beth bell salem-roanoke county chamber of commerce femcity roanoke macaroni kid roanoke Q: Tell us about your business. I am the Executive Director of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, President of FemCity Roanoke and Publisher of Macaroni Kid Roanoke. FemCity Roanoke, an all-female business community, turns five this month! Macaroni Kid Roanoke is an online resource and digital newsletter supporting local families by helping them " Find Your Family Fun ™ " in the Roanoke Valley. Q: How did your career path lead you to your current position? I've always been a cheerleader of local businesses and our community. I made a career change from corporate project management to start my own business, which lead to what I do now. My role allows me to use my entrepreneurial spirit to live out my passion of supporting local businesses. All of my roles give me an opportunity to make a bigger impact than I could have as only a cheerleader. Q:What specific products or services do you offer? The Chamber of Commerce and FemCity Roanoke provide business support and promotion through intentional connections, educational programming and advocacy. Macaroni Kid allows me to put businesses in front of a very targeted audience of 9,000+ Roanoke families through digital and social media advertising and events. Q: Favorite part of your job? What gets you out of bed and ready to run for the day? Gratitude! I'm constantly told that I'm making a difference in members' businesses and lives. I love helping others connect the dots. We live in a fast-paced, heads-down type of world and I believe magic happens over a cup of coffee. I love collaborating and connecting personally with my members and clients. Q: What does it mean to you to be a woman leading your business in its industry? It wasn't that long ago that women weren't " allowed " to be the CEO or Board President of a Chamber. In 1986, less than three percent of Chambers in metro cities were run by women*. Women are under-represented in local (25-30%), state (30%) and national (25%) government roles. These are the organizations that Chambers and minority business groups work with to influence decisions that impact business and quality of life. It's important for women to be at the table and I'm not afraid to pull up my own chair. *Magicians of Main Street s-rcchamber.org TheRoanoker.com femcityroanoke.com Sponsored ContentSponsored Content roanoke.macaronikid.com MARCH/APRIL 2022 45http://www.s-rcchamber.org http://roanoke.macaronikid.com http://www.femcityroanoke.com http://www.TheRoanoker.com