Neighbor Highlight: Avalon businesswoman turned glass ceiling into window of chance

Editor’s be aware: Neighbor Highlight is a every month characteristic that aims to let our readers master extra about the people today in their communities who are doing the job to make them a better spot, who have fascinating stories to tell or who the community feels should have “15 minutes of fame.” If you would like to nominate another person as a Neighbor Highlight, check out sewickleyherald.com, decide on the “Post Story” button in the higher correct corner, click the “New Article” button and finish the kind to publish your nomination. Queries? E-mail Community News Network editor Katie Eco-friendly at [email protected].

Li Connolly figured she would invest her total profession performing for an accounting company after she acquired her diploma from Duquesne University in 1989.

And whilst she did expend virtually three years with a main corporation, it was apparent at the time that there was minimal place for a woman to progress in a profession that was dominated by men.

So as a substitute of working with the frustrations of hoping to break as a result of the glass ceiling, Connolly made the decision to workforce up with her father to start off their individual accounting corporation.

This yr marks the 25th anniversary of the start of Avalon-primarily based Connolly Steele & Co., which employs 17 people today.

“When I began functioning in accounting, there was an expectation that females weren’t going to be staying with a corporation for pretty prolonged,” she claimed. “It was subtle, but the feeling was that we would be getting married and commence possessing babies and depart.”

Connolly claimed there were few female mentors when she started off out and the women who required to advance faced a choice of both producing an complete determination to the corporation or possessing a relatives.

“There genuinely wasn’t an opportunity to stability do the job and spouse and children existence,” she stated adding that there have been no woman partners in her organization at the time and only one senior manager who was a lady. “I really did not like becoming in a situation the place I wasn’t in regulate my very own setting.”

Connolly, who had carried out clerical responsibilities for her father’s accounting follow considering the fact that seventh quality and was nonetheless supporting him out through nights and weekends, stated the time seemed appropriate to make a improve.

“I truly didn’t want to maintain doing work a complete-time work and a next work with my dad, so we talked about it and resolved to get started our own company,” she explained.

Connolly explained her father, Lewis Steele, who is 81 and stays lively in the organization, insisted that she consider best billing in the company name. Her spouse of 30 many years, Mike, serves as the head of the firm’s technological know-how division. The pair has three grownup sons.

She claimed operating her very own company gave her the opportunity to consider a various solution with her purchasers.

“It was an opportunity to assistance other enterprises even though currently being a enterprise operator myself,” she said.

Connolly said though the gender-based discrimination she confronted early in her profession fueled her need to advocated for ladies, the seeds had been planted in significant school.

“I attended Avonworth Substantial College for two decades but my mothers and fathers didn’t feel I was being challenged plenty of,” she stated. “So they enrolled (me) in The Ellis School.”

Connolly explained the optimistic ordeals she experienced at the all-girls college designed the foundation for staying an advocate for ladies.

“It’s an surroundings in which girls’ voices are not drowned out,” she claimed. “I was truly influenced and molded there. I give back to females due to the fact of people ordeals.”

Working her very own company permitted Connolly to develop an internship method that served launch the profession of a range of youthful women.

She also has been active for quite a few several years in the Avon Club, a 75-12 months-previous firm committed to supporting the group and women’s challenges. Connolly also has been active with the Boy Scouts by training merit badges similar to particular finance and business enterprise. Her a few sons all obtained the rank of Eagle Scout, the organization’s best honor.

Connolly is highlighted in the not long ago produced book “20 Gained.”

The e book. written by Kelli Komondor of Port Vue, is an anthology of 21 feminine business people sharing stories of company resilience in the course of the 2020 world wide coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to guiding shoppers via the pandemic’s fiscal pitfalls all through the past year, she has been working to support organizations get the grants and loans obtainable to enable them survive.

“This has been a devastating 12 months for enterprises, in particular smaller types, and I never believe we’ve viewed the complete fiscal effects yet,” she said. “We’ve worked tough to gain skills in the (federal) Paycheck Defense Software and other systems obtainable and have been achieving out to clientele to support them in any way we can.”