ENTREPRENEURIAL PANEL

BREAKOUT SESSION SPEAKERS

Megan Metzger Lightfoot, Presenting Sponsor & Speaker

Owner, Preferred ChildCare and Megan Metzger Consulting, LLC
Megan turned her hobby of babysitting into a successful business with one of the largest employment divisions in the nation. Today she employs over 200 on-call and part-time nannies as well as places traditional full-time nannies. Megan is a mom to four children, and finds her business more useful now than ever! Megan is a graduate of The University of UNCG where she previously acted as Vice Presidentof the Alumni Board. She is a founding member of the North Carolina Board of Entrepreneurship and currently serves as the Co-President of the International Nanny Association. Megan also owns Megan Metzger Consulting and provides consultation services for numerous nanny agencies and other entrepreneurs, she is passionate about helping others grow their businesses.

Dr. Virginia McDermott, Moderator

Marketing Co-Chair, Women in Motion and Interim Dean & Associate Dean of the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, HPU
Virginia M. McDermott is a Professor and the Interim Dean at High Point University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in health communication, research methods, and persuasion and media effects. Her research examines how problematic events change the nature of relationships and conversations, how communication facilitates coping, and how communication campaigns can be used to address health disparities and social inequities.   She has extensive experience in organizational training and specializes in seminars on how to develop a positive organizational environment.

AGENDA

12:00 pm
Lunch

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm
Headshots

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Presenting Sponsor & Speaker:

Megan Metzger Lightfoot, Owner, Preferred Childcare & Megan Metzger Consulting, LLC

1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Breakout Session Speakers:

Connie Cwik – President & CEO, Cwik Business Connections
Session Topic: Work-Life Balance

Syliva Burgess, PhD – Senior Partner, One Step at a Time Consulting
Session Topic: Purpose Driven Living

Daniel Lobb – Co President, TRP Enterprises Inc
Session Topic: Totally Responsible Person

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Networking

DIRECTIONS

PRESENTER BIOS

Sylvia W. Burgess, PhD —Senior Partner, One Step at a Time Consulting, LLC

Dr. Sylvia Burgess has over 18 years of experience in teaching, facilitation, curriculum design, leadership development, community engagement, cultural competency, diversity and inclusion, team building and conflict resolution.  Sylvia is a published author in the areas of spiritual capital & community engagement with a proven leadership and senior management experience in business, operational management, and training and with the Center for Creative Leadership. Dr. Burgess serves as an adjunct professor at NC A&T in the Leadership Studies doctoral program.

Break Out Session Topic: Purpose Driven Living

It is more about having a vision & a purpose and designing such for your life. Discover how to make your purpose work for you in the middle of everything else that is happening in your life!

Connie Cwik — RAC Managing Partner, Coach & Facilitator, Cwik Business Connections

Connie has more than 25 years of building relationships with clients, building and developing teams and coaching business associates.  Early in her career, she owned her own business as a consultant and public speaker.  For the past 11 years she has been a facilitator and coach. Connie owns Cwik Business Connections and has a passion for building, growing and developing business owners, teams and individuals.

As an IT Executive she served roles like VP of Sales in Life Sciences and Healthcare. Connie earned her Regulatory Affairs Certification, Global by scoring in the top 96 percentile. Her background includes Executive Coach for The Walt Disney Company where she was the coach for more than 10 executives. Other companies that she has worked with include General Motors, Merck, HCL and Accenture.

Break Out Session Topic: Work – Life Balance:  How to Get More From Your Day

In this interactive session, we will explore work-life balance.  Why it is important and what that means to you by assessing your current personal balance and determine where you would like to be. We will talk about how to identify the “unbalance” symptoms so that you can recognize them quickly and take action. We wrap it up by looking at ways to make small but effective change.

Tammy Joyce — Franchise Owner, The Blend Eatery

As a graduate of HPU, Tammy hit the job market working in accounting in the manufacturing industry. By 1998, Tammy and a colleague started their own manufacturing business called Carolina Safety Sport in Thomasville, NC. By early 2012 when she sold CSS, the company had grown to over 100 employees and over $5,000,000 in sales.  In 2013, she decided to try her hand in the franchise world of Sweet Frog Premium Frozen yogurt, which led to her opening The Blend Coffee Shop that then evolved into The Blend Eatery. 

Tammy serves in her community as a member of the Board of Directors for DCCC, Hayworth Christian School, BB&T of Davidson County, and Thomasville Medical Center. She is a past board member for the United Way Davidson County and Thomasville YMCA. She remains an active member of the Thomasville Rotary Club and Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce, where she served previously as Chairman of the Board. 

Grace Kanoy —GeoCore Creative, Inc, Photographer, Filmmaker, Forager & Foodie

A bit of a late bloomer, Grace Kanoy wandered around the globe after graduating from the University of Toronto, and then jumped around from internship to short term jobs from venture capital to economic development to restaurant hospitality until finally landing in Vancouver, British Columbia to begin her film career. She jockeyed her way through the production hierarchy from production assistant to production manager and then switching to the art department. From 2003 to 2010, she worked as the marketing director for a start-up law firm.

Grace and her husband Cary Kanoy founded GeoCore Creative, Inc in 2008 that specializes in branding through storytelling via print, video or photography. Notably in Davidson County, they are known as the original publishers of Davidson County magazine.

Blythe Leonard—Owner, Accessory Designer, Blythe Leonard, LLC

Blythe Leonard LLC was founded on the immense inconsiderable amount of Made in the USA all leather handbag companies. Blythe was classically trained at Savannah College of Art and Design and knew at an early age that creating and being hands on with her products is what she loves to do.

Blythe expanded and built the first flagship store immediately after graduating from college. The store is located next to the workshop so customers see it really is “Made Right Here.” Each leather good is handmade one at a time by Blythe in the workshop and never mass produced.

Blythe firmly believes in a strong community connection and philanthropy.

Daniel Lobb — Co-President, TRP Enterprises, Inc

As co-owner of TRP Enterprises, Inc, Daniel leads a team that consults with and delivers training to clients in a wide range of industries. He personally facilitates training for Volvo, UNC Healthcare, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, US Dept of Commerce, American Express, many City Governments, Community Banks, and Hospital Systems around the country. He runs TRP trainer certification programs where he specializes in coaching trainers to become effective facilitators of learning and champions of organizational change. Daniel has received the Certification in Workplace Learning and Performance (CPLP) from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) where he served as a National Advisor to Chapters (2015-2017) and is a former president of the Piedmont ATD Chapter.

Breakout Session Topic: Totally Responsible Person

In this engaging and fast-paced session, you will explore the impact of your leadership role regardless of title with practical tools that will empower professionals to bring out their personal best to inspire others. Learn how to stay positive, productive, and effective no matter the circumstances, and explore the impact this skill has on business, organizational culture, and our communities. Identify the pitfalls of a victim mentality, and increase one’s personal resiliency.

Paula Stewart Lynam —Owner, Chartreuse Barn

Chartreuse Barn, a vintage and vintage inspired market consisting of 24 talented vendors from across the region, was born out of a brick and mortar store that began in Greensboro, NC in 2010.  Paula and her husband Steve love the beauty and the story of the often discarded, rusty and unappreciated pieces that they find in the vintage world.  These objects are re-imagined and repurposed into art, décor, and furnishings for the home.

Before settling down in NC, Paula and her husband worked with One Ministries, an outreach to the poor and homeless, in Washington DC and were a part of the National Prayer Breakfast movement that brings together leadership from all over the world.  They also spent time in South Africa working with various ministries concerned with reconciliation.