Hometown Networking Logo

Hard to believe but we’re only 13 days to Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Even the cold spell we’ve been having recently only adds to the feeling of Christmas, (at least for me as I grew up in the Midwest with white and cold Christmases…)  But anyway we had a full house this morning and everyone was all smiles. This is always my favorite time of year.

We talked first about the Christmas Party we had last week. Thanks to Jeremy McBroom and his committee, it was a huge success. And thanks to one of our favorite HNG members, Sue Farell, it was held at the Kyle United Methodist Church at 408 W Lockhart St, Kyle, TX. We had a great lasagna dinner from Illarios and cookies and cupcakes from Ambers Home Bakery here in Kyle.  As always we had our white elephant gift exchange and played a ‘Who am I’ icebreaker game where a 3×5 card is taped to your back and then you ask people (one question per person) a yes or no question until you find out what or who you are. Surprising enough not only did the kids participate and enjoy it but a few of them were so good at it they came back for more cards.  Again it’s always fun to get together with spouses and family members.

Jeremy McBroom from Mathnasium shared a couple of recent events in his life. First, his business was Certi’pied’ by the City of Kyle and he has received his Texas License as an auctioneer. Most of us weren’t aware of this skill so Jeremy was called upon to give us an example of his skills. Jeremy complied and before you know it he was ‘auctioning off’ an IHOP coffee mug to the group. It’s amazing how fast he can talk.  So if anyone is in need of an auctioneer they should contact Jeremy.

Joe Wargo announced his new website is now live, www.wargocpa.com.

This week’s Member Spotlight was Stephanie Murphree with Republic Veterinary Hospital.   

Stephanie shared her path from birth, on an air force base in Massachusetts before making her way to today, Owner and Vet at Republic Veterinary Hospital here in Kyle Texas. She admits that much of her life she was a nomad but has now landed in Kyle to stay. Here’s a bit of her fascinating background from Massachusetts to Texas and Africa by way of New Jersey:

Stephanie shared that she did her undergrad at Baylor University before heading to Africa with the Peace Corp (yep she was in the Peace Corp!) How cool is that!! Not so cool however was the fact that she caught malaria which cut her stint in Africa a bit short. But still how many people can say they were in the Peace Corp, went to Africa and/or caught malaria?  After being back in the states awhile Stephanie worked with Green Peace organization and several other interesting jobs before she decided to go back to school and become a vet.

Stephanie admits her job as a vet is a lot of work BUT she says it’s also a lot of fun. How many people can say they had to pry a lizard’s (or was it an iguana…are they the same thing?) tooth off its owner’s finger during the middle of the night?  Seriously she’s been around long enough to have a bunch of stories.

While Stephanie has her own cat and two dogs, when asked her favorite animal she said, without hesitation, cats.  She loves them so you know you’re furry baby will be well taken care of by Stephanie and her staff.

Republic Veterinary Hospital offers a myriad of services including:

Exams – International Health Certificates – Dental Care – Laboratory Tests – Surgery – X-rays – Microchips and while it’s always a sad event, their office also sensitively handles Euthanasia.

The Republic Veterinary Hospital is located in the same shopping center as Fox’s Pizza at 154 Elmhurst Dr, Suite C, Kyle TX 78640. You can call the office at 512-269-0738 and find out why you can trust your pet to their care.

 

And who else has clients that are this cute?????

 

 

 Upcoming meeting, Member Spotlight and Education Minute Speaker Schedule:

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones with free breakfast   Education Moment: None

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

With Thanksgiving behind us, we are now officially in the Christmas Season!  I for one am sooo excited about the holidays. The Hometown Networking Group is having our annual Christmas party next week! It’s always a great time.

Today’s group was smaller than usual. I guess people are still coming off the pumpkin pie ‘high’. But even so, everyone present for our weekly meetings was in high spirits and ready to ring in the season.

