October 2018
Women's Network is a Division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce
The mission of Women's Network is to connect, empower and engage members through leadership development, educational opportunities and innovative outreach.

Chair's Corner

Dear Women’s Network Members, or as I like to refer to you…friends. 

I have an announcement to make this month. I am stepping down as your Chair for Women’s Network. I will be turning things over to Tennille Lester’s very capable hands per our bylaws, and I know that she will do a fabulous job. With that said, she too will need your support because of her planned absence for the arrival of her little bundle of joy in January.

My reason is simple…I am having some health issues. My body is screaming at me right now, and I need to stop and listen and understand how to live with this “new normal." I have been diagnosed with a possible vestibular migraine issue. I don’t have migraine headaches like many, but I have the dizziness and vertigo issues that can accompany this illness. It has been chronic now for several weeks and is why I was not at the September Luncheon. I became very dizzy about 45 minutes before I was to leave and had to drop everything on Tennille.



Upcoming Events

Women's Network events are a great way to challenge your comfort zone, meet new people, and get the most out of your WN membership. Make a point to attend one of our upcoming events this month! Visit our website for all events.
October Luncheon
October 18, 2018 | 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
PeachTree Catering (120 E. Nifong Blvd)


Eye Spy… Through the Eyes of Those We Serve
Terri Tucker

Where do we find our brand? By looking through the eyes of others.Where do we find our differentiation? By looking through the eyes of others. Where do we find our success? By looking through the eyes of those we serve to find how to emotionally connect. In this 50-minute engaging conversation we will explore the power of seeing what our customers see…and how to learn, apply and grow based on that vision. We will understand how differentiation matters and how stories are created and shared about our experiences and our offerings. Be prepared to think and share, learn and plan to apply. This will not be a “sit and get” presentation but, rather, a large conversation about thinking and doing.

Please pre-register to help ensure accurate account of meals and seats. Online pre-registration is $15 for members and $18 for guests until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. After the pre-registration deadline, attendees can register/pay at the door. Prices will be $18 for members and $21 for guests. We hope to see you there!
Welcome Sponsor

ServiceMaster of Columbia

Women's Network Fall Mixer
October 23, 2018 | 5 - 7 p.m.
bleu Events
(803 E. Walnut Suite 601)
The Special Events Committee invites you to celebrate Fall the best way possible: OCTOBERFEST STYLE.

bleu Events will be welcoming us to their new event space, Pressed. A bleu Concept, right in Downtown, Columbia! Appetizers, drinks, and networking with all the members that make this program amazing; you don't want to miss it!

Open to WN Members. $5 registration fee
Thank you to our Sponsors who have made this event possible:

Gold Sponsor Dave Griggs Flooring America
Location & Food Sponsor bleu Events
Beverage Sponsor N.H. Scheppers Distributing Company
Door Prize Sponsors
Les Bourgeois Vineyards, Tin Roof Monogram and Gift, and Serenity Valley Winery

Women's Network partners with Stephens College
Make sure to mark your calendar and register for this dynamic keynote by a nationally-recognized, woman entrepreneur!
November Luncheon
Nov. 15, 2018 | 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
PeachTree Catering (120 E. Nifong Blvd)


Building Your Confidence for Conflict: A Strategic Advantage

In this highly engaging presentation you will learn 4 key strategies for recognizing, evaluating, embracing and managing conflict for strategic impact. Strengthen your ability to manage conflict and boost your credibility and reputation as the type of business partner who can impact bottom line success.

-Quickly identify the type of conflict at hand
-Explore your options for managing the situation
-Recognize your conflict style and the style of others
-Spot unproductive conflict and mitigate its threat against strategic intent
-Apply a simple change management approach for sustainable resolutions

By the end of the session, you’ll be prepared to successfully develop and implement an approach to managing conflict that will preserve your organization’s values while boosting employee engagement and achieving quantifiable business results.

Please pre-register to help with meals and seating count.
Pre-registration closes November 13, 2018 and is $15 for WN members, $18 for non-members . Walk in registration (any registration after pre-registration closes) will be $18 for WN members, and $21 for non-members. Please submit all dietary restrictions to Brandi no later than November 13 or we may not be able to accommodate you.
Welcome Sponsor

RE/MAX Boone Realty - Alice Leeper
Silver Sponsor

Holiday Inn Executive Center
Scholarships and Awards

Women's Network offers a number of scholarships and awards to its members. Scholarship and award nomination windows vary; for a complete list of scholarships and awards, visit the Scholarships and Awards page of our website!
Greater Missouri Leadership Scholarship Challenge

Each year Women’s Network awards two of our members with Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge scholarships. Challenge participants are from throughout Missouri and, like Women’s Network members, they are passionate about life, are committed to their careers, families, and communities. They are energetic and engaged, friendly, successful, willing to step out of their comfort zones, and approachable.

The Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge meets four times a year in different cities, for three days at a time, with interesting behind-the-scenes learning experiences in each location.
Ron Marley Scholarship

Women’s Network awards a scholarship to the Chamber of Commerce,  Leadership Columbia  program each year, in the name of Ron Marley.

Ron was a Shelter Insurance agent here in Columbia who was very active in the community and the Chamber of Commerce. He truly understood the power of networking and once he discovered what Women’s Network had to offer – he had the courage to become our first male member. Unfortunately, Ron, along with his wife, Sharon, and three of his four children, were tragically taken from us in a car accident in 1997. In his honor, Women’s Network established a scholarship to fund the tuition to send one Women’s Network member to the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Columbia program.
Interested in receiving
committee email reminders?
Click below to get on
a specific list!
Upcoming Committee Meetings

*Marketing Communications | Monday, October 15 | 12 - 1 p.m.

