Weekly News 

15 February 2010

From the keyboard of Lee Schearer,

Happy Birthday Chapel Hill Leads Group

Over the past 12 years many of our members have asked me just how this group started, by whom and why. This group started with a man named Bob Hopkins and included Steven Miller, Jim Casey and myself. We met in the bar area of the Chapel Hill Holiday Inn. The group was chartered by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. Although I was not the original facilitator, I was asked, 3 weeks into the meetings, to assume that task and to see what I could do with the group, as it did not appear to be going well. That was in mid February 1998. Through persistence of inviting business men and women we, Steven Miller, Jim Casey, Bob Hopkins and myself gradually worked on building our membership. We believed in the concept of what I call "old fashion marketing and business dealings" that is dealing with people that you trust and in whom you have faith. As a result of that belief and the dedication of our founders, the Chapel Hill Leads Group has grown beyond any expectations we could ever believed possible. And, through the years, our members have transformed our group into the premier business referral organization that it has become today. Happy Birthday, Chapel Hill Leads Group !.

Respectfully,

Lee Schearer

Calendar:
Weekly Meeting:
Our regularly scheduled weekly meeting will be held Wednesday morning at Extraordinary Ventures, Inc., 200 South Elliott Road, Chapel Hill 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 Washburn is a fee-only Certified Financial Planner. He guides his clients in optimizing their personal finances to help them achieve their personal and financial goals. Todd will share the benefits of working with a planner and how best to do that.
Speaker's Schedule for February / March 2010
24 February - Bill Carraway, Pre-Paid Legal
3 March - Anita Lynch, SeaMaster Cruises
10 March - Jeffery Howard, Attorney at Law
17 March - Artie Sprinczeles, Coffee News
24 March -
31 March - David Field, Carolina Home Mortgage

Keep It Simple - Attend the Leads Group meeting at least 50% of the time for 3 consecutive months. Ask Lou Umscheid to place you on the speakers schedule. Continue to attend at least 50% of the Leads Group meetings until your presentation. Continue to attend the Leads Group meeting to strengthen your new referral network.
Did You Know:
February is Town Planner’s Annual Food Drive
Just Two Cans! That’s all you need to support Town Planner Calendar’s 4th Annual Food Drive!! Did you know that the large quantities of food that are donated to food banks and food pantries during the November & December are mostly depleted by mid-January?! Let's build up their stock so that they can better serve those in need during this part of the year, too! No need to go shopping. If everyone goes to their pantry and takes out two cans of food, imagine the thousands of cans we could collect!! Bring your cans to the Chapel Hill Leads Group, drop off your donation at Extraordinary Ventures or visit http://townplanner.com/fooddrive for additional drop-off locations.
Retail Roundtable - 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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. The Retail Roundtable is open to Chamber members. Contact Gene Wolf, Great Earth Vitamins at Meadowmont at 919.338.8160 or Meg Branson, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce Programs and Communications Manager at 919.357.9977 for information regarding the Retail Roundtable.
Business After Hours - The ArtsCenter - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 18, 2010
The ArtsCenter will co-sponsor and host February's evening networking event. The ArtsCenter, located at 300 G East Main Street in Carrboro, is a community gathering place that nourishes the arts, creativity and community through education, performance and exhibition. Fidelity Bank, an independent bank, will co-sponsor this event. February's Non-profit Spotlight is The Boys and Girls Club of Eastern Piedmont (Orange County Unit). No registration required.

Contact Laura Morrison Member Relations Coordinator of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce at 919.357.9989 for information regarding the Business After Hours. Don't forget your business cards!
Women's Roundtable - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Molly Buckley, social media expert, will give a presentation on social media and business at February's Women's Roundtable. For more information on Molly, visit http://www.themollybuckley.com/contact/.