Member Spotlight: Our Member Spotlight today was Vanessa Zelitt with Rodan + Fields skin care.  Vanessa’s spotlight had two focuses. Her first was about her dad. Though he passed away 7 years ago Vanessa explained that as she thought about what to say today, her dad and his massive influence on her life,  kept coming to mind. She described him as a wonderful example of a man who was a hard worker and one who had perseverance. She shared how her dad, through example, taught her so much and made her the woman, mother, grandmother she is today. She used this as a teaching lesson for us to remember that we are influencing people in our lives on a daily basis even if we don’t realize it.  it was a great reminder.

While talking about a father’s influence Vanessa went on to share how she admires a member of the group, Terry Lee. Terry shares openly how much he cares for his family both in the group and on his facebook pages. She gave Terry the highest compliment by saying that Terry reminded her of her father.

Vanessa, who is a registered nurse, then went on to tell us how she came to know and ultimately become a huge fan of the company and products of the Rodan + Fields skincare line.  She explained that she had uterine cancer in 2011 and it threw her skin care totally off. She shared how she struggled to find a product to help her bring her skin back into line and a friend of her daughter’s introduced her to Rodan + Field. She found exactly what she was looking for and she says in many ways it changed her life.

After becoming a dedicated client of the skin care line Vanessa signed up as a consultant in order to get the 25% discount. From there, her business blossomed.  While still working part-time as a registered nurse, her heart is with the Rodan + Fields ‘family’. She expressed how wonderful the RF group is and how they support one another in all aspects of their lives and how important, and surprising, that has been to her.  She also shared that her hope, and dream, is to create a foundation to help women with cancer, providing products that can help do things like; soothe and heal skin from radiation, or help a woman regrow her lashes and brows after chemotherapy with a product she raved about called ‘Lash Boost’.

Vanessa also shared that for the Christmas Holidays she is offering some discounts on the Rodan + Fields products she sells. They would make great Christmas products for anyone on your Christmas list.  To find out more about the Christmas discounts and/or product line, you can email Vaness at vanessazelitt@gmail.com.

 

 

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th   Stephanie Murphree Republic Veterinary Hospital       Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones with free breakfast   Education Moment: None

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

Well, today is November 7th and that meet we all survived another voting extravaganza.  Several members were dragging a bit admitting that they stayed up to watch the polls, we are all glad to have the elections behind us, regardless of which side of the fence you are on.  Which is one rule of the group, we don’t talk politics within HNG. The group’s 10+ years of existence is in part because of our efforts to keep drama out of the group. There’s nothing more damaging to any group than have people talk about one another behind their backs, pick at one another or anything of the sort. Our group steers clear of this. If someone likes drama in their lives (and there are people that do), we want them far away from us. Our group is built on respect for one another. We may not agree on some things but we will respect one another’s right to believe. So off the soapbox and on to the minutes of the meeting.

We started with some group business. By unanimous vote, the current HNG Board members were re-elected for another term. The board members are:

  • Ron Martin- President
  • Jim Collins-Vice President
  • Everend Thorne – Treasurer
  • Celeste Messer- Secretary
  • Terry Lee – Membership Coordinator
  • Joe Wargo – Advisor

Education Moment:  Our Education Moment was presented by Celeste Messer and it was short and sweet. A reminder that the Holiday Season is a perfect time to reconnect with past and current clients (and family and friends for that matter). Sending Christmas cards is an inexpensive way to reach out and say hello. Also discussed was going on to Facebook and connect with at least a segment of your customer base and see what’s going on in their lives, and then comment on it. In other ways become more informed and aware of your clients as people, not just customers. It’s all about building and maintaining relationships.

Member Spotlight: Our Member Spotlight today was Terry Lee with Raymond James Investing.  Terry shared some more great photos of his family. Since he last presented he and his wife welcomed Hannah into the family, making the ‘adorable kid count’ to three. Terry reminded us how very important his family is to him and how several years ago when he had a health scare he took a step back and made some changes.  Now he lives with more intentional focus and balance and is much happier for it.  It was because of that scare that Terry left Enterprise and became a financial advisor. He enjoys making a difference in people’s lives and often has clients express how grateful they are that he has helped them build a roadmap for their finances, an area that left unattended can be a cause for much stress and sadly, all too often, a reason for divorce.

