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.
