Company: Motional Multimedia
Company Description: Nancy Zurbuchen started her first company in 1983 when she was 26 years old. From that time forward, she has had the passion and selflessness to volunteer tirelessly: She is a model for helping empower women, helping women take their businesses to the next level, and helping them understand the value of being involved in their community and in the public policy sphere of the state and nation.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Lifetime Achievement – Government or Non-Profit

Nomination Title: Nancy Zurbuchen, President, Motional Multimedia, and Co-founder of the KC Council of Women Business Owners

Describe for the judges the nominated individual's lifetime of accomplishments (up to 525 words):

Nancy Zurbuchen has dedicated 30 years to help better the climate for women in business, both locally and nationally. While managing her own innovative business, she has provided thousands of hours performing leadership, advisory, and support services on a pro bono basis to organizations that are vital to educating, promoting, guiding, and assisting women entrepreneurs:

• Serves on the National Advisory Board for the National Women Business Owner Corporation (NWBOC), and site visitor for WBE Certifications. 1999-2013

• Interviewed, evaluated and mentored women business owners through the Athena Powerlink Program, which helps businesses expand profitably by matching them with professional advisory boards. Result: gained recognition for the mentors as well as the mentees, and made a difference in business growth for participants. 2002-2008

• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): Served on the local board for seven years and was President; served on 2 national committees for eight years, and was on the national board as Midwest Director, where she worked hands-on with 25 chapters. 1987-2002

• Served on the core planning team for the Kauffman Foundation’s initiative, the Women’s Entrepreneurial Brain Trust. The goal was to develop a shared understanding of the priorities that will serve to accelerate women’s entrepreneurship in the Kansas City area. 2002-2004

• Founding board member of the Kansas Women’s Business Center: helped write the grant for initial funding from the SBA, and Chaired the Rural Kansas Outreach Committee. 2000-2005

Nancy is the type of person who sees a need, and instead of complaining about it, fills it. For instance, she recognized that women business owners were not represented or participating in public policy decision making -- because they were not making the connection between public policy and the economic success of their own companies. Thus, Nancy was inspired to establish the Kansas City Council of Women Business Owners in 2001. This started the momentum which continues today, and helped to change women business owners' perception about the value of understanding the issues and participating in the policy discussions at the highest levels.

Examples of Nancy’s other public policy advocacy activities include:

• Advocated on Capitol Hill (Washington, DC) for two decades, focused on issues affecting women business owners. Brought the information back to Kansas City and held policy training sessions. 1995-2012

• Kansas: Spearheaded advocacy activities, reaching out to the minority and women organizations in KS. Result: State of KS created an M/WBE vendor certification program. 2004-2007

• Missouri: Collaborated with the women and minority business organizations statewide to devise a solution and lobby for an M/WBE purchasing program that had been suspended due to a lawsuit. Result: An Executive Order from the Governor reinstated the program, and legislation was later passed. Nancy remains the primary point person in the western MO. 2000-2013

• Worked with the Kansas City, KS Unified Government to establish a woman, minority and small business supplier program. 2003-2006

Nancy's past diligent work and strategic leadership continues to make a difference today for women business owners. She is very worthy of this lifetime achievement award.

This document describes some of Nancy’s activities; please also review the listing of Nancy’s numerous APPOINTMENTS, AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS that appear in the first attachment to this application.

Provide a brief biography of the nominated individual (up to 125 words):

Nancy Zurbuchen is a strategic thinker and entrepreneurial leader with 30 years of experience in founding multiple for-profit companies, and one non-profit organization. In 1983 she founded Communication by Design, a print-oriented graphic design and advertising company. Recognizing a market niche opportunity in 1988, her second company, Motional Images, was the first in the region to provide computer-generated 3-D animation for videos and TV. Selling that division to her largest client in 1994, Nancy now runs Motional Multimedia, a marketing and website development company specializing in non-profit and business-to-business communications. In addition, Nancy is a strong public policy advocate for woman-owned small businesses at the city, state, and national levels. Nancy has a Master of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Kansas.