When asked how he decided to go into the financial planning world, Terry explained that his dad was a small business owner and his mom worked for Enron. So growing up and experiencing firsthand how a company’s demise can impact employee’s livelihood and savings, he heard a lot of discussion about how to use and save money. Putting money aside every month even when there wasn’t a lot, helped Terry buy an investment property when many his age were still working up to buying their first home.  Having financial security is very important to Terry and his wife and, being young themselves, they can relate to how enticing it is to spend all you make and live on the edge as many in our society today. Yet, by sacrificing a bit now, they are positioning themselves for security and financial freedom down the road.

Terry walks the walk, practices what he preaches, however you want to say it. He believes in helping people understand what can sometimes seem like an overwhelming world of investment. Even more importantly he helps them figure out and, more importantly, talk about how to handle the day to day expenses. He is more than happy to talk to anyone and help them get started down the road to financial freedom.

Also, Terry was asked by a member of the group if he had a favorite book on financing he’d recommend. His choice (very quickly I might add) was the book “A Wealthy Barber” by David Chilton. Terry explained that it is an easy to read story about common sense financing. If I understood him right, it tells of two brothers one invested money from ages of 22-32 years old, the other from 32-82 years old and how the first one was much better off due to concept of compounding interest.  In any case it sounds like a great read.

So if you are like many of us and have no idea where to begin with looking at your finances, or you just want help on even understanding what you can do when money is so tight, reach out to Terry. He loves sitting down over a cup of coffee and getting to know people, listening to their stories and coming to understand what’s important to them. He makes what can be a complicated and scary topic, something actually understandable.  Terry can be reached at 713-298-2942 or Terry.Lee@RaymondJames.com

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

November

14th: Joe Wargo   Joe Wargo CPA                                                 Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th   Stephanie Murphree Republic Veterinary Hospital       Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones with free breakfast   Education Moment: None

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

 All right all ready, enough rain. This Wednesday was another rainy and chilly morning in a series of rainy and chilly mornings. While here in Kyle we’re not having the water problems that Austin is having, we are definitely getting our share of the wet stuff.  But that aside we made it to our weekly networking meeting.

Education Moment:  Our Education Moment was presented by Rob Oskins from Blue Crest Media. Based on years of testing he was able to provide us with a list of tried and true ways to start a conversation with a new prospect on the phone. (Or even in an elevator…) The five steps briefly stated are: 1) Rapport- Break the ice   2) Positioning – staking a claim   3) Benefit – shift focus to prospect  4) Proof – validate your claim  5) Schedule the next event/meeting/call.   Rob also provided a couple of pages of examples of the steps/plays and how to combine them to make them more powerful.  Though it was only a few minutes of info, it really provided a wealth of ideas.

Member Spotlight: Our Member Spotlight today was Meli Van Natta with Texas Reverse Mortgage  This time rather than share her background (which involved growing up in Mexico on the mission fields where her parents worked in translating the Bible), Meli shared what she is doing during her ‘retirement’ years. And I for one wonder how she gets it all done.  Here are a few of the highlights: She does work with Texas Reverse Mortgage, helping people over 62 with an alternative to the ‘traditional’ mortgage. This program has a lot of flexibility and may be a blessing for someone who is over 62 with substantial equity in their home, though due to circumstances, such as the death of a spouse, can’t make the payments. By doing the reverse mortgage, there are no payments and they can stay in their home. It also helps someone who wants to access some of their equity for a business for example. Meli has numerous ways or situations in which this mortgage might help.

But that’s not the only thing Meli is up to. After years of being a real estate broker in California, she moved to Kyle to be close to her grandkids. She had the foresight to obtain her Texas real estate license so she can keep her hand in the real estate market. Meli also is in an award-winning acapella singing group called the Sweet Adelines. This San Marcos based group has qualified to participate in the national competition next year! They are a great group and available for singing at events. (It’s a fund raising effort for their group so if you have an event coming up, reach out to Meli for more details.)

Meli also helps out with Harrell’s Funeral Home when needed and last but not least she enjoys working for Uber and Lift from time to time finding the people have been fun and interesting. All that and she is a loving grandma to her grandkids.

So if you are anyone you know is over 62 and wanting to know if the Reverse Mortgage might work for you reach out to Meli at MeliVanNatta@gmail.com .

