Older Meeting Information

February 6th, 2008 LI Connects Meeting Re-cap:
LI Connects Meeting Re-cap


Dear Members and Guests of LI Connects,
On February 6th, Brian White took us back to 1987 - Black Monday to be precise. Is your view of the market 20 years old?? ...20 days old?? Brian cautioned against moving too much, too quickly and provided us with critical information needed during times of economic uncertainty.

Brian advised us to take a long-term view, make sure that investments are balanced and cautioned against letting emotion rule our decisions. Careful planning is easier when you have an expert financial advisor on your side and Brian White is your obvious choice. Brian clearly demonstrated his expertise to us when he explained:
Asset classes, styles and geographies - eliminating our need to predict market trends.
The use of "rebalancing" to keep our investments and monetary emotions in check.
Managing our money to maximize after-tax returns.
His knowledge of and access to industry-leading money managers.
Being an expert financial advisor, Brian has offered to share his knowledge with group members and encourages anyone to contact him with questions.

February 20th
Next LI Connects meeting
Tom Nidzyn will be our featured member at the February 20th meeting. In addition to being our expert on Telephone and Communications equipment, Tom also owns a company called New Hope Enterprises.

New Hope Enterprises focuses on residential services that everyone can use; in most cases, Tom can help people save money on their local and long distance phone bills, high speed Internet, and so much more!

A new service that Tom offers is called Lifelock - both an identity theft protection AND prevention product. You might have seen Lifelock being advertised on TV a lot lately - Tom will be giving us the insider's scoop on the 20th. If you have a Social Security number and an identity, do not miss this meeting!

If you know someone with an identity and social security number who you'd like to invite to the meeting, click here and send them this email.

Let's fill the new room we're using at the diner!


Don't Miss This!
Updates from The Board
As LI Connects continues to grow and develop, you might have noticed some changes to the way we do things. These changes are part of growth, come about from member suggestions, and are part of managing our growth so our members get the most benefit from being part of this dynamic networking group.

You'll see that we now have a way to track referrals shared between members. Please use the REFERRAL SLIPS that are on the tables during our meetings. Just fill out the referral slip and pass it to Patsy. The referrals will be distributed at the end of the meeting. We all want our businesses to grow and that's a part of why we belong to LI Connects... LI Connects wants your business to grow so using the referral slips, we'll be able to help each other in following up on the great leads and referrals we share! PLEASE NOTE: if you have a referral to share with a member before the next meeting, SHARE IT ASAP!! Fill out a slip at the next meeting so we can help you develop the lead/referral!

Please be sure to respond to the email that was sent last week asking you to abbreviate the description of your business. The Board is putting together a "calling card" of member services. These cards will be available for members to share with their customers and contacts and will be another way of helping your clients find the expert services they need! (And it's an easy advertisement for the rest of us!)

A survey is being prepared and will be sent via email to all paid members. We care about your opinion so PLEASE respond to the survey!


Guests of LI Connects: 02/06/2008
John Ryan of E Solutions USA - The Technology Recyclers providing: environmental recycling of electronics, data destruction and more.

Gail R. Polivy of Indoff Inc and Professional Spaces. Gail is a Branch Partner of Indoff Office Interiors and is the owner of Professional Spaces. As an Indoff partner, Gail offers quality, selection, service and savings on interior furnishings and Professional Spaces provides planning and solutions to maximize space and workflow.

Peter Macholz of NY Merchants Protective Co. Inc. "Protecting Life & Property Since 1910". Peter is a Project Engineer; his company provides commercial, industrial, governmental and residential alarm and monitoring systems.

Stephanie Conte of Accent Properties. Stephanie is John Lewis' partner at Accent Properties. They specialize in real estate transactions including residential, investment and can help you find commercial space if needed.

Tiffany O'Reilly of Trade-Winds Environmental. Tiffany is the Vice President of Business Development. Trade-Winds specializes in providing the highest quality, immediate response, remediation, and restoration services when disaster strikes.

LI Connects is a Team of Experts dedicated to exceeding the needs of our Customers and Clients by aligning ourselves with other highly qualified, motivated professionals.

To your continued success!

