ProActive Business Solutions among the Class of 2015’s 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area
Oakland, California, October 25, 2015 – ProActive Business Solutions has been selected by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the fastest growing private companies in the Bay Area. Headquartered in Oakland, CA, ProActive Business Solutions specializes in customized information technology, consulting and outsourcing services. Founder and CEO Deidrie (DeeDee) Towery has been at the helm of ProActive Business Solutions for over 17 years , growing the company to a more than 390-person enterprise with national clients which span IT, tech, healthcare, government and more.
The San Francisco Business Times selected the “Fast 100” based on their percentage growth in revenue from 2012 to 2014. Additional criteria include being an independent, privately held corporation, proprietorship or partnership through fiscal year 2014; being headquartered in Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa, San Mateo, or Marin counties, or the City of Palo Alto; and other stringent requirements. On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, the San Francisco Business Times recognized all Fast 100 companies with a formal awards ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
“We are honored to be recognized by the San Francisco Business Times with this award” said CEO DeeDee Towery. “We have come so far because of our team’s commitment to quality and customer service, which is so valued by our customers.”
To learn more about ProActive Business Solutions, visit the company’s website at www.ProActiveok.com.
Learn more about the San Francisco Business Times and view the entire list of 100 companies.
About ProActive Business Solutions
ProActive Business Solutions is an award-winning, woman-owned corporation headquartered in Oakland, CA. Proactive Business Solutions specializes in customized information technology consulting and services to a diverse range of US and global companies, from Fortune 500 corporations to middle-market sized firms. A leading provider of IT continuity solutions, the firm collaborates with thousands of clients worldwide who face the significant challenge of ensuring flawless operational continuity while expanding and growing their businesses. The Proactive Business Solutions team seamlessly delivers and sets up IT and operational systems for clients as they are expanding into new locations and markets. Simply put, ProActive Business Solutions goes where you go, providing proactive IT consulting and solutions which allow owners to focus on growing their businesses.
About San Francisco Business Times
San Francisco Business Times provides the latest breaking business news, updated throughout the day, as well as the week’s top business stories.
DeeDee Towery, Chief Executive Officer Recognized as One of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by San Francisco Business Times
Oakland, California , June 4, 2015 – ProActive Business Solutions, an award winning, woman owned corporation headquartered in Oakland, CA that specializes in delivering customized information technology consulting and services is proud to announce that CEO Deidrie (DeeDee) Towery has been recognized as one of the “Most Influential Women of the Bay Area” by the San Francisco Business Times.
The “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” list honors women professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, achievement, and influence within their industry and across their communities. Recipients will gather at a June 4th event bringing together the highest-ranking, most prominent women in regional business to celebrate their contributions in leadership, community service, and mentorship.
“DeeDee’s passionate approach to building our firm, leading our team with integrity and warmth, and consistently delivering superior service to our clients is unparalleled in our industry,” said Joe Diaz, Vice President of Sales at ProActive. “Our entire team is thrilled that she has been recognized for her exceptional leadership and her extraordinary talent.”
A 35-year tech industry veteran, DeeDee founded ProActive Business Solutions in 1998. Since then, she has built the company from just two people to more than 200 employees. Her commitment to the highest levels of integrity, accountability and customer service has resulted in long-term relationships with thousands of companies. Before founding ProActive, DeeDee designed and installed computer systems all over the world in such industries as hospitality, utilities, financial services, IT, semiconductors and healthcare. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
About ProActive Business Solutions
ProActive Business Solutions is an award winning, woman owned corporation headquartered in Oakland, CA that specializes in delivering customized information technology consulting and services to a diverse range of US and Global companies from Fortune 500 corporations to middle-market sized firms. The firm is a leading provider of IT continuity solutions, with their focus being on collaborating with thousands of clients worldwide, who are faced with the significant challenge of ensuring they have flawless operational continuity, while expanding and growing their business. The Proactive Business Solutions team seamlessly delivers and sets-up IT and Operational systems for clients as they are expanding into new locations and markets. Simply put, ProActive Business Solutions goes where you go, providing proactive IT consulting and solutions that allow owners to focus on growing their business.
