Montana woman of the year
by STACEY LISHOK - Ravalli Republic
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Local businesswoman Elizabeth Neff was named 2008 Montana Woman of the Year by the Montana Woman Foundation.
WILL MOSS - Ravalli Republic
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Animal lover. Business owner. Gardener. Harley rider. Philanthropist. Scuba diver.
There are a variety of words to describe Hamilton’s Elizabeth Neff.
Her husband uses “special,” her coworkers “generous,” “understanding” and “motherly.”
Five more words just got added to the list - Montana Woman of the Year.
“I don’t know why they chose me,” Neff said. “For me, what I’ve done, what they’re honoring me for is just a normal thing.”
The Montana Woman Foundation bestowed the honor on Neff at a luncheon in Kalispell on Sept. 10, much to her surprise.
Neff’s coworker, Tricia Whalen, had tricked her boss into thinking she was attending an insurance conference.
It was Whalen who nominated Neff to the Montana Woman Foundation, a relatively young nonprofit organization established to extend a helping hand to other women in the state.
Whalen saw an ad in the Ravalli Republic in June for nominations for the Woman of the Year program to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of inspiring women in Montana communities.
“I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving,” Whalen, a 12-year employee for Neff and Flooring America, said. “She has done so much and touched so many so positively, that I thought it was worth a shot.”
Whalen collected three letters of recommendation for Neff, two personal and one business, and sent them into the foundation.
After gathering more information per the foundation’s request, Whalen was on vacation when she got the call about Neff’s recognition.
“I called our insurance contact and told him to ‘set up’ a meeting in Kalispell on that date,” Whalen said. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
And it was.
“(Whalen) told me we had a meeting to go to,” Neff said. “I walked in and it was just all these women. We introduced ourselves and they hustled us to the front table.”
The foundation talked about Neff and why she was receiving the honor.
“It was very humbling to hear them talk about me,” Neff said.
Neff won the honor while two women were chosen for runners-up, Lucy Smith of Kalispell and Diana Myers of Great Falls.
“I think (the runner-ups) make great role models but the whole concept behind Montana Woman of the Year was to recognize somebody who makes Montana better and I think Elizabeth just does that everyday.”
The foundation announced Neff as the winner with a quote from Helen Keller, “I am only one. I cannot do everything. But I can do something. And what I should do and can do, I will do.”
Neff is humble when it comes to talking about how she gives back to the community.
“I just do what I can when I can,” Neff said. “I really don’t want people to know what I do. That’s not the purpose of helping in the community. There are so many people that do more than I do.”
Through her business and personally, Neff has helped with Habitat for Humanity, participates in Project Hope, the American Cancer Society and Bitterroot CASA. Neff also sponsors weekly ads for cat adoptions from the local animal shelter.
“The reason we do that is I have way too many cats,” Neff said. “The older cats usually don’t get a home. That’s why I keep it to older cats.”
Along with her philanthropic tendencies, Whalen said she also nominated Neff for the type of boss she is at Flooring America.
For Neff that’s the kind of boss she would want to have.
“I have a few beliefs and one is that people spend more time at work than they do anywhere else and they need to enjoy that since it’s such a large part of their life,” Neff said. “And I also believe that if people aren’t happy at home then they’re not going to do as well at work. So if you have a single mom that needs to be off at a certain time or somebody needs to get to a school play or somebody that wants to do something with their family or the community, it’s well worth my effort to make that happen and make a good working environment.”
After a “tough upbringing,” Neff said she never went to college but instead got her GED and was always dabbling in business projects and now runs the local flooring business with her husband Jim.
“I believe in people,” Neff said. “If no one had stuck out their hand and given me a chance, I wouldn’t be where I am ... I like to give people opportunities they may not otherwise have. You have to give people an opportunity to become whatever they’re going to become.”
For Whalen, that meant signing on as an accountant but then becoming a salesperson.
“She finally decided I had a talent for this and she taught me how to do it,” Whalen said. “She has mentored many people in this profession ... the store and the environment she’s created has helped many people blossom.”
One of those is Flooring America’s warehouse supervisor Mike Knight.
“She tries to help us out and do what she can to make your life better,” Knight said. “Me personally, I would’ve never had the chance to work here if it weren’t for her.”
For the adventure-loving but media-shy Neff it’s uncomfortable for “getting noticed for something I don’t want to be noticed for.”
“I don’t think I’m special,” Neff said. “This is just the way people should live life.”
Staff reporter Stacey Lishok can be reached at 363-3300 or slishok@ravallirepublic.com
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