Women in business.

Women are a force to be reckoned with in Utah's business environment. They are making an impact in every industry--defense and aerospace, banking and finance, health and wellness, technology, community organizations and more. As women rise up the leadership ranks, taking on executive roles, they become key mentors for men and women who are just starting their careers.

And as entrepreneurs, women are taking the business world by storm. Across the country, women are starting 1,288 net new businesses every day--double the rate from only three years ago, according to the 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, sponsored by American Express OPEN. The report also found that the number of women-owned businesses has increased at 1.5 times the national average over the past 17 years.

Read on to learn about some of the amazing women making an impact in Utah--as entrepreneurs, as executives, as change agents and as role models.

One way Stacy Felts is teaching her two kids about life is by being an example of hard work, a can-do-it attitude, and well. ... dreaming!

Stacy owns Advanced Apparel Inc., a corporate apparel and gift company. Advanced Apparel began in a garage in 2000, with hopes, dreams, and a few open credit cards. Tenacious and not afraid to do whatever it took, Stacy has learned her business from the ground up! Dance classes and little league took their place in the hectic schedule along with developing a customer base, mastering screen print and embroidery machines, trade shows, conferences, and self-taught business skills.

By 2003 Advanced Apparel moved into a commercial space, kept building clientele, and adding employees. Stacy proved to be a maverick for unconventional business development. She persuaded her way into morning radio shows with fun relevant gifts - which also provided on-air PR. This led to Stacy being regularly featured on a few prominent local radio shows as a contributing personality, "Stacy the Shirt lady."

Today clients range from small businesses to corporate giants. Advanced Apparel has Minority Business Status through WBENC which helped open doors to National corporations like Frito Lay, and PepsiCo.

Stacy's success story is one of tenacity. It's a story about overcoming personal and professional set-backs, and a story about looking towards a bright future for her company. Stacy excels at relationships and she uses these skills to build a solid team, keep business coming in the door, and showing her children that hard work pays off.

Advanced Apparel Inc.

801-523-0276

www.advancedapparel.com

ZIONS BANK[R]

Member FDIC

Women's Financial Group

Peoplc always ask.

"What makes you different, that's what they want to know," says Chantel Chase, manager of the Zions Bank Women's Financial Group.

The answer, Chase explains, goes beyond gender.

"What we do is about more than just helping female entrepreneurs access working capital," Chase says. "We consider the full scope of what each client and her business needs to succeed, and then we provide the resources, the connections, and the expertise to make that happen. It's a holistic, team approach tailored to each woman."

With clients ranging from local startups to expanding international companies, the Women's Financial Group assists entrepreneurs of all ages and financial situations. Women like Celeste Horrocks, who purchased Salt Lake City's Volu-Sol chemical company last year, are leveraging the group's full range of services and products. Chase's team worked to ensure a seamless acquisition, and then focused on positioning the company for growth.

The team recommended that Horrocks register Volu-Sol, which manufactures chemicals and formulates solutions used in microbiology and hematology, with the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Women-Owned Small Business. Horrocks is also applying for the agency's 8(a) Business Development Program, and pursuing government contracts.

"Our relationship with Chantel has been amazing," says Horrocks. "It didn't end once we got the loan. Chantel has been a valuable guide for us, especially in the process of applying for the SBA certifications. At first that was really daunting."

Created in 1997, the Women's Financial Group has helped Zions Bank become the top lender of SBA loans to women owned businesses and startups. It's also an important investment in the future.

Fleishman-Hillard Inc. estimates women will control two-thirds of the consumer wealth in the U.S. over the next decade. In Utah, 66,300 women-owned businesses already contribute $11.4 billion to the state's economy each year, according to an American Express OPEN report.

The Women's Financial Group serves as a launch platform for women moving into leadership roles, offering free financial seminars and micro-grants in a variety of fields through its Smart Women Grants program.

Sometimes, Chase says, she answers the question about what makes her group different with a question of her own: "Do you need a banker who is focused on making one deal, or a banking team that cares about your long-term success?"

Contact the Women's Financial Group online at www.zionsbank..com, email them at womensfinancial@zionsbank.com, or call 801-844-7996.

Twenty years ago, Stephanie Pappas and her three brothers opened Roofers Supply, which has expanded from its original two locations in Salt Lake City and Ogden to include operations in Lindon, Cedar City, St. George and now Logan.

As the business has grown into the only local roofing distributor with a statewide presence, the Pappas family has never forgotten what powers their success: the people who work for them and their loyal customers.

"Being local is so important to our Utah economy as it recycles revenue back into the community," Pappas said.

Being part of a community also means giving back, so the company teams with the Utah Food bank to host its twice yearly food and clothing drives. "Our winter hoodies have become a hot commodity. We sec people wearing them all over the state."

Our companies are heart-centered. Its in the fiber of who we are as a family and as a business. Mom and Dad had all of us kids working together from a very young age, which instilled in us an appreciation for each other and a deep work ethic." The Pappas siblings bolster each other as they unite to determine the course of the business.

The economic downturn of 2007, and the resulting halt on construction forced Stephanie and her brothers to make some cough decisions. The Four owners took pay cuts as a show ofleadership and...