Green Bay Press-Gazette - <B>Entrepreneur succeeds by giving voice to the needy</B>

Posted May 24, 2005

Entrepreneur succeeds by giving voice to the needy

By Judy Waggoner
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

Bowman Performance Consulting

Address: 271 River Pine Drive, Shawano.
Owner: Nicole Bowman-Farrell.
Education: 1993, bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education, St. Norbert College, De Pere; 1996, master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, Lesley College, Cambridge, Mass.; 1997-2005, doctorate studies, department of educational leadership and policy analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Number of employees: 10.
Firm’s average annual gross revenue: $650,000.
Certifications: 2004 Approved Reading First Service Provider, Bureau of Indian Affairs; 2004 Federal 8a, Woman, Native American and Small Disadvantaged Business, U.S. Small Business Administration; 2002 No Child Left Behind Service Provider, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; 2001 State/Federal Native American Business, Wisconsin and U.S. Department of Commerce.
Appointments: 2005 Governor’s Wisconsin Women’s Council; 2004 Governor’s Interagency Collaborative Council.
On the Web: www .nbowmanconsulting.com
SHAWANO — Nicole Bowman-Farrell, 34, sees herself as a competitive athlete, whether training to win a spot on the Olympic bodybuilding team or growing her Shawano-based business, Bowman Performance Consulting.

Bowman-Farrell started a scientific research and analysis sole proprietorship in 2001 with two clients. Today, she has 10 employees and annual net income that increased 269 percent in 2002.

“I was an athlete growing up and it just carries over into my business,” she said. “(Meeting fiscal projections) is almost like a game.”

Seven years ago she competed for a spot on the Olympic bodybuilding team. A natural (which means drug-free) bodybuilder, she won the heavyweight title at the Northern States championship in 1996, placed second in 1997, and in 1998 won both the Junior Wisconsin and Miss Natural Wisconsin titles.

Born in Milwaukee, Bowman-Farrell moved with her family to Shawano County when she was a toddler. Her father is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee band of the Mohican tribe and her mother is Polish.

Bowman-Farrell and her father are enrolled, which means they are recognized as members of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe.

Although her father owned a construction and logging business for more than 25 years, Bowman-Farrell “never thought I would own my own business,” she said.

After receiving a teaching degree from St. Norbert College in De Pere, she taught at the Oneida Tribal School and later at Little Chute Elementary School.

“I enjoyed teaching kids but I wanted a bigger way to make an impact,” Bowman-Farrell said.

So she got a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction so she could potentially influence textbook content.

When she completes her doctrinal thesis this year, she will be the first state American Indian to receive a doctorate in leadership and policy analysis and only the sixth in the 150-year history of the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Education.

“The reason I started this business was to be a mouthpiece for under-represented groups, and not always race and ethnicity but also women and rural people,” Bowman-Farrell said.

Helping disadvantaged

Bowman Performance Consulting provides social science research, evaluation, training and technical assistance for clients in education, private sector business, non-profits and governments.

“Nicky has 8(a) and Small Disadvantaged Business certification with the Small Business Administration (SBA) since July of 2004,” said Jan Nienow, Wisconsin SBA public affairs specialist.

In fiscal year 1998, more than 6,100 firms participated in the 8(a) program and were awarded $6.4 billion in federal contract awards, according to SBA figures.

A project Bowman-Farrell conducted for NASA through Space Explorers in Green Bay explored how women and minorities were under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“We always get answers to the ‘what’ questions, but we never get answers to the ‘why’ questions,” Bowman-Farrell said.

Statistics show that American Indians are the most disadvantaged group in North America in areas including general economic status, health-care access and access to investment capital.

“While there is a perception that Native Americans may receive ‘special treatment,’ there remains great disparity between our quality of life and that which the mainstream and other groups enjoy,” said Leah Dodge, a media consultant and owner of Mutual Turtle, a media and marketing firm in Oneida.

Dodge and Bowman-Farrell are part of a very small group of American Indian women business owners. They apply the values learned from their heritage to their business endeavors.

“Respect for all ages and walks of life, family cohesiveness, willingness to assist disadvantaged individuals and advocacy for human rights are values that are strongly reflected in Nicky’s business practices,” Dodge said.

Melanie Shively is Bowman-Farrell’s administrative assistant. The pair participated in high school sports together and were college roommates.

“The values from Nicky’s heritage are carried over into the business in her respect for others and how people friendly the business is,” she said.

In January, Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Bowman-Farrell to the Wisconsin Women’s Council and last year she was named to the Governor’s Interagency Collaborative Council.

“I like to be in mainstream conversations; I am a trained social scientist,” Bowman-Farrell said.

— Judy Waggoner writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton.