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:::2006::: Chamber of Commerce Nevada  Charlie Palmer Group  |
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June L. Beland, Founder, President and CEO of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada. First and only Women’s State Chamber in Nevada History. June was born in Portland, Maine on June 19, 1945, and was raised mostly in Manchester, New Hampshire. She lived "on the road" traveling throughout half the United States with her parents, who were well known in the Country Western Music industry as "Lucky Smith and The Melody Rangers" and performed with all the late greats in Country Music for 33 years. When June was ten years old, her mother taught her how to design and sew their stage clothes, apply their stage makeup and fix their hair before each performance while June continued with her singing and dance lessons. Although very busy with the life her mother fashioned for her, June had a keen business mind and had her own aspirations. June secretly set her sights on a career in modeling and business. June married Norman Beland on May 9, 1964 at the age of 19 and she finally got the opportunity she had waited so long for. Norman financed her modeling training at the Barbizon School of Modeling in Boston, Massachusetts. Shortly after completing her studies, June became an instructor at the Barbizon Modeling School and Agency where she assisted other young women in achieving their personal and professional goals. A few years later, she managed to juggle a modeling career while attending school full time and graduated from Hesser Business College with a degree in Business Administration and Management in 1970. In 1977, after accumulating thirteen years of modeling experience and obtaining a teaching license from the Post Secondary Education Board of the State of California, June opened the Beland's Modeling School & Agency, Inc. in Northern California. Managing her business required a lot of knowledge, so she obtained continuing education in business, management, business administration, tax law, and human resources. In addition, while living in Beverly Hills, she attended a special study program every fall in Consumer/Business Law sponsored by the Beverly Hills Bar Association. June's entertainment background extends 59 years and includes a twenty-year modeling career during which time she learned how to produce her own television commercials, develop ad and print layouts, and how to purchase advertising. She managed advertising and marketing campaigns and bought radio, television and print ads for her Modeling School and Agency. In 1982, an editor friend talked her into starting her own country music magazine and she entered into her publishing career and her second business venture, the "Country Music Forum Magazine". The magazine started out as a bi-monthly tabloid magazine, building up to a monthly, professional four-color gloss magazine with distribution on a national level, available on newsstands and through subscriptions. In 1988, June was honored with the "Appreciation Award" from the California Country Music Association for exceptional achievement and outstanding contribution to the Country Music industry for her "Country Music Forum Magazine". June wishes to acknowledge her son's hard work and dedication to the magazine as a significant contributing factor to the magazine's success. During June's business ventures and careers, she managed to juggle the job of homemaker, wife and mother of two children, amazingly accomplishing all of her goals for family and career. Without the unconditional love and emotional support from her husband and children, June knows it would have been much more difficult to achieve her goals. She says, "My family made it easier for me to achieve all my goals, because of their love, support and belief in me that I could do it." Currently, June is happily married to her husband of 40 years, has two grown children, and one granddaughter. She belongs to several organizations in the entertainment, business and charitable arenas. Some of her favorite charities are: The Children's Miracle Network Telethon (her son was in hospitals much of his first eleven years); the MS Foundation (her mother was stricken with MS in 1951); the Cancer Society (both June and Norman lost many family members to cancer); and she worked with and supported L.I.F.E. (Life Is Feeding Everyone) with co-founders Dennis Weaver and Valerie Harper and currently serves on the Board of Advisers for "Variety" The Children's Charity of Southern Nevada. June has held positions on numerous committees throughout the years such as the Membership Board member of the Academy of Country Music, Communications Committee member of the Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industry, Committee Chairperson in charge of world-wide media coverage for The Hollywood Women's Press Club for the Golden Apple Awards and the Burt Reynolds Awards, Treasurer of The Hollywood Women's Press Club, and Communications and Award Committee member for Women In Film, while she found the time to judge numerous talent contests and pageants throughout her career. A partial list of organizations June is currently affiliated with is as follows: Academy of Country Music, The American Film Institute, National Association of Female Executives, National Publishers Association, National Writers Association, National Advertising Association, several Chambers of Commerce, Country Music Association, Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industry, The Entrepreneur Club (founder), Women In Film, "Variety" Children's Charity of Southern Nevada. June will always will be a woman entrepreneur, her business ventures include: ABC Publishing. owner; Woman's Chamber of Commerce of Nevada, Founder and book author of the "Who's Who in the World of Business and the "Celebrity Contact and Research Journal" and Celebrity Contact Service (now in it's 13th year). June attributes her publishing success to her own woman mentor, Ms. Tichi Wilkerson-Kassel, former owner of the "Hollywood Reporter" for 65 years and founder of "Women In Film". She gave June the support and guidance she needed to forge ahead with her goals in the business and publishing world. June made a promise to Tichi that when she reached a place in her career where she was able to give back to the businesswomen in her community that she would do so. Today that is exactly what June is doing, helping other women achieve their career goals in business, society, community and The Arts, and entertainment industries. Women's Chamber of Commerce of Nevada 3690 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 202 Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.733.3955 702.733.1172 Fax |
