West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 111

1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
1975 Hired as the
supervisor’s secretary at
Buckeye Hills Career Center
1977 Enrolled at
Rio Grande College
1982 Enrolled at West
Virginia State College
1984 Married husband, Loren
1985 Obtained a residential
real estate license
1986 Son, Zachary, was born
1987 Started career
at Manpower
1988 Son, Adam, was born
1991 Daughter, Carly, was born
1996 Moved to Boston, MA,
to run Manpower operations
remotely during Loren’s
cancer treatment
2011 Created The Strong-
Treister Family Foundation
2014 Named a YWCA Women
of Achievement Honoree
2017 Named a WVSU
Black and Gold Honoree
2020 Opened Manpower
Healthcare Staffing
“I have a plaque in my house that
say, ‘Home is not a place, it is a
feeling,’ and the Mountain State
has truly given me that.”
Although Strong-Treister has achieved
great success as a businesswoman, she
is no stranger to hardship. Her father
passed away when she was just 14 years
old, and she watched her mom raise
three children on her own. Years later, she
received news that her husband, Loren,
had a brain tumor.
“After 22 months of fighting and multiple
surgeries, he lost the battle,” she says.
“Then I was the young mother raising three
small children and running a business.”
With her grit, high energy and mental
toughness, Strong-Treister found the determination
to not only overcome this difficult
period in her life but to thrive during it.
“I had to prove that a female with young
children could do this,” she says. “I wanted
to show that a young businesswoman could
thrive while also raising children. I lost the
love of my life, my business partner, my
best friend, my husband and the father of
my children, but I didn’t lose my love of
life or my will to make it.”
Strong-Treister saw her time of grief
as an opportunity to teach her children
the importance of community service.
“I started The Strong-Treister Family
Foundation, Inc. when my husband passed
away so I could teach my children to give
back to the communities that have touched
our lives in one way or another,” she says.
The foundation has supported a variety of
organizations, causes and projects, including
the Loren A. Treister Soccer Field at
Cato Park; CAMC Cancer Center; Ronald
McDonald House Charities of Southern
West Virginia; Kanawha County Public
Library; YMCA of Kanawha Valley, Inc.;
Fund for the Arts West Virginia; and
Read Aloud West Virginia.
Strong-Treister also dedicates her time
to several other organizations. She currently
serves on the board of directors
for the Mountain State Young Presidents
Organization Gold Chapter, Association
of Manpower Franchise Owners, Federal
Reserve Bank of Richmond’s small business
roundtable, Mount west Foundation,
Boy Scouts of America Buckskin Council,
City Holding Company, Charleston Area
Alliance and WorkForce West Virginia.
Giving back to the community is important
to her, and she hopes to make a
difference with her business understanding,
leadership skills and life experiences.
“When it comes to board positions, I
need to know I can make a difference and
that my voice matters,” she says. “As for
giving, I want to make sure West Virginians
have the support and resources we had when
we were fighting my husband’s battle with
cancer. For instance, in the family room at
Hoops Family Children’s Hospital, I make
sure the families have a place to do laundry,
a microwave to fix soup and snacks to
enjoy on Christmas Eve because of the
lonely Christmases I spent at the hospital
with Loren. It is a little thing, but it makes
a huge difference.”
To Strong-Treister, West Virginia is
not only a great place to live, work and
raise a family, it also offers the feeling
of being home.
“Even though West Virginia gets its
fair share of negative publicity, I make
it a point to travel a lot and brag on the
beauty, low cost of living and people of
this wonderful state,” she says. “I have a
plaque in my house that says, ‘Home is not
a place, it is a feeling,’ and the Mountain
State has truly given me that.” •
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