Knowing how to sell whatever the product--a rainmaker. A rainmaker is an extraordinary individual who can sell any product or service. The movers and shakers of the office, the people who get noticed when they enter a room, the people others envy and ultimately the person who brings clients to the deal. Bottom line: the key people to any successful business.

Rainmakers know how to anticipate a customers needs, know how to stay in touch with customers and know how to respond to them. A rainmaker is a go-getter, employs top networking skills, does things with passion, is an avid reader, a is person who thrives on getting the next deal. The word “No" doesn't exist in their vocabulary.

Men and women occupy rainmaker positions whether they work in sales or are presidents of corporations. This article takes a look into the lives of six successful women rainmakers making an economic benefit for their company in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Each woman has a different story and offers some advice for others who would like to make it rain.

It is a vision and a new mission statement that keeps Beverley Byers-Pevitts steadfast in her task to guide Park University into the year 2012. She is the 14th president and first woman in the University's 128-year history to hold the prestigious position. As president and chief executive officer she is focused on a strategic plan that will accomplish "One University," an institution of scholars and learners in global and community partnerships.

"You have to be focused on the mission that has to guide whatever you are going to do and you have to have a vision that you are going to talk about and sell," Byers-Pevitts said.

"People are not going to support something that doesn't mean anything. The mission is going to be our roadmap for success."

Since Byers-Pevitts took the helm at Park in June, 2001, enrollments in on-line education and student population in face-to-face education across the country on 40 campuses in 20 states has increased. In fact, enrollment is up 42 percent over the past seven years with the greatest increase in the past year. Total head count is 21,000 nationwide.

Byers-Pevitts previous administrative and faculty experiences include Interim President and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Texas Woman's University, Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at he University of Northern Iowa; and Chair and Director of Graduate Studies of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Nevada.

In addition to strategic planning which were just approved in October 2003 by the Board of Directors of Park University, other sources of revenue that support the university include Parkville Commercial Underground (PCU). PCU is the only underground business complex in Platte County. What began, as a quarry for limestone for many campus buildings over a century ago is now becoming a thriving, sub-surface business community. PCU is being created through the underground mining of two levels of millions-of-years-old limestone deposits. Limestone is removed by a room and pillar pattern, which leaves an area for commercial use with significantly lower construction, utility, and maintenance costs. Tenants requiring less than 5,000 up to 250,000 square feet can typically be in their space within 60 to 90 days. Prospective clients in-clude warehousing, light manufacturing and office operations. There is one million square feet of space available.

Laura Lee Jones is so successful that she's expanding office space by 7,000 square feet and moving south from Kansas City, Kan. to Lenexa. With 2004 approaching, the company' new tagline will be, "Beyond Excellence."

She admits she's a bit of a rebel. Clients and colleagues alike describe her as direct, fun loving and intense. She doesn't follow the corporate norm and says she doesn't have to. As President and CEO of LionShare Marketing, she's innovative and dares to be different. Her goal: to make work fun for herself and her employees. Year-end bonuses to employees with "no questions asked" as well as spa days are benefits her employees can look forward to. This innovative spirit transfers to her client base as well. She's known for sending clients thank you notes, chocolate bars or flowers just to let someone know she is thinking about them.

Jones founded LionShare in 1995 with one employee. Today, LionShare has 15 employees. Each year sales have grown 30 percent. She credits her success by following basic sales techniques and keeping the company name in front of people. Her big pet peeve is not following through on promises. That is how the company makes sales, "So many companies don't follow through."

LionShare is a marketing company with broad client bases with the majority of clients outside the Kansas City area. Industries represented include advertising agencies, healthcare, education, and banking. The company also runs a motorsports division to satisfy Jones' love of racing motorcycles.

"We don't want to be the marketing company with the largest number of clients, we want to be the marketing company that clients see as part of their marketing team," Jones said. "We really do try to make it personal."

One way the company accomplishes this is by implemen-ting a unique office protocol. Anyone can pick up a file and work with a client that they may never have talked to because of extensive company knowledge sharing. What results is a seamless exchange of data.

"We are a balance of working hard and playing hard," she said. "Four times a year we have team building. Recently it was a day of Feng Shui, massage therapy and lunch. I try to maintain a balance for my employees so they keep taking care of LionShare. The more you give your employees the more you get back from them. Being a rebel isn't such a bad thing after all." Two additional employee benefits include an on-site daycare and year-end bonuses.

Rainmakers thrive in the for-profit and non-profit world of business. Pat Oppenheimer's role is to put all the pieces in the place to make charitable giving possible. She's been director of development for St. Joseph Health Center Foundation and the St. Mary Hospital Foundation both members of Carondelet Health with the foundation since July 2003.

She keeps a printed adage on her desk that reads, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has,"--Margaret Meade.

In the non profit world she is driven by the mission of Carondelet to provide compassionate, quality health care that leaves no one behind.

"You have to be passionate about what you are fundraising for and care deeply about your client base," she said. "Fundraising a lot of hard work and a lot of hours so you have to be driven by passion and love of what you are doing."

Oppenheimer has a knack for getting the right person to ask for the right amount at the right time. She's been fundraising for charitable giving professionally since 1989. Prior to that she was a fundraising volunteer for 15 years. She also served as director of development for the Kansas City Symphony, the Midwest Bioethics Center and director of development during the campaign to renovate Union Station and Science City.

"With fundraising it is all about developing relationships," she said. "What I do is bring together people who identify with the clients of the organization that I'm raising funds for. In my case now it is for patients and their families."

