original Honey Baked Ham Co. of GA
5445 Triangle Parkway, Suite 400
Norcross, GA 30092
678.966.3100
www.honeybakedonline.com
The Original Honey Baked Ham Co. was founded in 1936 by Harry Hoenselaar, who patented the
spiral cut ham slicer. Hoenselaar's Detroit company was eventually divided up into four regions,
with each of his four daughters essentially getting a region to run. Today, his granddaughter,
Linda van Rees
, is the chairman of The Original Honey Baked Ham Co. of Georgia, which is by far the largest
region in the company.
Van Rees assumed full control of the company in 1992 following her father's retirement. At
the time, van Rees was married with two small children. The Georgia operation had 60 stores and
sales between $60 million to $70 million. Today, under van Rees' leadership, the company boasts
sales of around $250 million and 294 stores (both corporate and franchise). That number also
includes 121 franchised Heavenly Ham brand stores.
Earlier this year, van Rees, now a mother of three, surrendered her CEO title to the
company's president, Chuck Bengochea. As chairman, Van Rees is now more involved in the decisions
affecting the overall company, as well as interacting with her extended family who run the other
three divisions. The new position also leaves more time was to spend with her family.
"One of the things I wanted to do professionally was to build a team strong enough that they
could do my job," she told Catalyst magazine in March 2006. "And I did. For me, I'm trying to get
my life back."
Newell Recycling, LLC
1359 Central Avenue
East Point, GA 30344
404.766.1621
www.newellrecycling.com
Sharon Newell Shirley
purchased the recycling company from her parents in July 1995. Today, the company, which
recycles both industrial and residential waste, buys and sells steel, stainless steel, iron,
aluminum, zinc and copper, boasts revenues of more than $180 million. Alton S. Newell, a onetime
junkyard manager, founded Newell 30 years ago in 1976. Initially planned as a heavy metal
separation plant, the company has broadened its scope to become one of the nation's premier
processors of recycled ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Newell does its part for the non-profi t
community as well with its Cash for Cans program.
Newell has one of the largest auto shredding plants in the country at its Gwinnett County
location. The firm also hauls away demolished buildings. Perhaps its most high-profi le project was
the demolition of the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in August 1997 following construction of
Turner Field. Within 60 days, the company reports, it hauled away and processed 10,000 tons of
heavy steel scrap.
Sharon Shirley inherited her father's passion for metal recycling. Under her leadership, the
company opened three new locations in Gwinnett, Hapeville and Macon, Ga. The company frequently is
cited for being one of the city's fastest growing private companies. She attributes her success to
an open-door philosophy and adherence to Christian principles.
PS Energy Group, Inc.
2987 Clairmont Road
Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30329
404.321.5711
www.psenergy.com
Livia Whisenhunt
founded PS Energy Group, Inc. in 1985 as a wholesale marketer of bulk transportation fuels.
Through the acquisition of Unattended Fuel Outlets in 1989, the company expanded its customer base
to include retail companies. In 1998, under the brand name, GasKey, it became one of the fi rst
certifi ed marketers under the state's deregulated natural gas program.
Today, the company, which boasts 2005 revenues of $160 million, is an energy marketing and fl
eet services company specializing in providing value-added companion services for automated vehicle
tracking, inventory management and fuel management. PS Energy markets nationally to small to
mid-size servicebased businesses, utilities, local/state/federal agencies and private industries.
It also is recognized as one of the country's Top 500 woman-owned companies by Working Woman
magazine.
Whisenhunt graduated from high school in Stone Mountain, Ga., in 1976 with no definable
career goal. She saw an ad for the sale of a convenience store, so with $250 and some creative fi
nancing, she bought it. Six months later, she sold the store for a $2,000 profi t and her business
career was on its way. Then she went to work for a corporation in Conyers, Ga., but was fi red four
years later. It was then that she launched PS Energy. "I've been in this business for a long time,
so it was just natural that I start my own company within the energy industry," Whisenhunt says.
Hedgewood Properties Inc.
5920 Odell Street, Suite 100
Cumming, GA 30040
770.889.3667
www.hedgewoodhomes.com
Pam Sessions
and her husband, Don Donnelly, founded Hedgewood Properties and, to date, the Cumming,
Ga.-based company has built and sold more than 2,500 homes. The company constructs about 300 homes
a year in the metro Atlanta area, with prices ranging from $100,000s to more than $1 million. Its
2005 revenues were about $117 million, according to the company.
