Donna Pepper said that she never planned on being an entrepreneur, but the skills she learned at Parkland College gave her the basis of what she uses daily as owner and operator of One Week Boutique.
A graduate of Urbana High School, Donna started taking classes at Parkland in the evenings after work. Eventually she became a full-time student during the day and after graduating from Parkland, she transferred to the University of Illinois eventually earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Park & Recreation Management.
After college, Donna worked for the Peoria Park District and University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, Illinois, and then started her own business, “Rooms Renewed,” in Oklahoma from 2002 to 2006. In 2004 she started another company, One Week Boutique, Inc. in Champaign, Illinois. The One Week Boutique is the largest children’s consignment sale of its kind in the state of Illinois and just completed its 29th sale at the end of September. During a one week period, twice a year, the sales event has 400 consignors and 3,000 shopping customers. In 2005, Donna also started a similar sales event, Just Between Friends, Inc., as owner and operator in Oklahoma. She sold Just Between Friends when she and her family relocated to Michigan.
Donna’s most memorable moment was “My favorite class at Parkland was Interpersonal Communication taught by Kent Redmon. This class was invaluable during college but especially valuable as a business owner in dealing with staff, customers, media, and other business associates.”