Interview of Tonya Powers, Executive Director, Franklin County Industrial Building Authority

2024-05-15

Episode Summary: In this episode of the InPowered Women Podcast features Tonya Powers, the Executive Director of the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority. They reflect on how they met through shared interests and Senator Frank Yen. Tonya discusses her journey from the solar energy industry to economic development. She emphasizes the importance of mentors and relationships in her career, highlighting her role in bringing businesses to Franklin County. Tonya's proactive approach, despite initial self-doubt, led her to success,...

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the InPowered Women Podcast features Tonya Powers, the Executive Director of the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority. They reflect on how they met through shared interests and Senator Frank Yen. Tonya discusses her journey from the solar energy industry to economic development. She emphasizes the importance of mentors and relationships in her career, highlighting her role in bringing businesses to Franklin County. Tonya's proactive approach, despite initial self-doubt, led her to success, showcasing the power of mindset in achieving goals. Tonya reflects on difficult times in her career, including facing opposition and panic attacks, yet finding strength and resilience. She discusses collaborative efforts in economic development, particularly in attracting businesses from other countries. The conversation shifts to workforce development, highlighting partnerships with educational institutions and the importance of mentorship. Finally, Tonya introduces a new project called "WOW" (Women of the Workforce), aimed at empowering women from diverse backgrounds by providing access to resources and opportunities.

Sharon Lee

Sharon Lee is an accomplished entrepreneur and marketing expert dedicated to empowering female leaders. With a diverse background in sales and marketing across industries like advertising, magazine publishing, and solar energy, Sharon's journey showcases her versatility and determination. As the principal of Pinnacle Strategic Advisors, she assists businesses in enhancing their marketing strategies. Sharon's entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish her own consulting firm, reflecting her commitment to excellence. Alongside her professional pursuits, Sharon co-founded the InPowered Women's networking group, fostering mentorship and support for women in business. Through the InPowered Women Podcast, Sharon will share stories of resilient female leaders with listeners encouraging them to pursue their aspirations fearlessly.

Tonya Powers

Tonya Powers is a dynamic force driving economic development in Franklin County. With a background in the solar energy industry, Tonya's journey to becoming the Executive Director of the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority is marked by determination and resilience. She's not just about bringing in new businesses; Tonya understands the power of relationships and mentorship, which she credits for much of her success. Despite facing challenges like opposition and panic attacks, she remains undeterred, focusing on collaborative efforts to uplift her community. Tonya's latest project, "WOW" (Women of the Workforce), reflects her commitment to empowering women with access to resources and opportunities. With her proactive approach and infectious energy, Tonya is making waves and inspiring others to do the same.

Insights from this episode:

Emphasis is placed on the need for follow-up after providing information or resources, ensuring that individuals leave with clear next steps and accountability mechanisms in place.
Tonya highlights the significance of collaboration and mentorship in her career journey, underscoring how these relationships have been instrumental in her success.
Resilience of a proactive mindset is emphasized. Despite facing challenges such as opposition and panic attacks, Tonya demonstrates resilience and a proactive mindset, focusing on solutions and pushing forward in her endeavors.
The importance of the role of education in empowering individuals, particularly women, by fostering partnerships with educational institutions and providing access to resources that facilitate personal and professional growth.
Discussion surrounding a focus on economic development and workforce initiatives ensues: Tonya's work centers around economic development and workforce initiatives, aiming to bring businesses to Franklin County and empower women through projects like "WOW" (Women of the Workforce).
The importance of personal wellness and self-care is discussed, highlighting activities like running and spending time outdoors as crucial for maintaining mental well-being and productivity.

Quotes from the show:

“I remember saying that no matter what happens, no matter what my mindset is, no matter what is what I'm facing in the community, no matter what opposition I'm up against, I cannot let that impact like how I see what I do and how I know that I know that I know what I'm good at and it may not be a lot but what I am good at, that's what I'm gonna use, right?” – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5
“And so, you know, there's, there's, there were, there were long stretches of times where I was like, I don't have any wins right now in my mind. But when I stepped back and I looked like collaboratively at like everything, the big picture, everything that was going on. I was like, it took that day and it took that day and it took that day and invite them all together. Now we've got this great experience that's happened here and now it's just a matter of like, telling our story, right?" – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5
"I remember saying, why would anybody want to do that? You know, it's not something that I'm interested in doing. And the chamber world was fun and it was just fun and economic development was way more work and just a lot. And I was like, who would want to do that? But he, he did a great job at, you know, transitioning me. And when I say a great job transitioning me, he basically took his foot and kicked me out of the nest and said, come and so I'm very, I'm, I'm very thankful for that because I never would have stepped into this role.” – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5
“Every role I've ever worked in was like a male-dominated field ever. And when I say male-dominated, I can almost like say that term loosely. Now, because I feel like that's changing so rapidly.” – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5
“And, and it was only, it was built during my greatest opposition when I was literally suffering the most in every, every area, you know. And, that, like, built so much, you know, professionally for me that I'm like, I, I could not do my job today if I had not had that time of what I felt like was the death of my career.” – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5
“A great example in March of this year, I was on, I was part of the SEDC, which is the Southeast Economic Development Council. I was with their Korean delegation and we went, visited a week in Seoul, Korea. We went back and forth with an iPhone for probably two hours in one of the meetings that I had, which was great. It was so good. They needed one person that would sit down and Google translate with them for two hours and tell them the benefits of doing business in the state of Georgia in the United States. That for me was like the greatest because, and that's what led me into,, a lot of the things that we're kind of like trying to work on now, you know, and just trying to bring to life, you know, how can we find people that don't understand the value that they carry and the greatness inside of them and just rip it out of them and put on the flatter and say, look what you're doing, like, look how great you are, you know." – Tonya Powers, InPowered Women, Episode #5

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