She supervises four employees in her current position. She also reports to the executive director of the foundation and they provide everything the board of directors of the hospital foundation to provide them everything they need to be informed to request support for the hospitals.

"Being a rainmaker in charitable giving is not an easy task," she said. "But, we live in a very generous community and are blessed with foundations, corporations and individuals who give way above the national average. I'm seeing giving coming back."

All great success stories begin with roots, and Melody Warren's is no exception. Warren founded the freight brokerage and freight forwarding company called Trans-portation Logistics Systems Inc. in 1992. The company's young roots sprouted to $2 million within the first year. And, business is up 35 percent this year.

Transportation Logistics is a third party logistics company. They handle shipments via truck, air and rail. The company outsourcers freight for customers throughout the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico and overseas. They ship everything from envelopes to chartering a plane to picking a carrier for moving a load. A large percentage of the company's business is rail versus over the road transportation.

She credits much of her success to being passionate about what she does, thinking outside the box and having the certification of Women Business Enterprise (WBE). "The WBE certification gives me the tool to get in the door as a small business owner," Warren said. "You have to get in the door. You have to ask yourself, ‘why does a big company want to do business with me?' You have to distinguish yourself. WBE is the tool in my toolbox that someone else doesn't have.

The WBE was my entrance into the Fortune 500 companies."

She would like to see the WBE certification apply nationwide once accepted in the home-town state. She sits on the Kansas City Council of Women Business Owners with a goal to get each state to recog- nize outside certification of WBE.

Warren has received many awards for her achievements including Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 2002 Top 10 Small Business, a finalist for the Kansas/Western Missouri 2002 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, 25 Under 25 Award Honorees by Kansas City Small Business Monthly and 2002 Women Who Mean Busines.

Giving back to the community plays a big role for Warren and her staff of five. She serves on the board of directors of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee and hauls freight for Harvester's at a discounted price.

Tenacity and developing relationships with her direct competitors is what sets Joyce Murray apart from her competition. Murray knew the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City was pre-paring to move. That's when she started cold calling to make her name known. Murray succeeded in landing the client.

She is the consultant/commercial Realtor for the acquisition of 15-acres south of Liberty Memorial between Main and Wyandotte Streets. The new Federal Reserve Bank is in the planning stages. Her tenacity spells success.

Murray is an office specialist for Zimmer Real Estate Services in the areas of brokerage, leasing, land assembly for the office market. She's been involved in a number of land sales and has been with Zimmer for six years. Prior to entering Real Estate in 1979, she was director of education for Spofford Home and Crittenton Center.

Being a woman in the predominately male dominated field of commercial real estate has helped Murray.

"I always tell women coming into the commercial real estate business that there is no glass ceiling," she said. "If you are bright, creative, talented, persistent--you will absolutely succeed. It is still a mans world with only 10 percent of brokers being women."

The secret to success is setting daily goals, checking off each item line by line of things achieved each day. Another tip is to form lasting relationships with clients based on good services so they know things will be taken care of in a timely fashion.

"The biggest challenge is to achieve a balance in your life between family, community and still succeed at your job," she said. "Success for me in the Kansas City market is ethical behavior--that is held at the highest standard and that is what attracted me to the Zimmer Companies."

Murray has mentored four individuals who are leading successful commercial real estate careers. Her current assignment is with Catherine Singleton who came to Zimmer in June and who will be a rainmaker in the near future, according to Murray.

She's also formed close friendships with direct competitors that have proved to be invaluable. In fact, these ten women meet frequently to swap stories, travel and offer sup- port and advice. She's been friends with the same women for 25 years.

For Joy Wheeler growing a business doesn't mean sitting behind a desk in her office. As president of FirstGuard Health Plan, a Kansas City-based health care management company, she serves on a number of boards and finds that time away from the office is invaluable.

"When you talk about rainmaking, the marketplace recognizes businesses that support civic and social events to help clients that they may be serving," Wheeler said. "You have to be willing to be out and involved. There are opportunities for business networking whether it be getting involved with the chamber, business advisory boards or Central Exchange--these organizations help provide the opportunity to make an impact."

FirstGuard has been on the fast track to success almost from the day the organization was formed in 1996. Today, the company is listed as the 14th fastest growing HMO for Medicaid enrollment. When the company started it had two employees, no revenues and faced major national players in the marketplace. Gross revenues were $68 mil. in 1999, rising to $250 mil. in annual revenue in 2002. FirstGuard today has more than 115 employees and provides services to about 140,000 members in Kansas and Missouri. More than 5,000 physicians are contracted to the company.

"FirstGuard has grown dramatically in revenues and employees since our founding," she said. "I am firmly convinced it is because each employee realizes that every encounter with a member or co-worker is an opportunity to reinforce our core beliefs. We place a high value on ethical behavior."

Under Wheeler, the company has developed highly innovative programs such as the employee Ambassador Team, which helped create its Credo and Promises outlining its philosophy and commitment when dealing with customers and co-workers.

All employees are also required to take Financial Literacy training in order to understand company financial information, and how it relates to their individual job in pursing company goals.

"It is the leaders responsibility to make sure there is clarity in the workplace," she said. "You have to be focused on what your objectives are and being very clear about where you are going."

The women you've just read about share a common thread and that is they have a passion for their career, life and others. They are success stories. A rainmaker is prevalent in all walks of life whether it is in the for-profit or non-profit arenas. So, next time you are at a breakfast meeting take a look around. There is most likely a rainmaker sitting at the next table.