Empowering the Future: Young Women and the Workforce Event Inspires Local Students

Chelsea Mills • March 10, 2025

High School Juniors and Seniors Gain Career Insights and Networking Skills at Chamber-Led Workshop Featuring Keynote Speaker Andrea Brimmer

The Fenton & Linden Regional Chamber of Commerce successfully hosted its annual Young Women and the Workforce event on Friday, March 7th, at the Loose Senior Center in Linden. This dynamic workshop, chaired by Chelsea Mills, owner of Behind Your Design in Fenton, has been empowering young women since 2008. The event welcomed high school students from Fenton Area Public Schools, Lake Fenton Schools, and Linden Community Schools, providing them with valuable insights and strategies to help shape their future careers.

Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to engage with Chelsea Mills and a team of ten accomplished facilitators, who guided them through networking strategies, interview techniques, and professional development tips—all essential tools for securing jobs, college placements, scholarships, and other key opportunities in life.

The highlight of the event was an inspiring keynote address by Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and PR Officer at Ally Financial. Brimmer is widely recognized as one of the country’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders, having been named to the Forbes World’s Most Influential CMO list five times and inducted into the 2024 Forbes CMO Hall of Fame. She has also earned prestigious accolades such as 2024 She Runs It Women of the Year, 2023 Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50, 2023 Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and the 2020 Adweek Brand Genius Award.


Brimmer grew up in the Detroit area and currently lives in Linden with her husband. She attended Michigan State University, where she played club soccer and spearheaded the process of starting the MSU Varsity Girls Soccer Team. She also played a key role in helping other Division 1 schools navigate the process of getting their varsity soccer teams approved.

Brimmer captivated the audience with her empowering message, emphasizing the importance of making a difference and embracing challenges. She encouraged students to “embrace the slop” when life gets messy, reassuring them that growth and change often emerge from life’s most unpredictable moments.

In addition to Brimmer’s keynote, the event featured an incredible lineup of facilitators who shared their expertise and mentorship with the students. These professionals, representing diverse industries and career paths, provided valuable guidance and firsthand insights to inspire the next generation of women in the workforce.

Lineup of Facilitators:

  1. Melinda Keway, Epic Machine - Presenting Sponsor
  2. Kiersten Brown, Operating Engineers 324 - Event Sponsor
  3. Chelse Caldwell, Financial Plus Credit Union - Event Sponsor
  4. Ashleigh Philburn, The State Bank - Sponsor
  5. Keri Burns, Serendipity Spa of Linden - Sponsor
  6. Shannon White, FUNchitecture
  7. Renae Deshaw, Advanced Physical Therapy
  8. Dawn Volz, Interiors By Bonnie
  9. Malorie Stephens, Michigan Army National Guard
  10. Dr. Nicole Stilson, Carousel of Hope Miniature Therapy Horses
  11. Ed Koledo, Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation - Brand Presenter


The event was a resounding success, leaving students motivated and better prepared for their future endeavors. The Fenton & Linden Regional Chamber of Commerce remains committed to fostering these meaningful career connections and empowering young women with the skills and confidence to pursue their aspirations.


For more information about Young Women and the Workforce or to get involved in future events, please contact the Fenton & Linden Regional Chamber of Commerce at www.fentonlindenchamber.com.

Celebrating Connections at The 2025 Fenton Community Expo

By Angela Hanners • March 11, 2025
The Fenton Expo celebrated it's 40th year with its event on March 1st & 2nd with over 100 businesses and organizations participating. The Expo provides a great outlet for the community to interact and learn about local businesses, organizations, and resources. We helped to create awesome and standout red bags to match the Ruby in the event logo symbolizing it's 40th anniversary. These bags were passed out to attendees so they could have a place to collect giveaways as they went booth to booth. We also created matching chapsticks. The City of Linden also had a booth at the Expo with a backdrop and table runner that we created for them. 

Live Now: New Website Design for Total Benefit Systems

By Angela Hanners • March 11, 2025
We created a new website design for Total Benefit Systems Inc. ! Total Benefit Systems Inc. is an independent health insurance agency based in Flint, Mi. Their experienced team insures over 385 businesses in Michigan and has over 20 providers to chose from. They work closely with clients to create a plan that fits them and also host informative meetings to help employees and clients understand their coverage and options. This user-friendly website helps potential customers see how Total Benefit Solutions can provide them with the best solution tailored to them and their trustworthiness with customer reviews, staff photos, and a video that shows their staff working and meeting with actual clients. The home, about, and services pages also answers many of the questions that a potential client may have about the services that they provide. There are also several buttons as well as a button in the header that directs the user to a contact form if they wish to request a quote making contact hassle-free and depending upon the initial interaction of a user's interest. The provider page displays what health insurance providers that Total Benefit Systems uses to provide their clients with coverage. Clicking on the logos redirects you to that company's website, this display of transparency shows that Total Benefit Systems will be clear and fair in providing the client with information about the services that they are providing, building trust. The website's more modern design features clear sections with color blocking and prominent elements to attract a user's attention and make finding information and navigating more user-friendly.

Exciting Weekend at the Michigan Golf Show:

By Chelsea Mills • March 10, 2025
This past weekend, Matt and I had the incredible opportunity to be at the Michigan Golf Show at the Suburban Showcase in Novi. We were in the Ally Challenge booth with some amazing people—Lisa Marie, Erin Stone, and Freddy Kopplow. It was a fantastic afternoon of sharing excitement about this year’s Ally Challenge, which will take place from August 18-24, 2025. We also had the pleasure of running into some friends and clients, Lisa and Greg MacDonald, at the show, making the day even more memorable! While the event is months away, we’re thrilled to announce that concert lineups will be revealed very soon, potentially next month! Keep an eye out for our media blitz as we travel around Genesee and Oakland County to announce the talented artists performing at the event. If you’re interested in learning more about the tournament, getting your charity involved, or finding out about volunteer opportunities, be sure to check out the contact page at The Ally Challenge . Stay tuned for more updates!

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