Page 29 - MidJersey Business - May 2014

porate leader program. It was there that she met the

executive from Arthur Andersen, which kick-started
her career.
HOMEWARD

Change is constant. After four and a half years at
Otsuka, she’s beginning to transition into R&D i- BOUND
ANDREA KELLIHER

nance as a primary role. “It’s very new,” she says. “Ot-
suka, being a Japanese-owned company, has a very

unique culture, which embraces the Jissho-Shugi For almost three years,
concept. This is an organization that’s not so much Andrea Kelliher spent most

hung up on employee titles as much as it’s giving of her time on the road.
people responsibilities and the opportunity to prove Airline employees knew her

themselves.” This concept is the fabric of Otsuka, by name, she would FEDEX
which encourages employees to bring unconventional clothes ahead to destina-

thinking and a diverse set of ideas to the table to dis- tions as a way to avoid the
cuss and debate, then arrive at innovative solutions.
hassle of dragging luggage
Ballinger has three daughters. She started Co- through airports, and she
lumbia Business School when she was eight months
racked up piles of frequent
pregnant and was taking an exam 10 days after giving lier miles from traveling half

birth. While that may sound extreme to some people, the month training sales OWNER/OPERATOR
it was nothing Ballinger couldn’t handle. In keeping associates on how to use
Positive Solutions
with her penchant for staying in motion, she’s also new Motorola and Vonage Age: 38
run 15 marathons in the last 10 years. “A marathon is products.
Education: Cabrini College
just one of those goal-oriented activities,” she says.
Her job, which was based
“I like the freedom. The hardest one I ran was the outside of Los Angles, put

Alaska Marathon because I ran it not too long after
Kelliher on a whirlwind tour that included stops in Chi-
I had my irst daughter and it was mostly trail-based cago, Atlanta, North Dakota, San Diego, San Antonio,

running, as opposed to street running.” It was just and Canada. “It was great,” she says. “But it just got to a
another opportunity. “The Alaska run actually forced point where I wanted a family and a life and didn’t want

us to set aside time to get away and we turned it into a to be working so much.”
vacation.”
So she made a decision to come home to Mercer
Ballinger still maintains wide horizons. She’s County and start her own public relations and market-
involved with bringing technology into the class-
ing business.
room at the Pennington Montessori School. “It was a risk,” Kelliher says. “It was 2007 and the

“Two of my daughters go there,” she says. “I
market was starting to slow down, but I went into it with
love this area of the country. It’s a great place a positive attitude. I started with a couple of clients

for my girls to grow up.” Ballinger would and within a few years, I had about 20, including some
love to continue to grow as an executive
larger irms like Dow Jones and I really felt like I was

but says she doesn’t have an expectant end succeeding.”
point. That would perhaps be too myopic. It is one thing to ind success in business, but Kelliher

After all, she wants to avail herself to says that starting her own company allowed her to
opportunities and Otsuka is fulilling
ind success in other places. As a working mom, she is

that. “This isn’t about my personal in control of her own destiny, she can create her own
advancement but about the organization schedule, work from her home ofice, spend time with

and my family,” she says. “I feel I’m setting her son and daughter, and achieve a “work-life bal-
an example so that other people beneit. ance” that could not be found in other professions.

I’m really lucky because my company’s And instead of lying awake at night, worried about
culture embraces this.”
making a light the next morning, Kelliher now tosses
Ballinger draws a lot of inspira- and turns thinking about where the next big project is
tion from her family. “I’m not doing
coming from.
this all for myself so much as I’m “I work hard,” she says, “but it’s a different kind of

doing it for my daughters,” she says.
hard than I worked before.”
“I want them to realize that the

sky’s the limit.”

may 2014 27