Photo by Bill Green Cordia Harrington , CEO and founder of conglomerate The Bun Companies based in Nashville, Tenn., was keynote speaker at the first Maryland Women’s Conference on Friday.

Seventeen U.S. recessions turned into 17 recoveries, said Harrington, who addressed the first Maryland Women's Conference on Friday at the Frederick Community College Conference Center.

"It's time to start a business, girls," she said.

Harrington is CEO and founder of a $60 million conglomerate known as The Bun Cos. based in Nashville, Tenn. In her keynote speech, she told the sold-out conference of 200 women that it's going to be all right, despite the recession.

"I really believe we reached rock bottom several months ago. Incoming data show greater stability and indicate positive (gross domestic product) growth in the third quarter, but the outlook beyond looks subdued," Harrington said.

U.S. jobs trends are still negative, but the pace of payroll cuts has improved, she said.

A number of big-name businesses were started in the middle of a recession, Harrington said.

Harrington's life story exemplifies someone who made it big against the odds.

She used her savings of $587 to start a career as a real estate agent in the 1980s. The money paid for a plywood sign and a rented office.

Later, Harrington applied for a McDonald's franchise and was the first woman to own one, she said. Other women had inherited their franchises, she said.

Six weeks after buying the franchise, McDonald's told its partners the company was going broke due to a recession, "and I was going broke with them," Harrington said.

But McDonald's developed a financial plan and stuck with it and overcame those difficult years, she said.

"Get yourself a banker you trust and who trusts you and develop a plan," Harrington said.

Much of her success was based more on being creative than on having money, she said.

One franchise turned into several and later, when she realized that McDonald's didn't have women suppliers, the idea had her name all over it, Harrington said.

With a handshake, the bank gave her a $13 million loan based on the work ethic and character Harrington had established. With the money she built a bun manufacturing plant.

"It doesn't always take money. It takes creativity that we women have," Harrington said. "I was told no 31 times, but if you have your dream in your gut, you stay with it. I thought these bankers were nuts when they gave me a $13 million loan, on a handshake, for a bakery."

Today, Harrington is referred to as "the bun lady." Her buns are sold all over the U.S., in the Caribbean and South America.

"Getting into manufacturing has been a blast," she said. "This week we open a biscuit plant and our employees will be getting a good bonus. This has been our best year ever."

Harrington urged the women to stay connected.

"We're all here because we want to be the best we can be," she said. "Be passionate and enthusiastic about what you want to do, exhibit integrity, be open and honest and always follow through. The recession is the best time to go into business."

Several women said the conference exceeded their expectations.

"I hope it becomes an annual event," said Mary Rizk, of Ijamsville. "I want to come back next year. It had something for every phase of a woman's life."

"I was blown away," said Darby Jones, conference chairwoman and vice president and senior trust officer of First United Bank & Trust. "I just wish we had a bigger facility."