Shannon Hosford, CMO at MLSE, is widely recognized, both within MLSE and the industry for her versatility, innovation, leadership, and creativity. She oversees one of the largest and most diverse sports and entertainment marketing and communications portfolios in North America. Shannon leads the brand promotion of all MLSE properties, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Argonauts and the experience and connection with millions of those teams’ fans.

“She oversees one of the largest and most diverse sports and entertainment marketing and communications portfolios in North America.”

MLSE is one of the leading sports and entertainment companies in North America and is the parent company of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs; the National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors; Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC; the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and development teams with the Toronto Marlies (American Hockey League), Raptors 905 (NBA G League) and Toronto FC II (United Soccer League). MLSE owns or operates all of its teams’ venues and training facilities, including Scotiabank Arena, BMO Field, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Ford Performance Centre, BMO Training Ground, and the OVO Athletic Centre. MLSE has also established Toronto, and its venues, as one of the world’s leading markets for concerts and other live events.

As MLSE CMO, and a leader within the industry, Shannon has helped inspire and mentor many women in various sports and entertainment roles and those who aspire to work in the industry, including through the WISE (Women in Sports and Entertainment) program and the Women’s Executive Network. In additional industry leadership roles, including serving as a board member of the MLSE Foundation, a mentor with the American Marketing Association and a member of the 2014 and 2015 Sponsorship Marketing Awards Judging Panel, 2015 AToMiC Awards Jury and the 2015 CLIO Sports Jury, Shannon has shared her experience and passion for the sports and entertainment marketing industry and paved a path for hundreds of women who admire her success.

Under her leadership, the sports and marketing world was captured by both the Toronto Raptors’ We The North and Toronto FC’s Bloody Big Deal marketing campaigns. These two highly successful campaigns led Strategy to spotlight Hosford as Marketer of the Year in 2014. In the same year, Hosford also led her team to a successful bid for the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend and erected the Toronto Maple Leafs ‘Legends Row’, a series of permanent bronzed statues celebrating the storied history of the franchise.

Sharing an instance, Shannon says, in 2013, the Toronto Raptors faced several brand challenges that the franchise was addressing with a rebranding campaign. As the only NBA team outside of the United States, the Raptors had a unique identity, fan base, and marketing opportunity. As the Raptors made their first playoff appearance in April of 2014, the team launched ‘We The North,’ a brand campaign created in partnership with agency Sid Lee, that embraced the differences that others had previously viewed as potential negatives. We The North galvanized the team and its fan base from coast to coast across Canada and is considered one of the top brand campaigns in Canadian marketing history. Today, it is a brand mantra for the team and the fans’ association with the Raptors.

During these challenging times of the COVID pandemic, when fans are not able to attend games in person, Shannon’s team is working to create engagement with fans of MLSE’s teams through expanded digital content that creates stronger ties between the teams and their fans and builds on the fan experience. Social media and digital content supporting public health and safety measures and social justice are also a priority for the MLSE brand and content teams as the community recovers from the challenges that 2020 has presented.

MLSE’s focus in the coming months is on a safe return to events, creating new opportunities for digital fan engagement until fans can return to live events, and supporting its community as it works to recover from the effects of the pandemic. IE

MLSE

Management

Shannon Hosford
CMO

Description

MLSE is one of North America’s leading providers of unimaginable experiences. We are the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBAGL), TFC II (USL), and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, the Toronto Raptors Esports franchise in the NBA 2K League. Our talented group of professionals are accountable for delivering everything our teams need to win. At the end of the day, our mission is simple: bring the world to its feet.

June Manley, Founder of Female Founders Faster Forward, follows the principle of conscious alignment. She focuses on making sure that what she thinks, says, and does line up. Not only does it help keep her centered and engaged on what matters, but it sets the tone for her organization. The rest of the team knows exactly what is expected of them. It also sets a tone of accountability to themselves, one another, and the organization as a whole.

June’s role model is Mother Teresa. She’s an Anglo-Indian who grew up in Calcutta, India, and witnessed the incredible impact of Mother Teresa – firsthand. “Mother Teresa truly was the leading example of conscious alignment. Every day of her life, she focused only on the mission of liberating people from the continuing bondage of poverty, suffering, gender, and other discrimination. She simply made the world a better place every day,” says the steadfast leader. June relentlessly works for underserved minorities to get opportunities to move into leadership roles. In addition to working 1 on 1 with female entrepreneurs and women in technology, June also serves as an advisor to the National Small Business Administration (NSBA) to better serve underserved minority tech entrepreneurs.

