“I hope you understand and know that I truly appreciate all your dedication with making the MOV Chamber one of the best I’ve ever been associated with.”

“Thanks Jill. Much appreciated!”

“First of all….the card I received in the mail yesterday……MADE MY WEEK….maybe my month. You really are awesome.”

Do you keep notes and emails that make you feel good? Ones that you can go back to when you are having an off day? As you can see from the list above, I sure do! These are snippets from a few emails this week and certainly warmed my heart when I read them. The senders didn’t have to take the time to send their note, but they did.

Know your worth.

“I would like to see if you may have some time for me to drop by and introduce myself.”

I hated to respond to the request above that I didn’t have time on the day they wanted to drop by and introduce themselves. Could I fit a 10 minute visit in my schedule that day? Probably. But would I be giving this person my full attention? Not at all. I hate to say “No.” But as I sat with a new fellow Chamber exec this week, it was one of the first pieces of advice I could give – you are going to have to say “no” from time to time. And you can’t beat yourself up about it.

Know your worth.

What you can do is give a reason why you can or can’t do something. Give an alternative. This was my response to the request to drop by and meet me.

“Unfortunately I’m tied up all day prior to the event with a Board meeting and will just be able to get there when the event starts at 3:15pm. Please make sure and track me down at the event. Thanks!!”

Know your worth.

It’s also a gender thing. I don’t know many men who would beat themselves up about having to tell someone they couldn’t meet that day. I know lots of women who would. Our brains are wired differently. We want to please everyone, including perfect strangers, and often by putting ourselves second or third in the queue. (It’s okay to put others ahead of yourself, but long enough or too often enough, it will slowly erode your spirit. And your value.)

Know your worth.

It’s the theme of this year’s MOV Chamber Women in Leadership Conference. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 23 at the Grand Pointe Conference Center in Vienna. The event is designed to celebrate women who guide area businesses and organizations and those rising to the top in their organizations. The Professional Women’s Association (PWA) is the co-sponsor with the MOV Chamber.

Many thanks to a wonderful committee and our co-chairs, Jill Kirtland with Jill Kirtland Photography and Lisa Johnson with PDJ Accounting, for organizing a fun and relevant day for women in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

We are excited to have author Emily Bennington start our day with stories and guidance for today’s female leader. Emily is the author of “Who Says It’s a Man’s World.” Rebekah Mathis-Stump, COO of the Ethos Leadership Group, will lead an engaging session on effective communication and assertiveness. The attendees will be enlightened by a panel of area businesswomen who will discuss the challenges and excitement they’ve encountered during their careers. The panel includes Jessica Meibers of Copper Leaf Interior Design, Peshka Calloway of WVU-P, Cristie Thomas of Marietta Main Street, Barb Close of Huntington Bank, Joan Zoller of Trademark Solutions, and JoAnn Powell, who just retired from Westbrook. The panel will be moderated by Kristin Meeks with WV Social Media Consultants. Emcee Carrie Casto of BB&T will keep our day on task.

The cost at attend the event is $50/person for Chamber members; PWA members pay $35/person; members of the Parkersburg Jaycees or Generation MOV pay $35/person; and for non-Chamber members the cost is $75/person. The on-line registration link can be found on our calendar at www.movchamber.org A light breakfast and delicious lunch will be provided. Registration deadline is Friday, June 16.

Co-Chair Jill Kirtland will also offer a special promotion on headshots at the event. It’s totally “worth it” to get an updated professional photo for your social media and marketing materials. $50 if you pre-register or $60 the day of the event.

New this year is a Quarter Auction! The PWA will have a special vendor area for various direct sales professionals (jewelry, make-up, purses, etc.) and each vendor will donate a door prize. The event attendees will have the chance to “bid” on the prizes with your quarters. All proceeds from the Quarter Auction will benefit the PWA Professional Clothing Closet. (If you would like more information about being a Quarter Auction vendor, please contact Anita Lockhart at 304.482.9111.)

Other ways to support the event:

Sponsors are needed:

All attendees will receive a copy of Emily’s book so there’s a special opportunity for 2 businesses to be the Book Sponsors. We sampled a delicious mini bundt cake today in anticipation of our event, so one lucky sponsor will get their logo on the dessert as the Dessert Sponsor. Other levels of sponsorship are also available and include various benefits such as complimentary tickets to the event, social media cross-promotion and vendor space. Check out our website at movchamber.org

Vendors are needed:

We have 10 vendor spaces available for $250 and 2 tickets for the booth attendees.

Door prizes are needed:

Interested in donating an item or certificate from your business? Please fill out the door prize form at www.movchamber.org

We “Know Your Worth” it so please join us this year!

Visit this space every other Sunday for more Chamber news. We also invite you to call us at 304-422-3588, email us at info@movchamber.org, or stop by the Chamber office at 501 Avery Street, 9th Floor in Parkersburg.

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Jill Parsons is president/CEO of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chamber of Commerce.