Category: Business News

Ann Marie Mayuga is AMM Communications co-founder and principal

AMM Communications, the leading St. Louis-based strategic communications, PR, and talent acquisition firm, is pleased to announce that it received the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) federal certification as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB).

The Women’s Business Development Center – Midwest, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), was the Third-Party Administrator to conduct the approval process.

Founded in 2008 by Ann Marie and Ed Mayuga, AMM Communications, a PR and digital marketing firm, serves clients throughout the Midwest. The firm has grown from initially offering public relations, media relations and social media consulting more than a decade ago to evolving into one of the only digital communication firms in the Midwest using the Paid Earned Social Owned (PESO) model, which was created by Gini Dietrich, PR-thought leader and founder of the influential blog, http://spinsucks.com.

“This certification will assist our clients by helping them achieve their diversity initiatives, demonstrating their commitment to fostering diversity, and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs. It also provides our clients with a proven professional services partner holding a certification that is federally accepted by hundreds of major corporations and government entities,” said Ann Marie Mayuga, AMM Communications partner.

AMM Communications is Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by WBENC for national certification; the State of Missouri, and St. Louis County and St. Louis City. The firm is also Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certified by the Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Louis County, and the City of St. Louis.

About AMM Communications

Founded in 2008, AMM Communications LLC, the leading St. Louis-based strategic marketing, PR, and talent acquisition firm, provides media relations, digital marketing, business development, crisis communications, content marketing, internal communications, communications skills training, reputation management, social media consulting, and executive search services for businesses nationwide. AMM Communications is a nationally certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and certified by State of Missouri, St. Louis County and St. Louis City.  The company is federally certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by the SBA, and is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). AMM Communications has been voted one of the “Best PR Firms in St. Louis” by Small Business Monthly from 2010-2018. We want to help you … Drive your sales. Communicate better. Hire well. For more information, please visit, http://ammcommunications.com or call 314.485.9499.

The Association of Corporate Counsel – St. Louis Chapter (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, elected its 2019 Officers and Board of Directors.

The 2019 ACC STL leadership team includes:

• President: Chrissy Teske, Senior Attorney, Commerce Bancshares, Inc.
• President-Elect: Brian Parsons, Senior Counsel, Macy’s Inc.
• Secretary: John Rebman, Sr. Corporate Counsel, Regulatory Law & Policy, Monsanto Company
• Treasurer: Sven Fickeler, Senior Corporate Counsel, Bunzl Distribution USA, LLC
• Immediate Past President and Co-Sponsorship Chair: Toni Douaihy, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Macy’s Inc.
• Advocacy Co-Chair: Barbara Barrett, Chief Compliance Officer, Reliant Care Management Company
• Advocacy Co-Chair and Director-at-Large:  John Farmer, Vice President Litigation, Charter Communications
• Communications Chair and Director-at-Large: Danielle Langeneckert, Director, Contract Design, The Resource Group
• Corporate Counsel Institute Chair: Ty Ulmer, Chief Counsel, The Boeing Company
• Diversity Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Tamee Reese, Assistant Vice President Senior Legal Counsel, AT&T Mobility & Entertainment
• Diversity Co-Chair and Director -at-Large: Denise Whitener, Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo Law Department
• General Counsel Forum Co-Chair: Kate Molamphy, General Counsel, ICL Americas
• General Counsel Forum Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Erika Schenk, General Counsel & Vice President of Compliance, World Wide Technologies
• Annual Golf / Spa Event Co-Chair: Peter Barkofske, Associate General Counsel, Graybar Electric Company, Inc.
• Annual Golf / Spa Event Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Jay Repaso, Manager Legal Services, Mastercard
• Law School Relations Chair and Director-at-Large: Kate Krebel, Corporate Counsel, DRS Technologies, Inc.
• Membership Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Beverly Garner, Associate General Counsel, Bunge N.A.
• Membership Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Jennifer Feldhaus, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Maritz
• PAN – Labor & Employment Chair: Latieke Lyles, Counsel, Macy’s Inc.
• Pro Bono Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Patricia Duft, Vice President, Legal, Medtronics
• Pro Bono Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Paula Finaly, Assistant Vice President – Senior Legal Counsel-Labor & Employment, AT&T
• Program Chair and Director-at-Large: Jennifer Herner, Associate General Counsel, World Wide Technology
• Professional Development and Director-at-Large: Sharhonda Shahid, Vice President, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.
• Social Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Nancy McCahan, Managing General Counsel, Sugar Creek Capital
• Social Co-Chair and Director-at-Large: Margy Weisman, Assistant General Counsel, ESCO Technologies
• Sponsorship Co-Chair: Kristol Simms, Corporate Counsel, Ameren
• Past President Committee Chair: Christopher Goddard, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Associate General Counsel, Washington University

Contact:

Ann Marie Mayuga, AMM Communications

314.485.9499

annmarie@ammcommunications.com

About the ACC STL:

The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 550 members who represent more than 100 organizations. During its 30-year-history, the ACC STL has grown to become one of the leading chapters in the country having been selected as a 2017 Gold Level Award recipient and winning the 2018 Best Membership / Recruitment Award. To learn more, please visit, https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.

