Women's Executive Club Newsletter June 2003

October 2003 Newsletter
Contents: October Luncheon From the Boardroom October Cannon Circle The Executive Grapevine Upcoming Luncheons and Board Meetings Cannon Circle Schedule WEC Mission Statement Book Club Profile: Ronnie Karlin WEC Board of Directors 2003-2004 President - Leigh Nickel President Elect - Dee Moustakas VP Corporate Records - Emily Rushin VP Finance - Jacqueline Powell VP Internal Involvement Toby Manke VP Membership - Carolyn Ernest-Jones Past President - Joyce Shore All contact information is available for WEC members on our Members Only website. If you are a member and you don't have a name and password, you can contact Chris Guld for more information. Upcoming Luncheons 11:30 am Riverside Hotel October 15, 2003 November 14, 2003 December 12, 2003 January 15, 2004 February 18, 2004 March 16, 2004 April 16, 2004 May 14, 2004 June 15, 2004 Upcoming Board Meetings 12 noon October 3, 2003 November 7, 2003 December 5, 2003 January 9, 2004 February 6, 2004 March 5, 2004 April 2, 2004 May 7, 2004 June 4, 2004	October Luncheon Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 Time: 11:30 Networking 12:00 Luncheon Program OCTOBER 15th PROGRAM: Prospective Members Luncheon As is traditional, October is the month for our Annual Membership Luncheon. It is at this event where we try to attract as many potential new members as possible. A few of our current members will speak about the club and what it has meant to them. So..send out those invitations you were given and let’s try to make this annual membership drive a big success! Luncheon Information: The Riverside Hotel 620 East Las Olas Blvd Fort Lauderdale Cost: Guest lunches are free for this Membership Program Menu: Coulbiac of Salmon Baked en Croute with Chardonnay Dill Sauce Served with Cous Cous and Chef's Fresh Vegetable Strawberry Shortcake OR Alternate Menu: Fresh Grilled Vegetables and Roma Tomatoes with Garlic Basil Sauce over Pasta RSVP to: Toby Manke by October 10th at 954-522-2200 or tsn@brinkleymcnerney.com Top From the Boardroom I have to say I have the best job in WEC. As your Vice President of Membership for the past two years, I have had the pleasure of greeting prospective members the very first time they experience WEC. Then along with other sponsors from the Membership Committee, I have the chance to meet with many of them one-on-one at lunch. I spend time “bragging” about our group and then find out what they expect from us. This is what I tell them about why I joined WEC: When I came to my first luncheon I found a group of warm and friendly women who took an interest in me and encouraged me in my business. I explain there is something for everyone at WEC. There are strong and friendly shoulders to lean on when the business world gets tough. There are service programs where we introduce young women to different careers and provide financial and experiential support and encouragement to women returning to the workplace. There’s our “We Mean Business” program that enables us to showcase our businesses as well as learn from one another. Then I tell them about the FUN part: monthly luncheons and evening Cannon Circles; GEM get-togethers and Book Club; fundraisers and social events with our significant others. This year the Board has graciously agreed to pay for guest lunches. So put on your thinking caps and invite those women who you feel would benefit from WEC and who would actively participate in our group. We have so much to offer, you would be remiss in not inviting them so they can experience “us” for themselves. Thank you for your commitment to making WEC better than ever, and I’ll see you on the 15th. Carolyn Ernest-Jones Vice President, Membership top WE REALLY DID MEAN BUSINESS LAST MONTH The room was abuzz at September’s luncheon as we got down to business. Instead of bringing in an outside speaker, we turned inside –– to us! There were six tables, each with one facilitator to keep everyone on task, and one scribe to capture our “pearls” on paper. At the end, the salient points discussed at each table were summarized. Here are the highlights for those of you who missed it –– and a refresher for the rest of us. First, we identified our ideal customers and even though we represent many different products and services, similar themes ran from table to table. Here is our definition the perfect client: • Future-oriented –– open to new ideas • Good communicator who know what he/she wants • High-end enough to afford the product or service (this was an “aha moment” for some). • Ongoing needs • Trustworthy; honest • Willing to do what it takes Then we discussed how we attract these ideal customers: • Advertise; conduct targeted direct marketing • Build personal relationships (we all agree this is a biggy) • Network (see and be seen) • Offer something unique/special • Referrals • Seminars, speaking engagements • Trade shows • Web sites Next, we tossed around ideas for promoting repeat business: • Act fairly and with integrity • Add value to each encounter • Be a problem-solver • Build personal relationships (there it is again) • Deliver exceptional service • Do it right the first time • Follow up • Inform throughout the process/transaction • Keep in touch (articles of interest, emails, handwritten notes, newsletters, phone calls) • Personalize products and services • Show appreciation (flowers, gift baskets, mileage programs, tickets) • Take responsibility And, the last topic for discussion was how various members encourage referrals: • Ask for them (clients and suppliers) • Donate or sell gift certificates • Offer incentives on future business (cash, discounts, free service) • Reward the referral giver As you can see, we covered a lot of territory. Everyone was engaged and you could see “light bulbs” coming on around the room. The comments overheard as people left were, “WOW! That