BizCom 2021 – You Ready?

• Date: November 4th, 2021
• Time: 4 – 8 PM
• Location: The Whim | 655 19 th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

The Whim is a brand new event space that will literally be opening its doors right before this event. For more information on the conference and to purchase a ticket to the event, you can do so by clicking here, under our workshops page. This is also a way to make great connections that not only turn into long-lasting friendships, but with people who will continue to elevate your brand.

Breakouts + Panel + Topics

We have a fantastic lineup of great topics and speakers. More coming soon and will be updating this blog post as we confirm. We’ll be having several breakout sessions as well as a fantastic panel hosted by The Tile Shop. 

How to Get Started in the Design Industry

Morgan Molitor – Construction2style and Stephanie Goldfarb – The Divine Living Space will be speaking on how to get started in the design industry. Ever wonder… How we got started in the design industry? What do we consider the most effective ways to get new clients? What role blogging plays in growing a design business? Which tech tools we prefer to use while presenting, and more? What does your onboarding process look like? How do you find your ideal client?  How do you charge? We’ll be sharing it all with you! 

Tips on TikTok’s and Reels + How to Open Your Own Space

Jennae and Elliot Saltzman – owners of Blush and Whim and the newest venue and where we’re hosting this event, The Whim, will be speaking on Marketing, talking specifically about SEO, Tik Tok/Reels.

How to Captivate Dreamy Clients with Impactful Branding

Sarah Schultz – the owner of Sarah Schultz Co, will be talking about captivating your Dreamy Client with impactful Branding.

How to Create Natural Buzz for your Brand + Get Featured

Shayla Owodunni – from The Plant Penthouse will be leading a breakout session where she chats about all things interiors, plants, and lifestyle on her platform. She’ll be chatting about how to generate natural buzz for your brand and how to get featured/ published such as places like HGTV. 

Creating a Successful Podcast through Insightful Topics and Impactful Guests

Brad Leavitt – from AFT Construction will be leading a breakout session where he talks about his successful podcast and how you can have one too. He’ll share ideas surrounding topics and how to bring on guests that will leave your listeners feeling inspired. 

Pitch Like a Pro: 5 PR Tips and Tricks that Any Business Can Use to Get Media Coverage

Christine Scherping, from Friend of a Friend PR, will be leading a breakout session all chatting all about how to pitch like a pro to get media coverage no matter what business you are in! 

Panel | How to Leverage Media & Brand Partnerships and Sponsorships

Tile Shop will be leading the panel, which will talk about Media and Brand Partnerships and Sponsorships. Aaron Komo will be back again as the Moderator and we can’t wait to have him back! 

Panel Lineup:

• Brad Leavitt
• Tile Shop Corporate
• Heather & Brad Fox
• Moderated by Aaron Komo

Bios

Aaron Komo | Noom

(he/him), Brand Sr. Manager, Social & Community at Noom.

Aaron thinks social-first in all facets of his work and life. He applies strategic and creative thinking to craft stories that mobilize. He writes as the other half of TheKomos.com – a lifestyle blog about living and learning as husband & husband. From experience with food, fashion, and wellness to home and design brands, he knows what’s trending and why or why not to play into it. Aaron is originally from Hawaii and island-hopped to Manhattan to study music at NYU.

His untraditional journey to the advertising industry pushes his work beyond the expected. He leads personal and professional equity, diversity and inclusion efforts rooted in his own experience, championing ongoing awareness and advocacy. Also, Capricorn and ENFJ.

Christine Scherping | Friend of a Friend PR

I’ve spent the majority of my almost two-decade-long public relations and marketing career in the agency world, partnering with brands of all levels – from start-ups to some of the best-known and most-beloved brands in the country, including Aveda, Bath & Body Works, General Mills, Land O’Lakes, Sherwin-Williams and Caribou Coffee. I’ve been lucky enough to have been named one of PR Week’s Women Champions of PR and campaigns I’ve worked on have won a myriad of industry awards. 

My experience and passion led me to launch Friend of a Friend, an influencer relations boutique agency focused on building meaningful and impactful relationships between brands and influencers. I absolutely love collaborating with brands on influencer programs and creating some magic (and action!).

Stephanie Goldfarb | The Divine Living Space 

Stephanie Goldfarb, founder of The Divine Living Space. Lives in the south metro of the Twin Cities, but is nationwide. When Stephanie is not designing spaces for clients she enjoys spending time with her husband and four amazing kids (plus son in law!) Painting, browsing through quaint antique shops, and the occasional DIY projects round out her past times.

She has an impeccable eye for color, textures, and patterns. In addition to serving clients throughout the Twin Cities Metro and beyond, she has helped thousands of clients throughout her career navigate through the custom build and renovation process with selections that fit both their lifestyle and home’s aesthetic.

She loves the challenge of helping people turn their houses into homes that are full of love and personality and is not afraid to eschew quick trends in order to source items that add a unique feel to each room. She doesn’t think spaces should be a carbon copy of each other and finds joy in creating energetic rooms by mixing different styles of furniture, patterns, and textures that add character and interest to each space.

