ANGELA LUCAS

Angela Lucas and her husband Will have been business owners and leaders in Toledo for many years now running their marketing agency, Creadio and other endeavors. But the idea for TolHouse, a private social club has been brewing for 6 or 7 years just waiting to take shape.

“We were thinking, where do the creatives congregate in Toledo? Where does everybody come together to hang out, to network, to create, to be inspired, and we couldn’t really name a place that existed. So, we decided that when this building came up for sale, and we walked up the steps and we knew immediately that this was building to do it in. It was the right time and the right place.”

Q: What challenges she has faced as a woman in business?

“This just happened to me last week, a mentor of mine…said ‘Hey Angela, I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for this business panel, but there was a little bit of push back because they said they really want an entrepreneur.’ I thought well what am I? They asked for my husband because they wanted an entrepreneur…thankfully she went to bat for me and said ‘She is an entrepreneur and you do want her.’

I tell that story to say that…sometimes you have to fight for that title, even though you earned it, and you’re still a little bit overlooked for things. For women…it’s this illusion…that we make it look pretty…we do the simple things…and the men are doing the finances, the men are doing the hiring and the men are doing all of those “important” tasks, which is simply not true. So, when you see a woman and she is an entrepreneur, and her husband is an entrepreneur, but we’re going to choose her husband because he is the real entrepreneur. It is implied like that.

The challenge of being a woman entrepreneur is sometime you get those little digs from people who don’t know any better and that can really take you out if you let it. You have to constantly remind yourself of who you are and what you are and what you are building.”

Q: What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?

“It means to me that I have seen a need in the community and I have done something about it. For me it means being a visionary and not being afraid to take risks, it means working more that you want to work.

There has to be a purpose…it can’t be just because you are passionate about something or because you love something, it’s got to be bigger than that for it to succeed. So, who it is it serving? How long of a life does it have? What are you transforming? What vacancy are you filling? It has to check all of those boxes.

I am responsible for 12 families and 12 lives and so I have to show up and do what I do so that they can be successful in their lives. I don’t think people realize that it is a heavy task, You have no one to call when payroll is due but yourself…It is not for the faint of heart, but also I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Q: How does being a woman in business help you succeed?

“It’s open doors, right? It is people wanting to meet you, wanting to get to know you wanting to hear your story, and you get to pour into people you get to inspire people.

For me I always felt like Tolhouse should be a mirror, you should come in TolHouse and see yourself…you should come in here and say okay if they did something like this, then what creative idea or contribution to my city have I not done yet but always wanted to do.

I feel like I get way more support than my husband does, as far as sisterhood. I think women support each other in a way that men just don’t…I have had people surrounding me all the time supporting me, and that is such an advantage.”

Q: Although Tolhouse is a private social club, Angela and Will kept EARTH, the coffee shop and Lucille’s Jazz Lounge, a spot to hear live music weekly, open to the public for those who aren’t members to enjoy. We asked Angela what part Tolhouse has in making Toledo a better place to live, work and visit?

“When people come into Tolhouse…I can’t tell you how many times I heard ‘Oh my God I don’t feel like I’m in Toledo.’ For me, I am like, that is not good…coming into a spot like this in Toledo should be normal…I want to get us to that place.

We wanted to be a part of helping to make Toledo what it could be, so we invested all we had.

We are doing our part to make this city wonderful, to make this city a place where people want to come to visit, to make this a place where people’s children are not leaving as soon as they graduate…we want Toledo to be that place. And we are just doing our part to help that.”

AMBREA MIKOLAJCZYK

Ambrea was having a successful career as a pharmaceutical sales manager when she decided to take a leap of faith and pivot to real estate development and construction in 2017. 

“My husband Kevin and I had been renovating old, forgotten about houses and duplexes since 2006 and I kept having this feeling that I was suppossed to do more in this area. We had developed a unique skillset of breathing new life into structures and realized we could help others bring their vision to life as well and from there ARK Restoration & Construction was formed.”

Ambrea shared with us some of the challenges she has faced in her pursuits as a woman in business.

“I’ve faced a number of challenges I know for a fact my male counterparts in real estate and construction do not face. For example, when I started the business I thought it would be in our best interest to become a Certified Minority-Owned Business (MBE Minority Business Enterprise) through the State of Ohio, I believed having the certification would open us up to additional opportunities for funding, contracts and a chance to expand our network. 