As June travels around the world, she is struck by how the current system ignores many talented people. While high-tech companies and Venture Capital (VC) firms blame the lack of “pipeline” of underserved minorities, it is clear that they are not looking beyond their professional and social networks. Outside of Silicon Valley, there is a groundswell of diverse entrepreneurs, but since the high-tech industry lacks equitable opportunities for them, they move into industries like biotechnology, medical science, etc. June catalyzes sustainable change by uniting business and policy leaders toward a single goal: to drive collective, transformative change to ensure equal and equitable opportunity for all—regardless of gender, race, sex, religion, cultural background, or socio-economic or another status.

In 2015, June bootstrapped and launched a Big Data Analytics startup and discovered that only 2% of U.S. venture capital (VC) funding goes to startups led by female founders. After multiple VCs encouraged her to “make your husband CEO” so that they would feel more comfortable funding her, she resolved to change the current VC investing status quo and the toxic environment. Realizing that her experience was the norm, she founded the non-profit Female Founders Faster Forward (F4) to increase investments in female and minority founded startups

F4 is revolutionizing the process in which startups secure capital by removing bias and prejudice in prevailing funding models. F4’s research has helped to detail the challenges faced by underserved minorities. In addition, it helps venture capital (VC) firms understand what creates their bias and proposes solutions on how to drive a more equitable outcome.

F4 helps all underserved minorities because the biases in the tech industry extend beyond gender to ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and identification, and socioeconomics. The Equality for All initiative (www.equality4all.org) aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #10.3 for equal opportunity without discrimination. They are helping underserved minorities get a foothold in the tech industry community. After all, today’s new college hire is tomorrow’s groundbreaking Founder & CEO.

While post-COVID-19 recovery reshapes companies and industries, business leaders need to think beyond survival and recognize growth opportunities. Never has diversity been more important to growth – the new environment requires new ways of thinking and better connections to customers. Visionary tech leaders can select from a larger, more diverse talent pool and lay the groundwork for recovery and growth. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for business leaders in the tech industry to lead for equality, act for diversity. The time is now to hire diverse talent for lasting greatness,” states June. “As we emerge from COVID-19, it will be the long-term visionary leaders who invest and advance equality and diversity today, their organizations who not only survive but thrive.” IE

Female Founders Faster Forward

Management

June Manley
Founder of Female Founders Faster Forward

Description

F4Capital is revolutionizing how startups secure capital by removing bias and prejudice in prevailing funding models. Our Startup Investment Model Index (MySiMi.org) is like a FICO Score for startups. F4 is a registered 501c3 non-profit (EIN: 82-2129592). The #EQUALITYFORALL Summit (taking place April 29, 2020 in Washington, DC) is a one-day event focusing business and policy leaders on a single goal: equal opportunity for all Americans regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

Diana Briceno, Senior Marketing Manager, Centurion Restaurant Group, is the design and creative force behind the company’s products and services. She values her work ethic, determination, and perseverance, and she is very proud that she can showcase her abilities at Centurion Restaurant Group. Diana has elevated brand awareness and maximized profits through her ability to successfully identify potential markets and create and execute promotions and marketing strategies.

Talking about being a female leader and facing the most significant barrier in their career, Diana says that many women have unfortunately faced gender biases and stereotyping in the workplace. And, she has been fortunate to have found a home with Centurion Restaurant Group, where she has been given endless opportunities, resources, and support to advance her career.

Diana is inspiring and empowering women entrepreneurs across industries into becoming great leaders of tomorrow. “I inspire and empower the Centurion Restaurant Group marketing team with thoughtful leadership, positive feedback, and mentorship. If I could give advice to women in any industry looking to become great leaders, I would say ‘never stop learning, ask for what you need, network any time you can and never give up’,” she adds. “My parents are and have been my ultimate role models and have molded me into a leader because of their guidance. They have always encouraged me to have faith, follow my dreams and never give up. Without them, I would not be where I am today.”

According to the steadfast leader, maintaining a healthy balance in career, family, and personal life is a struggle for everyone and requires sacrifices. “Personally, my biggest sacrifice was working full time while pursuing my Master’s degree in Business Administration. Though there were many sleepless nights, knowledge is power and it was all worth it in the end.” Diana adds, “A leadership lesson I learned that is unique to being a female was understanding that not only does each gender have typical tendencies, with their own advantages and disadvantages, but more significantly so does each individual person you are leading. It is important to become familiar with each person and be able to adapt your leadership style to effectively manage a team depending on who you are working with.” Armed with such a unique ideology, she has been taking the company to great heights.

