Owner of Maison de Mings Credits SIC for Successful Start

Southeastern Illinois College is a school which many people are proud to call the launching pad for their careers. Amy Mings is such a person. Mings, a successful businessperson and Galatia native, began her education at SIC in 2002 as part of the summer honors program. From 2004 to 2006 she attended as a full-time student before transferring and beginning her career in the business world.

While at Southeastern, Mings was involved in activities such as Phi Beta Lambda business club, Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the Forensic Falcons speech team. All of her experiences at SIC helped move her toward a successful future.

“SIC provided me with real-life, practical experience and knowledge that helped me launch into a successful career path in accounting,” Mings said.

Upon transferring to University of Southern Indiana (USI), Mings joined multiple business skills teams and societies. Her resume includes the Institute of Management Accountants, the Indiana Certified Public Accountant Society’s accounting competition as well as speaking engagements for Beta Alpha Psi (an international honor organization) and USI’s Accounting Club.

After recounting her experiences, Mings said, “I believe all of these experiences would not have been possible without the firm foundation and knowledge I received at SIC.”

This “firm foundation and knowledge,” Mings explained came as a result of the care and expectations of SIC faculty.

“The quality of education I received at SIC was superb,” Mings said. “The faculty truly care about their students and wanted me to learn and succeed. I am so thankful that I chose SIC versus transferring immediately to a four-year university. I had time to decide what career path I would take while completing my general studies and cultivating the skills necessary to be successful.”

Mings’ resume is a testament to an attitude of determination and hard work. As a junior at USI, Mings was offered an internship at Harding, Shymanski & Company, P.S.C, a prestigious firm located in Evansville, Indiana.

“After my first summer internship, I received an offer of employment,” Mings said. “As a junior, this was very unheard of. I worked my way up to a manager position before leaving the firm to become a stay-at-home-mom in 2015.”

In March 2017, however, Mings began a new endeavor. She launched a small business with her husband, Mat, of which she is the owner and developer.

“Maison de Mings is a lifestyle brand founded by Mat and Amy (Oglesby) Mings, both originally from Galatia, Illinois,” Maison de Mings’ website states in their biography. “Maison is French for house, so the name of the business means the ‘House of Mings.’ Maison de Mings is a retailer of Vintage Paint by Jeanne d’Arc Living, a European luxury brand, and offers a collection of handmade items for the home.”

Mings’ goal has always been to provide quality products for those who have a passion similar to that of her and her husband.

“From the beginning, I wanted to create a cohesive brand that reflected our values, style, and love for all things French,” Mings said.

Maison de Mings started while the couple were living in Shiloh, Illinois. Starting this business, Mings said, was not as difficult as one might expect. Mings credits this to her background in accounting.

“Going from an idea to business was a fairly simple process for us with my accounting and consulting background,” Mings said. “I worked with a lot of small businesses throughout my career so I was able to register our business and get all the necessary documents completed within a few days. The most time consuming part of the process was product photography and creating our Instagram and Etsy accounts. From a business startup prospective, since we do not have a physical store or carry a large amount of inventory our risk was very low. Our business venture was self-funded.”

Looking back on her time at SIC, Mings remembers a part of her college life that stands above the rest.

“My fondest memories at SIC were participating on the speech team,” Mings said. “I loved the various travel opportunities available and I developed life-long friendships with several teammates. I’ll be forever grateful for my experiences as an SIC Forensic Falcon.”

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Written by SIC Student, Bailey Drone