As we put this terrible winter behind us and enjoy the great weather spring and summer have to offer, I hope everyone is getting away to enjoy some much needed R&R. Much has happened in the LMA community since my last message, and I want to touch on just a few events you might be interested in.
The LMA Midwest Chapter Your Honor Awards in early March was nothing short of spectacular. We had a sold-out event on a Wednesday night. It was held in Chicago yet still drew members from all over our chapter. Congratulations to all of the award winners who produced and implemented some amazing marketing programs. I especially enjoyed seeing Jennifer Rupkey, from our Milwaukee City Group, be inducted into the LMA Midwest Chapter Hall of Fame, Stephanie Richter, from our St. Louis City Group, win the Rising Star Award and Megan McKeon, from our Chicago City Group, win the Outstanding Service Award. Members from across our chapter are doing such outstanding work in the legal marketing profession.
It was great to see everyone who showed up for our chapter meet-up at the LMA Annual Conference in early April in the lovely city of Orlando. It was especially nice to see how well represented our chapter was at this annual event. Of the many fantastic sessions that took place, the general session with Kat Cole of Cinnabon was one of the best at the conference. The way in which she told her story and how she became a successful business woman at a major corporation was a truly inspirational, and it provided me with many takeaways for my own career.
I am so pleased that we finally launched our Kansas City City Group this June, and I appreciate the hard work of our City Group leaders, Allison Berey from Polsinelli and Jenni Straub from Spencer Fane Brit and Browne, as well as our LMA Midwest Board members Christy Baas from Miller Canfield and Maureen Farr from Greensfelder, Hemeker, & Gale for making this happen. Good luck to our newest LMA Midwest Chapter City Group.
Finally, in an effort to give back to the community, the LMA Midwest Chapter sponsored the Passport to Chicago Event at Kendall College, which supports the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Access to Justice Program. Many student chefs from Kendall College participated in a food competition, showcasing their culinary talents. We participants got to taste their delicious creations and rate the chefs. A chef was chosen as the winner at the end of the event, and our chapter along with other sponsors were duly recognized for our support.
Have a great rest of the summer.
Richard Marsolais is the business development operations strategist for Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. He is responsible for providing marketing and business development execution and support for various departments, practice areas, industry teams and individual attorneys. He has more than 30 years of marketing, management and business development experience from a diverse number of industries including automotive, sporting goods, banking, retail services, not-for-profit and professional services. Rich is currently the president of the Legal Marketing Association Midwest Chapter.