Women in Business Archives - Page 6 of 12

Laure Hoffman, Owner of Work as Worship

October 6, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Laure Hoffman, Owner of Work as Worship

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Laure Hoffman

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Laure Hoffman/Work as Worship

In addition to being a positive, can-do person, Laure Hoffman is a business and nonprofit executive with a track record of providing strategic vision and leadership for mission-critical growth, organizational performance, and human resource excellence. She is an innovative, entrepreneurial leader who has worked with hundreds of business owners, executives, and leaders from all industries, serving as a trusted advisor for many years.

Laure served more than 12 years as an executive director for pro-life pregnancy centers, and worked as a field consultant for a national affiliation organization of more than 600 pro-life centers. She continued her work as a professional fundraiser at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in the roles of capital campaign director and interim executive director of The UNCG Alumni Association. She transitioned from higher education to serve as the VP of Kingdom Investment for The Pocket Testament League, and the Chief Development Officer for Haggai Institute, both international, faith-based organizations focused on equipping God’s people to share their faith with others.

In addition to running her own businesses, she initiated and completed a strategic turnaround for her family’s business, a manufacturer’s representative group in Denver, CO.

More recently, Laure serves as the Atlanta lead for The Master’s Program for Women, an international leadership development and coaching program for high-capacity women of faith seeking greater understanding of their unique passions, purpose and calling for the season of life in which they find themselves.

Laure grew up on Florida’s east coast and obtained a BSBS in Management at The University of Florida. She later received her MBA from UNCG.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Berthine Crevecoeur West, CEO of Westbridge Solutions

September 15, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Berthine Crevecoeur West, CEO of Westbridge Solutions

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Berthine Crevecoeur West and Amanda Pearch Marmolejo

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Berthine Crevecoeur West/Westbridge Solutions

Berthine Crèvecoeur West serves as the CEO of Westbridge Solutions., a company that helps organizations adopt the best practices to manage, retain, and engage a diverse workforce. She is also a public speaker, best-selling author, multilingual professional, award-nominated podcast host, and a diversity, equity & inclusion expert.

Berthine believes the power of knowledge is transformational. She founded Westbridge Solutions on the core competencies of planning and organization, cultural awareness, and collaborative working. Clients of Westbridge would agree that being a catalyst in these competencies enabled their organizations to deliver outstanding service. Berthine received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY, as well as her Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business & Technology.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Anne Chen, Senior Sales Manager with Explore Gwinnett

September 8, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Anne Chen, Senior Sales Manager with Explore Gwinnett

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Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Anne Chen/Explore Gwinnett

Anne Chen serves as the Senior Sales Manager (Associations, International, Corporate) with Explore Gwinnett Tourism & Film, the county’s official tourism organization dedicated to strengthening Gwinnett County’s economy by marketing all areas of Gwinnett County as a destination for conventions, sporting events, meetings, and leisure travel.

Anne’s Taiwanese heritage and Mandarin fluency has allowed her to drive substantial new inbound international business to Gwinnett. Additionally, she has also created unique partnerships for Explore Gwinnett with the Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism’s China Initiative, Partnership Gwinnett Economic Development, and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Explore Gwinnett has worked to educate and train hoteliers and attractions on the needs of international clients, and several of the hotels have gone through official training programs as a result, allowing them to better service to the Asian market.

Besides being a very busy working single mother of two, Anne serves on multiple boards and committees. Current boards include Leadership Gwinnett’s Alumni Committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for Meeting Planners International Georgia Chapter, and the PR Committee for Rotary Club of Sugarloaf. She is very passionate about serving and giving back to the community, a graduate of the 2016-2017 Leadership Gwinnett class, and a graduate of 2022 Regional Leadership Institute with the Atlanta Regional Commission. Anne was recognized as a member of Connect Association magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2018, defined as “influencers and innovators helping to head the industry by thinking outside the box, acquiring new skillsets and forging unconventional paths to success.” In 2017 and 2019, she was recognized by the Georgia Asian Times as one of Georgia’s 25 Most Influential Asians in Georgia, “recognizing contributions and dedication in their roles within the community.”

