Honored: Janice Berthold










Janice Berthold recognized as Woman of Achievement

By Leigh Ann Maze

Saratogan Janice Berthold was honored for her accomplishments in small business at the 27th annual Women of Achievement Awards ceremony on Nov. 10 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.

Berthold started her small business, JBerthold Insurance Service Inc. in Campbell in 1989. Berthold and her nine employees, all women, serve the risk-management needs of small to mid-size companies in the Silicon Valley.

"It is a great honor," Berthold said of the award. "I'm so proud of my staff, we have a really great team of employees."

Women from throughout the Silicon Valley who make a difference in their communities, excel in their field and help the advancement of women are nominated by their peers in 14 different categories for awards ranging from arts to volunteerism. A panel of nine judges selected from the community chooses award recipients. Names and identifying information are withheld on the applications in a "blind" judging process.

More than 200 Bay Area women have been recognized since the non-profit Women's Fund and the San Jose Mercury News teamed up to put on the event in 1972, according to Saratogan Enid Allison, founder of the Women's Fund and the Women of Achievement Awards.

"This valley is so rich with women who are achievers in so many different and nontraditional roles," she said.

Allison says she remembers the very first Women of Achievement Award, given to scientist Ellen Weaver. Weaver later told the Women's Fund that she was largely ignored and passed up for promotions in her male-dominated field until the award launched her on her career.

"I think each woman in each category will have a similar story," Allison said.

According to Women's Fund president Jennie Z. Meehan, the 14 women chosen from 60 to 90 nominees each year are not necessarily high-profile women in their field.

"The goal is to recognize women who are role models in the community," she said. "It's about recognizing your neighbor or your daughter or your mother for all the wonderful things she's done in her lifetime."

Although she doesn't advertise, Berthold said her company has grown successful through referrals and word of mouth. The firm was listed in the San Jose Business Journal's Book of Lists as one of the area's fastest-growing companies. Berthold said her company's employees have been recognized for their responsive and personalized service.

Aside from her successful small business, Berthold has also participated in Second Harvest Food Bank, YWCA, HOPE Rehabilitation Services (which serves clients with developmental disabilities), Girl Scouts, The National Association of Women Business Owners and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis Bay Area Parents Club, among others.

Although the Women of Achievement awards is a highly publicized annual event, the Women's Fund is always working behind the scenes to encourage and support all women, according to Colleen Wilcox, county superintendent of schools, who won in the education category.

"By acknowledging a few of us each year, it's an affirmation of the possibilities for all young women," she said.

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