Centurion Restaurant Group is a company created by food enthusiast Carlos Centurion and was founded on four pillars: share, passion, discover, soul. From each restaurant’s inviting ambiance and design to the world-class cuisine infused with authentic flavors, the group delivers a different experience to its guests. The group’s mission is to nurture the communities it serves by sharing its passion for food and hospitality through unique environments, timeless concepts, and outstanding fare. Under the leadership of seasoned restaurateurs, Centurion Restaurant Group is committed to delivering the highest hospitality and guest experience for each of its restaurant brands.

One of the most significant achievements is the continued success and expansion of the Centurion Restaurant Group restaurants. Through our commitment to delivering the highest level of hospitality and guest experience, we now operate Bulla Gastrobar in Coral Gables, Downtown Doral, The Falls, Tampa, and Winter Park, Florida; Plano, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, the group runs Pisco y Nazca at The Palms at Town & Country Plaza in Kendall, Downtown Doral in Florida, and Washington D.C., along with Beehive Kitchen located in Cypress Creek, Florida, and have plans to expand all brands further in Florida and throughout the United States.

Centurion Restaurant Group takes great pride in offering world-class cuisines and distinct dining experiences to its guests while constantly striving to grow and provide more to our customers. A couple of ways we are currently fostering this include constant renovations and updates at each of our locations, offering authentic and ever-evolving cuisines, and implementing our new loyalty program. IEWL

According to Julia Brundin, Chief Information Officer of Pierce Group, in an entrepreneurial startup company, one typically finds a great commercial flexibility and agility level, and the level of complexity is generally low. Systems, processes and the organization are designed somewhat opportunistically to support the day-to-day business and capitalize quickly on new opportunities. “However, as the business evolves you run into new opportunities and you become smarter in how to run the operation. Bit by bit both the complexity and the legacy grows as the business continues to expand,” she explains. “And then you get to a point where the set-up becomes so complex that development cost and time to market force a more radical mind shift. You can no longer take short cuts, but need to shift focus to stability, robustness, IT professionalization and a clean enterprise architecture, while at the same time enabling your commercial business to scale.”

“To drive change, you need to have the courage to challenge the current state, set a clear vision of where you want to go and then you need to get the snowball in motion”

At Pierce, an online retailer where technology provides the foundation for all customer interactions, this shift was crucial. “When I joined Pierce, we were at the point where we could no longer run faster. Patching and repairing our monolithic IT set-up was no longer an option,” says Julia. “IT was more of a blocker than an enabler for business. In that context it has been my mission to professionalize the way we work with our information assets, streamline our IT landscape and ensure we utilize our IT competence in the most effective way to enable the continued success of the company.”

Julia has been working in different countries in the role of consultant and in-house IT functions. She has been active in business and public sector organizations. With this experience, Julia has gained a broad perspective on driving large and complex change agendas. Independent of organization, she prefers to operate in fast-moving organizations with high ambitions, strong customer orientation, and ambitions to build best-class operational capabilities. Therefore, sustainable change has been Julia’s theme for the last decade. “To drive change, you need to have the courage to challenge the current state, set a clear vision of where you want to go and then you need to get the snowball in motion,” says Julia. “Once you get it in motion your job is to make sure it stays the right course and that it does not destroy important areas on the way.”

Pierce has been able to build out a strong value proposition towards different types of riders. They are essentially connecting leading brands with customers all over Europe and beyond and help them pursue their passion by offering a broad range of value-for-money products, know-how, and inspiration. “We are passionate about riding ourselves and play an active role in different rider communities which gives us the knowledge and experience to develop some really cool value-for-money products under private label. As part of our product development strategy, customers are invited to contribute to product development and quality assurance to ensure their high expectations are met,” she says. Pierce started as a digital business based in a garage in 2009 with a couple of genius entrepreneurs. “As we grew, the key has been to keep a strong customer orientation and reinvent yourself over time to improve how you engage and connect with the customer around the products, and they need to live their passion.”

The company is constantly looking into improving the customer experience, and internal operational capabilities and have recently started to use more artificial intelligence and machine learning. As an example, they are now following the (anonymous) customer interactions on their sites in real-time to see how internet connections, different devices, and other aspects affect the customer experience. “We use the knowledge we gain from this to make the sites faster and more intuitive to use. Pierce is now active in 17 markets with a total of 39 shops for our on-road riders in XLMOTO, for our off road riders in 24MX and for our snowmobile riders in Sledstore,” says Julia.IE

Pierce AB

Management

Julia Brundin
CIO

Description

Pierce Group is a leading and fast-growing e-commerce company selling gear, spare parts, accessories and streetwear to over 1.1 Million active riders across Europe through the online stores 24MX, XLMOTO and Sledstore via some forty websites adapted to the local markets. Pierce has two major segments targeting two different customer groups, Offroad – sales to motocross and enduro riders, and Onroad – sales to riders on paved roads and tracks. With a large and unique product assortment, including a number of its own brands, an excellent customer experience and attractive prices, Pierce is changing the motorcycle enthusiast market in Europe.