PatsyPatricia ArmstrongSecretary, LI Connects
In This Issue
Next Meeting
Hear Yea, Hear Yea!
Guests
Is Your Name Here?

Quick Links
Our Website
Email The Board
Brian White




Gratitude and Thanks

Sharing referrals and leads is a sure-fire way to fast track additional streams of income and build your client and prospect list.

The following members expressed their gratitude to other members for giving OR getting: a lead, an introduction, a quality referral:

Jan DeRobertis
Brian VanZandt
Sandra Radna
John Lewis
Tom Nidzyn
Roch Preite
Laurinda Handlik
Diana Santariello
Jack Lafferty
Can you enter our raffle?!? Just ask Jack Lafferty how easy it is to win! Jack won a $10 gift card to the Palace Diner because he had a meeting with Roch Preite! All you have to do is have a one-on-one meeting with another member before 02/20 and you're entitled to enter the next drawing!


No expiration dates! Just meet with another member to learn more about their business anytime between the last meeting and the next one. The prizes vary depending on who makes the donation but they're easily worth a million bucks - to someone!



January 23rd, 2008 LI Connects Meeting Re-cap:





January 30, 2008


This is a long one, we were at standing room only!! (It’s not really that long, I used big margins!!)

Our TEAM OF EXPERTS continues to grow and expand after each meeting as BUSINESS EXPERTS become new members and as guests who bring an added value to the group are being invited and attending... CONGRATULATIONS to LI Connects for consistent growth – we’ve outgrown the back room at the diner!

Guests are listed below – THANK YOU for attending and feel free to get in touch with a Board Member with any questions!

Brian VanZandt of Network Solutions & Training has this announcement:
BMW is a sister company of NST that has been selling, installing, training and supporting Sage Software products including, MAS90/200 and BusinessWorks for the past 13 years.
Our customers experience world class support from a staff of caring consultants dedicated to ensuring that their business software runs smoothly and meets their business needs both today and into the future.
We have recently added a new product to our award winning line of business software. SageCRM is an easy to use, powerful, web based Customer Relationship Management system. The software allows you to automate your sales and marketing activities, reporting and tracking sales projections, prospect status and scheduled next steps. We are excited to be able to offer this product and know it will add value to every business.
Congratulations Brian VanZandt & NST! NST’s service and support are second to none, and I can personally attest to that fact! Sage’s CRM is an exceptional product and really does take you from prospecting to up-selling with ease and simplicity – contact Brian for more information on how this winning combo can and will add value to your business - and how it will make you even more valuable to your customers and clients!!

In true LI Connects fashion, our Team of Experts expressed gratitude to fellow members who have given them leads or referrals for new business:
-Tom Nidzyn
- Christine Perlow
- Nytewolf Catori
- Patsy Armstrong
- Brian VanZandt
- Sandra Radna
- Jan DeRobertis
- Maria Rabal
- Laurinda Handlik
- Roch Preite
- Angela Grotz

That’s the way we help each other’s businesses to grow!!

Special thanks to Henrietta Gardner from Citibank for an excellent presentation on Identity Theft. Henrietta advised us all to obtain the free credit reports that we’re entitled to by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com/. Henrietta also gave us excellent information that is especially helpful in this age of technology.

Our member presenter at the next meeting on February 6th will be:
Brian White of Ameriprise. Brian will be providing us with pertinent information that is of use to EVERYONE – it’s about YOUR MONEY!
Let’s face it, we’re all concerned about the economy and the long lasting effects of the dramatic day-to-day changes in the stock market. Brian is going to share his EXPERTISE with us about what we can do to improve our finances during these troubled (?) economic times.
Brian White is an EXPERT Financial Advisor specializing in retirement and estate planning, investments, life insurance and so much more!

The next Board Meeting of LI Connects is on Tuesday, February 5th. ALL paid members are invited and encouraged to attend. If you’d like to attend, please send an email to The Board for the time and location.

Our guests at the last meeting included:

Mary Scott
Make Believe TV
Sponsor of the LI networking calendar.

