Ashley Medina is a skilled connector. As a member of Lansing's "creative class," she has deep ties with artists, musicians and models. But she also knows psychologists, accountants and developers, and she’s bringing them all together with her new networking group, F.A.M.I.L.Y. (fashion, arts, music, image, lifestyle, young entrepreneurs).
Through F.A.M.I.L.Y., Medina aims to bring Lansing’s best and brightest together so they can help each other network, fine-tune ideas and products and become successful.
“It’s about getting exposure for all of us,” Medina says. Getting exposure includes multi-tasking—Medina recently suggested a F.A.M.I.L.Y. musician put an ad for another F.A.M.I.L.Y. member’s business on the back of his promo fliers—and creating double takes.
At night, F.A.M.I.L.Y. members relax at Medina's business, C.H.I.L.L. (Creating Hope in Lansing Lives). C.H.I.L.L. sits in one of Lansing’s hotspots at 603 E. Michigan Ave., it’s right next to Rum Runners in the Stadium District, and the late night jam sessions and dancing that can be seen from the street through Medina’s large front windows.
“It creates kind of that V.I.P. feeling,” she says. “We represent Lansing area’s best artists and entertainers.”
C.H.I.L.L. embodies every portion of F.A.M.I.L.Y. Through C.H.I.L.L., Medina offers her services as an image consultant, fashion designer, life coach and stylist.
“There’s so much going on in Lansing right now and I think we need to support that,” Medina says. “I want to promote going out and having a good time in Lansing.”
Medina hand picks her F.A.M.I.L.Y. members. Right now she has 75 members. Medina says she’d ideally like 150 to 200 F.A.M.I.L.Y. members.
Source: Ashley Medina, C.H.I.L.L.
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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