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

October

24th   Meli Van Natta  Texas Reverse Mortgage                       Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

31st    Joe Wargo   Joe Wargo CPA                                               Education Moment: Trish Wilder

November

7th:   Terry Lee      Raymond James Investing                            Education Moment: Celeste Messer
14th: Virginia Kekahuna    Acuity Eye Care                                 Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th   Stephanie Murphree Republic Veterinary Hospital       Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones free breakfast  Education Moment: None

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

Now for me I would say to have the words ‘favorite’ and ‘dentist’ in the same sentence isn’t possible, yet here I am saying Dr. Paulette Sanford is my favorite dentist…of all time.

I used to think my story was unique…that I was the only person who was scared to death to go to the dentist. However I’ve come to find out that I’m not alone. Apparently, there are a lot of people, men and women alike, of a certain age…like baby boomers, who very bad experiences with their dentist when they were little.  Experiences, like mine, that made going to my annual dentist appointments, something I absolutely dreaded.

In my case about 10 years had gone by since I quit going to the dentist. The thing is, the more time that passed, the harder it was to begin again. I was worried about what they might find.  Then Dr. Paulette Sanford joined our networking group. She was opening her dental office, Kohler’s Crossing Dental, and like many in the group I wanted to support her in her new endeavor.  But that meant I had to make an appointment…ugh.

I was not the first in our group to make an appointment with Paulette, but over time I figured I had no excuse. I knew how important good oral hygiene is to our health and I knew it had been over 10 years since I had my teeth checked, so I had to go.

It wasn’t that bad…I wish I could say I love going to the dentist now, but I can’t, there’s still, too much water under the bridge as they say. But I’m not the nervous wreck I was when I first starting going to Dr. Sanford.

So why the blog about dentistry you might ask? Well, it’s because Dr. Sandford can’t blow her own horn. Even in our networking group she can’t point out which of us are patients. So this week a few of us decided to get our photos taken with our favorite dentist. A few others were missing so down the road we’ll have to update our photo. But here are a few of those in Hometown Networking Group that call Dr. Paulette Sanford, our favorite dentist.

if you too are afraid of the dentist, or you want to ensure that your kids have a dentist who works with a ‘gentle touch’ then give Kohler’s Crossing Dental a try. The office is right next to Plum Creek Golf Course and Summermoon.  Call for an appointment  512-593-1764.

Left to Right  First Row Dr. Paulette Sanford. Second Row; Celeste Messer, Ron Martin, Jim Collins, Everend Thorne, Third Row; Rob Oskins, Joe Wargo, Jeremy McBroom

 

https://kohlerscrossingdental.com/

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

October

24th   Meli Van Natta  Texas Reverse Mortgage                       Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

31st    Joe Wargo   Joe Wargo CPA                                               Education Moment: Trish Wilder

November

7th:   Terry Lee      Raymond James Investing                            Education Moment: Celeste Messer
14th: Virginia Kekahuna    Acuity Eye Care                                 Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th    Jim Collins   Firelight Lazer                                                Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones free breakfast  Education Moment: None

 

 

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

 This morning we all woke up to another cold and rainy morning in Kyle, Texas.  It’s unusual to have so much rain and the 40-degree weather is a reminder that summer is behind us, which is weird as just this past weekend it hit the 90-degree mark. So one day in flip-flops and the next day in boots.

In any case, even though the bed is feeling awfully warm and snuggly in the early morning, we all got up and headed to our weekly Wednesday mornings at IHOP.  The only difference today was that a few of us, myself included, took a bit more time to dress and put on makeup. We were going to have a new group photo.  And it was about time as the old photo was a few years old. In fact, front and center is Jaime Sanchez. Now Jaime is clearly pregnant in the photo. No problem, however, we realized that her baby was born a few years ago and since then Jaime has gone on to have another child, a set of twins!  Where had time gone???  Obviously, it was time to update our photo.

So we called in the big guns, a photographer by the name of Andy Bloxham. He met a member of the group recently and while this isn’t his usual type of gig, he agreed to help us out with a group shot and some headshots.  After looking at his website AndyBloxham.com it became obvious this kind of job is definitely not his norm.  He specializes in “Photographic storytelling for families, artists & companies”. I think he called it a “movie in a photo”.  I wasn’t sure what that meant so when I got to the office I checked out his website and was blown away. I’ve never seen photos like his. Actually to call them photos doesn’t begin to describe them.