I received the State Certification and it was the hardest process ever, but I did it.  When I filled out my local MBE application which is “reciprocal” to the state certification, I was interrogated and heavily scrutinized. The person in control of the process locally did not believe I was a legitimate business and launched an investigation into my company as if I was not telling the truth. Based on her own bias and stereotypes, she had a hard time understanding I was leading a team of masons, carpenters, painters and laborers. Luckily, her efforts were fruitless and the State found me not to be at fault, that I was in fact a legitimate company worthy of the certification.  She tried to undo everything I worked so hard to earn and I’m thankful for the ally’s who helped me advocate against this. The certification has been a huge factor into ARK’s success.”


Although there are many challenges still, Ambrea shared with us what advantages she had in developing ARK.

“Definitely the MBE/WBE (Woman Owned Business Enterprise) certifications has helped me access important resources that are usually not readily available for disadvantaged businesses. I do business via community, which means I get to know people and build friendships and relationships and as a result I have great customers who hire us again and again. ARK exists and is successful because of the love and support from The Toledo Region.”


We asked what does being an entrepreneur mean? 

“It is so very important for an ecosystem to have women entrepreneurs. Studies show women business owners give back to the community in a major way not only through job creation but through mentorship, philanthropic endeavors and investment. By doing business with a woman you elevate the entire community.”


Q: As the Toledo Region’s destination marketing organization, we aim to shine a light on Toledo and highlight businesses and entities that are making Toledo a better place to live, work and visit. Ambrea shared the significance of what Ark Restoration does for Toledo. 

“The work ARK does is integral to our community. We are pouring blood, sweat, tears and all the money we have into preserving Toledo’s architectural history, if we do not do it, who will? We are ensuring the viability of important structures throughout Northwest Ohio for hundreds of years and to look around and point out all of the buildings we restored is a very special feeling. We enhance the quality of neighborhoods, increase property values, save buildings, beautify our hometown and build for the future generations. I love my job!”

KATIE PETTEE

Katie is the proprietor of The Federal Inn, which is a self-proclaimed quirky historic home located in uptown Maumee, Ohio built in the Federal architectural style. She renovated this 1830s home and transformed it into a bed & breakfast that you can visit today.

Visiting guests are uniquely interested in the history of the home and those who lived there in the past. Katie shared about one such person, a woman named Miss Nell Nicks.

“She immigrated from Wales with her mother and brother…and they were orphaned shortly after they arrived. She got her culinary degree and she became a baker…she really made something out of nothing…she made a name for herself despite all odds…she was a single woman, received an education when she was in her 50s, so she has a later in life success story…when you put this into context, this is what really makes her story so magnificent.”

Katie was moved by Nell’s story and honored her significance to the house by naming one of the rooms at the Inn after her. Today, you can find Nell’s grave at Riverside Cemetery in Maumee.

We asked Katie what it has been like running her business at the Inn as a woman and she went on to share the some of her experiences.

“I am always very careful with sharing too much about myself because I don’t want people to discriminate against me because of my age or because I am a woman. I don’t want people to patronize me and condescend to me. When I open the front door and they see me and not an 80 year old inn keeper…people are really curious about how I got the house and how I did the renovations…people ask all the time ‘Are you the owner?’ ‘Is it just you?’ ‘Do you have a husband?’

For Women in entrepreneurship, there is almost this patronized version of it where we have to be boss babes and girl bosses…I just want my work ethic to speak for itself. I am just a business owner doing my job, just like everyone else.

Katie’s biggest challenges as a woman in business came when she started to renovate the inn.

“I had so many contractors in and out that were just wildly unprofessional…so many of them wouldn’t listen to me, I also had to raise my voice a few times…just to get my point across. When it comes to managing a bunch of men, It took a while to build up a repour with these guys so they would listen to me.”

Hearing of these challenges we then asked, what are the advantages? How does being a woman position you for success?

“Welcoming strangers into my home on a daily basis…as a woman being able to intuitively tap into people’s energies…that’s a hospitable experience that comes from women. People like staying in my inn more because of the warmth and compassion that I show.”

She also shared her thoughts on what entrepreneurship means and some advice for those looking to become business owners in the future.

“I think entrepreneurship is having grit…Its making judgement calls when you don’t know which choice is better, it’s being really scared and doing things anyways, its having confidence in something that you don’t know will work out, being prepared for the worst, adapting…there is no manager…all that responsibility is all you.

While none of those [her former jobs] were running an inn, I really think that growing the tough skin that all those jobs gave me is what gives me the drive to do this. For women in business, the one thing I want to say to them is…if you don’t already inherently have grit or you aren’t a problem solver go find yourself a shitty job, get yelled at by people…can you do it? That was the training I got for this.”

