Karen started Montanya about 11 years ago and since then she's built a rum brand that is distributed in 44 states in the US and in seven countries. Just this past year Montanya was named to two B Corp Best For The World Lists—Best Overall and Best for the Environment. Her premium craft rum distillery is located in Crested Butte, Colo. When Karen began the craft distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, she was the only female in a male-dominated industry in the US. This impacted her ability to gain respect, buy materials, sell her products, be safe from sexual harassment, and be taken seriously in her work.

It also impacted the willingness of banks to lend her money, the willingness of investors to get involved, and venture capital firms to say yes. Karen watched male colleagues with smaller and less successful companies access resources regularly denied to her. Yet she persisted, stayed focused, and refused to let circumstances deny her success. Now, after more than a decade in business, her company produces double-digit growth annually, and she is one of the larger private-sector employers in her community.