Entrepreneur Confidential

THE TALK

Beth, Melissa and Holly will host a round table discussion of the techniques, best-practices and traps in building and scaling a successful small business from scratch.

THE BACK STORY

Beth Genter, Founder and President, Schenley Capital more...

Beth was fascinated by the gap in honest, conflict free advice delivered in a straightforward no jargon manner. It was also important to educate clients about the need for very diverse portfolios and the reduction of risk in a portfolio. She also discovered that individuals would benefit from education in estate planning techniques and taking a total view of their financial picture. After meeting with several Institutional and non-profit clients, it was clear that they were unable to keep up with their fiduciary responsibility of maintaining efficient and diverse portfolios. It was clear that consistent, long term professional advice is required to smooth out the revolving door aspect of the volunteer board members.

Prior to founding Schenley Beth directed the investment selections for her family’s investment company. She invested directly in the public, private markets, oil & gas and real estate. Previously she worked for Merrill Lynch in Pittsburgh and New York. Beth actively engages public speaking for non-profit investment committees and large groups.Formerly, Beth was the Chairman of the Audit Committee and on the Executive Committee at The Ellis School and served on the board at large for sixteen years. Formerly, on the Board of the Pittsburgh Symphony and she was the Chairman of the Soiree, the opening event of the PSO season. She served on the Executive Committee of the Carnegie Hero Commission for thirteen years. Beth is active in the Pittsburgh Financial Planning Association and the Estate Planning Council of Pittsburgh.

Beth holds a M.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan. She holds an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Duquesne University. She is currently a Registered Investment Advisor. In addition, she is a member of the Financial Planning Association.  She holds a Life Accident and Health Insurance license (LAH) in the State of Pennsylvania. Beth is also a certified Divorce Financial Analyst TM practitioner CDFA®.When not working at Schenley Beth enjoys playing tennis and skiing. She lives with her husband David and three daughters in Sewickley, PA.  Beth was recently featured in The Pittsburgh Foundation’s 2017 Forum “Charitable Giving by Design” and other publications such as the Pittsburgh Quarterly and the Pittsburgh Business Times.

Melissa Horvath, Owner, Designer and CEO, Sweet Water Decor more...

Melissa Horvath is the Owner and Designer for Pittsburgh, PA based company Sweet Water Decor. Grounded in motivation and positivity, she has set out to share what God has put in her heart through her journey in life as a wife, mom, friend, and business owner, in her first book: YOU GOT THIS!

Growing up, she loved designing, and could always be found in the stationery section of every store she went into. She'd always be saving motivational quotes and writing them in a notebook. She fell in love with retail at a young age and has worked in retail since she was 18 (both in stores and at corporate).

Melissa graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Minor in Marketing. From there she worked in the corporate world for Dick's Sporting Goods in Merchandising / Buying and went on to work as a Financial Analyst for FedEx Ground.

In December 2014, Melissa started her business, Sweet Water Decor, in her basement while still working in the corporate world. Nine months later, she took over Sweet Water Decor full time and has grown the business to having over 30 amazing employees. Named one of Amazon's Women Owned Businesses to watch in 2018, her hand lettered gifts and home decor have been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Bustle, PopSugar, Country Living Magazine, Brit+Co, Refinery29, and many more.

In the fall of 2017, she had a calling to create a gluten, lead, and phthalate free, high quality fragrance candle line. Today, it is one of their customer's favorite products and each of their candles is poured using US grown soy wax, in Pittsburgh, PA.

Along with their amazing growing team, her husband Christopher runs the warehouse and candle production side, while Melissa does the designing and oversees marketing and operations.

Her hand lettering has also been spotted in national stores from Hobby Lobby, Staples, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, HomeSense, Casetify, and more.

From their humble beginnings of making every mug, to now serving hundreds of thousands of customers and having their product in over 4,000 boutiques / shops around the world as well as national stores, their goal continues to be to motivate and inspire their customers to live their dreams!

Throughout Melissa's life, she has let God lead and wants to encourage others to do the same. Jeremiah 29:11 is her life motto and when she isn't designing or writing, you can find her sipping on decaf coffee while playing with her two little ones or finding a fun place to eat out for a date night with her husband.

C. Holly Wilbanks, Founder & Principal, The Wilbanks Consulting Group more...

Prior to starting The Wilbanks Consulting Group in 2015, Holly honed her expertise in leading organizations in the U.S. and abroad in the legal, human resources, and education industries. She has since worked closely with leaders across industries and business units on various people-centered strategies, programs, and projects. She is at her best when working with multiple leaders to identify patterns and gaps that emerge through people.​

The foundation for Holly’s coaching and consulting is the belief that everyone has unique value and skills. When combined with strengths, and a pulse on growth opportunities, the possibilities are endless. She coaches professionals and executives to pinpoint exactly makes them successful, while finding new ways to leverage those strengths, allowing Holly’s clients to develop new habits and strategies as their work and career demands shift over time. Her style is inquisitive, action-oriented, and often direct. This is what clients say makes Holly a truly impactful coach. ​

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Holly has a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America and is a Certified MBTI and CPI Practitioner. Holly is an Expert Contributor on CBS Pittsburgh’s Talk Pittsburgh television show where she discusses crucial topics related to career and employment through her regular segment, “Taking Care of Business.” She speaks at conferences and meetings about issues surrounding career and talent development.

Enjoy delicious tapas, drinks and live music while socializing with friends, neighbors and new acquaintances before each talk. The conversation continues afterwards with Allegheny's hand-made ice cream with toppings, cookies, coffee and tea.

This ticket entitles you to a Tapas Talks 2025 Speakers Series Season Subscription which includes admission to three engaging evenings at the Allegheny Country Club featuring a selection of delicious tapas, live music, cash bar, dessert, coffee and tea, complimentary valet parking and a lecture by these fascinating speakers:

Thursday, February 13, 2025

The Plastic Predicament:  How the plague of plastics is destroying our planet and our health

Randy Olson, acclaimed National Geographic Photographer and Environmental Activist

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Foul Deeds and Fair Balls: An insider’s view of a captured war criminal  and the saving grace of baseball

Will Bardenwerper, former Financier. US Army Infantry Officer, Pentagon Official, And now Author

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Entrepreneur Confidential: What it takes to scale a small business from scratch  

Beth Genter, Founder & President, Schenley Capital,

Melissa Horvath, Owner, Designer, & CEO Sweet Water Décor,

C. Holly Wilbanks, Founder & Principal, The Wilbanks Consulting Group

Time:  Tapas & Cash Bar - 6:00 PM 

• Speakers/Panel - 7:15-8:00 PM 

• Q&A – 8:00 – 8:15 PM

• Coffee & Dessert - 8:15-8:45 PM 

Place:  Allegheny Country Club, 250 Country Club Road Sewickley, PA  15143

For more information visit tapastalks.com

Your season subscription price includes admission to all three talks, food and valet parking.

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