What Katie is doing for the tourism industry in Toledo is providing a highly curated and warm experience that guests can’t find in any hotel.

“I am inspired by small town flair…what I really am trying to hone in on are the people who are looking for an uncharted adventure…you can feel and act like a local…you get a taste of history and art…What I am trying to bring to the hospitality realm in Toledo, is a sort of new and old way to travel.

When you stay at an inn it really builds out a full 360 memory. I want people to be inspired when they stay at my house.

I want to contribute creativity to the hospitality industry. The tagline for The Federal Inn is An immersive stay for the modern sojourner”

CLAIRE CAMERON-RUETZ

Claire is the owner of Dollop Shop, a bakery located in the Cricket West Shopping Center specializing in scratch-made sweet treats, cocktails, and community events. Claire left her career as a doctor to spend more time with her family and baking was the first thing she had done in a long time that made her feel good. You can usually find Claire hanging out with her husband and son, or at Dollop Shop with her signature light-up-the-room smile greeting you as she bakes and dreams up new recipes, designs and cool and creative events to share with all of us. 

Q: How did Dollop Shop come to be?

“I really came to have this shop because I was surrounded by women who were really hell bent on lifting me up and pushing me forward, before I knew I was ready. I want to emphasize…I was unsure, but these very wise women around me were like ‘no, you are ready!’ I never forget that.

First it started when I was baking out of my house…it was my neighbor Jennifer who was like ‘This stuff is amazing you have got to sell it!’ That was the first time someone was telling me don’t sell yourself short on this.

The next was our neighbor in Cricket West, Margaret Penn, she owns Yogaja. She said to me ‘you know the space is open next door, I think you need to be in it.’ I was like ‘I don’t think anybody really wants me there,’ She was like ‘Well I already gave your information to the landlord.’

When I look at that moment…It was one of the few moments where I really looked at myself seriously. I have a business, I have talent, I have products to sell, and I deserve this. I put in hard work and will continue to put in hard work. Seeing a friend see me that way, put it in perspective for me…I am a businessperson.

The inspiration then, for how we executed it was, once we looked in the space and started imagining ourselves there…there was this huge upstairs space that wasn’t being used. It is so cool and cozy and fun to have this little…upstairs space where you can hideaway and have your sweets.

My husband was very into cocktails and we had always had this very far off dream of having a little dessert and cocktail shop…and we had this idea that maybe down the line we will get a liquor license and do that. So that is where the vision started.

I really loved the idea of having this very cozy space that felt like going over to your eccentric aunt’s house for a cup of tea, and just a place where you felt safe and where things were a little magical maybe.”

Q: What challenges have you encountered as a woman starting her own business?

“Well the restaurant industry in general is hugely dominated by men. But I think being taken seriously in general is a hurdle and it’s not always automatic for people which is frustrating.

The general response when people find out that I was a doctor…most women are like ‘wow that is so cool’ especially women. It hits women hard…they get it. A big turning point in my story that a lot of women identify with is that I had my son and my priorities completely shifted. There is so much more when you choose a career as a woman, than just choosing to work or not to work, it is an inherently motherly instinct to want to have a career for yourself that is also compatible with your way of life and it feels almost impossible.

So, for the most part I have had a great response, but every now and then the response that I get is a snide comment about ‘taking a pay cut’…or how it was a ‘waste of time and money that you spent on your education to then do this.’ And I don’t think anyone would say those things to a man.”

That was a big hurdle in leaving medicine. There is an expectation that I am supposed to feel lucky that I got the opportunity to go to medical school. In some respects, I was, but I also worked my ass off to get there, I did all of that work, nobody gave any part of that to me.”

Q: What advantages have you had as a woman in business?

“I think my customers really like the personal touch that I lend to everything I do, whether it is the decorating or making stuff. I like to make those one-on-one connections with customers. I have a huge advantage working with brides. I know exactly what they are going through. Brides nowadays…want to express themselves, and have unique things because they want the things at their wedding to reflect them. I have a big advantage there. Our brides become these long-term clients…they become regulars.

Women are the biggest purchasers of things like birthday cakes and stuff. It’s not just because women like sweets its because women are often in charge of that kind of task in their household. So, an advantage I have is I understand what they are looking for. I speak that language.”

Q: What does having a space like Dollop Shop for things like book clubs, tea parties, and social gatherings mean to the community?

“One of the things that I love about this place is that it has evolved. The events have become so popular. The first big events we started doing were tea parties. I thought there had to be a gimmick to get people to come. And my mom was like ‘have you ever considered that people might want to just come have tea?’

