Joan Waters: A Woman of Distinction!
On 17th November, Joan Waters our CEO, one of 26 nominees, recieved a coveted ‘Women of Distinction Award’ at a prestigious and sold out award ceremony in Philadelphia.
This award, presented by the Philadelphia Business Journal, is to honor women who have been deemed the most influential in their business community. The event was presented by PNC and co-hosted by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
The evening began with an opportunity to enjoy cocktails, hors d’ouevres and networking, followed by the awards presentation. After the presentation honoring each of the recipients, a dessert reception was held.
14 of us from COFCO were fortunate enough to attend the event together with 3 of our manufacturer’s reps who were also on-hand at Vie to support Joan as she was recognized for this prestigious honor. 
Vie is an impressive venue, and this was an event that was really done right, from start to finish. The night began with a networking hour for all attendees during which heavy (and delicious) hors d’oeuvres were served. The awards program followed the networking opportunity and was kicked off by Sandy Smith, the newly appointed Publisher at the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Each honoree was recognized on stage.
During this portion of the evening, each honoree was recognized on stage and was given a plaque.
As each honoree was recognized, a short pre-recorded video of the person was played.
These videos discussed the awardee’s definition of success, what they believe it takes be a female leader and mentor, plus a “fun fact” about each of the 26 honorees. (Joan’s fun fact was that she is an avid college basketball fan and is an avid Duke Men’s basketball fan!)
After the awards were presented, “Team Joan” gathered to take a group photo on stage and to congratulate Joan.
The night ended with a dessert’s reception where those in attendance were again given an opportunity to network.
It was a phenomenal evening and we are all extremely proud of our leader, Joan. She is truly deserving of this distinction.
Alan Einstein, COFCO Owner and Chairman of the Board, summed it up best, saying: 
“Congratulations to Joan for being honored last evening by being selected as one of the 26 women (from a pool of over 200 nominees) as a Woman of Distinction in the Philadelphia region. This was an impressive group of women ranging from major law firms, giant local corporations, non-profits, and city government, and there was NO doubt that Joan belonged in this elite group. We all benefit by Joan representing COFCO and being in the forefront. She gets us recognized and shows how formidable our leadership is. Thanks again to Joan and keep up the great work!”
