JUNE 2006
Working moms take heart.
There's a woman/mom/boss who gets it. Her name is Margaret Callihan, CEO of this region's SunTrust banks. What impressed me about her career which, in and of itself is already pretty impressive (she's the only president of a regional bank group at SunTrust, the 7th largest bank in the U.S.), is that she not only says family comes first, but means it. She and her teacher husband, Matt, raised three very bright and accomplished children while Margaret rose steadily up the career ladder at SunTrust.
She's too modest to admit I'm sure that it was hard at times. Margaret is a welcome addition to our west coast. You will like her intelligence, her great energy and her delightful smile!
WCW's Front Page
Luncheon
Wow, what a day! And yes, the smile muscles have recovered! Our May 17 Front Page Luncheon was a delightful success. We sold out (260) and were able to present checks to two charities: Cat Depot and SPARCC. I've been getting lots of positive feedback ranging from “great networking” to “great speakers.”
But I'd have to say the comment/compliment I've heard most I really can't take credit for: many people said they enjoyed the “diversity” of women at that luncheon and the depth of skills and talents that were present that day. One said it was great to be around women “so involved in their community.” Now that says volumes and is enough to make me go through the, um, shall we say, somewhat extensive work that goes into planning such an event!
I said to a friend of mine that I tried to make the event play out like a magazine: some short profiles—as in when we introduced Ann McArdle, Nancy Baptist, Paula Dumas and Karis Vail Schmidt.These were all women who are either new in their jobs or new to the community.
Then it was on to medium length stories as in our look back at four women we profiled: Chris Jennings, Marge Maisto, Jan Zarro and Johnette Isham. I think people liked seeing women we've profiled because some of them have made some tremendous changes in their careers and personal lives and it was evident that day—also very inspiring!
And then there was our lengthy feature—the equivalent of our WCW profile when Melissa Wandall spoke and talked of her commitment to get drivers to stop the deadly game of red light running. Melissa gave an impassioned speech and was so positive in spite of the fact she lost her husband, Mark, to such a senseless act. This is also a first where guests at the luncheon got to meet an upcoming WCW before she appears in print (Melissa's story is set to run in August).
And the event had what I hope West Coast Woman has always tried to offer: great networking. We took a bit of gamble opening the doors at 11 a.m. but that allowed time for women to reconnect—something I feel is missing in our busy lives. Those who did come early prior to our unusual 12:15 start time were able to visit and enjoy our Expo. These wonderful folks were our major underwriters of the event but I think they also made the luncheon have more depth. Women are information gatherers, and the booths were so diverse. |
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Thanks to Your Ultimate Image-Donna Hiltebeitel, Renewal Point - Dr. Dan and Sherry Watts, Victoria Roberts, Bryan Fazio of A.G. Edwards, The Charter Plan sponsored by Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, More Space Place, Dr. Anna Baker, Dr. Leonard Rubinstein and Eckerd College. Denise Barbato, WCW's ace account executive, did a great job of coordinating the Expo side of the luncheon in addition to her help with tickets and overall planning.
Thanks to Evelyn England for the great pics and especially the media support we received from Marjorie North, SNN, Grace Riker at the Pelican Press, and Lisa and Emily Walsh of the Longboat Observer.
Where do we go from here?
Tired smile muscles aside, we hope to have the luncheon next year. But both Denise and I have sensed that there's a need for targeted events of an all-social or all-biz or hybrid nature for our advertisers and readers. We're in the process of organizing networking events, women and wine events and more. Though we are fully ensconced in our digital ways, it's still nice to meet face to face and indeed, often it's far superior to staring at the blue glow of a computer.
We'll keep you updated on these and all other events that we're hatching over the summer. If you'd like an invite to next year's event, please email me at wcwnewspaper@aol.com. If you'd be interested in our networking events, please contact me by phone at 954-3300. We're interested in partnering with businesses that would be able to host an event for 15 to 30 attendees.
Thanks again for making our event a smashing success! You'll find a write-up and photos on pages 23 and 24. If you wish to have a friend see the pics you can always direct them here to our web site where they'll find them this month and later in our archives.
Enjoy the start of summer. Let's hope it's a safe one.
Louise Bruderle
Editor and Publisher
wcwlmb@aol.com
We welcome your thoughts and comments on this column and on other columns
and features in this issue. You can reach us at WCWNewspaper@aol.com. |
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