Doorway to Opportunity
Lyric Schnur, a 2009 graduate of Leadership Butler County, called her experience both an education and a doorway.
“Some highlights for me, even though I was born and raised in Butler, are finding the abundance of businesses in this area, from Saxonburg down to Cranberry and Slippery Rock,” said Schnur, noting as well the abundance of educational institutions in the area, including the Butler Vocational-Technical School, Headstart and Butler County Community College.
“I also just made some amazing connections both professionally and personally across the board,” said Schnur a vice president with the financial planning firm, Hefren-Tillotson.
“I'm proud of using this program as a steppingstone to some other programs that I can participate in,” Schnur said, citing her participation on the Butler County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and Women United, a women's program.
Schnur said Women United's “main objective is to inspire, encourage, uplift and motivate all women.”
“We have a mentoring program, community service outreach, a mentoring program with the junior high, and it's a networking opportunity,” she said.
Schnur, who graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a business degree, said her father, Richard McCandless, got her interested in Leadership Butler County.
“My father got wind of the program and suggested that I check it out and apply. I give him all the credit and he takes it,” said Schnur.
She said the favorite parts of her experience were “probably the team building and the evaluation where you do a little bit of self-exploration to learn to communicate with others.”
She also enjoyed “working together on the class project. It was small emergency kits distributed to elderly residents of the Housing Authority to use in case of a tornado, hurricane or power outage. Seeing the community donations was a highlight for me.”
What hasn't been as enjoyable for Schnur has been the past few months with the talk of federal fiscal cliffs and changes in national health insurance laws.
When asked what people should be doing in the face of political and market turmoil, Schnur said, “Probably two things: Stay disciplined, keep in mind your goals and objectives in the long haul.”
“Second, look for areas of opportunity. A temporary pullback can be good for the market because it sets a new resistance level and then provides a chance to look for opportunities in the market,” she said.It's been a busy time for Hefren-Tillotson, she said.“Planning is ever changing, whether it's changes in the tax code or Social Security,” said Schnur. “Life is dynamic and filled with life-changing events like the birth of a child or a grandchild or getting married or losing your job. You have to learn to roll with the punches,” she said.The firm is geared to the five facets of everyone's financial makeup, Schnur said: estate planning, insurance, investment, taxes and banking.“We make sure all facets are directed to the investor's goals and objectives,” said Schnur.The master plan process was created by the firm's founders, Art Hefren and Bill Tillotson, in 1948.Since then, the firm has expanded from its Pittsburgh headquarters to Butler, Wexford and the South Hills, she said.Just last fall, Schnur said, Hefren-Tillotson opened a Greensburg office and it hopes to expand its business in the Greensburg, Ligonier and Latrobe areas.“I'm actually looking to expand my team and would encourage them to participate in the (Leadership Butler County) program for the exposure to networking and knowledge of the area,” Schnur said.“We are still small enough. We're not a large wire house like Merrill Lynch, and we like it that way. We are quite comfortable being a regional firm. It's the hometown hello,” she said.
<B>Name:</B> Lyric Schnur<B>Age: </B>40<B>Address:</B> Renfrew<B>Family: </B>Husband, Curtis; son, Mac, 8; and daughter, Faith, 5<B>Job Title:</B> Vice president<B>Company: </B>Hefren-Tillotson<B>Company Address: </B>106 S. Main St., fourth floor<B>What it does:</B> Financial planning<B>Number of Employees: </B>14<B>LEADERSHIP IS:</B>“Leadership is trying to best relate to others through effective communication. It’s leading by example. It’s giving back to the community in which you live.”<B>INSPIRATION:</B>“Kim Fleming is the chairman of Hefren-Tillotson. She’s an inspiration to me. She is extremely philanthropic, intelligent and caring.”