Hedgewood Properties strives to adhere to "smart growth" planning and development, as well as
environmental "green" building techniques in the construction of its homes and neighborhoods.
Hedgewood Properties is a full-service builder offering mortgage services, professional interior
design and decorative accessories through House & Home, its retail design center.
Sessions and Donnelly also own and operate sister companies of Hedgewood in development, real
estate sales and marketing, and commercial construction. A career highlight for Sessions and
Hedgewood was being named as the "2003 National Building of the Year" by Professional Building
Magazine. The couple has two children – a daughter, 12, and a son, 14.
3715 Northside Pkwy.
400 North Creek, Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30327
404.264.1005
www.mediasolutions-atl
Pat Sibley
started MediaSolutions from scratch 17 years ago. Today, the media buying and placement
company boasts billings of $103 million in 2005 with 41 employees, and Sibley is glowing following
the win of her client, newly re-elected Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
Sibley's career reads like a "Who's Who" of the advertising world. She served as the media
director for such famed ad agencies as Young & Rubicam, Babbit & Reiman, Liller Neal
Weltin, and Pringle Dixon Pringle.
She became an entrepreneur at age 30 when she opened her own agency, Sibley & McCulloch
Inc., which grew to $12 million and 14 employees. She sold her interest in the firm after the birth
of her first of her two children. She started MediaSolutions in her basement and the company now
boasts a blue-chip list of clients in five categories:
business-to-business, communications, political, quick-serve restaurants and retail. Sibley
is involved in a number of charities, including the National Charity League and the Chastain Horse
Park, as well as the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.
In addition, she has taught "Introduction to Advertising" as an adjunct professor at Emory
University and courses in media buying at the Atlanta Advertising Institute.
Stratix Corporation
4920 Avalon Ridge Parkway
Suite 600
Norcross, GA 30071
770.326.7580
www.stratixcorp.com
Founded in 1983 by
Bonney Shuman
and David Knowlton, Stratix is a leading mobile enterprise systems integrator. The company is
focused on helping retailers, distributors and manufacturers leverage their investments in
enterprise mobility solutions, including automated data capture,wireless technologies and bar code
printers.Among its clients are The Coca-Cola Co.,Saks Fifth Avenue, The Home Depot, PhilipMorris
USA and Auto Zone
The company, which posted 2005 revenues of $89.1 million, just made its debut on Inc.
Magazine's top 500 list of the fastest-growing companies. It's not surprising that Stratix caught
the eyes of Inc. Magazine's editors. The company can boast a three-year growth of 323 percent,
ranking it 462nd overall and 20th in Georgia.
Stratix Corporation's focus is on enabling solutions that maximize enterprise mobility.
Whereas most competitors only ship the needed technology, Stratix says it adds value by
executing the staging, configuration, kitting, deployment and post-sale support of the units, thus
insuring the greatest return on investment and the least amount of downtime possible.
Shuman is widely recognized as a leading industry expert and has personally worked with many
industries and companies in the establishment of their bar code guidelines. A graduate of the
University of Georgia she was lead author of the publication, "A Guide to Bar Coding," which has
been recognized as a leading reference manual for retailers, manufacturers and distributors
for the past 15 years. Currently, Shuman is a board member of Women in Packaging, the Georgia
Women's Business Council, the UGA National Alumni Association and the AIDC 100.
Teplis Travel Service
244 Perimeter Center Pkwy.
Suite 280
Atlanta, GA 30346
404.843.7460
www.teplis.com
Monica Teplis
and her late husband started Teplis Travel Service in 1972 and the company had annual sales
of $85 million in 2005. Ranked the fifth largest travel agency in Atlanta and among the top 100 in
the country, Teplis specializes in the needs of the corporate traveler. Among its clients are MGM
Mirage, GoldKist, Porsche, The Salvation Army and the Federal Reserve Bank.
Teplis operates reservation centers in Atlanta and Las Vegas and provides reservation
services for more than 200 companies. Teplis also offers an onsite travel department service where
professional travel agents will go to the client's own offices in order to service the client's
needs. In fact, more than a quarter of its clients take advantage of this face-to-face service.
