Benni Agency, in partnership with Rippling, recently hosted a Women in Business event at Kersey House in Downtown Summerville, South Carolina, bringing together women from across the Lowcountry business community for an evening centered on connection, education, and shared experience.
The event created an opportunity for local business owners and professionals to step away from their day-to-day work, meet others in the community, exchange ideas, and take part in conversations focused on building smarter, stronger, and more resilient businesses.
Along with a women-led panel discussion, the evening included professional networking, complimentary headshots, cocktails and appetizers, and raffles featuring prizes such as Beats headphones and gift cards.
Attendees at Benni Women in Business Event
Bringing Women in Business Together in Summerville
The event took place at Kersey House, a Southern bistro and event venue located at 117 W. Luke Avenue in Downtown Summerville. The historic setting provided a comfortable space for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professionals from different industries to connect in person.
Summerville is also home to Benni Agency’s main office at 225 S. Cedar St., Ste. A making the event especially meaningful for our team as part of the local business community. In addition to Summerville, Benni has locations in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston and serves employers throughout South Carolina.
The goal of the evening was simple: create a welcoming setting where women in business could meet one another, exchange experiences, and hear practical perspectives from other women working across the Lowcountry.
Emma Spickerman at Benni Agency, was one of the event hosts and helped welcome attendees and support the evening’s activities.
Women in Business Panel: Strategies That Strengthen Small Businesses
A central part of the event was the Women in Business Panel Session: Strategies That Strengthen Small Businesses, built around the theme of empowering women to build smarter, stronger, and more resilient businesses.
The panel brought together women from businesses based in Summerville and the greater Charleston area, giving attendees perspectives from leadership, marketing, publishing, and people operations.
Women in Business Panel Session: Strategies That Strengthen Small Businesses
Michelle “MO” Odom, MODOM Success LLC
Michelle “MO” Odom is the founder of MODOM Success LLC and a Leadership Experience Strategist based in the Charleston area. Her work focuses on helping growing organizations develop more consistent leadership practices, communication, accountability, and stronger workplace cultures.
Her perspective added a leadership-focused dimension to the panel, particularly for business owners managing teams and navigating growth.
Amber Ludeman, Matchstick Social
Amber Ludeman is Co-Founder and Brand Strategist at Matchstick Social, a Charleston-based marketing agency. Her work spans branding, content, digital marketing, and strategies designed to help businesses communicate more effectively with their audiences.
Her experience brought a marketing and brand-building perspective to the conversation around strengthening small businesses.
Jenna Lachenman, AZALEA Magazine
Jenna Lachenman is the Owner and Publisher of AZALEA Magazine, which is headquartered in Summerville and focuses on the people, culture, businesses, and stories of Summerville and the surrounding Lowcountry.
Her publishing experience added a strong local perspective to the panel and highlighted the importance of storytelling and community relationships in business.
Whitney Whitlock, WeThrive HR
Whitney Whitlock is the Founder and CEO of WeThrive HR, headquartered in Charleston. WeThrive HR works with growing businesses in areas such as HR strategy, company culture, recruiting, leadership development, compliance, and people operations.
Her experience brought the people and workplace side of business growth into the conversation, an area that becomes increasingly important as companies add employees and develop more formal systems.
Together, the panelists represented several of the challenges small businesses regularly work through: leadership, brand visibility, communication, people management, and sustainable growth.
More Than a Panel Discussion
The evening was designed to leave plenty of room for conversations outside the formal panel session.
Attendees were able to network with professionals from different industries, continue discussions raised during the panel, and make new connections within the Lowcountry business community.
Complimentary professional headshots gave guests an additional practical benefit, while cocktails and appetizers helped create a relaxed environment for conversation. Raffles, including Beats headphones and gift cards, added a fun element to the evening as well.
The combination of education and informal networking reflected what we wanted the event to accomplish: give local business owners and professionals useful opportunities to learn from one another while building relationships in person.
Supporting Small Businesses Beyond the Event
Supporting South Carolina businesses goes beyond hosting community events.
Benni Agency works with employers and business owners on the day-to-day issues that come with protecting a company, supporting employees, and managing growth. As an independent insurance broker, we help South Carolina businesses evaluate Employee Benefits and Commercial Insurance, compare coverage options, review renewals, support enrollment, and manage benefits administration throughout the year.
For employers building or reviewing a benefits program, our team can provide guidance around health insurance, voluntary benefits, Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRA), benefits administration technology, employee education, and ongoing benefits consulting. Benni also helps businesses evaluate commercial coverage such as general liability, workers’ compensation, commercial property, commercial auto, cyber liability, and other policies based on their operations and exposures.
With offices in Summerville, Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston, we work with businesses across the Lowcountry and throughout South Carolina.
Looking Ahead
We are grateful to Rippling for partnering with us to bring the Women in Business event to Kersey House, and to everyone who joined us and contributed to the evening.
We also appreciate Michelle Odom, Amber Ludeman, Jenna Lachenman and Whitney Whitlock for participating in the panel and sharing their professional perspectives with the group.
Benni Agency plans to continue creating opportunities where members of the Lowcountry business community can connect, learn, and build meaningful professional relationships.
If your business needs free help reviewing its Employee Benefits, Commercial Insurance, or benefits administration strategy, our team is available to discuss your current program and help you understand the options available to your organization.