More news from EWI Lethbridge

It's been a wonderful summer so far, loving the warmer weather and all the spring rain we had has been very good for my trees and plants!

Lots happening with EWI Lethbridge right now too. At our June meeting we had Brian Hancock in from Bridge magazine, and the last few weeks I have been featuring individual profiles from several EWI members on my other blog at http://www.alberta-biz.com and hope to have more up soon.

For those of you interested in marketing on behalf of your business or organization, you might like to sign up for a new series of marketing tips based on the work we have done with hundreds of business and non profit clients over the last few years. The sign up button is available at http://www.coletteacheson.com/Marketing-Ideas.html or just email me directly at an.co@shaw.ca

Celebrate the Diversity of EWI

We are proud to have such a variety of incredible women, businesses and organizations involved with EWI Lethbridge. Twyla Fisher joined us this spring, and contributes professionalism, experience and youthful energy to every meeting. Thank you Twyla!

Twyla Fisher is a Certified General Accountant and a licensed Mortgage Associate with Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Excellence.

Originally from a small town in Manitoba, Twyla obtained her University Degree in Brandon, Manitoba Twyla began to call Alberta home in 2001. After a move to Lethbridge in 2005, Twyla completed her Certified General Accountant’s designation in 2006. Not long after, Twyla sought to become a part of the business world and becoming a Mortgage Associate provided that opportunity.  Twyla is an extremely motivated and self-propelled individual. As the mother of a 3 year old, life is always busy but busy is what Twyla thrives on. Whether it’s meeting with clients, volunteering with The HOME Program, going for a run in the park, meeting a business friend for coffee, or laughing and singing with her daughter, Twyla enjoys each and every opportunity and aspect as a mother and business woman in the City of Lethbridge.

 

Bye for now...

Colette Acheson

What a Day!

Whew! What a great event we had here yesterday hosting our guests from the EWI Corporate office:

Lynne Shaffer – Executive Director from EWI Corporate Office, Salt Lake City, Utah

Louise Anderson – President, representing Maurice H. Joseph, Inc. from Jackson, Mississippi

Sharon Bennett – Vice President/President – Elect, representing Lifetouch from Cincinnati, Ohio

Peggy Quinn – Advisor (Past President)– representing the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee

Karen Skirten – Expansion Director, representing TierOne Travel, Calgary, Alberta Canada

Lunch at the Lethbridge Country Club was fabulous and we even had a bit of sunshine! Thank you to all who helped to organize the day... :-)

Colette

Just One More Sleep!!

Can you tell that I am excited about the visit from EWI Corporate to Lethbridge tomorrow? Our board has been working for months to organize the luncheon for our visitors and guests including Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck, Alberta MLA Bridget Pastoor and our keynote speaker Cheryl Dick from Economic Development Lethbridge. Thank you in particular to Leanna Lomanski and JoAnn Jurgens for providing the gorgeous gift items (still a surprise so details will have to wait) for the visiting EWI dignitaries.

I am particularly excited at the opportunity to host this visit having been completely blown away by the warmth and hospitality of EWI Kentuckiana and all the other Chapter representives I met at the conference in Louisville Kentucky last September. What a huge event over 5 days and they made it look flawlessly smooth! No pressure.... well, maybe a little as I am keeping fingers crossed for a little southern Alberta sunshine to welcome our guests.

Congratulations to Grande Prairie EWI

Thought I'd pass this along from the EWI Corporate news: 

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

On June 3, 2010, we will celebrate the chartering of our newest Chapter – EWI of Grande Prairie. I know EWI representatives and executives from throughout the organization will be present in spirit when a number of us come together for this momentous event in the life of the EWI of Grande Prairie.

Jennifer Metituk
President, EWI of Grande Prairie
c/o Speedpro Signs
#4 100530 117 Ave
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 7N7
Email: jennifer@speedprogp.com

Welcome to Spring!

Ahhh...  I love to see the tight grape-like buds of my lilacs almost in bloom. Everywhere I look green sprouts are pushing up into the fresh air and business is blossoming too. I have been working on more clearly defining our services and the website has a new look and feel. Any feedback to offer?


This last month has been great for EWI Lethbridge as well, with interest from several new potential member firms and as usual Leanna is doing a great job with the newsletter.

