Wendy Tremaglio, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Westport has been a trailblazer; she was an early adopter of the first iPad, moved to the iPad 2 and has graduated to the iPad 3. The iPad has become an integral part of her business.

Ed Fitzgerald is a web marketing and technology specialist, a lifelong PC guy, he got his first iPad a few months ago and was amazed at what it can do. He now uses it for his business and often skips carrying the laptop in favor of the iPad.

Wendy and Ed teach iPad classes for Realtors and will share with us examples of how they use it, along with tips, tricks and the apps they have found to be most useful.

Wendy has been a Realtor since 2003 and is a partner in TNT Partners, an award winning team at Coldwell Banker. Prior to that she owned Tableworks/Dining In in Norwalk for 20 years.

Ed followed a career at IBM with the creation of an internet based medical education business which led to a web marketing and technology consultancy focusing on the real estate industry.

The meeting starts at 9AM with networking, followed by a welcome and each attendee giving their 30 second elevator speech introduction, followed by our speakers, more networking, and ends at 10:30. It takes place at the Wilton Library, in the President’s Room on the second floor. The library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton Center, just off Route 7.  Coffee will be available. There is no admission charge, however a $5 donation will help cover the room expense.

Our coffee sponsor is  Anne DiFrancesco of A&M Studios, an advertising design studio specializing in marketing programs, product introductions, direct response, relationship marketing and web design consulting. Thank you Anne!

This is John’s second visit to FINE, he last spoke in February 2010. His presentation, “Matter of Style” was about identifying your own “imprinted” style and ways to effectively use that knowledge when communicating for maximum effectiveness with others, and was very well received.

John founded John Carroll International to help individuals and businesses uncover and develop their God given talents and potential. A resident of Fairfield, Connecticut and Drummond Island, Michigan, John, in his programs, blends New England ingenuity with northern woods’ warmth and simplicity.

As an organizational effectiveness and performance management consultant, John has been helping large and small businesses with people issues, leadership development, rewards, succession planning, recruitment and interviewing, customer relations, sales training, communications and interpersonal styles. Clients have included software and systems, health care, telephone, consumer goods, retail, insurance, architectural services, banking, transportation, publishing, document management services, and marketing services. For more information about John, visit www.johncarrollinternational.com.

Note that the meeting starts at 9AM, ends at 10:30, and will take place at the Wilton Library, in the President’s Room on the second floor. The library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton Center, just off Route 7.  Coffee will be available. If you would like to be the coffee sponsor and get additional time to talk about your business, contact Bette Lynn Paez at blpaez@sammonsrep.com. There is no admission charge, however a $5 donation will help to cover the room expense.

Our speaker will be  Adam K. Ney Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA).

Adam is a long-time employee (24+ years) of CBIA and besides helping to drive the association’s grass-roots legislative, he also works with CBIA member companies and other NGOs to help identify and promote small business opportunities and activities in Connecticut.  Adam also writes and manages content not only for CBIA’s Small Business blog, but also for the association’s manufacturing and green business blogs.  Here’s a link to the small business blog for members of FINE to review http://www5.cbia.com/smallbusiness/.

At next week’s meeting, Adam will discuss current small business activities in the state including;

·The Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD’s) Small Business Loan program initiated by the special legislative session this past Fall

·Small Business issues before the legislature

·Some non-legislative activities that are promoting small business growth in Connecticut

·Open discussion

Note that we will be meeting in the Smilow Lounge, on the second floor of the playhouse, and that we have shortened the meeting to end at 10:30 in order to reduce the cost of the room rental.

As we discussed at the last meeting, since the Playhouse tripled our rent and are charging for set up and take down time, we will need to charge more for this meeting, $10.

We have been looking for a new location and will likely be meeting at the Westport Library, however, since they have a 6 meeting per year limit, the other meetings would be at the Wilton Library unless we can find another Westport location.

Hope to see you there.

Ed and Bette Lynn 

We will also spend some time talking about the future of FINE. The Playhouse has raised the room rental fee so we are looking for a new location and considering changing the time and day. We would be interested in your thoughts. Note that we will be meeting in the Smilow Lounge, on the second floor of the playhouse.

Joe Terbell, an experienced professional college counselor will be our coffee sponsor. He will introduce his new business College Steps.

 Hope to see you there.

 Ed and Bette Lynn  

Colin will talk about how he took a traditional education and career like architecture and turned it into non-traditional entrepreneurial ventures with multiple streams of income including leading culinary walking tours, authoring published and non-published books on history and architecture and historic design and research. Colin will explain some of his methods of marketing and the technology he used to do it. He will also talk about the challenges he has faced in getting started and his ideas for growing the business in 2012. 

He was born and raised in New Haven and developed a passion for architecture and history at an early age. Colin received a Masters in Architecture and Minor in Earth Science from Tulane University in New Orleans. He returned to the Elm City where he worked with a non-profit affordable housing development company, multiple architecture firms and became heavily engaged in his community.