Every time we have a tea party it is sold out. The community is consistently showing me that they want new and exciting things here. That is one of the things I love in Toledo…people want to try new stuff. This is a cool place where people want to do cool stuff. I am here for it. It feels very exciting.

We are right here in Old Orchard and we get so many families in on weekends. It always touches me. I like that this is a place where people can connect, have a safe space, and have a place where they can relax. It is aesthetic, it is enjoyable, it is not just a place to purchase things.”

SIERRA ORTIZ

Sierra is the Associate Director at Women of Toledo (WOT) an organization with a mission to educate, engage, and empower the women of Northwest Ohio. She oversees expansion and development at Women of Toledo and supports their program staff with advocacy and mentorship, planning for International Women’s Day, National Equality Day, Multicultural Twilight Market, and He for She. Ensuring that they have the funding and partnerships in place to carry out Women of Toledo’s vision. 

Q: What brought you to your role at Women of Toledo?

“My grandparents were migrant workers. My grandpa is from Mexico, my grandma is from Texas. They were both Tomato pickers in Toledo. My mom is one of three…she is the first one to graduate from college and then she went on to get her master’s degree. She was a single mom raising me for a couple years, getting her masters, working hard. She has been titled a prolific Latinx leader. She is the CEO of a major behavioral health organization here in Toledo.

I always saw myself rooting for the underdog. From my grandparents to my mom, I see that marginalized, underrepresented and underserved minorities don’t have the platform, and sometimes also not the privilege to get done what they can do.

How do we bolster, how do we provide a platform, how do we showcase the talents, the intelligence, and the diverse skills that those populations have?”

In the pursuit of answering these questions and finding fulfillment in her work, Sierra has held positions at several organizations in the community such as Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, Adelante: The Latino Resource Center, Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center, Imagination Station, and serving on the board of Eberly Center for Women.

“All of these places are amazing institutions…this [Women of Toledo] is the fulfillment that I was looking for. I am out in the community, meeting with partners, talking about the amazing work that we are doing. I get to go to the programs, I get to be in the young women mentorship circles. I get to help plan and organize International Women’s Day…I get to help create this platform and this space for storytellers to share their lived experience.

The Multicultural Twilight Market with the BIPOC immigrant refugee women minority business owners, being able to give them a platform and showcase their talents, their skills, their businesses. That is so fulfilling!”

Q: What does the work that Women of Toledo is doing mean for the Toledo community?

“It means finding your sense of belonging. It means feeling included and welcomed. Nina [Women of Toledo Founder and Managing Director] noticed that when she went to networking events that people tended to all look alike. We aren’t taking away from the chambers, rotary groups, or BNIs. But we are creating a sense of inclusion and belonging for BIPOC, immigrant, refugee, and newcomer women.

We’ve created our He for She group, where men who want to show up as advocates for women in the workplace, marketplace, community, and family can talk about ways that they can provide a platform for the women who are already talented enough, experienced enough, that have the skills and the abilities but may have been looked past, time and time again.

When you are new to a city, a state, new to this country, and you didn’t know where else to find that sense of belonging…welcome home, we are here to welcome you and include you. We can help connect you to people that feel like your people.”

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges that Women of Toledo faces as a women-led organization?

“There’s a lot of them. DE&I is being swept under a rug right now, it was almost this fad, this trend, but Women of Toledo existed before corporations and businesses used the term Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

I am proud of the work that we do, but it is being tied into funding and opportunities that are no longer politically popular.

People are intimidated by what they don’t know. So, when we provide platforms for people to tell their stories, and those people don’t look like you, they don’t talk like you, they don’t dress like you, they have a story that is opposite of what you support. They feel threatened. They want to stick with the status quo.

We call ourselves disrupters. We don’t go into spaces and say ‘This needs to go or we are going to take over.’ We say ‘Hey I see you, if you want to join us, we are over here.’ But some people don’t want to join us…and they want us to stop doing what we are doing.”

Q: What advantages have you encountered being a woman in business?

“We rock, we are amazing! We know how to nurture, we know how to relate. We can go to somebody and empathize with them and understand what they are longing for. There is something about Women that we know how to do it all, and then we go home and make dinner, and share partnerships, take care of ourselves and our community. We are good at it all.

Another advantage that I personally have, I went to an all-girl high school, Notre Dame. So, I was just used to be in a classroom full of girls. I was able to share my opinion, express what I was feeling, not feel intimidated…So now I just take on the world, and when somebody shows sexism, I just look at them and say ‘Excuse me?!’ No! I’m talking. It is the advantage of being raised by strong women.”

