Owning It

The Owning It Speaker Series NAWBO Buffalo Niagara and The Westminster Economic Development Initiative, Inc. have partnered on a speaker series on business development. “NAWBO’s overarching goal with this Series is to share the wealth of information and experiences of our women entrepreneurs. We believe collaborating and partnering with Buffalo’s emerging entrepreneurial community makes everyone stronger,” said Lisa A. Coppola, Esq., NAWBO Buffalo Niagara’s president. The Owning It Speaker Series kicks off on January 9th from 5:30-6:30pm with 5 Legal Tips to Smooth the Way, presented by Ms. Coppola, who will focus on easily-digestible and practical information about employment, contract, and tax law [...]

#OwningIt, Nancy Rizzo Business: Nancy Rizzo Life & Mindset Navigation Coach Founder: Nancy Rizzo Industry: Life Coaching Nancy Rizzo is a Certified Life & Mindset Navigation™ Coach with trademarked systems that have created life-changing results for her clients over the past nine years. They answer the important question “How?” How do we successfully navigate and overcome personal and professional challenges that “anchor” us? And how do we stay positive through it all? We may feel like we know “the How” intellectually, but are we actually executing it? Nancy’s systems and tools are based on the art and neuroscience of change: retraining and re wiring [...]

#OwningIt, Lynne Bona Business: Mallare Enterprises, Inc. & Clean Sweep Industries of WNY, LLC (CSI) Founder: JoAnne Mallare (Mallare Enterprises, Inc.) & Michael, Jimmy, Jim, & Tom Mallare & Lynne Bona (CSI) Industry: Trucking/Transportation & Street and Parking Lot Sweeping Lynne’s mother started the company in 1994 after raising 5 kids (4 boys and Lynne). Lynne’s father and brothers all worked in the construction industry, and trucking was a natural fit. Lynne worked part-time alongside her mother for 11 years and left to attend college full time. Lynne has her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. When her mother became ill in 2012, Lynne quit [...]

#OwningIt, Zandra Cunningham Business: Zandra Founder: Zandra Cunningham Industry: Skin Care Products Zandra Cunningham is a 16 year old entrepreneur. Zandra’s fascination with entrepreneurship began when she was 9 years old; inspired by a simple “no” from her dad. She joined the Kids Biz Small Business Development Center program at Buffalo State College just shy of her 10th birthday. Zandra is the youngest to graduate from the all adult class of the Minority and Women Entrepreneurial Program at the University At Buffalo, a graduate of Lucky Break University and member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she teaches classes on entrepreneurship, advising [...]

#OwningIt, Michele Chapuis Business: Europe Your Own Way  Founder: Michele Chapuis Industry: Travel Michele is the proud founder of Europe Your Own Way, organizing trips for clients and leading group tours in France, Italy and Switzerland. She speaks French and Italian (and some Spanish). However, she’s the first to admit that it’s not because they were easy for her to learn or because she is good at languages. Determination drove her to continue learning French through high school. Michele gained much of her French skills during her year abroad at the University of Nice. In an effort to become multi-lingual, she also started learning [...]

#OwningIt, Paula D’Amico Business: Blessings By Nature Founder: Paula D’Amico Industry: Natural, Herbal Creations Paula D’Amico is on a mission to inspire and energize while delivering hope, healing, and success into people’s lives. She is a Wife, Mother, TV-Producer, Speaker, Teacher, owner/creator of Blessings by Nature® and the current President of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce-Downtown Buffalo Chapter. Besides a rich background in Communications, Paula has a deep history in horticulture that dates back to her childhood when she worked side by side, deep in the dirt with her father, a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Horticulture. In the past several years, Paula [...]

#OwningIt, Debby LaMendola Business: Mary Kay Owner: Debby LaMendola Industry: Skin Care, Cosmetics Debby began her Mary Kay business 20 years ago when she was employed as the RN Executive Director of a local branch of a large home health care agency. With a background in nursing, Debby was drawn to the Mary Kay heritage of golden rule customer service and building great relationships with clients. She began to work her business full time within the first year when she quit her nursing job and moved into management as a Mary Kay Sales Director. Debby has grown a very successful business over the years [...]

#OwningIt, Laura Zimberg Business: Green Pastures Still Waters Massage Therapy Founder: Laura Zimberg, LMT Industry: Massage Therapy/Bodywork Green Pastures Still Waters Massage Therapy has two locations and has been serving WNY since 2005. It is committed to creating a truly holistic and unique experience in a caring and professional environment. Its mission is to be an essential element in maintaining a healthy body and mind emanating from the inside out as clients indulge in one of many relaxing and therapeutic body treatments. Green Pastures Still Waters recognizes that it is both an honor and an accomplishment to be hired by the Buffalo Bills organization [...]

#OwningIt, Janna Willoughby-Lohr Business: Papercraft Miracles Founder: Janna Willoughby-Lohr Industry: Stationery Store, Bookbinder, Wedding Store Janna Willoughby-Lohr is the owner and artist behind Papercraft Miracles, where she creates handmade books, stationery and paper creations for everyday use and special occasions. Janna studied bookbinding and paper arts at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC. She has been honing her skills for over 10 years and has recently taken the business full-time. Papercraft Miracles provides handmade paper, invitations, stationery, bookbinding, paper flowers and more. Crafting custom made items is what Janna does best, incorporating extra special details to make each order one-of- a-kind. The Papercraft Miracles [...]

#OwningIt, Denise Gueli Business: The Bonadio Group Partner: Denise Gueli Industry: Accounting When Denise decided to pursue a career in accounting, she thought having a secure job was a fair trade-off for not having much personal interaction in her work life. She isn’t afraid to admit she was wrong. As a partner at The Bonadio Group, upstate New York’s largest independently owned CPA firm, Denise has spent the past 25 years helping businesses throughout Western New York grow. Working with clients ranging from manufacturers who make delicious candies, to auto dealers who help us get where we’re going in style, to construction companies that [...]