Blog

By: Elizabeth Wilson, Client Support Specialist | Employee Health & Benefits
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC 

The Raleigh YPN kicked off the first meeting of the new decade with a great panel of speakers to educate us on “#Adulting.” The panelists provided their insight on managing your finances, planning, and even work life balance. There were a number of takeaway messages, firsthand experiences, and tips shared that everyone can start doing today.
 

• Adam Whitesell, a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.,  talked about the importance of mastering your debt and saving until it hurts. He referred to this as the 100% rule. Everyone makes 100% of your paycheck, but what happens next? You can assume 30% is taken for taxes, so that leaves us with 70% of our paycheck remaining. What next? Debts. Debts include anything from car payments to mortgage, etc. His rule of thumb is to allocate no more than 20 – 28% of your paycheck towards debts. Now we are 50% of our paycheck amount. Now we need to take out 10% towards retirement, and, if applicable, allocate at least 20% to include education for dependent children. Finally, we are left with 30% to put towards all other expenses. Budgeting tools can be helpful but they don’t break the habit. Start to break your bad habits and build new ones.

 

• Have a good relationship with money and allow yourself to be able to unplug and recharge to affect change and self-care. Realize that no one can fully balance work, family, friends, finances, etc. The real goal is to integrate all areas of your life to work the best for you. Start to prepare now or as soon as you can, not when it becomes a necessity. That way you won’t be playing catch up later. 

 
If you are interested, check out a couple of the following books our panel of speakers recommended:

• “Chasing the Brightside: Embrace Optimism, Activate Your Purpose, and Write Your Own Story” by Jess Ekstrom
• “Mastery” by Robert Greene
• “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It” by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz 

​Hundreds of people gathered for the Chamber’s Launch 2020 on Jan. 9 to refresh from the holidays and get the momentum rolling into the new year with vital industry information and important connections.

Speakers included:
​

• Christopher Chung, chief executive officer, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. View his presentation.
• Brian Leary, chief operating officer, Highwoods Properties, Inc. View his presentation.
• David McLennan, Ph.D., professor of political science, Meredith College. View his presentation.
• Natalie Rothman, EVP and chief human resources officer, Advance Auto Parts. View her presentation.
• Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist, Wells Fargo. View his presentation.​

Watch the live stream. 

By Josh VanNamee
Vaco, Director – Talent Solutions
 
The Young Professionals Network hosted its second annual conference on Nov. 21 at the Raleigh Convention Center. This year’s focus was “Capitalizing on Your Strengths.” Together, a group of nearly 300 young professionals welcomed Candice Webb as the keynote speaker. Webb is the Meredith College director of StrongPoints. She works with students and professionals to identify and use their strengths to reach their goals. Each participant took their own StrengthsFinder Assessment to learn which of the four strength domains best described them. Check out some of the biggest takeaways of the day:
 
Building Your Brand (Domain: Influencing)

• Social media IS connected to the hiring process. Your social media brand can impact your professional career whether it is getting or maintaining a position. Excessive pictures of drinking, drugs, violence, guns, illegal activity, bad mouthing employers, poor writing skills can all impact job opportunities as well as your current job. (Megan Johnson, career coach, Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business)

• You don’t have an obligation to “friend” your supervisor or colleagues. If you want your personal social media to stay private, your company/associates should respect that, but be mindful there are still ways they can see your activity through tags, mutual friends, screenshots, etc. (DeShelia Spann, marketing manager, Lenovo)

 
Designing Your Dream Team (Domain: Relationship Building)

• Finding mentors always needs to be in an area of development, both personal and professionally. It’s fundamental to find people who think differently than you. (Jim Kissinger, sales director, Nationwide Insurance)

• Don’t neglect the word “personal” in your personal advisory board. Your board is all about you and what you need to develop. (Rachel Hardin, director, SAS)

 
Measure What You Manage (Domain: Strategic Thinking)

• There are moments in your career where different opportunities present themselves. What are your strongest skills? Capitalize on them and listen to yourself. (Angela Connor, founder and CEO, Change Agent Communications)

• Understand what your habits are in difficult situations. Know yourself and know your weaknesses. Make sure your weaknesses don’t hinder your ability to make a leap forward. (Will Barfield, CEO, Barfield Revenue Consulting)

