St. Charles Businesswoman’s Extraordinary Vision, Tenacity, Compassion Land Her 2017 Inspiration Award
Awakened by the fire, the Millers urgently needed to find a place to call home. ALE provided immediate comfort by placing them in a hotel. (CREDIT: ALE website)
Sometimes, inspiration is right in front of us.
A St. Charles businesswoman’s incredible journey — from immigrant to business founder to international success story to benefactor of people whose lives have been turned upside down by natural disaster — has landed her the 2017 Aronberg Goldgehn’s Women’s Initiative 2017 Inspiration Award.
“God has blessed me, and I want to be a good steward of that blessing for others,” said Rowena Zimmers, founder and president of ALE Solutions and ALECares and winner of the 2017 award.
Women executives and professionals turned out in force to honor Zimmers on Oct. 12 at the Second Annual Inspiration Award Luncheon in Chicago, hosted by the AG Women’s Initiative.
The Inspiration Award recognizes and honors extraordinary women who have achieved professional excellence and who are inspirational leaders in their industry because of their ambition, tenacity and resolve.
In presenting the award, Aronberg Goldgehn member Mary V. Hays noted that Zimmers, an immigrant from the Philippines, founded her company from the basement of her home in 2001 and grew it from a two-person operation to almost 400 people today.
Based in St. Charles, ALE Solutions partners with insurance companies across the country to provide immediate temporary housing solutions to families displaced from their homes due to a major property loss — the result of a fire, water or wind damage.
Under Zimmers’ leadership, ALE Solutions has been instrumental in providing housing following every major natural disaster in the United States, including recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the currently raging wildfires in California.
In an inspiring acceptance speech, Zimmers told her story and how she learned at a young age that hard work, passion and commitment lead to success.
The ALE team in tornado-ravaged Washington. (CREDIT: ALE website)
“My mom paved the way for our family to realize the ‘American Dream,’ ” Zimmers recounted. “I was only 2 when she left behind my dad and her four children and immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in search of a better opportunity for us.
“My mom juggled two, sometimes three, nursing jobs. And after five years, her dream finally came true. She became a U.S. citizen and had saved enough money to bring all of us to this country,” Zimmers said.
In 2001, Zimmers realized her own dream by founding ALE Solutions while also caring for her own family, including three young sons. In addition to the company, she started the nonprofit ALECares, which provides assistance to uninsured or underinsured families who lack the funds to be placed in temporary housing after a disaster.
At the conclusion of her acceptance speech, Zimmers shared the video highlights from the May 2017 celebrity-filled Golf.Give.Gala, an event she created and chaired, which raises funds for the foundations of Jason Day and Michael Phelps. She first connected with Day and Phelps at the Jason Day’s Charity Golf outing in October 2016, after which she proposed the idea of the Golf.Give.Gala to their respective foundations. ALE Solutions will be the title sponsor for the Second Annual Golf.Give.Gala in May 2018.
SOURCE: Aronberg Goldgehn news release
About Rowena Zimmers
SOURCE: ALE Solutions website
From paying my way through college at the University of Illinois–Chicago to pursuing careers in retail, advertising and consulting — I love a challenge.
My prior experience in the temporary housing industry sparked ideas about building a better mousetrap. I launched ALE with a desire to provide an easier and more transparent way to serve the needs of displaced policyholders.
Driven to be the best that I can be, I find joy in making memorable experiences for our customers.
As ALE grew, so did my family. I am the mother of three boys, who bring out the kid in me. They challenge me to imagine what the future will look like, and convict me to stay ahead of technology and never to take business for granted.
I want our clients to rely on ALE to create innovative, fun, easy-to-use solutions.
Today, I am involved in every facet of ALE, working with management to ensure the company delivers exemplary service and exceeds the needs of insurance carriers. ALE has grown into a dynamic, nationwide temporary housing company that employs hundreds of people and serves thousands. It humbles me to see the commitment that everyone on the ALE team exhibits as they go above and beyond for our customers.
Though we have experienced tremendous growth, I remain passionate about being available to any customer, anytime with one phone call. I love my job!
My vision for the future includes continued company growth that benefits both customers and employees.
“God has blessed me, and I want to be a good steward of that blessing for others,” she said.
About ALE Solutions
Saving you time, reducing Additional Living Expenses (ALE) and enhancing your service to the insured are the benefits that ALE Solutions will bring to your claim. We have raised the bar in the temporary housing industry by focusing exclusively on serving the needs of the adjuster in meeting the housing requirements of their displaced policyholder.
Our insight and appreciation for the unique needs of both parties enable us to provide you and your policyholder with the optimal housing solution whatever the situation – the solution that’s both convenient and appropriate for your policyholder, and cost-efficient for your company.
About Aronberg Goldgehn’s Women’s Initiative
The Aronberg Goldgehn Women’s Initiative’s mission is to support and encourage the success of the women at our firm. The main goals of the Women’s Initiative program are to enhance professional opportunities both in and outside the firm for women lawyers, and to encourage all of the firm’s attorneys to be active leaders in professional and civic organizations in the communities in which they live. These efforts naturally include hiring, promoting and retaining female attorneys, and providing mentoring in order to develop and expand client relationships, to connect with one another and to share opportunities for professional advancement.
