Women’s Independent Press

Dorothy Coll is President of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, a local and long distance moving company that offers a full line of moving-related services that can be customized to meet each customer’s individual needs. Dottie and her husband, Ray, opened the business in 2005 in the South Hills with two trucks and five employees. Today, they have grown to 16 trucks and over 40 employees and a second location in the Sewickley area. In March of 2010, Dorothy was selected as one of the 25 Top Women Business Leaders by the PITTSBURGH BUSINESS TIMES. She is also the recipient of the 2008 Pittsburgh Airport Chamber’s Small Business Excellence Award in recognition of the ability to overcome obstacles that have resulted in operational efficiency, customer loyalty, revenue growth, and job creation.

She is committed to exceeding her customers’ expectations and ensuring each move is completed properly. Giving back to the community is one of the core values and the basis for our tag line, “Movers who Care.” Ten cents from every move in the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system is donated to the American Cancer Society. Dottie is immediate past-president of the Brentwood Whitehall Chamber of Commerce and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. She passionately advocates on behalf of all local businesses and especially women-owned. In 2006, she started a networking organization for women in the Brentwood Baldwin Whitehall area which meets monthly at South Hills Country Club. Additionally, she generously donates time and moving services to numerous local charities.

2011 GRACE ROBINSON, LUTC, MBA, State Farm Agent
Founder of Tomorrow’s Future, Inc.
Tomorrow’s Future Inc. is a mentoring, entrepreneurial and job-training program for at-risk teens founded in 1992 by Grace Robinson. Grace Robinson is a prominent business owner and a successful award-winning State Farm Agent. She was one of three African America women in the United States chosen by State Farm to become agents in the early 1980’s. She was the FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN female State Farm agent in Pennsylvania. As Grace overcame many barriers and opened doors previously closed to African American women, she became determined to find ways to share her success with her community, especially young people. Being a mother of two girls, she saw it was important to demonstrate a model to them, their peers and at-risk youth of how they could succeed in business. This led her to found the non-profit organization, Tomorrow’s Future, Inc, in 1992.

The mission of Tomorrow’s Future is to equip young people with the basic communication, employment and social skills needed to compete in today’s marketplace.
The six weekly sessions held at Point Park University bring a wide variety of diverse speakers to the program. They interact with the students to inspire them to go beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood community.
As part of the activities of the program, the students participate in a “job shadowing day” visit to the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank. They meet and interact with the top management of the bank. The course culminates in an essay contest where the students share their vision for changing the world. The top three winners receive a scholarship. Other students receive certificates and cash awards to commend them for their achievements and outstanding efforts during the course.

For many years Grace funded this program herself. It is only recently she has received additional funding to support the program. Under Grace’s guidance, and with a core of dedicated volunteers, over 370 students throughout Allegheny County have had the opportunity to participate in the program. Since the beginning, many of these students have entered college and started professional careers or their own businesses. For her dedication and untiring effort to young people through Tomorrow’s Future Inc., she was honored as a Jefferson Community Champion in 2002 and the Greater Pittsburgh YWCA Racial Justice Award in 2009.

Tomorrow’s Future, Inc. VISION: is to give hope and provide opportunity where previously there was none.

Grace Robinson, Founder & Board Chair 412-682-7383 Danielle Robinson, Executive Director: 412-398-9477
5108 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 412-682-7383
Vision: To give hope and provide opportunity where previously there was none.

Local woman embraces technology and quality craftsmanship,
wins SBA’s regional and local award
 
JOHNSTOWN, PA – Not many families would acquire a portion of a struggling manufacturer to ensure economic development near their hometown, but that’s exactly what Eileen Melvin and her immediate family did three years ago when they bought into United Metal Fabricators.
 
“For a decade I worked as a consultant to help spur the local economy,” Melvin explained. “We [my family]
 thought our purchase and involvement in UMF would be true economic development and save jobs.”
 
Since she joined the board of directors in 2008 and was subsequently named president and CEO the following year,
 Melvin has worked to preserve the core of UMFs assets – the workforce and quality craftsmanship –
while building a team to infuse technological advances into processing and sales procedures.
 
In May, Melvin will be honored for her economic efforts by the U.S. Small Business Administration as
Small Business Exporter of the Year for both SBA’s Region III and the Western Pennsylvania District.
Like the 68 other district winners, her nomination was forwarded to the regional SBA competition
 (Region 3 covers 7 districts: Delaware, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.,
and West Virginia) where she became regional winner. According to Melvin, UMF, as a staple manufacturer
 of quality medical supply products, has a rich history. Its humble beginnings clearly depict the work ethic of Johnstown residents.