International Women's Day Celebration: Exporting ideas abroad! - 2016

Join us for the International Women's Day Celebration - Exporting Idea Abroad!
This will be an afternoon of delicious food, a content-rich panel on how you can take your products to international markets and, of course, networking with great company.
The panel will include Natalie Kaddas from Kaddas Enterprises and Betsy Mikesell from Beddy’s who will share their experiences selling products globally. A representative from eBay will also sit on the panel and provide insights on how the eBay platform creates an easy path to exporting. World Trade Center Utah President and CEO Derek B. Miller will moderate the panel.
This event is presented by the Salt Lake Chamber Women’s Business Center and World Trade Center Utah

ABOUT THE MODERATOR:

Derek Miller

Derek B. Miller is the president and CEO of the World Trade Center Utah, an organization dedicated to helping Utah companies “think, act, and succeed globally.” WTC Utah is a member of the World Trade Centers Association headquartered in New York City, a network of more than 300 WTC’s in 100 countries around the world, with the mission to facilitate prosperity through trade and investment.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Miller served as chief of staff to Governor Gary R. Herbert, overseeing the Governor’s Office, the Governor’s Cabinet and state operations. Mr. Miller has also served as managing director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development where he was responsible for recruiting new businesses to the state and helping existing Utah businesses to expand.

Before moving back to his home state of Utah, Mr. Miller worked in Washington D.C. for the U.S. House of Representatives as legal counsel and for Arthur Andersen as a management consultant. Mr. Miller is a graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, and he also holds a Master of Public Administration from the University’s Romney Institute of Public Management.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Meghan Simonds - U.S. Global Leadership Coalition

Meghan Simonds serves as the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s (USGLC) Deputy Director of Government Relations where she helps oversee the coalition’s engagement with Capitol Hill and other key policymakers in Washington, D.C. and around the country. United around elevating strategic investments in diplomacy and development alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world, USGLC’s national coalition of more than 400 businesses and NGOs includes AIPAC, Boeing, Caterpillar, Catholic Relief Services, Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, Save the Children, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Walmart, and World Vision.

Prior to joining USGLC in 2010, Meghan served four years on the staff of U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Meghan served as Senator Collins’ Legislative Assistant for foreign affairs, transportation, and housing issues. Prior to that, Meghan served as Senator Collins’ Legislative Correspondent for foreign affairs, defense, and veterans affairs. She graduated summa cum laude and with high honors with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Maine in Orono.

Katie Stevens - eBay

Katie Stevens leads State and Local Government Relations for eBay’s western region, working with local and state policymakers and stakeholders to promote policies that support consumers and tech-enabled small business growth. Prior to joining eBay in 2013, Katie worked for Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin leading state and federal government relations work for the city. She has also served as senior policy staff on Capitol Hill to Congressman Brian Baird and Congressman Cal Dooley and led the Governor’s California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s legislative agenda.

Katie received her B.A. from the University of Southern California, and her M.P.A from CSU Fresno. She and her husband, Josh, recently moved to Salt Lake City from San Jose and are expecting their first child.

Betsy Mikesel - Owner at Beddy's

Betsy Mikesell was a full time hair dresser and mom of three kids when she was inspired to create her own type of zipper bedding for bunk beds. After hearing from her friends that they all wanted the bedding, she decided to bring on her friend Angie White and create the product now known and patented as Beddy’s. Betsy and Angie decided to do a Kickstarter in 2014 which funded $108,000 in 40 days. Since that time, they have seen 600 percent growth year over year

Natalie Kaddas - General Manager of Kaddas Enterprises, Inc.

She is responsible for the day to day operations and strategic direction of the company. Kaddas is a second generation family business, for 50 years, they have been specializing in Thermoform Plastic Manufacturing.Natalie’s background was in the hospitality industry, managing global room revenues for Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. She places a high priority on understanding the customer’s experience and business management. Under her leadership the company has tripled revenues and grown net profits year over year.

Natalie has traveled with Governor Herbert on trade missions to Israel, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Kaddas Enterprises’ international sales have grown by over 1,000% since 2013.

Natalie is also a graduate from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

Parking Instructions:
If you are driving, please park in the west side of the parking lot at the Chamber building. When you arrive, proceed to the left/west (monthly and validated parking) area and take a ticket and pass through the yellow parking gate. We’ll provide validations upstairs at the front desk. Please do not enter on the right/east side and park in the two rows closest to the building or you will have to pay in advance and we will not be able to validate your parking.

We encourage you to take Trax and help keep our air clean. Please use the Library Square stop on the red line to arrive at the Salt Lake Chamber offices.