Anne works closely with several organizations to assist various programs, committees, and panels for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. She has been very proactive with educating the various organizations on Asian American Heritage programs and helping create awareness on Asian Hate, stigma, biases, and Asian-American history.

Another passion of hers is food insecurity for lower-income families and the homeless population. One of the aftereffects of COVID in the community is the rise in homelessness for women with small children. The impact of this is evident in the schools, most of which offer summer meals, coat, and food pantries, as well as subsidized breakfast and lunches. Anne works closely with nonprofits throughout Metro Atlanta to help address these issues and to organize food drives and volunteer efforts with Rotary, Nothing but the Truth Ministries, Gwinnett County Schools, Explore Gwinnett, Buford Co-op, The Rest Gwinnett, and Laotian-American Society. Her passion is to unify our communities and help give back to see us thrive as one.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Jennifer Kessler, General Manager for Subaru of Gwinnett

August 11, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Jennifer Kessler, General Manager for Subaru of Gwinnett

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Jennifer Kessler

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Jennifer Kessler/Subaru of Gwinnett

Jennifer Kessler is the General Manager at Subaru of Gwinnett. She first joined Subaru of Gwinnett in 2006 as a receptionist and left Subaru to take a Sales Assistant position at their sister store, Infiniti of Gwinnett. She quickly moved into an Internet Sales position at Infiniti and sold cars there from 2007 to 2010. She made the move back to Subaru in April 2010 and has enjoyed being a part of Subaru’s incredible growth as a brand over the past 10 years.

Jennifer is an avid sports fan, her two favorite teams being the Atlanta Braves and the Georgia Bulldogs. She has three sons; Camden, Cooper, and Colton; and a daughter, Ashlynn Claire. Her daughter is diagnosed with a rare condition called Heterotaxy Syndrome, which has led Jennifer to become a passionate advocate for Congenital Heart Defects awareness and rare diseases.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Marsha Anderson Bomar, Deputy Commissioner of Engineering for the Atlanta DOT

July 28, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Marsha Anderson Bomar, Deputy Commissioner of Engineering for the Atlanta DOT

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Marsha Anderson Bomar

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Marsha Anderson Bomar/Atlanta Department of Transportation

Marsha Anderson Bomar is the Deputy Commissioner of Engineering of the City of Atlanta Department of Transportation after serving as the Assistant General Manager of MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority) for Capital Program Delivery.

Marsha was the Founder and President of Street Smarts, a planning, engineering, and design firm; and Data Smarts, a data collection and management firm, established in 1990. She sold both of those businesses in 2010 to Stantec, an international consultancy, where she served as a Sustainability Practice Leader.

Marsha is an International Past President of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and recipient of the Burton Marsh Lifetime Service Award, as well as the Theodore Matson Memorial Award. She was awarded the ASCE William Wisely Civil Engineering Award, and currently serves as the Treasurer for the international organization. Marsha has received many awards of honor, distinction, and recognition for her outstanding contributions and achievements throughout her career. These include the 2023 WTS Woman of the Year, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Public Servant Award, Gwinnett Chamber’s Athena Award, and Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Green Business Leader of the Decade.

