Tag: Recognition Programs

Worked on the editorial team that led this project, including the selection of the 100 honorees and execution of the related coverage.

“These 100 women manage budgets and civic initiatives. They lead in business, academia, nonprofits and public policy. They are CEOs, executive directors and company founders. Crain’s has been honoring influential women in metro Detroit since 1997; this year, we take that recognition statewide. Here’s how we selected them. These 100 women join a roster of past winners in our legacy list; click on the “archive” button to read more about them.”

June 2, 2016 | Crain’s Detroit Business

Profile for the 100 Influential Women recognition program, Crain’s Detroit Business, 2016

Donna Niester
President, Acheson Ventures LLC

Big win: Port Huron’s waterfront redevelopment. It began in 1998, when Jim Acheson and his family sold Acheson Industries, a chemical company dating back to 1908. He used his share of the proceeds to invest in Port Huron’s rundown industrial south side, particularly the waterfront. Niester became president of what would eventually be 14 different entities that sprouted up to support the work, from for-profit property investments to charitable donations.

I led this awards recognition program for 2014.

Crain’s Cool Places to Work recognition program honors employers that go the extra mile to make employees feel appreciated — as judged by the employees themselves.

Best Companies Group ranked 75 companies that it felt earned the badge of Cool Place to Work. We break out the top five from each category for a closer look at what the organizations do to attract and retain talent.

Best Companies’ assessment is done in two parts. On the employer side, the organization provides extensive information on its benefits, policies, practices and perks, then employees’ voices are heard through a confidential, 80-question survey. The final ranking is heavily weighted toward the employee portion of the assessment, accounting for 75 percent of the evaluation. The employer end accounts for the remaining 25 percent.

Nov. 16, 2014 | Crain’s Detroit Business

Featured in General & In-House Counsel Awards 2014

It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in the C suites of big American companies.

There is one door, though, that women apparently have found more open to them than others. That is the door of the general counsel’s office.

Jesse Vollmar attracted $5 million from investors who think @FarmLogs can change the future of farming. #cdb20s

It was the family farm that led Jesse Vollmar to Silicon Valley and the influential incubator Y Combinator.

He and partner Brad Koch moved there in 2012 to launch their business, AgriSight Inc., and its flagship product: FarmLogs, Web-based software that allows farmers to better manage operations.

Daniela Tomatti served in @USArmy, speaks three languages and built a division of Plastipak, a $2.3 billion company. #cdb20s

I led this awards recognition program for 2011.

When Crain’s last held its Cool Places to Work awards program in 2009, the big issue was how to navigate the economic realities of the recession without punishing workers in the process.

Now, things are less grim. Many employees who nominated their employers mentioned how these organizations worked hard to avoid major cuts in pay
and benefits during the worst years. Better still, quite a few said one of the coolest things about the company they work for is that it is growing and hiring.

Sept. 4, 2011 | Crain’s Detroit Business