You have to check out his work, it’s amazing! Then contact him and let him help you tell your story in a photo, or discuss some ideas. His email is AndyBloxham@icloud.com and again his website is AndyBloxham.com.

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

October

24th   Meli Van Natta  Texas Reverse Mortgage                       Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

31st    Joe Wargo   Joe Wargo CPA                                               Education Moment: Trish Wilder

November

7th:   Terry Lee      Raymond James Investing                            Education Moment: Celeste Messer
14th: Virginia Kekahuna    Acuity Eye Care                                 Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th    Jim Collins   Firelight Lazer                                                Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones free breakfast  Education Moment: None

 

 

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

 

Hometown Networking Logo

Hard to believe we’re into October, even harder to believe that some stores already have Christmas decorations and products on display. We’ll be skipping from Summer straight to Christmas before you know it!!!

Education Moment was presented by Celeste Messer  Adkor Group with Maxavenue       It was short and sweet: The upcoming holiday season is an important and easy time to reach out to your client base, part or all, and wish them well, or thank them for their loyalty, or just say hello. This time of year gives you an easy excuse to simply call and say hi, or I’m thinking of you, or have a wonderful new year.  So set some time aside to get out a box of cards and a pen (yep you remember those right???) and put a list together and start addressing the cards. She reminded us not to have a printer sign or address them. Instead, take the time to hand address them by hand and add a personalized note. In this day of electronic communication sometimes an old-fashioned note can go a long way.

Member Spotlight today was Rob Oskins with Blue Crest Media.  Rob helps companies figure out how to get through the maze of internet marketing and move their web pages to, or closer to, the front page of Google. It’s all about getting his clients more exposure. And from the sounds of it, he is really good at it.  In fact, he’s one of the top 200 SEO experts in the country. He explained a bit how that group works together, in the same manner, to understand how Google searches are working. It sounds like the google analytics are a well guarded, and constantly moving target. Rob helps his clients figure it out.  He’s already helped Several members in the group move up in their rankings. 

Today Rob decided to forgo the normal spotlight format of telling us about himself. Instead, he offered us his expertise by providing a well-received (and much needed) mini-training on Google and SEO.

One Key and very actionable item Rob said we can and should all do is work on our ‘NAP’, Name, address and phone number, on Google. It turns out that this is a very important field and needs to be consistent across Google. We need to ‘claim’ our business as well and he shared a place we can go to get a list of 500 places or so where, if it’s still available, we can and again should, claim it for free. Several of us, myself included, immediately put it on our ‘to-do’ list. (Granted I put mine on my to-do list a couple of weeks ago when Rob mentioned it, but now it’s much higher on the list. It’s so high that I have promised myself that I’m going to do it this weekend!)  All it takes sometimes is a friendly nudge from a fellow member to remind us all how important this kind of work is and the impact it can make to our bottom line.

Rob went on to talk about how social media plays into the rankings as well as inbound links and such. I know many of us have a long way to go to take advantage of all the ways to help our rankings, but that’s why Rob’s around. He does this for his clients when they don’t have the time, or patience, to do it.

All businesses, large and small, rely on the internet now-a-days and Rob can help you figure it out. He’s available to talk to you about your website/SEO needs. He’ll even do FREE Web Analysis.  You can reach Blue Crest Media at 833-258-3736.

The banner on his website that pretty much says it all:

Bottom line if you aren’t paying close attention to your position on the web searches you’re missing out on business. Call Rob to see what he can do!

 

 Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

October

10th: Speaker Park Howard  Bus & Motivational Speaker       Education Moment: Irene Melendez
17thNo speaker – Group photos                                                 Education Moment:  none this week 

24th    Virginia Kekahuna  Acuity Eye Care                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

31st    Mel Van Natta  Texas Reverse Mortgage                         Education Moment: Maybe Trish Wilder

November

7th:   Terry Lee      Raymond James Investing                            Education Moment: Celeste Messer
14th: Joe Wargo    Joseph Wargo CPA                                         Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th    Jim Collins   Firelight Lazer                                                Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne                                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones free breakfast  Education Moment: None

 

 

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

Hometown Networking Logo
Hometown Networking Logo

This was a gorgeous Wednesday after all the much-needed rain.  A great way to start our Wednesday.

