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WATCHIt's our annual list profiling women who

are impacting Orange County's businesscommunity. And there's one new face onthe scene who will knock your socks off.

40 M A R C H 2 0 1 0   O C M E T R O . C O M

{ }twenty women to watch: 2010

Age: 39 | City of residence: Laguna Beach

Family: My husband, Kevin; my daughter,Ryley, who is almost 5 years old; and myson, Aiden, who is almost 7 years old

First job: I worked at a one-hour photo de-veloping company. I put the picturesthrough the machine.

Who or what inspires you: So manythings – nature inspires me, other artists.My family inspires me.

Advice to other women in business: Trustyour gut and follow that instinct, that feel-ing you get when you get that sixth sense.Don’t ignore it.

Last movie you watched: “Avatar” in 3-D

It’s the 10th anniversary for LRM,and Lisa McDennon can’t believethat it’s gone by so fast. LRM is not just a design firmthat churns out clients. “We reallyassist clients through not just thedesign selections but also the day-to-day supervision and construc-tion,” McDennon explains. She listens to her clients, sothat the interior environment shecreates reflects their personality.

“We’re not cookie cutter,” shesays. “We lend our design expert-ise, so there’s some influence but,in the end, it’s all personal taste –the architectural details, the furni-ture and the accessories.” The clients are as diverse astheir personalities – a mountainhome, a bachelor pad and, McDennon hopes, a couple ofrestaurants. “I’ve always wanted to designrestaurants,” she says. Her first big break? A resort in Fiji just two weeks into hernewly opened business. “It wasserendipitous,” she says. Recognition by House Beauti-ful magazine as one of the 20 De-signers to Watch, two resorts anda lot of clients later, McDennonsees only the sky. “Shoot for the moon and landon the stars,” she says. “The pos-sibilities are endless.” twenty

Lisa McDennonPrincipal, LRM Interior Design, Laguna Beach

lrmdesign.com

Age: 31 | City of residence: Mission ViejoFamily: Not married; no petsFirst job: My sister and I cleaned the of-fices of Illinois Oil Marketing EquipmentCo. in Pekin, Ill.Who or what inspires you: My parents –they have always been incredibility hardworking.Advice to other women in business: Nevergive up. Stick with what you believe andmake your thoughts known.Favorite TV show: “30 Rock” – I love TinaFey.

Shawna von Behren was bound to work inthe music business.

At Bradley University she played piano,guitar and trumpet. And, as a member ofher college’s jazz ensemble, she performedas a soloist during a European tour.

Since then, she’s become one of onlytwo district managers in the history ofYamaha’s Pro Audio and Combo (drumand guitar) Division. And people are tak-ing notice.

In January 2007, she was featured on apanel discussion called “Pretty Good for aGirl” at the industry’s prestigious NationalAssociation of Music Merchants tradeshow in Anaheim. And in 2008, she wasnamed District Manager of the Year. She’salso been featured in an article by Musicand Sound Retailer Magazine titled “For-midable Females.”

“Yamaha is the cream of the crop,” shesays, without discounting the MBA sheearned in just a couple of years. “It’sabout random doors that open. You don’tknow how things will work out – but theydo.” twenty

Shawna von BehrenNational Accounts Manager, Yamaha Corp. of America,Buena Park; yamaha.com

View our “20 Women to Watch”video; click on to ocmetro.com

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