CWIT Hosts Annual Charleston Soirée, Honors Jessica Sage as Woman of the Year
Charleston Women in International Trade Hosts Annual Charleston Soirée
Will Honor Jessica Sage, Owner of Charleston’s Rigging and Marine Hardware, Inc., as CWIT’s 2017 Woman of the Year, and Award $10,000 in Scholarships
Our notable Woman of the Year, Jessica Sage, Co‐Owner and Chief Financial Officer for Charleston’s Rigging and Marine Hardware, Inc., providing industrial equipment, custom fabricated rigging and crane services to commercial, government and industrial customers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. They currently operate in three locations, have 40 employees, and are aggressively expanding their business in the upstate, North Carolina and Georgia. Ms. Sage is a believer in professional development and has completed leadership courses through the City Chambers of Commerce in both Columbia and Charleston. She is currently active in the Women’s Presidents Organization, a prestigious group that provides training, resources and a wealth of professional support to women who are business owners with a minimum of 2 million product revenues. Ms. Sage is also very active in the Maritime Association of South Carolina and is currently serving on the board as Vice‐chair while on the steering committee for SC Waterfront Works, which will have its inaugural event this June.
Past recipients of this prestigious award include Anita Zucker (Chairwoman and CEO of The InterTech Group, 2016), Elizabeth “Liz” Brabham (Wando Trucking, 2015), Barbara Melvin (SC Ports Authority, 2014), Pam Zaresk (Maritime Association of SC, 2013), and Christian MacIver (MeadWestvaco, 2012).
Ms. Sage was born in Virginia and moved to Charleston with her parents and brother when she was young. She graduated from Wando High School, then attended Trident Technical College where she earned an Associate Degree in Science. She then attended the College of Charleston, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Soon after her graduation, she went to work for ArborGen, Inc. in a scale‐up laboratory. She is named on a patented process of harvesting plant embryos for large scale tree production. She also worked to expand the cold tolerance hardiness of Eucalyptus. Both of which are cutting‐edge biotechnical processes in use today.
In 2007, Ms. Sage left ArborGen, Inc. and went to work for Charleston’s Rigging ‐ her parents’ business. She took on various roles in the company including Human Resources, Office Manager and Payroll and she successfully managed the migration of various IT systems into a connected, cohesive platform. When it was time for her parents to retire, Ms. Sage and her brother bought the family business. Charleston’s Rigging customers include stevedores, bridge builders, export packaging and international manufacturing companies. She is currently the CFO and oversees the company’s financial and IT functions.
Ms. Sage describes the people that she works with as family and she and her business are both well respected by customers such as SCANA, McAllister Towing and SC Ports Authority. She is business savvy, professional, and gives excellent service to the entire supply chain; her warm and friendly demeanor make Jessica Sage an excellent role model for women in the community.
Our scholarship recipients are Lauren Pershouse who will be attending graduate school at University of South Carolina in July; Ashley Markow who attends the College of Charleston majoring in Business Administration with concentration in Global Logistics and Transportation; Brenna Jozwiak who is majoring in Supply Chain and Information Management at College of Charleston and graduating in May of this year; David Custer who is currently in high school and has been accepted to the University of South Carolina where he will major in International Business and Economics.
The award recipients will be honored at CWIT’s 15th annual meeting, the Charleston Soirée, on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at Founders Hall, Charles Towne Landing.
There are several sponsorship opportunities or individual tickets can be purchased online for $75.00. Cocktails, networking, and live entertainment by The Purcells will start at 6:00 pm and the dinner program will follow at 7:00 pm ‐ catered by Cru Catering.
About Charleston Women in International Trade:
Founded in 2001 as a chapter of the International Organization of Women in International Trade, CWIT is a nonprofit professional organization. Our mission is to enhance the status of women who work in the field of international trade by presenting educational and networking events to benefit our common goals. Membership includes both women and men who share an interest in international trade and are professionals in finance, public relations, government, freight forwarding, international law, agriculture, sales and marketing, import/export, logistics, transportation and maritime industries.