As we wrap up Women’s Herstory Month we would like to take a moment to shine a light on some of the amazing women that make edu Business Solutions a great company to work with and to work for. These ladies include edu employees and a couple of our wonderful Steering Committee Members.
Tonnia Strand
edu Business Solutions, CMO
As one of the founders of edu Business Solutions, Tonnia said her focus is on, “Ensuring that edu continues to provide existing customers with quality products and outstanding customer support. I am proud of the amazing people I get to work with every day to make this happen.”
As a mentor to many, Tonnia is grateful for also having had amazing mentors in her life who came in the form of former managers that provided her with opportunities to advance and take on more responsibilities helping her to continually grow both personally and professionally.
Her advice to emerging women leaders is, “Find something you love to do and then lead by example. Roll up your sleeves and get the job done and don’t worry about who gets the credit. Don’t be afraid to speak your truth and reach back and help others following in your footsteps.”
Her favorite thing to do in her free time is to be with her family and friends eating delicious food and drinking good wine. She also loves spending time with her miniature schnauzer, Oscar.
Tonnia’s favorite mantra to live by is, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated – maybe even better.”
Jane Yoshimura
Graphic Services, Desert Sands USD (DSUSD)
Jane has participated in the edu Steering Committee for 5+ years. Jane has prior experience in marketing, technical writing, print management and graphic design. She has managed the print shop at DSUSD since 2006. Jane was promoted to Director of Graphic Services in 2018.
Mentors that encouraged Jane and most influenced her are her Mother who raised her to be independent and to be anything she wanted to be and her former boss, John Gildner whose legacy at DSUSD still impacts her work life today.
Jane’s advice to emerging women leaders is, “Silence all the noise and believe in yourself.”
Like a true printer, Jane shared that her favorite color is “PMS 448C” but she loves all colors. During her free time Jane loves to put her toes in the sand, listen to the waves and read a good book.
Her favorite mantra to live by is, “Work hard and be kind.”
Leeann Raymond
edu Business Solutions, VP Operations & Sales
In her current position, Leeann oversees the daily operations and sales activities at edu.
Prior to working for edu, Leeann worked for its sister company, Business to Business Marketing while earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. She oversaw the lead generation calling team that was contracted to provide sales support to edu as well as some of the nation’s leading medical companies. In that role she learned a lot about edu’s product suite and was recruited to assist with sales and operations oversight for edu on a full-time basis.
Leeann said that one of the things that makes her most proud of working at edu is, ”We have a customer focus that is unmatched. Since our inception we have worked exclusively with in-plant print shops and copy centers. This has allowed us to acquire an in-depth understanding of the in-plant industry and tailor our solutions to address real operational concerns and solve our customer’s everyday challenges.”
One of Leeann’s biggest influencers/mentors is edu’s CMO, Tonnia Strand. Leeann shared, “Tonnia hired me fresh out of high school and taught me most of the things I know today about sales and marketing planning and management.” A fun fact shared by Leeann is Tonnia and Mike Strand are god parents to her 3 amazing daughters and future women leaders.
Leeann’s favorite color is purple. She says, “Purple symbolizes royalty, power and luxury and I have always loved the varying hues of purple.”
During her free time, Leeann loves to cook and share delicious meals with family and friends.
Her Favorite mantra to live by is “ALWAYS do what you say you’re going to do WHEN you say you’re going to do it!”
Corey Kucera
edu Business Solutions, Sales & Administrative Support Representative
Before working at edu Business Solutions, Corey worked in Human Resources for a law firm. She joined edu in a temporary capacity but transitioned to full-time in a sales support role for Print Shop Pro® and Design Conductor® over 7 years ago.
Corey shared, “I am proud of edu’s unique relationship with our customers. We listen to feedback and allow our customers to help guide us in making Print Shop Pro® and Design Conductor® better and better each day.”
Corey’s favorite color is green. In her free time, Corey loves to spend time with her two sons, Aiden (9) and Darin (14).
She shared, her favorite mantra to live by is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Danelle Sedore
Director GRCCePRINT, Grand Rapid Community College
Danelle has been with GRCCePRINT for 24 years. She stepped into the director position in 2009.
Prior to joining GRCCePRINT, Danelle worked for Spartan Food Stores in pre-press and printing.
When solving big problems as a leader she said she, “Looks at all of the facts, asks questions and outlines solutions through team collaboration before making a decision.”
Like Jane of DSUSD, Danelle named her favorite color as PMS 2153. During her spare time, Danelle enjoys repurposing things and making beautiful jewelry.
The biggest “AHA I GET IT!” moment in her life was when she began to understand the politics of business.
Danelle’s favorite mantra to live by is, “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”
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