When Marcie Livesay left Saint Mary’s with a social work degree in 2001, she never imagined she’d be sharing her care-giving and listening skills with a whole new breed of client. In 2002 she founded Chicago Urban Tails, a pet services business on the city’s north side.

Eighteen months after launching Chicago Urban Tails she bought a building in trendy Wicker Park to house herself and the business. Today the company has 30 employees who provide daily dog walks and in-home cat care to pet owners 365 days a year. In 2007, Chicago Urban Tails won a “Best of CitySearch” award, giving it a prime spot on an Internet list of businesses rated best in the city.

What’s the secret to her success? “I would have never started my business if it wasn’t for Saint Mary’s,” says Livesay, who believes the College’s “empowering” environment gives women the confidence to take risks. She thinks her social work preparation helps her to keep both customers and staff happy. “I have the ability to listen and be empathetic with what’s going on in their lives, and I have a lot of dedicated workers because of it. Social work also gives you patience. This is a demanding and detail-oriented business, and we notice and correct mistakes if something goes wrong.”