JoTo CEO Becomes Chair of Women-in-Business Group, AchieveHERs
(PRWEB) January 21, 2015 -- Karla Jo Helms, CEO of JoTo PR, was elected chair of AchieveHERs, a women-in-business group established by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. Helms is a PR veteran, whose firm is ranked as one of the Top 100 Women Owned Businesses in the Tampa Bay area by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Over the past 18 months since AchieveHERs was founded, it has grown faster than anticipated, showing a real need for a collaborative business group for women in the area. Helms will be bringing a new organizing strategy as the chair for the AchieveHERs to harness the expansion and involve more women as volunteers in the organization’s activities such as events, marketing and promotion, finance and administration.
Women in business today still feel they face the “glass-ceiling” pigeon-hole, according to AchieveHERs marketing research initiated before the group was formed; however, women CEOs are quickly and strongly changing this dated concept and are being realized for their contributions to business and the economy:
• More than 9.1 million firms are owned by women, employing nearly 7.9 million people, and generating $1.4 trillion in sales as of 2014.
• Women-owned firms (50% or more) account for 30% of all privately held firms and contribute 14% of employment and 11% of revenues.
• One in five firms with revenue of $1 million or more is woman-owned.
• 4.2% of all women-owned firms have revenues of 1 million or more. (1)
AchieveHERs is an organization that shares insight, ideas, skills and success stories to ultimately help women overcome obstacles to their own success. Bringing a significant strategy to the local women in business based on its market research, AchieveHERs has become one of the Chamber’s most significant initiatives in recent years.
“The interest of women in this area, from all sectors of business – whether just out of college, climbing the corporate to highly successful women CEOs and entrepreneurs – has been enlightening as to the real need for a group in this region solely dedicated to helping women succeed in business,” said Helms. “The neat thing about AchieveHERs is that it is driven by a growing group of dedicated ladies who are very busy in their careers, yet are volunteering to get this group off the ground.”
AchieveHERs will host a Volunteer Call to Action at Helms’ PR firm headquartered in Clearwater, FL on Thursday, January 22, 2015 from 5-7pm. The group has 40-plus volunteer slots available, with nearly 50 attendees already registered.
About JoTo PR:
Based in Clearwater, Florida, JoTo PR is an established Tampa Bay public relations agency headed by public relations veteran and innovator Karla Jo Helms. The PR firm was launched in 2009 to meet a growing demand for new media expertise. JoTo is a hybrid PR agency, blending proven traditional approaches with the latest technology to deliver the best advantages of both worlds. JoTo’s holistic approach to business PR and marketing begins with strategic planning and leads to a fully integrated program that is designed to optimize communication, improve return on investment (ROI) and expand business opportunities. JoTo PR primarily serves the healthcare, finance and IT industries. For more information, visit JoTo PR online at http://www.jotopr.com
About AchieveHERs:
To meet the demand of businesswomen in the Clearwater region, AchieveHERs was established under the auspices of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce to be a regional leader providing camaraderie, support, networking opportunities and valuable new insights to women in business. AchieveHERs will provide impactful quarterly events that share insight, ideas, skills and success stories to ultimately help women overcome obstacles to their success. AchieveHERs is open to both established women in business and those aspiring to lead. For more information visit http://www.achievehers.org
1. "WBO Statistics." National Association of Women Business Owners, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. nawbo.org/section_103.cfm.
Karla Jo Helms, JoTo PR, +1 (888) 202-4614 Ext: 802, [email protected]
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