Women awarded as best in business

Alicia Robinson and Deirdre Newman

Two local businesswomen will be honored today at the National

Hispanic Business Women Assn.’s Awards and Scholarship Luncheon.

Adriana Spitzer, owner of Bellissima in Corona del Mar, and Lucy

Santana, executive director of Girls Inc. in Costa Mesa, will be

honored as Business Women of the Year, along with Yolanda de la Paz,

a vice president with Union Bank in Santa Ana.

The annual luncheon in Garden Grove pays homage to three

outstanding Latina businesswomen who demonstrate excellence and

professionalism and contribute to the Orange County community. This

is the fourth annual event, and they also serve as fundraisers to

provide scholarships to deserving students.

Spitzer will be honored for her generous contributions to the

community by donating clothes to Women Helping Women and Human

Options in Costa Mesa, organizations that assist abused women and

their families.

Helping people look good has long been Spitzer’s forte. After

moving here from her native Colombia 20 years ago, she worked in

fashion for companies including St. John Knits and Nordstrom.

In her earlier jobs, she saw women change their minds after buying

expensive outfits or buy new wardrobes every season and get rid of

all their old clothes, and that gave her an idea. Six years ago, she

struck out on her own and opened a designer consignment shop in

Corona del Mar.

“Being a single mother, I saw the necessity to do something on my

own, and I always loved fashion,” Spitzer said.

Bellissima sells mint-condition, used designer clothes, jewelry

and accessories from labels such as Armani and Chanel at a fraction

of the original price. People bring in their unwanted clothes and get

half of what Bellissima makes when the items sell.

As the store’s popularity has grown, Spitzer has built an

international clientele, giving her more opportunities to help local

people. Sometimes clients donate their half of the money to

charities, and some clients refer women who need help directly to

Spitzer, who works with them privately.

“I treat these people the same way that I treat everyone that

comes to the store,” she said. “I give them everything from earrings

to shoes. It’s so rewarding later on, because sometimes they come

back to the store and they say, ‘Thank you very much.’”

Spitzer was chosen as a businesswoman of the year for her hard

work and contributions to the community, said Cecilia Novella, the

outgoing president of the National Hispanic Business Women Assn.

“It’s a combination of her success in her business and also for

her volunteer work,” Novella said. “A lot of that falls in line with

our goals and having her as a role model for all of the other

businesswomen.”

Being chosen was both an honor and a surprise, Spitzer said.

“I am so excited,” she said. “When they called me and they told

me, I couldn’t believe it.”

Santana was nominated for the award by two people -- colleague

Michelle Martinez , the human resources manager at Gold Coast Bakery,

and Veronica Escobedo, director of programs at Costa Mesa-based Girls

Inc.

Escobedo said she nominated Santana because the staff is impressed

with her strong leadership skills.

“She’s a person who leads by example and is very passionate about

the work we are all doing,” Escobedo said.

Santana, who works hard at spreading the word about the positive

experiences of Girls Inc., said she is grateful for the recognition,

even though Girls Inc. is a nonprofit.

Girls Inc. serves 25 schools throughout Orange County with

programs covering subjects like economic literacy and health and

sexuality.

“A nonprofit is a business and needs to be run like a viable

business,” Santana said. “It’s not just being a businessperson, but

having that presence in the community and being involved in various

activities as well.”

Santana has been with Girls Inc. for close to seven years,

Escobedo said. And because of her savvy networking skills, Girls

Inc.’s presence on school campuses has exploded, Escobedo added.

“We’re not really able to keep up with the demand,” Escobedo said.

“I attribute a lot of that to the programs and she’s getting her foot

in the door with a lot of key people and organizations.”

With all her effort helping girls and women in various communities

throughout the county, Santana has stayed true to her roots, Escobedo

said.

“One thing she likes to point out is she grew up and still lives

in Santa Ana -- that’s one of the cities we have dedicated a lot of

efforts in terms of teen pregnancy and the fact that the school board

has been very conservative,” Escobedo said. “She has really organized

with other nonprofits like Camp Fire USA and Planned Parenthood in

order to combat a very harmful abstinence-only curriculum that was

being presented to the board. Because of her efforts with some of the

other organizations, it was not approved.”