Dawn Hieger has an eye for talent and one might say it starts when she looks in the mirror.

A 2000 Fontbonne graduate, she has already founded a successful talent agency and has hopes to grow in other directions in the coming years. Though fairly young by industry standards, Hieger says she always had dreams of owning her own business and now it’s clear she had the confidence — and talent — to put her plan in motion.

With a degree in fashion merchandising, Hieger went to work at a local talent agency, where she met Mandi Morris, who would soon become a good friend and later her business partner.

After a year or so, the two became disenchanted with the direction of the agency and began exploring the idea of breaking out on their own. “We had a vision where customer service and a focus on the individual talent was the main priority,” Hieger says. “We just knew we could do this right.”

Armed with a business plan researched through the Internet, trips to the library as well as consults with other small business owners — and a loan secured with a personal guarantee from Morris’ parents — the two opened the doors to Azalea Agency in May 2002.

Located in St. Louis’ historic Soulard neighborhood, Azalea now represents some 225 individuals, ranging from toddlers to great grandparents. The company focuses on actors, models, stylists and voice-over talent.

“We’ve been able to stay true to our goals and that’s focusing on each person and their own career goals,” Hieger says. “Communication is really key in this business and we make sure we listen carefully to the people we represent as well as the clients who use our services.”

Hieger credits her experience and education at Fontbonne with much of her success. “I know you hear it a lot, but I felt so at home at Fontbonne. It was a very personal experience,” says Hieger, a product of local Incarnate Word Academy. “I also thought my professors were great. And the coursework in my major helped me visualize all the opportunities I might explore in this career field.”
The fashion merchandising program is diverse by design and draws upon the “arts and humanities, the sciences, and business skills,” according to program co-director and assistant professor Joyce Starr Johnson.

“We provide students with many opportunities for growth both in and out of the classroom,” Johnson says. She cites as examples the many tours of various manufacturing and merchandising facilities, local seminars and events, and study tours that help students put their education into a larger context.

In fact, Hieger credits an internship she had with local wardrobe consultant Georgia Palmer as one of the motivating factors for pursuing her career. That’s not uncommon, says assistant professor Rogene Nelsen, Hieger’s advisor and the program’s other co-director.

“Students like Dawn, who take advantage of the many networking and off-campus opportunities we are able to assist them with, find themselves particularly confident of their skills and are ready to move on to exciting careers upon graduation,” Nelsen says.

Exciting would be an apt description for the Fontbonne alum’s success so far. Featured in the St. Louis Business Journal — not once, but twice this year — Azalea seems poised for full bloom. And that suits Hieger just fine … with one major stipulation.

“I want our business to grow naturally,” she says. “Are we doing it right? Are we staying true to our goals? If I’m happy with myself, I figure the agency is where it’s supposed to be.”