Ivy alumna named Woman Business Owner of the Year
For over 25 years, the Des Moines Business Record has recognized women who have made outstanding contributions to the community with the Women of Influence awards. The Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business sponsors the Woman Business Owner of the Year Award at the ceremony each year. This year, the winner just happened to be an Ivy alumna.
David Spalding, Raisbeck Endowed Dean, presented the award to Melissa Ness (‘00 accounting), founder and CEO of Connectify HR, Thursday evening, August 1.
During her time in school, Ness didn’t realize the need to be well-rounded in the business industry, but now that she is running her own business, the foundation laid at Iowa State University has helped her immensely.
“A great example is marketing,” Ness said. “As someone who wanted to study accounting, I didn’t realize the benefits of learning more about this function until I took the class. The well-rounded professors in the business classes helped me learn about areas of business that I didn’t realize I needed or was interested in.”
“I firmly believe that a business degree is key to many careers,” she said. “A business degree exposes us to different aspects of a business so we can be more well-rounded in our knowledge as we evolve throughout our careers.”
In addition to being CEO of Connectify HR, Ness is the chief culture officer, which means one of her top priorities is cultivating the company culture.
“I believe in the quote ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast,’ meaning any good strategy will fail without a culture the right people align with. I strive to provide a place where all are empowered to do their best work, take pride in their work, and feel valued in the process.”
To achieve this, Ness prioritizes one-on-one time with each team member to listen and understand with a focus on continual improvement, training and development, meaningful personalized recognition, and giving every team member a voice in company strategy.
