ENTREPRENEUR HAS GRITTY RISE TO THE TOP.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer Seventeen years ago, Ella Williams took the biggest chance of her life and invested every penny of her savings into a dream. A 40-year-old single mom with two adolescent girls to raise, Williams took out a $65,000 mortgage on her home. And while some waited for her vision to evaporate e·vap·o·rate v. 1. To convert or change into a vapor; volatilize. 2. To produce vapor. 3. To draw or pass off in the form of vapor. 4. into thin air, she focused on the task and made her dream come true. ``I think success is about perseverance Perseverance See also Determination. Ainsworth redid dictionary manuscript burnt in fire. [Br. Hist.: Brewer Handbook, 752] Call of the Wild, The dogs trail steadfastly through Alaska’s tundra. [Am. Lit. and tenacity - it's really that simple,'' said Williams, now the 57-year-old founding CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and president of Aegir Systems. Her Oxnard-based company with 75 full-time employees has contracted its computer and engineering services with the likes of the United States Navy United States Navy Major branch of the U.S. military forces, charged with defending the nation at sea and maintaining security on the seas wherever U.S. interests extend. The Continental Navy was established by the Continental Congress in 1775. and the country's Department of Transportation. ``It took me three years to get my first contract with the U.S. Navy. I was someone they had never dealt with, and I had to convince them that my word was my bond,'' she said. Williams will be the featured speaker at tonight's Preus-Brandt Forum at California Lutheran University Mission statement The University's mission statement is as follows: "California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. . Part of the university's annual Black History Month speakers series, Williams will speak about her life and her recipe for success. Over the past 17 years, Williams' vision and perseverance have earned her recognition around the country with such honors as the Minority Business Enterprise of the Year in December, AT&T's 1993 Entrepreneur of the Year as well as the Small Business Administration's Woman of Enterprise Award. In the eyes of many, Ella Williams beat the odds - over and over again. The third daughter of 12 kids, she was born in Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The city had an estimated population of 14,402 in 2006. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville , as Ella Anderson. She started working at the age of 13 picking cotton for minimum wage to buy school books and clothes. When her family moved to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , Williams paid her way through two years of college until the bills grew too large. She took jobs as a department store clerk and a delivery room nurse's aid. When times got tough, she scrounged trash bins for aluminum cans to buy an extra carton of milk for her daughters. ``I was never too proud to do that. I was trying to start a company and everything I owned was wrapped up in that dream,'' she said. ``Those few cents could make a tremendous difference in putting gas in the car or buying some food.'' Though she never completed her undergraduate degree “First degree” redirects here. For the BBC television series, see First Degree. An undergraduate degree (sometimes called a first degree or simply a degree , Williams continued to take courses at local colleges. After her first marriage ended, Williams said she usually attended classes with her youngest daughter in tow. The turning point came while she was still in her early 20s. ``I enrolled in the business technology division at the local city college. That's where I realized that computers were going to be really hot and I was going to be part of that,'' she said. Taking a job as a computer key punch A key punch is a device for entering data into punched cards by precisely punching holes at locations designated by the keys struck by the operator. Early keypunches were manual devices. operator with Hughes Aircraft Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes. The group was based near Ballona Creek, in Culver City, California, USA, on the Pacific Coast. Hughes Aircraft was acquired by General Motors in 1985. , Williams worked her way up the corporate ladder over 13 years until landing a position as an assistant accountant with the company's finance department. ``Over the years, I learned a lot and met a lot of people,'' she said. When she heard about the Small Business Administration's call for minority business people interested in breaking into hard-to-enter fields, Williams decided to take the risk. ``To succeed, you really have to believe you can do it,'' she said. ``And when someone gives you an opportunity, you can't be mediocre.'' Williams will speak from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at California Lutheran University. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Ella Williams, CEO of Aegir Systems, will speak at a forum tonight. Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
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