2. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration2
thank you for coming to the party!
Welcome!
We are delighted that each of you is a part of this milestone!
Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Cornerstone Alliance is
celebrating 10 years of turning entrepreneurial dreams into reality,
and helping small businesses grow to the next level. Thank you
for all that you do to support the importance of home-grown
businesses!
The Women’s Business Center works with women (and yes, even
men) who have an idea, a passion, a dream. The entrepreneurial
journey starts with the WBC team as they work with clients to
implement their plan, identify access to financing, and other
viable resources all designed for local businesses to grow and
flourish.
Today is all about the spirit of entrepreneurship! Since 2004,
Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance has been
educating the community on the value and importance of
innovation to our area’s future economic vibrancy. For ten
years they have helped launch start-ups and offered business
expertise and resources to existing businesses that are ready to
expand to the next level. Congratulations and here’s to the next
ten years!
thank you for coming to the party!
C
ELEBRAT
ING
10 YEA
RS
2004
2014
3. 3women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration
agendaDoors Open for Networking .............. 11:30 am – 12 pm
Lunch ..........................................................................12 pm
Program Begins ................................................. 12:15 pm
Welcome & Introduction of
Women’s Advisory Council
Chair Judee Hopwood and Kim Richardson
The Story of Two Men and A Truck
Denise Bohn and Melanie Bergeron
Proclamation
Judee Hopwood,
Chairman
Helen Adams
Gloria Enders
Debra Griggs
LuAnn Harden
Mandy McDonald
Brian McMahon
Erika Molden
Katie Montoya
Current Piper
Kim Richardson
Jim Roberts
Amber Smith-Williams
Jacquelyn Warwick
Tyanna Weller
Megan Yore
WBC ADVISORY COUNCIL
4. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration4
Melanie Bergeron is the chair of TWO MEN AND
A TRUCK® started by the two original men, her
brothers, Brig Sorber and Jon Sorber in 1984 as a
way to earn extra spending money. Using their
only resource, a 1967 pickup truck, they placed
an ad in a local newspaper that read,“Two Men
and a Truck to Move Your Belongings.”
In 1985, the phone continued to ring after the
boys went to college. Their mother, Mary Ellen
Sheets, decided to keep the business going
and officially organized the company, hired
movers and developed a reproducible system.
During this time Melanie was working in
pharmaceutical sales. In 1989, Melanie was
awarded the first TWO MEN AND A TRUCK ®
franchise outside of Michigan.
Melanie moved back to Michigan and was a franchisee in Oakland County,
MI, and at the same time maintaining her sales career. In 1994, her mother
asked her to come to Lansing, MI to help with the growing business and she
was named President. Named CEO in 2007, Melanie and her team’s entrepreneurial
spirit helps pave the way for the company’s continued success.
Melanie lives in Okemos, MI with her husband and twin sons.
Denise Bohn is an award-winning news reporter
and anchor for WSBT News, Channel 22, with
the Schurz Communications Group.
Denise received her degree in Mass
Communications from Michigan State
University and went to work for the Radio
Stations of Southwest Michigan as a reporter
and then become the morning co-host for
WSJM and Y-Country. In 1999 she was hired by
CBS affiliate, WSBT-TV and became one of their
award-winning lead reporters and back-up
anchor, filling in on the morning and afternoon
newscasts. In 2003, Denise left the broadcasting
industry to raise her family.
In the fall of 2011, Denise returned to WSBT-TV reporting on a freelance basis.
She produces stories 4 days a week for the station which is now located in
Mishawaka, IN. She is a mother and wife raising three children.
In 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and as a survivor; she has
raised more than $125,000 for related non-for-profits.
5. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration 5
2004 Designation Women’s Business Center by the Office of
Women Business Ownership; one of 3 in the State of Michigan
Women’s Business Center Advisory Council created
2005 Bilingual counseling and Hispanic hotline established
Real Topics…Real Advice was the topic of the first Women’s
Roundtable
Resource Center established at Cornerstone Alliance offices
1st
Business start in Berrien County
1st
Business start in Van Buren County
2006 Micro Loan Fund intermediary established
2007 Mobile classroom established in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties
10 computers purchased for training clients in the tri-county area
2009 5 Year Anniversary Celebration
2010 Received Fifth Third grant for overall support of the program in
tri-county area; established Fifth Third Bank Venture Fund
2012 Margaret Adams receives Michigan Women in Business Champion
of the Year Award
1st
Business start in Cass County
2013 Opened satellite office at Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce
offices in Three Oaks, Michigan
*P.O.W.E.R. Program established, partnering with 1st
Source Bank; an
11-week workshop helping entrepreneurs and current small business
owners launch a business and/or take their business to the next
stage; available financing options to support start-ups/expansions
2014 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
from
2004 2014
7. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration 7
TO OUR PROGRAM Sponsors
TRENDSETTER
FRIENDS
8. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration8
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9. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration 9
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AGH SERVICES AND AppLIANCE REpAIR
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TRESTLE FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES
TWISTED DAWG
Launched
10. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration10
Women’s Business Centers (WBC), a division of the U.S. Small Business
Administration, represent a national network of nearly 100 educational
centers throughout the United States and
its territories, designed to assist women
in starting and growing small businesses.
WBCs seek to “level the playing field”
for women entrepreneurs, who still face
unique obstacles in the business world.
The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance has been
supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of small business in Berrien, Cass
and Van Buren Counties since 2004.
There are many funding partners that allow the Women’s Business
Center team to extend their reach to the tri-county communities
through marketing initiatives; delivering best-practices and relevant
training for small business owners, and one-on-one business
guidance and expertise. Their continuing generosity has a significant
impact on the curriculum and the resources that they can offer our
clients; turning their dreams, passions and ideas into a reality.
A Closer LookINTO THE WBC
OFRECEMOS SERVICIOS EN ESPAÑOL!
Thank You
TO SOME OF
OUR FUNDING
PARTNERS!
11. women's business center 10TH
ANNIVERSARY Celebration 11
WE
needYou!!!
IT TAKES A VILLAGE! We need your expertise,
knowledge and support to allow future entrepreneurs
to launch their dreams and help existing small businesses
grow.
Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance
collaborates with our local business community to deliver
relevant and timely workshops and seminars designed to
arm small business owners with the information and
resources they need to compete and thrive in today’s
marketplace. You know what it takes to make a business
successful. Imagine sharing what you know with others?
We would love to have you be part of our upcoming
classes and imparting your wisdom and personal experience!
Please contact the WBC team at 269.925.6100 to learn
how you can be part of our workshops and seminars.
Looking for other ways to support the Women’s Business
Center? It’s easy to become a Cornerstone Alliance
investor. Your contribution can have a distinct impact on
the growth of local small business.
To learn more about becoming an investor, please
contact Stacey Stephens at 269.925.0147.
