Do you know a female CEO, founder, or successful business owner? If you’re searching your brain, there’s a reason for it. Although women are getting more recognition in the workplace than ever before, seeing and recognizing the success of women isn’t as easy as it should be. The Sego Awards are changing that in Utah.
Named for the Sego Lily and it’s ability to bloom in harsh environments, the Sego Awards were founded by Alison Lew, Trent Mano, Amy Stellhorn, and Ken Frei, men and women who had their own business success, but saw that Utah women needed more than what they were getting. Visibility is key for future funding, mentorships, and job opportunities, so the founders created The Sego Awards to shed light on women who are working hard for their success.
According to the website segoawards.com, Utah women own nearly 84,000 businesses state wide and are responsible for about $14 billion in revenue. However, female CEO’s get a measly 3% of venture capital. The Sego Awards are designed to change that number, and this year they’re asking for more nominations than ever before.
“We exist to celebrate women that are killing it in business. We want everyone to see them, and we want to shine light on them and celebrate their wins,” said founder Amy Stellhorn. “Some of our finalists and winners have a higher revenue than some of Utah’s best known businesses, but no one knows about it. They absolutely deserve to be recognized for their efforts, and we developed the Sego Awards to do that for them.”
Because not every success story is number based, the Sego Awards have a “Revenue Based” category as well as a “Merit-Based” category. E-commerce, Student Founders, Community & Culture, and Food & Restaurants are just a few of the categories in which business women can be nominated. Nominations can be submitted until February 25th, 2020 on the website with just a few clicks and filling out some basic information. You can nominate as many as you’d like, and you can even nominate yourself.
Shauna Smith, President of Four Foods Group and Sego Awards 2019 winner in the category “Highest Overall Revenue” has grown her relationships with many other women because of her association with the Sego Awards. “I’ve gotten to know so many female business owners and entrepreneurs, which has been really great. I think it’s important to note that Sego is buoyed up by both men and women as a collective. The founders are a perfect example of men and women working together and highlighting good things happening in the community,” said Smith. “Because of the Sego Award I received, there have been so many opportunities to mentor new businesses and new business leaders- men and women who are just starting out. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with the UVU Women’s Basketball Team. My assigned athlete has a marketing class, so I’m working with her on an upcoming project, and that’s been a really fun and special opportunity."
The business world within Utah is competitive and extremely fast paced right now, and women are stepping up to the plate more than ever before. They are raising their voices and are respected among their peers, and the Sego Awards are ready to highlight their success. To make a nomination, visit segoawards.com/nominate. Finalists will be announced March 9th and winners will be honored at the Sego Awards Gala, May 8th, 2020 at Sundance Resort.