British-born Teplis attributes part of the company's success to its reservation agents who
average more than 12 years experience in the travel and tourism industry, which is much higher than
the industry average.
"By combining the latest in online technology with a proven support mechanism, we have
crafted the optimum platform for the delivery of a cost-effective, error-free travel product," she
says.
Management Decisions Inc. (MDI)
4940 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite 310
Norcross, GA 30071
770.416.7949
www.mdicareers.com
Ella Koscik
says her most important role is being a mother to her three children. She's done pretty well
in her secondary role – being the CEO of Management Decisions Inc. (MDI).
Koscik joined up with MDI in 1993 when its founder, Howard Leff, wanted someone to quickly
grow the business so he could retire. Koscik took the challenge – and half the company instead of a
salary.
Within six months Leff was able to retire because Koscik grew the business so fast and
successfully that Leff 's half was worth more than when he owned it all. Koscik eventually bought
him out completely.
When Koscik joined MDI, it posted 1994 revenues of $1 million. Last year, its 2005 revenues
were about $50 million and it looks like 2006 will close out with revenues in the $65 million
range. In fact, MDI has had 17 consecutive years of profitable
growth. The company has more than 450 consultants and travelers.
MDI is a professional consulting and staffi ng fi rm with two divisions: IT consulting and
medical consulting. The IT side provides project governance consulting and technical staffi ng
services through individual consultants, project teams or fully outsourced solutions. The medical
staffi ng division is focused on the national travel therapy market and specializes in occupational
therapists, physical therapists and speech language pathologists. The company, which now has offi
ces in four other states besides Georgia, has successfully placed thousands of consultants with
more than 125 clients.
Under Koscik's leadership, MDI has implemented such family-friendly policies as job sharing,
fl ex time hours and parttime work. She's also a founding member of the Atlanta chapter of the
National Association of Women Business Owners.
firstPRO Incorporated
Two Perimeter Plaza
5607 Glenridge Drive, Third Floor
Atlanta, GA 30342
404.252.9422
www.firstproinc.com
April Nagel
has spent her entire career in the staffing industry. Over the past 21 years, she and Phil
Nagel have grown and developed fi rstPRO into one of the largest and fastest growing staffing and
executive search firms in the country. Reporting revenues of $48 million, fi rstPRO Inc., has
established a signifi cant presence in the Southeast and recently opened offi ces in Philadelphia.
Future plans call for additional offi ces in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Although it was founded in 1949, the Nagel family has owned it for the past 20 years. In
fact, the company boasts that the family-owned business has been built on a foundation of integrity
coupled with the highest dedication to ethical principles.
FirstPRO says that it distinguishes itself from other search firms as a result of its ability
to research, attract, place and retain the most talented individuals in several specialized
disciplines. The company, whose mission is to utilize its creativity and innovation to provide
clients with workforce management solutions, lists several Fortune 1000 companies as clients,
including BellSouth, Duke Energy, Motorola, and Coca-Cola. The firm maintains signifi cant
expertise in accounting and finance, IT, legal, life sciences, supply chain, sales and marketing as
well as healthcare.
Spanx
3391 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30326
404.321.1608
www.spanx.com
Sara Blakely's
entrepreneurial story has achieved legend status. With $5,000 in savings and frustrated about
visual panty lines, she invented, patented and hit the road promoting her line of footless
pantyhose.
Today, Spanx is a must-have for all fashion-conscious women and Blakely's company is now
confi rming retail sales of $100 million.
Although the company won't release revenues, most observers put it in the $45 million range.
Even Oprah Winfrey is a fan of Spanx which, by the way, never hurts when a young company is
trying to sell its products.
When Oprah named it as one of her favorite things on her annual holiday show, the sale of
Spanx took off. Currently, the company has a line of hosiery and tights, body shapers, bras and
panties, slimming intimates, slimming apparel, T-shirts and maternity wear. Entrepreneur magazine
listed her as one of 15 entrepreneurs who helped spur sales in recession-suffering retail segments
like hosiery.
Blakely, who was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002, was the
second-place winner in the Fox TV's reality show that was similar to Donald Trump's "The
Apprentice." But this time, the tycoon was Virgin's Sir Richard Branson. Blakely did win $750,000
to start her own charity, though. In fact, Blakely and Branson launched the foundation in October
2006 aimed at helping women and children in developing countries.
