GMA honors firefighters every
As a thank you for their service, GMA has treated firefighters to a meal since 2002
When a massive fire broke out in a machine shop on South Elm Street in 2014, Greensboro Fire Chief Jim Robinson, who was a captain at the time, knew who to call to get support for the firefighters battling the blaze.
He said he immediately reached out to Michelle Bolick, vice president of the Guilford Merchants Association. He asked if GMA could help get food to Fire Station 11, which was the main station that responded to the fire.
“The community showed up, through GMA’s coordina-
tion,” Robinson said. GMA, which has a long history of service to Greensboro and High Point, has also had a special connection with the firefighting community since the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11, 2001. The New York Fire Department lost 343 personnel that day when the North and South towers of the World Trade Center collapsed after being struck by hijacked passenger planes.
In the days that followed the attacks, local firefight-
O O K
N S I D E
ers joined others from across the nation in New York and Washington, D.C., where another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, to help with the search for victims and clean up efforts.
As a way to support local firefighters, GMA staff
decided to host a thank you meal every year on or around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. This year’s event took place on the 23rd anniversary.
“GMA felt the need to
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Center City AM Briefing
Ruppel, executive director of the NC Folk Festival, gives an update on the 10th annual festival during the Aug. 13 Center City AM Briefing. The festival took place Sept. 6-8 in downtown Greensboro. The briefings, which are open to anyone who lives, works or supports the downtown Greensboro area, offer information on developments, activities and projects, as well as updates from city departments and other agencies.
Jodee
Greensboro firefighters enjoy a free meal courtesy of the Guilford Merchants Association in 2016. GMA has been providing the meals annually since 2002 as a way to honor local firefighters.
During the pandemic, GMA delivered meals and signs to fire departments in both Greensboro and High Point.
Robinson
New employees join GMA Popular networking workshop set for Oct. 16 and Oct. 23
NTetworking and leadership expert Abby Donnelly of The Leadership & Legacy Group is again offering her popular Networking Works! workshop.
The class will be held as two half-day sessions, from 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23. Both sessions will be at the Guilford Merchants Association Community Room, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro.
Cost is $499 for non-GMA members and $299 for GMA members and their employees.
Those who register also will receive a free copy of Donnelly’s “Networking Works!” book.
In this hands-on workshop, Donnelly will guide participants through the essentials of building a strong network. Participants will learn how to connect with leaders and decision makers, become a trusted adviser, and master networking events.
“The program is designed to help participants be strategic and intentional with their networking, so they build relationships that lead to good business,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly wrote the workshop curriculum and book “Network-
ing Works!” to share the strategies that fueled her own success. After launching her first company, Donnelly identified the key networking tactics that work, and she’s packed them all into this program. Her book, “Networking Works!,” and this workshop were born from realworld experiences.
She last offered an online version of the workshop in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last workshop held in conjunction with GMA was in 2019.
Donnelly said the workshop gives GMA members a chance to benefit from her expertise. “Join me for this workshop to unlock the secrets to your networking success,” Donnelly said.
With 14 years at Procter & Gamble leading strategic planning and process improvement, followed by nine years as a partner at Sandler Training, Donnelly brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Since founding The Leadership & Legacy Group in 2012, Donnelly has been a guiding force for business owners and C-Suite leaders, helping them navigate the complexities of succession planning and exit.
For more information, contact Donnelly at 336-458-9939 or abby@ leadershiplegacygroup.com.
To register: Call 336-378-6350, email info@mygma.org or go to secure.mygma.org/payments/registration.
President & CEO
Vice President
Operations/Special Events Coordinator
Membership Development
Program/Events Manager
Membership Coordinator
Administrative Assistant
TRENDS is published for the members of the Guilford Merchants Association.