Sandra Henry is Elevate’s Senior Director of Energy and Sustainability. Elevate offers a comprehensive selection of energy efficiency, decarbonization, renewable energy, resilience, and sustainability services for affordable housing owners, developers, and occupants. Daily, Sandra employs her leadership, technical experience, strategic planning, and visioning skills to position Elevate as a leader in these areas. She directs a team of engineers and technical leaders to deliver Elevate’s offerings while enacting its mission of equity through climate action.

Sandra makes regular appearances in webinars dedicated to coaching and inspiring women in this industry to share her career journey, discuss growth opportunities, and provide guidance and advice. Sandra also informally and formally mentors women of all ages and career levels. Sandra likes to remind young, aspiring women entrepreneurs to say “yes” to exciting opportunities, be bold, and act with confidence. Sandra offers her lived experience as a Black woman in a field typically filled with white and male voices and provides valuable representation to others.

Sandra points to several role models, including her mother, who encouraged Sandra to seek leadership positions to always bring others along. Sandra draws inspiration and guidance from Wanda Reder, who hired Sandra as a college-level engineering intern at a local utility. Wanda, a fellow engineer and pioneer in the energy field, encouraged Sandra to take the lead on critical projects, be creative in finding solutions to challenging energy problems, and coach and mentor young women engineers. Sandra continues to apply those lessons learned in her early career today at Elevate.

Elevate was formed in 2000 in response to widespread power outages that were happening in the Chicago area. A group of people came together to stabilize the energy grid to prevent outages by mobilizing communities to reduce energy demand. The power outages had the most significant effects on under-resourced neighborhoods that had experienced disinvestment in infrastructure over the years. By supporting these communities with reducing energy, Elevate helped make housing more affordable, efficient, and safe. Elevate focused on “smarter energy use for all,” and has evolved into a broader focus of equity through climate action in the areas of energy, clean water, and other sectors.

In the fight against climate change, collaboration is crucial to success. Elevate prioritizes partnerships with the communities it serves and partner organizations that are working on similar solutions. These partnerships allow for sharing experiences, challenges, and best practices that help them all create effective new solutions for climate action. Elevate is a unique organization that can form strong partnerships in many industries. Elevate has direct on-the-ground experience and strong relationships with the community, and administers multiple programs at the city and state levels. Elevate is an expert in many areas, from intelligent grid programs to lead in water testing.

Ms. Elgin’s story illustrates how Elevate works with its community. Ms. Elgin began working with Elevate to receive a free energy assessment of her property, a small six-unit building of affordable housing in Chicago. The evaluation revealed opportunities at the property for LED lighting, insulation, and a new high-efficiency boiler. These upgrades were installed at no cost and are expected to save Elgin $2,380 on her energy bills. These savings will help her keep the rent affordable and increase comfort for the tenants of her building.

With climate change rapidly accelerating, Elevate is looking ahead to see what projects it needs to enact to protect the communities in the future. Elevate is retrofitting homes in Chicago’s La Paz Apartments to reduce fossil fuel use and cut carbon emissions by removing all gas equipment, so the building runs only on electricity. La Paz Apartments is home to 44 families with incomes below 30% of the Chicago average. As gas prices continue to rise and more renewable energy becomes available, this will help the building stay affordable. Elevate is also working with the City of Chicago to address climate change by assisting Chicago to develop its building decarbonization strategy. Elevate is testing retrofit solutions that will reduce the energy use of Chicago’s single-family homes by 50%, cutting carbon emissions for the city. Homes in Chicago’s under-resourced communities will be priorities for the retrofits, which will also help homeowners save on their energy bills. IEWL

Jennifer Nahas, CMO and partner, Golden State, started in the financial services industry in 1999 when women leaders made up approximately 10% of the industry’s leadership roles. Today, women make up around 22%, and in 2030, projections show 30% of leadership roles will be women. Many times, Jennifer was the only woman in the room or the only woman that had a seat at the table. While this was somewhat disappointing, she looked at these times as opportunities for her growth and, as a leader, these times reminded her to empower and help others grow in their career. For Jennifer, running marketing at Golden State is more than just putting standard marketing strategies in place. “I work with individual financial advisors to build their own brands and mission statements. This role has given me the platform to make a difference in how I help our financial advisors, men and women, build their businesses through marketing efforts. I’m continually rewarded by helping them grow through marketing and watching them thrive. It’s a sense of giving back.”

