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President's Letter from Marguerite Harkness
Your leadership team has been busy bringing new programs and networking opportunities to our members. It’s up to YOU to take advantage of these to enhance your business success.
I encourage especially our new members, to attend different events, breakfast, lunches, dinner. You meet more people and gain more knowledge and contacts that way.
Pam Ryan, VP Membership, wants to help you bring in more members; her committee is hard at work continuing the wonderful legacy of last year’s committee. They plan an EXCITING year-end party at a FUN venue, for all NEW members and the members who invited them to NAWBO. This will be by invitation only, so you will want to bring your colleagues into NAWBO so you can all attend!
We know our members want business education topics and, always, more customers. The business environment is ever-changing, and some of the newer businesses understand new technologies that can be of help to the more established businesses. We learn from each other, in both directions.
Jen Corso, VP Education, has established a subject theme for each month; the more intimate breakfast and lunches build on the main topic presented by the dinner speaker.
Jen has relocated the Business Means Breakfast series, the first Tuesday each month, to a new location in Independence. February will begin a three-month series of financial topics presented by Corporate Partner Natalie Mowry of Merrill Lynch. We are reserving a larger room because we expect an overflow crowd for this series, so mark your calendars. Natalie wants to educate you so you are better prepared to make sound financial decisions that will improve your life.
The breakfasts are FREE to NAWBO members, and only $10 for nonmembers. Bagels and coffee are served. This is a good way to introduce prospective members to NAWBO.
Tina Hamrick is leading the new West Side lunch at Champps in Crocker Park (just south of the movie theaters) at noon on the first Thursday. Her intent is that each attendee presents her greatest need, and the group tries to help each other meet those needs.
The downtown lunch is fourth Thursday, at Dollar Bank in The Galleria, hosted by Corporate Partner Cynthia Gray McMeechan; the Akron lunch is second Thursday at Vaccaro’s Trattoria in Ghent. If one of these locations is good for you, check the NAWBO Calendar on the website and mark your calendar.
The lunches are Dutch Treat; at the Galleria, bring lunch in from the Food Court. They are an inexpensive way to network and create deeper friendships.
April will bring the WBENC (Women Business Enterprise National Council) Conference to Cleveland, emphasizing WBE certification, how to get it, and how to use it to get business contracts from larger corporations.
May begins the Business Accelerator Program, which is open to all NAWBO members; a 5-month intense hands-on educational program taught through webinars, in the privacy of your own office. When Chicago NAWBO instituted this program two years ago, HALF of their members signed up! This program will help you BUILD your business and take it to the next level.
NAWBO has lots to offer; you only have to participate!
Marguerite I. Harkness, CPA
President, NAWBO Cleveland, 2010-2011
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