Ambassador Spotlight: Carissa Bush

Businesswoman Carissa Bush brings something unique to her role as a Flint & Genesee Chamber Ambassador. As both the owner of Bush Financials and someone working in the community with the police department, she understands the power of business, and specifically the Chamber, from multiple angles. Like the outgoing, enthusiastic Ambassador she is, her reason for starting her own business informs her work with the Chamber and what she does in the community.

 

After a family tragedy brought the financial reality into view, Carissa understood something needed to change.

 

“I was a child when someone passed away in our family; we had to raise funds to put them to rest, you know, while dealing with grief,” she said. “I noticed that it wasn't just my family dealing with this; it was my community, and we weren't leaving any legacy to our loved ones, so that is why I started my business. I wanted to make an impact in my community. I wanted it to be known that, ‘hey, she can help you.’”

 

Why did you want to become an ambassador with the Flint & Genesee Chamber?

I love learning things about new businesses. I love being in the know. I'm a natural connector, so I like knowing about where to go to eat or where to have fun, and I'm naturally inclined to share that information with people I come into contact with. It could be a stranger in the grocery store, and we're talking about something, and I'm like, ‘oh, did you know?’ It just comes out naturally.

 

What do you like most about being a Chamber Ambassador?

I would say there's not an event or a day that's the same. I really like meeting different people at events. I like the core group of ambassadors. They are funny, witty, caring, and loving. It's like seeing an extended family member that you really like, like that favorite cousin or that auntie. That's how I feel when I get to events.

 

Can you tell us what you do?

I own and operate my own business, which is Bush Financials. So we do financial planning that focuses on insurance, and I meet with different individuals in the community who have planning needs. I also work for the City of Flint Police Department in the Criminal Sexual Conduct Unit under Detective Sergeant Mona Patterson, and I manage the grant finances to ensure we comply with our funder, the Department of Justice.

 

And why do you think being a member of the Chamber is so important for business?

Whatever the needs a business may have, the Chamber can quickly identify someone who has similar needs or someone who could help them grow in areas that might be a weakness. You don't know what you don't know, so it's great to be a member of the Chamber because you throw yourself out there, and you just talk to somebody who can point you in the right direction.