An area of focus for Jennifer is inclusivity and equitable representation of gender at the company. In a male-dominated industry, the female voice can be lost. “When you attend an industry conference, the female speakers represent the same as the statistic states – about 20%. Currently, our female to male advisor ratio already beats the industry average,” explains Jennifer. “I’m focused on the inclusivity and representation of gender at the company. We have strong female advisors, and I am proud to work among them.”

Jennifer has been inspiring and empowering women professionals across industries into becoming great leaders of tomorrow. She has always lived by the notion when an opportunity presents itself, take it. “You never know when that opportunity will ever come back. There are a lot of opportunities out there for women, and for those who want to strive in their careers, they need to stay focused and continue to move their path forward.” Her mother has been a true inspiration for Jennifer and guided her towards productivity. “At a young age, she told me to never rely on another person to pay your bills. This set my determination to keep plugging my way forward, and I’ve never stopped.”

However, Jennifer made some sacrifices to culminate into the leader she is today. Being a mother and missing important moments in her son’s life have been significant difficulties. “What I can say, however, is whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a working parent, the time, dedication, and commitment that your children see you put into your daily life shapes the path for their future. Its learned behavior that doesn’t go unnoticed and hopefully will pay off one day.” She says, advising the other women leaders, “Be true to yourself and others. Don’t drink the kool-aid for short-term gain. It’s just not worth it in the end. Be you and be kind!” Armed with this unique mindset, Jennifer has led the company to new heights.

“The marketing at Golden State had great potential. The brand and the look and feel were great, but very little attention was given to this area of the company. It just wasn’t a focus before I came on board. Call it a pain point or an opportunity—I was able to walk in and take it by the reigns. I had and still have so many avenues to walk down. The work is endless and always exciting.”

Golden State focuses on the future of wealth advice, which can be applied in many areas of the industry. Their latest achievement? The digital advice platform that they are launching this year. It’s the way of the future. Today’s minds want to manage and feel in control of their own money, and they want it to be customized, digital and fast. “We’ve figured it out. Stay tuned for this extraordinary system that will be launched this year,” she adds. “Our podcast series, A Golden State of Mind. I’m producing this series that is hosted by our founder and focuses on our changing global economy due to the younger breed of investors. We examine the industry with a microscope to find opportunities and learn best practices to share with our fellow financial professionals. And, yes, I will be featured at times to share my own insights and experiences.” IEWL

Golden State

Management

Jennifer Nahas
CMO of Golden State

Description

The Golden State family of companies are SEC registered investment advisers dedicated to financial professionals and their clients. The firm’s initial company was founded in 2013 by a group of executives who collectively contribute over 50 years of industry experience and has partnered with advisors serving nearly $2 billion in advisory assets, Basted on SEC filings.

Tama Martello, Director of Hygiene Operations at Bright Direction Dental (BDD), has been immersed in the world of dentistry her entire life. Growing up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh where her father was a General Dentist, she worked at the front desk and as a dental assistant before pursuing a career in dental hygiene. Her father instilled the importance of creating trusting, loyal and committed relationships with all patients and employees. Since then, she has spent the last 35 years growing and blossoming in her field, serving as a Director of Operations, Director of Hygiene and as a consultant in some of the best practices across the country. In December of 2019 she accepted a position as Director of Operations with BDD, an emerging DSO (Dental Support Organization) based in Chicago, IL. The company has rapidly grown and now has offices in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. Driven by their mission of Deeper Relationships, Superior Support and Brighter Smiles, BDD focuses on developing meaningful, lasting relationships by providing superior support in the areas of recruitment, human resources, payroll, IT, revenue cycle management, career development through continuing education credits, and operational support. The organization’s unique mission and values, positive culture, and industry leading support team has resulted in new office growth driven primarily from referrals within the BDD community.

“Bright Direction Dental is a leading dental support organization that partners with general dentists in the Midwest. We provide non-clinical supporting services, allowing you and your staff to spend more quality time on patient care.”