JJ Nelson Inc.
3765 Peachtree Crest Drive
Duluth, Ga. 30097
770.564.9309
www.jjnelson.com
JJ Nelson is owned by
Jeri J. Nelson
who started the company in 1990. Nelson, who attended University of Maryland, has over 25
years experience in the home construction industry. JJ Nelson, Inc. is a regional fl oor covering
and ceramic tile subcontractor providing installed services to top production residential
homebuilders. In 2005, revenues were $41million and the company has grown over
25 percent consecutively for the past three years. Currently there are employees 106
employees.
JJ Nelson has fi ve facilities with Duluth as the main headquarters. JJ Nelson was the
awarded fl ooring subcontractor for the hit show "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition" in Atlanta which
aired in 2005. The company is a member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders.
Corporate Environments
1636 Northeast Expressway
Atlanta, GA 30329-2003
404.679.8999
www.corporateenvironments.com
Armed with a bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Alabama, as well as her
CPA license,
Karen Hughes
gained both an invaluable background and tremendous knowledge in a variety of public
accounting functions and organizations, including retail, health care and manufacturing.
In 1986, she began her career in the contract offi ce furniture industry with Crawfords and
later as a consultant with Business Interiors in Birmingham, Ala. In 1990, she moved to Atlanta
with her husband and began her affi liation with Corporate Environments as controller.
In June 1993, Hughes was promoted to vice president of finance at Corporate Environments,
which has grown over the years to be one of the largest offi ce furniture dealerships in the
Southeast, as well as a leading woman-owned business.
During the next few years, Hughes played a signifi cant role in the continued success of
Corporate Environments. In November 1997, in recognition of both her efforts and personal
dedication to the company, owner John Harris approached her with a proposal for partial ownership
of the company. Recognizing it as an excellent investment opportunity, she became co-owner and
majority stockholder of the fi rm in February 1998, followed by her being named company president
nine months later.
By January 2002, Hughes had purchased additional shares and gained 85 percent ownership of
Corporate Environments. As of April 2006, Hughes owned 95.5 percent, while Harris maintained 4.5
percent ownership of the flourishing firm.
Not only active in her career and business ventures, Hughes also is a member of The Buckhead
Club and is involved in her church, as well as with various local charities, including the High
Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Historical Society and Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation.
ASAP Staffi ng L.L.C.
3885 Holcomb Bridge Road
Norcross, GA 30092-2269
770.246.1718
www.asapstaffi ngllc.com
Roz Alford and
Nancy Williams
are coprincipals and founders of ASAP Staffing L.L.C., headquartered in Atlanta. Year after
year, ever since it was founded in 1989, ASAP has been recognized as one of the fastest growing
women-owned companies in the city. According to Alford and Williams, the "philosophy shared by the
firm's leadership team, administrative staff and IT consultants has given ASAP its staying power
and competitive edge in the marketplace."
ASAP has enjoyed strong and steady growth since its founding, when it was initially launched
as a direct market response to the need for highly skilled information technology consultants.
"ASAP's core competencies are IT staff augmentation and IT consulting, with special emphasis
on providing experienced staff in specifi c technologies to Fortune 500 firms," says Alford.
"We work to understand our clients and their unique business needs, allowing us to create
just the right match in both personality and expertise," Williams explains. "This synergy also
makes us more effective in meeting clients' objectives within their budgets."
Alford and Williams have grown their business from 40 consultants to more than 400 on staff
currently, with annual revenues in excess of $35 million. Under their direction, the company also
is spreading nationally and now has branch offices in New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Birmingham,
Dallas, Washington D.C., and Bangalore, India.
Through their philanthropic efforts, Alford and Williams are very community minded, as well.
They're active in the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, which is an affiliate of the United Way. In
addition, they have been instrumental in setting up a program with the Partners Against Domestic
Violence to provide positions for battered women. The project has been a successful venture with
BellSouth and through the partnership, ASAP Staffi ng has been able to provide jobs, insurance,
training and clothing to these women.
Mini Maid Services Co.