Morgan Molitor | construction2style

Morgan is the other half and co-founder of construction2style, alongside her hunk of a husband Jamie. For over 5 years, they’ve been tearing houses apart and creating new dream spaces not only for their clients but for themselves; starting off as a DIY home improvement blog in 2012, and moving into a full-service interior residential design & remodeling company in 2015. They started c2s from the ground up and now also teach their readers how they can do it too through different marketing strategies. Whether you want to DIY with their home improvement or marketing tutorials online or hire them to completely do it for you, they’re an open book and here to help! 

MN-based but graduated from college in Long Beach, CA with a fashion merchandising and marketing degree, Morgan has now taken that creativity and knowledge to use within their client’s homes and websites. Morgan oversees all content creation, manages the brand partnerships, is the writing guru, and leads interior stylist. She also heads up their online education courses and in-house monthly marketing workshops. You can always find an infectious smile on Morgan’s face and hear her contagious laugh. She’s a forward thinker, risk-taker, and nothing makes her happier than when she gets to play a small part in making people’s dreams and lives thrive. 

Jennae Saltzman | Blush & Whim

Jennae has a background in the wedding industry and is the founder of Blush & Whim Wedding Planning + Event Design and The Whim.  Jennae has been featured on NBC’s “The Meredith Vieira Show”, Martha Stewart Weddings, Minnesota Public Radio, WCCO News, Glamour, Style Me Pretty, The Everygirl, The Star Tribune, Brides Magazine, Minnesota Bride Magazine, MPLS + St. Paul Weddings Magazine, and many other national and local blogs & magazines.

She was recently named one of the TOP 10 wedding planners in the Midwest by Martha Stewart Weddings’ partner company, My Wedding Magazine.

Elliot Saltzman | Hipreneur

Elliot is the owner of The Whim and the online SEO course, Hipreneur. Elliot understands how to generate new business and is an expert in sales. As a college student, Elliot made over $50,000 in 10 weeks selling door-to-door for a summer job. At 22, he was appointed VP of Sales & Marketing for a startup construction company and grew sales to 2.2 million in the first 9 months. During his time in sales, he quickly became passionate about studying different tactics and strategies businesses use to acquire new business.

Over the past 7 years, Elliot has connected with over 2,000 small business owners and has learned the best ways to getting the “phone to ring,” as well as the common mistakes small businesses make “burning money” on non-revenue producing tactics. Elliot is passionate about speaking and training on business growth and in 2012, wrote a book called “How to Become a Million Dollar Speaker” which has recently been seen in Success Magazine.

Sara Schultz | Sara Shultz Co

I quit a fortune 500 retail career to chase my dreams. Which resulted in my husband and me chasing summer around the world, learning about new cultures, and experiencing things I never could have imagined. When our travel ended over two years later, I opted to invest all my energy into nurturing a business that provided an ever-full, ever-exciting life. This means more moments of happiness & passion. Big Dreams. Bigger realities. And always reaching beyond that fear for the next wild ride.

When I’m not working on your brand, I’m likely snuggling my husband and our new babe, Abel, or sunning at the cabin (between feeding, burping, diaper changes, laundry, and putting a sleepy baby to bed).

Katelyn Bloomquist | Midwest Home 

As editor of Midwest Home, Katelyn leads strategic content development across the print, digital, and social mediums of Minnesota’s only stand-alone, subscription-based home and garden publication. Her background in professional journalism, content marketing, and public relations elevates her ability to craft compelling editorial packages that best serve Midwest Home’s hundreds of thousands of loyal readers and followers.

When not writing, editing, planning the next issue, or scouting projects from the area’s best design-build professionals, one can find Katelyn (a Pisces, INTJ, and Enneagram 3w2) teaching dance, running her personal training business, or spending time with her husband.

Shayla Owodunni | Plant Penthouse 

After working in accounting, finance, IT Audit and Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) roles in Minneapolis and Seattle – Shayla was ready to build. By day, that ‘construction’ process led to Shayla founding and independently running a management consulting firm she’s named Corporate Carpentry Consulting. As the Managing Director, Shayla builds business process improvement strategies, provides blueprints for information privacy & compliance controls readiness and equips corporate retail and healthcare clients with the program management tools they need to measure twice and cut once.

By nights (and weekends) she is the creative concierge behind an interior decorating and lifestyle blog called The Plant Penthouse. Named by Minnesota Monthly as one of 2020’s best service offerings, Shayla shares her enthusiasm for plants, interior styling, and living vibrantly by contributing to The Jason Show, Twin Cities Live, Artful Living Magazine, ‘Mpls.St.Paul’ Magazine and Wit & Delight; with features by HGTV, HomeGoods, Apartment Therapy, Star Tribune and The Wall Street Journal.

