With the 2016 U.S. presidential election right around the corner, gender equality issues–from the pay gay to paid maternity leave to reproductive rights–are hot button issues that can’t be ignored by the candidates. Denver, however, is leading the pack, not only being one of the eight best job markets for women, but also touting a 68 percent growth of women-owned businesses from 2007 to 2014, such that the number of women-owned firms is increasing at a rate 1.5 times the national average.

So what are these awesome female-owned businesses? And who are these trailblazing women who are leading the way in their companies as well as their communities?

1. Sylvia Theisen, Founder of She Takes The Lead

From working as a psychotherapist counseling employees of Fortune 500 companies to closing more than $100 million in sales while working in real estate, Sylvia Theisen has had a varied career and shows no signs of stopping. Founder of She Takes The Lead, Theisen provides training and coaching to women in business and speaks to organizations who believe in empowering their female employees. She was also a keynote speaker for the 2015 Colorado SBDC Women’s Small Business Conference.

2. Ivette Dominguez, Owner/President of Alpine Buick

As one of six Hispanic female Buick GMC dealership owners among the 4,000-plus GM dealerships in the U.S., Ivette Dominguez undoubtedly stands out as a self-made woman with a record of excellence in the auto industry. After purchasing the dealership in 2005, she has won numerous awards for being business savvy, including awards from GM, the Denver Business Journal and the Girl Scouts of Colorado.

She also founded The Alpine Difference in 2011, a program that recognizes and funds nonprofits making a difference in the lives of women and families in the Denver area, donating $10,000 each quarter to a worthy charity or charities.

3. Lizelle van Vuuren, Founder and CEO of Effectively, Cofounder of StartupDenver and Women Who Startup

A leader in the Denver startup community, Lizelle van Vuuren is a 10-year veteran of design, strategy, marketing, business growth and innovation for tech companies and startups. After cofounding StartupDenver, a community platform for startups and entrepreneurs, and Women Who Startup, a monthly event series devised to help educate, empower and connect female entrepreneurs, van Vuuren founded Effectively, a marketing services agency that launches ideas and grows startups, companies, nonprofits and organizations. The agency is set to launch this fall.

4. Lisa Schomp, Owner/President of Ralph Schomp Automotive (the group that owns Schomp BMW, Schomp Honda, Schomp MINI, as well as Fay Myers Motorcycle World)

A third-generation owner of a family-owned dealership, Lisa Schomp worked her way from the bottom-up to become owner and president of the number one volume BMW franchise in the region. With a strong commitment to business ethics, Schomp has been honored with numerous business awards from TIME Magazine and Automotive News.

Under her leadership Schomp Automotive has been listed as a Top Woman-Owned Business in Colorado by the Denver Business Journal and the Colorado Business Magazine multiple times. Schomp is well-known for her community efforts and also supports causes including allocating a percentage of their marketing budget for public education, a state safe driving program and the Children’s Hospital Burn Unit, among others.

5. Meredith Vaughan, Owner and CEO of Vladimir Jones

From 1999 as Director of Insight to 2008 as President, Meredith Vaughn not only helped Vladimir Jones, an advertising agency, expand to international client work, but also grew billings by more than 600 percent for the company. Named CEO in 2014, Vaughn has continued to strive for creative excellence and agency growth, having worked with brands such as Sony PlayStation, Nissan Motors and Beringer Vineyards. Having previously worked in account planning at major advertising agencies on the east coast, Vaughn also has contributed articles to Ad Age.

6. Traci Lounsbury, Owner of Workplace ELEMENTS, LLC

As Principal and Owner of Workplace ELEMENTS, one of the top commercial interior products and services dealership in Colorado as well as one of the largest woman-owned businesses in the state, Traci Lounsbury has used her entrepreneurial acumen to help the company grow in size and revenue with annual sales upwards of $50 million. She’s received prestigious awards from Enterprising Women Magazine and Ernst & Young.

Before ELEMENTS, Lounsbury operated one of the nation’s largest manufacturer’s representative organizations before acquiring a small furniture dealership in 2002, which eventually merged with another dealership to become ELEMENTS. As someone who believes in pushing herself in new, uncomfortable directions, Lounsbury also contributes to the Denver community by sitting on the boards of multiple groups, including the Denver Children’s Home and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), where she serves as Vice President of Professional Development.

7. Kathy Hagan Brown, Owner and Co-President of Karsh Hagan

After creating her first agency at age 26 and successfully running it for the next 25 years, Kathy Hagan Brown currently serves as Owner and Co-President of Karsh Hagan, a full service advertising and marketing agency that has consistently ranked among the best in Denver for almost four decades. In addition to fostering leadership and agency growth via creative ideas, Hagan Brown has supported various community initiatives, served as Chairman of the Denver Advertising Federation, been a member of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado Marketing Committee and currently serves on the advisory board for Smashburger.

8. Celeste Ford, Founder and CEO of Stellar Solutions, Inc.

A respected member of the aerospace engineering industry, Celeste Ford worked for multiple major aerospace businesses including Scitor Corporation and Aerospace Corporation (where her work with NASA led to her Woman of the Year Award in 1984) before founding Stellar Solutions in 1995. A global provider of aerospace engineering expertise and a leader in government and commercial programs related to aerospace, Stellar Solutions includes not only a foundation for community-based organizations and charities, but also a humanitarian research and development division known as QuakeFinder, the world’s leading private earthquake forecasting research organization committed to finding methods for warning communities of impending disasters. Ford has earned multiple awards from Ernst & Young and Fortune and has also  served on congressional commissions and panels focused on entrepreneurship and women in business.

These female business leaders in Denver demonstrate that one part of being successful is giving back to your community. As they build their businesses, they also build their communities: a lesson that every leader can apply.