Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw

Event Details:

• Date: November 19th, 2009
• Time: 7:30 – 9:30 AM
• Location:  The Polo Fields Golf and Country Club, 5200 Polo Fields Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
• Cost: $25, includes breakfast!
• Sponsored by Eastern Michigan University’s Professional Programs and Training
• REGISTER NOW!

How does the leadership of a company guide the moral compass of a company and its employees?

How do you apply ethics and leadership in a company? What does this really mean in today’s world with the emergence of new social/business networks, blogging, internet information and misinformation, disappearance of traditional newspapers, emails, tweets and a whole lot more? How do you educate your current employees and what are institutions doing to teach the next generation?

Join the WXW Business Ethics and Leadership exchange session to explore what’s happening in education as well as practical application in a very successful business. Three highly recognized panelists will be joining us to answer your questions regarding ethics and leadership.

Panelists include:

Sandra Defebaugh, Associate Professor, Eastern Michigan University

Sandra Defebaugh is an Associate Professor at Eastern Michigan University where she teaches Employment Law, International Business Law, Law for Financial Professionals, Sports Law, E Commerce Law, Business Law and Ethics. She has also practiced business law as a corporate attorney and served in politics as Mayor and City Commissioner for City of Birmingham, Michigan. She has spoken on topics of professionalism, ethics and employment law at various international venues including as part of the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University in England, the Business and Economics Society International in Switzerland and the Academy of Business Administration International in Germany. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, College of Law. She is also co-author, with Dr. John Waltman, of the Eastern Michigan University online Professional and Ethics Training Modules, including the Business Professional Dynamic Model, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Professional Business Ethics.

Elaine Steig, Service Steward, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses

Elaine graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Elaine’s first job, while still in high school, was in Customer Service…and a career was born. Prior to working for Zingerman’s, she spent 10 years with an international big box retailer and steadily moved up through a variety of local, national, and international positions in Customer Service and Learning & Development.

When Elaine relocated to Michigan, the first place she had dinner was Zingerman’s Roadhouse. She was entranced with the high-quality, full-flavored food and exceptional service. Elaine instantly became a dedicated promoter and ordered her wedding cake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse 6 months later. Fate presented her with an opportunity for a career change. In thinking about her true career passion, she decided it remained customer service and training. Elaine knew Zingerman’s was passionate about both as well; the stars aligned and the new Service Steward position was available.

Elaine joined Zingerman’s as the Service Steward in 2008. Her primary role is to support each of the eight Zingerman’s businesses and Zingerman’s Service Network in delivering a great experience to internal and external customers.

Lynda James-Gilboe, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Care, ProQuest

Lynda James-Gilboe is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Care. She is responsible for managing global strategic marketing functions, as well as customer support groups. In this role, Ms. James-Gilboe creates marketing plans for all ProQuest product lines across multiple segments, and oversees external communications initiatives.

Ms. James-Gilboe joined ProQuest in 2001 as Vice President of Special Projects-Marketing and Sales. She then became Vice President of Inside Sales and Customer Support in 2003 and became Vice President of Marketing in 2004. Prior to joining ProQuest, she was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at NewsBank/Readex.

Before this, Ms. James-Gilboe spent 21 years with The Gale Group, formerly a Thomson company. Ms. James-Gilboe served as Senior Vice President of North American Print Sales and Marketing. She was also a member of the Executive Committee for Gale Group, a senior leadership team. During her tenure, she led the sales and marketing integration of the Macmillan Library Reference into Gale Group by reconfiguring territories and compensation plans. She also held a number of senior positions in Marketing, Sales, and Creative services.

Ms. James-Gilboe is a board member of Washtenaw Literacy.  She received a B.A. from Michigan State University and is a 1984 Graduate of the Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, Colorado.

Special Offerings for Participants

 EMU STEPS IT UP WITH A PHENOMENAL GIVEAWAY!
Get your name added to the drawing for an EMU online Ethics Program giveaway Value of $159.00  One lucky winner will be chosen from the participants at the WXW November 19th Business Ethics and Leadership Event

EMU is offering a discount on online Ethics Program
Purchase online Ethics Program for a discounted rate
of $129 when you mention WXW during registration.

Zingerman’s is offering ZING TRAIN Seminars
Buy 1, get 1 for half off for any of their seminars thru
March, ‘10.  Mention “WXW” for discount when registering.

REGISTER NOW!

Blazingly Fast Business Networking, October 15th, 2009.

In business, it’s not just what you know, it’s WHO you know.  Back by popular demand, it’s WXW’s second speed-networking event.  Meet the area’s business leaders and engage in meaningful dialogue – in just 3 minutes.  Bring at least 50 business cards and be ready to meet new people, make connections, and maybe even swap a few referrals.