The Education Moment was presented by Trish Wilder with Edward Jones. The message of the day was that networking is not about selling, it’s about building relationships and that despite what many believe, introverts can be very good at it as long as they think about being “InterestED, instead of interestING.”

It’s a good message for everyone. Ask questions, don’t talk about yourself and follow-up within 48 hours of the initial meeting with a call, text or email. Listen and pay attention to what’s important to the other person.

Member Spotlight this morning was Terry Lawrence, a relatively new member to the Hometown Networking Group but not to the community. Terry is the Outside Fleet Rep for Reliable Automotive. He shared the spotlight with his boss, founder of Reliable Automotive Brad Hullman. Terry started by sharing a bit of his history, one being that he was a high school and college athlete. While he only took a moment to talk about himself, It sounded like he played several sports but a high school injury pushed him to baseball where he worked his way up and played at Texas A&M and was drafted by the Giants. Even today baseball plays a part in his life as he is a Hitting instructor in the area working with kids that have gone on to successful careers.

Being a Hitting Instructor actually was how Terry met his current boss, Brad Hullman of Reliable Automotive. The two hit it off right away and Brad felt Terry’s decades of experience in retail/wholesale business and personality could transfer to the Auto repair world working with outside sales. Terry admits he had a lot to learn in the business but what he learned quickly was how great a guy Brad is and how much he genuinely cares about his clients and his community.

I guess at the end of the presentation today I walked away with feeling that Reliable Automotives is a company with a heart. Brad shared a story that I think is going to stick with me. He shared his faith first all of in Jesus and how that has set a foundation in his life, and how back in January 2013, after only 6 months in business, 

there was a fire. Three cars were destroyed, an employee was injured and he was left with a mess. He said literally he and his wife were sitting among the ashes wondering what they were going to do. While they sat there wondering about their future the door opened and in walks an 81-year-old woman named Lucille. She had a message for him. She told him that the Lord made her turn into the lot and go in to let Brad know that ‘everything’s going to be all right.”

Brad asked her how she knew they were even in there as the building looked vacant. She replied ‘The Lord told me.’

I can almost picture a little old woman thinking, ‘well duh…the Lord told me to pull in so obviously you were here.’  In any case, Brad admits that his encounter with Lucille gave him all he needed to know. God was indeed with him and Reliable Automotive WAS going to go on.

 his San Marcos shop that destroyed three cars, injured an employee and all but destroyed the building. He explained that as he and his wife sat literally among the ashes trying to figure out what he was going to do, an 81-year-old woman named Lucille came into the building. They were surprised since the building was boarded up, no electricity and clearly looked closed and empty. Yet she showed up. Not only that, but she had a message for him. She told him that ‘The Lord told her to pull

Now about 5 years later he’s getting ready to open his 3rd operation. He has the original in San Marcos, another in Buda and the third and final one is going to open in Kyle in the coming months. He admits to being blessed and he is sharing the blessing with others. He’s running his business in a manner that I wish all business owners would adopt. Brad’s goal is to have truly satisfied customers. He’s quick to say he’s not perfect but he’ll promise when you leave his business you will be satisfied and know you were treated fairly.

Now that’s the kind of guy I want to do business with.  You can reach out to the good people of Reliable Automotive by calling their San Marcos location at 512-667 7390 or their Buda location at; 512 361 3075. I’m sure they’ll take good care of you.

Upcoming meeting, Member Spotlight and Education Minute Speaker Schedule:

October

October 3rd  Rob Oskins  Blue Crest Media                    Education Moment: Celeste Messer Adkor Group with Maxavenue

October 10th TBD                                                                Education Moment: Irene Melendez Broadway Bank

October 17th TBD                                                                Education Moment: Rob Oskins Blue Crest Media

October 24th TBD                                                                Education Moment: Trish Wilder

 

Coming soon:  Senior Warden of Kyle Correctional Center Deanna Branham

 

INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

How about checking us out? We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us!

