By Jessica O. Swink
Editor, Small Business Insight
Photo by Paul Chin, Jr.
You can’t drive past Jo-Kell and not know it is a woman-owned business — The logo bears “A Woman-Owned Business,” right on the front of the building facing the street.
“Electrical distribution is a male-dominated industry,” Kelly explains. “For contractual reasons, it’s helpful for customers to know we are woman owned.”
For the past 33 years, Kelly has led Jo-Kell to record growth, which currently ranks #4741 on the Inc. List of Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies in America. With a three-year growth of 11 percent and a 2009 revenue of $32.4 million, Jo-Kell shows no signs of slowing.
Kelly attributes her success as a leader to principles that guide her everyday life.
“Having strong moral and ethical principles and applying them to the business life is important to me, and it’s important that others are likeminded,” Kelly explains.
The executive leadership of Jo-Kell, headed by Kelly, believes that giving back to the community is a corporate responsibility. To the team at Jo-Kell, the traits of a strong community encompass a group of people who work successfully towards a common goal. Thus, many employees have celebrated five, 10 and 20-year anniversaries with the company.
In the area of community outreach, the employees of Jo-Kell collected over two tons of food for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia in October 2010, raised several thousand dollars for the St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children and raised $3,038 for the Special Olympics of Virginia Polar Plunge.
“It’s just part of who we are. We don’t have to think about it,” Kelly explains. “When there is someone who needs something, someone here just comes forward. It’s second nature.”
Kelly also serves on the Chesapeake City Council, where she advocates for small business owners in the area. She remarks that her role as a small business owner and knowing how to run a business have helped her serve in the public capacity.
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