Community Futures Oxford celebrates International Women’s Day a little early

Alisha Wilson of Transitions Equine Assisted Encompassing Wellness, Kirsten Young of Heart of Oxford, Carole Eriksson of Oxford Women in Networking, and Jennifer Peace-Hall of Finkle Street Tap and Grill were the panelists for Community Futures (CF) Oxford’s International Women’s Day celebration at the Elm Hurst Inn and Spa on Feb. 25. (Connor Luczka photo)

Connor Luczka, Echo Correspondent

Carole Eriksson of Oxford Women in Networking told the audience at Community Futures (CF) Oxford’s annual International Women’s Day event that success doesn’t need to be overnight – it could be achieved one day at a time.

“We work for a one per cent improvement a week, and if you can improve one percent a week it’s more than 50 per cent a year,” Eriksson shared. “Even if you do one per cent a month, how many people improve more than 12 per cent a year?”

On Feb. 25, Eriksson joined Alisha Wilson of Transitions Equine Assisted Encompassing Wellness, Kirsten Young of Heart of Oxford, and Jennifer Peace-Hall of Finkle Street Tap and Grill at the Elm Hurst Inn and Spa in Ingersoll to explore collaboration, partnerships, and the many women-owned businesses of the county in a panel discussion.

All four women are business-leaders in the region and spoke about the success the supportive ecosystem that they and other leaders foster in Oxford County has had.

Peace-Hall, for instance, came to the panel with her perspective on the hospitality industry. Once, competing restaurants were just that, competition, but now the industry is more supportive.

“I think kindness and courage and fostering a great environment is key – and again, if we start with ourselves and build it out collectively, we can build a better place for everyone based on community collaboration and cooperation,” she said. “Gone are the times of competition. Like the restaurant before was so cutthroat. I support every other establishment in the area. I want everyone to do well. We all need to understand we're all connected, right? So, if we're doing well for one another, we're doing well for ourselves.”

Erikkson, Wilson, Young, and Peace-Hall also agreed on some of the key tenets to success in collaboration: trust, integrity, and truly listening, among others.

“Today was all about gathering women entrepreneurs together in one place so they can provide some inspiration to others around the benefits of collaboration and partnerships to build their businesses, to build our community,” Janet Wakutz, moderator and CED program coordinator at CF Oxford, told the Echo after the panel concluded. “I think it went better than I expected. I think our panelists were very engaging. I think they demonstrated courage in sharing their experiences, and I think they really demonstrated collaboration and partnership just in the way they conducted themselves.”

Wakutz thanked those who came and the sponsor, Libro Credit Union, for their role in making the day a success.

CF Oxford hosts an International Women’s Day event each February, along with an event in the fall for Business Week. They are planning a renovation at its building in the next month or two, Wakutz shared, and plan on hosting more events once the space is more suitable.