Women of Distinction Magazine Selects Karen Bowersox as a Distinguished Professional in Her Field

    MENTOR, OH, November 14, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Karen Bowersox, Executive Director for Downs Designs Dreams, has been recognized as a Distinguished Professional in her Field through Women of Distinction Magazine. Karen Bowersox will be featured in the upcoming edition of the Women of Distinction Magazine in 2015/2016.

In 2010, Karen Bowersox founded a company called Downs Designs , Inc. Her online retail business designed and created jeans specifically for people with the unique body shape of a person with Down syndrome. These made-to-fit jeans come in 18 styles for ages two and up. They feature an elastic waistband with no buttons, zippers, or tags, and the denim is soft and stretchy. They are stylish, comfortable, and create independence and confidence for those who wear them.

"We have a great team here at Downs Designs Dreams," Executive Director Karen Bowersox said. "We have almost 10,000 jeans in inventory, a marketing and sales manager, designer, seamstress, shipping clerk and a social media professional who handles our Facebook page that boasts more than 75,000 followers."

Mrs. Bowersox also has a board that consists of nine members, a part-time volunteer, a financial consultant, and a website manager. Wearing many hats, she manages the bookkeeping and payroll responsibilities, and if the floor needs vacuuming, she'll do that, too. Besides her busy work day, she also has 12 grandchildren. One of those children is a little girl named Maggie, and Maggie was born with Down syndrome. She was the inspiration behind Downs Designs .

Thanks to the success of Downs Designs , Inc., Mrs. Bowersox was able to form a second business in 2014, NBZ Jeans. NBZ Jeans is a similar company but provides jeans for men and boys of standard size that just pull on. These jeans feature a full elastic waistband with no buttons, zippers, or tags and the denim is soft and stretchy making them easy for independent dressing. These are perfect for those who are on the autism spectrum, veterans who may suffer from an injury or disability, stroke victims, those with cerebral palsy, MS, Parkinson's disease, or any condition that makes manipulating buttons and zippers difficult.

In 2015, Mrs. Bowersox was able to blend both businesses into a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, Downs Designs Dreams. Both Downs Designs Jeans and NBZ Jeans are now brand names.

"As a newly formed non-profit corporation, we're proud to have created a program that helps us educate people about the clothing challenges individuals with disabilities deal with daily," Mrs. Bowersox said. "Our program is called Adopt-A-Jean and every Friday we donate jeans to needy kids and adults."

In January 2015, Mrs. Bowersox met and was interviewed by Kathy Ireland. Mrs. Bowersox was featured in a segment of Kathy Ireland's program, which aired in June 2015. Mrs. Bowersox was recently awarded the 2015 Maureen Fitzgerald Leadership Award from the Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities. In 2014, Downs Designs also enjoyed a very successfully Kickstarter Program, and in 2013, was the recipient of the Staples National Digital Marketing Prize. An active member of her local Rotary, Mrs. Bowersox enjoys working with the school for handicapped and disabled children in her area through the organization.

Prior to forming Downs Designs and NBZ Jeans, Mrs. Bowersox has been a successful entrepreneur. In 1986 she was the founder of a domestic housekeeping service that grew to maintain 250 homes, 25 housekeepers, and a fleet of seven vehicles. After selling her business years later, staying home was not an option. So, in 2000, she set up and went on to manage her husband's medical practice for the next 10 years.

Downs Designs Dreams maintains an online website and ships internationally.

For more information, visit www.downsdesignsdreams.org.

About Women of Distinction Magazine:

Women of Distinction Magazine strives to continually bring the very best out in each article published and highlight Women of Distinction. Women of Distinction Magazine's mission is to have a platform where women can grow, inspire, empower, educate and encourage professionals from any industry by sharing stories of courage and success.

Contact: Women of Distinction Magazine, Melville, NY
631-465-9024 [email protected]

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