*Monthly Program | Wednesday, October 17 | 12 - 1 p.m.

*Leadership Development Roundtable | Canceled

Changing the Odds | Thursday, October 25 | 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Steering | Thursday, November 1 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Co-Chairs | Thursday, November 1 | 12 - 1 p.m.

Special Events | Wednesday, November 7 | 12 - 1 p.m.

Membership Development | Thursday, November 8 | 12 - 1 p.m.


*denotes meeting date outside of normal committee schedule

October Leadership Development Roundtable

Leadership Development Roundtable will be cancelling their October meeting. The co-chairs are encouraging attendees to take advantage of Stephens College's luncheon and keynote instead!
Check out what's going on with our members!
Welcome New Members

Cassy Carnes | RE/MAX Boone Realty - Commercial Division
Jennica Gomez | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | Vision Real Estate
Ashley Cooper | Columbia LandCare, LLC
Christina Maurizi | Maurizi Homes
Rhonda Colley | Missouri Employers Mutual
April Snellings | Regions Bank
Jessy Henderson | Connections Bank
Gail Humphries Mardirosian | Stephens College
Andrea Whelan | Boone County Government
Gabrianna Thomas-Brown | State Farm Insurance - Brian Hazelrigg, Agent
Sara Bennett | Missouri Job Center - Columbia
Andrea Seeley | Columbia Safety
Candace Stevenson | EquipmentShare.com, Inc
Jessica Hagerty | The Evoke Group
Michelle Rippentrop | The Evoke Group

Member Profile
Corey Buckman, Therapy Unlimited, LLC

Dedicated, thoughtful, and compassionate, these are three words that Corey says people use to describe her, and we couldn't agree more. As if her role as co-chair of the Changing the Odds committee didn't solidify that fact enough, her beams of happiness and passion every time she discusses her work as a speech-language pathologist couldn't ring the three words more true. Corey and her husband Casey are gearing up to add one more to their family of five: Taylor age 10, Miller age 7, and their "sweet dog" Ziggy. To know Corey is to love her; shoot her an email to grab a coffee and walk away with a little bit of her infectious positivity!

Title: Speech-Language Pathologist

Why did you decide to go into this field:
I really wanted to be in the medical field and I also wanted to feel a direct connection to the people I worked with. Therapy Unlimited has provided me with the opportunity to fulfill both my goals for entering the field of speech-language pathology. I provide patient and family-centered care and utilize my training from both the medical field and from working in the schools. I really love my job and it’s especially rewarding to hear a child say “I love you” to his parents for the first time or the smile on an adult’s face as she re-learns how to eat and swallow some of her favorite foods. Our scope of practice is so large that it never gets boring and I’m always learning something new. 
Non-Profit Spotlight
 Job Point

Organization mission:  We promote the abilities of individuals seeking employment through innovative training, education and business partnership, enriching the communities where we work and live.

What has your organization done that you're most proud of?  
 In fiscal year 2017, we served 418 people, earning an average wage of $10.85, with 89% of adult job seekers maintaining employment for at least 90 days. Graduates earned an estimated $2 million in wages and paid approximately $300,000 in taxes.
Changing the Odds Fall Seminar

Women's Network Changing the Odd's Committee hosted their Fall seminar Landing the Job. They welcomed professionals across Columbia to present on topics geared toward helping prepare the twenty participants to get a job: interview techniques, resumes, and dressing for success (to name a few). Each participant was presented with a shopping voucher, courtesy of Upscale Resale, a free haircut and style from Salon Nefisa, and gift bags filled with resources from organizations across Columbia. Help us in thanking the CTO co-chairs, Tania Cook with Job Point, and Corey Buckman with Therapy Unlimited, committee volunteers, all of our amazing sponosrs, and speakers for making the event so successful.

If you're interested in getting involved in the seminars, contact the co-chairs or Brandi. They would be happy to discuss opportunities to support.
Thank you to our sponsors: Presenting Sponsor  Missouri Employers Mutual  ; Gold Sponsors  Columbia Mall, Salon Nefisa, Columbia College, Hubert Builders, Inc., JobFinders Employment Services, Job Point, True North, Atkins, Spectrum Health Care ; Lunch Sponsor  Atkins ; Breakfast Sponsor  Tiger Cleaners ; Media Sponsors  KRCG, The Missourian, The Business Times Company;   Printing Sponosr  Columbia College;  Gift Certificate Sponsors  The Assistance League of Mid-Mo/Upscale Resale, Salon Nefissa;  Gift Bag Sponsors  Horton Animal Hospital Northeast, Visionworks Marketing Group, The Connection Exchange, Manor Roofing and Restoration Services, Bright City Lights, Inside Columbia Magazine, Show Me Leaders, Mike Messer, Nathan Jones Law, White Dog Promotions; Door Prize Sponsors Nancy Fay, Mary Kay Cosmetics , CoMo Premium Exteriors , Huebert Builders
Member Milestones and Celebrations

Congratulations to Rhonda Stone Proctor with Boone Electric Cooperative for being appointed to the BoCoMo 2020 Bicentennial Planning Committee. Rhonda also serves as the only female Planning & Zoning Commissioner for Boone County ans is the only female member on the Boone County Board of Adjustments.

Congratulations to Anna Hargis with Shelter Insurance Companies on recently completing her term as chair of the Board of Directors for the Insurance Marketing & Communication Association (IMCA). IMCA is the oldest organization supporting people in the insurance industry who are in the marketing and communication field.

If you have any milestones or celebrations to include next month, please send them to
Sara Humm at [email protected].
Women's Network
a Division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce

300 S Providence Rd
Columbia, MO 65203

(573) 874-1132