Tara Abraham
WBE
Tara Abraham, chairman and co-CEO, Accel Inc., accepts her award from Craig Eppling, regional manager, communications, General Motors.
Tara Abraham is the chairman and co-CEO of New Albany, Ohio-based packaging company Accel Inc. Her entrepreneurial drive was sparked 19 years ago, when, as a procurement specialist for a national retail chain, she couldn’t find a packaging company to meet her standards for quality and timely delivery. She founded Accel in 1995, growing it from a 1,200-square foot studio to an award-winning company serving major companies in the personal care and beauty, pharmaceutical and health care, and food and beverage sectors. In 2011, Accel moved to a 517,000-square-foot facility and added 400 new jobs to the New Albany area. Ms. Abraham has served on the board of directors of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, chaired the WBENC Forum and co-chaired the 2012 National Conference & Business Fair. She was appointed in 2011 to the National Women’s Business Council, where she served as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. She was the recipient of the WBENC 2013 Applause Award, for helping to expand opportunities for women’s business enterprises on a national and international level. She was also named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was named a WBENC WBE Star.