Brunswick Stew Cook-Off, February 6, 2010

It's always fun to try a new festival and this Marge and I headed out to Shallotte to the Brunswick Stew Cook-Off. Held today on the grounds of the Rourk Woods subdivision, this annual event is organized by the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce. Marge and I were only able to go for an hour or so but in that time we saw some old friends, said hello to some recent acquaintances, and met some good cooks!

You can look below for a poster that describes the origin and history of Brunswick Stew, and, if that's not the way it really was, it's the way it should have been. Today Brunswick Stew generally has chicken, vegetables, sauce, seasonings and what ever else the cooks dream up to make their stew unique and tasty. The Cook-Off competition works like this: you pay $5 for six tickets; exchange each ticket at one of the 20 odd booths for a cup of stew, a plastic spoon and napkin and maybe piece of some type of bread (the variety was impressive) and hot sauce if you wish. Later on you vote for your favorite by putting colored tickets (one for best stew, one for best presentation). The award categories are for best stew in booths from media, nonprofits, individuals and restaurants.

Here's Marge sampling stew at one of the most fancy of the booths.


Marge with BCCC Events Director Megan Masser.

Linda Stinson of Patriot Management Systems, BCCC Executive Director Cathy Altman, Marge, and in the background with the New York Yankees cap, Billy Noble of Nobles Landscaping.

Same group as above with the addition of Chris Tyler of Carolina Tents and Events.

Cathy Altman and me.


Marge talking with one of the individual booth entrants.

The Purple Onion Cafe (a popular restaurant in Shallotte) had an attractive booth.


There were a few nonfood booths, this one sold handcrafted waterbirds made from PVC!

A look at the main venue.

The VFW entry was an award winner in the past I my tongue and tummy can attest that they know their stew!

This blow up attraction did its job, attracting kids.

A colorful line of booth tents.


A band was scheduled to start at noon but we had to leave prior to their arrival.

Here's the poster that explains how it all started. If you click on the image you should see a larger, more readable version.

Lancaster Farm had a huge cast iron pot of stew. I got to stir it with a canoe paddle.

Here's a closer look at the Lancaster Farm stew.

And one more of the proud stew stirrer.

This was where we voted for best stew.

Finally, a couple more shots of various booths at the Cook-Off.




It was a a little chilly (in the upper 40s) so the hot stew was wonderful and I didn't try one I didn't like (I sampled 9 in all). One had a mustardy flavor, one I was sure had curry, and others tasted like the best homemade stew most of us have ever had. Overall it was a fun time for a good cause. We'll be back next year.

Breakfast meeting with the Young Professionals of Brunswick County - 2-5-2010

Yesterday morning I had the privilege and pleasure of speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Young Professionals of Brunswick County monthly breakfast seminar at The Purple Onion restaurant in Shallotte, NC. I talked about networking skills and strategies, based on my book 31 Days to Networking Event Mastery and offered some suggestions on how to make the most of live networking events. We even practiced smiling! Great group, thanks folks.

In the photo below that's me with Brunswick Chamber of Commerce Events Manager Megan Masser.



Megan addressing the group.


I don't remember the names of everyone who was there, but that's my buddy Stan Powell of Stevens New Homes Realty on the left side of the photo below.


The woman in the photo above with the bright pink top is Karen Candia, owner and coach of Cross Fit Ocean Isle Beach. For names of more of the attendees, check out the Facebook photo album I posted, and please feel free to tag people whose names I missed in the ablum.

Strictly Business, Old Chicago Style! 2-3-2010

I went to Old Chicago Pizza at 5023 Market Street in Wilmington, NC for the first time last night. The place was packed with regular patrons, but I was looking for the Sea-Comm Media Big Talker-FM Strictly Business networking event, which happens every Wednesday from 5 till whenever. This was the first week SB has been at Old Chicago and there were even more people than usual in attendance.

