Strictly Business at The Harp

The huge crowd that turned out at the weekly Strictly Business networking event at The Harp restaurant in Wilmington, NC yesterday underscored the strength of contact networking in southeastern North Carolina. This was the first time Strictly Business had met at The Harp, which is located on S. 3rd Street near Greenfield Park. The Harp is easy to find, there's plenty of parking, and the atmosphere was top flight.

Sponsored each week by Sea-Comm Media's Big Talker radio, the Strictly Business networking events are held in a different establishment each week. Appetizers are provided free and sometimes the location hosts are especially generous, as was the case last night, when the full buffet, in two separate stations, was ample, varied, appealing, and delicious! So thanks to owners Margaret Jennings and Val Cleary for the great space and wonderful food.

Lest you think Strictly Business is the same group of folks wandering from bar to bar each week, a good example in the photo below is Brian Keller, who very recently moved to Oak Island with his business-to-business promotion products company, ATL (www.adsthatlast.com). Brian, in the middle, and his wife Tracy (on the right) moved from Gastonia and this was their first time at Strictly Business. (As you can see from the plate in my hand, I wasn't shy about helping myself to the food, while Brian was more restrained.)

Brother and sister Robert and Paige Freeman. Both are photographers and Paige is also a Producer with Sea-Comm Media.


Annie Anthony of the Cape Fear Volunteer Center.


Rory Platow of the Big Buddy Program, this week's nonprofit beneficiary of the raffle ticket sale for prizes given by Strictly Business attendees.

Pre-Paid Legal's Elaine Huston and mortgage consultant Mark Whitmarsch.

Sea-Comm Media salesman Russ "Call me Doug" Hauptmann - who was actually setting me up for a joke when I took this photo.


Buffmaster's CarWash Mark Johnson with ActionCoach Reggie Shropshire - Reggie was and always will be a member of the United States Marine Corps and lately has been wearing these camies as a signature outfit - here he was trying to looking stern.


It didn't last longer than 2 seconds, however, and Reggie quickly flipped back to his usual, glowing smile.

Sea-Comm Media Producer Aimee Robbins with Sales Account Manager Amy Besterfeldt (aka "Jackie Jordan" - which is what I mistakenly named her in a few previous posts and never heard was in error - till last night when "Doug" Hauptmann told me that "Jackie Jordan" wanted to talk with me.


We were entertained by piano player Rebecca Hall.

Marge grabbed my camera and took this shot of me with Cristen Roggemann of the Big Buddy Program.


Here's Cristen Roggemann by herself.



Out on the front patio Harp co-owner Margaret Jennings (center) sat with John and Patricia Pietropaolo. John's with a New Hanover methadon maintenance center and Patricia has a permanent makeup company.

Another shot of the patio in front of the restaurant.



Sea-Comm Media news guy Joe Catenacci was the announcer - at first, as you can see, few looked up.


And then when he started announcing prizes people started really paying attention.


A nice piece of glass work in the restaurant.

The working area of the bar.

Brian Fenderbosch with Morvil Advertising + Design Group, Ranald Totten of WhatsOnWilmington.com, and architect Gordon Hall.


As we were leaving we said hello to N2 Publishing's Steve West.

Marge and I were at Strictly Business for about an hour and saw a lot of folks we already knew and also each met two or three new people with whom we'll follow up. That's the way networking is supposed to work and the way it always seems to work at Strictly Business, which is held from 5-7 (or later) each Wednesday. You can check the schedule each week at This Link.

Strictly Business at Old Chicago Pizza

The Big Talker FM's Strictly Business networking event was held at Old Chicago Pizza on Market Street in Wilmington, NC.

The first folks I met at the event were Bruce Piercey and David Medlin of Advanced Metal Roofing.


Next I said hello to SB regulars Ann Willard, Patricia and John Pietropaolo, and Ezell Willard.

Elaine Huston and Mark Whitmarsh.


OCP co-owner Julie Czyll (pronounce it "chill") with her son River.


Lopermedia's Paul Whitehouse.


Realtor Ulli Johnson.


Sea-Comm Media's Max Deutsch with Deltacom's Shari Watters.


That's Mike Czyll (Julie's husband and River's dad) behind the bar.


Buffmasters Car Wash's Mark Johnson.


Terry Hall of RSVP.


Captain Joe Abbate of the Cape Fear River Watch.


Sea-Comm Media's Russ Hauptmann and Town Planner's Mary Bennies.


Russ Hauptmann and Mary Bennies - this time Russ smiled.

Rick Huston.


Cape Fear River Watch's Kemp Burdette and Tim Dillinger.


Steve Haughey of Worldwide Express.

Sea-Comm Media's Aimee Robbins.


Sea-Comm Media lineup: Joe Catenacci, Aimee Robbins, and Paige Freeman.

Steve Haughey, Nathan (? - need some help with his last name), and Lauren Formalarie of Carolina Coastal Concepts.


Shannon and Scott Mackay


Another Strictly Business networking event at Old Chicago Pizza. Thanks Julie and Mike and Sea-Comm Media.


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Strictly Business at Wrightsville Grille 4-14-10

Who are these guys in shirts and ties and why are they standing on a sidewalk outside a restaurant on a sunny day in coastal North Carolina?

Oh yeah, that's right they're Steve Haughey of Worldwide Express, Joe Catennaci, Derek Sellers, and Russ Hauptmann of Sea-Comm Media and they're getting ready for Strictly Business with The Big Talker-FM at Wrightsville Grille in Wilmington, North Carolina, quite close to Wrightsville Beach.


Patricia Pietropaolo of Permanent Makeup by Patricia and her husband John of the New Hanover Metro Treatment Center were among the early arrivals.


Rachael Hickerson, owner of Roots Organic Hair Salon and Jackie Jordan of Sea-Comm Media.


Mark Johnson of BuffMasters Car Wash and Detailers.


Wrightsville Grille laid out a nice selection of appetizers and kept 'em coming.


David Merrill of Hertz Local (and, incidentally, the creator of http://wilmingtonnetworkingevents.com) with Joe Catennaci.

Sea-Comm's Derek Sellers - I think Patricia must have given him a permanent smile at some point, because he's always smiling.


Susan Rivenbark with David Merrill.

Master tile setter Ben Brumsey of Brumsey Tile & Marble with Kimberly Ott Brumsey of KB Organic Skin Care.

As I was leaving for another event I saw but didn't have a chance to speak to Nick Kentrolis, owner of nearby Crest Fitness.

Another good turnout in another great place. And, as usual, it was "strictly business" - even though it may look like people hanging out in a bar, this is the most business-getting-done networking event in the area.