Of all the adjectives that can be applied to Gina Radke, “self-made” might be the most apropos, and the most satisfying. Radke, with her husband Wade, created Sherwood’s Galley Support Innovations from the carcass of a struggling California interior hardware business the couple purchased in 2005.
Since then, the couple has steadily built GSI into one of the country’s most successful companies of its kind, catapulting Radke to influencer status along the way, a status she leverages in public speaking gigs nationwide on the topics of leadership, entrepreneurship and social activism.
Radke also lends her hard-earned expertise to a number of organizations, including as a trade adviser to Congress on the International Industry Trade Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C., where she advocates for small and minority businesses. Other roles have included active membership in the National Business Aviation Association; local, state and national chambers of commerce; president of the Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance, and a commissioner on the Career Education and Workforce Development Board.
Her plainspoken style and cut-to-the-chase effectiveness in these roles have also landed her a slew of awards and designations, including International Business Magazine’s “Woman to Watch” in international trade, 2018 National Business Aviation Association 40 Under 40, 2016 SBA Business Person of the Year and the 2014 Community Impact Image Award, among many other accolades.
READ MORE: Full List of 2020 Arkansas Influencers