 
Making Moves (Domain: Executing)

• Lean on the power of your people. Surround yourself with a team of individuals that are different, yet similar. You will be amazed at how these folks will push you to be a stronger employee, a better leader, and a better person. (Maggie Kane, executive director, A Place at the Table)

• Don’t just do a job. Do something you love. Make the risky move even if people tell you that you’re going to fail. There were 50+ people that told us the North Hills project wouldn’t work, but we knew it felt right and knew it had potential. We took the risk, and reaped the reward. (Mike Smith, president, Kane Realty Corporation)

• Your business career is not linear. You will one day have to make a pivot. You will indeed make mistakes. Learn from them and fail forward. Every mistake you make is your roadmap to glory and success in the future. (Melisse Shaban, CEO, Virtue Labs)

We are excited to announce the 2019/2020 participants of Leadership Raleigh, a premier leadership development program.
​​
Last month, our newest Leadership Raleigh classes got their programs started at retreats at the Graylyn International Conference Center in Winston-Salem. 
 
The following professionals are members of the 40th class:
 
Michelle Adel
First Citizens Bank

Cody Ball
HH Architecture

Diesha Banner
Toast It Up!

Christopher Battles
Shanahan Law Group, PLLC

Manoj Bhatia
Ultimate Storage Company

Heather Brewer
Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities

Katherine Carlton
Investors Management Corporation

Carrie Chandler
Genworth Mortgage Insurance

Matt Choplin
PWM of NC

Tom Clancy
Clancy & Theys Construction Company

Charles Davis
Poyner Spruill LLP

Rodney Faulk
City of Raleigh

Jenna Forster
IBM Corporation

Frantz Flora McNeill
York Properties, Inc.

Donna Gaskin
MetLife

Patricia Glidewell
Bernard Robinson & Co. LLP

Walter Gray
ms consultants, inc.

Paul Hammersley
First National Bank

​Zach Hall
Balfour Beatty Construction

Syreeta Hargrove
Raleigh Chamber

Ms. Taylor Holloway
Strategic Behavioral Health, LLC

Jessica Holt
Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau

Leland Hyer
Durham Public Schools

Monica Jacimore
First Bank

Emily Jeske
Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP

Davis Johnston
Foundry Commercial

Laveda Joseph
Wake Technical Community College

Stephen Kenney
Kenney Properties, Inc.

Caitlyn Kinnaird
JLL

Audrey Krenitsky
JDavis

Allyson Kuegel
Citrix

Amanda Latham
Clean

Hannah Lipstone
KPMG LLP

Toni Lockett
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Brett Malone
North Carolina FC Youth

Kelly Monroe
Skanska USA Building, Inc.

Brieanna Myers
North Carolina FC

Lynn Percival
Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP

James Pratt
CLA

John Rash
Clark Nexsen

Cherith Roberson
Wake Technical Community College

Neal Seigler
Duke Raleigh Hospital

Andrew Sims
Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors

Ms. Mary Skinner
PNC

Julie Smith
NC State University

Kayla Strampe
DHIC, Inc.

Ashlie Thompson
Wake County Public School System

Anthony Vellozzi
Metcon, Inc.

Kallie Walker
Kane Realty Corporation

Afrika Williams
LCI

We are excited to announce the 2019/2020 participants of Leadership Raleigh, a premier leadership development program.

Last month, our newest Leadership Raleigh classes got their programs started at retreats at the Graylyn International Conference Center in Winston-Salem. 
 
The following professionals are members of the 39th class:

Clark Abbott
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Melyssa Allen
Meredith College

Benjamin K Bailey
JLL

Thomas Barrier
Branch Banking & Trust Co.

Chris Bell
Deloitte

David Boaz
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Tiffany Burba
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Sabrina Burns
PNC

Cooper Cash
North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives

Dusan Cecich
Danis Construction Company

Erica Campion
Genworth Mortgage Insurance

Shane Corbett
Piedmont Service Group

Chad Danford
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Kaitlin Dewberry
Poyner Spruill LLP

Alysia Eve
Citrix

Tara Freeman
UNC REX Healthcare

Joseph Fricks
United Community Bank

Rhett Fussell
Raleigh Area Land Trust

Sarah Heminuk
Haven House Services

John Holton
Williams Mullen

Deb Horwitz
Merz North America

Randi Ligon
Apex Tool Group

Daniel Lord
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Michael Lutz
Barnhill Contracting Co., Inc.

