GWBC LACE Awards 2023

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for 2023 GWB Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. So excited to be talking to my guest right now. Matielyn Jones, Director of Operations at GWBC. Welcome.

Matielyn Jones: [00:00:38] Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:39] Now, are you excited about tonight’s event?

Matielyn Jones: [00:00:42] I am excited, I’m always excited to spend time with our women, business owners and corporate sponsors, so it’s going to be great.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:48] So what can people expect? What are some of the things that you’re looking forward to this evening?

Matielyn Jones: [00:00:53] Well, I am responsible for the team that manages the certification process. And so we have tons of applications that come through every single week, every day of the year. And I’m looking forward to putting faces with the names of all the.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] That’s right, because you’ve probably seen them or heard through email and over zoom or something like that. But you may not have met him in person.

Matielyn Jones: [00:01:14] Right, exactly. And so I we received their actual documents. So that would be all of their legal documents. And so we literally feel like we know them. Exactly. So, you know, the history of the business. Who started it. Where were they? You know, we’re looking at, you know, financial documents. We’re looking at who the owners are, all their resumes, all the things, the criteria for certification. So I literally feel like by the time an event like tonight comes around, I’m so excited because we get to put these faces with the names of people who, again, we memorize the details in our head of who these people are. So I’m excited.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:49] Now what for somebody who isn’t certified, what, like, what can they expect to go through the certification process? Like what are some of the things that they need in order to, you know, get through this process because it is arduous, because they’re it’s important to get it all right. And you can’t no one just because you say I’m a woman owned business doesn’t mean that you are really you got to jump through some hoops, right?

Matielyn Jones: [00:02:10] That’s right. And so we certify women owned businesses that can legally demonstrate that they are at least 51% woman owned, controlled, operated, and that they operate in a way that’s independent of any other business. And so we look through those legal documents to make sure that they are legally woman owned, 51% minimum. We my team, the certification team, does all the vetting of those applications. So we do the initial intake of those applications. We do the auditing, which is the line by line of every single piece of paper that comes in, which is which is very, very rigorous and tedious. However, we want to make sure that there is integrity in our process and that if we give someone that seal of approval saying they are a woman owned business, that we’ve gone through the process of making sure that they are legally so, and that process takes 60 to 90 days. Part of the reason why is because we do look at every single sheet of paper for every business that submits. Right now, we sit at around 1245 applications or certified businesses between Georgia and North Carolina and South Carolina. And we’re looking for ways to continue to make the process more efficient so we can certify more women do more outreach, things like that. So, yes, the process it takes about up to three months, but usually once people have submitted their applications and they’re good to go, we roll right along.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:30] And it’s important because a lot of the value that you’re going to get from being a certified business is that you’re going to have access to maybe some enterprise level organizations that are looking for these specific types of people to do business with, right? So you get fast tracked, and this could really change the trajectory of your business if you do this.

Matielyn Jones: [00:03:49] Absolutely. One of the things that is important to remember is that our certification process does not guarantee that anyone will secure a contract, but what it does do is it makes them competitive in the market for the contract. And so we are looking to certify because there are companies, corporations and the government that are both looking to spend money with women owned businesses, also with minority owned businesses, also with veteran owned businesses and whatnot. But for us, for women owned businesses, and they access our database to make sure that that vetting process is really done for them. And so they can search the database of all of our women owned businesses, because we this is a national certification that we process locally. And so they can use it nationally even though we process it locally. And so they look into our database to see who are the staffing agencies, who are the construction companies, who are, you know, whatever the business need is. And we take the vetting of that, you know, making sure that if they have this set aside for two to spend with women owned businesses, that at least this group of women owned businesses they know have been vetted as such.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:56] And that spend isn’t just a little bit of money, right? It’s. Billions and billions of dollars.

Matielyn Jones: [00:05:03] It’s billions last. Earlier this year in April, I went to the top corporations luncheon, and it was Maria and I who was the director of programs. It was our second day on this job. We both started in April. And you know the numbers in the room. 2 billion here, 4 billion there. It starts at 5 million money.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:22] Right.

Matielyn Jones: [00:05:22] It added up and I said, I said, I’ve never been in a room where it was like a flex. How much you spend with women owned businesses. It was exciting and it was a great welcome and introduction to the organization. But it was very exciting and I’m very proud of all the companies that come together to really support women owned businesses in this way.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:41] And for people who want to learn more about getting certified themselves or getting re certified, if maybe they have done it in the past, what’s the best kind of way to connect with you?

