This June, six visitors from Russia traveled to Pensacola for eight days as part of the Open World Program. Their focus was on women in entrepreneurship. While in Pensacola, they stayed with host families Leigh and Kent DeSantis, Larisa Reyes and Tim Chandler, Wendy and Chris McCullar, JoAnn and Ken Roberts, Faye and Robert Robinson, and Jeanine Van Reeth.
To understand local entrepreneurship, the group met with a variety of people including local business owner Karen Jurkowich, the immediate past President of the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce Board, and Greater Pensacola Chamber Vice President of Public Affairs Todd Thomson who discussed the role of Chambers of Commerce in business development. Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kristen Loera met with the Russian team to discuss small business support and Karen Alloy, owner of A Loyal Vision, focused her conversation with the visitors on networking opportunities and business coaching. At Co:Lab, Clancy Bambrick and Director of Communications Sena Maddison shared the incubator’s mission and structure; and at a meeting with the Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast, Patrica Allbritton, Kaila Barrington, Kolleen Edwards Chesley, Marjorie May Kalaluhi, and Michelle Salzman engaged the group with a discussion on mentoring, networking, and education.
The group visited the University of West Florida (UWF) Center for Research and Economic Opportunity where Assistant Director of Communications Grace Resendez McCaffery and founder of La Costa Latina shared insights into the organization of large-scale events. They also went to the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UWF to meet with Dorian Zwierewicz, a business growth consultant, and Julia Montgomery, an international trade specialist. Conversation here centered on how the SBDC plays a vital role as a statewide provider of entrepreneurial and business development services.
The Russian entrepreneurs had a variety of interests that reflected the wide range of appointment themes. At My Healthy Blueprint Wellness Center, the group met with Melissa Benton, a wellness operations manager, Baptist Hospital Head Nurse Cyndi Gamache, Health Coach Trisha Kuhnell, and Registered Dietician Jessica Blessing to discuss how local organizations can promote healthy lifestyles. Then at Ever’Man Grocery and Café, Store Manager William Rolfs met with the visitors over lunch to discuss how Ever’Man has helped the Gulf Coast create a more healthy and vibrant community by being a local source of natural and organic foods.
To address questions on human resources and education, a teleconference took place with Ted Kirchhar who serves as Senior Director of TeacherReady and Education Operations for Studer Education. The group would later visit the Studer Community Institute and explore how this organization enhances the community through professional training and development while meeting with Director of Professional Development Rachael Gillette, Director of Early Learning Shannon Nickinson, and Program Manager at the UWF Center for Entrepreneurship Jim Sparks.
As some of the visitors’ were interested in the American education system, the group visited Sacred Heart Cathedral School, learning about its programs from Principal Elizabeth Snow. They also Escambia High School with host mother Larisa Reyes, a math teacher, who gave them a tour and answered their questions on the public school system.
Their calendar also included a community presentation, several cultural activities, an evening with the Young Professionals of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council, a community coffee, and a welcome orientation with Pensacola City Council Executive Don Kraher.
It is surprising how quickly eight days can go by! The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council thanks everyone who helped make this project a success.
