Women in Profile — Dover Area — Summer 2009
Every week we work with outstanding professional women, and with this issue we have decided to do our part in spotlighting some of these fascinating women. On the front cover are just a few of the many women that we have met, and on the inside you will find short profiles on each of these women. In the future months we will be doing more profiling of women from different walks of life.
Sandra Bradford, RT (R), (M)
Director of Women’s Health Services
Mid-Delaware Imaging
710 S. Queen Street
Dover, DE
(302) 734 9888
Sandra Bradford, being a Delawarean for her entire life, really understands the values of community involvement. Born and raised in Dover, Sandra excitedly entered the School of Radiologic Technology in Wilmington, DE in 1981.
Sandra knew the importance of entering the field of Radiology where she could offer a women’s perspective on the overall treatment, care and compassion toward woman battling serious illness. Sandra, most importantly, had the drive to work toward her goals while working two jobs to fund her educational pursuits.
Sandra has excelled in her career taking on this strong interest in Women’s Healthcare. Having advanced her career in Mammography, Sandra moved forward and furthered her education by pursuing the designation of becoming certified in her field.
Sandra is a natural teacher and enjoys being a clinical educator regarding updates in digital technology that Mid-Delaware Imaging now offers. Sandra routinely discusses the advantages of digital mammography as being the standard of care in breast health.
Sandra Bradford will celebrate nineteen years of dedicated service to Mid-Delaware Imaging in Dover. Sandra has developed her career level from Mammography Technologist to Director of Women’s Health Services; this is truly where her passion and devotion remain. Sandra enjoys life’s simpler pleasures such as gardening, decorating and spending time with family which bring her true peace and happiness.
Audrey Ellen Brodie
Owner-Realtor
First Class Properties
www.FirstClassProperties.us
1641 E. Lebanon Road
Dover, DE
302-331-1043
As President of First Class Properties, Audrey Brodie has converted a property management company into a successful independent real estate office in Kent County. Audrey has authored a marketing plan that focuses on growing her personal network to develop sufficient visibility and become a respected real estate resource for residents of Delaware.
Paramount in her marketing plan was the integration of meeting people face-to-face during local events and through generously sponsoring community activities. Dover Air Force Base sponsorship was first on her list, where she and her fellow realtors still spend time at First Class Properties sponsored events. The list of exposure events and locations was endless: Dover Days, Delaware Home Builders Association, Chocolate Festival, Chamber of Commerce, Amish School Sale, Mennonite School Sale, and many more.
Audrey is in the top 5% of realtors for sales volume in Kent County.
She and her husband Ken purchased over 30 homes in Delaware as investment properties to build retirement funds. It was that customer experience in real estate that stimulated Audrey’s interest in becoming a realtor and assisting others in increasing their personal wealth using real estate as the springboard.
Her marketing strategy continues to grow to include participation as Secretary to the Dover Colonial Rotary Club, member of the Greater Dover Committee, originator of a statewide Investors Guild, and much more. Most recently Audrey was appointed the Honorary Commander for the Medical Operations Squadron at Dover Air Force Base.
Ann Bell
Interior Designer/Project Manager
Design Services, ltd.
1403 Silverside Professional Park
Wilmington, DE 19810
Telephone: 302-475-5663
Cell #: 302-528-0988
abell@dsltdonline.com
www.dsltdonline.com
Ann Bell is an interior designer and project manager with Design Services, ltd. of Wilmington, Delaware. Design Services, ltd. is a full service interior design firm and a recognized leader in providing turnkey services for dental and medical professionals, as well as commercial and residential interiors for over 25 years.
Ann brings over 15 years of commercial design and project management experience to the firm. Having worked for several national store chains, she has extensive experience in retail store design, as well as corporate interior design and construction management. Ann is working closely with Rita Wilkins, President of Design Services, to expand their medical, dental, corporate and residential customer base in Kent and Sussex counties.