Matielyn Jones: [00:05:51] Sure, I think the best way is to go to our website. It is for the Greater Women’s Business Council. So that is GW, BC. Org, our certification team. Photos and pictures are there. You can email us directly at certification at GW PBS.org. You can also reach out to me directly at M Jones at GW PBS.org. But we would love to hear from you. I’m always open to questions and walking you through as best I can, high level through your application, but just know that our goal is to make sure that we audit these documents well, and that we really set people up for success who want to compete in this market.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:28] Well, congratulations on all you do. I mean, you’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Matielyn Jones: [00:06:32] Thank you so much. And thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:34] All right. We’ll be back in a few at GW. Bc Lace Awards Gala 2023.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. And one of those ladies here right now, Chef Maria Kemp. Welcome.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:00:34] Thank you so much, Lee. Hey, it’s finally great to meet you in person.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] I know we did an interview virtually, and now we’re meeting in person. For those who don’t know, tell us a little bit about your business.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:00:43] Well, I own Beyond Decadence, and I am the D and B pastry chef, which stands for diversity, equity, Inclusion and belonging. And I create a fusion between desserts and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging training.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:59] There you go. And then backstory how you got into this line of work.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:01:02] Oh goodness, I went to pastry school. Let’s just round up and say a million years ago, after spending, you know, 1,000,000.5 years in the IT world, went to the prestigious French pastry school in Chicago and became professionally trained and had a brick and mortar business, a couple pop up bakeries through the years in Illinois and now North Carolina, and then during the pandemic, ended up morphing. I like that word instead of pivot, because pivot was the most overused word of the pandemic.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:30] It’s an evolution.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:01:31] It is, it is. But I like the word morphed. So I ended up morphing. And, you know, combining two of my passions, you know, to be an advocate and an ally in the diversity space and baking, because I had done production, baking and catering for a long time and needed a change and something that was more impactful.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:49] Now, what’s your number one tip for that home? Baker?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:01:53] Um, probably similar to some of the trades where they say, what is it? Measure twice, cut once.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:01] Because baking is like chemistry, right? It’s not like yeah, just throw a little bit in. It’s not like cooking where you can just sprinkle stuff in or eyeball things.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:02:08] Yeah. The whole bam thing, you know that that doesn’t work in baking. No. You definitely need to make sure that you measure accurately, whether you’re using a scale or whether you’re using a liquid measuring cup or regular traditional dry measuring cups. Accuracy is key.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:23] Now, what about when it came to developing your programs involving baking and Di? How did that come about?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:02:31] It came about through a request from a client who said, you know, we really want to work with you, but we’ve been watching you and we work with the safe of Savory Chef last year, and we’d love to do something with you. And so that started and developed something for Juneteenth that paired together a bourbon sweet potato pie with marshmallow meringue and the messaging. But then it kept evolving through another client, Flagstar Bank and Amerihealth Caritas. Then there was Kimberly-Clark, and there was probably one other one in there I’ve missed too, but it really came together full scale when I got asked to or approved to be a speaker, a breakout session speaker at the 11th annual BMW Supplier Diversity Exchange and Conference, which is held every year for 11 years, ten, 11 years down in Greenville. And I led a breakout session, 100 people in each session two times, about 45 minutes, and just knocked it out of the park because people didn’t understand. They’re like, how are you going to merge together? Baking and pastry. Are you a pastry chef or your trainer? Are we going to cook something? Then other people are like, well, I heard you mention desserts from the podium. And is it bad that I came because I knew I’d get dessert? I said, no, it’s all part of my evil plan. That’s right. I just need to get you in here, and then I can explain it to you and help educate you.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:47] And then when you do your talk, they also. There is a dessert involved.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:03:51] No, I just tell them. No. I do know after I do the demonstration and walk through the experience of how desserts can be used to show diversity, equity versus inclusion, inclusion. Excuse me. Equity versus equality, inclusion versus exclusion, belonging versus not belonging. After we walk through that and they experience firsthand and say, you know, I didn’t like the way that felt or I felt bad for them because they didn’t get anything, I was going to give them mine. When you experience it firsthand, then it resonates. It becomes real. It becomes real. Then you can go out and be an ally, and then you can say, I remember how that felt and I didn’t like it. So after all of that, then they do get to eat their dessert. And that’s the best part.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:35] And that’s the beauty of this is they get to learn something, but they also get a sweet treat. Right?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:04:40] And food resonates. I mean, don’t we all wake up or fall asleep to Food Network every night or, or the Greatest British Baking Show? So when people, you know hear that they’re going to get dessert, but then they experience and get the lesson out of it, then get to, you know, enjoy the dessert as well, then that makes it stick. And it’s powerful. I mean, food is power.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:00] Now for folks who maybe aren’t certified yet, how has being certified helped you kind of have these conversations with those kind of folks?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:05:09] It’s opened me up to an audience that I would not have had access to otherwise. It’s easy to open any periodical and see who the major companies, the major players are in any city or any state that you live in. But to have events that take place where you have an opportunity to meet them and interact with them, but most importantly, build a relationship. Just being certified and saying, I’m certified, hire me now.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:35] Doesn’t work.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:05:35] That doesn’t work. That doesn’t work.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:37] Paying your dues and just waiting by the phone is not a good strategy, right?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:05:40] That’s that’s that’s that’s being hopeful. But building the relationships and them getting to know you, you getting to know them, understanding the problem they’re trying to solve and the solution that you can bring to it, but them also watching you. I know there’s people who watch me on LinkedIn. They’re watching me, what I’m doing, how my career is growing, what I’m getting involved in, the people I’m meeting, the exposure, the response, the reaction from the crowd reading the facial expressions like, wow, they were really enjoying what she was doing. So being certified has done nothing but catapult that and the people, if I started naming them. But I’m not going to name drop that I’ve had access to and exposure to and discussions with and discussions that are coming is mind blowing.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:27] So what do you look forward most to this evening? How are you going to get the most out of this evening?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:06:33] I don’t know, I’m so shy. I’m going to hide in the corner. I don’t think so. No, I’m a greeter. So you can’t hide. No, no, there’s no hiding. No, I don’t want to hide. Just interacting with people. I’ve met a lot of them, but there’s a lot that I have not met and just, you know, enjoying the experience and just expanding my network and building new relationships and furthering ones that are already established.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:57] Yeah, GWB does a great job of connecting people together and matchmaking and really putting names to faces that maybe you’ve met virtually, but now you can meet them in person, right?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:07:08] And we’ve a lot of us were just down at National in DC, but then we were in Greenville together, and I think there was something else in the middle. No, it was just those two. So I recognized some of the names. Right. Yeah. They’re going to be here tonight and they’re all friends tonight. They’re old friends. I’ve already emailed them. Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:26] So if somebody wants to get a hold of you, what’s the website?

