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A bit of reflection on my nomination

I am so fortunate to have such a fine group of people to work with every day – and that’s been true for more than 30 years. Over the years, I’ve become more precise in hiring people who are aligned with how we serve our clients, who have a palpable passion for their work and who collaborate effortlessly. Our team is phenomenal, as reflected in the awards that line our hall of fame – but more importantly, reflected in the results they achieve for our clients. The recognition of my staff makes me smile and brings me a great deal of happiness. Thanks to each of them.

Advice from this finalist: Work with people you admire and like. Find clients/customers who excite you. And, do what you love. Success will follow.

Written by Liz Cawood filed under: Blog - Work Nov 13 2009

Women Business Leader of the Year

Curious. Genuinely interested. Committed. Loyal. Generous. That’s Liz, our president. Today, we were thrilled to be at her side as she was recognized as one of five finalists for the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce 2nd Annual Woman Business Leader of the Year Award.

Other finalists included Suzanne Arlie of Arlie & Co., Linda McKay Korth of McKay Investment Co., Anne Marie Levis of Funk/Levis & Assoc. and Jeanne Staton of Staton Companies, who was honored with this year’s prestigious award.

This annual award is given to those who have proven to be leaders and role models to other women and men and who have contributed to the community, personally and through their business accomplishments.

While she didn’t walk away with the award, Liz will always be a winner in our eyes.

Liz has a saying on her wall, “There’s no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” That’s how she lives her life and leads her company. Always working behind the scenes, Liz would rather see the spotlight shine on someone else, quietly satisfied, knowing that her good work helped someone achieve their goal, whatever that might be.

Always encouraging people around her to make things better, always looking for the next challenge, Liz thrives on managing multiple projects, answering countless questions and following her passion.

That passion: inspiring people to connect with their dreams. Her energy and commitment push everyone she meets to strive to find ways to achieve goals, no matter how difficult. And, she’s there to help along the way.

As a successful businesswoman, mentor and community supporter, Liz constantly works to inspire positive change at work and in the community. After many years serving behind the scenes, Liz has earned her nomination a hundred times over.

Way to go Liz!

– The CAWOOD Team

Written by Jeneca Jones filed under: Blog - Work Nov 12 2009

Making Connections

My husband and I had an old friend from out of town over for a beer the other night. Not a super-blogworthy activity, you’re thinking, but how it came about is pretty remarkable, at least to me.

We haven’t seen our friend, Richard, face-to-face in nearly 25 years. He’s not even really my friend to begin with – my husband hung out with him during a brief period in high school. And like many short, intense friendships at that age, they burn out pretty quickly and you move on to other things.

But over the past year, Richard has become one of my closest friends. We chat almost daily, about jobs, kids, Shakespeare, bad ‘60s sitcoms (anyone remember Brian Keith and that freaky doll Mrs. Beasley?), and the old songs on the jukebox of Lenny’s Nosh Bar, the hangout of choice for earnest, wanna-be poets in our day. I get a little worried now if several days go by without hearing from him.

I “friended” Richard on a whim in Facebook. I didn’t think he’d remember me – the black-clad girlfriend of a weird kid he knew in high school. But keeping in touch with Richard helped me reconnect those threads and remember things about Richard that I always liked, and I guess always will. And now that we’re both raising preschoolers, I feel fortunate to be adding new chapters – and this new friend – to the story.

Many people dismiss the power of social networking – “it’s shallow, it’s a time-waster, it’s never a substitute for ‘real’ relationships,” they say. Of course, it isn’t. But new technologies like social networking help us reinforce what’s already there, and build on it in new, unexpected ways.

Consider using these powerful tools to continue building your valued customer relationships. Reconnect with old “friends.” Help them remember what they already like about you – even when they’re not shopping for your product or service.

Written by Jodie Rogers filed under: Blog - Life Oct 30 2009