The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
McMahon is featured WOW! speaker
TORRINGTON — Northwest Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce presents the 13th annual WOW! Forum, a daylong professional women’s conference featuring high energy and motivational speakers who are certain to inspire, challenge and energize you! The WOW! Forum, celebrating its 13th year, will be held Oct. 6 at the Warner Theatre’s Carole & Ray Neag Performing Arts Center in Torrington.
The theme for this year’s WOW! Forum is “The Beauty of Business.” This year’s keynote speaker is Linda McMahon, U.S. Small Business Administration, who is kicking off her nationwide “Ignite Tour” at the forum. As a member of President Trump’s cabinet, she advocates on behalf of the almost 29 million small businesses in America, which employ nearly half of all American workers and account for 56.8 million jobs.
An entrepreneur and business executive herself, McMahon is a co-founder and former chief executive officer of Women’s Leadership LIVE, LLC, a company that uses live events and ongoing relationships to educate and inspire women to launch and expand their own businesses, advance their careers toward executive roles, and pursue opportunities for leadership in public service.
Other speakers:
Jahana Hayes: Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, grew up in a Waterbury housing project and became a teenage mother while still in high school. Surrounded by poverty, drugs and violence as a child, Jahana imagined other possibilities for her life with the help from educators. The influence of her own teachers taught her that a school’s job sometimes overlaps with the job of parents, and she wants her students to know there are no dead ends.
Tim Quinn: After training in Milan alongside world-renown makeup artist Pat McGrath, Tim Quinn joined the Giorgio Armani Beauty team with the launch of the brand in September 2001. His myriad of experience as an artist includes work in TV, print and film. Quinn’s words of wisdom have graced the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Elle, Glamour, More, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, among others. Tim has been featured as one of the “25 Beauty Stars” in W magazine and won a Genius Award in Elle Magazine as a Genius Makeup Artist. He has worked backstage in New York, Milan, Rome, Paris, Hong Kong and Beijing as well as at several award shows including the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. Tim has been featured numerous times on television programs such as the Today Show, Extra and E! News.
Nancy Butler: At age 31, while in the process of a divorce with no child support, alimony or other source of income and only $2,000 to her name, Nancy Butler moved herself and her children 70 miles and started her own business. After building the business to $200 million in assets under management, Nancy sold her practice in January 2007. For the last ten years, as the owner of “Above All Else, Success in Life and Business®”, Nancy is a national professional motivational speaker, award-winning author and business coach. She uses her business and financial knowledge to help business owners do a better job for their clients and improve their bottom line and helps individuals live more successful, fulfilling lives and realize their dreams.
Pam Pinto: Act Natural Health & Wellness was born of one woman’s passion to live a healthy life in today’s less than healthy world. In 2004, Pam Pinto began a nutrition consulting practice, often speaking to local groups and organizations and seeing clients in chiropractic offices, local pharmacies, and health spas. Community need is one of the main reasons Pam has opened the doors of Act Natural Health & Wellness. As more and more people become interested and concerned about the foods they eat and its effects on long-term health, one of her main goals is to provide access to local, organic food through working with Connecticut Farmers.
Phyllis Webb: In 1999, Phyllis Webb and her husband Dale joined the ranks of entrepreneurs. The couple launched a unique business, The Magic Fluke, redesigning and manufacturing ukuleles. Proud and passionate to be manufacturing here in the USA, their journey has been fulfilling, and exciting, but not without challenges.
This year’s emcee, V. Vanessa Williams, MS, PCC is the Founder and CEO of Leading Edge Consulting, LLC, a global executive coaching firm with offices in CT and FL. Vanessa has an International background and vast experience in Executive Coaching, Women & Diversity Leadership Coaching, Leadership Advancement, Operations Leadership, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Strategic Business Planning, Management & Financial Reporting, and Change Management.
This year’s conference will also feature a fashion show by the wellknown women’s style experts, Chico’s. WOW! Forum attendees will enjoy a continental breakfast, lunch, a dessert & wine reception with an auction, a free gift and free parking. Tickets are $125 per person. Buy 5 tickets and get one free.
Register online at www.WOWFORUM.org. For more information, call the Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce at 860-482-6586.