Women of all backgrounds, lifestyles and careers gathered at Legion Field on Aug. 28 for the Newton County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Think & Thrive event. The room was an explosion of creativity united by a common feature: Hardworking women.

From employees to business owners, all women were welcome to come network, share stories and hear from the evening’s keynote speaker, Jes Averhart. 

This year’s keynote topic was “Think Big. Thrive Local. Your Path to Sustainable Growth & Standout Success.” Leading up to Averhart’s inspirational address, the chamber provided a photo wall, face-painting and dinner. 

One major hallmark of the evening was the presentation of the second annual Titan Award.

“The Newton Chamber’s Titan Award honors a woman who stands out for strength, intellect and achievement,” said Debbie Harper, president of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce. “Someone whose impact inspires and uplifts our community.” 

The award was presented to Teri Doepke, of The Doepke Law Firm.

“It’s just a blessing to be able to be a part of a community with so many strong women,” Doepke said. “And to help lift those women up through the work that myself and my coworkers do.”

Following the award presentation, Averhart took the stage. Facing the room filled with women, she delivered a message of empowerment, perseverance and identity.

“Use your words. Use your brilliance, in every room that you walk into,” Averhart said. “Because it is genuinely better because you’re here. If I take one person out of this room, and you went in your car and you went away, this room changes.”

She shared that every day, each person wakes up with two choices: To repeat or to evolve.

“Our circumstances are real, like we’ve got stuff; I’ve got my mom, I’ve got my kid, we all got stuff,” Averhart said. “But how we move through it and where we’re going is a choice that we make. And so every day I try to do one thing that’s a little bit different.”

Sharing the phrase “know thy self,” Averhart challenged the room to do some introspection. She asked each woman to take a moment and determine their own ‘one thing’ that can shift their life. Whether that thing be social, personal, business-related or other, Averhart emphasized that each person has one.

Averhart then taught the room how to learn their differential values, defining this as the thing that sets someone and/or their business apart in the marketplace.

“Know your differential value proposition,” Averhart said. “What sets you apart? If there are 20 hairdressers, why am I going to Patty? ...If I walked around this room, would you be able to tell me what sets you apart, why people come to you and spend money with you?”

True to her work, Averhart took a turn around the room, welcoming audience involvement. One woman, a nurse, shared how her place of work stands apart.

“I work for Longleaf Hospice here in this community,” the woman said. “What sets us apart is the compassion that we try to have for our families and our patients every day. Our owner’s motto is that we can give our patients just another good day, so we take it one day at a time.”

Averhart hit on some other topics, including burnout, the importance of sales and self-doubt.

But one key line reminded the room that the courage to lead, innovate and change can – and sometimes must – come from inside oneself. 

“Raise the bar, and don’t wait for somebody else to raise it for you,” Averhart said. “Raise it yourself.”