THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702070195
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 178 lines
FRANCES B. HAVENS needed more than business smarts when she decided to start her own company 18 years ago.
She needed seed capital, a solid business plan - and a man.
``Banks wouldn't give me a loan without a male guarantor,'' Havens said. ``I had to get a male business colleague to go in with me in order to get the loan. It was hard just getting credit cards.''
Few question Havens' credit rating today.
Her fledgling technology company has grown into Management Systems Applications Inc., a multi-million dollar business with five regional offices in the United States and Europe.
Havens' success has caught the attention of the Chesapeake division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, which recently honored her with the Athena Award. The chamber presents the award each year to a community leader who supports women in business.
Havens was one of three Chesapeake people honored by the chamber at its recent annual awards ceremony.
John J. Cali, vice president for administration at Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America, won the Chairman's Award, for his work with Fun Forest. And Shirley Forbes won the Volunteer of the Year award for her work with ``Character Counts.'' Frances B. Havens
Last year, Havens' company, MSA, was one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in the state, as recognized by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The company's clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, Havens said.
Now Havens, as president and chief executive officer of MSA, gives advice to other women hoping to start their own businesses. ``I will meet a woman any time to offer advice or give them help or steer them in the right direction,'' she said. ``Women are very capable, and they just need more exposure. You need to network in order to grow your business.''
Havens' work to encourage women entrepreneurs won her the chamber's third annual Athena Award, given to men or women who have achieved excellence in their profession, devoted time and energy to the community and who have assisted women in reaching their full potential.
The award is sponsored by Greenbrier Oldsmobile.
Havens' most important piece of
advice to women in business: Stick with it.
``You're going to have to put in very long hours and reinvest every penny you make into the business so that it can grow,'' Havens said. ``You won't really make any money for a few years. So you can't go into business for the money. You have to do it because it's something you love.''
Havens, who says she got a late start in business, credits her success to being able to recognize long-term trends early on. She returned to work as a computer programmer after having two children.
``I started my career when I was considered over-the-hill. I was 30,'' Havens said. ``But I had this vision that there would be a paperless work environment and I wanted to be a part of that.''
MSA specializes in computer information systems such as as local and wide-area networking, as well electronic security systems.
Among other honors, MSA has won awards as: the Top Woman-Owned Federal Contractor in Hampton Roads for 1996; the U.S. Navy's Small Disadvantaged Business Contractor of the Year for 1992; and the Small Business of the Year for 1996 from the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. John J. Cali
Some see Fun Forest, the two-acre playground at City Park that opened last year, as a place for families to gather and children to play. Cali regards it as an engine of economic development.
Cali helped generate a plan for creating a ``children's dream park'' that would make Chesapeake an attractive place to live for families as well as new businesses.
``When (Chesapeake economic development director) Don Goldberg presents the city and tries to sell the city, he can point to Fun Forest and say, `Look what we have done for the children,' '' Cali said.
The chamber gave Cali the Chairman's Award for his service as president of the advisory board to Fun Forest. As head of the nonprofit corporation formed to create Fun Forest, Cali provided support to 23 committees and hundreds of volunteers, procuring funds, tools or anything else they needed to complete the project. He worked closely with Mary C. Haddad, another leader of the Fun Forest project, who won the Chairman's Award last year.
Fun Forest was not Cali's first venture in community work. Through Sumitomo, he also has coordinated educational programs with Chesapeake schools. One project recruited volunteers to speak to students about the importance of finishing high school.
``A child who drops out of high school has a rough road ahead of him,'' Cali said. ``If we can convince him to at least get a high school diploma, it will make a big difference in his life.''
Companies such as Sumitomo have a stake in improving education, he said. The company often cannot find enough skilled machinists for its factory.
``This area needs more vocational and technical schools for those high schoolers who aren't going to college but want to get a good job,'' Cali said.
Cali also is a member of Hampton Roads Military Diplomats and has served on the board of directors of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce for many years. Shirley Forbes
Respect, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, citizenship and responsibility.
If Forbes has her way, those are values the children of Chesapeake will remember. They are the six pillars of ``Character Counts,'' a weeklong program Forbes helped introduce into the Chesapeake school system last October.
Forbes adapted the program, which began in California, for Chesapeake students from kindergarten through high school.
``The idea was to have the entire community - students, parents, teachers, administrators - all working together to build character,'' said Forbes, who also involved the business community through the chamber. GTE Mobilnet donated signs and TCI Communications donated air time for a television public service announcement. The Bank of Tidewater donated four $100 savings bonds, which were awarded to the winners of poster and essay contests.
Schools organized their own activities and participated in citywide events. The school system also hired a motivational speaker to address students.
``We wanted to say once again that it's cool to have good character,'' Forbes said.
Forbes is a seasoned volunteer. She has been a member of the Tidewater District PTA Executive Board since 1993, a member of the Chesapeake school superintendent's planning council since 1985, a Sunday school teacher at Great Bridge Baptist Church and manager for her husband's - Chesapeake Del. Randy Forbes - election campaign since 1989.
Forbes said she has wanted to lead a program such as ``Character Counts'' for many years. She sees the weeklong character focus as a ``wake up call'' for both children and adults.
``In my experience as a Sunday school teacher, I have seen character deteriorate over the years,'' said Forbes, who is worried not so much about highly publicized problems such as alcoholism and drugs, but about dishonesty and selfishness.
``What we're not focusing in on is telling the truth, finding something (that belongs to someone else) and turning it in, taking responsibility for our actions and not rationalizing it away, being fair, being compassionate to other people rather than trying to always get ahead without understanding there are people in need out there,'' she said.
The program was popular with many teachers.
Linda Buckingham, reading specialist for Oscar Smith Middle School, said that while teaching values in public schools can be controversial, ``Character Counts'' approached the issue in a nonpartisan manner that appealed to universal values.
``It was really well done, and the kids responded to it,'' Buckingham said. ``It was nice for some of the kids who don't normally get recognized for other things like sports or music, to get recognized for some of the quiet things they do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
John Cali, president for administration at Sumitomo Machinery Corp.
of America, goes up to accept his award at the Chamber of Commerce
banquet for his work on Fun Forest.
``We wanted to say once again that it's cool to have good
character,'' Shirley Forbes said of the program she introduced to
the city's schools.
Frances B. Havens, president and CEO of Management Systems
Applications, Inc., says: ``I will meet a woman any time to offer
advice or give them help or steer them in the right direction.''
Graphic
Frances B. Havens, winner of the Athena Award
Chief Executive Officer and President of Management Systems
Applications, Inc.
Won Exemplary Employer Award from the Tidewater Business and
Professional Women's Club in 1995.
Commissioner of the Virginia Port Authority since 1994.
Virginia Small Business Person of the Year, 1992.
John J. Cali, winner of the Chairman's Award
Vice president for administration with Sumitomo Machinery Corp.
of America.
Chesapeake representative on the Southeast Virginia Private
Industry Council.
Board member of the Governor's School for the Arts
Member of Hampton Roads Military Diplomats.
Shirley Forbes, winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award
President of the Chesapeake PTA Council, 1993-1995.
Chairman of the education committee of the Chesapeake division of
Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.
Vice-chair of the Chesapeake General Hospital Foundation Board.
Free-lance associate producer and television host for the
Assembly Group in Richmond.