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| Paris has a great Derby Hat! |
Going Derby
Steve and I were fortunate to have met some wonderful folks this week. We started on Saturday by attending the 3rd Annual Rock the Race, a Kentucky Derby bash benefiting The Ann Storck Center (http://www.annstorckcenter.org/). They’re dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities, and I was introduced to the great things they do from our friends at Mickey Byrnes Irish Pub. This bash was held at Passion Night Club at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. In case you’ve not heard, those folks know how to throw a party!
This was my first Derby party, and I was mesmerized by the beautiful women and gorgeous hats floating around the room. As we made our way upstairs, we were instantly drawn to a true gem: Debbie Batts, owner of Silver Stone’s Throw (www.silverstonesthrow.com). She is an enthusiastic supporter of Ann Storck and a great person to have at any party! We also met another cool character, Safeea Maloney, who works for John P. “Jack” Seiler, the mayor of Ft. Lauderdale. She was fun, charming, and delightful in her beautiful orange dress and hat. She was also remarkably easy to spot across the room, thanks to her two sidekicks wearing plastic construction hats! From the food to the attire to the venue to the effort and care that went into it, this was a first-rate event that certainly raised a considerable amount of money for the Center.
Eating and Meeting
I belong to my community homeowner’s networking group, the Shenandoah Business Group. Through the group, I’ve met some really fabulous people. One who has taught me a great deal about networking is Donna Caccioppo, president and CEO of Trusted Tek, LLC. (http://www.trustedtek.net) More powerful than Wonder Woman, Donna runs her company effectively, sits on the Board of Directors for The Boys and Girls Club of Broward County (they throw great events, too!), attends too many functions to keep up with, and includes me in any and all pertinent or current networking events. She makes for a great example and I find her very inspiring!
Donna recently invited me to attend “Link and Lunch” at Attorney Michael Wild’s (http://wfplaw.com/Michael-D.-Wild,-PA.html) office. They are a great group of professionals, and I look forward to getting to know them all very soon. Donna also invited us to Networking with a Cause (NWAC) sponsored by The Boys and Girls Club of Broward County (http://www.bgcbc.org/). This was my third NWAC event, and I was again impressed with this fun-loving group of people that takes raising money and sharing business seriously. What’s really cool about their events is that they give you the opportunity to sponsor a child to go to afterschool programs for a whole year at their facilities for only $15. It’s a great feeling to help someone else while experiencing new places, meeting cool new people, and potentially drumming up business. Amplification has been extremely fortunate to have been included in this group, as we have amplified messages for several companies and helped children in need.
It was nice to see Steve (Steve Cabeza, Idea Man & Marketing Ninja here at Amplification, Inc.) re-kindle some relationships at a recent Greater Plantation Chamber of Commerce breakfast (http://www.plantationchamber.org/). I guess we will be joining their chamber soon! It doesn’t matter what time of day it is or where we are, we always run into someone who knows, misses, and approaches Steve.
Good Morning!
I’m still figuring out how to look presentable, awake, and alert by 7:30 a.m., but getting out there continues to bring great people into our lives, so setting the alarm a little earlier is well worth it. The breakfast at the Plantation Chamber rocked! They held a Teacher of the Year Recognition event for Broward County and honored students of American Heritage School for their great strides in robotics and science. Thanks to the chamber and especially their primary sponsor, Motorola, for doing such great things to empower learning and excellence in our schools. The students demonstrated the robots they built, and I gotta admit—I’m a little jealous of the knowledge these kids have tucked in between their ears. Dad always said if our children are not smarter than us, then we are moving backwards. From what I saw, we’re moving full-steam ahead. Thanks again to the Plantation Chamber and Motorola. It was an inspiring event.
I also attended a networking event for the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce’s GBLX Group. I met so many great people there, but Denise Spivak, president of Women in Network (WIN—www.womeninnetwork.com) stood out. This organization is dedicated to the development, leadership, and empowerment of LBT women, their friends, and supporters. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Denise and her partner. I left that conversation with a ton of great ideas, one was to refer to Steve as my “partner” at their events and I’ll never get picked up!
Well, enough of my rambling. We are half through this week, and I’m just recapping last week! Amplification, Inc. is out and about at many events, but our primary mission is to help friends and clients broadcast their message to our ever-expanding, diverse social network. We love what we do and the relationships we are forming.
Thanks for reading, and special thanks to Daniel Brantley, our freelance editor, writer, and partner-in-amplifying-crime. Without him, we wouldn’t be as cool as we are, but pretty close! Connect with Daniel via email, Twitter, or his website (www.danielkbrantley.com). Please subscribe to our blog, follow us on Twitter, and join our fan page by clicking here. Oh, and don’t forget to check out Steve in the latest Critical Condition, especially if you have an opinion on cigarette smoking and civil liberties. This is easily the most controversial video he has done yet! http://www.mdnews.com/video?video=20187&page=1