Date: October 15th, 2009

Time: 11:30 – 1:00

Location:  The Polo Fields Golf and Country Club, 5200 Polo Fields Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Cost: $25, includes lunch!

More than 50 businesswomen attended WXW’s “You GOAL Girl” event on September 18^th where Susan Pollay, Merrill Guerra, and Michele Shannon, shared real-life stories about goal setting.

A few lessons learned that might help you achieve your goals include:

• Put pen to paper (or computer screen). Recording your goals makes them real.
• Identify your goal in enough detail to know when you have achieved it or make the necessary adjustments to reset your goal.
• Make your goal reasonable. Sometimes there is a  need to set intermediate goals that eventually lead to your overall goal.
• Set a time frame for accomplishing your goal.
• For group goals, provide a starting point. Everyone is a critic and you will get them to really think about where the group should go if you provide some place to start.
• Just as you need a business plan to start a business, having goals about where you want that business to go is the only way to will get there.

If you’re interested in reading more about goal setting, check out these recommended reads:

“The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals,” by Keith Ellis

http://tiny.cc/QXO3n

“Goals! How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible,” by Brian Tracy (author of the also highly recommended “Eat That Frog!”)

http://tiny.cc/blnfE

“Designing Your Destiny: Achieving Personal and Professional Succes Through Upside Thinking,” by Lisa Marie Ptatske

http://tiny.cc/QHP7D

If you’ve set some achievable goals, look for the follow up goal setting event coming in January of 2010!  That gives you four months to jump start your success!

Join us June 17th at 6:30 for casual networking under the tent at Top of the Park, located on the Ingalls Mall on the University of Michigan campus.  Family and friends are welcome to share the live music, children’s activities, and a movie presentation of, “Twilight.”  We’ll be under the tent from 6:30pm to 9:30pm with a cash bar for adults 21 and over (id required), the movie starts at 10pm.

While attendance is free, please register!

The Summer Festival has lots of activites planned for the evening, so along with reconnecting with familiar WXWers, and meeting lots of new ones,  here is what you can expect:

Family friendly fun @ Top of the Park …

6:30-8pm KidZone (hands-on activities)

6:30-8pm Global Party (Pan-African Celebration)

7pm Bichini Bia Congo taking the stage (musical performance)

Adult activities @ Top of the Park …

8:30pm Tokyo Sexwhale taking the stage (musical performance)

10pm Film feature “Twilight”

Food will be for sale from the Top of the Park vendors.  For more information on Summer Festival directions & weather updates for the event visit: http://www.annarborsummerfestival.org/

So, wear your WXW orange or blue T-Shirt… What? you don’t have your shirt yet?? Contact Samantha (here) for pre sales, or shirts will be available for sale under the tent the night of the event.

And a big “Thank You!” to our amazing sponsors of this event…

Solutions First and The Whole Brain Group.

In celebration of WXW’s yearly forum (May 15) and because WXW women tend to be so gol’ darn lippy and self-assertive, Concentrate asked five WXW participants to “talk about women in business, the opportunities and challenges of doing that in Michigan, what you’d like to see improved, where things are going, etc.  The more personal and opinionated you are the better. ”

If you haven’t learned by now, here’s a reminder – you don’t have to ask WXW participants to be OPINIONATED. Once you meet Rebecca Lopez Kriss, Marisa Smith, Carole Baker, Debra Power, and Carrie Hensel, you’ll quickly come to realize that we dish open, honest business talk all day long to anyone who will listen.

> Check out our blog stories here.

Our blog topics for Concentrate include…

• Carrie Hensel – Do Women Really Do Business Different from Men?
• Carole Baker – Taking the WORK Out of Networking
• Marisa Smith – Build Your Own “Old Girls Network”
• Rebecca Lopez Kriss – Where Have All the Young Professional FEMALE Entrepreneurs Gone?
• Debra Power – The POWER of Women

P.S. We hope you LOVE our mugshots above.  We’re so opinionated that it sometimes gets us into trouble.

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SPECIAL DEAL: WXW Economic Stimulus – Buy One Full-Day Ticket, Get One Free >> REGISTER NOW

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This year our second annual conference is called “WXW Forum 2009 – Now We’re Talking.” After feedback at last year’s May conference, WXW attendees told us they wanted “more, more, more!” So this year we’re offering an all-day event. In the morning, we’ll host intensive and interactive 2-hour morning workshops facilitated by amazing local business leaders, who are prepared for your burning business questions. After lunch, we’ll hear from a panel of the region’s leading business women. Then attendees will choose from eight different breakout sessions. And finally we’ll wrap up with a happy hour that includes wine, food, music, and the best networking opportunities in the state.We expect 300 attendees from the Ann Arbor area, Southeast Michigan, and Northeast Ohio.

