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Women’s business symposium set for Feb. 25

The 21st Annual Big Sandy Women's Business Symposium is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Paintsville. Presented by Morehead State University's Kentucky Small Business Development Center (SBDC), this year's theme is "Balancing Chaos."  Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The cost of the event is $30, which includes all workshops, meals, entertainment and keynotes. Registration is available online at https://wbs2020.eventbrite.com/.  
Beth DavissonRachel MesserBritanny LambAmber CampbellKim Becking
The morning will start with a continental breakfast, networking and opening remarks at 9:15 a.m. by emcee Trish Adams. Attendees will then have their choice of two concurrent breakout sessions. The sessions offered will be:  
  • "Knowing How Money Works," presented by Brittany Lamb, Financial Professional for WealthWave.  
  • "Taking Care of You," presented by Amber Campbell, founder of Genesis Health and Wellness, LLC.  
The morning keynote speaker will be Beth Davisson and the afternoon keynote will feature Kim Becking. Rachel Dale Messer will provide lunchtime entertainment.  

Davisson is the founding executive director of the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center. The workforce center is part of the philanthropic arm of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the state's largest association advocating on behalf of businesses. She joined the chamber in 2017 to begin building the workforce center as its only full-time employee. Since then, the center has grown to a team of nine and continues to expand its support to employers and efforts to build a stronger workforce. 

Becking provides practical tools and strategies to effectively manage the hard in life – at work and home. Her expertise on resilience and thriving amid change has been featured in national media such as People, SELF, The New York Times, USA Today, Good Morning America and Lifetime Television. 

Messer is a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from a small town in West Virginia. She has been singing in church since she was three and cut her first gospel CD when she was only eight years old. She plays guitar, mandolin, autoharp and ukulele. She appeared on Season 15 of NBC's The Voice and she is a vocalist for Billy Jean Osborne's Kentucky Opry at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg.          

Picture Perfect Photo Booth will return for their fourth year. They will be on hand all day, ready to capture that perfect symposium moment with friends and colleagues. 

Sponsors for this year's event are AAA Real Estate, Appalachian Wireless, Community Trust Bank, Daffodils, Floyd County Tourism, Len Tan's Bridal Boutique, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), Mountain Apothecary in Paintsville, Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center, Picture Perfect Photo Booth, Peoples Banks, Q95FM, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development (SKED), Shaping our Appalachian Region (SOAR), Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky, Women's Business Center of Kentucky and WSIP Radio.  

The event is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. 

For more information about MSU's Small Business Development Center, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/sbdc, email sbdc@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2895.  
Pictured above, from left to right, are: Beth Davisson, Rachel Messer, Brittany Lamb, Amber Campbell and Kim Becking.