The Fashion Show was flawless with decorations from A Decent Affair and a huge effort from Judy Holmes of Holmes EcoWater. and the generosity of our entire membership in selling tickets, donating so many beautiful items for the silent auction, and pitching in to help set up and take down the room. Thank you to all, it sure reflects well on our organization and our city to be able to pull off such a successful event.

Colette Acheson
Chapter President
EWI Lethbridge 2009/2010

ANCO Business Solutions
1221 - 2 Ave South
Lethbridge, Alberta

EWI Lethbridge celebrates another sold out fashion show

Thank you to our community for once again supporting the 10th Annual  EWI Lethbridge fashion show held April 21st at the Lethbridge Lodge. The room was gorgeous, thanks to Brenda Eaglesham from A Decent Affair and an army of volunteers!

Proceeds from the fashion show go to our annual scholarship donation which supports a student from each of the Lethbridge College and University of Lethbridge along with ongoing support for our 2010 Philanthropy partner Senator Buchanan School.

A special thank you to our local media for supporting EWI Lethbridge and helping to get the word out!

EWI March 17th - Social Media Presentation

Thank you to all the Lethbridge business women who attended the EWI Membership drive meeting March 17th. For those who are interested, here is the PowerPoint from my presentation on Social Media and over the next few days I will upload a list of many of the online resources I have found valuable.

And watch for more news soon about the Fashion Show April 21st at the Lodge!
Colette

Happy News from March Newsletter

Thank you to Leanna Lomanski of Ducan Industries for putting together our March newsletter!

 

CONGRATULATIONS!  to Angeline and the staff of Bells and Bows Bridal Centre who have been awarded the Sun-Times “Best of the Best” Lethbridge 2010 award!

CONGRATULATIONS!  to Jessie Wester who breezed through her UFE accreditation with flying colours!

BIG NEWS!  Kathy Maier has agreed to accept the Vice-President position.  Thank you, Kathy for stepping up and contributing in such a positive way to our Chapter.

Big Hearts in EWI Lethbridge

Good morning! What an amazing group of women we have in EWI Lethbridge. 

One of my company's (ANCO Business Solutions) recent contracts was to provide marketing, PR, and community relations services for the 2010 International Peace Pow Wow and Miss Blackfoot Canada Pageant. Several of our EWI members came forward  and generously donated some amazing gifts for the Miss Blackfoot Canada winner:

• Only Women's Fitness - spa & fitness package
• Bells & Bows Bridal Centre - crystal necklace and drop earrings
• Leanna Lomanski Photography - studio session
• Wanda Hutton - original designer turquoise necklace

In addition, our board has voted to extend an offer for Miss Blackfoot Canada to attend up to four EWI Lethbridge events as our  guest. The pageant coordinator was thrilled to receive such a generous selection of prizes, along with the networking and mentoring opportunities to attend our EWI group. Thank you to all!

Colette

Spring Is In The Air! And my hat....

I am really looking forward to our March EWI meeting, for a couple of reasons. Programming Chair Kelly Vander Hooft of Urban Studio Interior Design has been doing such an amazing job organizing our meeting venues and Paradise Canyon Country Club is another fabulous find. Having been to many functions there I anticipate the food will be yummy and the scenery is always spectacular.

Another reason our March meeting is so special is that it is our Membership Drive and a great opportunity to show off our organization. With that in mind, here are some of the benefits of EWI as suggested by our members:

• An opportunity to connect with like-minded peers
• Fun and impact-ful (is that a word?) volunteer involvement with local groups
• Exclusivity of business categories
• Being part of (and proud of!) the best fashion show this city has ever seen!
• Tapping into a supportive network of southern Alberta business women who've been there for advice or a listening ear
• Opportunities for networking both inside and outside EWI
• Great speakers
• Free professional development through top level presentations and webinars
• Showcasing your business with a Firm Night
• Opportunities to learn from the collective wisdom of our membership during our roundtable business focus question

These are just a few... what else could you add about what makes EWI such a great organization to be part of? Let's show off our group by each inviting one or more prospective members to join us March 17th, and I will donate a gift certificate to the member who brings the most guests! See you there...

Colette

February News from EWI Lethbridge

Can anyone relate to feeling overwhelmed with the demands of work? As a business owner since 2004, I have gotten used to the never-ending sense that there is always something important falling off the back of the truck; if I have a rare moment of feeling caught up on projects, then surely I am falling behind on sales, or networking, or advertising, or my web content, or....

