Kristina Bouweiri Inspires the Sterling Women of Manassas

It was a frigid Wednesday afternoon, but that did not stop dozens of women from coming out to Stonewall Golf Club to hear Kristina Bouweiri, CEO of Reston Limousine and Founder of Sterling Women, tell her story of success. Bouweiri, daughter of a father in the foreign services, mother of four children and an inspiration to the business community, captivated the audience as she talked about her life, from childhood on up.

Because of her father’s job, Bouweiri was born in Japan and grew up speaking Japanese. She learned English somewhat under duress, but it proved handy as she traveled throughout the world. Her childhood was not glamorous, however. Bouweiri said her father always chose the hardship posts, such as one in Africa and, even while in Europe, had the family living on sandwiches as opposed to fine cuisine. It was then she decided she would eat great food when she grew up. She said she learned to keep her “eyes on the prize.”

Bouweiri recalled being thirteen, living in Africa and going to a multi-racial school. Though the school housed many nationalities, interracial relationships were still illegal. She fell for an Indian boy, and they decided to go on a day trip. To do this, though, they had to stand away from each other and pretend they were not together. Somehow, a guard sensed they were a couple and arrested them. The boy was beaten. It was there that Bouweiri learned, “You have to have thick skin,” that life was not always kind.

This was not the only time Bouweiri was in danger, however. She talked about being caught up by guerillas, having to sleep in a high bed to avoid tarantulas and having to avoid other threats most in the United States have not had to. From all this, she said she learned, “Don’t run. Face your fears.”

As an adult, Bouweiri returned to Africa to work with U.S. Aid teaching foresting techniques. That mission ended badly, however, with rebel groups tearing out the trees she and her team had worked hard to help plant. She returned to the United States and met the owner of Reston Limousine, whom she dated, then married. She worked for the company, first making reservations, then doing payroll, then doing dispatch. It wasn’t long before she knew just about every aspect of the business and began to grow it, eventually becoming CEO.

Unfortunately, Bouweiri’s marriage proved to be tumultuous, and it ended in divorce, but not before she had four children and had founded Sterling Women. Bouweiri talked about how she finally gained control of the company and was able to grow it even more. But, she said, the first time she felt she had done something on her own was when she founded Sterling Women.

“It was my favorite day of the month,” she said referring to the events where the women would meet to network and hear from other women.

Throughout the years, Bouweiri has inspired women and men alike and has thrived in the professional world. Among other awards, Bouweiri received the 2014 “Most Admired CEO” award by the Washington Business Journal, which said:

In an industry seeing increased competition every day, Kristina Bouweiri has created plenty of opportunity for Reston Limousine. By coupling expansion in contracts with the federal government and encouraging healthy expansion into the wedding and wine industries, Bouweiri’s company has seen a hearty 25 percent bump in revenue over the past few years. Bouweiri is a self-described professional networker and used her skills to develop Sterling Women, a business development and thought leadership network group that extends to more than 7,000 professional women. It should come as no surprise then that Bouweiri was an early adopter of social media and was one of the first members of LinkedIn.

Bouweiri’s presentation ended with a standing ovation.

Sterling Women Manassas’ next event will be held March 18 at 11 a.m. at Stonewall Golf Club. The event will feature Lisa Geraci Rigoni, owner of Leave it to Lisa-The Organizing Mentors. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Sterling Women Manassas is a local network of professionals committed to encouraging, supporting, inspiring and strengthening one another. Through events and monthly meetings, Sterling Women Manassas showcases and celebrates exceptional women in the Prince William Area.