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

Hometown Networking Logo
Hometown Networking Logo

Another great start to a Wednesday morning with the Hometown Networking Group. This week we had the pleasure of having a guest speaker; Judge Andrew W. Cable, Justice of the Peace Precinct 3. We appreciate him breaking away from his busy schedule to spend some time with us this morning.

I’d like to start by saying…this is embarrassing…here I am secretary of the group and yet I got so caught up in what the Judge was saying, that I forgot to take notes. So I’m going to share a few things that stood out and wing it a bit.

First off I really didn’t know what a Justice of the Peace was and I also assumed that anyone who was a ‘judge’ had to be an attorney. Turns out a Justice of the Peace does not have to be an attorney, and while Judge Cable does have a lot of education in Criminal Justice, including a masters degree in Criminal Justice, he is not a lawyer.  And while he can and does perform over marriages, that isn’t even a small fraction of what his job entails. 

I think several of the members of the group, including myself, admitted to knowing very little about the judicial system. To help us understand the structure the Judge explained a bit about the Texas court system and provided a handout showing the breakdown of the Texas state judicial system. It started at the top with the Texas Supreme Court, then below that is the Court of Appeals, then the District Courts, then the County-level courts down to the Justice and Municipal Courts. it’s the Justice and Municipal courts where the local trials and limited jurisdiction takes place, including small claims court. Though brief, his explanation and handout opened our eyes a bit to how the system is laid out.

I’d suggest if you get a chance to meet the Judge, you do so as you’re in for a treat (assuming, of course, it’s in his off hours and you’re not a defendant in his court). I had a chance to  ‘meet’ him several weeks ago when I was called for jury duty. That particular morning we were in his courtroom and he was sitting ‘in front’ in his official robe (not sure what they are called). I will admit he looked pretty darn stern and intimidating, just like in the movies. I will admit with a great deal of relief, that I was not chosen to be a part of the jury in this particular case. Nothing against serving on a jury. I believe it’s our civic duty, BUT we were advised this was going to be a case that involved animal cruelty and I’m not sure how objective I could have been. Between the fact that I knew one of the attornies in the case and I got choked up when asked about my pet, which had died recently, I was dismissed from serving  So granted I didn’t see judge Cable or the judicial system in action through an entire case, even so, simply being in the courtroom itself was a reminder to me that the Justice System is real and not something you see on television. Having him come to our networking group and giving us a chance to meet him personally outside of the courtroom and hear him speak, helped us see the man behind the robe a bit. It became obvious quickly that the judge has a great sense of humor but more than anything, what struck me, was his love and belief in and for our judicial system.

Judge Cable was asked, if he performed marriages, since, for many of us, myself included when I think of a Justice of the Peace I think of tv shows and movies where people get married by the Justice of the Peace. He said he can, and does on occasion marry a couple, but after listening to him speak for 30 minutes or so, it was obvious that his role in the justice system has a wide variety of responsibilities, including issuing warrants and going to crime scenes as the coroner. So getting calls, or knocks on the door in the middle of the night is not an uncommon occurrence in the Cable household.

Perhaps more relevant to those of us listening to his presentation, is the Judge’s role in small claims court. He shared a bit about how it works and if you want to file a suit how you go about doing it even if you don’t have an attorney. He stressed the court system is there for us and we shouldn’t be afraid or intimidated by it. And while I hope I never have to go to his court. I have to say after listening to him speak this morning I feel better knowing that he’s one of the good guys and is there to see that justice is done. He clearly loves his job and is committed to the citizens of Wimberley and Hays County.

In case you aren’t familiar with Judge Cable, I’m repeating some of his ‘resume’ and a bit about his philosophy.

Judge Cable has structured his tenure as Justice of the Peace under the motto of “community justice”. In this effort, he has created an office that serves specifically to the needs of the community.

