Woman of the Year: Tillie Hidalgo Lima helps women win at home, work

As CEO of Best Upon Request, Tillie Hidalgo Lima is not only a leader herself, but is working, in a very practical way, on helping other women emerge as leaders. Best Upon Request is a concierge service that employers hire to help their busy employees manage many of the small tasks of personal life.

The company's newest innovation, Maternity Concierge, specifically helps women at work who are pregnant or have small children at home. "It's all about helping women and supporting a higher number of women leaders in the future," said Hidalgo Lima.  

All of the services of Best Upon Request are meant to lift some stress from hard-working employees.

"We ease their day so they can win at home and win at work," said Hidalgo Lima.

Concierges do anything from taking a car in for service to running errands. The service can also be offered to patients so they and their caregivers have practical support through a hospitalization. 

Hidalgo Lima's daughter Jessi, who works alongside her mother, came up with the idea for the Maternity Concierge. These concierges offer extra help at a time when women are deep in the daily juggle. After having a child, especially after a second baby, women often leave work or don't take promotions toward leadership. Companies like Fifth Third Bank, don't want to lose valuable employees. The concierges are planners and personal assistants. But they also become confidants.  

"I've had concierges who work on this tell me that it's not just a job, it's almost a ministry," said Hidalgo Lima. "And these women feel so supported."  

Hidalgo-Lima knows about the stresses of work and family. She has always been a working mother, beginning when she was a pharmacist for 13 years.

"I didn't have any family here," she said. "When I think back, it's kind of a blur."

She's happy that today she can help her daughters by spending time with her grandchildren. 

In whatever she does, she has always had her parents Matilde and Alberto, as examples of how to do it. 

No one inspires Hidalgo Lima more. "They are my models for being a servant-leader," she said. "They taught me to serve God and others, how to listen, how to bring love and joy to what I do." They left communist Cuba and came to the United States as refugees when she was a young child. "We started with $100 cash living in a housing project in Atlanta. My father applied for 50 jobs," she said. "He had such a can-do attitude, selling pots and pans door-to-door and other jobs before he was able to go to college." 

Her basic framework for life are what she calls the seven Fs: faith, family, friends, fitness, financial peace, freedom and fun. 

"The work of the Maternity Concierge goes hand-in-hand with my work in the community," said Hidalgo Lima.

Her volunteering started when her three daughters were little. She was a room parent and a Girl Scout leader, following the lead of her mother, and her grandmother, who was the first Girl Scout leader in Cuba. 

Now, her commitments involve a variety of organizations across the community. She has an important part to play on the board of St. Elizabeth Healthcare, said James Votruba, chair of the board. "Tillie's voice on behalf of quality and the patient experience is most influential," he said. "She repeatedly provides fresh perspective and calls on us to broaden our thinking."  

As a member of the Cincinnati Women Executive Forum Board, she listens to and mentors her peers. As the Hispanic Leadership Society, she works to bring more awareness and inclusion to the diverse Hispanic community, while remembering being the girl, newly arrived from Cuba, who was ridiculed for not speaking English in kindergarten. 

MORE ABOUT TILLIE HIDALGO:

Birthplace: Havana, Cuba

Current Residence: Loveland 

Family: Married for 37 years to Dave Lima, has three daughters, Jessi and Natalie who work with her at Best Upon Request, and Sofia 

Education: BS in Pharmacy from University of Cincinnati 

Occupation: CEO, Best Upon Request

WHAT SHE SAYS:

What need inspires you to give back or help others?: "My need to serve God and to serve others. It gives me great joy to be of service and connect others."

What problem or need in the community would you like to see addressed?: "To help people feel valued and loved. To inspire others to overcome adversity through faith and education."

Talk about women’s leadership opportunities in 2018 vs. 1968. "There are more women as CEOs and as business owners today than 50 years ago. The future looks bright for our daughters."

Who influenced or inspired you to care about others?: "My parents, Matilde and Alberto Hidalgo, are my role models of servant leadership."