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Kate Stottlemyer '99: "Fulfilling the liberal arts curriculum taught me to try different things." |
When Randolph-Macon College alumna
Kate Stottlemyer ’99 looks around her classy, sassy, upscale home furnishings store, she sometimes cannot believe it is her creation. She opened Tweed near Richmond’s Short Pump Mall in 2004, and she currently serves as the vice president of operations.
Launching a thriving business in Richmond is something Stottlemyer never would have pictured herself doing when she arrived at Randolph-Macon College in the fall of 1995. “I was young and from New Jersey, and I didn’t know anyone,” she recalls. “Randolph-Macon helped me to discover and become the person I am today. My experiences gave me the confidence to take risks, and to strive for success while being able to handle failure along the way.”
To read more Alumni Success stories, click here.Stottlemyer forged together a skill set that prepared her to strike out on her own in business through the variety of classes that she took at R-MC. “I acquired a good blend of perspectives with an
arts management major and a strong liberal arts curriculum,” she says. “The
business and marketing classes I took have been helpful in everyday business at the store, and the arts courses have been essential in helping me to come up with creative ways to make the store look fresh and appealing.”
Being forced to step outside of her major is what Stottlemyer believes has made the difference in her education and her life. “Fulfilling the liberal arts curriculum taught me to try different things, which is critical when taking risks, trying to stay competitive, and dealing with a variety of people,” she says.
Stottlemyer also serves as vice president of the
Society of Alumni Board at R-MC. She and her husband Robb are the parents of two sons, John and Thomas.