Shehan Ghanchi | Tile Shop

Sarah Gould | Tile Shop

Sarah Gould is the social media and partnership coordinator for The Tile Shop. Raised in Wisconsin, Sarah moved to the Twin Cities for college and graduated with a marketing degree from the University of St. Thomas in 2020. In her role, Sarah quickly learned the importance of social media within the design industry and how crucial influencer partnerships are to The Tile Shop’s overall marketing strategy. Sarah is passionate about establishing and maintaining strong connections with partners in the industry and prides herself on harnessing relationships with designers to create engaging and meaningful content.

Brad Leavitt | A Finer Touch Construction 

Brad Leavitt is President and Founder of “A Finer Touch Construction” – a Scottsdale based luxury residential and commercial builder. AFT Construction, as known throughout the industry, is an award-winning construction firm and has been nationally published in magazines such as: Fine Home Building, Luxe Interiors and Design, and Professional Builder. Brad Leavitt is an energetic public speaker and ambassador for many national brands including Kohler, Pella, Subzero-Wolf, Cambria, Elkay and Post-it Notes. Brad completed a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from BYU in 2005 and worked on notable projects around Phoenix, including the Omni Montelucia in Paradise Valley.

His Podcast, “The AFT Construction Podcast”, is focused on bringing value to its listeners, no matter their industry. The topics are focused on marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, organization, building science and construction. AFT has continued to exceed industry standards and create strong client relationships based on integrity, reliability and quality. Brad is married to Ashley Leavitt. Together, they have 6 children, 5 girls and 1 boy. Brad is active with all 6 of his children, serves in his local community, and loves all sports

Brad & Heather Fox | Fox Homes

As seen on, HGTV’s Stay or Sell and HGTV’s Should I stay or Go?

For 15 years, Brad and Heather have combined their real estate knowledge and design skills to help families find, renovate or build their dream homes. They specialize in keeping people in their favorite neighborhoods and renovating to better fit their changing lifestyles and needs. Over the years, Brad has navigated real estate in nearly every neighborhood in the Twin Cities and can easily spot a home with potential. Heather specializes in design and can stretch even a modest budget into a fresh new look.

Together, they own and operate Fox Homes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is a full-service real estate company offering realty services, design and full-scale renovations, a true one-stop shop with a full staff of realtors and designers, along with a full functioning renovation company and a home decor shop which opened in 2019. They complete an average of 15 large scale renovations per year for clients and also do approximately 4 personal flips a year.

Brad and Heather have been married for 14 years and have two young sons. On the weekends Brad is in a band called Farewell Milwaukee. Heather is a lover of all things design and is constantly creating along with her sons. Brad and Heather also run vacation rental homes and enjoy taking on new challenges. They closed on their first home the day before their wedding and haven’t stopped since! 

Giveaways & Sponsors

Tile Shop

The country’s premier destination for tile and stone, The Tile Shop has a network of over 140 stores throughout the U.S. They offer a distinct assortment of more than 6,000 quality tile and natural stone selections with coordinating trim and accessory pieces, as well as industry-leading installation products, design expertise, and unmatched customer service.

To see The Tile Shop’s entire product assortment, learn more about our Exclusive Trade Benefits and Pro Rewards, or set up a free design consultation, visit Tileshop.com.

Elkay

Elkay is an American-owned and operated manufacturer of sinks, faucets, bottle filling stations, drinking fountains, and foodservice products. Elkay products are at the heart of life’s moments. From the farmhouse sink in your kitchen to the bottle filler in your gym, to the water fountain in your local park – there’s a good chance That’s Elkay. Elkay is proud to be sponsoring BizCom 2021!

Cambria

Cambria is a producer of engineered quartz surfaces in the United States. It is located in Le Sueur, Minnesota, with additional facilities throughout the United States, and in Ontario, Canada. 

Cambria is the leading producer of American-made quartz surfaces and is a family-owned company. Cambria’s innovative designs are stain-resistant, nonabsorbent, strong, safe, maintenance-free, easy to care for, and backed by a transferable Full Lifetime Warranty. Cambria is sold through an exclusive network of premium, independent specialty retail and trade partners that can be identified at CambriaUSA.com.

Bethany Nelson Real Estate Group

The Bethany Nelson Real Estate Group is also one of our sponsors and will be providing a giveaway, so stay tuned for that! 

Bethany Nelson Real Estate Group licensed with Keller Williams Realty Elite in Minnesota is a top real estate team passionate about empowering the dream of homeownership & giving back to our communities. We love what we do! We look forward to seeing you soon for a night filled with breakouts, beverages, and the most creative people in Minnesota! 

Lissa & Nate

Our friends Lissa & Nate have such a fun jewelry shop! Morgan wears necklaces every day on her neck that Lissa and Nate made. We’re so excited to announce they will be giving away two $100 gift cards for those who attend Bizcom! More details to come. 

Flagship Bank

We couldn’t do life without these guys! From clients to our own personal home, they have us covered. And are also one of our great sponsors to make this evening the best. 

GRAB YOUR TICKET HERE