Lift Division Lifts up Female Empowerment

Happy International Women’s Day From Lift Division in Columbia, Mo

To all of our gals out there, Happy International Women’s Day! Yes, it is your day and you should be celebrated for all your hard work, patience and female power you bring forth every day. It might feel like a man’s world, but we’re leveling the playing field. Sixty percent of the staff at Lift Division are women, and that’s not by chance. At Lift Division, we pride ourselves on placing women in prominent roles and empowering them to be their best professional and personal selves. How do we do that? Hear from the women themselves.

Candid Quotes from the Women at Lift Division

“Lift Division gives me the freedom to educate myself to ensure I am always growing my expertise.” Kelsey Blackman, Digital Marketing Director

“Simply being recognized and appreciated for my experience and talent has reignited a sense of excitement, passion and confidence in my career and professional goals.” Sarah Carnes, Creative Director

“Often, there’s this image of women competing with each other to survive and succeed in the workplace. For me, it’s been encouraging to walk into a business where women are the driving force. At Lift Division, we celebrate and merge our strengths and talents for clients, which helps drive the creativity behind our excellent work.” Kyla Phillips, Web & Graphic Designer + Photographer

“The women at Lift Division are intelligent, creative, funny and tremendous role models. They inspire me to think outside of the box and confidently present ideas for blogs, web content, or design work.” Sydney Bennet, Content Strategist

“I’ve never thought twice about being a woman here because it’s very normalized and inclusive. I’m surrounded by women who work their tails off; naturally, I want to emulate that!” Natalie MacIntosh, Content Strategist

“The moment I stepped foot into Lift Division I felt heard and appreciated for my talents. Lift has given me female role models to look up to right from the start and I am forever grateful and empowered as a working woman every day.” Molly Sullivan, Content Strategist 

According to AdAge, even though women may be getting hired at ad agencies, many of them feel like they’re still not heard. The industry publisher even refers to agencies as a “dude fest.” We get it, change takes time, but at Lift Division, we are always ahead of the game. That is why our Digital Marketing Director, Creative Director, Graphic Designer and Photographer are all women. We believe that women have the expertise, capability, strength, knowledge and communication skills to lead our team.

How Lift Division is Empowering Women in Columbia, MO

Oftentimes people view empowering women as to then to degrade men, but that couldn’t be further from the truth at Lift Division. “I believe equality is something we should fight for. However, I don’t see my male peers as competitors. I view them as experts and team members. As we work together, we’re able to overcome challenges and deliver for our clients. I’m so thankful our office culture allows for conversations around equality while empowering women and men to step into leadership roles,” Blackman said.

To empower the women at Lift Division, we first start with the atmosphere we create. Men are not viewed as competitors or obstacles, but rather team members we respect. Women at Lift Division feel this way because we make sure each person has a seat at the table and everyone’s thoughts and ideas are valued. Rusty Brett, Chief Executive Officer & Owner, and Jamie Stephens, Chief of Strategy & Co-Founder, have provided an “open door” policy for communication. Blackman believes that this helps Lift Division thrive as a company and makes room for both women and men to speak up about anything.

Unsurprisingly, Rusty Brett, Owner & CEO of Lift Division, is entirely behind hiring women at Lift and promoting them into positions of influence. “I was lucky enough to be raised by a strong and compassionate woman that deeply cared for others without a prejudice bone in her body. I learned the sport of tennis, which I am obsessed with to this day, from a woman who was my first real mentor. My first boss was a woman who was not only highly proficient in the workplace but could outwork everyone around her. Throughout my life, I’ve been blessed to be around strong, amazing women, and they have given me so much. Every day, I get to witness an amazing woman, my wife, who is the rock of our family. Honestly, hiring new talent for our agency without prejudice comes very naturally for me. When I want to add talent to our team, I make the best pick regardless of gender or race. And so far, the women are edging out the men,” Brett said.

Want to learn more about The Lift Division in Columbia, MO and how we operate as a team? Check out our about page and learn more about who we are as a company and the kinds of diverse individuals we are proud to call employees.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US 

Celebrating Each Other on International Women’s Day and Every Day

We celebrate the women at Lift Division because it creates confidence and eagerness toward personal and professional goals. “It’s one thing to be recognized, and quite another to be appreciated. When you put those two things together, it creates a sense of belonging and happiness,” Carnes said. We celebrate the women around us because we know they are talented, creative, full of potential and will help our clients succeed. This produces a balanced workplace environment of encouragement and enthusiasm. Who wouldn’t want to be a woman working at a company like that? Moreover, who wouldn’t want to be a client of a company like that? Female empowerment is top of mind at Lift Division and we plan to keep it that way.

To sum up International Women’s Day at Lift Division, “We work together, we grow together, we win together and we celebrate together." Carnes said.

By Sarah Carnes