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:07:29] Website is WW beyond decadence.com. That’s w-w-w beyond decadence.com. Or you can find me on LinkedIn. Very active on LinkedIn under Chef Maria Kemp.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:41] Good stuff. Well Chef Maria, thank you so much for sharing your story, doing such important work. And we appreciate.

Chef Maria Kemp: [00:07:45] It. Thank you. Thank you for having me. It’s good to meet you in person.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:48] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at the 2023 GW Black Lace Awards Gala.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom. It’s the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellent. And our guest right now is Lashunda Brown with Odyssey Training Solutions. Welcome.

Lashunda Brown: [00:00:36] Thank you. I’m happy to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] Well what are you most excited about seeing at this great event?

Lashunda Brown: [00:00:42] Oh my. So excited to just join in the women who will be receiving their great awards for all their achievements, and to just join in and just accelerate them and edify them and just enjoy this fabulous evening.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:00] I know everybody’s all dressed up. The aquarium is looking great. Beautiful venue.

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:05] Absolutely. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:06] Are you looking to connect with some folks? Maybe you’ve met virtually, but you haven’t seen in person?

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:11] I have, as a matter of fact, some of the folks that we were in sessions with this week for productions and things of that nature, being able to connect those faces with voices, it’s been exciting.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:21] Well, tell us a little bit about your business Odyssey Training Solutions. How you serving folks?

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:26] Yeah. So Odyssey Training Solutions is a full cycle really one stop shop for all your training needs. We provide professional management workforce development solutions. We have a array of training. And we provide not only virtual, but we also are doing a lot of in-person training again, which has been super excited. And we can pretty much customize and provide the solution that you need.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:52] Is there a kind of a sweet spot for an ideal client? Is there a size or the industry that you work in, or are you pretty industry agnostic?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:00] We are across all verticals, all industries, and we have multiple subject matter experts.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:05] So now how did you get involved with GW, BC and get certified?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:09] Oh well, I’ve been certified for over a year now and as a woman owned business, it was the obvious most progressive next step to make that connection. And one of my mentors was kind of like, you’ve got to be part of this now that you’re in Georgia. And here we are.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:29] Here we are. Have you met some interesting folks?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:32] Always. I just love the wonderful array of just intelligence and the different fields and the line of businesses and industries that everyone bring to the table is simply a joy.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:44] Now, any advice for somebody, maybe who isn’t certified yet about getting certified? Is it something that you found beneficial for your company?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:52] I believe that you, you know, certainly make sure that you are have your due diligence on paperwork and making sure that because, you know, it is a pretty lengthy process. So you want to make sure that you have your paperwork together. And I would recommend that, you know, if you’re doing it alone, perhaps connect with someone, maybe a mentor or mentee or even another WB that’s already certified so that they can, you know, provide you guidance to ensure that you get everything in properly.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:22] Now when it comes to getting involved in the business association like GW, BC how do you kind of wring out the most value? Like what do you do to kind of get the most out of your membership? Because it’s not you don’t want to just pay money to join something and then just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. That doesn’t usually work.

Lashunda Brown: [00:03:40] Oh, absolutely. I believe that, you know, if you’re going to put forth the effort, you need to be prepared to do the work, right. There are a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of events, the the wealth of information and the knowledge and the networking and the events that are available. You certainly have to take advantage of it. But again, once you get certified, you do have to do the work. You want to make the best of it. So it does become an individual decision to make that decision to go further.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:11] And then part of your decision was to come here and help out for this event.

Lashunda Brown: [00:04:15] Absolutely. I’ve been providing you know, I’ve been attending some events in the past and it was a need for volunteer. And I’m thinking, yeah, absolutely, I’ll help out. I love helping out in the community. I’m in other community service events and do other community service volunteer. So of course I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to do so.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:39] And then if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more about Odyssey, what is the website?

