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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Vas/Cas Region
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Deep River Plantation Clubhouse - 6:00PM - 8:00PM
4353 Grassy Moss Drive (off Tarrant Road)
WithIt will furnish the drinks. Please bring a dish to pass. There is a full kitchen there. When you RSVP to director@withit.org, please let me know if you are bringing salad, entrée or dessert.
Enjoy a holiday gathering where we will wrap our donations and share a cup of spirits. Jeanne Glenn will be our WithIt angel and deliver our gifts. I am sure she will take lots of pictures of the family and share with all of us.
WithIt Las Vegas Seminar Sunday, Jan. 26 3-4pm
Las Vegas Market
WithIt is honored to introduce "The Pathway to Profit"... a new book by industry veteran Caroline Hipple.
Get more information at www.withit.org. 2014 WOW Awards Sunday, Jan. 26 Las Vegas Market SkyView Terrace 6:30 pm-9 pm Join WithIt to honor industry leaders.
Dinner reservation - $150
Table of 10 - $1500
Reserve your seats today at www.withit.org |
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
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Jillian Pritchard Cooke President DES-SYN Atlanta, GA Christina Ishida Owner Cici Crib Armonk, NY Kathleen Kelly Student North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC Paula Smith Owner Diamond Investigative Services, LLC High Point, NC Salome Wagner Student Meredith College Durham, NC |
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 TIME TO GET WITHIT
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2014 Membership Drive Kicks
Into High Gear
Want to jumpstart 2014 both personally and professionally? Weeks before any New Year's resolutions are made, resolve to renew your membership in WithIt and you'll be well on your way.
"We're in a transitional time economically, as an industry, and as an organization," says Kim Grubb, WithIt's vice president membership. "I truly believe that as an organization, and as an industry, we're standing on the brink of a tipping point, the moment author Malcolm Gladwell described when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire. WithIt has paved the path for many during the challenging times, and many more will reap the benefits of that hard work in this coming year."
Grubb herself is passionate about the importance of membership because she is among those who see a direct correlation between what she has given the organization, and what she has received. "Education is a top priority for me, with networking a close second," the executive says. "Without access to the WithIt educational events, I would not have had the background necessary to move forward in my career. WithIt gave me the words, the tools and the mentoring I needed to become vice president of sales at Wright Global Graphics, a position that challenges me to bring my A-game every day."
"Several members have spoken with me recently about how WithIt has provided them with the support and/or visibility they needed in order to grow their business or move their career forward this past year," says Sara M. Lyke, executive director. "Like Kim, one member related that after being mentored by another senior WithIt member at the professional conference, she was able to attain a senior level position in her company. Other members have shared concerns about job loss and stories of the much-needed support and advice they received from other WithIt members during the experience."
No matter where you are in your career trajectory, "WithIt is about lifting each other up, and the WOW Awards, annual professional conference, Executive Leadership Forum, Leadership Development Institute, regional New York tour, all the seminars at markets and one-on-one mentoring opportunities are just some of the ways that WithIt can claim success in what has been a difficult year for many."
Membership runs from January through December and renewal invoices are on their way to current members. Tip the balance in your favor in 2014 and renew today! If you are not a member of WithIt, join today to take advantage of all the benefits.