Colin is Historic Officer of the Friends of Edgewood Park, Historian for the Broken Umbrella Theater Company, past Chair of the Alliance for Architecture, past board member of the New Haven Preservation Trust and in 2008 Colin was recipient of the Annual Arts Award from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.  Colin has published four books on New Haven history and architecture. He has written and is continually researching and writing histories about towns, neighborhoods, buildings and families all over Connecticut. His collection of vintage photography is viewable and reprints are available for purchase online at www.magrissoforte.com. Colin’s tour company is also online at www.tasteofnewhaven.com.

The meeting is in the Lucille Lortel Barn at the Westport Country Playhouse from 9 – 11 AM with time for networking before and after Mr. Caplan’s talk. Coffee, tea and a baked good ( prepared by Bette Lynn Paez, co-leader of FINE, financial planner, and former bakery owner) will be provided. In order to cover the expense for the room and coffee when we don’t have a coffee sponsor, there is now a $5 charge which will be collected at the door.

The Bijou Theatre, dating back to 1909, is located in one of the oldest buildings used as a movie house in the country, and continually run as a movie house. The Bijou Theatre is a luxurious, diverse, multi-use venue, known for its unique mix of independent, documentary and classic films, live comedy, music and theatre.

Ms. Julian (marketing/pr director) and her partners, Christine Brown (program director) and Kathy Reynolds (operations director), have created a synergistic, creative relationship, combining different perspectives, experience, education and talent, that has developed the brand, and fueled the launch of the theatre.

“Our chief goal is to cultivate the personality of The Bijou and tap into its past to bring a newfound energy to Bridgeport.  Both the theatre and the city have seen prosperity and peril over the decades. We couldn’t be more excited to have opened the Bijou’s doors at a time when an artist murmuring is captivating within this urban, industrial setting.  We hope to do our small part to support the kind of fresh exchange, the dynamism that means revitalization for Bridgeport and for its residents and neighbors.”  You will be entertained, as soon as you walk through the doors.

For more information visit www.TheBijouTheatre.com.

Our coffee sponsor for this meeting is Dr. Tom Woodman, BrainCore Therapy Systems, www.norwalkbraincore.com. BrainCore Therapy provides a unique drugless approach to treating Neurological Dysregulation Syndrome (NDS) that may be associated with the symptoms of many neurological based conditions.

In this interactive presentation, Ms. Huetteman will discuss the importance of collecting actionable VOC and the techniques by which you efficiently and effectively do it. She will demonstrate how VOC can help you manage the experience you deliver to customers; making sure they are happy and the word-of-mouth about your company drives profitable growth.

Janet Huetteman, is the president and founder of TouchPoint Experience, a firm dedicated to helping clients better manager the customer experience. TouchPoint Experience utilizes proprietary tools and methods to identify performance issues against customer expectations and build an organizational roadmap to deliver great customer experiences. Ms. Huetteman’s skills include leadership facilitation and coaching, change management, Six Sigma Quality, global marketing, branding and communications. Ms. Huetteman, has earned an MBA in Marketing, a BA in Psychology, Marketing and Fine Arts, is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society. She is an adjunct Professor of Marketing at Fairfield University and a frequent guest speaker at client forums and organizations.

FINE Business Networking Group provides a forum to meet people, exchange ideas and grow your business. FINE was started more 18 years ago by a group of former IBM executives with the mission of networking to assist each other with consulting and business opportunities. Today our meetings are open to all and are attended by small business owners, independent professionals, consultants and those in transition looking for possible business opportunities. We are still an informal group and there are no dues or membership requirements, but we do ask for a donation to defray our costs.

The October 20th meeting is at the Lucille Lortel Barn at the Westport Country Playhouse from 9 – 11 AM with time for networking before and after Ms. Huetteman’s talk.

Coffee, tea and a baked good ( prepared by Bette Lynn Paez, co-leader of FINE, financial planner, and former bakery owner) will be provided.

Our coffee sponsor is Bill Meredith, owner of Meredith Project Management, providing independent representation throughout the Planning, Design and Construction process for all residential Landscape projects.

Senator Duff represents the 25^th Senatorial District, which includes Norwalk and Darien. He serves as chair of the Banks Committee and as vice chair of the Transportation and Energy & Technology Committees. Bob also chairs two subcommittees as a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Reelected to his fourth term in the state Senate in 2010, he previously represented the people of Norwalk’s 137^th Assembly District for three years. Bob is a real estate professional with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

The meeting takes place on September 15^th, from 9 to 11AM, at the Westport Country Playhouse in the Lucille Lortel White Barn Center. The doors open at 9AM with the opportunity to network, followed by a welcome and each attendee giving their “30 second elevator pitch”. This is followed by the presentation and then additional time to network. The meeting concludes by 11AM. Visitors are welcome. A donation ($5) is requested to cover expenses.

Coffee, tea, and a baked good prepared by Bette Lynn Paez (FINE co-leader, financial planner and former baker) will be provided. Sam Wexler, a chart member of FINE, will be our coffee sponsor. Thank you Sam and Bette Lynn!

We will be back in September! Our 18th anniversary meeting is on the 15th. It’s always a special meeting,  seeing some faces we haven’t seen for awhile, there will be refreshments, sponsored by Sam Wexler, a charter member of FINE, so I’m sure we will be hearing some stories about the “old days”, which is always nice. 

I’ll be posting the September meeting notice with the details on the topic and speaker toward the end of August.

Enjoy the summer!