“The company started getting a lot of recognition for what we were doing, and people began asking her, ‘Who does your social media?’” McKee said. “The referrals started coming in, I fell in love with the industry, and the rest is history!”

McKee is the owner of Kee Hart Marketing. What started as an unexpected introduction to the trades has developed into a passion for telling the stories behind family-owned businesses.

“So many people in the trades started with very little and have gone on to build incredible legacy and generational businesses,” she said.

For McKee, social media provides an opportunity to showcase the people, personalities and expertise that customers may not see through traditional advertising.

“We get to help businesses build trust before someone ever picks up the phone,” she said.

McKee is also passionate about highlighting the women helping shape the industry.

“Smart, powerful, ambitious women are building companies, leading teams, driving innovation, supporting their families, mentoring others and making a huge impact on the trades,” she said.

Her own entrepreneurial journey has included several milestones, from earning awards for client results to receiving testimonials about her team's impact. One achievement, however, carries particular significance: Kee Hart Marketing surpassing $1 million in annual revenue.

Back to the Next Gen ALL-STARS main page

“Knowing how few women-owned businesses ever reach that level made it about so much more than a number,” McKee said. “It represented what was possible — for me, for my team and hopefully for other women watching us build it.”

Her path there has been anything but conventional. McKee came from the restaurant industry, earned a degree in interior design and taught herself marketing and social media.

Outside of work, she's a wife and mother of two who loves traveling with her family — especially when the destination includes a beach!