3020 Canton Road
Suite 8
Marietta, GA 30066
770.656.2726
www.minimaid.com
In a life story that reads like a Hollywood script,
Leone Larkin
was born just after the end of World War II to a handsome American officer father and a
beautiful young Italian mother on the east coast of Italy. Soon after her birth, the family moved
to northern Italy in the wine country known as Tuscany, where they would live for the next eight
years. In 1954, the family immigrated to America, settling in Bossier City, La. Following marriage
to her fi rst husband, Bill Ackerly, and the birth of three daughters, Leone realized that she had
the potential to be not only a good wife and mother, but also a successful career woman.
So, in 1973, the housewife from Marietta, Ga., armed only with an entrepreneurial spirit and
a meager investment, started a small residential cleaning business. Three years later, her company,
Mini Maid Services, launched the franchise team-cleaning concept that has since exploded into a $20
billion per year industry, employing tens of thousands of people and reaping worldwide recognition
for Ackerly and her company.
Today, she is recognized around the world as the founder and leader in the franchise
residential cleaning industry.
Leone Ackerly's inspiring success story has been featured in Time and Newsweek magazines and
Business News and USA Today newspapers. She's also appeared on the "Today Show," "Good Morning
America" and CNN.
Mini Maid, which posted 2005 revenues of around $37 million, recently started selling its own
line of cleaning products that it sells to customers as well as on QVC Channel and the
International Shopping Channel in Japan.
Juneau Construction Company
3715 Northside Parkway NW
Building 300, Suite 750
Atlanta, GA 30327
404.287.6000
www.juneaucc.com
Soon after the birth of Les and
Nancy Juneau'
s third child, the couple also gave life to a new fl edgling fi rm – Juneau Construction
Company. As committed life and business partners, Nancy serves as CEO while Les is president of the
Atlantabased, family owned general contractor specializing in renovating and building hospitality,
higher education, historic preservation and healthcare facilities.
In its nearly decade-long history, Juneau Construction has grown into a substantial
business with $37 million in annual revenues in 2006 and over 40 employees. In fact, it is one of
the largest female-owned general contractors in Georgia, as well as a certified Female Business
Enterprise, working with both public sectors and private owners throughout the Southeast.
But it's not the future Nancy envisioned when she graduated from the University of Georgia
with a bachelor's degree in education. Newly graduated, she accepted a job as an assistant at a
large structural engineering firm in St. Louis, Mo., where she quickly worked her way up. She later
went to work for a general contractor in Florida, which is where she met her husband, Les. After
the couple moved to Atlanta, she went to work for Heery International, an architectural design
firm, while Les was employed at Holder Construction. From there, the couple followed their dream to
strike out on their own and founded Juneau Construction Company.
"It helps to have Les on the same team because we really compliment each other," say Juneau.
"My strength is business development, while his are technical issues and day-to-day operations.
Working together as business partners is very rewarding for us – both personally and
professionally."
Cork-Howard Construction Services, LLC
2121 New Market Parkway, Suite 116
Marietta, GA 30067
678.223.1033
www.corkhoward.com
A native of Dalton, Ga.,
Lori Howard
is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she earned a bachelor's degree in
architecture.
She began her professional career in 1984 with Beers Construction Company. In 1995, she,
along with Gene Cork, began Cork-Howard Construction Company, a commercial general contractor
located in the metropolitan Atlanta area and operating throughout four Southeastern states:
Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.
In 2003, Cork-Howard Construction Services, LLC was started; a women-owned construction
company, in which Howard is the managing member. This initiative was in response to many clients
and customers who had a need for a qualified minorityowned general contractor.
Among Howard's distinguished clients are GE Power Systems; WellStar Health Systems; Financial
Service Corporation; Deloitte & Touche; Blue Cross Blue Shield; SunTrust Bank; Paul Hastings
Janofsky and Walker LLP; Jones & Askew; Gambrell & Stolz; Credit Suisse; Halstead
Industries; Mirant Corporation; Alston & Bird LLP; Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; The
Southern Company; and The Center for Family Resources.
The Association of General Contractors awarded Cork-Howard Construction Services the 2005
Build Georgia Award for WellStar Kennestone Hospital's Open Heart Surgical Suite and the 2006 Build
Georgia Award for The Center for Family Resources.
Professionally, Howard sits on the board of directors for the Center for Family Resources, as
well as participates on the finance committee for this organization. She also holds a license in
the state of Florida as a general contractor.
(NO PIC AVAILABLE)
Lowden & Associates, Inc.