Lucille Mavrokefalos
Portnoy, Messinger, Pearl & Associates

Steven D’Orazio
Sutton and Edwards

Alvin R. Nesbot
Spherion

Lori Buck
Bucks Designs

Stephanie Conte
Accent Properties of Long Island

Cheri Calamusa
Best Cleaning Service of Long Island

Tara Murphy
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Nancy Rao
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Frank Grausso
FNG Contracting Inc.

Thanks to all the members who entered the raffle drawing. If you entered, it means that you took time out of your hectic schedule to meet with another member EXPERT to learn more about them and their business, which happens to be great for BOTH of you!
Sandra Radna won the raffle last week..... will YOU win next week???

I’m pretty sure that’s all there is to report! If I missed something, please let me know. Our next BOARD MEETING is on Tuesday, Feb 5th and the next regular meeting of LI Connects is on February 6th. If you need more information, just send an email.

With best wishes for your continued success!

Patsy
Patricia Armstrong
Secretary, LI Connects
PA@ArmstrongABC.com
http://www.liconnects.com/





January 9th LI Connects Meeting Re-cap:
Well, we certainly had a great turnout for our first meeting of 2008. If you were there, you know what I’m talking about... if you missed it, you missed a lot!

Our group now has 23 paid members!! Congratulations to each and every Expert for belonging to such a dynamic and interactive Networking Team of Experts! When you’re considering a guest to invite to a meeting, please invite someone who will bring added value to LI Connects. Our next meeting is January 23rd. Please go out of your way to bring at least ONE referral to your fellow experts; with 23 of us, there’s a LOT of business to share! Take ten minutes out of your day to go through our list of members and really think about your clients or customers who will benefit from an introduction to one of your fellow members. Visit our website at http://www.liconnects.com/ and don’t just look for your listing – take the time to read everyone’s information. Of course, we all benefit by doing business with each other but the way to make our businesses grow is by sharing outside contacts/leads/referrals etc. with everyone in the group.

Our spotlighted member was Micheline Catori. Micheline is a Reiki Practitioner. For some relaxation and enlightenment while you’re sitting at your keyboard, surf over to www.myspace.com/nytewolfreiki where you will find even more information about Micheline and Reiki.
In addition to her wonderful presentation and explanation of Reiki, Micheline recommended visiting these two other websites: http://www.intenders.com/ and http://www.gogratitude.com/.
Reiki is the Universal Life Force Energy; Micheline is a Healer, Spiritualist, Advisor, Mentor and Guide. Reiki works on all levels of our being: Physical, Mental, Emotional & Spiritual. Some of the benefits of Reiki include: relaxation, stress & pain management, faster recovery from surgeries, clearer thinking, healing patterns that lead to pain, rebuilding harmony.
Micheline is known as NyteWolf and she’s offered her services to members of our group for only $30.00 per session! The only thing better than that is that she’s also extending this huge discount to people who are recommended to her through the group! As NyteWolf told us last Wednesday: Some Reiki is better than no Reiki, this and her compassion for all people have inspired this tremendous discount. Considering that Micheline is involved in each Reiki session for almost 3 hours, you can appreciate the value of this gift!
Micheline is starting an “Intention Circle” and in April will receive the higher Reiki attunement that she has been working towards. Congratulations to NyteWolf, Micheline, on your fantastic presentation and on your personal achievements!!
Reminder: your Board meets on the first Tuesday morning of each month – all paid members are invited to attend the Board Meetings, just let any one of us know you want to attend so you will get the email with the meeting location details. Your board consists of:
Jan DeRobertis: President & Founder of LI ConnectsBrian VanZandt: Vice PresidentVicki McGinn: TreasurerPatsy Armstrong: Secretary & MarketingLaurinda Handlik: Membership
We’re putting together a networking expedition! The event will be held on the Paddleboat out of the Peconic River – no more paddling upstream to get new leads and share referrals, enjoy a relaxing event with your fellow members and guests. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get new business leads when you aren’t working against the current!
Look for another email with information from members and guests and NEW MEMBERS who were at our last meeting. Please mark your calendars for our January 23rd meeting where our featured speaker will be from Citibank and the topic of conversation will be Identity Theft. Also be on the lookout for your big game email... more about that later!
Again, many thanks to Micheline aka NyteWolf for sharing the message of Reiki with us, and for offering such a large discount to our members! I’m looking forward to seeing you all on the 23rd at 12:30 at the Hauppauge Palace Diner.
Best regards,Patsy Armstrong Secretary, LI Connectshttp://www.liconnects.com/

