News of Interest: Manilow Suites Wins TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014!

Manilow Suites, a short-term corporate housing company of 35 years, announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award 2014. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide.  Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website.

Read the entire news release:  Manilow Suites Wins Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence!

Congratulations to long time WPO member Francine Manilow, President and Founder of Manilow Suites, for earning this prestigious honor.  We are very proud of you and all your successes!

Screenshot courtesy of Manilow Suites

News of Interest: Two WPO Chicago Members Inducted Into Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame 2/25/10

We are thrilled to report that not one but two Women Presidents' Organization Chicago members have been inducted into the prestigious Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame (through the Coleman Foundation Entrepreneurship, Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago).

Category: Classic Start-up and Lifetime Entrepreneurs

The new members are:

• Francine Manilow, President (pictured left), Manilow Suites (downtown I member)
• Jennifer Bertoglio, Founder, President & CEO (pictured right), LawyerLink (downtown II member)

Those inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Chicago area businesses: a determination to succeed, an unsurpassed commitment to excellence, and the rare ability to meet challenges and recognize opportunities through innovation, proactiveness and risk taking.

The Judges and their world-class sponsors, American Chartered Bank, Grant Thornton, Allscripts, MarketM and Crain's Chicago Business welcomed Francine and Jennifer as members this evening, February 25th, at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.

Of the many thousands of entrepreneurs in the Chicago area, the students, faculty, sponsors, and Judges select very few winners each year so this is quite an accomplishment for Francine and Jennifer.

We are very proud of them; congratulate them on this great achievement and wish them continued success. More importantly, we are very proud that they are WPO Chicago members.

Also note: Crain's Chicago Business, Enterprise City, "UIC adds names to entrepreneurs' Hall of Fame"

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, WPO Chicago

News of Interest: Office Depot Businesswoman of the Year is a WPO Chicago Member!

WPO member Francine Manilow, of Manilow Suites, wins Office Depot Businesswoman of the Year in our region. We are very proud of her. This is such a prestigious honor.

Here's what some of her peers had to say after hearing the news:

That is so wonderful and you certainly deserve it! 1000 Congratulations!

You are so deserving! God bless you!

I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!

Congratulations Francine ... WAY TO GO GIRL!

The recognition could not go to anyone who deserves it more than you!

Congratulations! Well deserved!

News release:

Office Depot Awards Francine Manilow, CEO and Founder of Manilow Suites, 2007 Chicago Businesswoman of the Year

Office Depot is proud to honor the Francine Manilow, CEO and Founder of Manilow Suites, as Chicago's 2007 Businesswoman of the Year. Francine was nominated by Office Depot's supporting professional women's association, Women Presidents' Organization, in recognition of her exceptional leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and support for women in business.

Francine was the first person in the United States to offer upscale short-term housing incorporating hotel services, numerous amenities and flexibility with arrival and departure dates. Manilow Suites offers beautiful apartments in 12 luxury high-rise buildings within the downtown Chicago area. In March 2007, the company will celebrate its 27th anniversary.

When she was 15 years old, Francine began her career with the formation of the International Van Cliburn Music Club to promote classical music among young adults. There were 15 chapters in the U.S. and numerous chapters throughout the world including Japan, Bangkok, London and Paris. In 1966, she formed her first corporation, employing stewardesses to work exhibit booths at trade shows in 16 different cities. She was also the first to offer secretarial services for the exhibitors at the trade shows with only the help of her little desk, two chairs, a typewriter and a small copy machine. Today, exhibit halls offer elaborate business centers.

From there, she was the first in Chicago to offer 24-hour film developing and then same-day film developing through various retail outlets. Francine also formed the largest company which provided housewives to offer food tasting in supermarkets on the weekends. Along the way, she acquired a stock photo company called "Piles and Files of Photos."

The award will be presented to Francine at Office Depot's Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference in Chicago on Wednesday, March 20, 2007 at the Wyndham O'Hare. For more information or to register, visit www.officedepotsuccess.com

###

Please join us in celebrating Francine's award on March 20th at the Office Depot Conference in Chicago. WPO will be represented by Sheila Liao of Pointe International. Please look for the WPO table, Sheila and of course, Francine! See you there.