Direct mail pioneer Lillian Vernon will headline a roster of distinguished women when she keynotes the annual Gala of the National Association of Women Business Owners/Long Island on Tuesday, November 18. The founder and C.E.O. of Lillian Vernon Corporation, Lillian Vernon is the first woman to have her company listed on the American Stock Exchange.

According to Ruthie Bergmann of Party Pizzazz in Huntington, who is chairing the event, “Lillian Vernon is a role model for millions of women. Her business was started in 1951 in her kitchen and has grown over the years into a public company with multi-million dollars in sales.”

NAWBO/LI President Joanne Persico of GCN Publishing in Port Washington is delighted to bring Vernon, whose Westchester-based Lillian Vernon Corporation is legendary with its gift, gardening and housewares catalogs, to Long Island. “We have so many women-owned businesses here that we hope she will inspire them to celebrate with us when we also recognize our L.I. colleagues.” Awards are given at the Gala for women honored as an outstanding woman business owner, for community service, and as a trailblazer. A special President’s award is also presented.

The Gala dinner will be held on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York. For tickets and more information, call NAWBO/LI at 516-466-3470 or info@nawboli.org.

About NAWBO/LI
The Long Island Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners was founded and chartered in 1986 by a group of progressive women entrepreneurs who saw a need to enhance the growth of women business owners in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, in the State of New York. NAWBO/LI is an active part of a prestigious national organization with currently over 8,000 members in nearly 80 chapters nationwide.
www.nawboli.org