Presentation Speech for the Accolades Award Recipient for 1996, Karen Selley, for the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

by Mary Helsaple

When I was asked to create a painting for this year’s Accolade Award, I wanted to find a subject that reflected the purposes and goals of the members of this organization and represented the strengths and attributes of our awardee.  With helpful input from Michele Balderston, Marilyn Newell, and Kathy Skiles, I settled my attention on the very special image, ...that of the  ‘Hummingbird’.

The reasons for this choice, I think, will become clear once I share with you a few of the hummingbirds’ remarkable abilities.

Some of these fragile, yet extremely hardy little birds fly from Canada and the US, across the Gulf of Mexico, to as far as the tip of South America.   And all without receiving a single frequent flier mile.

There are over 320 different species of hummingbirds and they all co-exist in overlapping spaces, yet none sport the identical feather patterns.

Hummingbirds also provide reliable transportation for many small microscopic insects, which must find a way to move from one canopy plant to another on a regular schedule.  And that includes weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The typical hummingbird fits neatly in the teaspoon sitting on your table and they weight less than a packet of coffee sweetener.  Regardless of being the smallest of all species of birds, hummingbirds travel great distances and fly as high as birds 100 times their size.

The brain of the Hummingbird constitutes 42 % of it’s body weight.

The hummingbirds heart constitutes an additional 20 %.  The rest must be feathers.

Pretty impressive credentials for a such a bird that too often goes un-noticed in the scheme of things.

I placed the hummingbird in this award in a rainforest setting,

because there, hummingbirds contribute directly to the profitability, sustainability and well being of the entire eco-system.

They harvest simple sugar water as a food source, while at the same time pollinating many of the plants.

Their simple action contributes to the development of millions of tons of seeds and fruit which in turn sustain the majority of the other forest inhabitants, including it’s people.

Hummingbirds are masters at exploiting resources.  

They use fragile spider webs to hold their nest together, and they can place themselves into a state of suspended animation to conserve energy when necessary.

A unique trait of the female hummingbird is to quietly slip in for nectar while the males fight over territory.

She wisely builds up her strength for the daunting tasks she knows lie ahead.

Are some similarities and parallels beginning to take shape here yet  ?

All species of Hummingbirds combine grace, beauty and skill to make optimum use of their environment,

and they’ve developed the ability to overcome difficult obstacles with guile and finesse.

Great brain-power, a large heart, and always helping others.  

These are also the very special traits exhibited by this years Accolade award recipient.

Please join me in saluting this year’s Accolade award winner

Karen Selley, CEO of Cheyenne Mountain Alliance.

This year’s Accolades recipient was the first Director of Occupational Therapy at Cheyenne Mountain Alliance and was responsible for all training and communication programs.  In January 1993, she advanced to the position and responsibility of CEO.

Since 1990, she has steered Cheyenne Mountain Resource & Cheyenne Mountain Training  from a 1 million dollar annual revenue company with 23 employees to 6 million and 130 employees.

I’m sure that,  in the day to day operations of running a rapidly growing, company, she has had to use more than spiders webs and sugar water to succeed in this competitive business world.  I’m also sure that she has employed all her brain power and heart to train and lead her staff forward to success.

In 1994, CMT was ranked number 225 on INC. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.

Also, in 1994, the parent company  CMR/CMT founded Cheyenne Mountain Alliance, and Karen is now co-owner and CEO of this company.

Recently the Colorado Business Journal ranked Cheyenne Mountain Alliance  55th among Colorado’s Top 100 Women-Owned Companies, it was also ranked in the top 250, Privately Owned Business’s in the State of Colorado.

Karen is also President of the Occupational Therapy Association, and on the editorial board of ‘Rehab Management’ magazine.  She is the Board Vice President for the National Association of Rehabilitation Agencies and has been on the Board of  Directors for the Diabetes Education and Support Center since 1993.

Hummingbirds, and our 1996 Accolades Award winner have a lot in common. I’m sure she could easily fly to the tip of South America and back -  NO PROBLEM.

It is our honor,  on behalf of all the members of the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber , to present to you, the 1996 ‘Business Leader of the Year’ Award.

Karen Selley of Cheyenne Mountain Alliance