Lashunda Brown: [00:04:45] Oh, absolutely. So you can find us at WW Dot Odyssey Training Solutions. And that’s with an S plural dot net. Or you can reach me personally at lashonda at Odyssey Training Solutions dot net.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:59] Good stuff. Well. Thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Lashunda Brown: [00:05:04] Thank you. Thank you for your time.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:05] All right. This Lee Kantor back in a few at 2023 GW BC Lace Awards Gala.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. Right now we have Vince the Voice Bailey, the emcee of tonight’s event. Welcome, man.

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:00:35] Hey, thanks a lot, man. Great being here with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:37] That voice is just it’s instantly recognizable.

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:00:42] Oh, thank you so much. Yes, yes. Great to be here. Great to be here with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] So when did you know you had the voice?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:00:48] You know what, man? I’ve been doing this kind of thing for quite a while, and I just love to read it as a kid, to the point where the nuns were like anybody but Vince. Come up and read, and I haven’t stopped talking yet.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:02] So is it just years of smoking? What is your secret?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:01:06] Well, that, to be honest with you, but I got into this world of media production at a young age and never, never let go.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:15] So what’s your favorite part of production?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:01:17] You know what? Actually, it’s things like this tonight. I mean, I do commercials and shoot and all that and editing. But like tonight you have the affair and it’s over and the check is good and it’s a wrap as opposed to, you know, having to do some post-production stuff.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:33] Now, any advice for folks out there that are looking to do production? Because so many people I’m sure you’ve seen think they can do this themselves?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:01:42] Well, I taught and I teach privately. Voiceover and I taught at Clayton State for 12 years. And so I’ll hit that because a lot of people, you know, how do you get into voiceover and what do you do. And so I’m going to drop some nuggets on you first of all, and that is that you begin 99 times out of 99in the world that you live in. So if you’re in education, if you’re in aviation, if you’re in medical, if you’re whatever you’re in, the first opportunities will present themselves in that arena before you go out there. Everyone wants to do the McDonald’s commercials, but who’s going to do Mike’s hamburgers down the street, if you know what I mean? And so I’ve had some success with that, more of a blue collar approach to this whole world of entertainment, and it keeps you working. So I think another thing along those lines, you mentioned productions here in Atlanta is such an entertaining environment, but it’s also a very, as you guys know, corporate environment and corporate entities need just as much production as as the singers and dancers and party people.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:42] So so that might not be as sexy, but there’s a lot of money being made in that space.

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:02:47] Look at me right now. I got on this suit and tie. The ladies is taking pictures with me. I mean, you know, I’d rather do it like this.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:55] So now, what about when it comes to video production? A lot of folks think, you know, I’ve got a camera on my phone, so why do I need to hire somebody?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:03:03] Yeah, well, I hear that a lot. And people have gone to that. And then they come back to you because you as a professional, you know, I go into a situation. My first question to a client is what do you want people to do after they watch this. And that will dictate the flow? You know, the appeal. It’s got to be for a purpose. You know, I don’t we’re not just taking pretty pictures. We’re trying to get people to either buy this product or investigate this organization or donate or something. There needs to be a purpose. So that’s where the challenge comes in. And that’s why they need to hire somebody like me instead of your cousin with the cell phone.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:45] Now, what is kind of your ideal client? Who is it? Somebody corporate. You know what is what’s the ideal client for your production company? Well, I tell.

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:03:54] You what, this I this is, I want to say, my 10th year, I started in the back of the room as the voice of God. With this, I had met Ross Lewis through the Atlanta Business League back when. And so his voice of God. And then for probably the past seven, eight years, I’ve been on the on the stage and it has been a great relationship and so much so because, you know, the audience is is is a tremendous audience. And as a result, opportunities, some major opportunities have presented from from being in this room. And so events like that, you know, these ties and the bling bling that I have on, I emcee, believe it or not, guys, as a licensed National Dance Council of America ballroom dance competitions professional, I’m talking Russians and all over the country and outside of the country. And it’s amazing that, first of all, I have to pinch myself that I’m even in that environment. But when it comes to that, I think that part of the success has been I. Said, you know that a lot of Russians. I’m a stickler about names. So if her name is Oksana Zolotarev Skya, you need to say Oksana Zolotarev Skya. And a lot of times people, oh, you know, no, that’s their name. And there’s many names like that. That’s just a little thing, a little something different. And it enamors them to you and say, hey, you know, you want to make people feel good. So even though Sally weighs 430 pounds, that purple is popping girl, you know. And that was a great shot shot.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:34] So if somebody wants to learn more about your production company or hire you to emcee their event, what is the website?

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:05:40] Well, I appreciate that. They can look me up at Vince the voice.com. You can Google me. Vince the voice. I’ve been doing a lot of this. Like I say, the nuns are proud of me. I was a good speller and a good reader, and I appreciate the good enunciator and a good dancer.

