WBON Spring Conference Agenda

10:00am–10:15am	Welcome
10:15am–10:45am	Opening Inspiration – Mary Cohen Executive Director of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce
10:45am–11:00am	Break
11:00am–11:45am	Morning Breakout Workshops • How to Adapt Your Marketing Now for Beyond the Current Crisis • Government Contracting and Woman-Owned Certifications • How to Use your Story to Drive Connection (and Revenue)
11:45am–12:00pm	Break
12:00pm–12:45pm	Lunch together with Think Tank session – with Gwen Pokalo
12:45pm–1:00pm	Break
1:00pm–1:45pm	Afternoon Breakout Workshops • Turning Pain into Light – Weaving a New Narrative • Connect & Communicate: A Roadmap for Healthy Relationships and Interactions • Meaningful Connections: Networking at a Higher Level
1:45pm–2:00pm	Break
2:00pm–2:45pm	Endnote: Lead Like A Woman – Sarah DeGray Owner, Founder of REV Indoor Cycling
2:45pm–3:00pm	Raffle & Closing

Download a printable program (PDF)

THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS

Opening & Emcee

MARY COHEN

Executive Director of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce

OPENING SPEAKER

Mary Cohen, an ex officio member of the board of the Rutland Economic Development Corp (REDC) and Executive Director of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, will kick off the day with stories of resilience and inspiration from the area that was the birthplace of WBON.

The Killington-Rutland area and its small tourism businesses and manufacturers has been through rough times before. Hear highlights of how the community worked together to rebuild.

KIMBERLY DUBRUL

Business, Life and Mindset Coach Kimberly DuBrul Coaching

EMCEE

Kimberly DuBrul, PCC, is a veteran (18 years) business, life and mindset coach, speaker and trainer. She coaches clients one on one, in groups and works with companies large and small to build strength cultures and positive work environments. Kim has been in business for herself since the age of 20 and is a former WBON board member. She’s a born and raised Vermonter who loves being in nature and lives in Shelburne with her family.

Keynote

SARAH DEGRAY

Owner, Founder, Head Cyclist REV Indoor Cycling

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Sarah is the Founder and CEO of REV Indoor Cycling. A lifelong Vermonter, athlete and sports fanatic, Sarah decided to leave her desk job in 2012 to create REV Indoor Cycling. She is a certified fitness professional and classically trained musician and vocalist. She has performed in several musicals around Vermont and loves that she can combine her passions for musical performance and athletics at REV.

Sarah is meticulous about music and loves crafting heart pumping, challenging rides set to several genres of music. Sarah’s personal fitness regimen includes a varied dose of indoor cycling, resistance training and yoga. She has completed several full and half-marathons as well as two New England Tough Mudder events.

Sarah has lived through her own body transformation as a result of indoor cycling and she strives to expose as many people as possible to the health benefits of a great ride. Sarah firmly believes that anyone can and everyone should make indoor cycling part of his or her fitness plan.

Presentation Title:

Lead Like A Woman

Thank you to the Conference Underwriter & Think Tank Sponsor

Morning Workshops Attend one of these three workshops

Pat Heffernan (left) and Karen Wilkinson (right)
Marketing Partners

How to Adapt Your Marketing Now for Beyond the Current Crisis

Amid unrelenting uncertainty, effective strategy and messaging are more important than ever, but past patterns are obsolete. We will explore how to adapt your marketing for the future beyond the crisis.

Key Takeaways:

What’s different (latest trends)
Why knowing your values and your customers are your most important source of insight
The key to aligning your messaging and media
How to engage every potential customer with inclusive language and design

Elizabeth Adams (left) and Bonnie Sanders (right)
Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center

Government Contracting and Woman-Owned Certifications

Interested in Learning How to Sell to the Government? Businesses will learn the basics to compete for contracts with federal, state and local government entities while also learning about socio-economic small business programs, including woman-owned certifications, that may provide an advantage when competing for federal contracts.

Discussion topics include:

Marketing your small business to the government
How to locate bid opportunities
Socio-economic small business programs
State and federal woman-owned certifications

Heather Frechette-Crowley
Root Marketing

How to Use your Story to Drive Connection (and Revenue)

While “story” might be a recent addition to the business buzzword lexicon, storytelling is anything but new. If you struggle with how to incorporate story into your marketing strategy or still aren’t sold on the value of doing it, this session is for you. Attendees will learn how to discover their story, package it in a way that connects with their target audience and use it to drive revenue.

Attendees will leave with:

an understanding of how effective use of story can help grow revenue,
a formula for uncovering their story, and
tips for how to use it to connect with their target audience.

Afternoon Workshops Attend one of these three workshops

Rae Carter
EmpowR

Turning Pain into Light – Weaving a New Narrative

In this workshop, Rae shares her vulnerability with a heart-centered story of how she learned to reclaim her narrative and feminine power by facing her shadows and embracing compassion.

Rae offers participants perspective relevant to women navigating the balance of career and health in rapidly changing social and business cultures

Beth Martell
Martell Coaching

Connect & Communicate: A Roadmap for Healthy Relationships and Interactions

Relationships are challenging. We want to have enjoyable and effective relationships, yet too often even simple interactions go off track. Communication seems to be the problem yet the root is actually deeper.

Relationships are hard because we’re experiencing the complex challenge of staying separate while connecting. Beth offers a roadmap for healthy relationships with specific Do’s and Don’ts that you can start using to today.

Carolyn Weaver
The Weaver Team at KW

Meaningful Connections: Networking at a Higher Level

Participants will learn tips, tricks and methods to connect on a meaningful level with potential business partners, vendors and customers at networking events, trade shows and as part of daily interactions.

Lunchtime Think Tank

Moderated Discussion

Grab your favorite beverage and join us by video (so we can see each other just like we would in an in-person meeting)! We’ll connect, share best practices and support one another in an interactive chat format. Gwen Pokalo from the Center for Women & Enterprise will be on hand to help with questions relating to COVID-19 relief programs.

This is what you can expect:

Think about sharing stories of inspiration and innovation of how you are managing during this challenging time and supporting each other

Raffle time

Fabulous prizes to be WON! To be eligible in the raffle, all you need to do is make sure you are present at the end of the Conference.

Christine Golden, the WBON Operations manager, will draw the prizes and announce the winners. Good luck to all!

Connect with WBON!

Follow us @wbonvt

#WBONvt

#WomenBusinessOwners

#TheTimeIsNow