Success Stories

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Monica Simeon and Marina Turning-Robe have accomplished what many have said is impossible – working together as sisters in constant contact and still remaining best friends.

“There is great comfort in working with a business partner that you can be brutally honest with and not jeopardize the relationship. In reality that type of relationship is very advantageous to the business,” Monica said. “We balance each other out with our individual strengths and we collaborate very well and those two elements are extremely critical to our company’s success.”

Creating Jobs

The siblings are members of the Spokane tribe, located in rural Eastern Washington, where unemployment is hovering around 50 percent. While there is very little private sector development in the area, Sister Sky is one of the few small businesses on the reservation and it is committed to creating jobs and economic diversification beyond casinos.

Staying true to their mission of giving back, the small company uses tribal youth as employees in the summer.

“Wealth building in our tribal communities through entrepreneurship is critical if we are going to improve our conditions and solve our own problems,” Marina said.

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As the only Federal agency with the sole task of promoting the growth and global competitiveness of the minority business community, MBDA takes great pride in its mission. With 46 centers nationwide, MBDA has a direct impact on businesses throughout the country, with a particular focus on those that are poised to expand.

Over the past 40 years, MBDA has helped thousands of minority-owned businesses grow and has increased contracting and capital access opportunities for MBEs by more than fifteen percent from a year ago. MBDA also has helped to create nearly 6,000 new jobs while saving thousands of existing jobs.

MBDA Director David A. Hinson is challenging MBDA centers and clients to think outside of the norm in order to expand businesses and create new jobs.  Hinson stated, “I deeply believe in these principals. Today, we have a window of opportunity to change the world. We can create an entire generation of $100 million and larger minority-owned businesses across industries.”

Viola Victoria Linko worked her way up from cleaning offices to CEO in the male-dominated world of steel manufacturing. Better known as Vicky, she and her husband and three children are keeping the legacy alive at the 85-year-old company located in Chicago Heights, Illinois.

After marrying into a family of steel manufacturers, it was only a matter of time before Vicky climbed the corporate ladder to become a dominant figure in the industry. While the oil and rail industries weren’t always readily welcoming to her, she says persistence is her secret weapon. “Offering a good product and perseverance are the keys,” said Vicky, who is president and CEO. “It’s difficult being the woman out front in two of the hardest markets, oil and rail.”

Formerly Funk Forging Company, the operation underwent a name change to Funk Linko, Inc. in 2004 to highlight the family name that has been operating the company since 1925. Vicky has been leading the company for more than 28 years, after marrying into the family in 1967.  Funk Linko is a certified, minority- and woman-owned business.