Speaker5: [00:05:56] But I can break it down now for me too. It depends on what we’re selling.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:01] Well, thank you so much for spending some time with us this evening. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Vince “The Voice” Bailey: [00:06:06] It’s truly an honor. Thank you guys at Business RadioX.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:09] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at the 2023 GW Lace Awards Gala.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. Keya Grant and Rachael Humphrey here, the co-chairs of this great event. Welcome, ladies.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:00:36] Hello, hello, hello.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] So for the folks out there who aren’t familiar with the event, tell us what you got planned.

Keya Grant: [00:00:42] So this is a night to celebrate corporations and clubs who have done exemplary work in their respective companies and fields. So we are looking forward to celebrating those phenomenal people.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:57] And then there’s also a silent auction.

Keya Grant: [00:00:59] There’s a silent auction.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:02] Go ahead.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:02] Yes. No.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:03] Jump in there, Rachael.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:04] No, no, that’s exactly right. Us. But Keya and I are the co-chairs of the awards committee. So we’re a subcommittee of the subcommittee?

Lee Kantor: [00:01:15] Yes, but you’re co chairs.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:16] Yes.

Keya Grant: [00:01:16] Correct.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:17] Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] And then so for people who aren’t familiar with an event like this, so they can expect awards for great work throughout the year, but there’s also a silent auction to raise money, correct.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:27] Yes. This is a non for profit. Right. So there are wonderful items up for auction and trips and trips. Trips. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:36] And those power lunch power lunches right. Awesome. That’s awesome. Whose idea was that? The committee. Yes, I know, but you got great roster of folks to have power lunch with, correct?

Rachael Humphrey: [00:01:48] Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:49] And how do you pull something like that off?

Keya Grant: [00:01:52] People are just really excited to support WBS and making sure that they are empowered and mentored. And what better way to do that than to have a power lunch now?

Lee Kantor: [00:02:02] How long have you been working with GWBC?

Rachael Humphrey: [00:02:06] Oh my goodness, I have been I have been a WBE, so I am a small business where Keya is a corporation right. So I’m a small business and I’ve been around for I’m just going to say many many many years.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:19] But what inspired you to get part of this great organization?

Rachael Humphrey: [00:02:22] I became a part because I wanted to network, I guess is a word which I don’t like the word network, but I wanted to be around women who are like minded, those who were looking for business just like I was, and the corporations that were looking for people like me. Right. So that is a partnership that you need, not just meeting people, but a partnership. You want to meet people who are looking for you and you’re looking for them. And that’s what this organization allows.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:50] And it’s it’s almost like a cheat code for a small business to get in front and build relationships with folks that would be very difficult to meet if they weren’t part of this organization.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:03:00] Exactly. And like you said, that there’s an opportunity for you to have lunches and to also partners. That’s one of the things that in the auction, people love that part of this, of this, this event, the event. Yeah. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:13] Well it’s relationships now. Absolutely. Keya talk about from your lens about the importance of WBC. Yeah of course.

Keya Grant: [00:03:20] So I have been involved with GWBC for probably 18 years, and it has been through the capacity of working for a major corporations that support WBEs and this amazing organization. So I help to help my company, the companies I work for, find qualified WBEs to fulfill our goals and needs. Right. Yeah. And so and diversify our supply chain.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:49] And then how are you seeing, you know, being involved for so many years. Are you seeing an evolution of that women business owner. Sure.

Keya Grant: [00:03:56] Absolutely. I’ve mentored I can’t tell you how many women business owners in my career. And I can tell you what my my current company now, our largest spend is WBE spend.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:07] Wow. Yeah. So that’s inspiring to hear from a lot of the folks in this room, I’m sure. Yes.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:04:13] And he is being modest because I’ve been around a long time. And even if you’ve been around a long time, if you have someone like Keya in your corner, she’s going to introduce you to somebody and that’s what you want, right? And if it’s not something that I’m doing, then I know somebody who is doing something that she might need. Right? So continuous apart, like you said, not only mentoring but partnering, but also just referring each other. And that’s what it’s all about. You know, just people doing business. I tell people all the time, I may not know somebody, but I know somebody who knows somebody.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:45] And that’s that’s just as good.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:04:47] That’s important.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:48] Yeah. And a lot of folks get impatient. I think they think that, oh, I’m here for. Here’s my business card. Where’s the money? And it’s not like that. This is about relationships. And it takes time.

Keya Grant: [00:04:58] Exactly. And I try to I try. To mitigate expectations. And it is about timing and it’s divine timing. Right. And it is about just and I always tell people just because you’re certified does not guarantee you business. Yes, you have to be involved with the organization, right. You have to come to events, show.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:18] Up and volunteer here. Absolutely. Yeah.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:05:20] Exactly. Exactly. Because it’s not like Keya, you know, people like to pass out the card and think, oh, I’m gonna get new business. It doesn’t happen like that, right? I was with Coca-Cola and some other big names that that I had, but it took years right before it was my time. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:37] Years to be an overnight success, right?

Rachael Humphrey: [00:05:39] Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So. And you have to be patient.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:43] So let’s talk about your businesses for a minute. You want to talk about your firm.

