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28 Hartford Business Journal • April 7, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com Women In Business 2014 State-of-the-art phone systems that Improve Productivity Leasing pLans avaiLabLe Call Us Toll Free 888-432-7285 203-234-4900 Allows for easier, more direct collaboration between co-workers, clients and suppliers. GRANITE CommuniCations, inC. www.granitecomm.com For a FREE onsite consultation >> See our newest products and services including Cloud Based Phone Systems Extended service plan for HBJ readers!* * Offer ends 4/30/14. New plans only. Ask for details. Protect your data, reputation and future with customized Backup and Disaster Recovery solutions from The Walker Group. Call us today to get started. 860.678.3530 When it comes to your data, Walker has your back-ups. Farmington, CT | info@thewalkergroup.com | www.TheWalkerGroup.com About the Judges Andrea Obston Andrea Obston is presi- dent of Andrea Obston Mar- keting Communications LLC in Bloomfield. The firm mobilizes tra- ditional, web-based and social media as tools in brand development, public and media relations and cri- sis communications. It helps build, enhance and defend brand reputations that lead to business success. Its subsidiary, Andrea Obston Crisis Management, focuses on helping clients pre-crisis to create crisis commu- nications plans. It also assists clients during crises to man- age communications. Their experience has been singled out by the readers of the Connecticut Law Journal as one of the state's premier public relations firms for the past six years. Obston is a contributing author to the 2012 book "Media Magnetism — How to Attract the Favorable Publicity You Want and Deserve." Anne Elvgren Anne Elvgren is presi- dent of Elvgren Associates, a business development and public relations firm serving professional and financial services compa- nies and small businesses. She previously served as chief marketing officer at Blum Shapiro & Co. and Robinson & Cole. She was honored as one of the Eight Remarkable Women in Business in 2013. Elvgren is a member of the MetroHartford Alliance and Connecticut Business & Industry Association. As a volunteer, she is a trustee of The Mark Twain House & Museum, an overseer of The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, a member of Connecticut's Culture and Tourism advisory committee, corporator of The IQuilt Partnership, and member of the Connecticut Women's Council. Doris Sugarman Doris Sugarman is the executive director and co- founder of The Connecticut Forum. The mission of The Connecticut Forum is to "encourage the free and active exchange of ideas in Forums that inform, challenge, enter- tain, inspire and build bridges among all people and organi- zations in our community." Founded in 1992, The Forum has brought more than 300 world renowned panelists to audiences of 2,600 to talk about a variety of timely and important topics. Sugarman is a founder of The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, and currently serves on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. Her past community involvement includes being a trustee for the CT Women's Hall of Fame and more than a decade of tenure on the board for the Con- necticut Children's Medical Center.