Strictly Business - Caprice Bistro - 12-09-09

It was back to Caprice Bistro for The Big Talker FM's Strictly Business last night. It may have been windy outside, but upstairs at Caprice's Sofa Bar it was, er, strictly business. Well, and good food (salmon, lamb, and rabbit!), good cheer, lots of drawing prizes, and a whole lotta business connecting.

As always, a select local nonprofit organization was the beneficient of the drawing ticket sales and this week it was Wilmington Downtown, Inc. Below is WDI's Executive Director John Hinnant, holding an enticing stream of tickets.

These guys were nice enough to turn for a photo: Paul Whitehouse of Lopermedia, Steve Haughey of Worldwide Express, and Robert Johnson of Cafe, Inc. Robert's wife has recently accepted a 14-month assignment in the U.K. so they're about to move - and he can't get a work visa so perhaps he'll spend his time searching for places like Caprice Bistro.


Sea-Comm Media's Paige Freeman and Derek Sellers.

Tyler Wooden, Kim Osborne, and Jacob Fox, all with Deltacom.


Randy Brashears of Vista Products.

Here's Kim Osborne again, this time with Shari Watters, also of Deltacom.

Paige Freeman.

Graphic designer Steve Rivenbark and Copywriter Allison Pflumm, collaborators at Pflummingo.

Mark Johnson of Buff Masters Car Wash and Detail Center, and Jerry Ellis of Telco.

Joe Morcos and Michael Snyder, both from Sea-Comm Media and Steve West from N2 Publishing.

Shannon Rippy of Mott Landscaping.

Gene Merrit is an appraiser and developer, and a key factor in downtown Wilmington progress and development.

Curtis Wright, Big Talker FM's morning guy and host of the Strictly Business events with Scott Ball of Coastal Document Systems.


Talking "strictly business" are Randy Brashears and Paul Whitehouse in the background, and Sea-Comm Media's Max Deutsch with John Hinnant in the foreground.

Robert and Paige Freeman, brother and sister.


Shelly Shaplin of Rx Express Marketing and her husband Paul Shaplin of Power Home Technologies security systems.

Bob Martin of Bob King Motors.

Another group scene just before the second round of raffle drawings.

Paige and Curtis doing the raffle drawings (Well, actually Paige is waving. Notice that Curtis is holding a copy of The Passion Test, which I gave away along with a gift certificate for a free pass to our Passion Test Workshop this weekend at the Holiday Inn Express on Van Campen - phew, talk about a shameless plug!). Christine Giampetro of Green Cleaning Technicians looks on.

Another shot of Christine of GCT.

Curtis announces the winner of the Business Spotlight on The Big Talker FM, Greg Robinson of Lookout Blinds.

Mark Evans of Green Cleaning Technicians and Ayres Burgess of Jubilee Snooze and Cruise.

Derek, Christine, and Max.

John Hinnant with Pat Moity, who with her husband Chef Thierry Moity, is the owner of Caprice Bistro. John told me that Caprice Bistro is his and his wife's premier "date night" spot.

Thanks again for the good turnout and thanks to Pat and Thierry for hosting such a fine event.

Strictly Business at Caprice Bistro - November 4th 2009

It wasn't just Strictly Business at Caprice Bistro last night, it was a lot of fun. The group upstairs at the popular downtown establishment was elbow-to-elbow and notably energetic.


The Big Talker FM weekly business networking event at various area restaurants keeps getting better - and better in this case means that people are finding the Strictly Business events an excellent place to make new business contacts. When something works people like to share the story and I've had several regular attendees tell me during the last month or so that these events are the most productive for them in making useful business contacts.

Steve Haughey of Worldwide Express and Jackie Willse of Port City Candles and the Wilmington Young Professionals Group (another hugely successful networking organization).


ACTIONCoach Reggie Shropshire, Jeff Harvell, publisher of Cape Fear Business News and Lighthouse News Online, and Paul Whitehouse of Loper Media.


These two folks are great examples of people who you'll see at most Strictly Business events, because they know it works. Mark Evans of Green Cleaning Technicians and Mary Bennies of TownPlanner local events calendars online and in print (Mary has recently started her Wilmington calendar after successfully launching the North Brunswick county version).