This year, Easterseals celebrates their 100th anniversary as a trusted resource for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The organization’s reach touches communities across the country with 71 locations, including Easterseals Midwest. With offices in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Joplin, Springfield, and Cape Girardeau, Easterseals Midwest provides support to more than 5,000 Missourians with disabilities each year.

“Easterseals has a well-defined mission to make a difference in the lives of our program participants, their families, and communities by equipping each person we support with the tools they need to live a vibrant, confidant, and independent life,” said Wendy Sullivan, Easterseals Midwest CEO.

Easterseals unique, inclusive services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families include autism support, employment services, community living services, and an early-childhood program in Kansas City.

About Easterseals Midwest

Easterseals Midwest is a nonprofit organization changing the way the world defines and views disability by making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day.  The organization employs nearly 2,000 employees delivering services to more than 5,000 individuals statewide through four divisions: Autism Services, Community Living Services, Early Childhood Services and Employment Services.

The 29^th annual Justice For All Ball will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2019 in the Khorassan Ballroom at the Chase Park Plaza.

In recognition of their lifetime dedication to insuring access to Justice, Legal Services is pleased to announce the 2019 Honorary Co-Chairs are: the Hon. Susan E. Block, Circuit Judge, Retired, 21^st Judicial Circuit of Missouri; the Hon. Robert M. Clayton II, Presiding Circuit Judge, Retired, 10^th Judicial Circuit of Missouri; and the Hon. Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr., U.S. District Judge, Retired.

The Ball attracts more than 500 of the area’s top legal professionals including Judges, Managing Partners and Senior Counsel from the area’s largest firms and companies.

By popular demand, the Ball is returning to the Chase Park Plaza. The 2019 event is a classic cocktail party with a “twist,” featuring upscale food stations, an open bar, complimentary valet parking, a select silent auction and black-tie optional.

Paula Finlay (AT&T) and Priscilla Murray (Husch Blackwell) are the Ball Co-Chairs, with Tracy Tabb (Brown & James) as Auction Chair.

Tickets are available for $250 per person or Underwriting Support at $2,500 with ten tickets. Please visit www.lsem.orgfor more details or contact Louisa Gregory, Associate Director of Development at lmgregory@lsem.org or 314.256.8736.

About Legal Services of Eastern Missouri: Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has provided free civil legal help for low-income families for 62 years. In 2017 nearly 30,000 people in 21 counties of eastern Missouri received services from four regional offices. For more information, please visit www.lsem.org.

The Tom Dunn CPA Firm hired Eric D. Hansen as a partner. Hansen will handle accounting for mid-sized businesses.

Hansen has more than 10 years of accounting, tax and audit experience with a deep background working with for-profit and nonprofit entities, and family owned businesses.

“We look forward to Eric being an integral part of our team by sharing his experience and knowledge with our clients to help them grow their businesses, and achieve their personal and professional goals,”  says Tom Dunn, owner of the firm.

About the Tom Dunn CPA Firm, “Our business approach is truly unique. We take a proactive approach, tailor-made for the busy small & mid-sized business owner. We regularly meet with our clients one-on-one to stay in front of the issues as your CPA and business advocate. Our goal is to net you more savings from my services than they cost. In fact, often, the true savings is many times greater.”

Ann Marie Mayuga is AMM Communications co-founder and principal

AMM Communications, the leading St. Louis-based PR, digital agency and talent acquisition firm, received the prestigious national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Development Center – Chicago, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

The WBENC certification for women-owned business is the most recognizable and sought-after certification of its kind. WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the Women’s Business Development Center – Chicago is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection.  The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

Founded in 2008 by Ann Marie, AMM Communications, a PR and digital agency, serves clients throughout the St. Louis region, nationwide and internationally. The firm has grown from initially offering public relations, media relations and social media consulting from 10 years ago to evolving into one of the only digital public relations firms in St. Louis using the Paid Earned Social Owned (PESO) model, which was created by Gini Dietrich, PR-thought leader and founder of the influential blog, http://spinsucks.com.

This certification benefits our clients by helping them achieve their diversity initiatives, demonstrating their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs. It also provides our clients with a proven professional services partner holding a certification that is nationally accepted by hundreds of major corporations and government entities.

AMM Communications has been certified by the State of Missouri as a WBE since 2011, and by St. Louis County and St. Louis City since 2018. The firm is also certified by the Missouri Department of Transportation as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) since 2018.

About AMM Communications

Founded in 2008, AMM Communications LLC, the St. Louis-based PR and digital agency, and talent acquisition firm, provides media relations, digital public relation, business development, crisis communications, content marketing, internal communications, communications skills training, digital marketing, reputation management, social media consulting, and executive search services for businesses nationwide. AMM Communications is a nationally certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council ((WBENC), WBE- certified by State of Missouri, and St. Louis County and St. Louis City, and is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). AMM Communications has been voted one of the “Best PR Firms in St. Louis” by Small Business Monthly from 2010-2018. We want to help you … Drive your sales. Communicate better. Hire well. For more information, please visit, http://ammcommunications.comor call 314.485.9499.