As BDD continued to grow, Tama Martello’s passion for holistic hygiene care began to emerge. Centered around quality over quantity, she created a hygiene program to help treat patients comprehensively with lifetime care. Everything else follows if you treat the patient on their specific needs and wants. One of the most important factors in treating patients starts with understanding their medical and dental history. These two key items tell a story about the patient, their needs, and how to prevent or manage dental disease. As a practicing hygienist for 25 years, Tama is inseparable from her periodontal probe, intra-oral camera, and Velscope. These tools help her identify periodontal disease, help patients “see to believe,” and aid in identification of any oral cancer. Dentistry is constantly changing, and it is important to remain on top of technology and patient care. Tama loves this part of her job and strives to make patient care exceptional in all practices. It is always about the “plus one,” meaning delivery of care that patients will boast about with their families, friends, and neighbors. Educating each individual patient on the oral/systemic link to how dental hygiene affects them and their entire body is a large component of her philosophy. Tama has been in the shoes of hygienists when a DSO has affiliated with a practice and has seen firsthand how other groups sometimes drift away from putting the patient first. She trains with years of experience, empathy, excitement, encouragement, and always wants to be approachable for all hygienists and doctors. The best compliment came from a seasoned hygienist that Tama trained: “I was not looking forward to your training, but you have excited me, and you have given me the confidence again to talk to my patients about the importance of treating Periodontal Disease. I feel like I can truly treat my patients and you have given me the assistance and the time to make it happen.”

In early 2020 as Tama was developing her hygiene program, COVID-19 took over and put dentistry on hold. At BDD, all operational changes were made based on guidelines from the CDC, dental associations, and local public health recommendations at each practice. Tama navigated when offices should close and how emergency care could be safely delivered. She worked relentlessly on putting processes and protocols in place to protect the doctors, team members, and their patients. Tama ensured each office had enough PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to last them several months and placed air purifiers in every operatory, front desk area, waiting room, and gathering place. Making sure teammates, Doctors, and patients felt safe was a priority that brought comfort to all and led to the organization serving more patients than before the pandemic.

Tama is driven by passion because becoming a hygienist did not come easy for her. She suffered with seizures until the age of 31. “I started having seizures around 5 years old and it became my life. I did not go to college right out of high school because of my health. I was supposed to have brain surgery and decided against it because of the potential risk it could have had on my quality of life. As this was going on, I watched my three siblings carry on and go to college to pursue their dreams. I slowly started taking a few classes, and then realized my desire to get my degree became bigger than the fear of my disability. I pushed myself and I am eternally grateful I did. It gave me the confidence that I was missing. Working in dentistry and taking care of patients to the best of my ability became my true passion. I started receiving phone calls from other people with health issues that asked me how I got through it. After my struggles, I learned the key to overcoming my health issues was not to pretend they don’t exist, but to face them head on. What helped me the most was knowing I was inspiring others to overcome their own health obstacles. Which now ties into my love for training, coaching, and motivating fellow colleagues.”

Whether you are considering affiliation to shed your administrative burden, retire, or grow your practice, partnering with Bright Direction Dental is your answer. Our support team is a passionate group with decades of multi-site healthcare experience. Our partner Dentists consists of top clinical professionals who are leading the way in transformative oral healthcare. Together, we are a team committed to advancing oral healthcare through deeper relationships and superior support, which creates brighter smiles for all. IE

Pinnacle Home Care is a healthcare organization that provides services to patients in their homes with one of the highest levels of care in the industry. Pinnacle stands behind a strong WHY with a critical mission statement: Changing lives through the Art of the Experience. What drives their mission statement every day are their patients, their staff, their referral partners, and their community. Victoria Kuklina is the CFO and plays an important role in the company achieving great heights.

“Pinnacle Home Care is a company with a strong WHY, and a critical Mission of Changing Lives through the Art of the Experience.”

Pinnacle was born to address the need for outstanding patient care and customer service in the home health industry. The founder and CEO, Shane Donaldson saw this need and decided to address it by launching Pinnacle Home Care 18 years ago. The company addresses the market pain-points such as training, culture, and staff retention. “Our industry in general has a high turnover, which carries an issue with having staff properly trained to service patients with the highest level possible. This is where the hardest work takes place. We created a culture of discipline and ongoing training that allows us to reduce turn-over and develop a strong company culture that makes people happy where they work,” adds Victoria. “Our people and our culture is what we are proud of and believe that making people happy at work will make a difference in their lives. We do everything possible to make their jobs streamlined and allow clinicians to focus on great patient care.”

Prior to joining Pinnacle, Victoria served organizations in a consultant capacity for nine years, as a fractional CFO and a project lead for complex projects and M&A transactions for various types of organizations. “I got to see and work with many types of companies and got to understand my passion and what I really enjoy doing”. Pinnacle was an inspiring organization and full of potential that got Victoria interested when she joined. “This was a new role for the organization at that time. When I joined, the organization was operating on a de-centralized environment and in operational silos. So, we got to work.” She elucidates, “We implemented an on-premises server that connected all 12 of our locations into one big IT infrastructure. We changed its electronic medical records software, implemented IT ticketing software and hired IT staff, changed our accounting software, payroll and HR software, implemented accounts payable software and expense management software. We opened up a home office and centralized a lot of our key functions of our main processes. This was a long and hard journey, but we achieved great results. All of this was accomplished by the strength of our executive team – Our CEO – Shane Donaldson driving our vision, our President and COO – Mike Froning driving our culture, supporting and guiding us through our obstacles and driving our sales, our Chief Clinical Officer – Kathy Hoffman driving our clinical excellence and our Chief People Officer – Dan Kefgen driving our staffing and supporting our culture. What is even more exciting is that we are just getting started!”

