Judy Curry Recognized as One of the Influential Women of Virginia

Sterling, VA, June 23, 2010 - Judy Curry, Co-founder and Vice President of Marketing for Curry's Auto Service in Sterling, VA, was recognized on May 20, 2010,  as one of the "Influential Women of Virginia" by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. The awards recognize outstanding efforts of women in numerous fields, including law, business, heath care, education and the arts. The honors are given to individuals who are making notable contributions to their professions, their communities and society at large. Fifty women from across the Commonwealth of Virginia were selected for this honor.

Curry was interviewed on NewsChannel 8's "Washington Business Tonight" on June 23 about the award and her role as a leading are business woman.

2009 Women Who Mean Business

Curry was recognized last year as one of the 2009 Women Who Mean Business by the Washington Business Journal. Curry and her husband Matt incorporated Curry’s Auto Service in 1997 and opened their first facility in Chantilly, Virginia, in March 1998. In 11 years, they have expanded operations to five facilities throughout Northern Virginia.

Today, Curry's Auto Service is one of the largest and most successful independent automotive service and repair companies in the Washington, DC, area with locations in Arlington, Chantilly, Falls Church, Gainesville and Great Falls/Reston. In June 2010, Curry's was chosen by the readers of Northern Virginia Magazine as "Top Auto Shop" in Northern Virginia.

“We’ve come a long way,” says Curry, a soccer mom with two kids, a business degree and a dream. “We started with $25,000 in personal savings, a family loan of $35,000 and maxed out 13 credit cards to get our first facility off the ground. Every time we got another credit card offer, it went towards a new piece of equipment. We were young and felt we could take the risk. When we opened, I wore many hats – from managing the back office operations to bookkeeping to marketing. Today, I champion our marketing and community relations, which is work I love to do.”

Over the past year, Curry has taken on a more visible leadership role, spearheading an innovation program to attract more women patrons. With 60% of car maintenance decisions made by women, she recognizes the value in addressing the unique needs of women drivers and providing a higher standard of service. She was instrumental in Curry’s Auto Service becoming the first auto service facility in Virginia to receive the AskPatty ‘female friendly facility’ certification. As part of this program, Curry’s customers have access to an online community providing impartial advice to women on auto purchases, repairs and maintenance.

Curry serves on the national AskPatty Board of Advisors, where she donates time providing car advice to women across the country. All of the company’s managers completed an AskPatty training program and Curry’s Auto Service revamped their customer waiting areas to make them more ‘family friendly’ with books, toys and PlayStation2 to entertain kids of all ages.

About Curry’s Auto Service

With five convenient locations throughout Northern Virginia, Curry’s Auto Service is one of the largest independent service and repair shops in the area. Their locations include in Chantilly, Great Falls/Reston, Falls Church, Gainesville and Arlington.

Curry’s Auto Service is certified by the American Automobile Association (AAA), Bosch Authorized and employs American Service Excellence Certified Technicians (ASE). The technicians at Curry’s do technical repairs and diagnostics for which many of the franchise outlets do not have the expertise. They also perform routine maintenance like oil changes, transmission flushes, tire sales and Virginia State safety and emissions inspections. Curry’s technicians can repair all makes and models, including race prep and performance modifications.

Curry’s Auto Service has received the highest AAA ratings in the country for customer satisfaction.  This spring, Jim Matthews, Regional Vice President at American Tire Distributors, nominated Curry’s for one of the prominent awards in their industry: they were selected as one of three finalists across the country for Tire Review Magazine’s “2009 Top Shop Award.]”  For more information about Curry’s Auto Service, visit http://www.currysauto.com or call 1-(888)-8Currys.

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Brenda Blisk Named One of 100 Top Women Financial Advisors in the U.S.