was really interesting! I got some good ideas and I learned about the businesses of the people at my table” and “Let’s do it again.” Thank you to Christie Lambertus, Ann Meacham, Dee Moustakas and Joyce Shore for facilitating the discussions at their tables. And a special thank you to Ronnie Karlin and Drazier Rubenstein for their original idea and spectacular organizational skills. The program went off without a hitch –– and we left with a new appreciation for the diverse talents of our members. October Cannon Circle Never under estimate the power of the flower… Learn what you can do with those supermarket bouquets Cannon Circle hosted by Betsy Grant and Ronnie Karlin Wednesday, October 22nd Grant’s Flowers 1509 E Las Olas Blvd. RSVP 305-819-2500 Top The Executive Grapevine Nora Weiss has completed her post merger agreement with Venue1, Inc. as Vice President of Marketing. Nora continues as an owner in the company and has a keen interest in the success of Venue1, the newly formed company that provides convergent technologies for sports and entertainment at stadiums and arenas throughout the USA. Additionally, she is a partner in Tangent Associates, Inc. and serves as Executive Vice President. Way to go, Nora! Roberta Stanley Have you been wondering where Bobbie has been? Well here is your answer. I went to Hawaii for ten days in September so I missed the meeting. Also my daughter Kendra Welzien has begun Nova law school, my alma mater this September. Although I never steered her in that direction, I can't help but be very proud of her. Other than that I am working very hard as I have a big case that I will try for two weeks in November. I keep hoping I can make one of the book clubs but so far no luck. Joyce Shore won honorable mention in the National Shonbek lighting competition. They are going to use the picture of my client's dining room in their website, advertising materials and brochure. All of this will occur in the next few months. Congratulations, Joyce Emily Rushin invites you to the opening reception on October 3 at 7 PM of "Brushes along Las Olas." She and 15 friends have painted outside, on the street during the summer, and the Las Olas Association is sponsoring this exhibit. Mangoes is providing refreshments. If you see the poster advertising the event, that's Emily under the Las Olas lamp post! What a talented lady you are, Emily! Leigh Nickel just got back from a long weekend at Anna Maria Island on the West Coast of Florida. It was her annual "Cards" outing. Eleven got together and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast on Holmes Beach. They have been friends for over 20 years and haven't played cards yet! Wow, now the secret is out! Dr. Donna Goldstein says, “ I am healing very well from my surgery, am blessed to be back at work nearly full time, cancer-free and have really appreciated -- the cards, letters, calls and prayers from so many WEC'ers!” Stay well! top WEC BOOK CLUB: The next Book Club meeting will be held at Gloria Williams home. You can email her at abeautifulyou@bellsouth.net or call 954-565-8006 for further information. Top WEC Cannon Circles October 22, 2003 Carol Jones, Ronnie Karlin November 20, 2003 Dee Moustakas, Barbara Riley Ann Meacham December 17, 2003 Vivian Godfrey, Chris Guld February 26, 2004 Mary Minnnet, Dorothy Eisenberg (Business Venue) March 24, 2004 Betsy Grant April 28, 2004 Patty Camp, Debbie Rugg May 26, 2004 Dr. Dora Vilk-Shapiro’s Office (all dates are not confirmed) Top At the WEC monthly luncheon two business cards are drawn for members to write something about themselves. We Mean Business: Spotlight on Ronnie Karlin Global Resource Partners, Inc. “ People are not your most important asset… the right people are”, says Jim Collins in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. I always say, “We’re all about the ‘FIT’” … Finding Indispensable Talent! Too often people are hired for what they know and fired for who they are. We want to avoid that at all costs – and the costs are staggering, regardless of the size of your organization! is a boutique search-consulting firm that highly selective companies engage in contingency or retained search, as they add, replace, transfer or promote employees or when they have special project needs. We have expertise in the areas of Executive Management, Information Technology, Accounting/Finance, Human Resources, Security and Legal. We provide seminars and one-on-one consulting to coach our clients in any or all aspects of hiring, right-sizing, outsourcing and retaining employees. We define accomplishment as the acknowledgement we get for establishing the ideal fit thereby increasing employee retention and reducing employee turnover costs in our clients’ organizations. We have created a comprehensive “Hiring for Keeps” program including Employee Retention, Succession Planning and how to “Hire for Keeps” workshops where we coaches managers through our proven methodologies. We offer a “Hiring for Keeps” introductory seminar to current clients, prospective clients, associations, chambers of commerce and other special interest groups. Let us do one for you! My partner, Gary Ramphal, and I just celebrated our sixth year anniversary. We hope to celebrate many more! Top Photo Gallery: Pictured from our September luncheon. Thanx to Joni Rosenthal! Dee and Leigh Emily RushinLee Sheffield Korie and Deb WEC MISSION STATEMENT The purpose of Women's Executive Club is to give executives the opportunity of fellowship with their peers in diverse fields; to promote the image of the woman executive; to further the interrelationships of such executives and to promote the general welfare of their businesses and community.
August Luncheon Tuesday, September 16 RSVP to: Toby Manke Quote of the Month: "Love your life; perfect you life; beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.” Chief Tecumach