Many thanks to Karen Fitzgerald and her Corporate Partner Committee for planning a very successful "Spotlight on Corporate Partners" meeting in March.  This is always our best-attended monthly meeting and this year was no exception.  It was very exciting to see people keep coming and coming and coming!  I hope you made some good connections, andI would love to hear any success stories about business that is generated as a result of this meeting.
 
Kudos to Liz Russell and the Micro-Lending Committee for bringing the NAWBO Capital Concepts, Inc. Fund to reality.  And, a very special "thank you" to JP Morgan Chase and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation for funding this new loan program.  The awarding of a $50,000 check from Chase at our March meeting marks the start of a very special member benefit – loans available up to the amount of $10,000.  This will fill the gap for many small businesses that need smaller amounts of money in order to grow. Congratulations to Suzi Berman, owner of D Media, for receiving the first loan from this fund.  I think Suzi will agree that NAWBO Creates Connections!
 
I moved my office last month after three years in the same location, and part of this process involved throwing away anything I didn’t want to move.  One afternoon, as I was seriously attacking this project, I found a small stack of business cards I had collected at different events.  Initially, I had intended to throw them all away, but took a few minutes to look through them and decided to keep them all.
 
I really didn’t give more thought to it, yet as I listened to our March speaker, I realized I kept those cards because I connected personally with the people who gave them to me.  Our speaker said networking is more than just handing out business cards--it is connecting with one another.  To do this, we must look beyond what someone can do for us and start thinking what we can do for them.  This is when networking starts to reap big rewards and really becomes fun.
 
You have a wonderful opportunity to have some fun and make some new connections and friends at our April Patio Networking Party.  Our thanks to Mary Ann and Sherry McKinley, owners of The Newsletter Company, for inviting us to their new office.  This is a great meeting to bring a friend to and introduce them to NAWBO.
 
See you there!
 
 
 
There is such a thing as a free lunch!
 
Congratulations to Barbara Bailey and Sue Vancil the winners of our “Newsletter Reading Contest” announced in the March newsletter.  They will receive a free attendance to a monthly meeting (with the exception of the Annual Luncheon).  Ladies, thank you for reading your NAWBO newsletter and for your comments about the newsletter, I am glad you are enjoying it!