About Chix
Based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, Chix in Business, Inc. is a non-profit, dues-based grassroots organization of women business owners, providing member support and education through relationship building, resource sharing, discussions and presentations, mentoring and Community Outreach.
We encourage our business clients to Think Local when they are considering where to buy products or services, to Buy Local whenever possible, and to Be Local by supporting businesses that keep our community unique. We strive to increase market share to independent, locally owned businesses by increasing awareness about the personal and community benefits of choosing local.
History
The organization was begun in 1998, shortly after Elizabeth Galecke relocated to the Triangle to start her photography studio. The group began as a small network of Elizabeth’s peers – fellow women independent business owners – who met informally over potluck dinners at Elizabeth’s home to exchange business resources, or to discuss participation in local events. Over time, more and more women were invited to attend these dinners and events, and as the network grew, it was clear that there was a need to give this group a name.
Distinguishing themselves from other women’s groups as "serious women business owners who don’t take themselves too seriously", Chix in Business was born. Today, Chix in Business, Inc. is a diverse group of more than 150 members. Our membership is comprised of artists, healthcare professionals, attorneys, coaches and consultants, accountants, real estate agents, technology specialists and many others.
Mission Statement
Chix in Business, Inc. is a Triangle-area community of passionate women business owners who support and educate each other through building personal and business relationships, information sharing, seminars, mentoring and community outreach.
Board of Directors
Board members of Chix in Business, Inc. actively participate in decisions made about the group’s future, as well as help shape and guide an important grassroots organization, develop leadership skills, and are proud to be part of a group that could change the way women do business and live in their communities by becoming socially involved.
2010 Members of the Board of Directors are as follows:
Stefanie Zizzo - President and Executive Committee Chair
Career and Life Coach
www.stefaniezizzo.com
Stefanie is a career and life coach with more than 16 years experience working with individuals who are seeking greater fulfillment in their careers and lives. Her passion is coaching people to gain greater awareness and clarity of their vision, to develop better working relationships, to choose roles that fit their needs and values, and to find passion in their work and life. Stefanie works with people from all over the country through one-on-one coaching and a variety of seminars and workshops.
She is also the author of The Journey From Comfort to Possibility: A Workbook of Self Discovery and Personal Transformation, which serves as a springboard to those ready to stretch out of their comfort zones and experience more of life. Stefanie is certified as a life coach through the Institute for Life Coach Training and the International Coach Federation and holds a Masters degree in Counseling and a Bachelors degree in Psychology.
Tara Hunn-Dorris - Secretary
THD Editorial, Inc
Tara Hun-Dorris is the president of THD Editorial, Inc., which provides accurate, reliable, efficient medical writing services for the Triangle and beyond, specializing in regulatory writing services and advisory board meeting reports. Tara has been a writer/editor for all of her career, starting as an environmental science reporter and eventually transitioning into health and medicine. Tara has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Carolina. She is also a Board-Certified Editor in the Life Sciences. In addition to THD Editorial, Tara is a principal at Pony Run Publishing, LLC, a new company that will provide smart, current, easy-to-understand disease-state information to patients and their caregivers, with the goal of taking some of the intimidation out of medicine. The first two topics covered will be traumatic brain injury (TBI) and obesity, with the TBI newsletter set to launch in the first quarter of 2010.
Tara has been a participant in Chix in Business since forming THD Editorial in 2004. Tara lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, two young sons, and the family pets.
Barb Sarvis - Treasurer
www.sarviscpa.com,
Barbara Sarvis CPA on LinkedIn
Barb Sarvis is a Certified Public Accountant who formed her own company in 2002 to provide personalized tax planning, preparation, bookkeeping and accounting services for her clients. She strives to educate and care for small business owners, and to remove the intimidation normally present when dealing with financial data. The opportunity to provide professional guidance on a day-to-day basis is a motivating factor in her success.
Barb has been working in the accounting field since 1995. She is a member of the NC Association of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She holds degrees in Business Administration, Economics, and Industrial Engineering. She is also certified as a Pro Advisor for QuickBooks.
