Diane M. Jones
Cynthia Kay
Denise Kolesar
professional marketing president
CK & Co. president and Ceo
Kohler expos inc. owner and president
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iane M. Jones, a former high school English teacher, takes pride in the growth of her public relations and marketing firm, which specializes in the gift, home décor, nonprofit, manufacturing and technology industries. In the past three years, the 29-yearold firm has assumed a leadership role in the gift and home industry by providing clients with techniques to market their companies and products through social media programs. Having been executive director of the Gift and Home Trade Organization for several years, she has rebranded the organization through its website, created a program to provide health insurance to the industry, and assembled the Gift and Home Trade Index that provides the profession with data-backed sales information never before available. Jones has been recognized as an expert in the field of collectibles, gifts and home accessories. The multiple award-winning company has had among its client list Brandwise, Mel Trotter Ministries, Ganz/ WebKinz, Surefil LLC, Swarovski and Woodland Mall. Jones hasn’t been shy about promoting her clients on a national stage, including the Associated Press, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “ER,” USA Today, on talk radio and in cameos at the White House. Active with Hospice of Michigan, Jones was presented that organization’s Crystal Rose Award for Outstanding Community Partner in 2009. In 2010, Jones was retained to promote the Stories at Sunset program, which featured patient, employee and volunteer stories aired on the radio. She also provided public relations and Facebook support.
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ynthia Kay’s name is nearly synonymous with the words “media” and “production” and has been since 1987, the year she started CK & Co. Since then, Kay, the company’s founder, president and CEO, has captured nearly every business honor that is awarded, including the 2005 Small Business of the Year Award from the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and a trio of Telly Awards. Kay has been honored three times as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan by the Business Journal and has earned more than 30 press association broadcasting awards from her days as a TV news reporter. Her media production company has twice been listed as one of the region’s 101 Best and Brightest firms, and this is the second time CK & Co. has made the Top Women Owned Business list. Having made her mark regionally, Kay is now pursuing national recognition. “This year alone we were able to work with Wiley Publishing on significant and high-profile projects. Our video work for Wiley’s release of Windows 7, Office 2010, and Facebook for Dummies is in every major retail bookseller outlet in the country,” said Kay, who added that her firm’s sales rose by 21 percent last year. “In addition, we are working with global companies like Siemens Industry to create marketing communications for high-profile businesses like high-speed rail and building technologies.”
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s owner and president of Kohler Expos Inc., Denise Kolesar has helped women to find their career paths, pointed their skills in the right direction, and inspired them to successfully go out on their own. Kolesar has accomplished all that through her expos dedicated to women, and holding those events has clearly been a delight in her life. “Continuing to fulfill my passion about women and business is my most significant business achievement. My support for women-owned and women-focused businesses is highlighted in mid- and West Michigan through the production of public shows encouraging women to put their product and services in front of thousands of consumers,” she said. Kolesar started producing the West Michigan Women’s Expo as a small show in 1997. Today, more than 17,000 women and business owners attend the three-day expo held in Grand Rapids. “I have personally given assistance to enable a number of women-owned businesses to get their feet off the ground without increasing their start-up debt,” she said. “Our events have also been incubators for women-owned and womenfocused businesses.” Kolesar was a 2010 ATHENA Award nominee and a 2009 finalist for the Top Women Owned Businesses. Kohler Expo employs 3.5 full-time workers and 50 part-time employees during the show season. The company produces five shows annually. “Additionally, we have donated more than $270,000 to women- and familyfocused nonprofits since our inception,” Kolesar said.
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