[Posted Dec. 12, 2007]

New Journal and Guide Publisher Selected For Business Award

    Brenda H. Andrews, owner and publisher of the New Journal & Guide, was one of 25 Hampton Roads businesswomen to receive the Women in Business 2007 award at a Dec. 10 luncheon at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. This was the fifth year the event had been sponsored by Inside Business magazine.
      As publisher of Virginia’s oldest African American newspaper, Andrews became the 107-year-old paper’s owner in 1991, serving as its first female owner. A former public school teacher in California, Andrews also served in the U.S. Army, before moving to Hampton Roads, working in public affairs as an editor, radio host and feature writer.

Brenda H. Andrews, owner and publisher of the New Journal and Guide

    Of the recent awards luncheon, Andrews said, “It was very nice. I feel honored to have been nominated and selected and to have been in the presence of so many accomplished women in the Hampton Roads area.
   “Even though I have been blessed to be recognized by a number of groups and institutions, it is always good to be appreciated and to be encouraged, especially because the New Journal & Guide is such a valuable treasure—not just to the African American community but to the overall community.”
    Choosing the winners was difficult, according to Inside Business editor Carol Lichti. A special edition saluted the honorees.
    “The selection process was difficult because all of the nominees play an important role in the local business community,” Lichti said.

     “The result is a diverse group of women. Many have overcome adversity and built successful careers. They work for major corporations or own and operate their own businesses. They mentor other women and credit those who helped them. They have many opportunities still awaiting them,” Lichti said.
   Andrews said she never expected to become the publisher of the New Journal & Guide or any other newspaper when she joined the company 25 years ago after moving to Virginia Beach. Today, she lives in Norfolk and is still passionate about the publication she took a job at, expecting to stay only a few years.

   “It’s an institution” as well as a newspaper, she said. “And being a steward of that institution is a big responsibility.
   “What we’re trying to do is enlarge our scope and adjust our mission to changing times without sacrificing our integrity or purpose,” Andrews explained.
    The 25 honorees came from publishing, advertising, banking, health care, medicine, real estate and other areas.
    The honorees were Anna Alaimao, president of Bella Italia; Brenda H. Andrews, owner and publisher of the New Journal & Guide; Regina Brayboy, director of financial services at Virginia International Terminals Inc.; Theresa Bryant, vice president for workforce development of Tidewater Community College.
    Lynn Clement, executive director of Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center; Carol Curtis, president of Noah Enterprises Inc.; Mary Davies, president of Foundation for the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine; Jan Ferguson, co-owner of Harbinger PLC.
    Saphonia Gee, co-owner of Your Own Skin; Laura Wood Habr, co-owner of Croc’s 19th Street Bistro; Debra Farley, associate executive director of Small Business Development Center; Virginia Batteen Hawks, senior vice president of S. L. Nusbaum Realty Co.; Leni Kaufman, chief information officer of Northrop Grumman Newport News.
    Susan Molnar, owner of Managing Communications Consulting; Jean Barnar, publisher of The Shopper; Janeen McBath, president of Lady J Enterprises LLC; Caroline McCartney, executive sales vice president of GSH Real Estate Corp.; Clenise Platt, president of Plattinum Professional Group; Hatti Platt, CEO of Norfolk Virginia Postal Credit Union; Becky Reed, president of Reed Integration Inc.
    Judith Scott, vice president-general counsel and secretary of Portfolio Recovery Associates; Jennifer Smith, executive director of Cardiovascular Service Line, Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center; Alexis Swann, senior vice president of Wachovia; Sharon Szalai, principal of Paul Finch & Associates PC; Rosemary Wilson, Virginia Beach Councilwoman and realtor. 

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