Women of Alle Kiski Engaging to host 1st event

Jamy Rankin didn’t go into the workforce with the intent to climb the corporate ladder.

But a strong work ethic and driving focus to care for her daughter took Rankin to the top.

“I went to work every day to create a future for my daughter,” she says. “I wanted to show her what a woman could do.”

Rankin of Stanton Heights is now co-owner and general manager of River Forest Country Club in Freeport, an 18-hole golf course which includes Lily’s Restaurant and banquet facility. Previously, she was president and chief executive officer of Ford Component Sales, LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Co.

She will share her story at the Women of Alle Kiski Engaging (WAKE) inaugural event 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 12 at the country club. The topic will be “Executive Presence — Putting Your Best Self Forward.”

It’s an honor

To be chosen to be the first speaker for WAKE is both fulfilling and flattering, Rankin says.

“I want to talk to the women about being able to handle anything and everything that comes their way,” she says. “I would bring my daughter to work and she would see me and listen to me talk in front of a room of people.”

Hey daughter, Sydney Cureton, is now 26 years old and has a career as an investment banker. Rankin says her message will also include the things she showed her daughter, such as how you dress and how you carry yourself which can make a difference. She says she couldn’t have accomplished so much without the support of not only her daughter, but the men in her life — her husband Robert and sons Robert II, Reed and Ryan. That support is so important, she says.

Women don’t support each other enough, Rankin says. “There is room for all of us.”

What is WAKE?

WAKE is a new endeavor that works in conjunction with the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber, an organization that helps area businesses grow through various events, training and educational opportunities. The partnership aims to advance women’s leadership in the local economy through networking, professional development, and community engagement, says co-chairwoman of WAKE CiCi Broxie of Plum.

Any working woman who is a member of the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber is invited to become a participant of WAKE.

“Our goals include promoting, supporting, celebrating and empowering women leaders in any business profession,” Broxie says.

Co-chairwoman of WAKE and committee member Samantha Bauer of Sarver, who owns The Bauer Agency LLC doing business as Goosehead Insurance, says being part of the group will encourage women to learn from each other. They plan to discuss topics relevant for today’s professional women from how they enter a room to commanding attention and respect, Bauer says.

She says women are natural connectors and have so much to offer. Rankin is the perfect person to lead the first event, Bauer says.

“We can all learn from Jamy and what she has been through,” says Bauer. “She came from a man’s world and she can show us that women can be successful and that we shouldn’t let anything stand in our way.”

Rankin certainly didn’t.

At Ford Motor Co., she had profit and loss responsibility for component sales to other original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket. Her resume includes a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Chicago. She and her husband have four children.

“You have to learn to have thick skin,” Rankin says. “It’s hard sometimes, but you can’t take everything personal. And you have to work hard every day.”

Sense of pride

WAKE is great for women because it can help them feel a sense of pride, says committee member Carrie Fox of Tarentum. She’s also the Tarentum Recreation Board president and a member of the Tarentum Council at Large.

“The speakers can help give them guidance in all different areas of their life,” Fox says. “Women are trying to balance so many things at once and their responsibilities change through the various phases of their life that it helps to have encouragement from other women who have walked in their shoes. Hearing from these women makes you feel good.”

This is the first of several events for WAKE. Others are planned for May, July and September. In November, there will be an awards and recognition banquet. Future speaker topics include work and life balance, stress reduction and health preservation, self defense and sexual harassment, and building up the women around you.

Cost of the this inaugural event is $25 for Alle Kiski Strong Chamber members and $30 for “not yet” chamber members.

Deadline is March 6

Details: 724-224-3400