GLOW: Gwinnett's Leadership Organization for Women---Helping Gwinnett Women Walk Tall

Women of Gwinnett have a reason to walk tall, and it's not just because of their great shoes. According to the Center for Women's Research the majority of women-owned businesses increased by 42 percent from 1997-2006. Women in management, professional and related occupations now account for 50.6 percent of the total population. A third of women believe that being a woman is beneficial to their business success. So now is the perfect time to celebrate being a woman and Gwinnett's Leadership Organization for Women (GLOW) is the perfect way to help put an extra bounce in your step.

"GLOW empowers women by giving them the opportunity to come together as one and talk about what we face in life," said Wendy Frank of Rocket IT. "As crazy as the world is today we lose touch with what is right and wrong and having GLOW is a big help to getting us back on track."

The organization was created in August of 2008 as a way to bring professional women together in a relaxed space. GLOW has a focus on six areas of interest to women in business, finance, communication, leadership, life-balance, marketing and innovation.

"The scene is already set for empowering women and you can unabashedly talk about balancing motherhood and work or just gush over where to find good shoes," said Amy Bray of Andersen, Tate & Carr, PC. "The folks that attend GLOW seem genuinely interested in meeting new people, in a laid back way."

GLOW is not your ordinary networking event. Every meeting has a different topic and speaker so that you walk away having learned something and having met new people. "I love all the GLOW events, I was able to input something from all the speakers and use it in my business to grow," said Cynthia King of Sam's Club. "GLOW helps me to stay focused on all my goals and achievements for my business. Having other women in business to talk to allows us to feed off each other's thoughts and solutions."

"I attend GLOW for two reasons --- to be a part of a leading organization for women and it's a comfort to be able to sit down with other women and talk about what we face in the workforce from climbing the corporate ladder to having a baby and learning to balance our life," said Frank.

GLOW speakers come from diverse backgrounds and fields, bringing unique knowledge and wisdom. "Speaking at GLOW was an amazing experience. The women involved are engaging and enthusiastic, hungry to embrace new information and eager to help each other succeed," said Paige Havens of Spitfire Media Group.

Other speakers have included Kelly Greer with Tillman, Allen, Greer, LLC; Wendy Kinney, creator of the Ready...Set...Go Make Money networking methodology; Dr. Beverly Scott with Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; and Dr. Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, author of The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength.

The success of GLOW can be attributed not only to the amazing line-up of speakers but also to supporters such as Gwinnett Medical Center. "Gwinnett Medical Center has been the proud presenting sponsor of GLOW for the past two year because of the direct impact it makes to the target audience we want to reach. Women make 95 percent of the health care decisions in their household and that means we want them to know about the quality of care provided in their backyard," said Andrea Wehrmann of Gwinnett Medical Center. "The benefits we have seen from GLOW are dynamic and overwhelming. From networking, to community support, to new friendships and word of mouth efforts, GLOW helps GMC continue to prosper in spreading the latest and greatest about what we offer the community."

GLOW was created in an effort to cultivate and empower this important segment of the economy. The Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett developed strategies to raise awareness about small business support services and resources for women in business while working to more effectively integrate the female population into leadership positions in the public and private sectors.

"GLOW is helping women to achieve in their inner personal and professional lives," said Wehrmann. "This group of women that encompasses GLOW are the movers and shakers in Gwinnett County and we are proud to serve this group each year. Also, GLOW empowers women by helping them to define their individual success not society's success. GLOW gives women the chance to sit back, relax, find empowerment and then get up and kick butt!"

For more information about this exciting initiative designed to advance women in the workplace and the community, contact Nicole Wright at 770-232-8816 or at nicole@gwinnettchamber.org or visit www.glowgwinnett.ocm. We hope you will join us as we "learn, laugh, network and leave glowing!"