BMO Harris Bank honors three Milwaukee trailblazers

Annual awards honor women for their contributions to business and their communities

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Harris Bank announced three BMO Celebrating Women honorees in Milwaukee last night. The women were nominated by local BMO Harris employees and selected for their professional achievements and impact on the community.

The bank surprised the three honorees on Monday at a reception held at the Pfister Hotel. Receiving accolades in each of the three categories were:

• Women Who Lead: Erica Elia, owner of Classy Girl Cupcakes. Elia opened her first retail bakery in Milwaukee in 2010 and since then has grown her business from one to 25 employees. In 2017 she opened her second location and is now serving hundreds of weddings and events per year.
• Women Who Serve: Thelma A. Sias, public speaker and key connector to business, community and political leaders. Sias is a retired executive of WE Energies who still holds leadership roles in the Milwaukee community and has worked tirelessly with dozens of non-profit organizations – including United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public Library – to help fundraise, build capacity and strengthen their futures.
• Women Who Inspire: Linda Gorens-Levey, partner at General Capital Group. Apart from managing complex real estate developments, Gorens-Levey assists with the firm's risk management, marketing and technology. Before joining General Capital, she was a managing director at Stark Investments, a multi strategy hedge fund, and helped guide the firm's growth from under $1 billion in assets to over $14 billion.

"These women are community trailblazers and role models who have taken great strides to better their communities," said Jud Synder, president of BMO Harris's Equipment Finance business. "It's exciting to honor these three women who embody BMO's purpose to boldly grow the good in business and life."

BMO Harris Bank strives to be an industry leader in fostering diversity and inclusion. Earlier this year, BMO was recognized by Forbes' Magazine as one of America's Best Employers for Women.

The BMO Celebrating Women program was created to honor the achievements of women leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and innovators who are excelling in their business and making an impact in their communities. Since 2012, BMO has awarded more than 170 women in communities across Canada and the United States. For more information about BMO Celebrating Women, please visit: bmoforwomen.com and join the social conversation using #BMOforWomen.

About BMO Harris BankBMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through more than 500 branches and fee-free access to over 40,000 ATMs across the United States. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the United States. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, visit the company fact sheet. Accounts are subject to approval. BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a highly diversified financial services provider with total assets of CDN$839 billion, as of (July 31, 2019.), and more than 45,000 employees.

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SOURCE BMO Harris Bank