206 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine FOUNDER, HELP SOLDIERS INC. FOUNDER, OPERATION: KEY WEST Wallingford, PA ENTREPRENEURS Leveraging more than three decades of professional experience, Malinda J. Largent has cultivated a career of excellence as a business owner in the arts industry. Since 2014, she has operated as the owner of Golden GiGi Ceramics, a family-owned ceramic shop with locations in Pearisburg, Virginia, and North Canton, Ohio, where she supports various business operations and teaches students in crafting ceramics. Adjacent to her primary vocational duties, Ms. Largent has also worked as a verification fraud specialist for Summit Racing Equipment. She anticipates retiring from this role in 2023. As part of her vocational journey, Ms. Largent pursued a formal education, completing two years of collegiate coursework in the field of education. Outside of her professional work in the field, she remains active as a civic-minded citizen, regularly donating funds to a Virginian cancer organization, as well as participating with Heaven’s Helping Hands and volunteering at the East Akron Cemetery. Looking toward the future, Ms. Largent hopes to establish another ceramic shop and continue helping others in both professional and personal capacities. OWNER Golden GiGi Ceramics Akron, OH With over four decades of experience to his credit, Jimmy McGonigle has cultivated a fulfilling career in philanthropy and entrepreneurship. In 2009, he founded Help Soldiers Inc., and in 2019, he founded its sister organization, Operation: Key West, along with the two former Surgeon Generals of the Army and Navy, respectively. Mr. McGonigle’s mission at OKW is to bring positivity and hope to military families of children who are diagnosed with lifethreatening illnesses. Through cooperation with military medical personnel, the family is offered uplifting gifts and contributions. Mr. McGonigle’s ultimate vision is to deliver a positive “smile package” to every military family with a critically-ill child. Mr. McGonigle earned a Master of Business Administration from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science in economics from Widener University. In the 1980s, he brought four companies public, all of which were tremendously successful during his tenure. He has enjoyed several milestones, but in particular, he cites his pride in finishing an audiobook, titled “No Place for Common Sense” (www.noplaceforcommonsense.com). Mr. McGonigle attributes his success to self-confidence – an attribute that his parents instilled that ultimately allowed him to experience the “American Dream.” JIMMY MCGONIGLE MALINDA J. LARGENT
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