Weekly News 
 
16 August 2010

From the keyboard of Lee Schearer,

Gratitude

Quite frequently you hear me speak about "Gratitude". It is described as "the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful".

I will always remember a small plaque that hung on the wall of my Grandmothers home. it read "I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no feet". I have had the wonderful experience of living long enough to appreciate the true pleasures of life, and one of the most valuable is that of having gratitude for so many things that surround me each and every day.

The existence and the experience of the Chapel Hill Leads Group is one such pleasure for which I have gratitude. Although it is a business referral group, it is also a social connection which is so lacking in our busy world. It is an opportunity to connect with each other in the most basic of ways, eye to eye, person to person, where the handshake or the hug cements a bonding, not only of our fellow business owners and entrepreneur's, but also in the most basic human connection. For this, the human connection, I have the greatest gratitude.

I hope to see you this Wednesday morning, with a smile on your face, a skip in your step and an attitude of gratitude for the life that you live.

I invite you to attend our meeting, this Wednesday morning. Please think about a fellow colleague or business owner, a client or a customer who could benefit from the members of the chapel Hill Leads Group, and we could benefit from them as well. Invite them to share the experience that has made this Leads Group the premier business referral group in the region.

Respectfully,

Lee Schearer

Calendar:

Weekly Meeting

EXPO OPPORTUNITIES - Each week arrangements have been made for you to show your products. Two (2) tables available for this "mini-expo". Do not miss the opportunity to display your wares so that your fellow Leads members can see what it is you sell!

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

I am a U.S. Navy veteran and now own a custom sign manufacturing company called Visual Advantage Signs. We are located in Cary and serve the Triangle area and beyond. Signage is a huge topic so I will concentrate on one small portion in my talk on Wednesday. My talk will consist of "Why should people come to Visual Advantage Signs and what makes us different from all of the other sign shops?"

Speaker's Schedule for  August/September 2010

25 August - Peggy Lacey, Nikken Total Wellness Company
1 September - Lou Umscheid, Colon Health Center
8 September - Open Meeting
15 September - Dr. Lane Anderson, The Anderson Center for Marriage & Family Therapy
22 September - John Bierling, Up With Health
29 September - Tom Lacey, SendOutCards

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:

Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening of White Cross CPU Station - 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., Monday, 16 August, 2010

Come for the 11:00 a.m. Ribbon Cutting ceremony and Grand Opening of the White Cross CPU Station with the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce and stay for the FREE Hot Dog Social at 11:30 a.m. and Pickin' on the Porch with Joe Snipes and Vintage Blue. Harry's Market is located at 3300 NC Highway 54 West, Chapel Hill. Door prizes FREE balloons and more ...

This event is brought to you by Great Earth Vitamins, Artchix in the Stix, Stone Services, Inc., Fiesta Grill, Curves Carrboro, NC, White Cross Shell, The Inflatables, Playhouse Preschool. Sturdivant Tire, One American Writer, The Bagged Lunch Company, Alamance Regional Medical Center, Integrated Reflexology - Claire Marie Miller, Community Horse Connection.

Retail Roundtable - 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, 17 August, 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 White Cross 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.

Women's Roundtable - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, 24 August, 2010

Sharon Hill, a Certified Etiquette Trainer and president of Sharon Hill International, will help us Pump Up Our Professionalism by speaking to us on making a great first impression by perfecting our winning handshakes, showing the power & techniques of eye contact and small talk, as well as how to properly exchange business cards. 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.

Business After Hours at Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center - 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, 26 August, 2010

Business After Hours is the Fourth Thursday in August. Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, located at 203 W. Main Street in Carrboro, will host and sponsor August’s monthly evening networking event. Parking for the After Hours will be available in the PTA Thrift Shop lot, at 205 W. Main Street, and at Carrboro Town Hall. If folks park at Town Hall, a Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center shuttle will run them to the event. Parking attendants will be on hand at the event to help direct people to parking spots. The Non-Profit Spotlight will be Green Plus. No registration required. Don’t forget your business cards!

Networking In Your Neighborhood

There are several other Triangle Area Leads Groups available. These groups meet on different days of the week and at different times of the day. They provide the business person a more focused access to the local market. Try one of these other area leads groups soon.