Published: October 29, 2009 10:33 pm      

Chamber members network over breakfast

The smell of scrambled eggs and fried bacon provide the perfect backdrop for the groups of business owners hungry for recognition and exposure who gather for networking and advertising at the monthly Small Business Breakfast hosted by the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce.

On the second Thursday of each month, the Chamber welcomes members and potential members to the Golden Corral for a morning of good food and good friends while also providing owners with the chance to promote their business among their peers.

Laura Green, events and communications manager for the Chamber, said the monthly event has increased in size over the last six months from 30 businesses represented to close to 50 businesses at each meeting.

She said the main benefit of attending the lunches is to gain exposure within the community, which is an invaluable resource for any local business trying to maintain a tradition of reliability or build an image from the ground up.

“The purpose is to allow businesses the opportunity to give an introduction about themselves and their establishment,” Green said. “It also allows for networking for the chamber members and the building of business relationships.”

According to Green, each meeting begins with a networking and socializing period around the buffet-style breakfast, followed by a 3-5-minute presentation by the breakfast sponsor.

After the initial presentation, each business owner in attendance is then given the opportunity to speak for up to one minute about their business and the product or services they offer.

The cost of attending the Small Business Breakfast is $7 for members, $10 for potential members while the cost of sponsoring a breakfast is $75.

Each month, a new sponsor is chosen with the requirement that no business can sponsor more than one breakfast per year.

Green said the limit was placed at one sponsorship per year in order to vary the businesses that are presented and provide ample opportunity for all who are interested to become a sponsor.

“(The sponsor) gets more exposure because they are in the spotlight that morning,” Green said. “They get to stand up and tell all about their business.

“Some of them just speak, some bring a presentation — we have all different kinds of things. They also get to put things out on the tables and they get more exposure through our newsletter, our Web site and the PSAs we send out to local media.”

While the number of participants is up this year, the Small Business Breakfast is by no means a novel concept and has been offered by the Chamber for many years.

Green said what makes the event such a draw for local business owners, especially in today’s economy, is the chance to congregate with other small business owners in the community and swap ideas, talk about the local atmosphere and build relationships that will hopefully lead to an increase in business and profitability down the road.

“The main benefit is just that opportunity to network with other members, to meet people within the community who may be potential customers or clients and build those relationships,” Green said. “It’s just a good way to get your name out in the business community.”

For more information about the Small Business Breakfast or how to join the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, visit their Web site at www.chamber.huntsville.tx.us or contact Laura Green at (936) 295-8113.