“There is nothing more fulfilling than waking up every morning and knowing that I will positively affect people’s lives. I am grateful to be part of such a strong and impactful organization, knowing that we are changing lives and changing the world of those around us.

I am incredibly honored and humbled by this nomination. I also want to say thank you to all the team members who continue to experience and embrace rapid growth and constant change in our organization. We are one strong family, supporting each other as brothers and sisters. We stand together, and we grow together.

This honor goes well beyond me personally and was only made possible by the invaluable assistance of those who have stood beside me. Thank you, team, for being relentless in our goals and in our Mission to Change Lives!”IEWL

As the creative force behind Emergency Construction Group, I lead with my deep love for spiritualism, emotional intelligence that brings balance to all situations, and my all out vigor for life. Emergency Construction Group is driven by one core value and it’s expressed perfectly by Alexander the Great, “With the right attitude, self-imposed limitations vanish.”

It is very important to me that I am inspiring and empowering women entrepreneurs and women in general across all areas of their life. The successful women entrepreneurs I encounter daily that inspire and empower me wear many hats and change them regularly throughout the day. It is my daily intention to meet women where they are at in their life’s journey, find a relatable topic of interest, and see how my many years of networking can benefit them in their next move forward. One great connection can open up a whole new world. With little effort we could all assist in uplifting each other in business and otherwise. I hope to inspire women by living a life of fulfillment while not feeling guilty for it. Women are often raised to be people pleasers; I hope to empower them to break that mold. The happier we are as individuals the happier those in our experience will be. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” Albert Schweitzer

My journey thus far has been perfectly imperfect; many individuals have helped me become the leader I am today. The most impactful have been those who broke me, abandoned me, and closed the preverbal door in my face. Without life’s contrast we cannot clearly see what we deeply desire. I offer my gratitude to those who ignited my fire. My inspiration has changed over the years. In my 20’s I craved stability and love. In my 30’s I desired financial abundance and recognition. In my 40’s I embrace peace of mind and spiritual growth above all else. I learned that the path of least resistance is generally the road you should follow. In more simplistic terms; going with the flow. That concept nicely sets me up for my next thought. I’ve found when we do not search out mentors; we stumble into their experience with impeccable timing and an open mind for receiving their message. Throughout life we fill the roll many times as the mentor and then mentee. It is a continuous give and take as most things in life are.

Emergency Construction Group was born out of passion for customer service and a drive to push ourselves to continue growing in our industry and personally. My business partner and I had both been in the industry for a long time and we had seen firsthand what each company’s points of weakness were along all lines of the restoration process. We spent years cultivating our vision and a plan to bring transparency and communication to our customers. The execution process is forever evolving as technology and times change.

Emergency Construction Group has taken a broad and bold step when it comes to our competition. Our strategy has been to team up with our local competition and to build a network of the best of the best in our industry who work together under the same value system. In disaster restoration the goal of most companies is to care first and foremost for the customer, each situation brings new challenges, and different needs. It is in their time of need that we can step in and really make an impact. For us it has never been about the almighty dollar, but instead doing a great job and allowing the rest to take care of itself. It is important to me that our team stays centered and calm so that the customer can set their mind at ease and know they are in good hands. I found the best way to accomplish this is by having a happy and healthy work environment. It’s important to me that those on our team have a voice. We are at our best when we all bring our individual expertise and knowledge to the table.

Technology has played a big role in the growth of Emergency Construction Group. Social Media is an awesome tool that I use to create a brand and a personal persona. Like all areas of your life it takes consistency in order to reap the rewards. I feel what separates me from others on social media is my authenticity. People relate and connect to others who are open and vulnerable. My goal on social media is to bring followers into my headspace on multiple topics.

As a General Contractor it is our job to be solution oriented. In order to be successful we need to have a wide range of professionals in your circle of trust. Those who cannot maintain lasting relationships will eventually burn out. One of the most enjoyable things about our industry is that each project brings new challenges. This allows us to utilize our decision making skills daily on a wide range of topics. I enjoy problem solving and being open minded. One important lesson I learned as a business owner is that making decisions should be enjoyable. Own them when needed and celebrate the wins when you can. Business ownership is not a success only journey. In my opinion, ego has no place in a healthy work environment. I have seen it sink many ships over the years. I set a daily intention to enjoy whatever the day brings and to lead with my heart.

