SALISBURY — Eleanor Qadirah, Pam Hylton Coffield and Margaret Kluttz have been named Inspiring Women of Rowan County by the Rowan Chamber of Commerce.
The award honors women, currently nonpolitical, who have made a positive impact on the community.
The women were honored Thursday at the chamber’s Women In Business event, chaired by Penny Greer Link of the Hefner VA Medical Center and held at The Gateway in Salisbury. 
• Qadirah helped start Prevent Child Abuse Rowan, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention and intervention of child abuse in Rowan County through volunteerism, education and advocacy.
Qadirah is a graduate of J.C. Price High School in Salisbury, graduate in criminal justice of City University in New York, a Leadership Rowan graduate and founder and producer of the Rowan Blues and Jazz Society.
She has brought cultural events to the region for 15 years.
• Hylton Coffield, known for her service to the community and business success, was the first woman elected to the Salisbury City Council. She has served on many boards: Chamber, Faithful Friends, Downtown Salisbury Inc. and Historic Salisbury Foundation.
She has owned and operated the Stitchin’ Post Gifts for 38 years. The sale of her book “Sasha Shops Salisbury” raises money for the Rowan County Humane Society and Faithful Friends.
• Kluttz was the first female mayor of Salisbury and second woman elected to the Salisbury City Council, serving four terms. She is past president of Historic Salisbury Foundation.
She was appointed to the N.C. Board of Transportation in 1993 by former Governor Jim Hunt and is the current chairwoman of the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation. Kluttz works at Hood Theological Seminary.
The Women In Business program is designed to empower and inspire women through inspirational messages, mixers and networking opportunities. 
For more information, go to www.rowanchamber.com/pages/WomenInBusiness/