Kimberly Kincheloe -BB&T Insurance
Kimberly Kincheloe works dually as a Commercial Insurance and Equine/Farm Insurance agent and customer service representative at BB&T Insurance Services in Lexington, KY. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelors degree in Business Marketing. She serves as Secretary for the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center Advisory Board, an organization that reschools and adopts out retired Thoroughbred race horses. She is an active member of the Lexington Young Professionals Association, serving on the Professional Development Committee. She is also a member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club, The Thorobreds, the WHIA, and was recently nominated and voted in as a member of The Thoroughbred Club of America. I firmly believe ALL women (and everyone else) in the industry should be using social networking sites. It's the best possible marketing tool to be using right now, and it's free!
Sheryl Kursar - Equestrian Aid Foundation
Managing Director
Independent PR/Marketing Consultant
A public relations professional for more than 15 years, Sheryl has agency, corporate and non-profit experience in diverse industries. Currently, she serves on the board of directors and as managing director of the Equestrian Aid Foundation (EAF), which assists those in the horse community suffering from catastrophic illness or injury by providing financial assistance for medical or other basic expenses. Grant recipients receive support for health care, rehabilitation, and essential costs such as housing and food, throughout their time of need. She also serves as an independent consultant to smaller companies on strategic growth, public relations and communications tactics. Prior to her management role at the EAF, she worked at Carolina Public Relations/Marketing Inc. for 10 years for multi-national client DaimlerChrysler and utilities projects for the city of Charlotte. Her expertise is in comprehensive strategic planning, community outreach, internal communications, media relations, trade show marketing and event planning. She has experience in advertising buying and design, web site development and maintenance, public speaking and marketing material development. Before moving to Charlotte, Sheryl developed new products and managed the licenses for Disney Consumer Products and Precious Moments for the mass market creative team at the world’s largest giftware manufacturer Enesco. Responsibilities involved managing 500+ skus in development for mass merchant buyers, licensor approvals, manufacturer communications, display merchandising, and sales presentations in the US and Hong Kong. She later moved into the corporate communications department at Enesco, overseeing advertising for all product lines and public relations for the housewares division. She started her career in downtown Chicago at L.C. Williams & Associates working with well-known companies La-Z-Boy Furniture Co., Sauder Woodworking, Rand McNally and Lions Clubs International among others.
Sheryl earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) through the Public Relations Society of America in 2003. Fewer than 5,000 public relations practitioners have earned the APR accreditation. She received a bachelor’s degree in communication from Eastern Illinois University, where she also successfully competed on the university speech team, and holds a CT (competent toastmaster) from Toastmaster’s International. Serving as a consultant, she has assisted the Charlotte Jumper Classic, Queen’s Cup Steeplechase and planning for the York County Agri-Tourism Facility in S.C. During college she worked as a veterinary technician for a small animal clinic and has provided public relations services to Southern Pines Equine Associates in N.C. Her non-profit experience includes board member, volunteer and public relations committee chairman for Carolina Raptor Center, the southeast’s largest facility for the rehabilitation and care of injured raptors – owls, hawks, eagles, vultures and osprey (2000-2004); event publicity committee for Right Moves for Youth, an organization for at-risk children sponsored by the Charlotte Police and Fire departments (2001-2003); holiday gift drive coordinator/publicity for Charlotte Emergency Housing (2006) and Levine Children’s Hospital (2008); and numerous humane organizations, such as the Charlotte Humane Society, The Animal Foundation of Kankakee, Ill., Pets for Vets of Illinois, and others. Sheryl lives in Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, five cats and two horses.
2010 WHIA CONFERENCE
SPEAKER"S BIOS
MAKING THE MOST OF SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ONLINE MARKETING
11:15am - 12:30pm September 22, 2010
PANELISTS
Cathy Ebsen - Web Services, Etc.
Cathy Ebsen has been involved with horses since she was a child breeding and raising Quarter Horses. She currently shows on the Quarter Horse circuit with her mare Passing The Sign under the direction of Kellie Hinely of Trendsetter Perf Horses. Her company, Web Services Etc, opened its doors in June of 2000 offering small to medium sized businesses the opportunity to have their business brought to the Internet by a website and market that business through internet marketing. In 2006 Cathy became a distributor for Dynamite Specialty Products, who manufacture all natural nutritional supplements for yourself, dog, cat, horse or exotic animal. The mission statement for her company Animal and Human Nutrition 101 LLC is "Living a healthier life through better nutrition" says it all and she is committed to that statement. Cathy prides herself in developing ethical business relationships creating a win-win environment for her clients and customers. In her spare time, she is involved with a Christian based community theater group called First Light Players.
Tamara Meier- Riding Arts, Inc.
Tamara Meier, from Woodstock, Georgia, specialize in all aspects of internet marketing, including SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), and SMO (social media optimization). She's an expert in managing PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns on Google, Bing! and Yahoo, helping each client to achieve maximum returns on their advertising budgets. Her company, Riding Arts, Inc. also provides eCommerce and informational website design services to a varied mix of clients. Her past experience has includes eCommerce management and systems engineering positions for a number of Silicon Valley-based companies, including eBay, Inc., 2Wire, Inc., and Exodus Communications. She has worked in the high-tech industry since 1998. Prior to that her experience has included providing marketing and management services to musicians, record labels, and concerts. Along with providing internet marketing and eCommerce web design services, she also teaches dressage and competes in Region 3. Her equestrian experience spans over forty years, and allows her to bring a unique perspective to the equestrian industry.
Helping to educate each client about the most optimal marketing channels for their particular niche is a priority for Tamara. Some methods of increasing online exposure work better than others for different businesses, depending upon the target market and revenue goals of each business. Tamara helps each client to identify the best marketing "fit" and to then works to build each client's online presence via the most efficient, economical means available.
