Barbara VanKirk Emcee at 2010 Winners’ Circle Awards Luncheon!

By Jackie under Awards, In The News, Pittsburgh News

Barbara VanKirk, President & Owner of IQ Inc, and the 2009 ATHENA Award®  Winner emceed the 15th Annual Winners’ Circle Luncheon, held on Wednesday, May 19th 2010 at the Four Points Sheraton in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  Congratulations to all of the winners!!!

• Marisa Yaniszeski (Owner, PKSA Karate – Greensburg) – YWCA Rising Star Award

• Meagan Bilik DeFazio, Esq (Associate, Loughran, Mlakar & Bilik) - Award for Community Service

• Bridgeway Capital, (Mark Peterson, President & Angel Marschik, Senior Loan Officer) – Seton Hill Entrepreneurial Excellence Award

• Carol Fox, MD (Interim Chief Medical Officer, Excela Health) – ATHENA Award®

Barbara VanKirk to Receive the Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award from Point Park University!

By Jackie under Awards, In The News, Press Release

Barbara VanKirk will receive the Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award from Point Park University’s Alumni Association.  The award will be presented at the Alumni Awards Banquet on March 27^th, 2010 at Point Park University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Download the press release

IQ Inc. Wins Pittsburgh Business Ethics Award (small business category)!

By Jackie under Awards, In The News, Pittsburgh News, Press Release

It is truly an honor to be among such distinguished companies and to accept this award on behalf of IQ Inc.  At IQ, ethics is a core value.  Receiving this award is a testament to the entire organizations belief that strong ethics lead to success in business.  I am proud to say that each IQ employee continues to exemplify our high standards of ethical conduct. 

Thank you and Congratulations!

Barbara

Download the press release from IQ Inc.

Download the press release from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals

View the article: Three Western Pennsylvania companies get ethics honors (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW)

View the article: Ethical Decisions Applauded (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW)

View the 9th Annual Pittsburgh Business Ethics Awards Brochure

Newsmaker: Barbara VanKirk!

By Jackie under Awards, In The News

Barbara VanKirk was recently profiled by Kim Leonard from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review regarding her involvement with the Parental Stress Center of Pittsburgh and being named the 2009 “Friend of the Family”.

View the complete article

IQ Inc. named as a Finalist for the 9th Annual Pittsburgh Business Ethics Awards in the Small Business Category

By Jackie under Awards, In The News, Press Release

Earlier this week, IQ Inc. was named as a Finalist for the 9th Annual Pittsburgh Business Ethics Awards in the Small Business Category (less than 250 employees) by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals!  Thank you to everyone for helping to contribute to this award!

Download the press release

Barbara VanKirk named the Parental Stress Center’s 2009 Frieda G. Shapira Friend of the Family!

By Jackie under Awards, Press Release

Barbara VanKirk was named the Parental Stress Center’s 2009 Frieda G. Shapira Friend of the Family at the annual Family Celebration held on Tuesday, December 8th 2009 at the Parental Stress Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Download the press release

IQ Employee Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary!

By Jackie under Awards, In The News

Congratulations to Mary Wilkinson who celebrated her 10 Year Anniversary with IQ Inc. this past October!  Mary was recognized at IQ’s holiday party on Friday evening.  Thank you for your service and dedication to IQ! 

Barbara VanKirk honored at the 2009 Winners’ Circle Luncheon!

By Jackie under ATHENA Award, Awards, In The News, Press Release

Barbara VanKirk received the ATHENA Award at the annual Winners’ Circle Luncheon on Wednesday, May 13th 2009 at the Four Points Sheraton in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. 

Download the Press Release

Kudos WBN – VanKirk Honored!

By Jackie under ATHENA Award, Awards, In The News

Barbara VanKirk Wins 2009 ATHENA Award

President and owner of IQ Inc, Barbara VanKirk was announced as the 2009 winner of the ATHENA Award by Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify program. Barbara is a member of the WBN Murrysville chapter. The Athena award is a national award that recognizes an individual who devotes time and energy to improve the quality of life of others, mentors other women to reach their full potential and demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in their business and profession. Barbara established IQ, Inc in 1994 to provide expert consulting, staffing, project management and software development services to companies with information technology and software needs.

Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify, Featured Entrepreneur, April 2009: Barbara VanKirk, President, IQ Inc.

By Jackie under ATHENA Award, Awards, In The News

Entrepreneur Believes In Team-First Success

Barbara VanKirk founded IQ Inc. in 1994 to provide professional consulting and software development services to companies with Information Technology needs and to contribute to the growth of IT professionals in the Pittsburgh area. With the ability to service both large and small businesses concerns, IQ Inc. has earned a reputation for quality and has served the medical, healthcare, transportation, software development, manufacturing, and high tech industries.

“My proudest business accomplishment has been and always will be the team we have assembled. Every single person that has walked through our doors whether an employee, a client or a vendor has contributed to our success,” VanKirk said. “I continue to experience the selfless generosity of each individual whether we are solving an extremely challenging business problem for our client or we are campaigning for cancer research or collecting clothing and food for those less fortunate. I am truly amazed and blessed to have been able to provide an environment where everyone feels they can make a difference.”

IQ Inc. is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) through the Port Authority of Allegheny County and the New Jersey Transit Authority and a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBENC) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

“I proudly attribute much of our success to the dedication and integrity of our employees. Everyone checks their ego at the door and comes into work as a team. No one asks what I can do for them today, but how they can help to make IQ and our clients successful,” VanKirk said. “I can attribute much of our success to our ability to adapt to an ever-changing world. Over the years IQ has grown and evolved within the technology industry, from offering our consultants more career options, to our growing product and project development market segments. IQ has responded to the rapidly changing technology environment with confidence, constantly adapting and improving our knowledgebase and skill set as dictated by market demands. We have distinguished ourselves as a small company with a large presence.”

A graduate of Point Park University with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science, VanKirk was selected as one of “Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business” by Governor Edward G. Rendell in 2003 and by Enterprising Women’s Magazine as one of 2008’s Enterprising Women of the Year Award winners. In the fall of 2007 she was the recipient of the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce ROC’s (Recognizing Organizations and Companies that Shine in our Community) Entrepreneur of the Year Award. IQ Inc. was also named a finalist in the 2007 Pittsburgh Business Ethics Awards- Small Business Category by the Society of Financial Services Professionals, Pittsburgh Chapter.

VanKirk does not need to look far to find her source of inspiration.

“I believe that my father had the greatest influence on me. He ran a business from our home and was successful in raising 13 dynamic and individual children while creating a business that has since been passed on to future generations,” VanKirk said. “Over the years, he bestowed on me many great words of wisdom – two that come directly to mind. First, always take care of your employees before taking care of yourself; (I am sure this sounded simple at the time, but for my father, feeding 15 mouths every day must have been daunting at times). Secondly, Good Better Best, never let them rest, ‘til your good is better and your better is best. I must have repeated this mantra a million times without really understanding what it meant. My father instilled in me to always strive to be the very best, in anything and he lived by these words.”

VanKirk serves on the Executive committee of the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce, the Murrysville Personnel Board and was recently appointed to the Forbes Health Foundation Board of Directors of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital Forbes Regional Campus. She is also an active member of the following organizations: Women in Technology, Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Society of Women Engineers, the Women’s Presidents’ Organization, the Murrysville Business Development Committee, the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce, the Pittsburgh Airport Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council: PA-DE-South NJ chapter. She is a founding member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Council, in Westmoreland County whose goal is to ensure that the elderly citizens of the community are fairly represented. Barbara resides in Murrysville with her husband and her two children.

Her advice for other women in business is simple and succinct.

“Go after your dreams, build a plan, don’t take yourself too seriously, keep your sense of humor and always find time for “yourself,” VanKirk said. “Never compromise your principals and surround yourself with great people. Remember that coming together is only a beginning. Keeping together is progress and true success is working together.”