Executive Director
Barbara O’Bryan Grosso
Meeting Needs, Inc.
2027 Lakeside Drive
Louisville, KY 40205
502-485-9669 Office & Fax
bgrosso@meetingneeds.biz
Barbara
O'Bryan Grosso
Production Management/Fundraising
Barbara comes with over 24 years experience in the meeting industry with 10 years spent on Sanibel Island with Sundial Beach Resort in national sales. Barbara has worked with various clients including GE, PPG, Motorola, Chevron and Shell Oil. Previously a member of the Opryland Hotel team, Barbara worked as coordinator of the production team for the "Country Music Awards". In the last 5 years, she served as president of Axxis Inc., a production/creative studio that traveled the country to produce corporate events for clients such as: Brown - Forman, Tricon, KFC, Ford Motor Company, and Arby's Worldwide. Axxis Inc. attained 12 million-dollars in revenue the last year of her tenure.
Barbara is a past president of the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and was voted the "Chapter Manager of the Year" as well as "Supplier of the Year". She now owns her own company, Meeting Needs Inc., that specializes in production management and she is a Licensed Fundraising Consultant.
Barbara also serves as the Executive Director of The Hive.
Vice President
Lisa Windhorst CMP
MeetingWorks, Inc.
1804 South Pope Lick Road
Louisville, KY 40299
502-253-0408 Office
502-253-9594 Fax
lisa@meetingworks.biz
Lisa Windhorst,
CMP
Meeting/Event Planning
Lisa is President of MeetingWorks, Inc., an independent meeting and incentive planning firm founded in 1999. Clients have included Fortune 500 companies in the financial services and pharmaceutical industries, food service industry and political organizations. Lisa's experience covers a broad range of programs and includes sales and management meetings, incentive travel programs (both foreign and domestic), board meetings, client entertainment events, corporate leadership and team building programs, awards and appreciation events. She has planned meetings for as few as 25 people to as many as 2,000.
In 1999, Lisa was named the "Meeting Planner of the Year" by the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals International, an organization of more than 19,000 meeting professionals worldwide. Lisa earned the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 1995, evidence of high standards, experience and proficiency in the meeting management industry. She served on the board of KBCMPI and has been a member since 1992. She is also a member of the Insurance Conference Planners Association and the Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Lisa serves as the vice president of The Hive.
Secretary/Treasurer
Deb Newton
DJN Management, Inc.
9520 Poplar Hill Drive
Crestwood, KY 400014
502 241-7871 Office
866-329-0412 Fax
debbienewton@bellsouth.net
Trade Show – Event Management
Deb Newton, founder and president of DJN Management, Inc., has 20+ years of meeting planning experience and over 10 years experience working with the Association of KFC Franchisees and has worked in the meeting industry since 1984. In 1993, Deb was enlisted to create, produce, and run the first trade show held in conjunction with the AKFCF’s annual convention and they remain her major client. Deb has expanded her work within the Yum! Brands organization and now works with two other sister associations to AKFCF - NAWFA (A&W) and Long John Silver's Franchisee Association.
Deb served
on the board of the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals
International for four years in various capacities and was selected KBCMPI’s
1995 "Meeting Planner of the Year". She serves as Treasurer
of The Hive.
Debi Mattiuz
Debi’s Desk
P.O.Box 1532
Jeffersonville, IN 47131
812-256-3014 Office & Fax
debi@debisdesk.com
www.debisdesk.com
Debi Mattiuz
Administrative Services
Debi has over 25 years experience in the administrative field including skills in bookkeeping, human resources, client relations, training and development. Her knowledge is based in database management, spreadsheets, word processing, data entry, and special project management. Computer services include upgrades, instruction, troubleshooting, and web programming and development.
Debi has her own full service administrative services company, Debi's Desk.
