Marti Veto, President
A native of Somerset, KY, Marti Veto is a tenured veteran of Fortune 500 companies, having spent 18 years in the pharma/biotechnology industry. After attaining a BBA in Marketing in 1988, Marti was hired as a Professional Representative for Burroughs Wellcome Co. and began promoting medicine to health care providers in 42 Kentucky counties. In 1994, Marti was recruited by Genentech, Inc., a South San Francisco pioneer in the field of biotech medicine, which consistently ranks in the Top 10 Fortune 100 Best Places to Work in America. In thirteen years with the company, Marti’s career advancements provided a breadth and depth of experience which includes Sales, Sales Management, Sales Training, and Product Marketing in a host of therapeutic classes. Geographically speaking, Marti’s career path took her from Lexington, KY, to Philadelphia, PA, to Tampa, FL and finally to San Francisco, CA. “My best learning from all the relocations is the appreciation of diverse cultures and perspectives.” In 2007, Marti said, “Arrivederci!” to corporate life and moved to Franklin to be nearer to her friends and family. “What is meaningful to me now is to bring what I’ve learned to my new home community. This position with the Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce is a perfect fit for me.” Marti is a lover of people and of business and enjoys entertaining at her historic downtown Franklin home in her spare time.
Michele Smith, Office Coordinator
Michele is thrilled to join the Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce staff, where she can utilize so many aspects of her background. Michele studied Hotel, Travel, and Tourism at the University of Wisconsin Stout, and worked for several years in the industry. She met her husband while working on Hilton Head Island and will celebrate 20 years of marriage this summer. They lived in Rochester New York where Michele managed a hotel and was an adjunct teacher at a community college. They relocated to Atlanta where Michele worked as the Director of Training and Franchise Resources for a hotel development company. Michele and Doug have two wonderful children who enjoy life here in Nashville. They are often on the baseball field or at a ballet class during their free time.