In its third year of the “50 Over 50” Women list, Forbes magazine announced its top 50 winners for this year and a local businesswoman has made the cut.
“Pixie” Paula Dezzutti, CEO of award-winning Local Choice Spirits, highly accoladed Striped Pig Distillery, preeminent women's empowerment magazine Skirt! and emerging global leader in technology driven wellness Sycamore BioPharma, was recently selected by Forbes to be featured on the list. This year's theme is “The Age of Disruption: Meet the 50 Over 50, 2023.” Thousands of female leaders and entrepreneurs are nominated every year for their impact, achievements, and successes, but only 50 are selected for each of the list's four categories. This year, the categories were Lifestyle, Impact, Innovation, and Money. A Forbes spokesperson said this year's list, “might be the most powerful yet.”
A Charleston entrepreneur for over 15 years, Dezzutti was featured in the Lifestyle category, among successful powerhouses like singer Patti LaBelle, author Judy Blume, actor Jamie Lee Curtis, and one of Pixie's personal inspirations, actor Viola Davis. Forbes 50 Over 50 is meant to inspire others by showcasing there is no age limit to success or innovation. Pixie, along with the others will convene in New York City and Abu Dhabi next March during International Women's Day for the Forbes annual 30/50 summit.
“I am so humbled to be recognized alongside such incredible and inspirational women,” said Pixie upon discovering she was to be featured in the publication. “It also feels like a great responsibility,” she added. Pixie has been serving the Charleston community and more for over 15 years through her entrepreneurial initiatives, which she has tied to community give back programs, like the Sip & Share program she founded over a decade ago to help dollars from spirit sales for educational and community fundraisers go directly back into the community. She has also served as a mentor and volunteer to support local organizations and budding entrepreneurs, being a highly sought after speaker and coach.
It's not just Forbes noticing Pixie. In May of this year, Enterprising Women magazine selected her for the Enterprising Women of the Year award, recognizing the world's top women entrepreneurs for their contributions to business and leadership. Last year, Pixie spoke on International Women's Day 2022 at the 6th Annual International Women's Day Summit, hosted by the Women's Chamber of Commerce, where she was honored with the International Woman of The Year Award. Among her other business accomplishments and contributions, Dezzutti was recognized for recently making history when she was the first to launch alcohol onto the blockchain. The multi award-winning entrepreneur spoke, alongside a panel of other powerhouses in the arena, on the latest in digital currencies, in a discussion on the theme “Finance, Technology & Entrepreneurship.” Following her success, on June 3, 2023, she launched her bestselling book Alphabet Soup: The ABCs of NFTs & Other Blockchain Acronyms, aiming to help others break down jargon and barriers to understanding and engaging in the Web 3.0 movement, for which she was awarded directly by Amazon for #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release in 4 unique categories.