Ann believes that the most important part of her job is to really listen to her clients’ wants, needs, and “wish lists,” so that she can help them make their interior design goals and visions a reality! “We do our best to understand the business challenges that our clients face. We work hard to develop a design strategy that will enhance the client’s business and branding, solve their space planning needs, as well as provide a substantial return on their investment.”
Ann grew up in Dover, Delaware and is a graduate of the University of Delaware. Ann currently resides in Kennett Square, PA, with her husband, Jim, and two daughters, Megan and Lauren. She is a very active community volunteer and an executive PTO board member. When Ann isn’t at work, or at her daughters’ school, she’s on the soccer sidelines cheering
on Megan and Lauren’s soccer teams!
Kelly A. McKown
President,
Incorporating Services, Ltd.
www.INCserv.com
302.531.0855
It is not easy to peg Kelly as one particular type of person. Executive, mother, wife, Air Force TSGT, pageant queen and adventure seeker can all describe Kelly at some point during her life. Kelly served in the US Air Force Reserves as an Aeromedical Evacuation Technician on a C130 aircraft while simultaneously competing in pageants and working; all to pay for college. She did it the hard way, but was determined to be the first in her family to get a 4-year degree and did so in 1988. She reached the top-10 in the Miss Kansas Pageant in 1990. She was deployed in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She spent 10 days rafting and fly fishing in the remote regions of Southeastern Alaska. She’s fly fished, snow skied, hiked, biked and roller bladed through amazing parts of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Kelly is originally from Littleton, Colorado and moved to Dover twelve years ago to marry John and help run the family’s incorporating business. It was later sold, twice, which is when she came to Incorporating Services and took over as its first woman president. She has eight year old twins and is married to John McKown of Delaware.Net, Inc. She’s been with Incorporating Services for five years and they provide corporate filing, document retrieval, registered agent and UCC services to lawyers, accountants, corporations, banks and entrepreneurs.
Heather Pleasants
Spa Director
Toppers Spa Salon at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
1131 North DuPont Highway
Dover, DE. 19901
PH: (302) 857-2020
hpleasants@toppersspa.com
“I love openings- I love new beginnings.” That is just what Heather has had a great deal of these past 5 years, since leaving New York City, her home for 22 years, to come to Delaware. “I won’t lie, it was a culture shock” Heather says of leaving her brownstone on New York’s Upper East Side, to relocate here in Delaware to help care for her Mother, and to change her life- “In Manhattan, usually, life is all about you, about your career, fame, money, all of it- I was tired of that life, and I wanted to give back- Delaware has allowed me to do this, and to utilize my professional skills in a truly dream job.”
Heather took on the opening and operation of Toppers newest Spa Salon, at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino almost two years ago, and has not looked back. Heather has been in Management in the Health Club/Spa Industry for 20 years- From Commercial Facilities to Private Condominium Facilities, to Resort/Hotel Facilities, culminating to opening the first full-service Spa at the landmark Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.
“I have been fortunate and truly honored to work in some of the finest, and most prestigious properties in the world- this has afforded me such a rich and wonderful experience, that I am happy to pass along here in Delaware. From 5-Diamond Customer Service training, to selecting the best therapists and stylists in the area, I know Delaware definitely appreciates and is ready for a more sophisticated, truly luxurious Hotel/Resort Spa- the response we have received from not only the Hotel and Casino, but from the community, has been tremendous!” With the opening of the incredibly beautiful Toppers Spa Salon at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, “Stunning is the word I would use”- states Heather. It is a full-service Spa Salon, with Hair, Skin, Nail, Body and Massage treatments with the finest Stylists/Therapists in the area.
“I always like to say Delaware has restored my faith in humanity-and I am happy to return the favor by offering a bit of relaxation, warmth, luxury and opulence to Delawareans – you deserve it!”
