Women's Business Council - Southwest

Q&A with a 2013 Lillie Knox Award Winner:

Donna Hegdahl with the TransSynergy Group

WBE Members, the deadline to submit your application for the Lillie Knox Investing For Growth Award is just around the corner on July 31, 2014. The application is easy to fill out and the potential for change within your business is substantial. Hear from Donna Hegdahl, president of The TransSynergy Group about how winning the 2013 Lillie Knox Award improved her business.

 

WBCS: What services does your company provide?


DH: Today, we’re the association management firm of choice, with the business expertise to run an organization, and the marketing force to grow it. For nonprofit business trade associations we are a fractional resource that can do any or all the following, depending on your needs:

  • Board Relations
  • Strategic Planning
  • Membership Management
  • Marketing & Communications
  • Web & Technology
  • Event Management
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Education & Certification


WBCS: How did you use the Lillie Knox Award money? Did it have the results you had hoped for?

DH: We used the Lillie Knox Award to launch a new division – TransSynergy Association Management. We’ve helped volunteer boards run successful business trade organizations for more than 10 years--by special request. Initially our clients got us involved with the nonprofit business groups they were in, knowing that marketing and general business savvy were critical components we brought to the table. We decided to create a separate division and focus on this. We used the award toward creating:

 

WBCS: When were you first certified as a WBE? What have been the benefits of WBE certification for your company?

DH: My firm was first certified in 1999, so we’ve been part of the Council for many years.  Some of the key benefits of WBCS are the educational opportunities – the workshops, the speakers and the mentoring programs. All of those have helped me grown and “mature” as a business owner.  Exposure to corporations is valuable, of course, but we’ve done more business with other WBEs than corporations.

Congratulations Donna on all of your success! WBEs, it's not too late, fill out the application today!