Laura is starting a new business coaching caregivers who have developed unhealthy coping habits due to stress. She spent 2 years migrating cross country every 6 weeks to care for her 90 + year old parents before Covid. In addition, Laura's experiences in a 4-decade marriage, raising 3 amazing kids, and running a successful Mary Kay business for 35 years have prepared her well to help others shift their mindset and habits. Laura's journey led to her motivation and passion in helping others create better lives. The technique she uses is especially effective in helping people change their relationship with alcohol, making it irrelevant in their lives.
My name is David Cawley and I'm a CPA and partner at Fraim, Cawley & Company, CPAs located in Roanoke, Virginia. We're an entrepreneur-centric firm as most of our clients are small to medium size business owners. While we complete our clients tax returns, the returns themselves are almost an afterthought to the services we provide. Our background is in business and we ourselves are entrepreneurs, so our approach is not just saving money on taxes but helping our clients grow their own businesses.
Joanna believes passionately that businesses of any size should ‘stick to their knitting’: “Focus on what you’re really good at - and let experts help take care of the rest.”"
As someone with interest in fitness, helping as many people as possible improve their health, and seeing the benefits of his own weight loss transformation, Matthew Bible started his fitness company, CASS Fitness in September of 2013. The company started out with Matthew and his two partners Stephen Sengstacke and Ramon Thomas. Matthew is an in-home personal trainer, traveling to homes, apartment gyms, parks, offices, and more in Montgomery County, MD, Arlington, VA, and Washington, DC. Over the next few years, Matthew helped to recruit several talented personal trainers in the DC area as independent contractors. In 2017, CASS Fitness began teaching outdoor classes for the Parks at Walter Reed in DC and also gained their first trainer in Pittsburgh, PA.
Beth Dessen Duffy was a Landscape Architecture major for two years before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Education from Cornell University. She began her career at Florida Power and Light Company educating homeowners about how to save money on electric bills. Beth transitioned and became involved in PA state politics and lobbying, educating and discussing pertinent issues. Beth is now a CEO and Entrepreneur and the creator of the Christmas Tree of Kindness App. Beth is sharing their family Christmas tradition with others and hopes to help individuals , families and groups teach and practice kindness by using this app activity.
Michelle Mekky has more than 20 years of experience as a broadcast journalist and public relations executive, leading award-winning marketing and PR campaigns for some of the nation’s biggest and most diverse brands and businesses. After her years as a veteran journalist, Michelle launched her own company, Mekky Media Relations Inc., in 2016, to bring her brand of PR to the market and deliver powerful publicity. Michelle has led her company through a fast-paced launch and high-profile successes, including winning a prestigious 2018 Stevie Award for Women in Business, receiving a bronze medal in the Entrepreneur of the Year category. In 2020 Mekky Media won a Stevie Award for Public Relations Agency of the Year receiving a bronze medal and Bulldog Award for Best Not-for-Profit/ Association Campaign for Komen Chicago's Race for the Cure. Also in 2018, Michelle and Mekky Media were selected to be part of the Forbes Agency Council, a prestigious organization for owners and executives of PR, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. In 2019, Michelle was named a Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Entrepreneur, and Mekky Media was honored with two Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Awards, in the categories of Advocacy (for its work with Komen Chicago) and Media Relations (for its work with Abt Electronics). The agency also was named a PR News Agency Elite Award Finalist for Media Relations in 2019.
I am a married mother of one son, currently living in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I started my photography studio back in 2003 and have been full-time in my business since 2005. My specialty is portraits of children but I also provide other types of portraits, as well, including business headshots and branding.
Alyssa started The Rogue Petal Co. in 2019 when she found a niche in the wedding market. After creating artificial floral arrangements for her wedding to cut costs, she found that the flowers were not only cost effective, but had the ability to look realistic, were very low-maintenance on the day, and proved to be a sustainable floral option. The Rogue Petal Co. focuses on upscale, artificial and dried floral arrangements for weddings via pre-designed collections or custom wedding orders created with clients from scratch. They also create keepsake art pieces, 2D, and 3D floral art. You an find The Rogue Petal Co. at www.roguepetalco.com or on social media @roguepetalco across various social platforms.
Robert J. Kohlhepp is the Retired Chairman of Cintas Corporation. Robert joined Cintas in July 1967 as Controller. He was promoted to the positions of General Manager, Vice President, and Treasurer. In 1979 he was elected Executive Vice President, and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. In 1984 Robert was elected President, and in 1995 he was elected Chief Executive Officer. He served as Vice Chairman from 2003 to 2009 and as Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2016.
Bobbie Carlton is the founder of Innovation Women, an online self-service speaker bureau for women. Carlton talks about public speaking for women and how it can be the driving force behind career growth and business success. She gives more than 100 presentations a year, including hosting her own monthly event, Innovation Nights; speaking at the United Nations; and being on the main stage for some of the world’s best-known conferences for technical and professional women.