October 23, 2007
Dear Friends & Guests,

Sometimes we can't stand to read email so.... sprinkled throughout this one will be some definitions for new words. You'll have to read to the end of the email to find out who shared these with us!
(BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.)
We had an awesome meeting last Wednesday! Just when the waitress thought she was finished setting up the last place setting, someone else came in! Our guests names are listed at the end of this email.

(CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles)

Our Member Spotlight was presented by Tiffany O'Reilly of Trade-Winds Environmental. Tiffany gave us a great presentation on what Trade-Winds does.

Trade-Winds Environmental is a National Company based in Holtsville. Their highly specialized & well trained teams respond to disasters large & small, on land and on the water; they provide remediation and restoration services.

Listed below is only a PARTIAL listing of the services Trade-Winds provides and disasters they respond to:
Fire, Smoke & Flood
Water damage
Electronic & Document drying
Mold & Microbial Remediation
Asbestos & Lead Abatement
Puff-backs
Soil Remediation
Duct Cleaning - Air Quality Services
Biological & Chemical Spills
Wetlands Restoration
Natural Resource Recovery
Tank Removal
... the list goes on and on!

(PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.)

Please call or email Tiffany with any questions about Trade-Winds Environmental. If Tiffany isn't available, ask for Dyana Raynor - as you could probably tell from the meeting, they work well together! 631-289-5500.

(SITCOMS: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids)

We have several openings for new members including: Alarm Specialists & Cargo Logistics. Please send your guest contact info to Jan so that she can extend the official invitation!

(OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an email by mistake)

The annual dues for Long Island Connects is $65.00 per year. We've been collecting the dues since September and the cut off date is the November 14th meeting. If you haven't paid yet and you want to continue your membership please bring your check to the October 31st meeting or send an email to Vicki for mailing instructions.

As Jan mentioned at the meeting, we have a Board position that needs to be filled. If you're interested in doing a bit more for your group, please let Jan know.

(MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato)
Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 31st at the Hauppauge Palace Diner from 12:30-2:00. Costumes are optional!!

Our guests were:

Ms. Donna Mis
Vice President of Sales
KAH Insurance Brokerage Inc
326 Walt Whitman Rd
Huntington Station NY 11746
631-271-1721
http://links.olh-12.com/d.aspx?e=MTgwOTk3Mjc4&c=1&linkID=196664

Ms. Dyana Raynor
Business Development
Trade-Winds Environmental
895 Waverly Avenue
Holtsville NY 11742
631-289-5500
http://links.olh-12.com/d.aspx?e=MTgwOTk3Mjc4&c=1&linkID=196665

Dr. David Pollack of Lewis Wellness Consulting
66 Commack Road Ste 101
Commack NY 11725
631-462-0801

Dr. Matt Lewis
Lewis Wellness Consulting: Creating Wellness Center
66 Commack Road Ste 101
Commack NY 11725
631-462-0801
http://links.olh-12.com/d.aspx?e=MTgwOTk3Mjc4&c=1&linkID=196666

And if you read this far: Thanks to Brian White for the funnies!!! Did you have a favorite? Do you have any referrals to share? Did you give a copy of our brochure to 5 of the people you met or spoke with since the last meeting? If so, please reply to all with your input so we can all appreciate your efforts!

Thanks again for a great meeting last week; we'll see you all again next week. Until then, be happy, be successful and be healthy!

