Paula Edwards
Paula Edwards is the founder, President & CEO of Lexair Electronics Sales Corporation; a WBENC/WOSB certified supplier of communication technology, communication device endpoints and associated professional and managed services to Fortune 500 companies and federal, state, and local governments. By delivering unrivaled customer-centric service combined with over 35 years of experience in telecommunications, IT and aerospace, Paula has grown her business from an in-home start-up to a global enterprise. Since 2001, Lexair has been headquartered in Greensboro, NC with international operations expanding to Canada in 2017 and to Europe in 2018. It is noteworthy to mention that greater than 80% of the Lexair’s team-members are women, from the warehouse to the executive level.
In her community, Paula, has served in the Leadership-Mentor Program for “The Queen’s Foundation” to develop and promote under served young women through leadership and higher education; is a founding contributor of the “Women-to-Women” permanent grant making foundation to engage women to impact the lives of our community’s women and their families; on the Board of Trustees for Noble Academy private school for children with learning differences; and as a mentor in the “Dustin’s Greenhouse Foundation” cultivating opportunity in the lives of under-served and under-recognized high school students. She also mentors local micro-business owners offering guidance, support, and networking opportunities and supports many local community projects, charities, and organizations.
Prior to relocating to North Carolina, Paula was elected to the City Council in Carnation, WA and served as the Carnation Community Association’s co-founder and President. She is an active member of the WPO, WBENC, GWBC, WIPP, WID, USWCC, NSBA, and NDIA. She serves on the GWBC Voice Committee; as a GWBC representative on the WBENC National Forum; and on the NDIA Board of Directors – Executive Committee in support of our warfighters.
Paula has been recognized as an “Enterprising Women of the Year” in 2009 by Enterprising Women Magazine, as an “Outstanding Woman in Business” in 2008 by The Triad Business Journal, and as a “Trailblazer of the Year” in 2020 and as “Advocate of the Year” in 2022 by the Greater Women’s Business Council. She has completed the TUCK-WBENC Executive Program through the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth University and majored in Business Administration at Southampton University in Southampton, NY. Lexair has been named as a “Top Woman-Owned Business” in the U.S. and in N.C. by OmniKal.com; has received “Supplier Excellence” awards from The Boeing Company in 2015, 2017 and 2019; and was recognized as the Poly “Federal Partner of the Year” in 2020.
She is the proud mother of two adult sons and resides in a rural area of North Carolina with her husband, Scott. Together they have developed the “Double E Ranch” where they enjoy owning, rescuing, and fostering dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, goats, and alpacas.