Lehigh Valley Business has selected Lindsay Watson, Co-Founder of FIA NYC Employment as a 2023 Women of Influence recipient.
Women of Influence Awards honor high-achieving women for their career accomplishments. The honorees are selected based on their professional experience, community involvement and a commitment to mentoring.
Circle of Excellence honorees are women of longstanding, notable success in the community who are leading the way for other women. Women to Watch honors women leaders under the age of 35 who demonstrate outstanding professional accomplishments, community involvement and commitment to positive change.
To be eligible for the awards, the winners must live or work in the Greater Lehigh Valley region.
“This year’s Women of Influence are professionally successful and committed to making a difference, inspiring change and mentoring the next generation of leaders,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of Lehigh Valley Business/BridgeTower Media. “The Circle of Excellence honorees are trailblazers who have followed their dreams and passions, and they inspire and grow other strong women. The Women to Watch are on the move as the next generation of leaders in the Lehigh Valley. We are pleased to recognize these incredible women.”
The winners will be honored at a celebration on May 10 at DeSales University’s University Center, 2755 Station Road in Center Valley. A networking reception begins at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards celebration at 6 p.m.
Attendance is limited. Honorees and sponsors get the first chance to secure tables. Sponsorship includes a table for guests, multimedia marketing, an ad in the awards publication, logo usage and more. To secure a sponsorship, contact Suzanne Fischer-Huettner at shuettner@bridgetowermedia.com. The event hashtag is #LVBevents.
Winners will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted into the May 8 issue of Lehigh Valley Business and will be available online at LVB.com.
For more information and updated sponsorship information about Lehigh Valley Business’ 2023 Women of Influence, visit www.LVB.com.
About Lehigh Valley Business
Lehigh Valley Business is a multimedia news source with 37 years of journalistic excellence that breaks news daily on its website, LVB.com. It also publishes a print and online edition. In addition, Lehigh Valley Business publishes special focus sections and products throughout the year including Reader Rankings in addition to the yearly Book of Lists. It also hosts eight annual events, including Women of Influence, Icon Honors and Forty Under 40, to recognize excellence and provide leadership opportunities. Lehigh Valley Business facilitates thoughtful discussion with market leaders through its webinar series. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. Lehigh Valley Business and its sister publication, the Central Penn Business Journal, which covers business in Central Pennsylvania, are part of BridgeTower Media, the leading provider of B2B information, research, events and marketing solutions across more than 25 U.S. markets and industries.
We are thrilled to announce that FIA NYC Employment, a staffing agency that focuses on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in hiring candidates and matching them to client’s businesses, has been recognized with the prestigious 2022 Corporate Vision Magazine Award for Best Diversity-Focused Human Capital Staffing Consultancy for our commitment to DEI in the human capital staffing industry.
At FIA NYC Employment, we are committed to promoting DEI in all aspects of our business, especially in our staffing solutions. We understand that by fostering a culture of inclusivity and equity, we can make a real impact in our field by providing equal opportunities for candidates from diverse backgrounds and matching them to clients’ businesses that value DEI. This award is a validation of our efforts to our ongoing commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity in our community.
The award was presented by Corporate Vision, where FIA NYC Employment was recognized alongside other leading staffing and consulting businesses. We are honored to be recognized among such a distinguished group of companies and individuals.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our team, clients, partners, and everyone who has supported us along the way. This award is a testament to the quality of our work and the impact we are making in promoting DEI in human capital staffing.
We are committed to continuing our efforts to promote DEI in human capital solutions and we will continue to strive for excellence in matching the best diverse talent to clients’ businesses that value DEI.
Stay tuned for more updates from FIA NYC Employment.
For more information about FIA NYC Employment and our services, please visit our website at www.fianyc.com.
Contact:
Name: FIA NYC Employment
Phone: 866-519-4446
Email: DIVERSITY@fianyc.com
About FIA NYC Employment
FIA NYC Employment is an award-winning, 100% minority-owned staffing agency (MBE) headquartered in Lehigh Valley, PA. We specialize in diversity staffing and direct hire staffing for professional services, healthcare, and education roles across all industries. Founded in 2012, our vision is to provide quality staffing services to clients across the United States. Our motto “Corporate service with a personal approach”, reflects the drive and commitment to quality that we strive to deliver each day.
A toxic work environment can have a significant impact on our health and wellness. Career Coach and Co-Founder of FIA NYC Employment, Lindsay Watson, defines a toxic work environment as a place that creates continuous stress, makes you feel small or belittled, and gives you the sense of not being able to grow. If you find yourself in such a situation, it’s important to take steps to protect your health and well-being.
In this interview, Lindsay provides three options for those who find themselves in a toxic work environment:
Stay and implement change: Partner with your HR team to see if any changes can be made within the department.