Keya Grant: [00:05:48] Sure. So I work for Constellation Brands. We are the number one beer company now in the world. We are based in Rochester, New York. In Chicago, our portfolio includes modelo, Corona, Pacifico, Svedka vodka, we’re Bridge Wine, Robert Mondavi, Meiomi. We have a huge portfolio of brands.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:08] And then so folks can talk to you at GWBC you’re involved in hiring, like, what are the typical hires?

Keya Grant: [00:06:16] No, do not call me.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:17] Don’t call you.

Keya Grant: [00:06:18] I’m not hiring. But of course we’re looking for a WBE right.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:22] Like to partner with correct. There are certain niches that you look for.

Keya Grant: [00:06:25] So logistics marketing and it good stuff.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:30] Yeah. And then Rachel yes.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:06:32] Well I’ve been in business since 1998. It’s woman owned minority owned and I do mail copy print I do it managed services. I have a partner. And having a partner allows you to expand what you do. So I have a managed service partner that I’ve been with for over 14 years. And we do equipment. We do like we we are the ones who do the excuse me, your office, if you need an equipment to do your copiers and your right.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:04] So yeah, any type of equipment.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:07:06] Any type of equipment, we can do that. And we do phone services as well. We do what you get when your phone. So it’s been a good partner. But I learned in this and not only just as a person in a business, it’s good to partner with people. That’s right. And it’s not only in as a corporate but also a WB. I partner with WB because I may not be able to fulfill with the right partner.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:30] You can do anything correct.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:07:31] You can expand what your needs and it helps to build capacity and scale. Right. Exactly, exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:37] All right. So before we wrap up website for Constellation Brands.

Keya Grant: [00:07:40] W-w-w dot C brands.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:42] All right. And Rachel?

Rachael Humphrey: [00:07:43] WW dot w metro records management.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:48] All right. Well thank you both for participating. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you know thank.

Rachael Humphrey: [00:07:53] You for having us.

Keya Grant: [00:07:54] Thanks for having us.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:55] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at 2023 GW BC Lace Awards Gala.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. And one of those ladies is here tonight Sharon Goldmacher with Communications 21. Welcome.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:00:36] Hi, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:37] So for the folks who don’t know, tell us a little bit about communications 21.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:00:41] Absolutely. We are a digital marketing and PR firm based here in Atlanta. We have clients across the country. We do a wide range of services, including creation of websites. We manage all social media. We do email marketing, anything digital and online that we can measure. We typically do, including videos. We love to work with folks like yourselves to get the word out. We do traditional PR as well event planning and execution, media relations, executive media training, and more.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] And full disclosure, one of your clients is GW.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:01:20] They are one of our best clients.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:22] And then talk about an event like this. How does this fit into someone’s kind of marketing plan?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:01:27] Well, this is the culmination of an entire year of events and programing for Greater Women’s Business Council, in part because they are crowning the achievements of both corporate partners and women business enterprises that they work very hard with all year. And we’re happy to be a small part of it in terms of promoting it on social media, doing videos as part of the program, and really and we’re also actually honored because we are entered for a Trailblazer Award this year. So we’re excited about that. But yeah, it’s Roz Lewis and her team work very hard to both increase the number of women owned businesses in our region, and then honor those people who have worked really hard to achieve the mission of WBC.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:15] Now. Any advice for the maybe the women business owners that are listening here on how to, if they can’t afford their own PR firm like yours? What is some of the low hanging fruit they can do to help them get the word out?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:02:28] Social media is a very powerful tool. Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn those are great ways to self publish and really get their expertise out there. In addition, going to their local newspapers and magazines and just saying, hey, you should know that I do this and I may be the only person in town that does this, and I’d be happy to talk to you. So what we do and what I tell my team is what we do is not rocket science, but we love doing it. And there are many of our clients who just don’t have time to do it and don’t really know where to begin. So we try to make it easy for them and give them advice.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:10] Now, when you’re saying to reach out to local media that’s in their area, that means to actually reach out and build a relationship, right? Like this isn’t something you just spam them with emails about, hey, you know, I’m doing this thing right? You’re right. Really. Invest in relationship. That’s the only way that this really works for any length of time in our.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:03:30] Industry, it’s called media relations. And that’s why it’s called building a relationship with media.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:35] It’s a key component to that.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:03:36] It is the component. Absolutely. So, you know, understanding what a reporter writes about and what interests them is also really important because you can’t just, as you said, spam them with information that they have no clue or it doesn’t make sense to their audience. So you have to know who you’re talking to and then make it relevant to them.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:57] Now for what’s kind of your elevator pitch for WBC. Like, how would you kind of synopsize what they do for people who aren’t familiar.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:04:07] They educate and empower women business owners.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:12] And then any women business owners should seriously consider being certified. For what reasons?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:04:18] It really does get you in front of a large audience of corporations and businesses that are looking to meet their supplier diversity goals, and they know that with the certification from Webbank and WBC, that you already meet the gold standard for doing business with them. So they’re not going to waste your time because you’ve gone through and done the hard work to get certified.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:46] And then the amount of money that’s available for women owned businesses or minority owned businesses or veteran owned businesses, can you give them the listener an idea of the quantity of money that’s out there? It’s it’s not just it’s in the millions.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:05:01] If not more. Yeah, there’s a very intentional focus on trying to lift up women owned businesses as well as minorities and veterans. But it’s a maze to really understand how to access that. And organizations like GW, BC and Webbank work hard to simplify that for women owned businesses because they build the relationships with the corporations like BMW or Truist, who are looking to meet those supplier diversity goals. And they rely on GW, bc to make those relationships happen.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:41] Right. And they’re kind of the bridge between a lot of these enterprise level companies and these small businesses.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:05:47] Yes, they are the bridge. Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:50] So if somebody wants to learn more about your PR firm, what’s the website?

