Photos by Wyatt Kostygan. Above: Anna Zornosa, Pamela Fiori and Adrienne Vittadini.

While some women have the drive to succeed from a young age, publishing giant Pamela Fiori says she found her greater ambition as an adult. “Everything I learned about leadership I learned on the job,” she said. But succeed she did, rising to be editor-in-chief of Town & Country for 17 years after serving as executive vice president of American Express Publishing. At this year’s SRQ Women in Business Hear Me Roar Awards and Leadership Luncheon, Fiori, who was awarded the 2016 Trailblazer Award, advised a sold-out crowd to pursue their careers with focus, calm and a sense of humor. And she said to always give credit when due and to raise up those around you. “To take on an ugly competitive spirit—that success lies in somebody else’s failure—is not a good way to go about living a life or going about a business enterprise,” she told SRQ. “It’s toxic.”

Indeed, support served as the underlying theme of this year’s event, and not simply because keynote speaker and Ruby Ribbon founder and CEO Anna Zornosa explained how she made a fortune selling shapewear. She said the company found a niche speaking the language of women to female consumers and investors. “Often in male-dominated fields, investors can’t understand those experiences as well,” Zornosa said. She noted that while women start up companies at 150 percent the rate of men and on average see eight percent more revenue at women-led startups than ones led by men, women typically get just one eighth of the startup funding. The voice of women can be underestimated, she said, but can’t be ignored.

Of course, for many attendees at the event, the climax came with the naming of this year’s Women in Business winners, including: Jennifer Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; Lorrie Liang, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; AnneMarie Rizzo, The Law Place; Dr. Sandra Stone, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee; and Laurie Pike, MPH Hotels.

 “I’m very humbled,” said Stone, chancellor of USFSM. “This inspires me to work harder and keep on making a difference.” Pike, who as director of sales and marketing for MPH’s Florida division has helped bring to market Comfort Suites-Sarasota and countless other Florida hotels, said the award offered a way to set an example for women coming up today. “We really need to start taking [today's youth] seriously and do whatever we can to give them the tools so the world can be a better place,” she said. And Rominiecki, who took over as executive director of Selby Gardens just 14 months ago, said she was excited to be embraced by the community so quickly. “I’m excited to network with other women in business and really to boost all women.”

Other finalists named at the event included: Katherine Moulton, Hospitality Advisory Services; Michelle Bianchi-Pingel, The Players Theatre; Jessica Rood, New College of Florida; Chief Bernadette DiPino, Sarasota Police; Dr. Inda Mowett, Aesthetic Wellness Center; Cynthia Peterson, Center for Architecture Sarasota; and Jonna Keller, First Security Investments of Southwest Florida.

Photos by Wyatt Kostygan. Above: Anna Zornosa, Pamela Fiori and Adrienne Vittadini.