Best regards,
Patsy Armstrong
Secretary, LI Connects
Mobile: 516-383-6079 Fax: 631-676-4447
Visit Our Site: www.liconnects.com

There's a new spin on the Reviews page for the new term! Instead of finding the information about the prior meeting at the bottom of the page, it will be right at the top when you visit this page! Wasn't that considerate of us?!?
BUT... by all means scroll through the lower portion of this page so you can see all the excitement you might have missed out on or so you can find your name and show your associates how famous you are!
Don't forget that we're a serious networking group made up of EXPERTS and PROFESSIONALS who have a dedicated committment to the needs of our clients.
If you couldn't make the last meeting, the writer hopes you were at least making money!! Here you'll find some of what you missed so you'll be ready to contact members, speakers and special guests to do business with them or just get to know each other a little better!
Re-cap of January 31st meeting:
We had a great meeting today! Special thanks to Tom Nidzyn of CBS Technologies Corp & Peter Macholz of NY Merchants Protective Co for giving us a broader understanding of their businesses by being our Spotlighted Members. On February 14th we’ll hear from Diana Santariello of Office Solutions & Brian White of Ameriprise Financial.

Our guests today were courtesy of Vince Prisco, The Cable Guy/Cablevision; they were Charlie Smith and Carleen Tunney of Tally Systems. Tally Systems is a Long Island based Point of Sales system provider of cash registers, bar codes & touch screen systems for hospitality and retail businesses.

Vince also extended an invitation from the local IBA group to attend their after hours networking event. You can get complete info at http://www.clickiba.com/ .

If you haven’t given me your updated/corrected information for our directory, please try to get that to me before 02/09/07.

Take care and I’ll see you along the way to our next meeting on February 14th.

Patsy

Re-cap of 02/21/07 meeting:
Dear Friends,

For a “make up” meeting we had a fantastic turnout today! Special thanks to Diana Santariello of Office Solutions for our member spotlight today. Diana gave us some great information about the different points to consider when looking into office equipment such as copiers, scanners, all-in-one- machines, etc. Diana also explained to us how she provides her clients with unbiased reviews, similar to consumer product reviews, so that with her help and advice, her clients are able to make more informed decisions.

Our next meeting at the Hauppauge Palace Diner is 02/28/07 at 12:30 and we’ll hear from Laura Savino aka Dr. DeClutter & Jan DeRobertis of NBC Solutions.

We had great guests today too -

Debra Timms CPA of Kessler & Liscia P.C.
Gerard J. Verdi of Advance Sound Company
Dennis W. Cole of Long Island Home Inventory
Louise Pantazis, Emotional & Spiritual Counseling
Linda Silverstein of Salon DiModa
Heather Brin, Architect

Our next regularly scheduled meeting is on 02/28/07. We have important business to discuss next week so please try to attend the meeting.

Take care everyone and I’ll see you along the way to our meeting next Wednesday, the 28th!

Patsy
p.s if I’ve missed anyone with this email, please bring their address to my attention!
Re-cap 02/28/07 meeting:
Dear Friends,
We had another great meeting of LI Connects this afternoon! Our featured members were Laura Savino, Task Management Solutions aka Dr. DeClutter and Jan DeRobertis VP of NBC Solutions.
Laura shared some statistics regarding the amount of time we waste by being disorganized and reminded us that clutter is everywhere and everyone is prone to it and as a result an ideal lead for her is any person and any business! Laura is going to write a book someday about all of the items she has helped uncover for her clients that etiquette doesn’t allow her to discuss at this time!
Jan gave us some very timely information about a technology that replaces traditional phone lines with high tech T1 equipment; voice & data sharing capabilities, and I think more than a few of us were surprised to learn that AT&T wholesales their services! Jan is able to save any company money on their phone bill - and has the track record to prove it!
In the spirit of “show & tell” Jan brought a guest with her; Mr. Ron Roseman is a manager with AccessPoint Inc. AccessPoint is a telecom vendor and as Jan explained to us, Ron’s company provides outstanding service to her and to her customers.
Our next member spotlights will be Maria Rabal of Jam Specialties & Brian White of Ameriprise. Maria & Brian will be featured at our next meeting on March 14th.
Tomorrow, March 1st, the ExecuLeaders 2nd annual Gala Awards Event is being held at Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage. You can get more information at http://www.execuleaders.org/ If you happen to attend the breakfast, please be sure to clap extra enthusiastically for two of our members who were chosen as finalists in this prestigious event which honors people based on their qualifications and a strict nomination process; our own Jan DeRobertis and Gail Polivy have attained this honor and I know I’m not alone in acknowledging the fact that they are most deserving not only of being finalists but of being winners - because they are winners!
Congratulations to Joan Logan on her new venture: T & M Printing Services Unlimited! Please update your records with Joan’s new email address: jmlogan@optonline.net. Best wishes for continued success Joan!!
Chuck Ackerman has extended an invitation to everyone to attend the IBA’s free after hours trade show this Thursday, March 1st at the Smithtown Sheridan.
Until our next meeting on March 14th, in addition to supporting each other we’re asking everyone to make an extra effort to share leads with and promote Maria Rabal of Jam Specialties (Promotional/Incentive Items & Office Supplies).
Stay well everyone - see you all again on the 14th! Please let me know if you can make the meeting so that we have an approximate head count - we’re going to try a new ordering process!
Patsy
Re-cap of 03/14/07 meeting:
Greetings LI Connects Members & Guests!

