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8 Special Advertising SupplementMichaelBowldsPresidentMountaintopMarketing Group, LLCSilver SpringElizabethJ.BuckPresidentBuck DistributingCompanyUpper MarlboroSTATSSTATSAge: 44Education: attended University of MarylandFirst job held: paperboyHobbies: chess, playing pool, weight trainingFavorite sports team: Indianapolis ColtsFavorite TV show or movie: AKnight's TaleHelpful business book: The 7Habits of HighlyEffective People by StephenR.CoveyMost admired person: JesusWould liketodine with: Dr.Dorothy Height, recentlydeceased, former president of the National Council ofNegro Women.Life motto: “Never let anyone sit on the other end ofyour seesaw because no one deserves the right to bringyou up or down!”Website: www.mountaintopmarketing.comFounded: 2006Employees: 10Age: 52Education: attended University of MarylandFirst job held: lifeguardHobbies: riding her Harley motorcycles,babysitting her grandsonsFavorite sports team: Washington RedskinsHelpful business book: Our Iceberg is Meltingby John KotterFavorite TV show or movie: The Biggest LoserMost admired person: her parentsWould like todine with: her dad (deceased)Life motto: “Live every day to the fullest.Nevergo to bed mad. Is whoever wins this fight reallygoing to make adifference? Let it go. Life is tooshort.”Web site: www.buckdistributing.comFounded: 1946Employees: 126Asheprepares to launchMountaintop Marketing Group'snew Website -FEDTube -Michael Bowlds is focused on educatingclients."FEDTube is an online portalthatwill house three distinct areas," hesaid.FEDExec is acompilation ofpresentations from federal agencyexecutives.FED Uwill provide ondemandvideo training on the bestpractices for government contractors.FEDReview will offer abimonthlystreaming video analysis of the mostpressing legislativeand regulatoryactivity affecting small businesses in thegovernment contracting arena."Along with the debut of the FEDUportion of the webportal,Mountaintop is also launching anewtraining series," said Bowlds."Wepurchased atraining facility indowntown Silver Spring where we willoffer liveinstructor led training sessionsthatwill then be posted to our onlineportal FED U."Mountaintop Marketing Groupprovides afull range of marketing,advertising,and business developmentservices to both government and privateindustry. The companywas inspired bythe efforts of Bowlds' mother to establishasmall business."Recognizing thatherstruggles primarily came from agenuinelack of anymeaningful support, Iwantto assist firms with greatproducts andservices in learning to market better."Last year, Bowlds wasnamedAdvocate of theYear by the U.S.Department of Commerce, NewYorkRegion Minority Business DevelopmentAgency. The award wasbased upon hisability to help small and minoritybusiness firms secure more than $200million in government contracts through2009.This included both membersofthe Minority Business OpportunitiesCenter, where Bowlds servesasboardchairman, and Mountaintop clients.Community service is an integralpartofMountaintop's corporate culture.The firmfounded and underwritesGovConNet, an initiativethatprovidesreal world business training fromprominent business leaders.Mountaintop hosted the 2009Congressional Black Caucus MinorityBusiness Reception and Gala, which waswidely recognized as one of the mostinfluential minority business events ofthe year.The event not only honoredminority women in business, butpaidtribute to DorothyHeight, president ofthe National Council of Negro Women.Given Mountaintop's nationalpresence, Bowlds tries to cultivate"agenuine sense of ownership," he said."Each of our team membersmust covertheir space completely.All of our effortsare so intertwined thateach personcounts on the next for acriticalcomponent.This is true from the CEOto the administrativefolks.Iam soincredibly proud of my team." nBetty Buck has shattered hershare of stereotypes.Asthefirst woman to run aMillerdistributorship, Buck won the beerbrewer's Master award her first yearas president of Buck DistributingCompany. "My dad didn't believe inparticipating in contests with thebreweries," she said. "I got thecompany excited to win [Miller's] topaward, which is given tothe top 32out of 600 distributors inthecountry. Our first year trying, wewon. But dad had aheart attack anddidn't live tosee it."Now, 24 years later, Buckwonders what her father would makeof her success. "I'd ask him if heapproved ofhow Itook care of thetwo jobs he gave me when he passedaway. Hetold me to take care of mymom…and to grow his business. Mymom passed away four months ago inher home of 70 years that she sharedwith my dad, and the business, whichwas 1.1 million [cases in sales] is nowover 5million," she said.Buck Distributing Company, Inc.is amalt beverage and relatedproducts distributor headquartered inUpper Marlboro, Maryland. The 64-year-old family-run businessdistributes products to licensed bars,restaurants, and liquor stores in AnneArundel, Calvert, Charles, PrinceGeorge's and St. Mary's counties.Buck continuously looks for waysto improve her company'sperformance. The 150,000-squarefootwarehouse, which Buck built in2001, is state of the art. "We'rehooked into Milwaukee so that, atany given time, they can see the dewpoint in the warehouse," she said.The warehouse comfortably holdssome 300,000 cases of beer.Perhaps her most difficultbusiness decision was toscrap thecompany's sales system andimplement her own, untested idea. "Ibasically killed the old Buck," shesaid. "A new Buck was born ofahybrid sales system that had neverbeen done in our industry. Everyonethought Ihad lost my mind. We wentfrom Driver Sales to Driver Sales,Tell Sales and Pre-Sales.Thankfully,Iwas right and they were wrong."Striking abalance between homeand office is challenging in afamilyoperation. "It is hard since my kidsalso work with me. But, as acancersurvivor, Ilook at things differently. Iride Harleys and go on vacations. Itake time to live life," she said. n