Marsha was awarded the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) Entrepreneur of the Year. She was also recognized by the University of Massachusetts Amherst ITE chapter as the Jane F. Garvey Transportation Leadership Award recipient for 2009 for her outstanding leadership affecting women in transportation and remarkable contributions to the field. She is the author of hundreds of publications, articles and studies and an International speaker on technical subjects as well as leadership and ethics.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Katie Hart Smith, Registered Nurse, Author & Artist

July 21, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Katie Hart Smith, Registered Nurse, Author & Artist

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Katie Hart Smith and Amanda Pearch Marmolejo

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Katie Hart Smith/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Katie Hart Smith is a Registered Nurse for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, an artist, and a published author for nearly 30 years. Smith is an active leader in her community and sought out speaker on a local and national level. She enjoys speaking at literary festivals, libraries, book clubs, and community and civic organizations on a variety of topics. Born in 1964 in San Diego, CA, Smith had the opportunity to live all over the United States as a young girl. It wasn’t until 1976 that her family moved to Atlanta, GA where she has called home ever since. Smith loved writing and drawing as a child, creating her own story and picture books at a very early age. As a young adult, she pursued a nursing career and in 1987 obtained a B.S. in Nursing from Georgia State University. In 2002, she received a MBA from Troy State University. Throughout her professional career, Smith continued to write, illustrate, and lecture for the medical community and even served as a guest speaker at Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing for ten years. In 1995, Smith published, “In the Face of Disaster: Personal Reflections” in the Orthopedic Nursing Journal. The article recounted Smith’s work with the Red Cross to lead a group of volunteers from Atlanta to assist with the Flint River Flood recovery efforts. During the 4-hour commute home on a city commuter bus, Smith wrote on scratch pieces of paper to journal the day’s events.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Candy Hilliard, Owner of American Family Protectors

July 14, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Candy Hilliard, Owner of American Family Protectors

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Candy Hilliard and Amanda Pearch Marmolejo

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Candy Hilliard/American Family Protectors

Since 1997, Candy Hilliard and American Family Protectors have been working hard to provide quality insurance services to Sugar Hill and the entire North Georgia area. Candy is both an agent and a broker for all the insurance types she offers, and she is proud to make her agency a one-stop stop for all types of policies, including Auto, Home, Health, and Life. She is a native Georgian that attended Georgia State University and resides in Gwinnett county. She is a 26-year veteran in the individual and group health/life insurance market with 14 years’ experience in home/auto insurance. Candy has served on the board of Sugar Hill Business Alliance, Suwanee Business Alliance and is an active member and ambassador for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village

July 7, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Melanie Conner

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Melanie Conner/Rainbow Village

Melanie Conner has always had a passion for doing work that empowers women. As CEO of Rainbow Village, she wants to ensure that families experiencing homelessness have the confidence to take the first step on their journey to self-sufficiency. But that’s not all she wants. Melanie wants all families to have access to affordable childcare, health care, and economic independence to break free from poverty and pursue their dreams. Her focus is on helping the families and the organization evolve and be purpose-driven. Drawing on her extensive experience obtained through her work with corporations, government, and nonprofits, Melanie brings a broad perspective to the table and works to impact lives by providing a safe place to live, a caring, supportive, and qualified staff, and the resources and training that they need to improve their quality of life. Melanie values spending time with her family and is keenly aware it is a privilege she should never take for granted. She has been married to the love of her life for 30 years. She is the mother to two sons and her dog, Jack Jack.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Jennifer Bridwell, Gwinnett Market President for Georgia Banking Company

June 16, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Jennifer Bridwell, Gwinnett Market President for Georgia Banking Company

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Jennifer Bridwell

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Jennifer Bridwell/Georgia Banking Company

Jennifer is a 27-year veteran of the banking industry, with the last 10 years of her career being spent as a Commercial Real Estate lender. She is currently the Gwinnett Market President for GBC and continues to expand her loan and deposit portfolio in their Duluth, GA office. She specializes in providing detailed service while financing all loan types within GBC’s Community Banking Department. Jennifer enjoys focusing on the total client relationship, from loans to deposits to treasury. She excels in customer service, as well as relationship building and mentoring others within the organization. Her and her husband, Tommy, have been married 27 years and have two daughters. She enjoys traveling to the beach, thrift and antique shopping, decorating, being with friends and family, and giving back to her community. Jennifer spent her entire life in Gwinnett County until moving to Walton County in 2001.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by