Kim Cole has deep roots in Morgan County. A 1987 graduate of Martinsville High School, she has served as a paralegal, entrepreneur, and even realtor in the community and now plans to make a difference in her hometown as president of the Community Foundation of Morgan County.
Cole was elected to the position unanimously by the CFMC board this year, beginning her responsibilities at the end of May.
“I took on this role because of my community connections and commitment,” she stated. “My husband and I have been here most of our lives, we have put four children through the Martinsville school system, and we now have a 20-month-old grandson living in the community. He is the linchpin to my personal commitment to making this county a better place to live. And with my deep network of connections, I plan to grow our foundation through a wide array of new untapped donors.”
LITIGATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Cole graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a degree in English before beginning her career as a paralegal, primarily in litigation. She moved to Atlanta, Ga. in 2000 to work as a paralegal there, stepping down in 2004 after having her daughter, Bella. The family later moved back to Martinsville in 2010, purchasing the home in which Cole grew up.
Bella had been born with severe food allergies, which Cole said took central focus in much of their daily lives.
“When you have a child with food allergies, it kind of takes over your world,” she said. “She participated in soccer, among other things. I was the mom who brought the treats because she couldn’t have anything. Someone approached me about doing a cookbook, but my mom said, ‘why don’t you just make the food?’”
Cole started Allergy Free-Inc. in 2009 and marketed the brand, Isabella’s Best Baked Goods. Her products were all gluten, wheat, dairy, tree nut, and peanut free, targeting a customer base of allergy sufferers, vegans, and those observing a kosher diet. The products were even blessed by a Rabbi at the production site to be certified with the Parve symbol.
Isabella’s Best Baked Goods were distributed at many companies across the nation, including Riley Hospital for Children, Holiday World, Marsh Supermarkets, Great Wolf Lodge, Scotty’s Brewhouses, UNLV, University of Wisconsin, Centerplate Orlando, Piazza Produce, Indianapolis Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, and Whole Foods.
“That was a wonderful entrepreneurial experience,” Cole said. “When you make something in your kitchen, it is quite different than getting it into the stream of commerce. Besides all of the board of health requirements, then you get into the whole manufacturing world and all of the credentials that are required to be able to satisfy a niche market like the allergy community. It’s a very tedious process. I do think that experience in digging down and figuring stuff out is helpful to me here with the Community Foundation.”
Cole sold the business in 2016 and obtained her real estate license in 2017. Always drawn back into the legal sphere, she took a part-time position at Bray Bray & Bray in Martinsville in 2019 where she assisted with real estate cases, estate planning, and small civil litigation matters.
BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
When the position of president of CFMC became vacant, a board member contacted Cole to ask if she’d be interested in applying. She researched more about the foundation and what it does in the community before applying.
“I did think that with my business and legal background, entrepreneurial spirit, and my life-long connection with the community, I could be a strong candidate for the role,” she stated.
Cole admitted to feeling awed at the job description laid out before her but said that CFMC already has a fantastic board and a three-person staff which includes a finance manager, scholarship manager, and grants manager to support her transition.
“We’re excited to have Kim on board to bring more awareness to CFMC,” said Julie Fred, board chair. “We found her to be a great candidate for that. She is a leader who can relate to people. Kim knows a lot of people in the community. She can talk to just about anyone and somehow find something to relate to them. She can make people feel comfortable and find a way that they can relate to the community foundation and causes that interest them.”
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