Being Bruce -: July 2010

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Fun with Marge and Bruce by the Pool

Marge and I had a lot of fun shooting videos today by the pool. We were making short clips for our upcoming Bruce and Marge Live! teleseminar series.

We're really pumped about our August teleseminar series and while we only have 96 slots open with our current conference call system, we easily can add more if needed.

While we were making the videos each of us appeared in the background of the other's shot. It wasn't planned that way, but it turned out to be pretty funny - for us anyway.






For more info on our August Teleseminar Series, please go to:
Bruce and Marge Live!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Ray Borges Ribbon Cutting - July 23, 2010

RJB Tax Associates LLC recently moved to new office space on Poole Road in Leland. Naturally that meant an opportunity for another ribbon-cutting and a chance for local business folks to turn out to celebrate, cut the ribbon, and have lunch!

Here's the opening shot as everyone smiles and Ray's poised to cut the ribbon.


Marge Brown of Quantum Results Coaching, Ray Borges, and Monica Clark (oh yeah, and I'm on the left).


Marge and Ray.



Ray's mom with Carolyn Pirnat of Asset Storage and Kerry Kasotsky of Health Choice One.



NBM and SBM photographer and account exec Wendy Hunt.



Wendy and me.



The indubitable Nick Arbia of ADT.


Mike Triggiano of Mailbox Express.


Ken Schiess of HDVvest, Nick Arbia, Lee Ann Mitchell Bolton of the Magnolia Greens Comfort Suites Hotel, and Alice Razzano from the Newcomers Club.


Carolyn, Kerry, Safe Surroundings' Rick Paxton, and Monica.


A successful cut!


And then we scooted back inside because it was hot! Thanks again Ray and congratulations.

My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 16 - Our Thirteenth Practice

It's two weeks till the competition on August 6th. The excitement and tension around having a great time and putting on a super performance are growing as we practice our routine.

Here's Kim before we started practice:


And, as you can see in the short video after practice, we both worked hard:



I had a few things to say as well:



And here's our weekly Not-What-We're-Really-Dancing video:



And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.

Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.

Brown - out!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Strictly Business at Cape Fear National Golf Course

The crowd started strong and grew fast at the Strictly Business networking event organized by The Big Talker FM, sponsored by CopyPlus, and held at the club house of Brunswick Forest's Cape Fear National Golf Course in Leland, North Carolina, for the financial benefit of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce and the business and personal benefit of all who attended. (How's THAT for an opening sentence?)



NBCC Ambassador Gina Schiess and Executive Director Dana Fisher


Sea-Comm Media's Russ Hauptmann and entrepreneur Kyle Myers.



Sea-Comm Media personality Paige Freeman.



Nolan Formalarie of Plantation Properties (back to camera) talks with Brunswick Forest Realty's Marketing Director Brandy Marshall.



NBCC Board Member Ken Schiess, Julie Czyl (back to the camera), with Mike Czyl on the right. Looking for help of the name of the guy with the white shirt. Julie and Mike own Wilmington's Old Chicago Pizza.



Julie Czyl with Lindsey Ostby of Edward Jones.



John and Ruth Mulligan of CitruSolution of Wilmington.



Artist Bill Smith holding a caricature he'd drawn of Marge and I from our web site header. (Thanks, Bill)
.



So here's a larger version of the caricature. And here's the link to the website:
 QuantumResultsCoaching.com. What do you think? Do you see the resemblance?


Sea-Comm Media's Joe Catennaci is the man with the microphone at these events.



Cape Fear National General Manager Jim Hahn with Marketing Director Brad Walker.



Elaine Huston (seated on the left). Anyone know the names of  the other two women?



Fred Kumpel of Strickland's Window Coverings and his wife Melissa.



Coldwell Banker Sea Coast real estate broker Doug Jackson with N2Publishing's Steve West.



Sea-Comm Media account exec Derek Sellers.



In the middle, Bratton Parker and Nicole Wilkinson of NC Fresh Direct with Ezell and Ann Willard of All Kinds of Stuff (blue shirts, backs to the camera).



Photographers Bob Baer, Mike Leggett, and Justin Williams.



I had to leave for a meeting but fortunately Nancy Hall Publication's Jeff Harvell arrived to carry the weight after was gone.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Jay Vics Scores! Wilmington Entrepreneur Finds a Need and Fills It!

