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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Letter from the Editor
Dear Business Leaders,
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Very few careers appeared accessible to women when I was a young girl: teacher, secretary, nurse, and homemaker. When I enthusiastically announced to my mother, “I want to be a writer,” she cautioned me to take typing and shorthand – “Something I could always fall back on, just in case.” Mom meant well.
The good news is there are an increasing number of careers available to women today. In fact, well-known companies, like IBM and General Motors, have recently appointed female CEOs, and the trend towards women in leadership positions is on the rise. According to Hult International Business School, there are more women running Fortune 500 businesses today than at any point in the 65-year history of Fortune 500. Still, where young men are encouraged to be ambitious and assertive, women are told from an early age not to be “bossy.” Let’s change that habit. There are many advantages of women in the workplace. A diverse workplace has shown to foster creativity and innovation. Women excel at the soft skills needed for business leadership, like effective communication, empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. Women represent huge economic power and important consumer insight. It is estimated that women contribute approximately $20 trillion in consumer spending every year, accounting for 85% of consumer purchases. However, despite this fact, only 11% of creative directors in advertising are women. For a growing number of women, the fastest route to success is launching their own business. Women-owned business in the U.S. have increased 74% over the past 20 years. Our start-up culture empowers women and is making the balance of career and family easier. This issue of Geauga Business features several women who are making their mark – Judge Mary Jane Trapp, lawyer Betsy Rader, two female pilots, a photographer, an owner of an outdoor dog sports complex, and a videographer/ musician. I hope their stories inspire other young women to reach for their dreams. With Great Appreciation,
POV Solution Staff (L-R): Chris Yuhasz and Lincoln
With summer behind us, Geauga Business Magazine moves into our second issue with our newly assembled magazine team. We continue to broaden our scope of stories and contacts trying to bring interesting and newsworthy stories to our readers. There is a myriad of interesting things to talk about concerning our community. Great stories happening and coming! This summer we are so proud that GBM was able to present educational scholarships to two outstanding students from Geauga Growth’s Youth Incubator Program. We asked all students in the program to be involved. They needed to submit an essay on their summer experience and design a presentation board that showcased their experiences. A group of board members from GGP reviewed the contestants and chose the winners based on their presentations and overall growth throughout the summer. We presented the awards at Home Grown this past month to Ryan McGinnis and Shannon Swinerton. Congratulations to both winners and all participants. I want to point out that the scholarships couldn’t have been possible without the support of our magazine partners, so when you get a moment please thank those partners for their efforts. We are going to be reviewing the entire process this fall and hope to be able to turn our Scholarship Program into a yearly event. If you would like
to help support or be involved in our program – please let us know! We have also started a web section on our POV Solution website (www.povprintingservices. com). Check under the resource section for information that helps us manage material for the publication under our resource section to help us manage material for the publication. You can scan the QR code below to get directly to the page. We have added interactivity to the page so that you can request to be added to the mailing list, submit articles and photos and view past issues. We plan to continue to build out this tool to become a valuable resource for our business community! Business in Geauga County continues to grow, despite some difficult times in many industries. Margie Wilber We are there watching and reporting. Hope you Editor-in-Chief/Publisher, Geauga Business have a great fal!President, Write 2 the Point Chris Yuhasz Publisher, Geauga Business President, POV Print Communications GEAUGA BUSINESS Summer 2021 1
Just in time for back-to-school season, I think it’s appropriate that this issue of GBM has a common thread of educational preparedness, and a celebration of the next generation of our workforce and the businesses that support them. At the recent Homegrown Geauga fundraising event, held at the beautiful Sapphire Creek Winery & Gardens in Chagrin Falls, Chris Yuhasz and I had the privilege of presenting two graduating high school students with well deserved scholarships for their essays about what they learned through their internships obtained through Geauga Growth Partnership’s summer Incubator program. Those winners were Ryan McGinnis and Shannon Swinerton, both winners completed their internships at Mercury Plastics.
Today’s young people are learning about adaptability and the importance of the professional pivot. In the era of virtual learning, this crop of graduates are finally going out into the world for hands-on mentorship, and thanks to GGP’s career readiness initiatives, they’re prepared. When it comes to our work lives, resilience is key. My own educational path began with dance performance and transitioned to graphic design. While the artistic medium changed, what didn’t was my interest in having a creative outlet through my work. My pivot to entrepreneurship with Ten10 Design was born of necessity. During the 2009 recession, I had been working at an ad agency when our entire team was let go. Through networking as a freelancer, I was able to turn small design jobs into bigger branding projects, print work, and with the support from my husband Joe, promotional products and apparel. After moving our office and planting roots in Chardon in 2012, I’ve seen firsthand how organizations like the Chardon Rotary, Leadership Geauga, and GGP have helped us grow.
In this issue, you’ll hear stories of local businesses whose proprietors and employees have grown to meet the changing needs of the county (and the world), and the local nonprofit organizations who consistently lend their support. I’m so proud to live and work in a community that recognizes the importance of mentorship and collaboration, not just for its next generation, but for all.
Casey Zulandt Co-Publisher, Geauga Business Magazine CEO, Ten10 Design