Sean Maroney
Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, Inc.

Gina Miller
Nationwide Insurance

Adrianne Moody
United Way of the Greater Triangle

Brad Murray
Murray Real Estate Group, LLC

Kasia Nels
Stewart

Kekoa Nelson
IBM Corporation

Sarah Newton
SAS Institute, Inc.

Joy Pariz
YMCA of the Triangle Area, Inc.

Paul Pierron
Gilbane Building Company

Jenny Saul
Greene Resources

Gretchen Saussy
Mid-Atlantic Associates, Inc.

Olivia Scarbrough
Elliott Davis

Charles Setzer
Contec, Inc

Ashleigh Sholar
Raleigh Chamber

Amie Sivon
Ragsdale Liggett PLLC

Richard Slater
McAdams

Erin Smith
BAERING

George T Smith III
Nexsen Pruet, PLLC

Lisa Snedeker
Campbell Law School

Heather Spencer
NC State University

Anna Traylor
Clark Nexsen

Heath Tripp
Smith Anderson Law Firm

Debbie Wilkinson
Wells Fargo

Jessica Green Willson
Fox Rothschild LLP

Morgan Zoellner
Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education

​John Goodman, our vice president of government affairs, is a passionate advocate for our regional business community. He measures success by honesty, integrity, and through bold leadership.

With more than 20 years of experience in government affairs, John has been instrumental in driving high-impact legislation, such as reducing the North Carolina tax rate from the highest to one of the lowest in the Southeast U.S. over a two-year span.

Prior to joining the Raleigh Chamber, John founded Capital City Consulting, specializing in government affairs, strategic planning, and focused communications. He also spent nearly 10 years as the director of government affairs for the North Carolina Chamber.

John moved to North Carolina to play soccer at Campbell University and he has called the Tar Heel State home ever since. He lives in Raleigh, where soccer remains a big part of his life. John coaches youth soccer through North Carolina FC Youth and the Neuse River Futbol Alliance.
​
He is excited to work with you.

By Spencer Lazzari
VP of Operations
Proforma BrandCentric Solutions
 
Raleigh YPN recently had a chance to peek at all of the exciting things happening at Dorothea Dix Park. The event was packed with members eager to see what the park had to offer. The event had many key takeaways, but the following stood out.

1.  A Park for Everyone, Built by Everyone. This great tagline sums up what this park is really about,  us. Sean Malone, president and CEO of the Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy, emphasized the importance of making an attraction from which everyone could benefit. To accomplish this over the course of 18 months, more than 65,000 residents were engaged for their input.
2. Once-in-a-generation Opportunity. As Adrian Benepe, director of national programs for The Trust for Public Land, put it, “Dorothea Dix Park is the most important and exciting park project in America today.” The park is located in the heart of Raleigh. It will feature vast open areas, as well as community gathering places with more infrastructure. Parks that are within a close proximity to a downtown with this much space are rare, making this project particularly exciting.
3. Get Involved. The easiest way to get involved is to stay in the know. By going to https://dixpark.org/get-involved, you can enter your email and receive updates. Additionally, people can sign up to volunteer. Volunteers are needed now and will continue to be needed as the project moves forward. Donations are also welcomed.

For more information, please go to https://dixpark.org/. Also, be sure to sign up for the next Raleigh YPN event for more exciting programs at raleighchamber.org/events.
​

By Spencer Lazzari
​VP of Operations
Proforma BrandCentric Solutions

The Raleigh Chamber YPN recently went to a soccer match between the North Carolina Courage and the Houston Dash. Although the home team had a great win, that was not the only win for the night. Young professionals from around the area (and even beyond) gathered on the Party Deck of WakeMed Soccer Park. Members talked soccer, swapped cards, and mingled freely. Conversation topics ranged from the classic “what do you do,” to discussing Girl Scout cookie availability. First-time attendees meshed well with YPN veterans, proving that the Raleigh Chamber YPN continues to attract those who are true professionals, want to grow, and, most importantly, want to expand their network. Be sure to check out our next event, and seize the opportunity to be a part of this incredible group. 

