The Catalyst: Leading Ladies Boosting the Entrepreneurial Trajectory of North Alabama

It takes a village when it comes to traveling the entrepreneurial journey. Leave it to the Catalyst’s team of Leading Ladies to have all the bases covered. 

Hosted at the Huntsville Botanical Garden, the 7th Annual Women’s Conference was merged with the highly successful “Mompreneur” event. The event’s theme was inspired by the “leading ladies” of the motion picture industry. 

This was the first Catalyst in-person event since the pandemic hit last March. Due to the uptick in the delta variant, the event was adjusted to be presented as a hybrid. Participants either attended in person or via online. 

The conference featured a wide assortment of guest speakers and relevant workshops, geared towards the ins and outs of government contracting, reframing one’s brand, effective networking, balancing the work-life balance, empowerment, and finding one’s tribe.

The Botanical Garden served as an ideal location for an all-day conference that emphasized growth and successfully blooming into one’s best self.

“This is a day to build everyone up,” said Lisa Davis Mays, the Catalyst’s CEO. “This is what it looks like to be a dreamer, to see all the beauty that has grown and taken root.”

Marvinia Adams and Alice Lessman, 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year Winners from the Veteran and Female categories

As the successor to Joanne Randolph, the Catalyst’s former CEO, Mays had her “baptism by fire” in the spring of 2020 and it’s been quite a busy fifteen months, filled with pivoting, shifting gears, and zooming. Throughout it all, Mays has been a champion; maintaining her enthusiasm, as well as her sense of humor.

Harvalee Harbarger, featured guest speaker, talked about her early beginnings, being a “mompreneur,” long before there was a term for it. Most importantly, Harbarger spoke of the Botanical Garden’s beginnings and the importance of being persistent. 

Harbarger, along with a dozen other Huntsville residents had a vision and steadfastly continued in their efforts to bring the dream of the Botanical Garden to life. The Garden began as a seed in the determined minds of those who emphatically refused to “Dream no small dream.”

The midday Roundtable featured four winners of the Catalyst’s 2021 Entrepreneur Awards. Marvinia Adams, owner of Martinizing Dry Cleaning; Alice Lessman, CEO of Signalink, Inc; Megan Nivens-Tannett, Founder and CEO of Flourish; and Amy Roark, CEO of Give256. The women talked about their entrepreneurial paths, as well as successfully navigating the mom-as-boss life. 

In the presentation, “9-5? The Future of Work” discussed increased connectivity, emerging technologies, and the how gig economy reinvented the typical “9-5” job. It also addressed ways to adapt, to be flexible, and to unleash human potential.

“Change is happening faster than anticipated,” said Stephanie Miller, Human Capital Manager in the Government and Public Services Organization Transformation Practice of Deloitte Consulting. “Work done at the office got flipped on its head. Remote work is driving down infrastructure costs, people have been more productive.”

Lisa Davis Mays, CEO of the Catalyst

UMC pastor Kelly Clem spoke about being a woman in a male-dominated arena in her presentation, “Outside the Box.” Clem talked of the importance of getting out complacent ruts, getting into the arena, and putting oneself out in the world. “Boxes can be cozy and safe,” said Clem. “The moment of joy is when we breakthrough the box, overcoming and breaking through those fears.”

The event concluded with speaker Mallory Hagan, an Alabama native and Miss America 2013. Hagan is the Communications Manager for Business Outreach Center Network, and CEO of her business, Hagan Strategies. In her keynote closing, Hagan emphasized the importance of body image, along with the negative messages young ladies endlessly receive. She shared her own personal experiences, as well as discussing the importance of changing the “ideal body” narrative. 

The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship serves entrepreneurs and small business owners in every stage of business. Through providing the best coaching, in-demand services, and relevant programs, the Catalyst endeavors to foster the success of small businesses.

On its metamorphic rise from serving primarily women clientele to expanding its services to encompass a broad spectrum of entrepreneurs, The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship has distinguished itself as one of Huntsville’s leading entrepreneurial hubs.

During the pandemic, The Catalyst adeptly shifted gears to the digital platform, a successful strategy that expanded its reach, far beyond North Alabama.  Since its inception, The Catalyst has served nearly 30,000 clients. Through the success of their business endeavors, these entrepreneurs in turn, have created hundreds of new jobs in North Alabama.

For more information, go to: https://catalystcenter.org/