Weekly News 

11 February 2008

From the keyboard of Lee Schearer,

"Appreciation"

The dictionary defines this word appreciation as "Gratitude: thankful recognition".

Last week I was honored to receive a plaque demonstrating the appreciation of the members of the Chapel Hill Leads Group for my 10 years of service as the facilitator. I am deeply touched by both their generosity and their recognition of my efforts with regards to making this organization the premier referral group in not only the Triangle Region but perhaps in the state.

While I received this award, I consider myself the custodian of it for those members who contribute their time and efforts in making the group work so well. The success and longevity of this organization is a result of the combined efforts of dedication and support by and to its members not only to their individual business's but also to their support of their communities as well.

President Ronald Reagan often spoke of the "best of America is yet to come". I believe that with your continued support of the mission of the Chapel Hill Leads Group and its members, that the best of the Chapel Hill Leads Group is yet to come.

While I will be absent this coming Wednesday, I will be with you in spirit. I encourage you to invite a guest or colleague to witness the "spirit of success" and the "can do attitude" of the members of the Chapel Hill Leads Group.

Respectfully,

Lee Schearer

 Calendar:
Weekly Meeting:
Our regularly scheduled weekly meeting will be held Wednesday morning at the Weathervane Restaurant in University Mall from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Meeting Dues are $5.00 per week.  Place your business card and $1.00 in the Optional Drawing. One card will be selected and that person will receive the week's kitty. For Express Check-In, please arrive with a $5.00, a $1.00, and a business card and we will check you in. We greatly appreciate your bringing correct change. We cannot change large denomination bills ($10, $20, $50, etc.) and cannot accept checks.
This Week's Speaker:
Todd is the owner of Todd Washburn Solutions, an independent fee-only financial planning firm. He helps clients align their hopes, dreams, goals and values with their finances to prepare them personally as well as financially for the transition to their ideal life. He'll be speaking about an important component of this transition and how you can better prepare yourself for exploring what your ideal life will look like.
Speaker's Schedule for January 2008
February 20 - Paul Alexander, Home Improvement Consultants, Inc.
February 27 - Jen Rhoton, Jen Rhoton Designs, LLC
Did You Know:
New Chapel Hill Leads Group Attendees
John Allen - Capital Restoration
Martin & Rebecca McCorkle - Great Harvest Bread Company
Heber McMahon - Brinks Home Security
Wally Robertson - BDQ International
Virginia Sprague - Intrinsic Touch Massage Therapy
February Food Drive - Sponsored by the Town Planner
During the entire month of February, Town Planner will be collecting non-perishable food items to benefit the local agencies. Help make this year's food drive bigger than last year's!!!

The following is a suggested list of Food and Non-Food items being accepted by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.
Suggested Food Items
    (Please, No Glass Containers)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Canned Meals (Stews, Soups, Tuna, Ravioli, etc.).
    Pop-top cans a plus!
  • Canned Fruits and Vegetables.
  • Rice
  • Cereal
 		Suggested Non-Food Items
    (Please, No Glass Containers)
  • Paper products (Toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)
  • Hygiene Items (Toothpaste, Shaving items, soap, etc.).
  • Diapers and "Attends"
  • Elderly Nutrition Drinks ("Ensure")
  • Infant formula 
    Please - No loose jars of baby food as they will have to be discarded due to health regulations.

The following local businesses have volunteered to act as Food Drive collection stations.

Chapel Hill
     » Great Earth Vitamins @ Meadowmont, 608 Meadowmont Village Circle
     » Herndon State Farm, 1506 East Franklin Street, Suite 103
     » Market Street Books, 610 Market Street, Southern Village

Durham
     » Cartridge World @ Homestead Market, 105 West NC Highway 54, Suite 281
     » The UPS Store, 3825 South Roxboro Street, Suite 136
     » Cartridge World, 1804 North Pointe Drive

Need incentive?! When you drop off your donation, leave your name and phone number. You could win 4 tickets to your choice of a regular season Durham Bulls game.

About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that provides food for people in need in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. The Food Bank serves a network of more 880 partners agencies offering soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults. In fiscal 2005-2006, the Food Bank distributed more than 31.4 million pounds of food and non-food essentials to these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 440,000 struggle each day to provide enough food for their families. www.foodbankcenc.org.

Membership Committee Meeting - 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Membership Services Committee strategically plans the growth of the Chamber through building member loyalty retention and is responsible for the oversight and enhancement of the Chamber's membership programs and services.

The Membership Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce facility. Contact Diana Minta of A Better Image Printing or Tracy Hager for information regarding the Membership Services Committee.

Pumping up your Professionalism - A Chamber Seminar - 3 p.m., Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Pick up concrete tips to improve your professionalism in business interactions at the next Chamber Seminar. Sharon Hill, a Certified Etiquette Trainer and president of Sharon Hill International, will lead the seminar. Hill will discuss winning handshakes, the power of eye contact, secrets of small talk and giving and receiving business cards. The seminar will be held at the Chamber from 3 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, February 12. It is $15 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Register online at www.carolinachamber.org/events.
Non-Profit Roundtable - 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Non-Profit Roundtable is a forum for Executive Directors, managers and staff of Chamber members, non-profit organizations to exchange ideas, discuss common issues and challenges and share experiences.

