Blazing new trails: Black Enterprise's Small Business Award recipients continue to break new ground in entrepreneurship

THE ALLURE OF business ownership continues to entice many Americans in light of the thorny job market, the lack of security, and a greater desire for professional independence. Although business owners are emerging from every corner of the nation, some entrepreneurs prove to be innovative and tenacious enough to rise above mediocrity. These strong-willed business owners redefine the landscape that maps out where black businesses can travel in the future.

The winners of the 2004 BLACK ENTERPRISE Small Business Awards are some of those businesspeople who steer the ship. Recognized during the ninth annual Black Enterprise/General Motors Entrepreneurs Conference held in May at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, this year's victors are: Faye Fields of Integrated Resource Technologies Inc., Colin Hill of Gene Network Sciences, Iris Rideau of Rideau Vineyard, and Camille Winbush of Baked Ice. BE's editors, surveyed several businesses to select companies that exemplify stellar concepts that push black entrepreneurship to new heights. In the next four pages, we will introduce the winners. For information about the 2005 conference or to nominate a Small Business Award candidate call 800-543-6786.

EMERGING COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD FAYE FIELDS

After working for several management consulting firms Faye F. Fields decided to create a firm that would deliver a strong message: Innovative Solutions Excellent Results. Field's bold endeavor rewarded her with the BE Emerging Company of the Year Award. This award recognizes businesses that nave poised themselves for future growth by carving out a special niche or by adopting creative marketing techniques.

Integrated Resource Technologies Inc. was founded in Maryland in 1986. Fields, president and CEO of IRT, states that the company is a small business theft operates like a big one. IRT provides management support services and Information services to clients such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Marine Corp, and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, IRT raked in $9.8 million in revenues: however, Fields wants to turn IRT into a $20 million company in the upcoming year. IRT has had a steady 40% sales increase for the last three years. This is the result of marketing, which Faye is directly responsible for, and developing relationships with partners, companies, and potential customers.

Fields makes a conscious effort to place African Americans in key positions, where they can directly impact the company. Fields admits that one of her greatest successes is seeing, 'the number of people I can give employment opportunities to and the growth I provide to people who work with me"

RISING STAR AWARD COLIN HILL

When technology meets medicine, the pair illustrates incredible possibilities for cancer research and the pharmaceutical industry. Gene Network Sciences makes this union possible. Colin Hill, the 31-year-old CEO of GNS, is this year's winner of the Rising Star Award. The award acknowledges individuals, ages 21 to 35, whose outstanding skills, professionalism, and perseverance have established them as future business leaders.

GNS is a 4 year-old company based in Ithaca, New York. It has 22 full-time employees and is diverse on the technical and scientific level. GNS' employees have extensive backgrounds in genetics, mathematics, physics, and computer science. Under Hill's vision for the company and strategic planning, GNS has received $4 million in federal grants: $2 million from the Department of Energy for computer modeling and $2 million from the National Institutes of Health heart research.

GNS takes chemical and biological information and turns it into computer models of human cells and organs. This method provides an efficient way to understand how certain drugs will affect patients. The multimillion-dollar company is sensitive to the high costs of medication. "Our technique of developing drugs is efficient, and it could potentially bring cheaper drugs to the market so that these drugs could reach across economic brackets," says Hill, who was also named to BE'S Hot List (December 2003).

The promising businessman wants GNS to continue to impact breakthrough therapies for cancer, heart disease, and inflammation. "Our goal is to attract the best and the brightest in the field," Hill says. "We want to double in size over the next year and have a dramatic effect on new drugs for cancer."

BUSINESS INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD IRIS RIDEAU

Iris Rideau, president and CEO of Rideau Vineyard in Santa Barbara, California, effortlessly combines delectable grapes from the Rhone Valley of France with the savory taste of Creole cuisine in her winery. Rideau's strong business sense earned her this year's BE Business Innovator of the Year Award. This award honors comparties that have set trends and broken new ground in a particular industry.

Rideau Vineyard, established in 1997, sits on 25 acres of land and houses 11 premium wines In 2003, the company brought In $1.2 million and Rideau projects a promising sum of $19 million next year The ambitious business owner ensures that Rideau will stand strong in the competitive market, Her philosophy says that wine is all encompassing, "People need to have a total experience when it comes to wine tasting That means including food pairing," says Rideau Occasionally, she adds a personal touch by preparing dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice and crawfish etouffee in her country-style kitchen.