Barb is proud to serve as Treasurer of Chix in Business, Inc. for 2010, and has also served as a board member from 2006 through 2008.
Lori Williams - Executive Member at Large
Elizabeth Galecke - Founder and Nominating Committee Chair
Elizabeth Galecke Photography
http://www.elizabethgalecke.com/
Elizabeth Galecke's passion for community service began about the time she first picked up a camera. While pursuing her collegiate studies in photography in Austin, Texas, she founded The Children's Vision in coordination with Austin Area Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation.
Elizabeth moved to Raleigh in 1995 to start her photography studio, which specializes in candid black and white portraiture. Elizabeth has received Triangle Business Journal's prestigious "40 Under 40" award, and she continues to share her acumen with her fellow women leaders through CIB. Her goal is to spread the sense of community that has helped her over the years.
Meg Russell - Membership Chair
Southern Wake Realty dba Southern World Relocations
Meg is a Realtor and sole owner of Southern Wake Realty dba Southern World Relocations. She holds the additional designations of Accredited Buyer Representative, NAR GREEN, Ecobroker, Epro and Luxury Home Specialist. Though she heads up the relocation team, she personally attends to clients who find her through her social sites, networks and referrals including a tour of the city and sampling of the nightlife for her out-of-town clients.
She is also the green consultant to the firm's Energy Star partner, Cedarbrook Construction, which focuses on energy saving additions and whole house renovations. Meg is passionate about sharing information with clients, colleagues and other women business owners and does so with blogs and social sites that are dedicated to RSS news feeds on the real estate economy, emerging green trends and global warming. With 20+ years behind her in the fields of accounting, finance and small business consulting, she often mentors colleagues on their own startups and hopes to promote that mission within Chix In Business.
Alison Stephenson - MarketingPR, Web Chair
Owner, Creative Director of BAJAM Solutions
http://www.bajamsolutions.com
BAJAM Solutions, LLC., was created to assist with web design and print marketing collateral material that does not compromise individuality, principle or style. BAJAM Solutions, LLC. emphasizes quality of work! We put dedication seriousness, high attention to detail, and a personal touch into everything that we do.
Our user friendly, clean and clear approach to design is what defines us, and makes us an asset to our client. Our endeavor is to give each client business a creative, inviting and appealing visual representation.
What's most important to us is that you feel cared for, informed and involved, and that your site or print materials reflect you or your business's the right way.Your project will be handled with care and you will be involved every step of the way.
Robin Thomas - Program Chair
USANA Health Sciences
http://robinthomas.biz
Robin is an independent associate with USANA Health Sciences, a company whose mission is to develop and provide the highest quality, science-based health products. After graduating with a Biology degree at UNC in 1980, Robin spent over 20 years in the laboratory on medical research of both environmental and inflammatory diseases. She started her USANA business in 2004, and has become a local leader in USANA, training and developing a team of business owners who work together for financial success. Her passion has always been to help improve the health of others, and her focus is on prevention and healthy lifestyle choices. Robin’s emphasis as a wellness expert is to share resources for people to be healthier, have more energy, resist disease and aging, manage their weight, and improve their skin.
Robin joined Chix in Business in 2006, and was luncheon coordinator for the Chapel Hill luncheons in 2009.
Erin McLean - Special Events Chair
Erin McLean Events
www.erinmcleanevents.com
Erin McLean is an Event Planner with over 7 years' of experience. She is known for her innovative and fresh ideas, her devotion to detail and her sophisticated décor accents. Erin's charismatic, fun personality and calm demeanor set her clients at ease as she helps them create the wedding of their dreams or the event of a lifetime.
Erin can guide you quickly and efficiently to exactly what you are looking for, saving you time and energy in the process. By offering only the highest level of creative, personalized service, the most spectacular venues, exquisite floral designs, delectable menu options and referrals to only the finest, most reliable vendors in the industry, Erin's goal is to always exceed your expectations.
She is originally from Pennsylvania and started planning congressional events in Washington, D.C, before moving to North Carolina.
