PENTA sponsors WBJ Women in Business Awards

WORCESTER, MA _ PENTA Communications, Inc., a leading Westborough, MA headquartered full-service marketing firm, will join the Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) as it celebrates six business leaders at its 4th Annual Outstanding Women in Business Awards event at Tuckerman Hall in Worcester on Friday, November 16, 2012.

This event, founded in 2009, has taken place annually to honor outstanding female business and community leaders from diversified industries who have made a positive, notable impact on our business landscape.

PENTA has been a consistent and long-time supporter of numerous organizations that foster positive economic growth in our region, and this event, which brings over 250 members of the business community together, most of whom are female, is one that the marketing firm believes makes a difference by promoting positive momentum, as it honors those who have made an impact.

“A big part of our mission at the WBJ is to recognize and encourage leaders in the business community. The Outstanding Women in Business issue and event have been a terrific way to profile a number of our region’s leading female executives and all they do for their organizations, the community, and as mentors for other professional women. Telling their stories and recognizing their accomplishments is truly a rewarding experience,” said WBJ Publisher Peter Stanton. “We’re also pleased, that through PENTA’s sponsorship, we are able to have a national caliber keynote speaker in Betsy Myers, the executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.”

Deborah Penta, CEO of PENTA Communications, Inc., was one of the first four women to receive this prestigious award at the WBJ’s inaugural Women in Business event, which took place in 2009. Since the event’s inception, 24 women, including the 2012 honorees, have been honored.

Penta, who founded her company nearly 25 years ago, has built the firm to become one of the most highly respected marketing, advertising and public relations organizations in the region, and one that has made a major impact on the betterment of the community. During her tenure as CEO, Penta has been a board member for numerous organizations, and has been the Chair of the Board for three area nonprofits. Her company, through many of its long-term efforts since its inception, has donated approximately $2 million back to the community.

Supporting the WBJ Women in Business Awards as a sponsor was a natural fit for the firm.

“We are very pleased to sponsor this event, and this year’s nationally acclaimed speaker, Betsy Myers,” said Penta. “The event inspires progress and celebrates the results of strong leadership, particularly the vision and management success of those women who are making a difference in driving their companies and organizations forward, and who are also contributing to the success of the community.”

This year’s recipients represent many areas, including banking, non-profit, collegiate, healthcare, law, and creative fields. They include:

Debbie Guiney – President & CEO AllCom Credit Union, Worcester; Jeannie Hebert – President & CEO Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, Whitinsville; Sharyn Rice – Senior Vice President of Access, Transition & Development at Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner; Mary C. Ritter – Senior Vice President of Strategy & Communication, Fallon Community Health Plan, Worcester; Polly Tatum – President, Mediation Advantage Services, Worcester; and Candi Wolfe – Owner of Ericson-Wolfe Photography, Northborough.

“I am so very honored to have been recognized for this prestigious award. I am humbled to be in such good company, given the record of past recipients and those I will be sharing the honor with next Friday. I am sure all of them would admit that it is not any one individual who achieves success, but the collaborative efforts of many in order to do so. I am fortunate to have had access to talented people from whom I have gleaned good advice that I have been able to put it to good use,” said Jeannie Hebert, president/CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and one if this year’s honorees. “PENTA sponsoring an event honoring Women in Business makes perfect sense since Deborah and her team continue to perpetuate a highly successful woman-owned business that understands the importance of building a company on integrity and service, and in addition, strengthens the community through their philanthropic efforts. I am proud to say that I consider Deborah as one of those talented people from whom I have been fortunate enough to gather insight and direction.”