Publication Coordinator – Michelle Bolick Phone (336) 378-6350
225 Commerce Place, Greensboro, N.C. 27401 www.mygma.org
G. Mark Prince
Michelle Bolick
Monzi Jimenez
Sharon Smith
Stacey Speight
Colleen Biedny
Melinda Thomas
The Guilford Merchants Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1906. The Association is a business membership organization focused on supporting member companies with educational programming, lead generation activities, marketing opportunities, and overall enrichment while serving as a catalyst for community growth and prosperity.
he Guilford Merchants Association welcomed two new employees in August.
Stacey Speight started work Aug. 12 as GMA’s events and programs manager. Colleen Biedny started Aug. 26 as GMA’s membership coordinator.
Speight will also serve as assistant to the executive director of the Guilford County Hotel Association.
She has experience in event planning, coordinating political campaign events, leading scholarship programs, and managing podcast series, along with expertise in graphic design and video editing.
Speight studied communications at Louisiana State University and
received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Biedny has more than 30 years of experience in sales, human resources, customer service and front-line management.
Her most recent role as corporate sales manager for Carolina Cookie Company centered on developing long-term collaborative customer relationships and growing the company’s B2B customer base.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver and a master’s in human resources development from Webster University.
Upcoming events
Sept. 18 — Meet & Eat, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Free lunch from Culinary Visions Catering compliments of GMA.
Sept. 25 — Member Orientation, noon-1 p.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Registration begins at 11:45 a.m.
Sept. 26 — Risers Social, 4:30-6:30 p.m., ParTee Shack, 3712 S. Holden Road, Greensboro. Attendees are responsible for their own food and beverages.
Oct. 3 — CelYOUbration, 5:30-8 p.m., The Vineyard, Painted Plate Catering, 3404 Whitehurst Road, Greensboro. This third annual event features music, food, beverages and more. Free admission to employees of GMA member companies. Must register at mygma.org. Cost for guests is $20. Pay online at mygma.org.
Oct. 8 — Center City AM Briefing, 8-9 a.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m.
Oct. 11 — Noontime Network, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn Airport, 238 N.C. 68 South Airport at Pai Park.
Nov. 24 — Holiday Festival Parade, High Point. Interested in sponsoring this event or a float? Contact Sharon Smith at 336-378-6350.
Find more events at www.mygma.org.
GMA’s third annual CelYOUbration will be held Oct. 3.
Biedny
Speight
Donnelly
Firefighters
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recognize and appreciate our local firefighters on behalf of our members and the community,” Bolick said.
Robinson said the meals are definitely appreciated.
The annual event also allows firefighters to connect with the business community, which Robinson said is invaluable because firefighters are often in those businesses whether it is for inspections or expansions or new building projects.
The High Point Fire Department pairs the GMA appreciation breakfast with its annual 9/11 memorial stair climb.
“It lets us remember the importance of that day, the importance of the profession and to carry on the remembrance of Sept. 11,” said Interim Chief Brian Evans.
The appreciation lunch in Greensboro rotates among the department’s stations each year, Robinson said. Typically, only personnel on duty at that station attend. Firefighters work 24-hour shifts, and can’t be away from their stations during their shift when they aren’t responding to a call.
There’s more than 150 firefighters working across the city every day. Robinson said there’s no way to get them all to one place for lunch. In all, the Greensboro Fire Department has more than 600 employees, most of them are firefighters.
High Point Fire Department started out rotating the breakfast among its 14 stations, but now holds the event
every year at its training center, Evans said. It is centrally located so that gives everyone a chance, whether on or off duty, to rotate through during the breakfast.
“We’re blessed to have a community partner like GMA to show support for the firefighters of the city of High Point,” he said.
GMA had to change up the appreciation lunch during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, GMA worked with several caterers to have meals delivered to every station. All of the stations also received signs with a “Thank You Firefighters” message.
“We do appreciate what GMA did that year, stepping out and basically
delivering meals to all 150 to 160 people on duty,” Robinson said.
He said it is nice to know that the local merchants support firefighters.
