Palace Business Centres Managing Partner Wins Athena Award!
Tom Kennedy remembers his surprise back in college when he won an award from the Society of Women Engineers.
He wasn't so surprised --in fact, he had been given advance notice -- when he stepped forward Thursday to accept the Sixth Annual Athena Award, which celebrates the leadership of women.
Tom Kennedy was awarded the Athena award at the 6th annual Athena award banquet at Mercyhurst College on Sept. 25.
But he was no less humbled, Kennedy said.
Like a previous recipient of the award, Richard Wachter, Kennedy obviously wasn't honored for his leadership as a woman, but rather, for his help and mentorship of women.
Kennedy, who is the chief executive of Professional Development Associates, was a founding member of Erie's Athena group, which has been recognized as one of the most successful in the country.
But when Kennedy stepped to the podium Thursday, it was to talk about how women have helped him, not how he has helped them.
He singled out his late mother; his wife, Kim; and his business partner, Donna Haskins, as important influences in his life and his career.
He said of his mother, "She not only instilled in me my values, but she taught me how to juggle finances. My mother was a coupon clipper. She went to the store and came back with more money."
Kennedy, who left a management position with GE Transportation in 1993 to start his own business, said his wife was his inspiration to make the move.
"She's been my biggest cheerleader," he said.
Kennedy also credited Haskins, his partner in Palace Business Centres.
"She had an idea for a business, and I had an empty building, and I thought, 'Why not take a chance?'" he said.
Kennedy, who called being in business a lonely endeavor, said the Athena program provides two valuable things -- mentors and friends.
Kennedy filled those roles himself, said Linda Stevenson, senior vice president of National City Corp.'s Women's Business Program, which sponsors the Athena awards along with the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership.
"He was critically important in those formative years as an advocate," she said. "Many times, women in business don't have access to male role models. He made himself available and provided mentorship and advice."
Despite Kennedy's success, Haskins said Kennedy has supported her as managing partner of their joint business venture.
Haskins said he has done the same for others, placing women in charge of several of his business ventures.
"He doesn't look at it as women vs. men," she said. "He picks the best person for the job. Everyone is the same to him. That's what I like about him."
BY JIM MARTIN
jim.martin@timesnews.com