SFBA Chapter News: October 2020 Newsletter


October 2020 Monthly Newsletter for the NAWBO San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

Message from the President

Dear NAWBO sisters,

September for sure was a very busy month for us at NAWBO. Besides the pandemic, politics, wildfires and...fill in the blank...that we all have been dealing with, your SFBA chapter has been hard at work to revitalize our entire board with very some amazing new board members whose profiles are featured below. The breadth of experience that these women bring to our board is one that I'd like to highlight. They are all already serving in various roles with NAWBO at state or national levels and are now joining us to help us provide the best membership experience possible for YOU. Please join me in welcoming them to our board.

Last month, I had the honor of attending the 2020 Women's Business Conference and participating during a virtual celebration on September 23rd as one of the three finalists for the NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year. I cannot tell you enough how impressed I was with the different webinars, live networking and overall efforts that went into creating something as extensive as these conferences. I was also so amazed and humbled to be awarded the prestigious NAWBO-California Propel Woman Business Owner of the Year. In addition, I had the honor of being bestowed with a few more accolades, such as being named the No.009 fastest growing companies of America with 15,072% growth and No.1 Female lead company of America on Inc. 5000 list. I also received the recognition for being Top Largest Woman Businesses of California by San Francisco Business Times

I am a true believer of resilience. While we all, as individuals, professionals and business owners, might have been affected by COVID, innovation, or ingenuity, or the catalytic sense of optimism for ambitious businesses ideas shouldn't stop. That is the inescapable takeaway I'd like to leave you with: What is the difference between fear and faith? They're both made up. Fear is just imagination undirected. Faith, on the other hand, is imagination directed consciously for the greater good. Brave means you're afraid but you do it anyway; faith means you are able to find courage. Brave leaders tap into that courage to act, the courage to take risks, and the courage to get back up after they failed.

Stay Safe.

In service,

Nooshin Behroyan, NAWBO SFBA President 2020

Welcome New SFBA Chapter Board Members

Robin Allen, Watchman Investigations, LLC

Robin is the Chief Executive Officer of Watchman Consulting and Watchman Investigations, LLC. She is a private investigator and justice system consultant whose career has spanned more than twenty years in the field. She works as a national consultant in various jurisdictions. Mrs. Allen has affiliations with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI), and is a Board member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-California, San Francisco Bay Area and Inland Empire). She has a Master of Public Administration Degree from California State University, Northridge and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University Of California, Los Angeles.

Hilda J. Kennedy, AmPac Business Capital

HIlda is the President and Founder of AmPac Tri State CDC - a nonprofit economic development corporation certified by the United States Small Business Administration to provide SBA guaranteed 504 loans for new and growing small businesses. She spend twelve years working in local government and community lending. As the Director of Economic and Business Development for the City of Inglewood, Hilda established and implemented a $45 million loan fund with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and matching funds from Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco member banks. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Psychology and completed a post-graduate fellowship with the Coro Foundation in New York City.

Laura Russell-Jones, Morgan Stanley | Wealth Management

Laura runs a financial advisory practice within Morgan Stanley. She focuses on a limited amount of clients to develop sophisticated strategies for portfolio management, risk mitigation, estate and investment planning strategies. Her advisory-based private wealth management practice has a disciplined and conservative investment approach, with a focus on long-term relationships. What sets her apart is a highly-personalized approach, combined with deep market intelligence and independent thinking when it comes to making the right investment decisions. As a previous business owner and current Board Member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-California), Laura is a powerful advocate for women investors and business owners to become more financially independent and more confident about their financial future.

Syndi Seid, Advanced Etiquette

Syndi has been an active SFBA NAWBO member since 1992 and served as chapter president in 1995. Professionally, through www.AdvancedEtiquette.com, Syndi is a leading global speaker, trainer, and author in international business protocol and social etiquette. With affiliated offices in China and India, she presents unique learning experiences to senior executives, business professionals, and main-line employees to master any situation, anywhere in the world.

Anne Staines, Sagent Marketing

Anne leads Sagent, a marketing firm that specializes in creating strategic marketing and communications for values-driven organizations including for-profit companies, public agencies and nonprofits. Founded by Anne in her pool house in 2004, the firm has grown to a staff of about 20 who are all passionate about using marketing to make the world better. Headquarters is now in midtown Sacramento in a 1903 national historic registry home that Anne tricked out in fun, midcentury modern motif. Sagent's clients range from large public agencies to nonprofits and companies across the U.S. that share Sagent's positive social and environmental mission and values. Anne has been honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the "Woman-Owned Small Business Owner of the Year 2019 for the Sacramento Valley region, and by the Sacramento Business Journal among the 2018 "Women Who Means Business," and in 2020 as a "Most Admired CEO." In addition to serving on the board of NAWBO SFBA, Anne is a board member and marketing chair of MOSAC Science Center, and serves on the boards of WALKSacramento, and the American River Bank Foundation. She is also former president and board member of NAWBO California, and NAWBO Sacramento Valley.

Thank You to Our New Members in September

NAWBO-SFBA Virtual Programming

To Connect and Support You Locally

NAWBO Virtual Lunch and Learn

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. PST

Elevate Your PResence through the

Power of PR

Presented by: Nicole Peternel

We all want to see our business talked about in print and on the news, shining light on our offerings and communicating to others that we are noteworthy. Public relations is not only a cost effective way to funnel leads into your pipeline, but also makes you stand out from competitors by elevating your credibility, building brand awareness and positioning you as a thought leader in your industry. Nicole Peternel, CEO of Rein Communication, is going to share 5 pillars of public relations strategy, helping you to develop an approach that reaches the right audience, through the right channel with the right message,

NAWBO Virtual Programming

To Connect and Support You Nationally

NAWBO Community Connects

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

5:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. PST)

We are a #NAWBONATION! Experience meeting other NAWBO members across the country!

Grab your favorite beverage and join us by video (so we can see each other just like we would in an in-person meeting)! We'll connect, share best practices and support one another in an interactive format. This is a safe space to share since the calls are not being recorded. Introduce yourself as you participate on the call. Click here to register.

NAWBO FALL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Save through October 31st

Help us spread the word about NAWBO's Fall Membership Drive, which is running now through October 31st, and what it means to be better together with your #NAWBONation!

MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVES:

$45 off new member initiation fee in honor of NAWBO's 45th anniversary. New members use promo code FALLDRIVE20 when signing up at nawbo.org.
$25 reinstatement fee waived for any lapsed NAWBO members who rejoin.
Each new member will be entered into a raffle to win a Member Spotlight on the NAWBO National homepage - 12 Spotlights will be given away!