Move departments: If the toxicity is related to the department, consider moving to a different department within the company.
Leave: If the situation is extremely toxic, it may be necessary to leave the company and find a new job.
To avoid getting into a toxic work environment in the first place, Lindsay suggests seeking advice from a coach, mentor, or someone you trust. If you see red flags, talk to someone about them and get their opinion. This can help you make a decision about whether to stay, move departments, or leave the company.
Additionally, it’s important to consider your own role in creating a toxic work environment. If you find that you are responsible for creating a toxic environment, take a moment to pause, get quiet, and talk to someone about it. Express your intention to change and ask for advice on how to do so. This will not only help improve your work environment, but also show your co-workers and peers that you are committed to creating a positive and healthy workplace.
If you need to make a complaint, experts advise documenting everything.
In conclusion, a toxic work environment can have a significant impact on our physical and mental health, and it is essential to take steps to avoid or escape it. From recognizing the signs of toxicity to seeking advice and support, it’s important to prioritize our well-being and take charge of our professional lives. Remember, you have three options – stay and try to make changes, move to a different department, or leave the company. No matter what, it is crucial to stay mindful, reflective and proactive in your approach. By taking these steps and creating a positive and healthy work environment, we can safeguard our health, improve our quality of life, and reach our full potential in our careers.
William D. Brown’s path from aspiring New York City manager and producer to co-founder of a successful staffing firm was anything but conventional or predictable, but his journey led him to the Lehigh Valley and he has never looked back.
“If you want to be somewhere that has all the big corporate fanfare and benefits of a big city, but a very family atmosphere and environment where you can actually grow and be seen, this is the place,” he said. “It’s the best of Wall Street and Main Street. That’s what I love about it.”
William D. Brown, CEO & Co-Founder of FIA NYC, began his career as a manager and producer who segued into the management side of the entertainment industry. He discovered the Lehigh Valley almost by accident, after purchasing a few properties in the region to fix up and later re-sell.
But as he explored his various entrepreneurial ventures, he quickly realized the Lehigh Valley was exactly where he wanted to be.
“The first thing the Lehigh Valley has over New York by a landslide is a support system,” Brown said. “It’s like that show Cheers: everybody knows your name. The Lehigh Valley is very supportive of its people, like a family. It’s a great environment if you want to grow.”
When Brown became a manager and producer for musical artists in New York, he discovered he loved the business side of music, and also believed strongly in treating the artist fairly. This passion put him onto an entrepreneurial path, and when William first came to the Lehigh Valley in 2009, he started an encryption and storage solution company called SeKur Technology, Inc.
William D. Brown’s 20 years of experience working in information technology, on Wall Street, and for global firms, coupled with his experience in the music industry, led to SeKur Technology being developed to prevent digital piracy.
This in turn led him to join the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s business incubation program. Brown quickly found in the Lehigh Valley a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem with plenty of resources and mentors to help startup companies grow and thrive.
“It’s a place where I can pick up the phone and call the CEO of a company and not have to go through a bunch of red tape,” he said. “That to me is something that makes the Lehigh Valley great. If you get a good reputation, everybody supports you, and that’s not something I was used to coming from New York City.”
As his business grew, William D. Brown called Lindsay Watson, a singer he mentored and worked on two albums with as a manager and producer. Like Brown, she also transitioned into the business side, and was working at a staffing agency in New York City, but Brown wanted her at his side in the Lehigh Valley.
He was so confident she would fall in love with the region, he offered to pay for six months of living expenses if she left the Big Apple and moved to the Lehigh Valley to work with him. She made the jump, and it’s a decision she didn’t regret.
While growing the tech company, Brown and Watson started a small staffing company as a “side thing” to help support it, but they quickly realized the staffing company was becoming the more profitable venture. They shifted their focus there, and 10 years later, FIA NYC is an award-winning, 100% minority-owned business providing staffing services to clients across the nation.
“With some staffing firms, it’s like a cattle call: they send you as many people as they can so hopefully you pick one, and that’s quantity over quality,” said Brown, who also founded 11Thirty Entertainment LLC as well as FIA NYC and SeKur Technology. “I decided I wouldn’t do that. I’d send quality. If I sent you people, you’d know they were the right people for you.”
William D. Brown still works on the production and management side of the entertainment industry, and also recently joined the Board of Directors for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, is a published book author, and is an expert speaker on the subject of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Brown said the Lehigh Valley has made great strides in the area of DEI, and while he feels there is still room for improvement, he believes the region could be a great leader in that area in the next 5 to 10 years if it stays on its current path.
“For this area to be growing the way it is and so progressive corporately, and still have that real family business, Main Street type of touch is huge,” Brown said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