Although we didn't have a large attendance, we had a great meeting yesterday!

Before my recap, I'd like to ask that if you haven't had a chance to let me know your intentions regarding our group that you do so now. All we're asking is that you send me a quick email letting us know if you are COMMITTED to the group and WANT TO BE A PERMANENT MEMBER or if you've decided not to continue thereby freeing up your business category so that we can round out the group.

One more bit of business: our brochures/directories are going to be printed as a "final copy" and distributed at the March 28th meeting. If you want to be listed I need to know your intentions ASAP otherwise I can't list you in the directory.

Yesterday we had the fantastic opportunity to learn more about Maria Rabal's business, Jam Specialties, and we learned how important it is to consider the services Brian White offers as a Financial Advisor/Consultant with Ameriprise Financial.

Maria gave us goodie bags containing cataloges to inspire us and samples of some of the work she's done recently and reminded us that there's NOTHING she can't put your name on to help you promote your business. Maria also displayed examples of different promotional items... the possibilities are endless! Maria's personal service and interraction with you in the processing of your promotional concept to a reality was clearly demonstrated by members who have worked with Maria sharing their experiences.

Brian's product offerings aren't as tangible as Maria's so in addition to the "cheat sheet" Brian gave us, entitled "How do you know if you need a financial advisor" he gave us facts & figures to get our brains working. Brian offered some numbers regarding the cost of care one might need in the future, pointed out that if you think your $250,000 life insurance policy is a lot of money, compare that to your mortgage balance and see what's left for your surviving loved ones. Brian is able to show us ways to reduce our taxes, prepare for retirement (so we have money to spend!), provide advice on investments.... and basically anything concerning money and expenses associated with either having it or not having it! Brian's services as a financial advisor puts his focus on YOU, not your transactions.

Congratulations to Diana, Maura, Laura & Vince for great things happening in their careers!

Our guests were:
The ever charming Mr. Chris Whittelsey, an associate of Brian White's with Ameriprise Financial.
and
The ever adorable and brilliant Ms. Annemarie Rabal, Maria's daughter who is on Spring Break from College.

Our next meeting is on March 28th, 12:30 at the Hauppauge Palace Diner. Member Spotlights will be Brian VanZandt of NST-LI and Patsy Armstrong, The Aflac Lady (that's me!).

We're happy to have guests attend our meetings so if you have a guest in mind, please send Jan an email with that person's contact info.

Plugs:
Chuck Ackerman invites everyone to attend the IBA after hours networking at the Smithtown Sheraton on the last Thursday of each month.

There's a Reptile Show at Sports Plus this Saturday, March 17th and because my husband is going to be one of the vendors, I'm plugging that!

I'm still a non-smoker! - That's very "WOW".

See you all around the networking world and at our next meeting on March 28th!

Happy St. Patsy's day :)

Best regards,Patsy
Re-cap of 03/28/07 meeting:
Greetings LI Connects Members & Guests!

Welcome to the 03/28/07 meeting recap email! PLEASE read all the way to the bottom of this email; not only will you find out where to collect your not guaranteed prize of three trillion dollars but there are announcements and important messages that your associates would like to share with you!

