Connections MADE: Meet & Eat

Description

Connections MADE: Meet & Eat is Mason Deerfield Chamber's popular networking event and offers lunch provided by a rotating member restaurant or venue. During the meeting members have a brief opportunity to introduce themselves and their business to the group, connect with new members, and expand their personal and professional networks. Each event also includes a featured speaker, or panel of speakers, who will be discussing topics of interest concerning the greater MADE region.

About June's Event

June's featured speakers are each 2022 Gems of Excellence award nominees, including: Joy Bennett with Jumpstart Marketing, Jack Brendamour with Junk-King, Tess McHenry with Eldercare Connections, and Soroya Smith with Mason City Schools.
                     

About June's Featured Speakers

Joy Bennett
Jumpstart Marketing

Joy Bennett is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and founder of Jumpstart Marketing. She has more than 20 years of experience partnering with businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits to help them grow using smart strategy and clear compelling communication. Her life’s mission is simple: “Make it better.” 
 

Jack Brendamour
Junk-King

Jack Brendamour has been the CEO of Junk King since 2018 and has led tremendous growth for the business in the last 5 years even though he was faced with the loss of the Founder overnight, the pandemic, and having 3 children under 2 years old at home. His leadership focuses on a positive culture before anything else, and his success is attributed to the team that has been assembled around him. Jack ensures that he hires individuals with integrity that enjoy being part of our community and care about the environment.

 

Tess McHenry
Eldercare Connections

Nothing gives Tess McHenry greater pleasure than knowing she's made a positive difference in the lives of the families and seniors in her community. Having assisted thousands of families in her earlier role as a Senior Living Advisor, she has been in the front lines holding their hands while they make one of the most difficult decisions in their life.

Tess is now blessed to work in harmony with the many professionals in the community who also offer “senior provided” services. She knows together they can be the connection families so desperately need during this challenging chapter. Together they work to inform and empower families in the senior care maze ensuring families can make the best choices possible regarding senior housing or care.

Tess is also the President and Founder of Everything Eldercare, which is a networking group of professionals in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.
 

Soroya Smith
Mason City Schools

Soroya Smith serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Experience Designer for Mason City Schools. In this role she provides strategic leadership in the area of Inclusive Excellence for the district, proactively integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into decision making, learning experiences, and implementation of district goals.

Bringing twelve years of classroom teacher and teacher leader experience, Soroya functions as a cross-curricular, district-wide team member who supports administrators, Teacher Leaders and teachers in creating equitable, inclusive school communities that reflect the Inclusive Excellence principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice. She believes all humans are deserving of equitable and safe spaces of belonging where they can experience joy, make connections, engage in rigorous authentic learning experiences and grow in creativity.

She also serves as an Adjunct Professor for Xavier University in the Educational Administration program and serves as a member of the Xavier Presidential Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.

Soroya is married to her best friend and together they have daily adventures, making memories with their four children.