Gina Simpson, CPC, ELI-MP

Young girls from rural Alabama aren’t destined to be CEOs. Rarely does the path from childhood to the C-Suite begin in small southern towns. That isn’t the case for Gina Simpson. Hailing from Winfield, Alabama a small town north of Tuscaloosa, she grew up in a modest home and went to the local public high school. Upon her graduation, her parents couldn’t afford to send her to college, but that didn’t stop her. Simpson decided to put herself through school, working various jobs to support her academic pursuits. Because of her busy work schedule, she was forced to take night classes. At the time, the University of Alabama only offered a degree in Management at night, so by default, that became her major.

​

During the day, Gina progressed through various sales jobs to eventually become the first woman in the Southeast to sell heavy construction equipment. Through this position, she developed her knowledge of the construction industry and formed meaningful connections. Gina also learned how to excel in fields not generally meant for women.

​

Throughout her undergraduate career, she met her husband, Mark, and they, along with partners, were able to found and grow Gilco Construction. This lit a fire inside Gina – a fire she didn’t want to put out and began Simpson’s career as a serial entrepreneur. 

​

After 11 years of ups and downs working her way through school, Gina graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Small Company Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Immediately following graduation, she began working for a PhD in Management at the University of Alabama. With a love for learning, she completed all of the coursework for both organizational behavior and strategy. While a graduate student, she had the opportunity to be a graduate teaching assistant and take on all responsibilities of preparing for and teaching college classes in management. She fell in love with teaching the moment she stepped into the classroom and has never stopped teaching.

Gina’s love for being an entrepreneur and also an educator resulted in her developing dual career paths simultaneously, one in entrepreneurship and one as a college educator.

While completing her PhD coursework, Gina realized she has a passion for founding and growing businesses. Gilco Construction provided her with more opportunities to open other ventures that she continued to develop with her husband. The one most visible and that gave her exposure in the community as an entrepreneur was her passion venture, a bicycle shop in downtown Tuscaloosa, VeloCity Pro Cycle.

​

While running this company and working to complete her PhD, Simpson had her first daughter, Della. Shortly thereafter, the Simpsons had their second daughter, Elise. Unfortunately, Elise was born sick, and after six months in the hospital, their second daughter never made it home. The shock of this loss took Gina down a path of grief that manifested itself as working more than she had been already. The next four years:

​

• Gina stepped away from graduate school and began working as a consultant for the West AL Chamber of Commerce helping to found and grow The EDGE Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a business incubator that supports students running their own businesses just like she had.

• Gina became an active member and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports.

• Gina was hired as CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports (TTS).

​

It’s no surprise that eventually, Gina’s grief and workaholic manner of dealing with it led to a burnout. This process of grief led her and her husband to take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and evaluate their priorities. Simpson realized that all the work she was doing to earn a PhD, run a business, be a consultant, and CEO was consuming her life and that she needed to spend more time with her family. They began selling off businesses and she left her position of CEO at TTS to make more time for family life. The Simpsons were fortunate to have the opportunity to adopt their third daughter, Mary Ellis. Through this time of reflection, healing and growth, she rediscovered her true love for teaching.

​

Simpson had taught at the University of Alabama as an adjunct professor continuously through her business ventures and career moves. This helped as she made the decision to slow down and return full time to the University of Alabama. Gina did not write a dissertation to complete her PhD as she decided researching is not the career path she wanted to pursue. Instead, she completed the coursework to obtain a master’s degree in marketing. Gina was hired by the University of Alabama to become a full-time clinical instructor to teach entrepreneurship. She is currently a Scholarly Practitioner and Senior Clinical Instructor teaching multiple Entrepreneurship classes. Her students learn how to develop business plans supported by empathy and strong team building skills. They build their own business plans, and if they are viable, Simpson will help them take the next steps to start their company.

​

Continuing her dual career path but in a more fulfilling and manageable manner, Gina became a certified professional coach and started Soluna Strategies, a private coaching and professional development firm that helps individuals and corporations to set and reach lofty goals.

Gina uses her entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of theory to develop experiential learning experiences that she uses both in the classroom and in her company. She is an award-winning instructor and her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.

​

Gina’s experience and education have shaped her life’s mantra – success is meant for everyone. It is not rocket science. If a girl from Winfield can do it, anyone can. Gina has a passion for growing things, most notably businesses, but her true passion is growing people. She is launching The Top UnderDog Podcast, a platform for telling stories of how those considered underdogs were able to overcome and become successful, proving her premise that success is meant for everyone.

Simpson’s entrepreneurial fire is burning as bright as ever, but now she has a greater understanding of how to manage the fire. She devotes her time to family and helping to grow others so that they can achieve success they desire. Gina believes the importance of family cannot be understated. Setting priorities is key to a healthy work-life balance, and one's family should be at the top of that list.