Nancy K. Hyde, president, Hyde & Company CPAs is the winner of the 2007 Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award, while Kimberly Smith, owner of Picture This! Ornaments is the 2007 Emerging Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The awards were presented at the conclusion of CONCILIA III: Taking & Minimizing Risks held today at the OklahomaHeritageCenter, 1400 Classen Drive in Oklahoma City.

"We are so pleased to honor these two outstanding businesswomen for their work in building successful Oklahoma businesses," said Darcie Harris, president and founder, EWF International. "It's ever more meaningful that we are is helping other women grow their business. This is what we're all about."

Applicants for the 2007 Female Entrepreneur of the Year must have had started, and currently run, their business. They must also be a 50 percent or more owner, have been operating for minimum of five years, and the business must have been profitable for most current two years. Applicants must also have a strategic plan in place for the business, and they must be involved in sharing their wisdom and experience with others, whether formally or informally.  Those submitting nominations for the 2007 Emerging Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award must have had been operating for 12 months to three years, they must have started and currently run the business, be a 50 percent or more owner, and must have been profitable in the most current year.

All submissions were reviewed and judged by an independent panel of judges: Clytie Bunyan, business editor, The Oklahoman; Risha Grant, publisher/editor-in-chief, Xposure Business Magazine; Darcie Henderson, Coppermark Bank; and Dylan Waddle, deputy executive director, Love's Entrepreneurship Center, Oklahoma City University. Each section of each application was awarded a numerical value of one to five, with one being the lowest score. The maximum amount of points any application could accrue was 40. Each applicant's scores were then totaled, and their comprehensive total was used in choosing the both the finalists and the winners in each category.

Finalists for the 2007 Emerging Female Entrepreneur of the Year were Smith and Carrie Irwin, CEO of Wet Ink. Finalists for the 2007 Female Entrepreneur of the Year were: Hyde; Pam Fountain, president, Principal Technologies; Bonnie Hagemann, CEO, Executive Development Associates; Amy James, CEO, Six Things; and Colleen Payne-Nabors, president & CEO, MCI Diagnostic Center.

More information is available by calling (405) 843-3934.