Michell Fox Takes on CEO at Fenix
Fenix Fotography announces the elevation of Michelle Fox to the position of Chief Executive Officer.
To this role Ms. Fox brings a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from two decades in the trenches of corporate America. The WKU graduate started out managing corporate office operations, assisting chief executives, oversaw large commercial construction projects and even landed her employer a Fortune 50 client. But her career really took off when she joined boutique financial services consulting firm, John M. Floyd and Associates. At JMFA, Fox quickly became a top-tier performer and leading sales associate, creating and managing relationships with the leaders of banks and credit unions throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England states. She attributes her success in that role to “servicing clients, and getting them what they needed to succeed. That’s what sales really is.”
Fox left that corporate career for entrepreneurship, joining her partner-in-life and studio-founder, Ryan Sumner, at Fenix Fotography in 2019. When the Pandemic hit, Fox and Sumner used the lockdown to plan and then dug in their heels to capitalize on the opportunities presented by remote work, job-hopping during “The Great Resignation,” and businesses’ new visual communication needs. While Sumner made the photographs, Fox immediately took charge of client relationships and improving systems such as streamlining booking and client deliveries. When most small businesses were cutting expenses during a high-risk time, it was Fox who boldly chose to grow the company’s staff, shifting the typical photo studio business to a small team model.
On charting the company’s course for beyond 2024, Fox says she’s looking forward to further enhancing the studio’s boutique-level of service and the high-end product offerings, as well as moving in new directions. Her new staff is a core part of her strategy. “We’re poised for growth and I’m looking forward seeing what [team members] Aleigha and Marina bring to the table. We’ve moved into corporate video production, are tapping into new marketing strategies and have begun creating higher-volume solutions for conventions and offices implementing back-to-office initiatives.”
Fox has actually been involved with the enterprise since the very early days—from tolerating Sumner’s turning their shared Highland Mill loft into a portrait studio during the week while the road warrior traveled, to lending capital to the startup for upgrading early cameras. Though she loves to joke that she “has no idea how cameras work,” Fox has lugged plenty of photography gear, having assisted Sumner on dozens, if not hundreds, of sessions with. “She’s definitely paid her dues,” he says.