“I know GMA has our backs when something happens. When something goes wrong, I feel like I can pick up the phone and call … and get things done,” Robinson said.
Gene Dolan, Culinary Visions Catering, serves food to High Point firefighters for GMA’s Sept. 11 breakfast in 2022 to honor firefighters and first responders on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Brian Evans, who was then deputy chief with the High Point Fire Department, accepts a thank you sign from Sharon Smith, membership development for GMA, in 2020.
GMA has long honored firefighters and first responders in Guilford County. This 2007 photo was taken outside of Fire Station No. 5 in Greensboro.
Evans
Volunteering provides a chance to give back, meet new people
Volunteering was instilled in Salem Owens by her parents when she was a child.
So, after her company joined the Guilford Merchants Association, it was only natural to start volunteering for things. She even helped out unofficially at events.
“I just started helping to take stuff down,” she said. “Perhaps they assumed I was an official volunteer, but I wasn’t.”
She has also officially volunteered a couple of times as a greeter. And she’s looking forward to helping out at one of the networking events giving out the stickers and tickets for GMA’s popular sticker game. The game is used to encourage those who attend to mingle and meet new people by matching stickers with someone for a chance to win prizes.
“I love the enthusiasm that comes out at the sticker game,” she said. She did not expect it to be as competitive as it is, but said the great prizes might explain the enthusiasm.
Owens said her parents were involved in starting the Greensboro Hornets booster club back in the 1980s. Being involved and giving back were part of life in her household while growing up. She carried that into adulthood.
She volunteers for the Piedmont
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Land Conservancy and has been very active in animal rescue, including fostering dogs. She has two of her own dogs, Kiki and Sydney, and is fostering a third, Calvin, for fellow GMA member Alison Schwartz’s organization.
She said she tries to support a lot of different animal rescue groups.
“They always laugh at how I show up at everybody’s events,” she said. “It’s ingrained in me to help out as much as possible.”
One reason she volunteers for GMA is she likes to make people feel welcome like she was welcomed when her company joined.
“Once I’m involved with a group, I want to be involved. I just step up and take care of things,” she said.
She’s been with Rent-A-Home since 2005, when she started as a temporary worker for the summer. She handles the company’s accounting and a lot of the record keeping.
Rent-A-Home of the Triad joined GMA about a year or so ago, she said.
“How have we survived without GMA all these years? It’s crazy, because it’s so much fun!”
Salem Owens
Rent-A-Home of the Triad 336-272-0767
rentahome@gsorentahome.com https://gsorentahome.com
Play ball!!
Parrish, chairman of the Guilford Merchants Association Board of Directors, throws out the first pitch for the Aug. 9 Greensboro Grasshoppers game at First National Bank Field in downtown Greensboro.
New member orientation
New members participated in orientation on July 31. Pictured are: front row, seated, from left: Brittany Franklin, Blue Ridge Bank; Dorothy Tucker, Preserving Your Heritage; Angela Spangler, Epic Esthetics; Kimberly Fruitt, CPR Innovation; Margaret Wheaton, Wheaton Home Solutions. Back row, from left: Wayne Rutherford, Wayne Rutherford Consulting Services; Steve Manor, Tardigrade Technology; Robert Jeter, P&S Pressure Washing; Heather Ferguson, Venture X-Greensboro; Xan Thomas, Bankers Insurance; Teneka Williams, RelyAble Source Workforce Solutions; J. Taylor Moody, Spangler Estate Planning; Pete Marsden, redbox+ Dumpsters of the Triad; Niki Mann, UNC Greensboro; Jason Smith, NAI Piedmont Triad; Diana Gaytan, ServiceMaster Building Care.
Salem Owens poses with Kiki at work.
David
GMA training sessions are a ‘win-win’ for Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, as well as the nonprofit’s volunteers
n the 11 years that Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont has been a member of the Guilford Merchants Association, staff have made good use of GMA’s networking and learning opportunities.
The nonprofit, which pairs adults with children to create and support one-on-one mentoring relationships, has been a GMA member since 2013.