Wilmington Downtown, Inc.'s Executive Director John Hinnant with Orton Plantation's Event Coordinator and Marketing Director Abi Blackerby, Alex and Anna Hoggard of icwifi (intracoastal wireless internet) , and Lee Padgett of ClickCheckSave.com.

Elaine Huston of PrePaid Legal, smiling between Jerry Ellis of Telcom Communications and Rick Huston of U-First.



Scott Ball of Coastal Document Systems and Curtis Wright, the Big Talker FM morning guy and host for all Strictly Business networking events.


James Arnold of South-Eastern Commercial Servies, Anna Schraff of Boys & Girls Homes of NC, and Steve West of N2 Publishing.

Stylist Melissa Kinnamon of Nsalo Salon.


Pat Herrmann of Morton Shull Advertising and incomparable floral designer Djenana Ninkovic of Moxie Floral Studio.

Kimberly Ott Brumsey of KB Aesthetics Organic Skin Care and Waxing.

Fred Krumpel of Strickland's Window Coverings and Doug Kymer of ADT Small Business.

While Curtis was busy announcing drawing winners, Lee Ann Haggerty of Wilmington Downtown, Inc. had the real power, controlling the card bucket!
Jo Howell of Luxe Home Interiors at Mayfaire Town Center, Tanya Hall of Cape Fear American Red Cross Donor Services, and architect Gordon Hall.


Photographer Paige Freeman and Stephanie Williams of Edward Jones.


OK then, it was another great event. Click on this sentence to find out where next week's Strictly Business event will be held.

Wilmington Downtown, Inc. and The Big Talker - Strictly Business 9/16/09

This week's Big Talker FM Strictly Business networking event was held at The Reel Cafe on Dock and Front Street in conjunction with Wilmington Downtown, Inc. These events keep growing in popularity and attendance. Check out the Strictly Business Wilmington networking event schedule.

In the photo below, Wilmington Downtown Inc.'s Operations Manager Lee Anne Haggerty sat at a booth with materials about the organization's many programs and initiatives.

And before we jump into the photos of attendees, here's a short video of Wilmington Downtown's Executive Director John Hinnant, explaining just a bit about what they do (sorry for the background noise, we shot this just around the corner from the table where Lee Anne sat).



So now, here are some folks who were at the event. Feel free to e-mail me at brucerbrown@yahoo.com and I'll add names of folks I overlooked.

To start off, here's Erik Gray of UFirst. John Hinnant and attorney Harley Sacks are in the background.

In the center next to the sign are Steve West of N2 Publishing and Marge Brown of SendOutCards.

Taken a bit before it got started, this is where the event took place, one block from the Cape Fear riverfront in downtown Wlmington, NC. The dapper guy sitting at the table with the blue shirt and white collar is Curtis Wright, the Big Talker morning guy and the host for Strictly Business events.

Derek Sellers, Sea-Comm Media sales guy. He shows up, smiles, remembers your name, and has a good product.

Erik Gray, Barbara Gray of PrePaid Legal, and Steve West.


Harley Sacks, Marge Brown, and Terry Sacks. Oh yeah, and uber-networker David Merrill is behind Terry.

Paige Freeman was on hand to shoot photos for Sea-Comm Media.

Patrick Bayley cutting through the crowd with a plate of tacos. Barbara Gray's in the foreground.

Josh Stehno, manager of The Greenlight Lounge on N. Front Street with Hertz Rental's David Merrill.

Curtis Wright and another gentleman whose name I didn't get (a little help, someone?).


Hadn't seen Cheri Huggins of Aaxa Mortgage for a while, but she was here, too.

Here's a better shot off Cheri. Oh yeah, and me.

The crew from C&J's Cleaning. Cindy and Jay Duehring.


Appraiser Amy Witmer of Joseph A. Robb & Associates and Cheri Huggins.
So it was another successful event. Why don't you show up next week when it's held 5-7PM on Wednesday at Port City Chop House on Eastwood Road. Free appetizers, drawings, support for good causes, business networking of course, and a huge helping of positive energy from people doing business they enjoy.