SIXTH ANNUAL WOMEN’S ATHENA AWARD RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED

Julie Kirk, President of Applied Creative Technologies, to receive ATHENA Award at annual luncheon

Rockville, MD (October 21, 2004) — This year’s ATHENA Award, which for six years has honored women business leaders residing or working in Montgomery County, Maryland, will be presented to Julie Lenzer Kirk, Founder and President/CEO of Applied Creative Technologies.

The award will be presented at the eighth annual Women in Business Celebrate Success! gala luncheon sponsored by the Women Business Owners of Montgomery County on October 21 at Indian Spring Country Club in Silver Spring, Maryland. The award honors individuals who have actively assisted women in realizing their leadership potential, demonstrated professional excellence, and contributed to their communities.

Kirk founded Applied Creative Technologies (ACT) in 1995. The IT solutions firm focuses on manufacturing operations and inventory control. For the past four consecutive years, ACT has been honored with the Montgomery County and the State of Maryland’s “Workplace Excellence” award for exhibiting policies and practices that are work-life balanced. The company was a finalist in Advanta’s Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs as “Employer of the Year” for its approach to a life-balanced workplace. ACT recently received renewal of its certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise from the Woman Presidents’ Educational Organization.

Kirk founded the company after leaving her position with IBM as a consultant in Production Industries to reduce her travel and spend more time with her then 6-month old daughter. One year later Kirk had another daughter and, as a result, focused her company on providing a work-life balance for her employees.

She continues to be actively involved in a number of professional organizations including the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), The Executive Committee – Chief Executives Working Together, and the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Computer Science and is certified in Production and Inventory Management by APICS.

Kirk’s contributions to businesswomen are numerous. She has been a mentor for women in Montgomery County’s Department of Economic Development’s Mentorship program, and for a number of women outside the program. In addition to her service to individuals, Kirk has volunteered for organizations including Women Business Owners of Montgomery County, Women Entrepreneurs, Inc., the Action Business Committee for Montgomery County, and her homeowner’s association. Kirk also sponsored a first place cash prize of $2,000 as part of the 2004 StartRight! Business Plan Competition for start-up, women-owned businesses in the region.

“We are delighted to honor Julie Kirk with this prestigious award and to recognize her outstanding achievements as a businesswoman and her enduring contributions to the community,” said Sally Sternbach, Executive Director for Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI). “Kirk has earned much respect from her colleagues for her success as an entrepreneur, a working mother, a role model, a business mentor, and as an active member of her community,” Sternbach said.

The ATHENA Award Program is a national program created by the Lansing, Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce in 1982 to honor individual leaders and corporations that have opened doors of opportunity for women in the workplace.

More than 2,600 individuals and companies throughout the country have received the award from host organizations in local communities since the program’s inception. The ATHENA Award will be presented for the sixth time in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The 2003 recipient was Nancy Regelin, Esquire, of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A.

Nominations for the 2004 ATHENA Award were reviewed by a selection panel of prominent women business leaders from Montgomery County. The ATHENA Award Program is sponsored by REDI, Women Business Owners of Montgomery County, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, and Rockville Chamber of Commerce.

For additional information about the ATHENA Award and the Women in Business Celebrate Success! gala luncheon, contact REDI at (301) 315-8096 or visit www.RockvilleREDI.org. For further information on Women Business Owners of Montgomery County, visit www.wbo-mc.com.

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The mission of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) is to strengthen and broaden the economic base of Rockville. As part of that mission, REDI promotes Rockville as a great place to work and live; assists businesses looking to relocate or expand in Rockville; facilitates the site selection, permitting and licensing processes; serves as a liaison to the people and programs in other levels of government; and maintains and disseminates information on the community, workforce and economic climate of Rockville, where we are “Known for the Companies We Keep”.