By ROBIN STANTON GERROW
BG Independent News
The word of the day was “inspiration” at the sixth annual Women in Business luncheon hosted by the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.
All three speakers, Jessica Miller-Blakely, Amanda Kress and Mary Davenport-Yant shared stories of their own inspirations which led them to successful careers.
Miller-Blakely, chief executive officer of Wood Lane Residential Services since 2014, finds her motivation in remembering her father’s more than 30 years of volunteer service, and reminding herself of why she does the work she does.
“It’s all very person-centered,” she said. “You must remember your ‘why.’ What are you passionate about? For me, it is our residents at WLRS. Everything I do at my job, they are at the forefront.”
She also talked about other key leadership qualities of embracing change, continuously striving for improvement, perseverance, and not being afraid to fail.
“To me, failure drives success,” Miller-Blakely said. “Anyone who has succeeded at something has also failed, and they’ve failed more than they’ve succeeded. You pick the pieces back up and you keep going. It’s not going to completely define you, you’ll rise again, and you will be able to do more.”
Kress is founder of Kress & Company, an accounting firm. She found her inspiration from her family and their farm.
“I grew up on a farm, but in reality, farming is a business,” she said. “My paternal grandmother was the farm bookkeeper, and I sat with her from a young age and played ‘office.’ I never thought she was not an equal to my grandfather in farm life—she was his partner.”
Kress went on to talk about her maternal grandparents, her parents and the perseverance she learned from all of them.
“We always had to be productive on the farm,” she said. “It’s a waste of day if you haven’t accomplished something. And, honestly, it’s always satisfying to do something, even the small things.”
For Davenport-Yant of Ameriprise Financial Services and BLOOM BG, strength and support come from other women and helping them make an investment in their own well-being.
“Have you ever felt like when you wake up, you set your feet down only to put on roller skates?” she asked. “You’re just skating and juggling around all day until you hit the bed, take your roller skates off at night, and realize you’ve done nothing for yourself all day. And then that small voice whispers, there’s got to be another way to create just a little time for yourself. But you’re not exactly sure how to find that time.”
It was that desire to connect with other women and share ideas on self-care that led to the creation of BLOOM BG, a quarterly forum for business and professional women to connect, learn grow and support each other.
“So when you take your roller skates off tonight, hit the bed exhausted, just in case no one told you today, this week, this month, or even this year, thank you for being you and helping others in all the ways you do because you are appreciated and deserving of doing a little something for yourself,” Davenport-Yant said.
First-time attendee Taylor Fitzgerald of The Ability Center in Toledo, appreciated the messages shared by the speakers.
“It was a wonderful event,” she said. “It was my first time here and I found it truly inspirational in the fact that a group of women are supporting each other. I know you hear it a lot but coming to this event and seeing everyone show up for each other and support each other was amazing to see.”
Mary Hinkelman, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, was also inspired, particularly by the stories of two attendees who have their current jobs because connections made at last year’s luncheon.
“The collaboration is great,” she said. “Sometimes you’re just stuck. You’re going to work each day, and you love your job, but there just feels like there could be something else. An event like this can give you the nudge you need to find inspiration all around.”