Debbie Ables
debbiedoesstuff
3144 Yorkshire Drive
Bardstown, KY 40004
502-348-7104 Office
502-349-9224 Fax
dables@bardstown.com
Debbie
Ables
Image Design/Branding/Meeting & Event Coordination
Debbie has 25 years in the design field combined with 6 years sales experience in the meeting and convention marketplace. Debbie provides a unique vision on image design, branding, promotion & marketing, along with skills in building strategic alliances. Debbie has served as a Director for Bardstown, Kentucky's Convention and Visitor's Bureau and on the boards of professional organizations such as the Kentucky Society of Association Executives and Meeting Professionals International. Leadership, team management, continued professional education, and event production skills are strengths she possesses.
Debbie owns debbiedoesstuff, an image design and meeting/event planning company. She is an immediate past president of the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (KBCMPI), has been the recipient of the chapter's "Chapter Leader of the Year" and "Rising Star" awards and established KBCMPI as a benchmark chapter in membership, retention, and attendance records for the 2001-2002 term nationally.
Rita Y. Phillips
TravelPlex
4033 Taylorsville Road,
Suite #102
Louisville, KY 40220
502-452-2181 Office
502-473-1587 Fax
tplex@yahoo.com
www.gototravelplex.com
Rita
Y. Phillips
Travel Services
Rita has 26 years business experience with the last 16 as Owner/President of TravelPlex Travel Agency. TravelPlex is a full service travel management company providing domestic and international travel services (air, land, sea, or rail) for individuals, corporations, groups, and organizations. Group and convention travel services are Rita's particular areas of expertise, especially as it involves contract negotiations. Her clientele is very diverse ranging from individual travelers to small businesses and major corporations, groups of all sizes and various organizations. The latest addition to her clientele includes Sports/Entertainment Celebrity travel services for Allan Houston who plays for the New York Knicks.
Rita is very active in her community, serving on many boards and committees. She is currently serving her third term on the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center Board.
Elizabeth Weimer CMP
Site Search, LLC
7603
Wolf Pen Ridge Court
Prospect, KY 40059
502-292-3198 Office
502-292-3225 Fax
sitesearch@insightbb.com
www.sitesearchllc.com
Elizabeth
Weimer, CMP
Hotel Logistics/Negotiations/Planning
Elizabeth is founder of Site Search, LLC a provider to the meeting industry in the area of hotel selection, contract negotiation, and logistics. With more than 15 years of professional experience, Site Search has provided expert service to Fortune 500 companies, National Associations, and major Universities. Elizabeth possesses vast experience in the hotel industry, having worked in management for both the Hyatt and Hilton chains, along with Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
Elizabeth
is a past president of Meeting Professionals International Kentucky Bluegrass
Chapter and has received both the "Supplier of the Year Award"
and the "Presidents Award" from the chapter. She also has earned
the Certified Meeting Professional designation from the Convention Liaison
Council.
Jamie B.
Estes
Estes
Public Relations
1938 Frankfort Ave
Louisville, Kentucky 40206
502-721-0335 Office
502-721-0344 Fax
jamie@estespr.com
www.estespr.com
Jamie
B. Estes
Public
Relations/Marketing
Jamie is president of Estes Public Relations, a national public relations firm specializing in public relations for those in the culinary, hospitality and lifestyle industries.With more than 18 years experience promoting travel and culinary industries, Jamie has a wide network of print and electronic media relationships, a knack for placing the story and a reputation for getting the job done. Services include editorial placement, media tours, strategic planning, crisis communication, cooperative partnerships and building community relationships for positive outcomes.
Estes served as vice president of FSA Public Relations for nearly 10 years where she handled such clients as Kinkead's in Washington DC, the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TRU in Chicago, the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville; Qdoba Mexican Grill in Denver; the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Institute of Wine & Food and the Council of Independent Restaurateurs of America.
Estes is past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council and a member of the board of directors for the Kentucky chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food and the Louisville Public Radio Partnership. She has received numerous awards including the "40 Under 40 Award" presented by Business First.
THE HIVE ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF...
- Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (www.kbcmpi.com)
- Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.gotolouisville.com)
photos by NPT Imaging
web
by Jenny Boone-Studioworx
and Debbie Ables-debbiedoesstuff