Right now seems particularly hectic, and I had a couple of days last week that brought me to the brink of giving up in the face of what seems like an endless to-do pile. Perhaps you have had moments like this?

But thankfully, instead of reaching for the Help Wanted section of the Herald I happened to pick up a copy of "Work From the Inside Out" by Nancy O'Hara. In the introduction she suggests three concepts upon which the rest of the exercises are based:

- Keep it simple.

- Be patient.

- Be compassionate toward yourself.

That alone might help, but it wasn't until the chapter on Understanding and Acceptance that I started to feel better. She points out that, no matter how successful/unsuccessful, how busy/unbusy, how lazy or productive we might see ourselves in any given moment, we are not in control. 

I can't control time, my clients and their budgets, endless telephone tag, the part of the Alberta economy that affects my funding, or a million other unseen factors that might be contributing to my feelings of 'not-getting-enough-done'. In the moment of understanding this, I felt the weight lift knowing that all I can control is my choice to make this one phone call, write this one news release, attend one meeting. Ahhhh... these things I can do.

So, for this morning my task is... president's message... :-)

Thank you to Judy Holmes, Leanna Lomanski, Brenda Eaglesham and JoAnn Jurgens for pulling together the EWI display for the Chamber of Commerce Mix & Mingle last night. From all reports, it seems we were well received and generated a few new prospective members. Great job as EWI ambassadors!

And a HUGE thank you to Leanna Lomanski for the fabulous photo shoot which produced this cute picture that makes me feel like I really can take on the world!

Colette

Upcoming EWI Fashion Show

It's that time of year again! April 21st EWI Lethbridge hosts the 10th annual EWI Fashion Show and Silent Auction at the Lethbridge Lodge.

Always a sell-out, this event showcases fashions from several local retailers, and the auction portion allows EWI to provide two major scholarships to University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College students every year.

Watch here for more details, or contact me (Colette) at an.co@shaw.ca or Sue Reeves at Remco Memorials 403-329-9434 to purchase tickets.

Welcome to EWI Corporate!

Drawn from member firms all across North America, the Corporate Board of EWI is going to be in Alberta to support the launch of the Grande Prairie Chapter Charter. Congratulations to Grande Prairie, and to Calgary SpeedPro Signs owner Joanne Ruston for originally inspiring the Grande Prairie satellite chapter.   Our Corporate directors have decided to make the most of this rare opportunity and visit with as many Canadian Chapters as possible.

Our Chapter Board and Member Executives are organizing a luncheon presentation to honour the visiting delagates anticipated to include President Louise Anderson of Maurice H. Joseph Inc, Vice-President, Executive Director, Past President and Expansion Director of EWI.

To this point we have commitments to attend from City of Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck, Cheryl Dyck, CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge, and Alberta MLA Bridget Pastoor. A HUGE thank you to Karen Skirten from Tier One Travel and Corporate Expansion Director of the Calgary Chapter  for her suggestion that we be involved in this Alberta visit.

EWI good news tidbit: In a year when most business membership organizations are dealing with shrinking numbers Executive Women International membership is up up by 12%!!

Celebrating our Community Partners!

Congratulations to Crystal Elliott and the team at Family Centre; our EWI 'adopted' community partner for 2008-2009. Here is the most recent update on the status of their building campaign:

"We just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry holiday season and all the best in the New Year. It is with pleasure that we announce our new location and success of our capital campaign. We now have less than $98,000.00 to go before May 2010. It is with all of your help and partnership that we have been so successful. Please have a safe and happy holiday season. Thanks for all your support."

Crystal Elliott R.P.N.

Executive Director

Family Centre

1010 4th Ave S

Lethbridge, AB

January News from EWI Lethbridge

Greetings from EWI Lethbridge! It's shaping up to be a great month, especially now that the weather has warmed up.

Just a quick note today but there's lots happening with our group over the next few months as we roll out some of the recommendations of the Strategic Planning committee hosted by Chair Cathy Papp (www.Lethbridgebasketry.com) and facilitator Kathy Maier (Only Women's Fitness). Watch for more news on that coming soon!

For now, here's our January newsletter. including information on our January speaker Kathy Witdouck, ranked 4th in Canada with Optionelle.