Tonya Hicks and Nicole Jones, Women Do Everything (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 527)
Tonya Hicks and Nicole Jones, Women Do Everything, LLC, joined host John Ray to share the tremendous work their organization does empowering and encouraging women to pursue male-dominated occupations. Tonya and Nicole discussed the Women Do Everything Summit and Career Expo to be held on October 1, 2022. They also explained the challenges facing women in the workforce, who the Summit is designed for, the tracks and speakers, their vision for women in the workforce, and much more.
North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Women Do Everything, LLC
Women Do Everything, LLC was founded by Tonya Hicks in 2015 as a social enterprise on a mission to change the future of work for women by providing the tools necessary to gain access to high-paying careers and contracts in male-dominated industries.
Her passion was inspired, in part, by her own career journey. Hicks was the first Black woman to be certified as a journeyman electrician in her home state of Mississippi. She is also the CEO of her electrical engineering firm Power Solutions, which she founded 22 years ago at the age of 28. (In the United States, only 2.4% of electricians are women, and just 9.5% of electrical contracting businesses are owned by women.)
“Women have always stepped up selflessly, leaving their jobs behind and limiting their own earning potential,” said Hicks. “Women need equitable career and job opportunities that pay a livable wage, benefits that support women’s health, and access to affordable housing. The life of the working woman has changed drastically and it’s time the working world responds.”
Tonya Hicks will bring this message to the masses when her Women Do Everything (WDE) Summit and Career Expo kicks off in Atlanta on Saturday, October 1, 2022. The event will feature some of today’s most accomplished women entrepreneurs, executives and community leaders who will gather to offer insight, advice and even jobs to the hundreds who will be in attendance. The festivities will then continue with a free career expo starting at 9:00 AM at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium.
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Tonya L. Hicks, President and CEO, Power Solutions, Inc. and Women Do Everything, LLC
Tonya L. Hicks is the President and CEO of Power Solutions, Inc. and the Managing Principal of Women Do Everything, LLC. Ms. Hicks is a serial entrepreneur and journeyman wireman electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). She became the first woman – not to mention first African American woman – to become a journeyman wireman in Local 917 of IBEW in her hometown of Meridian, Mississippi. Ms. Hicks specializes in robotics, building automation, and high voltage equipment installation and repair.
In 2000, at the age of 28, Ms. Hicks founded Power Solutions, Inc.; an electrical contracting and facility maintenance company specializing in renewable energy, sustainability, and smart city technology. In 2015, Ms. Hicks launched Women Do Everything LLC; a workforce development and technology company helping women to thrive in male-dominated industries through employment or entrepreneurship.
Tonya Hicks serves on the board of C5 Georgia Leadership Foundation, Georgia Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and Board Chair for Partners in Action for Healthy Living (PAHL). In November 2019, Ms. Hicks was featured in Forbes Japan for expanding her business in Singapore and the New York Times for her progress as a tradeswoman and business owner in the construction industry. Ms. Hicks is a Leadership Atlanta Class of 2022 alumni and a Sustainability Ambassador for the City of Atlanta.
Tonya is a graduate of the inaugural classes of the City of Atlanta Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI), Women Export University by UPS, The Bridge Accelerator by Microsoft, and the African Diaspora Network (ABLE) Program. Ms. Hicks has received several honors and awards but most importantly she’s proud to be called “Mom” by her sons: Rashadim (28) and Vincent (16).
Ms. Hicks enjoys golf, cooking, gardening, and volunteering on community projects.
Nicole Jones, Co-Founder, Women Do Everything, LLC and Founder/CEO ‘The Perfect Fit’ Global HR Solutions
Nicole is a co-founder of Women Do Everything, LLC and works on community efforts for the organization. She has a twenty-year career in Human Resources.
In addition to helping coordinate the Women Do Everything Summit, Nicole is a speaker in the Work Track of the Summit happening on October 1st, 2022 at Center Park Stadium. The inaugural summit includes panel discussions, one-on-one networking and a career expo curated for women trying to find profitable new opportunities in a post-pandemic economy.
Questions and Topics in the Interview:
- Description of the Conference
- Why did you want to create this event?
- What makes it different from other similar conferences?
- What results to you want your attendees to take from the conference?
- What drew you to work in a male-dominated profession?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked-from-scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.
