Inspiring
WWW.THEOBSERVER.COM | THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
CATHY FISCHER
DEBBIE BJORKNER
Cathy Hair Fashion Center 828 Kearny Ave., Kearny cathyhairfashioncenter.com 201-991-6260
Auto Detailing Center 184 Garfield Ave., Kearny 201-997-5523
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ebbie Bjorkner has owned and operated the Auto Detailing Center for the past 32 years. She has kept current with paint refinishing procedures — and interiorcleaning solutions. “It’s not about me,” she says. “It’s providing solutions for customers’ problems and concerns.” Her business is based on trust, performance and deliverance. “Being better than everyone else’s best is my standard,” Bjorkner says. Debbie seeks to accommodate customers with their schedules since it takes five to six hours to detail each vehicle. She is also available after-hours to make appointments. Vehicle lifts are used to make sure every nook and cranny of a car is cleaned thoroughly. “Many car washes are
not equipped to detail cars this way,” she says. “Some companies won’t spend the time to achieve a high-end detail. They give an attractive price to lure people in only to disappoint them in a short-cut job. Providing a service that offers solutions, quality products and excellent results is paramount.” Though currently located on Garfield Avenue in Kearny, Debbie started her business behind the former Eagan’s Restaurant in North Arlington with the help of the-late Rich Weber, former owner of Weber Auto Body. “I am just thankful for all the business owners who have allowed me to detail their vehicles and who have encouraged me to continue to do an excellent job.”
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‘NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR
– Eleanor Roosevelt
LISA FEORENZO The Observer 39 Seeley Ave., Kearny www.theobserver.com 201-991-1600
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or more than 30 years, Lisa Feorenzo, the co-owner and advertising director of The Observer, has done it all in the newspaper business. Whether it’s in sales, classifieds, editorial, you name it, she’s done it. And all the while, she’s done so in a field that is predominantly male-dominated. But she hasn’t only done it all — she’s done it well. Now, step back in time to 2002. Tragedy
CONSENT.’
had just struck when Feorenzo’s step-dad, Anthony Tortoreti, died suddenly. She was immediately and without the ability to say “no” thrust into taking over the newspaper’s reigns as its publisher along with Robert P. Pezzolla, the-then “new” general manager. At that time, the newspaper was struggling. She had to make significant changes — almost without a chance to give it all a second thought — to
ensure The Observer would survive. Not only did it survive in a period where countless weekly and daily newspapers were shutting down — it flourished. Advertising revenues jumped to levels never-before-seen. The page count jumped. Businesses, realtors and classified seekers from all the eight towns The Observer covers were flocking here. Technology became an absolute must. And the rest, as they say, is history. After a brief time away from the newspaper, Feorenzo and her sister, Tina, returned to The Observer in January 2017 following the tragic and unexpected death of the newspaper’s long-time matriarch,
or 44½ years, Cathy Fischer has owned and operated Cathy Hair Fashion Center, Inc. When she first opened, she did so to be close to her mom who, at the time, was not well. “There were two I was looking at and this one was (more affordable) at the time,” she says. “The rest is history.” Indeed, it is. For more than four decades, she has had scores of customers who keep coming back. That first day was Oct. 1, 1974. In addition to cuts, Fischer’s salon offers coloring, perms, highlights and even manicures. But what is it that keeps her clients coming back? It’s simple, according to Fischer. “I absolutely love what I do,” she says. “(I also have been very proud
Mary Tortoreti, who had served as president since 2002 — also following the death of Anthony Tortoreti. In the time since she returned, Feorenzo has overseen a renaissance of sorts with the Classified Department, where there’s been a significant jump in business. She also oversaw a complete redesign of the newspaper to give it a beautiful new look. The Observer has also grown online including live Facebook news and overall larger presence on social media. Yet through it all, modesty remains the word of the day for Feorenzo, who decided 2019 was the right time to feature women — during Women’s History Month — who, like her, own businesses.
and fortunate to have experienced staff through the years. I love that when people leave here, they feel better about themselves. That keeps me going.”) That and the reality that Fischer continues with her training to learn all the new styles and trends. “It’s important to use quality products and to keep updating your skills (as a hair dresser),” she says. And indeed, it’s one of the many reasons why Fischer has a long way to go still. “When you love what you do, it makes going to work that much easier,” she says. “When a customer leaves feeling good and leaves with a smile, I know I have done my job. I am grateful for each and every one of our customers. Past and present.”
“We’ve seen some of the best entrepreneurs possible,” Feorenzo says. “They all come from different backgrounds and fields, but one thing unites them all — success. Whether it’s in law, education, day care, politics, the martial arts, the funeral business, hair dressing, car detailing, finances and other fields, every single woman we highlighted has demonstrated great success. “We are very fortunate to live where women are very well represented in the communities. And I consider myself very fortunate to do business and to live among these fantastic women.” And for sure, they’ll all be doing business here for many, many more years to come.