The Non-Profit Roundtable meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce facility. Contact Tracy Hager for information regarding the Non-Profit Roundtable.

Retail Roundtable - 7:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The purpose of the Retail Roundtable is to bring Chamber members together for an exchange of ideas about a shared interests in a non-competitive environment. Members share stories of challenges, successes and day-to-day best practices to assist in the success of every member. The Retail Roundtable meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, 104 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, 27514. For additional information regarding the Retail Roundtable, contact Tracy Hager at 967 - 7075 or by email at thager@varolinachamber.org.
Business After Hours - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30pm, Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Chamber’s premiere monthly networking event, Business After Hours, will be held at the The Arts Center from 5:30 to 7:30pm on Thursday, February 21st. Business After Hours is sponsored by The Arts Center located at 300 East Main Street in Carrboro. Business After Hours is a monthly networking opportunity. Light refreshments are provided by the hosting organization and the event is open to all Chamber members. Don’t forget your business cards.
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina - Coming in April 2008
The Chapel Hill Leads Group will sponsor a Spring Food Drive, benefiting the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina sometime in April. Prepare today by accumulating your donations of  Food and Non-Food items. Try to set aside one hour to staff the collection table. If you cannot donate the time, a food / non-food item will gladly be accepted. Spread the word to your clients during this week. Let them know about the food drive. Perhaps you might collect items at your business and bring them to University Mall.

A big Thank You goes out to David Stoner of EnviroFix (www.killodors.com or (919) 847-5355) for initiating and overseeing this event. This is a great opportunity for the Leads Group in help those less fortunate. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce " Business Matters" will carry this announcement to all of the Chamber's members. The following is a suggested list of Food and Non-Food items being accepted by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

Suggested Food Items
    (Please, No Glass Containers)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Canned Meals (Stews, Soups, Tuna, Ravioli, etc.).
    Pop-top cans a plus!
  • Canned Fruits and Vegetables.
  • Rice
  • Cereal
 		Suggested Non-Food Items
    (Please, No Glass Containers)
  • Paper products (Toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)
  • Hygiene Items (Toothpaste, Shaving items, soap, etc.).
  • Diapers and "Attends"
  • Elderly Nutrition Drinks ("Ensure")
  • Infant formula 
    Please - No loose jars of baby food as they will have to be discarded due to health regulations.
About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that provides food for people in need in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. The Food Bank serves a network of more 880 partners agencies offering soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults. In fiscal 2005-2006, the Food Bank distributed more than 31.4 million pounds of food and non-food essentials to these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 440,000 struggle each day to provide enough food for their families. www.foodbankcenc.org.
Networking In Your Neighborhood
Apex Leads Group (New Location)
The Apex Leads Group (www.networkinginapex.com) meets every Tuesday at Carrabba's Italian Grill, 1201 Haddon Hall Drive, Apex 27502. Christine Rhyne Johnson of Mary Kay (919-386-0567) is the facilitator. They meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Cary Leads Group
The Cary Leads Group meets every Thursday at JavaBlu Espresso (www.javablu.com) in the Hemlock Plaza Shopping Center, 2974 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary, NC 27511. John Majernik of MannaTech (919-612-4170) is the facilitator. They meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Clayton Leads Group
The Clayton Leads Group meets every Wednesday at The Coffee Mill, 105 South Lombard Street, Clayton, NC. Bobby Whitley (bwhitley@jhnetwork,com) (919-719-3804) is the facilitator. They meet from 10:30 a.m.
Hillsborough Leads Group
The Hillsborough Leads Group meets the second and fourth Thursday morning of each month. Ned Parson of American Speedy Printing (493-0985) is the facilitator. They meet at the Occoneechee Steak House from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Holly Springs Leads Group
Holly Springs Leads Group meets every Wednesday at Java Divine (www.javadivine.com) in the Bass Lake Shopping Center, 128 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs, NC. Barb Petty of Melaleuca (919-662-5418) and Debbie Walter (919-303-1829) are the facilitators. They meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
North Raleigh Leads Group
The North Raleigh Leads Group (www.northraleighleads.com) meets every Monday morning at the Percolator Coffee, 5039 Falls of the Neuse Road, Raleigh 27609. David Stoner of EnviroFix (919-847-5355) and Charlie Edinger of Second Chance Solutions (919-219-5264) are the facilitators. They meet from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Pittsboro Business Women's Group [PBWG]
The Pittsboro Business Women's Group meets the first and third Tuesday morning of each month at the Chatham Mortgage, 76 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312. Janet Wyatt (542-4222 or pittsborobwg@hotmail.com) is the facilitator. They meet from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Western Wake Leads Group
Western Wake Leads Group meets Thursdays at the BNC in Cary beginning at 8:00AM. The BNC is located at 649 Walnut St. The cost will be $2 and will cover coffee and tea. For further information click here: http://smallbiz.meetup.com/483/calendar/7054450/ or call the BNC at 342-5251.