The Tampa Bay Business Journal announced its finalists for the 2015 “Business Woman of the Year” and our Founder and CEO, Michael Saunders, is among the accomplished women of southwest Florida recognized for this prestigious honor. Fifty women in categories ranging from Entrepreneur to Technology were selected as finalists. Michael, who began southwest Florida’s premiere real estate brokerage in 1976, is being recognized in the category of Business Services. All the nominated women will be honored by Tampa Bay Business Journal on August 21st. To celebrate such a marked achievement, we wanted to highlight a few of Michael’s accomplishments. Of course, if one were to ask Michael, she would cite her proudest accomplishment as her son Drayton, now president of Michael Saunders & Company. And though Michael prefers not to talk about herself and her accolades; we felt confident we could do a little boasting on her behalf: From Shoestring to Showstopper In July 2016, Michael Saunders & Company will celebrate its 40^th year in business. It began however on a $5,000 loan from an acquaintance of Michael’s because banks would not lend to single mothers. From small beginnings, with sales in its first year reaching $11 million, 2014 brought in over $2.2 billion. This makes the company the largest in the Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte County markets, the largest independent brokerage in the Tampa Bay Region; and the 47^th largest in the U.S. according to the Real Trends 500 Survey for 2014. Enduring Values Michael founded the company anchored by core values: excellence, integrity, communication, and mutual profitability. Through glacial ups and downs in the Florida real estate market, she has steered the brokerage towards success and stability growing into a company of over 650 agents, 155 full-time employees, and several divisions including mortgage, title, commercial, rentals, property management, and new homes. A Foundation for Building a Strong Community Four years ago, as part of their plan to engage the entire company in their passion for giving back to the community, Michael and Drayton founded the MSC Foundation. Since then, it has issued charitable grants totaling nearly $250,000 to help improve the lives of the less fortunate in our community with shelter, sustenance, and a path to self-sufficiency. As a global leader in real estate and active member of our community, Michael Saunders has left her mark on many lives.