What Do I Do?
I’m a consultant and innovator. 
I help companies assess current projects for present and future ROI and find new revenue opportunities. I am a strategic thinker who quickly perceives business problems, asks relevant questions, thinks creatively and implements solutions. I effectively manage projects through my experience in leadership, management, staff relations, team-building, and collaboration.
In September 2019, I started my business, 51-enterprises, llc (the name refers to the fact women are 51% of the population). I work with small businesses to connect them to opportunities, including state procurement and business loan financing, as well as to advise on strategic planning, business plans, and operations. I expect to receive my status as a certified Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) from the State of Illinois by the end of 2019.
Prior to my business startup, I was hired in June 2018 to be the first Executive Director of the Greater Freeport Partnership, an entity formed to combine the tourism bureau, chamber of commerce, economic development and Main Street functions for Stephenson County in Northwest Illinois. I started with no staff and just an outline of an idea and built that into an organized strategic plan, including buy-in from all stakeholders, raised a $1 million annual budget from public and private support, hired a staff team of 6 people and started multiple projects. In addition, the public visibility of the organization was dramatically increased by my participation in local and regional events and community efforts, including non-profit board service. In leaving there, a solid, forward-thinking foundation was built for the next leader.
In my tenure as a contractor with the Village of Rantoul, I secured the development of a new hotel, worked with community leaders to create a strategic plan and negotiated a deal to have a long-standing business invest over $2 million in a new, more visible facility. These projects were accomplished by looking at the big picture of where growth efforts should be focused for maximum value.
While I worked with One Main Development in Champaign, I instituted a CRM system (Salesforce) to more efficiently manage leasing and sales leads across the team, resulting in better customer service and additional leases, researched the financial viability of a new mixed-used downtown project, organized the marketing program to clarify company and employee roles and formalized the analysis of lease proposals.