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M. Marie Bak
Founder & Chairwoman, SDQ, Inc. (Service, Dependability, Quality)
Wife of a top executive and former DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) agent who lived in Poland and Germany, Marie Bak wanted to create a family business of her own. When a key investor fell through, she boot-strapped her young commercial cleaning services company by scrubbing floors herself and ultimately earning the respect of Fortune 500 executives like Curt Carlson who recognized that her business plan combined with her vision and work ethic were destined for success. After 20 years, this 4'11" tall grandmother has made SDQ the largest non-union commercial cleaning service in the Twin Cities. SDQ's workforce is 99% immigrants, and Marie has been a godmother to them, providing specialized training and treating them as professionals. Many of Marie's employees and their families have been with SDQ from the beginning. SDQ remains one of the top women-owned businesses in Minnesota on The Business Journal’s top 25 list. Marie will share how her empathy and dedication to her family of employees and vision continue to change the rules of success in this traditionally male industry.
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