In the tradition of entrepreneurs everywhere, Wilmington local Cellular Sales rep Jay Vics rose to the occasion when he saw a need. Jay saw lots of people coming in to phone stores complaining about common concerns with smart phones, many of which had simple solutions.


Jay's simple answer (which means other people will say, "Dang, why didn't I think of that?") was to set up a Meetup Group that would directly address the concerns common to smart phone users. Called the Wilmington Smart Phones, Smart Users Group, the group had its first Meetup tonight at Mike and Julie Czyl's Old Chicago Pizza in Wilmington, NC. Mike agreed to host the meeting for Jay to help kick off the group (thanks, Mike, the pizza rocked!).

Early arrivals were Judy Budd, Devin Vics (Jay's wife), Stuart Ward, and Ann and Ezell Willard.



Tina, Marge Brown, and Justin filled another table.



Here's the group in action - with Justin answering questions from the group after going over some common problems on Blackberrys and Droids.



Our waitstaff person was Kelly Landen, who was friendly and helpful.



During his introduction Jay made an offer: if anyone asked a question he couldn't answer he give them a gift certificate to Old Chicago Pizza AND later find the right answer. I just happened to have my camera running at the time, so here's the evidence of his rash offer.



Actually, I don't think anyone had a question Jay couldn't answer.

Next meeting is next month, same place. Check the groups web page for more info:
www.Meetup.com/I-am-a-smart-user

Saturday, July 17, 2010

My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 15 - Our Twelfth Practice

Another week another fun practice. We're getting down to the wire, just three weeks left till August 6th!

Kim had a great surprise for me today - some new steps! I was delighted because they replaced some of the steps I'd already mastered, so this way the entire routine will be fresh. Actually, her new steps are really cool and I'm excited to see how they look once we really get them.

Of course, we're still not unveiling the actual routine we're going to be doing during the competition, but at this practice we did practice some cheering.



And Kim and I also had a few things to say about each other:






And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.

Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.

Brown - out!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Grayson Park Business After Hours for the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce

It's been a few weeks (a month really) since the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce had a Business After Hours, so yesterday, despite heavy local rain and traffic-bedeviled bridges from Wilmington, NC, we had a successful event hosted by Grayson Park, a Steven Fine Homes community in Leland, NC.

When we arrived the appetizers were laid out and we dug in, awaiting the heavier stuff that was stuck in traffic (for two hours!).


NBCC board member and publisher of NBM and SBM magazines Justin Williams.



Our host was Grayson Park's Dennis Nipini (left), here talking with Connie Reeves and Mr. and Ms. Roy Lettiri.



Linda Cheers, Account Exec with The Brunswick Beacon with Shelton Herb Farm's Margaret Shelton.



Facing the camera are Cape Fear Merchant Services James Shoemaker and Frank Williams of Pioneer Strategies - both are NBCC board members.



NBCC board member Ken Schiess of HDVest with NBCC stalwarts Scott and Connie Reeves of Azalea Plaza.



NBCC Executive Director Dana Fisher with her fiance, Charlie Rivenbark - Charlie's with Maus, Marwick, Matthews commercial REALTORs and a member of the Wilmington City Council.



James Bozeman on the left with Mike Leggett, NBCC board member and photographer and writer for The Local News Review.



Charlie Rivenbark talking with rained upon NBCC board member Franklin Rouse of State Farm Insurance.



Karen Chevrotee of Wilmington South Realty.



NBCC Ambassador Dave Seaton of Pestco with Chad Gilliam from SeaWatch.



Helping themselves at the buffet table are Sweet Nectar Florist's Jerry Rivenbark and Steven Kennedy. This company is  a generous support to the NBCC and the North Brunswick Community - thanks, guys.



Marge Brown of Quantum Results Coaching (yay, Marge!) with Gina Schiess.



So I had to get these guys to smile for the camera. Joe Gaughan (left), an account exec with WECT6 television and Michael Triggiano, General Manager of the Mailbox Express in Leland, and I were having (what I thought anyway was) an hilarious discussion. And  then when I pulled out the camera, they posed.


So naturally I hollered something inane and got them to smile. A whole lot better, don't you think? (Thanks guys, you're both good sports about this.)


One last photo before Marge and I left of Dennis Nipini with Nancy Hall Associate Publisher Jeff Harvell, talking with Linda and Bob Baer.



Thanks to Craig Stevens of Stevens Fine Homes for hosting this event which was successful and a lot of fun despite the heavy rains and traffic.