Gard’s owner is a woman. Four of our six directors are women. And so are two-thirds of the rest of our staff.
So it makes us extra proud to announce we are certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise by Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID).
To us, WBE certification is more than an opportunity to compete fairly for government contracts; it’s confirmation of our record of promoting women leaders – and a reminder that it makes us special.
“We are excited to be officially WBE certified,” said Liz Fuller, Gard’s owner, president and CEO. “It took a lot of hard work – especially by our VP of Operations, Tanya Partem – and it means a lot to us to be known as a business where women leaders can thrive.”
Fuller started at Gard in 2010 as an account manager, and she quickly transitioned into a leadership role, becoming full owner in 2020. That same year, the Portland Metro Chamber recognized Gard as a “A Place with No Ceiling” for supporting, mentoring and fostering the advancement of women. In its announcement of the award, the Chamber called Gard “a truly authentic role model for other businesses.”
In 2023, Gard continued its tradition of advancing strong women leaders by promoting Chelsea Punian to Director of PR and Public Affairs and Hannah Smith to Associate Director of PR. They are already making a difference for our team and our clients.
We’re looking forward to seeing where our WBE certification can help us go from here.