One of our greatest achievements so far has been cultivating an amazing relationship as business partners. Relationships take a lot of energy and effort. It is so rewarding setting small and large goals as a team and seeing them manifest into our experience. In life it is never about the destination, but the journey. We have both signed up for the day to day challenges and we both strive for customer satisfaction. We also both lead with pure intentions and an unshakable foundation made up by our values and morals. I believe that balance is what we strive for in all areas of our life. Having masculine and feminine energy leading our business brings this balance on naturally and speaks volumes to where we are as a society.

Our mission in the upcoming years is to continue being open minded to new technologies that can make our process run smoother and help with customer communication and transparency. The future is full of exciting wins for our team. Doors are opening daily and we enjoy collaborating with others regarding growth opportunities. IEWL

Emergency Construction Group

Management

Jenny Ruth
CEO Of Emergency Construction Group

Description

At ECG we specialize in immediate response & same day service to any size residential, commercial or industrial flood or fire in the Chicagoland area. We bring over 30 years of industry knowledge and expertise combined with the manpower and equipment to handle any size loss. It is our mission to serve our clients with constant communication, transparency, & strong ethical values. We follow IICRC guidelines to properly restore your home or business.

Danielle Ralston is a survivor. As a child with multiple learning differences, she was dismissed, belittled, and bullied. Later she faced homelessness and fought through a terrible bout with cancer. What has driven her success is her indomitable spirit and dogged refusal to knuckle under, even in the most difficult circumstances.

For many years, Danielle worked in the male-dominated IT world, where she constantly struggled for acceptance and respect. She was proud of her accomplishments in IT but never felt passionate about her work. That all changed when she opened Be Boss Girl, a digital marketing agency empowering business owners to reach for their highest level of success. She discovered the satisfaction of being her own boss while helping other entrepreneurs market themselves.

She found her power and voice as a woman. Then alongside her marketing agency, Danielle began her journey into coaching. She founded The Rockstar CEO, where for the past 12 years she has mentored entrepreneurs in their journey to becoming their best selves. It is her mission to encourage other women “to rise strong and become limitless” both in business and in their personal lives.

Her life experiences up to this point have informed her current dream project, a newly launched online home for her own special tribe of female business owners. Neuro Divergent Boss Girls is an online community where a monthly membership fee provides neurodivergent female business owners with regular training, accountability, online working sessions, and support because Danielle wants the world to know that these women can be a force to be reckoned with.

When asked what has made her successful, Danielle described how important coaching had been in her own life. She has had many coaches herself and believes hiring a coach is a vital investment for your business. Another important trait for entrepreneurs is to listen to the market and pivot when necessary.

She said, “I lost fourteen clients early last year, due to Covid. Most of those people don’t even have a business anymore. When I lost my clients, I had to look at the way I was doing business and pivot to stay successful. I decided to clarify what I really wanted to do and felt passionate about, and hyper-focus on that.”

“About the same time I lost clients we moved halfway across the country. My husband and I bought our dream home and paid in full. I was able to contribute significantly toward that purchase and that was so empowering. I feel blessed. Here I am, an ADHD entrepreneur, in the middle of a pandemic, and I’m making a profit.”

“I no longer have to go out looking for clients or take clients I don’t really want to work with. I have a waiting list for the agency and the same for my coaching services. But I know I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all of that and continue to build my business without the lessons I’ve learned about what works best for me.”

Danielle learned to make lists, follow routines, and systematize everything. Ideas that pop into her brain go on a sticky note, which goes onto a whiteboard until it can be updated and the sticky note tossed. Documenting everything means that nothing falls off her radar. Doing things this way has changed her life.

Neuro Divergent Boss Girls takes all that hard-won personal knowledge and turns it into help for other women who have been marginalized because of their learning differences, brain injuries, bipolar disorder, dyslexia, or ADHD. “I took one of my clients through a systemization process to create a stable and sustainable business. She’s experienced a 400% increase in profits just this year since we started working together.”

Danielle says the keys to success for her clients are getting a coach, setting up systems, writing things down, knowing who their ideal client is, and working on their mindset. Mindset work is so important when the whole world has low expectations for a person. She says, “Change your mindset so that you are looking for abundance, not scarcity. There’s plenty of room for everyone to succeed, and what you have to offer the world is unique.” IE

Be Boss Girl

Management

Danielle Ralston
Founder and CEO

Description

There’s More to Your Dream Life than Dreaming. We have one mission that drives us. To teach women to Rise, Become and Be, everything they dream of both in their business and personal lives. It’s not only about what to do, but also who to be. It’s time to Be Boss Girl.