Her mission is to carry out your wishes exactly as you had imagined, with the same passion and intensity as if you'd done it yourself.
Megan Cutter - Community Outreach Chair
Cutters Word, LLC
www.cuttersword.com
Megan and her husband Barton provide information and resources to people and couples with disabilities. They speak at local and national conferences on the benefits and challenges of a relationship where one partner has a disability. Together, they provide consultation, mentoring and education to people with and without disabilities. From 1998 to 2005, Megan organized trade shows for Phifer Wire Products, Inc. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Organizing from 50-75 trade shows a year, she managed trade show design, graphics, literature, shipping, pre-show press releases, travel and hotel coordination and on-site installation of professional displays.
In 2005, Megan moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to pursue freelance writing full time. She has been published in The News and Observer (North Raleigh News), Natural Awakenings, The Tuscaloosa News, Jubilation, The Alabama Celt among others. As a contractor, she has written and edited brochures, print media for annual membership drives, and assisted in local media relations and organized special events for Stiegler Consulting, LLC, The NC Psychoanalytic Foundation and the Bubel-Akin Foundation. In addition to being a member of Chix, Megan is also a member of the Triangle Area Freelancers, NC Writers’ Network, Garden Writer’s Association and Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association.
Amy McKeown - Member at Large
Lowlande Web Design
www.lowlande.com
For six years Lowlande Web Design has been providing custom built web sites with custom templates for small businesses in the Triange area and beyond. Lowlande combines content management software that allows you to update your site and manage your business online with the unique look and branding for your business.
Lowlande Web Design offers Joomla, Drupal and Wordpress content management systems with customized templates, settings and options, training and instruction manuals, backup software, search engine optimization and a one year guarantee on site software. You can expand your site with application forms, newsletter software, autoresponders, photo galleries, e-commerce and more. Collateral services provided include animation, web-based presentations, logo design, advertising, and brand identity.
Anyone can offer open source technology with an out-of-the-box template. Lowlande offers open source software with the experience, professionalism, stability, and reputation you would expect from a professionally designed web site.
Amy McKeown is the proud designer of the template for the Chix in Business website, and a member of Chix since 2005. She has served as a the Marketing Chair in the past, and currently serves on the Marketing Committee as the web site admin.
Tina Cochrane - Member at Large
Tina is a sales and recruiting professional with extensive experience in technical staff augmentation. Her recruiting expertise has spanned, large corporate enterprises, small early stage emerging technology companies, and government entities. These roles have enabled her to gain the knowledge needed to successfully recruit at all levels within the technology roles from the CTO down through the ranks. Her skills bring a wide range of understanding to the table, but most of all a knack for matching skills with company culture to fit corporate needs. She is adept at partnering with the clients and understanding the basics of their technological needs.
The approach that she takes combines her skills as a farmer and a hunter while utilizing a reliable network of talented professionals that she can rely on to get it done. Her contribution to various non-profit organizations in and out of the technology industry demonstrates her commitment to “give back” to the community. She serves on several committees including the Workforce Knowledge Committee with NCTA and the Programs Committee for the Raleigh Wake HR Association.
With a Master’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations, Tina spent three years serving children and families in the non-profit arena with the Down East Partnership for Children where she was the Cooperative Play Program Coordinator. In this role, she worked with families and educational organizations to create developmentally appropriate learning environments for children.
Tina is married with three children and resides in Durham, NC with her husband.
Andrea Hunnicutt Grater - Member at Large
IBD Insurance, Inc.
www.ibdinsurance.com
Client support and service needed to work in the insurance industry come naturally to Andrea, an expertise founded in her previous career in Human Resource management and recruiting for major NC companies which included Club Corp of America (owner of Pinehurst Resort), the Promus Hotel company (now part of Hilton Hotels), Cisco Systems and Mitsubishi Electric. She also brings 5 years of health insurance industry experience to being an insurance agent, including two years working directly for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina®.
As a health insurance agent through IBD Insurance, Andrea often acts as a liaison between the client and the insurance carrier, offers her clients the service of a finding what best fits their needs, and generally helps to simplify the enrollment process.