Kimberly Paxton-Hagner is a third-generation co-owner of Kwik Lok Corporation and the current Board Chair. She’s thrilled to be working with her two sisters to build on their father’s and grandfather’s legacy while they bring their vision for the family business to life. 15 years working as freelance graphic designer has taught Paxton-Hagner how much she loves shaping ideas into reality. Successfully drawing a client’s vision out into the world requires deep listening skills and patience. Paxton-Hagner’s favorite part is the trust and connection created in the process. Her love of this process is why she began volunteering with a non-profit called World Muse. A passion project for Paxton-Hagner, World Muse provides women and youth with the opportunity to discover their voice, connect with and build community, and find their unique way to bring positive change to the world. When the opportunity arrived to lead Kwik Lok, Paxton-Hagner immediately thought of ways she and her sisters could support the employees, their Kwik Lok Family, to become their best selves. Knowing businesses thrive when their employees feel valued and supported, she wanted to build on the connection and commitment that already existed at Kwik Lok. With a goal to go beyond good pay and benefits and create an exciting and fulfilling work experience, Kwik Lok provides its employees with opportunities to learn new skill sets, share ideas and build a better workplace, and make a positive impact in their community. Paxton-Hagner joined her company’s board in 2017. Knowing good governance is key to building a high functioning board, Paxton-Hagner completed governance and board courses from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education Program. After being elected Board Chair in 2021, Paxton-Hagner joined the Lodis Forum, which connects female Chairs or Vice-Chairs of private company boards. On-going education and interaction with other family business owners provides important tools Paxton-Hagner and her sisters use to maximize their business’s ability to do good while doing well.