As a junior at Old Dominion, Rosemary Windsor-Williams signed on as a part-time clerical assistant at UPS, never imagining that 25 years later she would still be with the company, much less its highest-ranking woman in business development.

"It's never a dull moment," said Windsor-Williams, vice president of Olympic and corporate events. "I get to work with organizations from around the world and travel to places like Japan and Australia."

A psychology major, she recalls striking up a friendship with a UPS driver who told her UPS was looking for temporary workers over the holidays. The temporary job became a part-time, permanent position. She ended up staying with UPS through graduation, at which time she thought she would move to another firm.

"The job market wasn't really lucrative," she remembers. "I interviewed for a couple of jobs and I thought, even at the bottom of the totem pole, I really enjoyed working for UPS." Windsor-Williams took a full-time position at UPS's Norfolk operating center in January 1977, and over the next decade moved up through the ranks. In 1994, with Olympic fever running rampant in Atlanta with the approaching 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, UPS tapped her to be its first vice president for Olympic and corporate events.

"Our company had never sponsored anything of that magnitude," she noted. "At the time, we thought we'd do one sponsorship and get out of it."

However, research studies and marketing program results demonstrated that the Olympic sponsorship was very beneficial. The company decided to continue its sponsorship through the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan (1998), and the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia (2000).

During the 17 continuous days of the Olympic Games, UPS hosts four separate groups of its top customers. "Our goal is to have our customers say 'Wow!' when they leave our event," Windsor-Williams said.

The Olympic sponsorship is a perfect platform for UPS to create awareness and credibility of its global service, she believes, noting that UPS does business in over 200 countries and territories.

To say Windsor-Williams "goes the extra yard" for sponsorships is literally true. UPS has been an official sponsor of the NFL since 1992. She and her team put together NFL promotions with UPS customers that include both the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Her department also handles major sponsorship programs with PGA golf and NASCAR race events.

Despite the demands from her professional career, Windsor-Williams manages to combine work, family and recreational pursuits. She and her husband, Richard, are the parents of twin 5-year-old sons, and she owns and rides a former thoroughbred racehorse.

- Elizabeth Cooper