KATE FINESKE

Kate is the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo and a Masters of Business Administration with a emphasis on non-profit business from Lourdes University. Kate joined the museum’s team in 2019, and quickly became a key member of the organization’s leadership—helping guide the mission forward through a period of unprecedented growth and change. In January 2024, she became the museum’s Executive Director, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s operations and furthering its new vision to become the place where all Great Lakes conversations happen. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, communications, and education, Kate is passionate about history, a strong advocate for arts and culture, and has served and supported numerous community boards including currently serving on the School Board for The Maritime Academy of Toledo.

Q: Tell us about your path to becoming the Executive Director at the National Museum of the Great Lakes and the challenges you faced along the way.

“Finding my role at the museum and coming to the museum feels like coming home to me.

What people may not know is I moved to Toledo to go to the University of Toledo in 1994 as an art major. I graduated with a degree in marketing, communications & graphic design with a concentration in music. I play the upright string bass and piano. I tell you this because arts and culture have always been a deep passion of mine.

I see challenges as learning opportunities that have made me who I am today. Parenting and motherhood were a really big challenge in my life as a leader. I took a step back for probably more than a decade from my career. My children taught me a ton about myself. They really did define who I am.

I started my career as a graphic artist for HART Inc. But when I got pregnant with my oldest who is now 21 years old, I worked close to 80 hours a week in advertising. I put 100% of everything I am into everything I do, and I just couldn’t see myself being a great professional and also being a great first-time mother. So when I decided to leave what they started to do was turn over a lot of their non-profit work to me. That is how I began my experience in non-profit work. I was a mother, it led me in that direction, and then parallel to that I joined a non-profit supporting local mothers.

What I realized was, you can take the professional work away from me but you can’t take my drive. I put my drive into motherhood and this organization that needed to be rebuilt. I took this organization from less than a dozen folks to over 100 people locally, which got the attention of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers. I became the Assistant Executive Director…that is really what provided me with more of my non-profit interest outside of marketing and communications.

I was hired to ultimately become the Vice President of Engagement and Brand Strategy at the United Way of Greater Toledo and during that time went back and got my MBA at Lourdes. It all helped me meld together all of my passions. So, motherhood was a huge challenge, but it also kind of led me to where I am today. And I really think it has made me a better leader.

I love landing at the museum and I really do believe and hope that this is my last step in my professional career. I feel like I’ve landed at home. It’s been just a wonderful opportunity to utilize all of my skills and bring them together for this incredible organization that has so much potential growth but also has deep rooted history. I am excited about that.”

Q: What are some advantages of being a woman in business?

“Other women! Other women have been what have really helped me to succeed. Being able to reach out to other women during transition to hear their experiences. It’s other women’s roles as leaders that have really helped to inspire and lift me up.

When I was a part of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers, one of the big training tools that we used was teaching mothers and women about how to have facilitated conversations and how to listen. I really did learn the power of listening, and I have learned so much from doing that. I don’t think that listening is a skill that you can single out just to women, but I learned it because of the women that I surrounded myself with.”

Q: What is your vision for the National Museum of the Great Lakes as you step into this new role and how will it impact the community?

“To get to that vision I want to take you back to how I found NMGL…I was looking for a space to have an event, and one of my colleagues said ‘you should check out this new museum in town.’ I said, The National Museum of the Great Lakes? What the heck is he talking about? I went over there and I was blown away! It is so much more than we understand, its incredible.

When the role came up, at the time they were looking for a communications and development director. I just saw the biggest opportunity. My three passions are arts and culture, education, and economic development. NMGL really felt like it pulled those three things together.

Toledo is here because of the role of the Great Lakes in our community and we have a deep-rooted history with the great lakes. I attended The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Conference in Cleveland. On the second day one of the premiers said ‘If the Great Lakes were a country, it would have the third largest economy in the world.’

All of the sudden it came to me! From economic conversations, to history conversations, to water quality and environmental conversations, to recreational conversations, this region is looking for a place to have those conversations. Why shouldn’t Toledo be that region, and why shouldn’t the National Museum of the Great Lakes be the place where those conversations are centered. I am excited about making that happen.

The fact that we are going to be breaking ground on a 5,000 sq ft. expansion this April…will allow us to be a bigger player in those conversations. We are going to have dedicated space for temporary exhibits. We will be able to have multiple large scale exhibits annually which will help bring more people to the museum. We are going to have dedicated space for Great Lakes community education at the museum. That is important because it allows us to bring those community, regional, and world-wide conversations our grounds.”