“Having staff who continuously learn new things and learn from more experienced people helps them apply that knowledge not only for themselves, but also to provide support to our mentors,” said Adriana Hernandez Medel, director of site based mentoring for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont.
PARTICIPATION SUCCESS =
identify strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and others and be able to make a plan to improve and achieve our goals,” Hernandez Medel said.
The various training offered free to GMA members has also helped her staff improve communication and teamwork, she said.
She and her team have attended many of the Teach Me Tuesday sessions. In particular, they’ve enjoyed “7 Ways to Increase Your Productivity Now,” “10 Secrets of Grabbing a Great Life” by Mike Collins, and the business panel on the “Best Places to Work in the Triad.”
our mentors who also share with their Little mentees. It’s a win-win,” she said.
Hernandez Medel
She said that training helps staff members develop both hard and soft skills that improve their efficiency and performance. It also has helped them improve problem-solving skills.
“Having problem-solving techniques improves our ability to tackle challenges more effectively. We can better
“Attending these workshops helps us with our self awareness and confidence because as we improve our skills in leading others, we improve in maximizing our time and efforts,” Hernandez Medel said.
They apply the information they learn at work and also pass it on to the volunteers at Big Brothers Big Sisters who are paired with local children.
“We share the thought process with
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont served 550 children in 2022-23. That year, 650 volunteers provided about 67,600 volunteer hours.
The organization’s 2022-23 Child Impact Report shows that 7 in 10 children served locally made a C or better on their final report cards and more than 5 in 10 made the A/B honor roll. In addition, 69% of children taking part in Big Brothers Big Sisters were reading on grade level.
Hernandez Medel encourages
July 12, 2024
GMA members to take advantage of the networking and training opportunities, which she described as low time commitments with a great return on investment.
“The tools you will learn support you in your personal life and also in your career,” she said.
Adriana Hernandez Medel Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont 336-887-4686 adriana@bbbscp.org https://bbbscp.org
Adriana Hernandez Medel, director of site based mentoring, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont (top left) poses with a group at a Big Brothers Big Sisters event.
Donna Blizard, formerly with Venture X, shows off the roll of stickers she is giving out as part of the networking game.
Allison Shore, Excalibur Direct Marketing, (left) looks at the card given to her by Nikki Corbett, Precise Creative, during the July 12 Noontime Network event.
Suzanne Andia, Print Plus Inc. (left) and Jennifer Wilson, LaQuinta by Wyndham, help check in people at the July 12 Noontime Network at the Hilton Garden Inn Airport. Noontime Network is free to all GMA members and employees of GMA members.
at Hilton Garden Inn Airport
Photo courtesy of Adriana Hernandez Medel
New member says networking group ‘felt like a good fit’
ne of the first things Kim Fruitt did when she joined the Guilford Merchants Association in July was to become part of the Networking Gurus group.
She met members of the weekly networking group when she attended a meeting as a guest of Terri Moore of Terri Moore Coaching Services.
“It just seemed like a great group of people that all really care about each other and want to help each other’s businesses grow. I thought this is what I’m looking for. It felt like a good fit,” Fruitt said.
CPR Innovation, which Fruitt started in 2020,
primarily provides onsite CPR training, including how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Fruitt said she also provides first aid courses. She’s worked with various groups — from daycares and churches to businesses and factories. Most of her clientele are medical and dental providers, who are required to maintain active CPR certification, at least every two years.
“I wanted to provide quality training so people could feel like they got the information that they needed and were prepared for an actual emergency,” she said. “I wanted to provide valuable courses to empower them to save lives.”
After working 19 years in dentistry, she took the course to become an Ameri-
can Heart Association CPR instructor in July 2020. By October that year, she had her first group training session and has been going strong ever since. She’s hoping to add AED sales soon and to expand her course offerings.
She’s had several one-onone meetings to discuss her business thanks to her time with Networking Gurus, Fruitt said.