ProActive CEO Selected to Moderate STEM Panel
San Francisco, May 20, 2015 – The National Association of Women Business Owners – San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAWBO-SFBA) is proud to partner with the Enterprising Women Foundation, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) to showcase an outstanding group of high school girls who are our leaders of tomorrow. On May 14, 2015 at the monthly Educational speaker Series event, nine young women were recognized for her leadership and her achievements in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) fields. In addition, over $5400 was raised in sponsorship money to support the Young Enterprising Women (YEW) mentoring program.
The evening kicked off with a panel of three exceptional women leaders in STEM careers. The panelists included Joanna Bloor, Strategy Lead & Board Member at Leading Women in Technology; JoAnn Copperud, Founding Partner of RGA Environmental(now Terracon Consultants); and Karina Montgomery, Vice President Strategic Solutions at Pandora. “It was such an honor to work with this talented group of women, and the participation from the audience proved that women in STEM are a force to be reckoned with!” stated moderator DeeDee Towery, CEO of ProActive Business Solutions.
Being awarded certificates of achievement were 9 wonderful young women from the Bay Area:
Ilona Bodnar, Eva Cole, Jordan Fuse, Paige Knef, Uma Krishnan, Emily Laing, Jarelly Martin, Maya Srikanth and Jenna Sveum.
“We are connecting these young women with outstanding women entrepreneurs from the San Francisco area to provide mentorship and inspiration for them. We want them to dream big and chart their paths to a successful future, which may include one day leading their own businesses,” said Laura Russell-Jones, president of NAWBO, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAWBO-SFBA).
Monica Smiley, president and founder of the Enterprising Women Foundation shared that the Foundation has set a goal of hosting events in 100 U.S. cities over the next five years to provide mentorship on entrepreneurship and the STEM fields to high school girls across America. She continued, “We are so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with other leading organizations in the women’s business community to help accomplish this important goal.”
About NAWBO SFBA-
The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is America’s only dues-based organization to represent the interests of all women entrepreneurs in all types of businesses. The SF Bay Area Chapter, one of 80 chapters nationwide, is the go-to resource for education, inspiration, political advocacy, and community for local women entrepreneurs.
ProActive CEO Featured as Keynote Speaker at the Stride Center Graduation Ceremony
DeeDee Towery, President of ProActive Business Solutions, Inc., was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Stride Center graduation ceremony in Oakland on Friday, June 20, 2014. The Stride Center provides computer training and certification for careers in technical fields for low-income job-seekers. But Stride is more than a career-training program—it serves a larger mission as a non-profit social venture focused on promoting self-sufficiency and reducing poverty for individuals and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“In a nutshell,” says Daisie Hobson, Employment Services Representative at Stride, “we help people who are unemployed or underemployed, and who are looking to make a career transition, by offering training so they can pursue careers as certified technicians, network administrators, and server and security specialists.
“We were honored to have DeeDee speak to our audience of 200 graduates and their families. There is a lot of momentum for women working in technology, and DeeDee, as the founder of a woman-owned business that’s been around since 1998, is a pioneer in the field. Also, ProActive is our neighbor right around the corner here in Oakland, and both companies have been strong supporters of this community for a long time. And finally, she just has such charisma that we knew she’d shine on the stage.”
Many Stride graduates are people starting second careers, younger people launching careers for the first time, or people with families who went through the program while working full-time jobs. DeeDee spoke about her own experience returning to school as an adult, and about her unshakeable conviction that it is never too late to refocus and invest in yourself.
One of the recent graduates who resonated with DeeDee’s message was Deak Evgenikos, one of 11 graduates from this crop of Stride students who became ProActive employees. Deak is a first-generation American and the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a liberal arts degree from Sarah Lawrence in 1999. Her father wanted her to go into the family restaurant business, where she worked hard and was quite successful, going on to complete a Master’s degree in Hotel Management at NYU.
“But In 2011,” Deak explained, “I decided I needed to make a career change and find work in a field I was passionate about—where I could grow and develop and change as a person every day. And when I looked into technology, where things are constantly changing and progressing, I thought ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve found it.’