McLean, VA, June 5, 2010 - Brenda Blisk, founder and CEO of the Blisk Financial Group at Spire Investment Partners in McLean, VA, has been recognized  as one of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors in the U.S. - the third time she has received this top designation. The list appeared in the June 5, 2010, issue of Barron's Magazine

Earlier this year, Blisk was recognized by Barron’s for the second year as one of the “Top 1000 Financial Advisors” in the U.S, #21 in Virginia, She is featured in the June issue of Virginia Business Magazine as one of the top 25 wealth advisors in Virginia. The list is based on research by Barron's Magazine.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Blisk has been included in the Virginia Business listing. She was recognized in both 2007 and 2008 by as one of the top 50 wealth advisors in Virginia, in 2009 and 2010 as one of the top 25.

Advisors Hall of Fame

Blisk has received numerous awards. In December 2009, she was elected to the Research Magazine Advisor's Hall of Fame. In October 2009, she was featured  as one of 87 women executives from across the country in the 8th Annual Women Worth Watching® issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal.

May 2009 she was recognized by Virginia Lawyer's Weekly as one of 28 Influential Women of Virginia. According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly, “The awards recognize the outstanding efforts of women in all fields, including law, business, health care and education. The honors are given to individuals who are making notable contributions to their chosen professions, their communities and society at large.”

Women Who Mean Business

Blisk was also named one of the 2008 “Women Who Mean Business” by the Washington Business Journal. She was one of 25 women to receive this prestigious award in November 2008.

Washington Business Journal Publisher Alex Orfinger describes these awards as representing “leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, business savvy and just plain hard work.”

In June 2007, Blisk received a Bravo Women Business Achievement Award sponsored by Washington Smart CEO magazine and TiE-DC, an organization dedicated to supporting the community of entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Blisk was one of 25 women honored.

Criteria for the Bravo Awards include overcoming business obstacles, financially outperforming competitors, displaying leadership and work ethic beyond the workplace and using a business base to benefit community fundraising.

May 2007, Brenda was recognized nationally, by Dunham & Associates in San Diego , California , as their first recipient of the Charles Eisenmann Client First Service Award.

 About Brenda Blisk

 Brenda Blisk founded The Blisk Financial Group (www.bliskfinancialgroup.com) in 1985. In 1997 Blisk and her team went independent as an Investor Advisor Representative of Legacy Advisors, LLC, (now Spire Investment Partners) in McLean, Virginia.  

Serving clients in more than 20 states, Blisk heads a team of five, which manages more than $200 million in assets. Blisk provides independent advice, custom strategies for income planning and wealth accumulation, special needs planning and portfolio management to clients.

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Kim Lysik Di Santi Is One Hot Momma!

Reston,VA, April 28 - Reston resident Kim Lysik Di Santi, Executive Coach and President of Total Strategy, has been selected as one of Top 25 Hot Mommas!  She and other award-winners from around the world were honored at a banquet on April 28 at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington.

The Hot Mommas Project is an award-winning women's leadership program at the George Washington University School of Business. The mission of the project is to motivate women and girls across the country though exposure to case studies of successful role models. 

Lysik di Santi became a first-time mother at age 43. She uses her experience as a basis for her column, The Mother Lode, on womenentrepreneur.com and for the case study she submitted to the Hot Mommas Project. Kim's case study is posted on the Hot Mommas Website.

This is the tenth anniversary for Lysik Di Santi's coaching business. She launched her executive coaching business, Total Strategy, in 1999, after working 19 years in sales and marketing. In ten years, she has logged nearly 3,000 hours coaching more than 185 clients. She is ranked among the top nine percent in the coaching profession. She serves on Board of the Washington, D.C., Chapter of National Organization of Women Business Owners and as director of programs and events.

Lysik Di Santi's column, The Mother Lode, was launched on September 16, 2009, with a column entitled, “Managing Maternity Leave While Self-Employed." This first column is a six-point lesson plan to help women entrepreneurs plan for the arrival of a child without the benefit of a paid maternity leave, manage clients while taking time off and look for reliable child care.

She works with Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Executives and Sales Professionals to help them increase their revenues. About 65 to 70% of Kim’s clients are women.

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