The first folks I saw were Old Chicago owner Mike Czyl (pronounce it "chill") and good guy and excellent business coach Reggie Shropshire of ActionCoach International.


Each week Strictly Business has lots of donated prizes they raffle off. The proceeds of the raffle go to a local non profit. Often that nonprofit is the Cape Fear River Watch, and when that's the group, Captain Joe Abbate is on hand to laugh and smile and tell people about their mission and vision. That's Joe in the middle of the group (behind the pizza menu!).


Owners Mike and Julie Czyl (still pronounced "chill). And, I don't know if this is politically correct, but are they cute together or what?

The ever-dappper Michael Byrd of WordWright Web (sorry Michael, I'll come up with something original one of these days, but you always do look so dapper!) and Judy Zimmerman, a new face at Strictly Business. Judy is the Public Relations Director for Miller-Motte College, conveniently located across the street from Old Chicago Pizza.


Captured between and behind two guys is Gina Schiess, former IBMer who now teaches at local colleges.


Photographer Robert Freeman and Ken Schiess of HdVest.


Kyle Myers of All-Brite Pressure Washing and Steve West of N2 Publishing.

Here's a crowd shot with artist Angela Johnson (in the red sweater) and Big Talker FM Morning Beat host and Strictly Business host Curtis Wright (the guy in the middle).


Kimberly Brumsey of KB Aesthetics, with Derek Sellers, a sales guy with Sea-Comm Media in the white shirt to her right.

Lucy Cherry, owner of Lula Balou boutique, Kimberly, and Derek.


Stephanie Williams of Edward Jones and Mike Moore of Atlantic Care Care.


Toby Baccante of Mid-Atlantic Printing and Jennifer Altman of SendOutCards.


Stuart Ward, of Mid-Atlantic Printing, loooking as always like a happy captain of industry.


Stuart grabbed my camera and took this shot of me going for another slice of pizza. And yes, it was very good.


Mike Moore again, this time with Elaine Huston of PrePaid Legal.

Raffle time! Curtis announcing, Sea-Comm Media photographer and producer Paige Freeman assisting, and artist Angela Johnson in the left foreground. Oh, and in the back on the right is Russ "Call me Doug" Hauptmann.

OK, so if I'm going to have sideways shots of Angela, might as well have a straight one, too. Did you know, btw, that an old photographer's trick is to include red in photos because a disproportionate number of award winning photographs have red in them? I think for the same reason a disproportionate number of stopped speeders have ArrestMeRed painted cars. (Which is why our cars are grey and black.)


Steve Haughey of Worldwide Express was one of the big prize raffle winner and got to say a few words.


Trip Yost of ATEAMS electrical and maintance company with Scott Ball of Coastal Document Systems.

Paige with Mark Evans of Green Cleaning Technicians.


Captain Joe Abbate (the Cape Fear River Watch guy, remember?) and Paige.


These folks from Pathfinder Wealth Consulting were at Old Chicago for dinner meeting with an out-of-town investment wholesaler (the gentleman on the right). I don't think they came for the networking event, but they bought a bunch of raffle tickets and won six of the prizes! Sounds like they have the golden touch so you might seek them out. They are (from left to right) President and Wealth Consultant Robert L. Penn, Jr., Analyst Kevin Weber, Paraplanner John Zachery, and wholesaler John Cowles.


New dental surgeon in town, Dr. Michael Bannan, DDS has joined the Marshall Dental Excellence practice on Market Street.

Steve, Judy and Michael.



And Julie and Mike one more time, just because I like the photograph. Thanks, you two, for hosting Strictly Business.

Wilmington Downtowners Meet & Mingle - 2-3-2010

There was a lot going on at the monthly Wilmington Downtowners Meet & Mingle, which is held on the first Wednesday of every month in the Beam Room on the 3rd floor of Front Street Brewery, 9 N Front Street, Wilmington, NC from 5-6:30PM.