The full agenda follows. (Oh gals, this is gonna be good!)

………………………

Agenda – Morning Session

9:30 AM – Morning Registration

9:45 AM – Welcome & Intro to Workshops

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM - Workshops

Choose one of the following workshops:

• “Creating & Executing Your Vision” – Eleni Kelakos (Kelakos Enterprises) & Carrie Hensel (Inner Circle Media)

• “Online Social Networking – How to Use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Other Web Tools for Your Business” – Catherine Juon (Pure Visibility) & Marisa Smith (Whole Brain Group)

• “Developing Your Marketing Plan” – Debra Power (Power Marketing) & Rhonda Foxworth (Bank of Ann Arbor)

• “Financial Strategies & Cash Flow Management” – Diane Gilson (Info Plus Accounting)& Mary Hayes (Michigan Commerce Bank)

• “Tactics for Time Management & Productivity” – Beth Stoner (Delta Possibilities) &Tracey Roy Williams (Reinhart Realtors)

• “Leading from the Middle – Learning To Be a Better Leader” – Dolly Bond (Madonna University) & Lynette Cable (Key Bank)

> Click here for descriptions of each workshop

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM – Light Lunch: Munch & Mingle

Agenda – Afternoon Session

12:30 PM  – Afternoon Registration Begins

1:00 PM – Afternoon Welcome & Intro

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM – Panel of Local Business Leaders

• Debi Scroggins, CEO, Bearclaw Coffee
• Maria Thompson, President of the Government Solutions Group of A123Systems, Inc (formerly T/J Technologies, Inc.)
• Kimberli Cumming, Executive Director, The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan
• Moderator – Mary Morgan, Publisher of the Ann Arbor Chronicle

> Click here for panel bios

2:15 PM – Break

2:25 PM – 4:15 PM – Breakout Sessions

Choose one of the following sessions:

• Entrepreneurial Leadership – How to work ON the company vs. IN the company
• Team Building – Employee Recruitment and Retention
• Marketing Tactics
• Sales Strategies
• Customer Service & Retention
• Extreme Networking
• Strategic Opportunities For Growing Your Company
• Creating and Communicating a Vision for Your Company

4:30 PM – Wrap Up from Breakouts

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Happy Hour (technically, it’s 2 hours!)

………………………

WXW Background

WXW hosts monthly events for women business owners, entrepreneurs, managers, and aspiring leaders. Each May we host a gigantic conference.  In the first year over 200 people attended this event. They came from the Ann Arbor area, as well as Detroit, southeast Michigan, and Toledo. Through dynamic break out discussions, these attendees really talked about their companies, careers, successes and struggles.

When you attend a WXW event, two things are certain – you will learn a lot and you will make lasting connections. WXW attendees are often surprised at their first event because our format is so unique. Upon occassion, they ask, “But where’s the speaker or panel of experts? ” When we tell them that we rarely have scheduled speakers and instead we have round table discussions where our attendees can really talk about their own experiences in business, they are surprised and intrigued. By the end of their first meeting, most WXW attendees become big fans of the unique format and they understand our tagline first hand – “Now we’re talking…”

>> REGISTER NOW

While many of us consider “sales” a scary word, it is truly the lifeblood of our companies. During this session the group will talk about how to improve our sales approach and become more comfortable in selling situations. Attend this session if you want to reinvigorate your sales efforts by exchanging ideas and hearing real world experiences from local women business leaders. Conversation topics may include …

• Uncovering new opportunities
• Establishing trust with prospective customers
• Qualifying (and more likely disqualifying) sales leads
• Developing a “script” to help you through the selling process
• Closing sales
• Negotiating with buyers
• Building your referral business
• Guiding and motivating your sales team

Who’s attending the Sales Session?

Catherine is coming to the sales session because she feels like she writes a lot of proposals but doesn’t seem to close enough sales. She wants to talk with WXW attendees about finding more qualified prospects, asking the right questions, and writing a proposal only when the deal seems likely.

Diane says she won’t miss the session because sales are intrinsic to the success of her growing company. Diane’s company provides technology-intensive services, and she’s worried that most sales people aren’t tech-savvy enough to appear credible to prospective clients. Diane wants to talk with the group about how to train her sales people.

Come to the WXW sales session and share your ideas with Catherine and Diane!

Details:

When: Tuesday, April 7, 11:30-1:00.  Lunch included!

Cost: $20.00 – Register Now – space is limited to 75 participants.

Location:

The Polo Fields Golf and Country Club
5200 Polo Fields Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
http://www.polofields.org/

Directions: http://www.polofields.org/contact/contact_index.html

>> REGISTER NOW