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:05:54] Our website is C 21 pr.com. And you can find us on the web and on social media. And we’d love to talk to anybody who is interested.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:04] Well, Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Sharon Goldmacher: [00:06:08] Thanks, Lee. You as well. We appreciate Business RadioX. Thanks.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:12] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at the 2023 GW BC Lace Awards Gala.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom for the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence. And one of those ladies is here right now Moira Vetter. Welcome.

Moira Vetter: [00:00:34] Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:35] It’s been a hot minute since we’ve last chatted, I think. Would you say seven, ten years ago?

Moira Vetter: [00:00:39] Something like that.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:41] We’re still here.

Moira Vetter: [00:00:42] I’m still hear going strong all these years later.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:44] And you’re up for a Trailblazer Award. Talk about it. How did that happen?

Moira Vetter: [00:00:48] You know, we have had a really good year. You know, I think any time you’re doing well as a business, you know, you talk about your blessings and the team that you have. We’re really fortunate. You know, the world is still very interesting. There’s a lot of change and turmoil, but we are just really committed and flexible. And, you know, I think we have really resilient people and we have very close relationships with our clients. And that, you know, enables us to, you know, at times like these when it gets interesting, really kind of hunker down and focus on the stuff that matters. And so it’s really it’s paid off for us. We’ve had a lot of wins in the last year. We’re an Inc 5000 company for the fourth time this year and an Inc power partner, which is a B2B award that they have and have had all kinds of other things. But, you know, those are the ones that really speak to us because they come directly from the work we’re doing with our clients.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:44] So talk about your firm. Who do you serve and what’s the pain that your clients are having when they call you? Yeah.

Moira Vetter: [00:01:51] So we are Moto Moto Agency. We are a creative and media agency here in Atlanta, heavily serve B2B clients, not exclusively B2B, but often very complex global businesses. It’s very difficult to manage your brand and your position in a world that is in turmoil. And then you think about all of the changes in the the workforce and all the all the labor challenges and the economic challenges. It gets really hard to plant a flag, you know, and, and to sort of be your brand and be consistent about it when it needs to be changing all the time. And so our clients, you know, sometimes they come to us because their whole industry has changed and they want to lead that effort. Right. They want to be at the forefront and they want to be very visible for the leadership that they provide. Other times, it really is about being an extension of their team and partnering with them. So if I think about last year, last year was heavily about we are down, we’re down, men, women, children, you know, like we just don’t have the people that we need. And we don’t just need doers. We need thinkers who can come in, assess and go. And so, you know, last year was a lot of that. It was a and it was also about helping them recruit and find team members this year because the economy has been so, you know, uncertain. That’s everybody’s favorite word or the headwinds. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:21] Everybody because there’s always certainty in the economy. Right. Sure.

Moira Vetter: [00:03:24] Right. That’s yeah. Somebody said to me today it feels kind of uncertain like like every other day. Yeah. But you know, I feel like this year it’s been more about how do we get quicker returns, how do we convert sales, how do we focus on the activities that correlate directly to revenue because the pressure has come back? I think people had a little more flex in coming through the pandemic. Everybody was surviving, and I think the focus on KPI lifted a little and it was, you know, keep the wheels on, keep going. And 2023 has been the year of don’t keep going, only keep going on the things that are delivering. Right. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:05] And it’s hard to prioritize in a world like this. Right. Is this where you’re kind of expertise and the thought leadership and the trusted advisor role that you have? It really comes in handy to give them that, that third party fresh eyes looking at this stuff.

Moira Vetter: [00:04:20] Yes, yes. And you know, one thing I will say, you know, agencies are infamous for high turnover and short tenure. You know, the agency industry is very dynamic and fast moving and, you know, perhaps has a higher, you know, transiency. And we’ve been able to buck that curve. Our average team member has been with us over four years. We’ve got people that have been at the company 14 years, 12 years, you know, which is kind of, you know, outside the ordinary. And the benefit of that is when our clients come. It’s not just that we have, you know, somebody that writes well or, you know, hey, I need a good designer. It’s. I need a team that knows how to work together to solve problems like this, and they can just leave it at that. And so, you know, I feel like that’s people want people to know what they need. They don’t want to have to tell you what they need. They just want to be able to frame challenges. And so that’s really where we try to put more senior people in front of our clients, who are typically more senior people and just, you know, think as creatively as possible and be here, right, and have that same team here to deliver that.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:37] Now any advice for that woman business owner when it comes to building a culture like that? Because that doesn’t happen accidentally. That’s because you’re a visionary. And and the culture is where the rubber hits the road. There’s a lot of people that would like to have a culture as strong as yours, but you’re actually delivering this, obviously, with the success and recognition you’re getting here and, and all those other places you mentioned. So how do you build a culture that can kind of last and stand the test of time like you have?

