Big Green Breakthrough

The Women Presidents Organization, an association of women whose companies earn $2 million or more annually, made sustainability the keystone of their annual conference this year by recognizing several women whose commitment to protecting the planet has been not only inspiring but profitable.

Of the many entrepreneurs recognized, my favorite was Susan V. Daywitt, CEO of SLM-Facility Solutions Nationwide. The feisty exec brought the audience of over 600 to applause and cheers several times as she described what her company does: recycle waste (like cardboard, grass clippings and discarded produce) back into topsoil “so the nation can grow more healthy food,” she said.

Her company also converts grease and cooking oil into biodiesel to power cars and trucks “so the nation can ease its dependence on foreign oil.”

When asked how she deals with adversity, she said she thumbs her nose at competitors and ignores those who tell her she “can’t.”

“Yes, I can,” she says – and her successful track record proves it!