By Jovane Henry, communications intern

Sepi Saidi is always building – be it a construction project, a business relationship, or a new goal.  
 
The successful (and personable) entrepreneur, who started the now award-winning SEPI Engineering and Construction business in her home’s bonus room in 2001, shared her journey and insight with Chamber members at our Coffee with Leaders event on Sept. 5.
 
SEPI, Inc. provides an expansive portfolio of services, including civil, construction, traffic, and water engineering, asset management and maintenance, geomatics, and landscape architecture. 
 
Saidi chronicled her journey from Iran – where she grew up surrounded by strong professional women who championed education and financial independence – to North Carolina, where she faced challenges finding commonality with her mostly male fellow engineers. 
 
Her solution? Focus on building.
 
“I had to consciously work to find our common points and build a relationship with my cohorts,” she explained.  “I became curious about their likes and lives, and from there, it got easier.”
 
Saidi shared her expertise and answered questions on a range of topics such as hiring talent, finding a family/work balance, learning to delegate, equality for women in business, harassment in the workplace, and the importance of connection. 
 
“Every time you meet a person, it’s like adding $100 to your personal capital,” she said. “Focus on those connections not for status, but for purpose, and you’ll be able to build bridges that bring value to both your life and business.” 
 
She also encouraged business owners to step outside the walls of their company and enhance their interaction in the communities they call home.
 
“Get out of the box,” she challenged. “Join boards and committees, and get your face out there – not only does it help the community, it also helps you build and cultivate relationships. There’s always a connection to be made.”
 
With award-winning recognition on lists for Inc. 5000, Inc. Magazine, the Zweig Group, a designation as one of the Top 500 Design Firms for the Engineering News-Record (all multiple years running), and the distinction of being named Triangle Business Journal’s 2018 Businessperson of the Year, one might think Saidi is content with her accomplishments. 
 
They’d be wrong.
 
Armed with passion, vision, and a desire to push her potential to the limit, she’s just getting started. There’s much more, she says, to build.
 
“Whatever you want to do, the most important ingredient is to be excited about what you’re doing,” she advised. “Expect more from yourself and from your team- there’s always a higher bar to be reached.” 
 
We want to thank Saidi for sharing her story and perspectives with us. If you want to see more of our conversation with her, check our Coffee with Leaders series hashtag on Twitter, #ChamberCoffee.
 
Our next Coffee with Leaders will be on Friday, Nov. 15, where we will host Kristen Hess, president, CEO, and business development leader of HH Architecture. Last year, AIA Triangle named her company Architecture Firm of the Year. 
 
We hope to see you there!

By Felicia Woodard
Market Manager for Greater North Carolina Market, Business Banking
Bank of America
 
Discussing tough topics was the goal achieved at the recent Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Conference hosted by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
 
Nearly 600 registered to attend the Aug. 9 event at the Raleigh Convention Center where they learned tangible ways of advancing DEI in the workplace and marketplace.
 
Dr. Joanna Schwartz, a transgender marketing professor at Georgia College, kicked off the conference discussing ways to ensure genuine meaning is conveyed. “More than sixty percent of us spend a majority of our time and energy trying to blend in – and that number is even higher for LGBT individuals and people of color,” she shared. Her topic “What is DNA Anyway?” challenged the audience to go beyond having enough people in the room and to give power to voices that have something to offer.
 
Lauren Hood, a diversity and inclusion executive with Bank of America, moderated a “courageous conversation” designed to deepen understanding of these issues. It was a powerful moment to experience how all participants committed to the topic by being open and honest. This courageous conversation helped all participants challenge our own bias.
 
I am so fortunate to work for a company where the words diversity, equity and inclusion are real. This isn’t just the theme of the day or year for us… it is how we do business. At Bank of America, we recognize the potential of every employee by actively encouraging a diverse and inclusive workplace — in thought, style, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, disability, culture and experience.
 
Being a diverse and inclusive company makes us strong and is essential to our ability to meet the needs of our clients, communities and employees. For all of us in the business community, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion will strengthen our businesses as well as our region.
 
Bank of America Merrill Lynch was proud to partner with the Raleigh Chamber on this important event. These values align with our vision, and we are committed to moving these principles forward in the Triangle.