Julie Bee is a Business Strategist, Senior Finance & Accounting Pro, Author and Chief Connector. She is a member of the Forbes Women Forum, and graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. Julie started her career as an accountant, then moved on to found BeeSmart Social Media in 2008 where she grew the company and exited in 2023.  Currently, Julie serves as a Financial Controller at Fort + Home. 

Julie has been a finalist for several prestigious business awards, including two Stevie Awards for Women in Business (Best Young Entrepreneur and Best New Company), NAWBO Charlotte's Rising Star award and NAWBO's Business Owner of the Year award. 

Julie regularly advocates on behalf of small businesses, and she is also involved with community colleges in the Charlotte area to support and mentor locally owned, minority business owners.


Tom Conroy has over 30 years of professional experience in engineering, sales and management and has assisted small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs as an advisor and counselor for more than 15 years. He holds and MBA and engineering degree which provides a unique perspective for the clients he advises.

 

Lashon Harley is The Lead Ignitor at Being and Becoming where she guides visionaries and forward-thinkers to create customized work plans that inspire and guide them along their journey toward aligning their purpose with achieving their vision. LaShon assists clients to define their ideal strategy, uncover accessible opportunities, and develop actionable plans to deliver the Right Product, to the Right People, at the Right Place, Price, Time, and with the Right Fulfillment. She is also The Lead Igniter at LAH Companies where she collaborates with entrepreneurial service organizations to provide customized personal development and small business assistance initiatives that create viable, fund-able, and sustainable impact and legacies. LaShon received her Bachelors of Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Her JD/MBA from Georgia State University. With over 26 years experience working with entrepreneurs and business owners, she has done Business A to T: Advisor, Advocate, Coach, Collaborator, Consultant, Counselor, Facilitator, Founder, Instructor, Learner, Mentor, Owner, Presenter, Speaker, Sponsor, and Trainer.

Tara McAlister is a Business Performance Specialist with Insperity. With almost 20 years in Human Resources, and a certification from SHRM, Tara enjoys sharing her passion and energy for helping companies make the most of their greatest assets – their employees. She enjoys using her HR expertise and strategic thinking to help small to mid-size businesses manage their people strategy to help to attract and retain top talent.

A graduate of Elon University, Tara lives in Indian Trail with her family and enjoys working with Claire’s Army and Porter Ridge Athletic Booster Club.

Meet with Union County Library staff to find out about library resources to help start or grow your business. Based on your questions, staff will conduct prior research before the meeting and can use online information databases, library materials, and referrals outside the library. 

Library staff will focus on resources you can access with a library card from North Carolina’s statewide library cooperative, NC LIVE. Instructions will be shared on how to access databases or attachments of industry reports remotely. 

 

          

REQUEST COUNSELING NOW!                                                               

Are you a successful business owner, professional, or subject matter expert with a passion for helping small businesses?
Apply to become a virtual volunteer counselor.