Jessica Rovello won a Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur in the 2008 Stevie Awards for Women in Business and Executive of the Year in The 2009 American Business Awards.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?
Outside of the BP oil spill, I’ve been paying close attention to all coverage of new smartphone releases (iPhone and Droid), primarily because of the affect they will have on my business.

What book (or books) are you currently reading?
Wolf Hall: A Novel, by Hilary Mangel; Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely; and Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home.

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
Does Disney's Little Einsteins - Our Big Huge Adventure count?  With two toddlers, a business, and a new home I don’t get much movie time.  I would highly recommend it, by the way­—for two year olds!

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
My favorite sport is volleyball.  I also love to decorate, read, and cook.

Who is your favorite historical figure?
Cleopatra.  It seems almost unimaginable to balance running a country and having children today, let alone 2,000 years ago … and she spoke nine languages.

Who is your favorite living person?
My husband and business partner, Kenny.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Professional treasure hunter.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
Integrity, organization, and tenacity.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?
Procrastination.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
Well, I LOVE what I do, which really helps, but on the days I don’t feel like getting out of bed I think of two things: my employees and wanting to set a great example for them; and my competitors and how badly I want to beat them.

What do you consider has been your greatest achievement in business?
Surviving the recession without a single layoff.

What advice or useful tip would you give to someone who is just starting out in business?
Over-prepare for every meeting you attend.  Well run meetings say volumes about your professionalism and are a great way to stand out from the crowd.

About Jessica Rovello
Jessica Rovello is the president and co-founder of Arkadium, a gaming powerhouse for online and social game solution development.  Under her stewardship, Arkadium has become a multi-million dollar company with over 90 employees, two offices, and a library of over 300 games. 

About Arkadium
Arkadium is a game solutions developer for the casual, social, and advergaming markets. The company’s growing archive of Flash-based and custom game solutions currently reaches millions of people through some of the most popular online destinations and corporate branded sites on the Internet. For more information visit: http://www.arkadium.com.

Heidi Ganahl is CEO and founder of Camp Bow Wow® of Boulder, Colorado, winner of the Stevie Award for Best Overall Company of the Year (Service Businesses up to 100 Employees) in the 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Here we look at the inspirational story of her life and her company’s phenomenal growth.

Heidi Ganahl, Founder and Leader of the Pack of Camp Bow Wow® and Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow®, is a force to be reckoned with in the $40 billion pet services industry.  One of Ganahl’s favorite quotations is from Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”  Says Ganahl: “From my experiences, change is what it’s all about. Life was not meant to be stagnant or easy; it was meant to be challenging and full of experiences to learn from. The paths you choose make you the person you are.”

Ganahl’s own story explains this.  She and her husband had just put the finishing touches on their business plan, and were looking for the perfect site for their new enterprise, when he died in a tragic flying accident in 1994. To honor his memory she pursued their joint dream, opening the first Camp Bow Wow in Denver, Colorado, in 2000. She began franchising the concept—a day and overnight camp for dogs, where the pups can socialize and play all day instead of being confined to traditional kennels—in 2003.

Since then, Camp Bow Wow has grown into a $50 million business, having sold more than 275 franchises in 39 U.S. states and one in Canada— over 41% being women-owned—and earning its reputation as the premier doggy day care and overnight-care provider in North America.  Small wonder that in 2008 Entrepreneur magazine named Camp Bow Wow one of the top 105 fastest-growing franchises in North America, and one of the top 50 fastest-growing women-owned/-led franchises. The company was also recently ranked as the 447th fastest-growing private company on the INC magazine “500 for 2009” list.

Every Camp Bow Wow is a state-of-the-art facility created to provide a welcoming environment, with amenities designed to ensure that the dogs in its care are provided with the exercise and nurturing they require to enjoy their stay. The pups are encouraged to play and romp with each other in one of the camps' climate-controlled indoor and outdoor play yards, which they can run between at will. Overnight campers play in the play yards during the day, retiring n the evening to a private cabin furnished with a comfy cot and a fleece blanket where they receive a delicious Campfire Treat.

Prospective campers are required to participate in a free interview day at camp before they can enroll as a regular camper. The interview day allows camp counselors to get to know each dog and how he/she interacts with other dogs. Each camper is assigned to a play yard according to his/her size and temperament. All campers must be neutered or spayed if over 6-months old, up-to-date on their rabies and distemper vaccinations, have had a Bordetella vaccination within the last 6 months, and be in good general health.  Campers at Camp Bow Wow are supervised by a staff of Certified Camp Counselors® trained in pet CPR and first aid, dog behavior, safety, and health management. To ensure the happiness and safety of all campers, the camps are staffed with a minimum of one counselor for every 15 campers at all times. Proud puppy parents can look in on their campers by logging onto their camp's website to watch the real-time camp activities broadcast by one of the many Camper Cams® installed around the facility.

As Camp Bow Wow grows, its simple philosophy remains the same: It's all about the dogs.

		Read the Rest of This Article ...

Stevie Awards President and founder Michael Gallagher was interviewed by WNBC-TV's Chuck Scarborough in New York on Tuesday, June 29 about the origins of the Stevie Awards and the results of this year's American Business Awards.

Watch the clip of the interview on the Stevies' channel on YouTube.

		Watch the Interview ...

Entries are now being accepted for the 5th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. There are quite a few new categories this year. The early-bird entry deadline is October 15.

A recording of this past Tuesday's webinar on HOW TO ENTER THE STEVIE AWARDS FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS is now available. The early-bird deadline for the Stevies for Women is next Wednesday, July 28.

The new 19-page 2010/11 Stevie Awards sponsorship prospectus is now available. Learn about the variety of sponsorship opportunities that are available across our four Stevie Awards programs.

Volunteer to be a preliminary-round judge in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Judging will open in September and continue through mid-October. You'll learn about how other entrepreneurs, executives, and organizations around the world are achieving success.

July 28: Early-bird entry deadline for 7th Stevie Awards for Women in Business

August 31: Entry deadline for 7th Stevie Awards for Women in Business

September 27: 7th annual International Business Awards banquet, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey

October 15: Early-bird entry deadline for 5th Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

October: Entries open for 2011 American Business Awards