New guests at yesterday's meeting were:

Catherine Barnett of ReMax/Team Rita. Catherine is a licensed Real Estate Agent operating out of the Centereach ReMax office: 631-736-2000 ext 217, cell: 631-428-3762 email: CatyBarnett@aol.com

Larry Kagan of Baron Group LLC. Larry is the President of Baron Payroll in Kings Park: 631-266-2500, email: larry@baronpayroll.com

Our member spotlights yesterday:

John Scherrer of Tri-State Moving Services. John gave us an excellent presentation of how Tri-State Moving Services addresses THE BIG PICTURE for their clients. While the company name incorporates the word "moving" the use of the word "services" reflects Tri-State's operations regarding file and document management, storage solutions, paper reduction, etc. Not only does Tri-State provide conventional moving services but they specialize in and are certified and trained for handling sensitive documents. John was also kind enough to share a picture of his beautiful daughter who we're sure looks just like her mom ;) More on John's wife in the trillion dollar announcement section! Please contact John Scherrer at 631-753-1979 or via email: jscherrer@tsmove.com.

Patsy Armstrong, The Aflac Lady. Since that's me, I'll give you my recap in the first person:
Aflac provides a way for businesses to offer benefits at NO corporate cost which also results in tax savings! (Unheard of, really, but true!) Aflac's policies are supplemental and do not replace conventional health insurance plans.
Aflac pays claims within 3-5 days; the benefits are assignable and the funds are used in whatever way the insured sees fit.
Some of the policies and cash benefits I discussed were the Cancer, Accident, Short Term Disability, Hospital and Dental plans. Aflac is available to individuals and to Small Businesses but is most popular when groups of 3 or more employees are participating because the premiums are then paid for via pre-tax payroll deductions.
Please feel free to contact me at 516-383-6079 or armstrongp@optonline.net

John didn't bring a prize for the audience and he didn't win the one I brought: Vince Prisco won the Aflac Gift Bag raffle containing spiffy Aflac incentive gifts that can be ordered through Maria Rabal of Jam Specialties. Along with various goodies, Vince got a couple of the world famous Aflac Ducks! All that for a couple of broken ribs - what a deal!

Speaking of ribs & ducks.... our next meeting is on April 11th and our spotlighting members will be:

Vince Prisco, The Cable Guy - from Cablevision
and
Brian VanZandt of NST-LI - Network Solutions and Training

And now for those announcements you've been waiting for!

Debra Timms is walking in the Long Island 2 Day walk for Breast Cancer. This is a 35 mile walk and all the proceeds will benefit Long Islanders. PLEASE contact Debra for more information on this wonderful event being held on June 9th & 10th. Maybe all of can sponsor Debra as members of LI Connects!

Catherine Barnett is participating in a separate 2 day event to raise funds & awareness for a cancer cause - more information to follow but please contact Catherine for details!

Jan DeRobertis is presenting and hosting a showcase of the hand-made jewelry created by John Scherrer's wife. Please contact Jan for more information and be quick about it - the event is Friday March 30th!

Congrats to Diana Santariello - she's earned the right to be the exclusive provider of an exceptional promotion by Kyocera so if you know anyone who has a copier, please give them Diana's contact info because they're missing out on A LOT if Diana hasn't provided their machines!!

Brian White, our resident expert in Finances is hosting a FREE breakfast workshop on Saturday April 14th. Please contact Brian for directions and information. Because Brian wants us all to prosper long into the future, this seminar is titled: How to invest smarter and safer. How can you even think of skipping this?!?

Congratulations to Dr. DeClutter on her workshop held in conjunction with a fitness facility. The theme was to keep every aspect of your life clutter free. Please contact Laura Savino for more information.

Chuck Ackerman extends an invitation to the after hours trade show of his IBA group on April 5th at the Sheraton in Smithtown. Please get in touch with Chuck for more info.

The next monthly meeting of the Long Island Center for Business & Professional Women is on Tuesday April 10th. As professional business people, we should all attend this meeting because the topic is Small Business Boot Camp! You don't want to miss this or you'll have to stand on a chair at our next meeting!

Have you checked out http://www.linkedin.com/ yet? You might be missing the opportunity to connect with hundreds of people looking for YOUR services!

Want to spend a nice day in Greenport sailing on an historic schooner? Check out http://www.schoonermarye.com/ for more information.