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WITHIT APPLAUDS ITS OWN
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Ellen Gefen When it comes to good works and professional achievement, some seek the spotlight like moths to a flame; others are less interested in recognition, quietly and often anonymously working to help move others forward. Trend forecaster Ellen Gefen may have spent the better part of her professional life in front of a camera lens, but those who know her well know she is in the latter camp -- mentoring many, and giving freely of her time, talent and resources behind the scenes and with little fanfare. Word does have a tendency to get out however, and when news broke that the Carolina's Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) was honoring Gefen with the 2013 Luminary Award last month at the High Point Country Club, local WithIt members quickly gathered to roundly applaud one of their own.  | | WithIt members gather to celebrate Ellen Gefen's achievements. |
The Luminary Award is given annually to a home furnishings industry icon whose innovative work has significantly furthered or promoted the home or décor industries. Also honored during this year's event were the industry's Rising Stars, senior-level undergraduates selected by their colleges or universities as their most outstanding home furnishings/design student. As a founding member of WithIt, the president and co-founder of Gefen Productions has long been a guiding force and advocate for the organization and the industry at large. Well-known as a trusted source for insightful and in-depth coverage of product and design trends, she is set to celebrate 30 years of reporting on the High Point Market in 2014. Indeed, for nearly three decades, countless fans have made a point of waking extra-early during Market to tune into her ground-breaking "Home Fashion Report," before heading downtown to start their day. Gefen pioneered The Home Fashion Information Network by creating and managing a collection of print, video and Web-based programs centered on the home fashion industry. She has also continually sought new avenues to bring home fashion and design to consumers, with the website, TheHome.com, a premier example. In recognition of Ellen Gefen's outstanding leadership, industry advocacy and willingness to share her knowledge freely with others, she was previously honored by WithIt with the coveted Wow Award for Education, as well as the prestigious Women in Business Award from "Triad Business News." Numerous awards for achievement in the field of video and film production also line the walls of Gefen Productions, the media production studio she launched with her husband, Mark Caudill in the early '80s. We are proud to celebrate this most recent honor with her and to count this industry icon as one of our own! Brava!
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NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
| |  WithIt's Talent Pool Grows and Diversifies "Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden Paula Smith, one of WithIt's newest members, believes these are words to live by. She put them into action a few years ago following an auto accident after which she was told she would never walk again. In two years, Smith, chief investigator and owner of Diamond Investigative Services, LLC, has not only put her life and body back together, the ten-year veteran of law enforcement has taken her career in an exciting new direction. Smith was a police officer working in the roughest neighborhoods when her life slammed into reverse. Due to her accident, she retired from law enforcement, but wanted to continue to offer the community her knowledge and sensitivity through investigative and security work. She made a plan to become a private investigator. While a female private investigator may bring to mind the latest episode of "CSI," or the heroine of a V.I. Warshawski novel, the technicalities of starting such a business are real, detailed and far from glamorous. Among the myriad requirements: Education, licenses, equipment, travel and scheduling, as well as marketing and selling her services. Despite the many challenges she faced, Smith prevailed. Today, Diamond Investigative Services is a full-service private investigation agency offering pre-employment background checks, building security analysis, employment fraud, and post-employment security and background investigations: basic to comprehensive. Paula notes, "All of these are specific services from which businesses will benefit greatly. Even the savviest businesswomen need to protect themselves and their businesses in this day and age," Paula notes. Of a more personal nature, Diamond Investigative also offers insurance claim investigations, marital and domestic surveillance, nanny background checks, criminal defense: pre-trial investigations, statements and interviews, birth-adoption locates, new relationship background checks, public record retrieval and photography/ videography. As Smith works to grow her business, she is finding membership in WithIt to be a great asset. As she relates, "I gain an introduction to professional leaders who focus on networking, education and mentoring, and the industry gains a new vendor to turn to for caring, compassionate and discreet professionalism in business and private matters. I am excited to be a member of WithIt and look forward to offering a female perspective in your personal and professional investigative and security needs." "The diversity of our members continues to expand as WithIt continues to grow," comments Sara Lyke, executive director. "Not only can we source, manage, legalize, design, finish, color, upholster, display, merchandise, retail, wholesale, sell, crate, ship, furnish, photograph, video, market, social, publish and tweet, now we can also investigate and surveil!"
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Have a story idea for an upcoming e-newsletter? Submit your idea to our newsletter editor Kimberley Wray, kimwray@kimwray.com.
WithIt, Inc. PO Box 16264, High Point, NC 27261 Office: 2125 Eastchester Drive Suite 103, High Point, NC 27265 www.withit.org |
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