Marketing by Design is a proud sponsor of Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence™ (WISE) a non-profit professional development organization within store brands.

I had the privilege of virtually attending the Wise Annual Meeting this past Thursday which opened with honoring the 2021 Top Women in Store Brands Award winners. These women were nominated by their peers and recognized for their outstanding contribution to the store brands industry. Big congratulations to all the award winners, clearly well-deserved and inspiring! We also wanted to extend a special congratulations to PLMA’s President Peggy Davies, winning the first DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Award.

The awards presentation was followed by the keynote speaker Colonel Merryl Tengesdal, USAF (ret.)  the first and only African American woman to fly the United States Air Force’s U-2 “Dragon Lady” high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

It was an invigorating conversation about creating your own self-worth, going after what you want, and the power of positive attitude.

A few of the main points she touched on that resonated with me, which I feel can be applied in the workplace at any level:

- State of Mind: “Don’t let the perception of what people think of you, affect you… just perform to the best of your abilities.” 
- Power of positive attitude: Let your positivity shine!  Be the guiding light of positivity, lift each other up, we will all shine together.
- Professionalism: Important to always remain a professional in all aspects of the job, so those that follow you (women in particular) will have an easier time.
- Mentorship: Is a powerful thing, learning from others who have come before you and walked in the same direction is invaluable.
- Approach to Diversity- A ‘lighter approach’- try to disarm those that may stand in your way by educating them; explain what makes you different and why.

Lucky for me, all the attendees of the meeting were gifted a copy of her e-book
Shatter the Sky: What going to the stratosphere taught me about self-worth, sacrifice, and discipline By Colonel Merryl Tengesdal (ret.).

Our team at MBD is interested in reading more about her life and all that she had to overcome to achieve her dreams!  Thanks to WISE for holding such an uplifting meeting and we look forward to further WISE events in 2022!