This monthly business networking occasion as always is host to people who live, work and do business in downtown Wilmington, but this month there were two other attractions, a casual job-seekers and hiring managers meeting and an fortuitous gathering of some of the key figures in of the Cape Fear Roller Girls. More about both below.

When I first walked in I spoke with Jamie and Matt Warzel, below. Matt is the president of MJW Careers and it was Matt who organized a casual meeting place for hiring managers and job seekers. While I was there I saw several hiring managers and a bunch of job seekers (each group identified easily by color-coded name tags).


I also met Yvonne Sewall, who is visiting Wilmington for a month, considering relocation. Yvone is the founder of Max's Kansas City Project, a (currently) NYC-located nonprofit that provides emergency funding to artists in need. The organization is named after Max's Kansas City, an iconic New York restaurant/bar/club habituated by artists, actors and musicians in the 60s.


Here's Yvonne again with Front Street Brewery's Marketing Manager Ellie Craig.


Architect Gordon Hall (check out his projects at this site), Whats ON Wilmington founder Ranald Totten, and Kelsey Lingerfelt. Kelsey by day works in marketing for New Hanover Regional Medical Center - but she's a woman with another life (see below).


Kelsey is also in charge of marketing for and a skater with the Cape Fear Roller Girls, Wilmington's official Flat Track Roller Derby team. Check out the website http://www.capefearrollergirls.com/ buy the t-shirt, go to practices and cheer 'em on.

OK, so below (real names and official, registered FTRD names) are Vanessa Keen/Dee Spies, Kelsey Lingerfelt/Psycho Delic, Brooke Kuehner/Windy Hitty, and their coach, Dave Kuehner/The Warden.


Non-Roller Girl and non-job seekers, Joey Malott and Kyle Kisers, both interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Crowd shot.


The career seekers end of the room with David Merrill of Hertz Rentals on the right. David was one of the hiring managers in attendance.


When I was on my way out I spoke with Jenn Beddoe, who has recently started offering tutoring services via Jenn the Teacher and is co-owner of Glynne's Soaps with Gayle Tabor, on the right.

See you next month at Front Street Brewery at the Downtowner's Meet & Mingle on March 3rd.

ADT Ribbon-Cutting 2-3-2010

ADT just joined the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce so of course we had a ribbon cutting. A nice crowd showed up for the mid-week mid-morning event.

Below the group assembles, getting ready for the cut. That's our host Nick Arbia of ADT with the big scissors in the middle.

The office entrance. It isn't really a place where many customers go so you get very little sense of how large it is inside, but it goes on and on, at least 3,000 square feet place warehouse space.


Nick with North Brunswick Chamber Executive Director Terry Grillo.

Admin Katie McDonald and ADT Custom Home Rep Nick Thomas in the reception area.

Joyce Edwards and UNCW intern Daniella Martinez of Nancy Hall Publications.

Sandy Anthony of Welcome Services, Inc. and Tim Delia of AFLAC.


Joyce Ewards again, this time with Morgan Harper of the State Port Pilot.

Joyce (on the left) and board member Jeff Harvell of Lighthouse Publications.

Nick went into teaching mode for just a few minutes. A good guy, he's clearly passionate about his company and his job.

People watching the presentation from the door are Scott Reeves of Azalea Plaza, board member Justin Williams (with the camera) of NBM and SBM magazines, NBCC president George Murray of Murray Framing, and Terry Grillo.


Nick in profile. But check out all the plugs on the wall on the lower right. For a geeky guy like me, this is a presentation room to covet. (It's a nerd-thing, you might not understand.)

Photographer Bob Baer with his new Bluetooth phone on a lanyard and Franklin Rouse of State Farm Insurance.

And now, to end the suspense, yes indeed, the ribbon was cut!!

We had a good time, good donuts (with powdered sugar all over the carpeting to prove it) and welcome ADT and Nick to NBCC.