3105 Medlock Bridge Road NW
Norcross, GA 30071
770.248.0401
www.laihr.com
When asked as a child what she wanted to be when she grew up,
Sheila Lowden
's reply was not a ballerina, nurse or teacher, but instead someone who worked in human
resources. Unusual answer for a little girl at the time, but that is exactly what she has done with
her professional career. As founder and president of Lowden & Associates, Inc. (LAI), Lowden
runs the full-service, human resources outsourcing and consulting firm that helps companies reclaim
time, save money and stay compliant with government regulations.
Established in 1997 and based in Atlanta, LAI is a woman-owned firm with a commitment to
personalized customer service and a portfolio of services that cover the four major areas of
employee management: compliance, benefits, worker's compensation and payroll. Since its founding,
the company has grown tenfold and today provides human resources services to offices in 26 states.
From her initial childhood interest in human resource management, Lowden went on to pursue
her dream, from working fulltime in the human resources department at the headquarters of Arby's,
Inc., during college to later being hired as vice president of human resources for GE Capital.
Since starting her own business nearly 10 years ago, Lowden has grown it to be the nearly $30
million company it is today. "Providing the leadership that is necessary to grow my business, I
must steer the ship and deliver service in a way that exceeds the client's expectations on a daily
basis," she says.
What's more, she's handled these daunting, yet exhilarating, challenges while also raising
three children as a single mom, and supporting some very worthy charitable organizations, including
the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, American Parkinson's Disease Association, Atlanta Women's
Foundation, St. Jude's Hospital, Special Olympics and National Association of Women Business
Owners.
Pace Travel, Inc.
3715 Northside Parkway
Building 200, Suite 440
Atlanta, GA 30327
770.431.1400
www.pacetravel.com
Established by
Ellen W. Roberson
in 1985, Pace Travel is a travel management and consulting company specializing in corporate,
group, international and leisure travel. Pace has a staff of 25 professional travel experts,
including 13 travel consultants with an average of 19 years experience in the travel industry, who
work together as a team to provide an environment based on respect, initiative and creativity.
"Our track record in formulating true partnerships with our clients is unmatched and may be
attributed to our philosophy of always doing business in the most conscientious manner possible,"
says Roberson. "This commitment has generated trust and respect from our customers and our industry
partners, and is the underlying catalyst for our growth for more than 20 years."
From the beginning, it has been Roberson's strong entrepreneurial spirit that has led her to
develop, nurture and sustain high standards of excellence in the way she operates her business. In
addition, several other crucial factors have contributed to the successful travel management
company that Pace Travel is today.
She explains, "Pace Travel is dedicated to the concept of building quality into our products
from the beginning of an idea through successful delivery." "Each of our quality service policies,
procedures and products are designed and created to fulfill the needs of our customers."
Comprehensive Computer Consulting, Inc.
7000 Central Parkway
Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30328
770.512.0100
CCCi was founded by
Pat McBrayer
, an IT consultant, who was seeking a better way to service clients. Today, with 2005
revenues of $30.1 million, CCCi provides IT people on a contract, contract-to-hire, or direct hire
basis as well as such services as Managed Services and Project Solutions.
The company serves diverse organizations and companies ranging in size from regional firms to
prestigious multi-faceted companies and government agencies.
Steadily, Pat and his wife, Charleen, took CCCi from a company with one IT consultant in 1978
to a firm that now employs as many as 400 IT people while servicing a diverse and prestigious
client base. Today, it is CCCi's owner, Charleen McBrayer, who leads the company into the future.
Guided by her vision and the principles she helped defi ne with her late husband, Pat, CCCi has
emerged as one of the premier IT staffing companies in the South, serving such industries as
banking and fi nancial, credit card services, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, manufacturing,
insurance, technology, transportation, oil and gas, utilities and government.
CCCi is a privately held corporation, nationally certified as a woman-owned company by the
Women's Business Enterprise National Council, with offi ces in four of the largest Southern markets
– Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte and Dallas.
"We have a rigorous process and an ethical code that serve as the backbone of our day-to-day
operations," says McBrayer.
"Since 1978, we have been in the business of trust. We don't just deliver. We hold ourselves
to higher standards by doing our homework, by staying open to new ways of doing business and by
outworking and outperforming the competition. Our internal staff, our candidates and our clients,
they are the difference. We just bring them together."