Moira Vetter: [00:06:06] You know, one of the things is you have to keep telling people what that culture is and why it’s important to people. I think, you know, lots of people have, you know, mission and vision statements and they’re interchangeable.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:19] Like, you can you can’t.

Moira Vetter: [00:06:21] Tell the brand, say those things. Right. But, you know, we try to really show people what the benefit of those things are, both to our to us internally and to our clients. You know, I think part of it is just intending to scale. I gave a talk recently to the Cobb Executive Women’s Group and part of the Cobb Chamber, and one of the things I was doing, I was looking at statistics on businesses that scale, and I was looking at SBA insights on small business. And the average small business in the country has 1.9 employees, which means small businesses on average are a job, right? It’s one person with a job and their cousin. Right. So, you know, scale is a challenge. It’s not just a challenge for women. It’s a challenge for lots of businesses. And I think being intentional about having a plan is really important. I think one of the hardest things for women is when you know someone doesn’t fit the plan, help them find something else, right? Which doesn’t come second nature to a lot of women. I think women are comforters and, you know, try to make it work, right. We’re going to make it work and we’ll find the thing. And if you’re really serious about scale, you also have to be able to accept that sometimes you can’t do that.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:46] Right. And it’s one of those things where you’ve got to know when to say yes and when to say no. Yeah, and it’s important to cut people loose. If it’s not, if it’s not an ideal fit, then let’s there’s a big world out there.

Moira Vetter: [00:07:57] Exactly, exactly. And you know, I think that also, you know, we were talking about we’ve been around a while. It’s something that you don’t know early on. Right. Early on the idea of maybe having someone that’s not a fit and having to let them go seems like the end of the world until you get to a place in your career where you meet somebody that you, that your paths diverged and you realize, oh my God, they’re in the perfect place. Like they thank God we got to this place where we realized that we weren’t perfect together, because look at who they are now or look at what they’ve become. And that doesn’t happen when everybody just keeps trying.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:35] Now talk a little bit about why it was important for you to get involved as a certified woman business owner and be part of Jdbc and this event.

Moira Vetter: [00:08:45] So I’d love to say before it was cool to be on a supplier diversity list. We did this, but we specifically did this because we had a client Southwire company actually years ago was getting very serious about their supplier diversity. It was in the one, I don’t know, 2008 nine ish timeframe. And so Moto was new at the time and our client said it is critical to our leadership team that we diversify our vendor list. And in order to prove that, you know, we need people that are certified. And I said, well, if it matters to you, it matters to me. And so, you know, initially it happened because it mattered to our customer. Increasing it has also been a benefit to us. You know, we have had times where we would have had very extended payment terms. And I know that is a very that’s real difficult thing right now. The the US Chamber of Commerce has just advanced something on a quick payment pledge for large corporations that bring in small businesses because.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:53] Their time frames the 30, 60, 90, 120. And it’s crazy.

Moira Vetter: [00:09:57] Yes, yes. And it’s coming up more and more. And to I’m not. I’m going to say it’s nothing to them, but it is more a line item on a on a sheet and a.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:06] Spreadsheet for them, a spreadsheet. It’s their, you know, their family’s life. Exactly. Small business.

Moira Vetter: [00:10:12] So, you know, we’ve been able to use our Webbank certification before when someone wanted us to have 90 day payment terms and get, you know, 30 day payment terms. So it was hugely advantageous to us. You know, we have used referrals that have come through the network. We have used education. I was able to benefit from a education program that we Bank and Bank of America put together with Cornell University, which was a certificate in entrepreneurship specifically for women. And so, you know, there’s really been so many ways that that being involved and being certified within Webbank and with, you know, Georgia Women’s Business Council has really paid off for us.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:59] And if somebody wants to learn more about Minamoto, what’s the website?

Moira Vetter: [00:11:03] All right. So first of all, Moto Moto is not moto. So we’ll start there. It’s Moto Moto Agency. So m o d as in dog o m o d o agency.com. Everybody thinks of the animated movie with the moto character and so that that that that t is going to be the death of me.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:24] But so Moto Moto.

Moira Vetter: [00:11:26] Agency.com is the website and of course we’re on LinkedIn and all the things, but very active on LinkedIn with some good thought leadership there too.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:35] Well, congratulations for all that you do and good luck this evening. And thank you so much for taking part of this. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Moira Vetter: [00:11:44] Thank you so much and thanks for sharing everybody’s story.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:46] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at 2023 GW Lace Awards Gala.