Women’s Leadership Retreat Was Inspiring Success
Women in CPG panel participants posed for a group photo at Naturally Chicago’s Women’s Leadership Retreat on September 18.
Naturally Chicago’s longstanding commitment to supporting women in the natural products industry gained new luster with our Women’s Leadership Retreat, presented September 18 in the Chicago suburb of Long Grove.
The elevating event was hosted by Women in CPG star Tracey Halama — Supergut CEO, Managing Partner of Full Frame Growth Partners and Creekside Ventures, and Naturally Chicago Board member — at her private wellness retreat. This intimate invite-only gathering brought together 122 early and mid-stage founders, entrepreneurs, investors, board members and senior women leaders in CPG.
The feedback about the event has been overwhelmingly positive, with some attendees describing it as the best Naturally Chicago event ever.
Tracey underscored the importance of the Retreat in a post-event LinkedIn post, noting that it “celebrated Women in CPG, the risk-takers, disrupters, dreamers and doers of the industry.” She continued, “Despite women influencing 85 percent of consumer decisions, they receive only 2.1 percent of funding, highlighting an existing imbalance. Women demonstrate a remarkable return on investment, with 78 cents compared to men's 31 cents for every dollar raised.”
Jim Slama, Naturally Chicago founder and managing director, also expressed gratitude for the event’s success: “This evening was meant to pay it forward to all the women with an idea, to give them the opportunity to do more with more. And it raised more than $30,000 to support Naturally Chicago's work with women entrepreneurs through our Locally Made program, Mentorship and Chicago Seed Co investor network.”
Naturally Chicago consultant Jennifer Paulson (left) introduced the Women in CPG panel.
There was powerful content shaped by an all-woman panel discussion about a range of issues faced by women in CPG. Introduced by Suzy Richard of SPINS and moderated by Tracey Halama, the panel included:
* Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky Nasatir, GoNanas
* Mara Smith, Inspiro Tequila
* Trish Thomas, Every Body Eat
* Christie V., Big Bold Health
* Kim Holstein, Twisted Alchemy
* Emily Groden, Evergreen
* Laura Gardner, Local Style Chips
Retreat attendees watching the panel discussion.
The rest of the evening was a soiree. Guests indulged in a roaming culinary experience with seasonal small plates and handcrafted farm to table bites designed by a local woman owned business.
Fresh wellness cocktails and mocktails, curated by Naturally Chicago corporate partners Inspiro Tequila and Twisted Alchemy, featured Supergut, a daily probiotic fiber blend that naturally boosts GLP-1.
Creative women-themed cocktail menu.
The attendees connected with friends old and new, received VIP Brand Discovery Bags featuring products by extraordinary women founders and leaders, and enjoyed unique activations blending personal growth and wellness, including complementary professional professional headshots and aura readings.
The event’s Brand Discovery bags were packed with delicious, healthy treats produced by Naturally Chicago partner companies.
Jim Slama issued special thanks to Naturally Chicago Program Committee leaders Jennifer Paulson and S2G Investment’s Jessica Murphy, who powered the event planning; Naturally Chicago team members Joan McGloin, Gregory Keller and Bob Benenson; Kelly Follmar of Presence; and all of the event sponsors and hosts including:
Abin Kuriakose, World Business Chicago... Kim Feil, Aspire... Beth Kimmerle, Attribute Analytics... Laura Luckman Kelber, Lighten... Julia Gregg-Albers, Barilla... Meagen Arensdorff, C.A. BUILD... Elizabeth Carter, Chomps... Emily Groden, Evergreen... Trish Thomas, Every Body Eat... Katie Paul, KeHE... Susan Ellis, Simple Mills... Jordan H. , SG Credit Partners... Suzy Richard, SPINS... Hannah Law, SPINS... Kate Weidner, CA FORTUNE/SRW... Alison Velázquez, Jindilli Farms... Mollye Santulli, Springdale Ventures... Tracey Halama, Supergut... Margaret M. Mueller, Ph.D., TILIA... Kim Holstein, Twisted Alchemy... Jennifer Amdur Spitz, Voxley... Margaret Omastiak, Whole Foods Market... Erica T. Kuhlmann, Women's Biz Dev Center... Morgan Lerner, GoNanas... Annie Slabotsky Nasatir, GoNanas... and Rheanna Wadlow, Distribution 2000.
And the best part is — this event was just part 1 of Naturally Chicago’s two-part Women in CPG series.
Save the date of Tuesday, November 11 for our Women in CPG Celebration, which will take place at BMO’s event space, and click the button below to get a sneak preview on our website’s Women in CPG page. The business-focused November event is tied to Naturally Network’s Women in CPG Week.