She’s so impressed with GMA that she has already started talking to a friend about joining. Over the years, they’ve commiserated over the challenges of starting a small business, she said.
“Everyone I’ve talked to that is part of GMA says that of all the networking groups they have joined, GMA has been the most beneficial,” Fruitt said. “And so I thought, well, if I’m going to pick somewhere to put my money, this sounds like the place.”
“I wish I’d done it sooner,” Fruitt added. “If I had joined this group two years ago, I mean, who knows where I’d be now?”
Kim Fruitt
CPR Innovation
336-663-2882
cprinnovation@gmail.com cprinnovation.com
Connecting to businesses and networking are key benefits, GMA member says
he Carruthers & Roth law firm has been a longtime member of the Guilford Merchants Association, offering its employees a chance to network and learn new skills as part of that membership.
“I think our principal benefit has been the networking opportunities for lawyers to reach out to other merchants and people in the business community in the city, because that’s primarily our targeted client focus list,” said attorney Kenny Greene.
LOYAL MEMBER
Worth Holleman, former director and shareholder of Carruthers & Roth, who passed in 2015, was the GMA/FirstPoint chairman of the board in 2010. GMA/ FirstPoint established the L. Worth Holleman Jr. Graduate Scholarship Fund at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2017.
Carruthers & Roth has been providing legal services since 1937, when it was formed as Falk, Carruthers & Roth by attorneys Herbert S. Falk, Joseph Carruthers Jr. and Charles Roth. Once Falk’s son retired from the
firm, the name was changed to Carruthers & Roth and has remained that ever since, Greene said.
The firm provides comprehensive legal representation, counsel and planning services to a broad range of clients — from individuals and entrepreneurs to local, regional and national businesses.
Despite that reach, Carruthers & Roth remains firmly fixed in Greensboro with offices downtown.
This year marked Greene’s 50th year with the firm. He remembers when there were just a handful of lawyers working there. Today, about 50 people work at Carruthers & Roth. Attorneys make up about half of the roster, which is rounded out
by paralegals and support staff.
Their current office space was just a single-story building when the law firm bought it in the early 1980s. They’ve since expanded and added a second floor.
He said the attrition rate at the firm is next to zero, with most people staying for a long time.
As for why the law firm has stayed a GMA member for so long, Greene said GMA provides a forum for all local merchants, including law firms, to get a sense of what the community needs and what its strengths are.
“And to sell Greensboro as a wonderful place to live, raise families, and enhance everybody’s lives,” he added.
He also highlighted
GMA’s many training opportunities, saying that he can’t think of any other organization that provides that opportunity for a small business that doesn’t have a big budget for educational and training activities.
GMA gives people a chance to share their problems and concerns, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, with other business owners as a way to grow.
“It provides a very convenient venue for startups and other small businesses to get free advice from people who have been faced with the same challenges,” he said.
Carruthers & Roth
336-379-8651 www.crlaw.com
Greene
Kim Fruitt started CPR Innovation in 2020 because it combined her interest in health care and education. She just joined GMA in July, and is already part of the Networking Gurus group.
Photo courtesy of CPR Innovation
Fruitt
The art of negotiating
Restoration,
listens as Neville De
Dale Carnegie Training, makes a point during the Aug. 20 Teach Me Tuesday session.
At right, Neville De Lucia, president and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training Central & Eastern North Carolina, shares tips with GMA members on how to be a better negotiator.
Teddy Burriss, a LinkedIn strategist and author, shares tips and tools on how to get the best out of LinkedIn during the July 9 Digital Marketing Institute.
GMA members respond to a question by author and LinkedIn strategist Teddy Burriss during the July 9 Digital Marketing Institute at GMA’s offices. The Sept. 10 session featured Nick Pappas, a marketing specialist with Brand Connect, who helped GMA members explore using the Canva design program.
Tom Poston, Paul Davis
(left)
Lucia,
