It’s a tough world out there and it takes tough women to keep it running.

This issue of Banker & Tradesman contains the profiles of the sixth annual Women of FIRE award winners. The Women of FIRE – finance, insurance and real estate – awards were conceived as a celebration and recognition of female movers and shakers in traditionally male-dominated industries. They are our way of acknowledging the tremendous effort and determination exhibited by these women, who rose to the top of challenging industries in difficult times.

There are some celebrity-caliber names among the 91 past and present winners, including Carol Bulman, Kathy Condon, Pamela McDermott, Gilda Nogueira and Marty Jones. There are also women most B&T readers have likely never heard of, and their stories are no less remarkable. They include the mother-and-daughter agent team of Edie Hill and Christina Hill; musician, Armenian immigrant and VP Svetlana Javakhyan; and Ellen Tan, who has led the nonprofit Commonwealth Land Trust for nearly two decades.

These women are strikingly diverse in ways far beyond merely ethnicity or orientation. They have chosen careers in a wide range of fields and fought hard to become leaders in their respective industries. The companies wise enough to employ them range from tiny family businesses to worldwide organizations. They are architects, entrepreneurs, Realtors, office managers, CEOs, attorneys, environmental engineers; they work in every corner of the finance, insurance and real estate industries.

They are whole individuals with a lot more going on in their lives than what work fills the hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (and increasingly beyond). The choices they have made in their personal lives have impacted their professional lives, and vice versa – they are mothers and grandmothers, childless (or child-free, if you prefer); married, never married, divorced, remarried; they have relocated to Boston from the other side of the country or remained in their hometowns. They volunteer at an amazing array of organizations, supporting causes and people far beyond the borders of the commonwealth.

These nearly 100 very different women, reflecting all facets of the finance, insurance and real estate industries, have one vitally important common thread: they are making a difference. With their words and deeds, choices and actions, they are making a difference in the lives of their clients and constituents, in the industries they serve and in the lives and livelihoods of the women coming up behind them. Often without any overt intent, they are trailblazers, visionaries and groundbreakers.

That is why Banker & Tradesman honors them. They don’t do it for the glory and they don’t do it for the praise – Lord knows that can be lacking in corporate America – they do it for others, whether that “other” is client, family, friend or the community at large.

All of the Women of FIRE are chosen based on nominations from peers and colleagues, and sometimes friends and family. Many of the nominations are written by women the winners have mentored. Many are written by the winners’ bosses. Increasingly in recent years, the nominations are written by previous Women of FIRE winners.

Banker & Tradesman celebrates these women every year not only because it is important to recognize the achievements of individuals, but because it is important to recognize the challenges they faced. It is shameful that American women do not have equal opportunities and equal wages, and that they must choose between the health of their families and the health of their companies. The ideal America is better than that and must continue to strive for greatness – as these women have done.

These challenges remain an inherent part of being a women in business in America and, despite increased attention and discussion, are unlikely to disappear any time soon. Thus there will be a seventh annual Women of FIRE award, and a 10th, and a 20th.

We recognize them. We acknowledge their struggles. We raise them up. We celebrate them and we cheer for them and all they have accomplished. The Women of FIRE are tough women who keep this tough world moving towards a better place. Congratulations to all on this well-deserved award, and please keep up the good work.