By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Former Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Director Tammy Wellbrock is striking out on her own after leading that award-winning organization for eight years.
Wellbrock has founded a consulting business, Girl Twin Solutions, that will offer training for chambers of commerce, businesses, nonprofits and government entities as well as coaching for individuals.
“I had experience in doing a lot of this,” Wellbrock said. “I really felt like the chamber industry is something that is very near and dear to my heart, but I am ready for something new. I am ready for my next challenge.”
Under Wellbrock’s direction, the Hays chamber was a 2013 finalist for Chamber of the Year, presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. She just returned from the ACCE National Convention where she was a presenter.
Prior to her taking the helm, Wellbrock was heavily involved with the local chamber serving on the board of directors as well as various committees. She also served on the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Kansas board and was president in 2016.
Wellbrock will offer herself as a trainer to chambers as business units and as a presenter hired by chambers to train their members.
She said she plans to focus initially on chambers of commerce, but intends to broaden her scope as she builds her business. She described herself as a generalist.
“I do know eventually I will start narrowing down my focus, figuring out what is really sticking with members or the businesses and what they are wanting, and I will start narrowing down and getting deeper,” she said. “Right now, I am more horizontal in nature, and I am offering a variety of things as well as customizing to what a business may need.”
Some of her initial curriculums will include networking, facilitator training, board strategic planning and women’s leadership.
Wellbrock further explained the need for networking training.
“I am amazed through my professional career as well as through the chamber industry, specifically, how few people feel comfortable networking and being able to do it well,” she said. “Most people are geared toward trying to collect as many business cards as they can, and they don’t know what to do with that or they don’t know how to provide value to the relationships that are being built. Instead, they are just trying to get a transaction.”
She just returned from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives National Convention where she presented on that topic. She will be presenting soon at the Wyoming chamber’s state convention on the same issue. She also has been a trainer for the U.S. Chamber for its Institute of Organization Management.
Wellbrock said she is also passionate about women’s leadership.
“I have been amazed and fascinated on my own personal journey,” she said. “There have been some amazing women that have broken down barriers. There have been barriers that have been built back up. Certainly, though, more often than not, I have observed women not take advantage or see themselves as capable, professional leaders. I would like to help other women to see themselves in that light.”
She said this is not about the #MeToo movement.
Body language, tone of voice and actions can hinder women’s success in striving for leadership positions, Wellbrock said.
“This isn’t about trying to get women in roles of authority,” she said. “It is more so they can possess that personal poise so they can have success in any interaction they wish to achieve.”
This is an area Wellbrock said she would be willing to offer one-on-one coaching.
Wellbrock said she also hopes to offer a “newbie” course for chamber executives.
“I want to help others in the chamber industry not have to go through some of the pitfalls that I did — learn through my own journey and help them,” she said.
She said if she had one piece of advice she could given herself as a new chamber director, it would have been to work at being a marathoner instead of working in sprint mode. Burnout is a real issue in the chamber industry, as it is in many industries. Although she sees herself as a chamber director who worked in sprint mode, she acknowledged that it is a pace that is hard to maintain.
Wellbrock is also developing curriculum on customer service and facilitation.
Wellbrock’s last day at the Hays chamber was Friday. She said she has committed her full attention to her job at the Hays chamber, which has left her little free time to work on developing programs for Girl Twin Solutions. Now she will be able to devote her full effort to her new business.
She said she was ready to be her own boss and she wanted to have more flexibility to spend time with her son, who will be a sophomore at Hays High School in the fall.
“Above all, I think for the first time in my professional career, I am actually making a decision I think will help me be a better mom, a better wife, a better person. I want to put forward that effort, and that is why I created this business,” she said. “So being at home and being able to be flexible with my schedule is a huge part of the motivation of why I am doing what I am doing.”
Wellbrock will continue to facilitate Leadership Hays, a community leadership program affiliated with the Kansas Leadership Center. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication in 1994, followed with a master’s degree in communication in 2002, both from Fort Hays State University.
In 2014, she completed her Institute of Organization Management designation, and earned her Certified Association Executive in 2016. She has also taught at the West (2017) and Midwest (2018) IOM.
She will not have a brick-and-mortar location initially. She will be working out of her home and anticipates she will be traveling quite a bit. You can read Wellbrock’s blog on her website at tammywellbrock.com, email her at [email protected] or call her at 785-639-2743.
“[I find it hard] to leave a place I enjoyed, and I believe that I found my true calling here in the chamber industry. This has been such a blessing to me to be able to be here,” she said. “I am one of those weird people who likes change and likes new experiences, and so after eight and a half years, this feels right.”
Disclosure: Tammy Wellbrock is the wife of Gerard Wellbrock, who works for Eagle Communications, the parent company of Hays Post.