“Even so, it was a huge risk for me, since I went from making a solid income to making nothing at all while I went through the 22-week program to gain the skills I’d need in an entirely new field. But the Stride Center gave me the courage I needed to speak a new language. By making it safe to explore the world of technology, they allowed me the freedom to embrace possibilities I’d never had before.
“Everything came together when I heard DeeDee speak at the graduation. I knew I was in the right place and had made the right choices when I heard about her journey and felt like it was my story. It was so exciting to hear from a woman who is the founder and president of a successful technology company who’d had some of the same life experiences. And the example she has set over the years by reaching out to the community and mentoring young women in tech makes her such an important figure in this industry. It’s a blessing to work with her—she’s an inspiration.”
Stride students initially focus on gaining their CompTIA A+ certification, which is foundational for a career in IT. Certification ensures competence in the maintenance and assembly of PCs, mobile devices, laptops, printers, and operating systems. Stride students can also earn Network +, MCP Windows 7, Security +, Server + and CCNA certifications. This was the first crop of graduates to complete the Cisco certification course, and all 16 students who took it passed the very challenging certification test.
One thing that sets the Stride program apart, however, is that it doesn’t only provide technological skills and certification training. Graduates come out with a much broader range of job skills, including successful interpersonal communication, interviewing skills, and more. It is a rigorous program with a long, intense schedule. But it clearly pays dividends.
“I’ve been hiring technical staff for a very long time now,” DeeDee said, “and I’m consistently impressed with the quality of the graduates from the Stride Center, and with the rigor of the course they’ve completed. They have both the technical skills and the personal skills to provide great service and succeed in this field. They are ready to work immediately and hit the ground running.
“Working with the Stride Center has been so fulfilling, not only because they consistently provide a source of well-trained technical professionals for us to hire, but also because the services and training they provide are an important part of the local community where we live and work. It’s gratifying to help support the great work they do.”
Last December, ProActive received the Top Employer Award for 2013 as the company that hired the largest number of Stride students over the course of the year. “There has been a strong relationship for a long time now,” Nicole Lewis, a recruiter for ProActive, explained. “Daisie [Hobson] and I have a great rapport, and she understands exactly what we’re looking for in our candidates for our entry-level positions.
“And even after we’ve hired people, Stride provides them the opportunity to continue taking classes to enhance their skills and improve their own career prospects and, at the same time, enhance what they can bring to the table for our clients. We’ve really come to appreciate the partnerships on both sides.”
ProActive Business Solutions CEO is the newest addition to the CUDC.
DeeDee Towery, President and CEO of ProActive Business Solutions, has been selected to serve on the California Utilities Diversity Counsel. The CUDC reports to the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates privately-owned utility companies, and works to promote a greater diversity in the utility-provider vendor pool. This includes utilities such as: electricity; natural gas; telecommunications; water; rail transit; and public transportation. DeeDee, a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, CA, will help bring the voice of women business-owners to the CUDC.
President and CEO, DeeDee Towery, to be a featured speaker of NAWBO’s Educational Speaker series.
ProActive Business Solutions’ CEO, DeeDee Towery, the recipient of the 2013 National Association of Women Business Owners, CA, “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, will be a featured speaker of NAWBO’s Educational Speaker series. Deedee, along with Jennifer Adams Bunkers and Vivian Dai, will speak on the relationship between creative force and courageous growth. The talk will cover a range of topics, but will focus on how to drive innovation and growth in business; as well as, how to overcome the fears that might prohibit one from creating the business of their dreams. Tickets and more information can be found at www.nawbo-sfba.org.
President and CEO, DeeDee Towery, to team with Alternatives in Action, to help shape the future of Bay Area business leaders.
Alternatives in Action is a program that works with young people with leadership potential, preparing them for college, and life beyond, with a heavy emphasis on building a career that positively affects their community. The program boasts their own tuition-free high school, where, later this month, ProActive Business Solutions’ CEO, DeeDee Towery, will be participating in an after-school program geared towards cultivating future business leaders. Deedee will sit on a panel of judges to help grade business proposals put together, and presented, by the students—who, through Alternatives in Action, and guidance from people like Deedee, may just represent the next generation of Bay Area business.