About WBENC

Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation’s leader in women’s business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 13,000 certified Women’s Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 300 Corporate Members. More than 1,000 corporations representing America’s most prestigious brands as well as many states, cities, and other entities accept WBENC Certification.

Loren Menefee, Nino Przulj and Ericka Simpson Conner have joined the Board of the Young Friends of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. The Young Friends are a group of young professionals committed to increasing public awareness of the mission of Legal Services within the community and providing volunteer and financial support for the agency.

Loren Menefee, Corporate Counsel with Bayer’s Crop Science Division

Loren Menefee, corporate counsel with Bayer’s Crop Science Division, holds a Bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University in California and a J.D. from Saint Louis University. She is a member of the Missouri Bar. She joined Monsanto in 2016 as a corporate attorney and previously interned with The Simon Law Firm, P.C. and Hon. Audrey Fleissig in the Federal District Court of Missouri.

Nino Przulj, Associate with Thompson Coburn

Nino Przulj, an associate with Thompson Coburn holds a Bachelors degree and a J.D. from Saint Louis University. He is a member of the Missouri Bar and Illinois Bar. He was formerly court clerk for Hon. Paul C. Wilson in the Supreme Court of Missouri and a Board Member of the Bosnian-American Professionals Association and of the Community Development Corporation Board of the International institute. He was named as a “30 under 30” awardee by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2018.

Ericka Simpson Conner, Associate with Husch Blackwell

Ericka Simpson Conner, an associate with Husch Blackwell, holds a Bachelor’s degree from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. She is a member of the Missouri Bar and Illinois Bar. She previously interned with Wells Fargo Advisors, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Missouri Court of Appeals.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has provided free civil legal help for low-income families for 62 years. In 2017 nearly 30,000 people in 21 counties of eastern Missouri received services from four regional offices. For more information, please visit www.lsem.org.

Mallory Sone, Associate at Purk & Associates, P.C.

Purk & Associates, the award-winning, nationally recognized accounting and management consulting firm, announced today that Mallory Sone joined as an Associate in the tax division.

In her new role, Sone will prepare corporate and individual client tax returns, research complicated tax matters, and work with clients throughout the year preparing them for their taxes. Prior to joining the firm full time, Sone was part of the Purk & Associates internship program for two years.

“We’re thrilled to have Mallory join the Purk team full time. When Mallory participated in our internship program, she demonstrated a level of maturity, curiosity and commitment to deliver client results. These are the traits we look for in all our team members,” said Bill Purk, CPA, Purk & Associates President and Co-Founding Shareholder.

Sone graduated from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, with a Master of Accountancy, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting cum laude.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in St. Louis, Purk & Associates, P.C., is a nationally recognized and award winning, independently owned accounting and management advisory firm that delivers a full range of tax, accounting, audit and consulting services. At Purk & Associates, our focus is to help our clients achieve more financial and business success. To learn more, please visit http://purkpc.com.

The Association of Corporate Counsel of St. Louis Accepts 2018 Best Membership / Recruitment Award at National Meeting

The Association of Corporate Counsel Chapter of St. Louis (ACC STL) received the Chapter Achievement 2018 Membership / Recruitment Award at the national Annual Meeting of the Association for Corporate Counsel (ACC) held Oct. 21-24 in Austin.

The award is given to the chapter that experienced an increase in overall membership with a well-executed membership campaign. Nancy McCahan, 2018 ACC STL Membership Chairperson, and Managing General Counsel, Sugar Creek Capital designed a three-step membership initiative. Current ACC STL officers and board members attended the national ACC meeting to accept the award.

Toni Douaihy, Association of Corporate Counsel of St. Louis 2018 President, and Macy’s Vice President and Assistant General Counsel

“This is such a great honor for the St. Louis chapter. Nancy and her membership committee did an amazing job this year. The dedication, involvement and leadership of the board, committee and individual member contributions is what makes our chapter strong,” said Toni Douaihy, JD, 2018 ACC STL President, and Macy’s Vice President and Assistant General Counsel.

In 2017, the ACC STL was selected as one of 14 chapters globally to receive the Gold Level Award in the ACC Chapter Recognition Program. This award recognizes the Chapter’s accomplishments in areas including programming, membership recruitment, programming and governance / operations.

To read more about the ACC 2018 national award recipients, please click here.

Contact:

Ann Marie Mayuga, AMM Communications

314.485.9499

annmarie@ammcommunications.com

About the ACC STL:

The Association of Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 550 members who represent more than 100 organizations. During its 30-year-history, the ACC STL has grown to become one of the leading chapters in the country by its national association having been selected as a 2017 Gold Level Award recipient and winning the 2018 Best Membership / Recruitment Award. To learn more, please visit,https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.