Our chambers history started May 8, 2002 as the only Women’s Chamber in Nevada’s 150 year history and one of the three standalone (means not connected to a city any chambers), only State Chamber in Nevada and one of three Women’s State Chamber’s in the U.S.A. even today. Our chamber is not an affiliate trade organization so all monies paid for membership, sponsorship, advertising or donations stays right here in the state of Nevada to promote our programs, scholarships and grants to help our members and community.
The Women’s Chamber was founded by June Beland, (Entertainment Ind., Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and retired owner of ABC Publishing) a celebrity, entertainment & business publication company since 1977. She brings 40 years of ownership in the advertising, marketing and media world of magazine publishing. Some of her accomplishments included: Country Music Forum Magazine, Friar’s Club Magazine, Hollywood Report, Beverly Hills News, high end award programs and modeling school curriculum approved by the Post-Secondary education board of the state of California; She brought her publications to the chamber-Women in Power Magazine®, Chamber Monthly BusinessNews ®, WCCNV Member Registry®, ATHENA International Award Program® and Women’s Hall of Fame Program® and coming in 2016 Women in Entertainment Magazine.
As a resident of Nevada since 1994 she found out that women were not given the respect they deserved in the business model of Nevada. Women were also not given the resources, contacts, mentoring, inspiration, empowerment, nor leadership. Women had no place to go to get help rather for business or career to reach their goals.
June’s inspiration to guide on how to help women in Nevada was encouraged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in which she was a member. She reached out to them and asks what can I do to help women in Nevada? So they met with her for hours and became her mentor for business in Nevada. The U.S. Chamber encourage June to start a Women’s Chamber not a city but a State Chamber giving her the power she would need to have Nevada take women seriously in the business world. So the training began and long story short, here she is celebrating thirteen years in 2015 but along the way made history for the Women’s Chamber.
She was very fortunate in her life to have the best mentors in the world, “her parents,” who defiantly showed June you can do and be anything you want in life (poor or not). Her parents where poor but found joy and built their career in the music industry way back in the 1930’s, so what does that tell you? You too can do anything you want, if you put the hard work, time, investment and seek mentors to help with education (whatever level) along with getting resources, constructive networking and connections that you will need in your career or business.
Coming from big cities and a women business owner since 1977, June never worried about getting help as a woman, she found top women in her community that ended up as mentors for years. In Nevada when she established the Women’s Chamber, but found out she was not going to be popular in the political arena nor the corporate business community at first from 1994 to 2005, and their where not a lot of women’s groups available to stand behind her during that time. But she made some noise, than started to build relationships with the diversity departments of big business and the rest is history. Mrs. Beland’s whole goal was to give back to women and give them the support, encouragement and relationship building that they needed, plus financial leads, support, mentoring, empower, contacts and resources to start or grow their business or move into a career of their choice.
