Bioengineering Group—s CEO recognized as one of America—s 10 most innovative entrepreneurs by Fortune magazine

SALEM, MASS. — Fortune has chosen 10 female small-business entrepreneurs to join the annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. The ten women join 400 of the world’s most influential women leaders in business, philanthropy, government, education, and the arts for panel discussions, on-stage interviews, and interactive sessions during the course of three days. Wendi Goldsmith, chief executive officer of Bioengineering Group, a woman-owned science and engineering firm headquartered in Salem, Mass., was recognized as one of the 10 winners. The program, which debuted at the 2009 Summit, targets entrepreneurial women who are game changers, ground-breakers, and innovators in their fields. Hundreds of business owners were nominated and 25 were selected as finalists. From the list of finalists, 10 women were chosen as winners and invited to attend the 2010 Summit in Washington, D.C. The Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs initiative, a partnership with American Express, honors 10 of America’s most promising entrepreneurs, brings them to the Summit, and helps small and large businesses learn from each other.

“The Summit is all about powerful and influential women sharing ideas,” said Pattie Sellers, Fortune editor at large and chair of the Most Powerful Women Summit. “With small business being the engine of economic recovery, it is most important to do all we can to help the best and brightest entrepreneurs expand their horizons and their companies. Through the MPWomen Summit — which has quickly become the premier gathering of women leaders in business, government, philanthropy, education, and the arts — women leaders spread their influence well beyond their organizations and empower the next generation.”

“I am honored to have been chosen as one of the ten Most Powerful Women entrepreneurs by Fortune,” stated Wendi Goldsmith, chief executive officer of Bioengineering Group. “I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with other women business leaders and learning from them. This recognition is not just for me but for others, especially women, to find the encouragement they need and to inspire them along their career path, even when those paths lead towards male dominated industries in science, technology, engineering, and construction. Working in an industry traditionally averse to risk, I saw from the early days of my company that innovation in solving client problems required taking risks and trying new methods. As environmental challenges facing our natural environment mount, our response requires new and innovative thinking and action. Translated to client work, this means finding bold new ways to accomplish a project such as the New Orleans hurricane protection infrastructure in a fraction of the time of past approaches, and with positive environmental impacts.”

Bioengineering Group, a proponent of early adoption of sustainable technologies who is well-known as a leader in ecologically sensitive development and public infrastructure work, applies a tailored interdisciplinary approach to solving problems. Current projects include the provision of engineering, program management, and construction management services through a joint venture with ARCADIS, for the largest design-build civil works project in U.S. history — the $1.3 billion Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier that will provide hurricane and flood risk reduction for the city of New Orleans. The firm is also leading a significant program to accelerate adoption of renewable energy generation and ultra-low energy consuming facilities within the Department of Defense. Believing that every project offers the next opportunity to transact sustainability, Bioengineering Group provides design, environmental consulting, and sustainable site planning for private corporations, institutions, and local governments on small- to large-scale projects.

This award builds on other recent awards the firm has won, including the Environmental Business Journal’s highest level 2009 Business Achievement Award; Boston Business Journal’s Pacesetters Award which recognizes the region’s fastest-growing private companies – placing 2nd out of 50 winners; the Stevie Awards for Women in Business where the firm won in the category Fastest Growing Company of 2009; the ZweigWhite 2010 Hot Firms Award – placing 25th out of 175 nationwide winners; and Inc. magazine’s Inc. 500/5000 Award – ranking as No. 932 out of 5000 of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.