The Women's Roundtable meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, 104 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, 27514. Women's Roundtable membership is open to active Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce members. For additional information regarding the Women's Roundtable, contact Marcia Corprew of Town Planner at 919.491.9904, Barbara Jesse-Black of PTA Thrift Shop at 919.942.6565, Wendy Tanson of Re/Max Winning Edge at 919.971.7180, or Laura Morrison Member Relations Coordinator of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce at 919.357.9989 for information regarding the Women's Roundtable.
Networking In Your Neighborhood
Alamance Leads Group
The Alamance Leads Group (www.alamanceleads.com) meets every Monday at Mimi's Cafe, Alamance Crossing off I-40/I-85 at Exit 140, Burlington, 27215. Dick O'Donnell (dickodonnell@clearwire.net) with Cableless Solutions (919-760-5476) is the facilitator. The Alamance Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Apex Leads Group
The Apex Leads Group (www.apexleadsgroup.com) meets every Tuesday at Carrabba's Italian Grill, 1201 Haddon Hall Drive, Apex 27502. Barry & Ellen Sherrill (aimgrouptwo@yahoo.com) with AIM Group Two Promotional Products (919-387-7588) are the facilitators. The Apex Leads Group meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Breakfast Club
Just a reminder that the breakfast club is still meeting at 7:00am at the Weathervane Restaurant. Everyone is invited to share good conversation and a quick breakfast before our regular Leads Group meeting at our new location. This is one way that we can continue to support the management & staff that supported the Leads Group for such a long time.
Cary Leads Group
The Cary Leads Group (www.caryleadsgroup.com) meets Thursdays at the BNC, 649 Walnut Street, Cary 27511. Andy Siouville (919-363-7010) is the facilitator. The Cary Leads Group meet from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Chapel Hill Leads Group
The Chapel Hill Leads Group (www.chapelhillleads.com) meets every Wednesday at Extraordinary Ventures (www.extraordinaryventures.org), 200 South Elliott Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Lee Schearer (919-490-1922) with American Real Estate and Appraisal Company and Don Bonin (919-542-2446) with Town & Country Trader are the facilitators. The Chapel Hill Leads Group meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Chatham County Leads Group
The Chatham County Leads Group meets every Tuesday at Virlies Grill, 58 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312. Don Bonin (chathamcountylg@gmail.com) (919-542-0376) with Town & Country Trader  is the facilitator. The Chatham County Leads Group meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Durham Leads Group
The Durham Leads Group meets every Tuesday at Piper's Deli (www.pipersdeli.com), 3219 Old Chapel Hill Road, Durham, NC 27707. Randy Bernstein (Randy@etchNstitch.com) (919-732-3473) with Etch N Stitch and Jane Clark (Jane.A.Clark@EdwardJones.com) (919-419-1761) with Edward Jones Investments are the facilitators. The Durham Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Hillsborough Leads Group
The Hillsborough Leads Group (www.hillsboroughleads.net) meets every Thursday morning of each month at The Village Diner, 600 West King Street, Hillsborough, NC. Ned Parsons of Parson’s Business Solutions (919-493-0985) and Caryn Byrd of Comfort Assurance Group (919-259-6401) are the facilitators. The Hillsborough Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
Holly Springs Leads Group
Holly Springs Leads Group (hollyspringsleadsgroup.com) meets every Wednesday at Java Divine (www.javadivine.com) in the Bass Lake Shopping Center, 128 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs, NC. Wendy Harrington with Sidekick Communications (919-208-7484) and Barb Louis with PartyLite Gifts (919-772-9560) are the facilitators. The Holly Springs Leads Group 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 Stone Wolf Coffee, 8300 Health Park, Raleigh, NC. David Stoner with EnviroFix (919-847-5355) and Charlie Edinger with Second Chance Solutions (919-219-5264) are the facilitators. The North Raleigh Leads Group meet from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Northern Wake Leads Group
The Northern Wake Leads Group (www.northernwakeleads.com) meets every Tuesday morning at the Bottle & Bean, 929 Heritage Lake Road, Suite 600, Wake Forest, NC, 27587. Sue Robinson with 4-Minute Fitness/ Genetic Nutrition (919-570-0913) and Lisa Angell with Mary Kay Cosmetics (919-676-0451) are the facilitators. The Northern Wake Leads Group meet from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Western Wake Leads Group
Western Wake Leads Group (westernwakeleads.com) meets every Thursday morning at the BNC, 649 Walnut Street, Cary NC 27511. Bill Carraway with Pre-Paid Legal (919-605-4895) is the facilitator.  The cost will be $5 and includes breakfast. The Western Wake Leads Group meet from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. For further information click here: http://smallbiz.meetup.com/483/calendar/7054450/ or call the BNC at 919-342-5251.