• Maureen Borzachiello of West Hempstead, New York, is President of Creative Display Solutions, a provider of trade show displays and marketing materials, specializing in portable custom and modular exhibits.
• Saundra Charles of Bloomfield, New Jersey, is President of BI Group LLC, which scopes, schedules, and implements solutions for industrial clients in the areas of welding, prefabricated piping on boilers and process systems.
• Pamela Coppola of Staten Island, New York, is President of Statewide Fire Corp., which installs, services and monitors fire alarm systems.
• Francine Glick of Livingston, New Jersey, is President of Water Journey, Ltd., which makes HANDS2GO, an alcohol-free antibacterial product that moisturizes as it kills germs.
• Annette Grignard of New York City is President of Pet Dreams, which makes sleep beds and accessories for dogs.

Make Mine a $Million Business is a national award program designed by OPEN from American Express and Count Me In to help women entrepreneurs generate $1 million in annual revenue within two years. The quintet of New York metro area businesses earned their Awards after delivering powerful pitches to an audience of more than 250 women entrepreneurs, judges and guests at Friday's Make Mine a $Million Business Program event, where real estate icon Barbara Corcoran delivered the keynote address.

As a component of the program, each awardee will now collaborate with a team of business advisors to create and launch million-dollar business plans. Each award recipient will also be eligible to collect a loan of up to $45,000 from Count-Me-In to help finance her business growth.

Additionally, each of the five New York metro area awardees is eligible to participate in a six-month OPEN/Women Unlimited educational series that will include seminars on finance, negotiations and pricing.

“The Make Mine a $Million Business program empowers women entrepreneurs with not just the growth financing but also the confidence and resources that can propel their businesses past the million-dollar mark,” said Susan Sobbott, president, OPEN from American Express. “With the right plan and a team of supporters saying, ‘You can do it,' the sky is the limit for the women of this program.”

Several notable business leaders are serving as business coaches for the five winners. The coaches include Clarice Kennedy, Chairman/CEO of CCN, Inc.; Linda Coughlin, President of Metro-Home NYC, LLC.; Elizabeth Ross-Ronchi, Director of Small Business Lending, OPEN from American Express; Lisa Marie Casey and Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, Co-founders and Managing Directors of Golden Seeds and Linda Hamilton, Managing Member of Linda Hamilton, CPA LLC.

OPEN and Count Me In announced 23 awardees this year in five markets, including Dallas, Chicago, Long Beach, Atlanta and now New York.

Online Retailer Is First Awardee to Surpass $1 Million
At the New York event, Denise Houseberg, President of MarketExpo.com, an online storefront for home and garden manufacturers, received a special acknowledgment for becoming the first Make Mine a $Million Business Program Awardee to surpass $1 million in revenues. Houseberg, of Frisco, Texas, was a Make Mine a $Million Business award recipient at the Dallas conference in April.

“Make Mine a $Million Business created a clear pathway to success through much needed growth capital in the form of a loan from Count-Me-In and by connecting me with a business mentor who believed in me and helped me craft a million-dollar business plan,” said Houseberg.

Said Nell Merlino, co-founder and chief executive officer, Count Me In, "This is an example of the type of driven and highly motivated entrepreneur who comes to us with a dream and who won't take ‘no' for an answer. Denise is the first of what we expect will be many more million-dollar businesses as a result of this program.”

About Count-Me-In
Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence designed, produces and administers the new Make Mine a $Million Business(TM) program. A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Count Me In champions women's entrepreneurship and economic independence. Dedicated to increasing access to credit and capital, the organization provides online nationwide access to micro business loans, business consultation and education to women who have been turned down by the system. We are changing the way women do business! For more information, visit www.countmein.org.

About OPEN from American Express
OPEN is the American Express team dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. With products and services tailored for small businesses, OPEN delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, OPEN's customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN(SM), visit OPEN.americanexpress.com/, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.

American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, business services and international banking.

* Source: Center for Women's Business Research, 2005.