During his time in office, he has worked to improve relations with the community through various efforts including working with the schools to bring in students missing schools, assisting in resolution to get these students back in the classroom and holding them accountable to the community.  His office has also been significantly instrumental in the recovering restitution for ‘hot’ checks for community businesses. Before taking office these checks were filed with the District attorney’s office. Local businesses have appreciated being able to file these checks locally and collect on the restitution much faster than in the past. Additionally, he has tightened up on the enforcement of deed restrictions. His impartial rulings in the courtroom have put the property rights back in the hands of the property owner in eviction cases. He operates his office in an organized but minimal manner in order to maintain accountability of taxpayer dollars and utilize his office for the betterment of the community and county.

The Judge graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1992 and received his Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice. In 2007 he furthered his education and received his masters in criminal justice from Texas State University and is certified in Alternate Dispute Resolution for civil and family disputes. As a lead mediator for Omni Dispute Resolution, he specializes in local government, city, county and state disputes, real estate disputes, deed restrictions disputes, deceptive trade practices, and landlord/tenant disputes. He has adjudicated over 4000 cases involving similar disputes. He has extensive courses and accredited hours in real estate law, finance and deed restriction. Judge Cable maintains his real estate license and is a licensed intensive community corrections officer and certified in commercial banking.

So thanks again judge for taking the time to meet with us! Hope to have you back.

Upcoming meeting, Member Spotlight and Education Minute Speaker Schedule:

September

25th  Terry Lawrence  Reliable Automotive                                                         Education Moment Trish Wilder Edward Jones 

 

Coming soon:  Senior Warden of Kyle Correctional Center Deanna Branham

 

INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

How about checking us out? We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us!

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

Hometown Networking Logo
Hometown Networking Logo

 

We’re finally getting the long needed rain but come to find out that people in Texas don’t seem to know how to drive on wet roads. So there were a few stragglers this morning. But that aside we got together for our weekly Wednesday morning meetings at the Kyle IHOP restaurant and as always it’s a nice group to touch base with every week.

Ron Martin, President of the group, started us off with having everyone tell the group about their favorite car. The responses were all over the map, from “I am not a car person so i really don’t have a favorite,” to detailed descriptions of cars that clearly were major parts of some of the member’s lives. Several members of the group clearly had some wild days in their teenage years.

Education Moment was done by Irene Melendez with Broadway Bank stressing the importance of one-on-one with our clients. Something as simple as a birthday card or get well card can truly make a difference and brighten someone’s day.

This morning’s “Member Spotlight” was John Hardy with Divided Sky Roofing and Exteriors John is a Texan, born near Tyler Texas, the oldest of 3. 

He moved to the Kyle are in 2001 and was in the last class of what was then called Southwest Texas State University. He is a proclaimed ‘outdoorsy’ type, loving all outdoor activities. So much so that he was for a time a whitewater rafting guide and worked in summer camps for several years, working his way up to Program Director.

This love of the outdoors has played a key role in his life in more ways than one, not only did it support him financially over the years, but also he met his wife when she was a girl scout counselor on a rafting trip in which he was the guide.

John started a summer camp called Epic Adventures and is still involved with it today. He’s passionate about helping the young high school age kids develop or expand their knowledge and love for the outdoors. In fact many of the kids who have gone through the program say it changed their lives.  The groups go on trips including activities such as camping, backpacking, rock climbing etc. The trips are taken in states including New Mexico, Colorado, North Carolina and even in the Big Ben areas.

He became an insurance adjuster in 2010 but when his young son was born he no longer wanted to be on the road. That’s when he became involved in the other side of the insurance claims, the contractor side working on roofing, gutters and other items on the external side of the home.

When asked how he came up with the name for his company, Divided Sky Roofing and Exteriors , He said one of his favorite bands was PHISH and one of his favorite songs they performed was Divided Sky. The rest was history.

So if you are in need of a new roof or anything having to do with fixing up the outside of your home, give John a call at 903 530 4325.

 

 

Upcoming meeting, Member Spotlight and Education Minute Speaker Schedule:

September

19th  Guest Speaker  Judge Andrew Cable                                                          Education Moment Rob Oskins Blue Crest Media

26th  Terry Lawrence  Reliable Automotive                                                         Education Moment Trish Wilder Edward Jones 

 

 

INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

How about checking us out? We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us!

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org