Arlene M. Benton, Esquire
Law Offices of CURLEY & RODRIGUEZ, LLC
250 Beiser Blvd., Suite 202
Dover, Delaware 19904
abenton@csrdelaw.com
Phone: (302) 674-3333
Fax: (302) 672-7478
Arlene M. Benton, Esquire is an Attorney with the Law Firm of Curley & Rodriguez, LLC.
Born Arlene M. Girgis, Mrs. Benton is a Native Delawarean, who was born and raised in Dover, Delaware. She is a graduate of Dover High School and the University of Delaware, where she majored in Criminal Justice and had a double minor in History and Political Science.
She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law in 1997 and is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She is licensed to practice law in Delaware and Maryland.
Mrs. Benton focuses her practice on Real Estate Law (Residential and Commercial), Business & Corporate Law, Contracts & Leases, and Wills.
She is frequently asked to speak at real estate and business seminars in
Kent County.
Mrs. Benton is married to her husband of 10 years, Benjhe Benton, and they have two sons: 4 year old Trace Benton, and seventeen month old Alex Benton. They reside in Dover and attend Calvary Assembly of God Church.
Photos Provided By:
Royal Photography
Royal Photography’s owner, Roy McDowell, brings a wealth of experience, both creative and business, along with an unmatched ability to put people at ease, to every occasion he photographs.
Over the past 18 years, Roy McDowell has captured by that” moment for more than 300 brides and grooms and preserved high school memories too numerous to count. Such exposure has led Roy to become one of the most recognizable photographers in Delaware. He creates a lasting impression, not only of an event, but of himself. The pride, precision, and passion he exudes has compelled brides-to-be to track down, “the photographer who took their senior portrait years before”.
Roy exhibits this same commitment and customer service when working with the many schools and businesses with whom he’s managed contracts. “The consumer drives the product I
provide; not the other way around”.
With the help and support of family, friends, and business associates, Roy McDowell strives to achieve his goal of providing an unforgettable experience with superior photographs, exceptional customer focus, and lasting relationships.
Royal Photography
Phone: 302-438-1308
E-mail: royalphotogde@aol.com
Cover Photos Shot on Location at The Governor’s Mansion
Hair Styling & Makeup Provided By:
Toppers Spa Salon at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
“A world away, right around the corner”
Toppers Spa Salon, a pioneer in the Spa Industry for over 28 years, operating Spas in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is proud of their newest venture, Toppers Spa Salon at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Dover, Delaware.
With the opening of the newest Spa, and in keeping with the company’s motto, Toppers Spa Salon welcomes you to the beautiful Island of Bali, known for its natural beauty, ancient spiritual and healing rituals, and its incredible artisans.
The interior of the Spa was actually imported from Bali; From the beautiful hand-engraved Teak and Limestone doors, to two(2) spectacular bamboo “Meditation Huts” , to the hand-sculpted statues, the gold 
ceilings, and stone walkways, Toppers has succeeded in creating an inviting, tranquil, and beautiful paradise to transport the guest from Dover, Delaware to the Island of Bali!
One of our many special features is our hand carved, “Bamboo Meditation Huts” created and imported from Bali, featuring beautiful Balinese or “Bali “ Lounge 
Chairs, and ancient Japanese Tea Service served in a Cast Iron Pot.
Toppers Spa features many signature treatments called “Spa Experiences”, which set the standard in Luxury. Our Spa experiences are a collection of journeys for any schedule and budget with such names as: “The Classic Day”, “The Grand Escape”, “The First Class Trip”, “The Gentleman’s Excursion”, “The Perfect Getaway”, “The Quiet Retreat” and “The Blissful Holiday.” A virtual around the world excursion for your body, these therapies will leave you feeling recharged, nourished and in a peaceful state of mind. Make relaxation your destination with “A world away, right around the corner.”
Toppers Spa Salon is thrilled to help make Dover Downs Hotel & Casino a true resort destination!
Heather Pleasants, Spa Director
Toppers Spa Salon (302) 857-2020 (x1804
Photos Shot on Locations at The Governor’s Mansion
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