I don't think I've missed anything but if I did, tell me about it at our NEXT MEETING on APRIL 11th!

Please remember that our group is only as great as our members and for that reason all guests are pre-screened prior to being invited. If you want someone to be invited, please send ALL of their contact info to Jan and she'll contact you and or your guest!

Correction:
Brian White, our resident expert in Finances is hosting a FREE breakfast workshop on Saturday April 14th. Please contact Brian for directions and information. Because Brian wants us all to prosper long into the future, this seminar is titled: How to invest smarter and safer. How can you even think of skipping this?!?
Re-cap of meeting 04/11/07:
Dear LI Connects Members & Friends,

Just so you have something to read over the weekend, here's a recap of Wednesday's LI Connects meeting!

Brian VanZandt was our spotlighted member. Brian represents NetworkSolutions&Training-LI . If you missed the meeting you missed your chance to win Brian's free raffle (see note at bottom) which included:
1: A custom built database which enables you to run your business, or organization, instead of running your computer systems... like Brian's company just did for the HIA!
2: Software to control inventory and at the same time manage accounting.
3: An e-marketing campaign designed specifically for your business to get you the results you need so that you can use technology to do your marketing, including Search Engine optimization!
4: Anti-virus monitoring and updates.
5: Security administration.
6: Support for your network so you don't have to try to figure out which machine is behaving badly which, as we all know, can bring an entire system down!

Thanks for all the information Brian!! The next time anyone encounters a start up company, or a company planning or contemplating a move, a business that is expanding or adding locations or basically anyone who complains about their computer, please give out Brian's phone number or call Brian with your contact's info:Network Solutions & Training Inc.VanZandt, BrianO: 631-678-8080F: 631-368-1164bvanzandt@nst-li.com http://www.nst-li.com/
Technology: A managed Services provider. Network design, installations and support. Exchange Server specialists, office relocations, web design, custom DB projects and VOIP phone systems.
If the above description looks familar that means our brochure is being read!
Our guest on Wednesday was Sandra Radna. Sandra is a partner at the law firm of Radna& Androsiglio, LLP with offices in NYC and on Long Island, in Commack. Sandra's firm is comprised of "lawyers for life" - they handle the legal matters that we encounter on a day to day basis from traffic tickets to real estate, litigation, matrimonial, contracts and everything between! In addition to the obvious need for legal representation, there are everyday situations that we might handle more effectively if we had the advice of experience and expertise to base our decisions on.... Sandra's firm is dedicated to serving the total needs of their clients.
Our night out is set for May 4th!! A separate email will follow for this pre-Cinco de Mayo event..... we're excited! Start thinking about the people you'd like to invite - we want to expand our contacts within the group and remember we're also looking for potential new members who are non-conflicting and who will be active participants.
Now that you've got your thinking cap on - before our next meeting will you try to come up with a list of the types of businesses and individualsyou do business with, align yourself with or encounter on a regular basis, and share it with the members?
Please look for an email later in the day with announcements for upcoming events that your friends and associates would like you to know about! If you have something you want included in the announcement please email it to me before noon today.
Take care - have a spiffy day and a fabulous weekened!
Best regards,
Patsy

Meeting recap: June 20th 2007:
Dear LI Connects Members & Guests,

Here’s a Holiday wish that doesn’t need to be corrected politically: Happy 4th of July to everyone!!

Our June 20th meeting was WELL attended – THANK YOU ALL!!!!! Our special guest was Ms. Karen Blum. Karen is a life coach but I think you could call her a “Curiosity Coach” or a “Happy Coach” or a “Fill-In-The-Blank Coach”!! Through coaching, Karen uses her talent & techniques to assist her clients realize and achieve their desires, dreams & personal fulfillment.

**WHEW** That was a big sentence!! Bottom line: if you’d like to live a happier life, have a more rewarding & enjoyable career (with the one you have now or the one you WANT) , experience creativity, explore your natural curiosity, live your dreams, have the best relationships, find that fire in your belly, the spring in your step and the gleam in your eyes..... Karen has very generously offered everyone a FREE one hour session!! I benefit from knowing Karen each and every day and if she’s offering YOU a FREE SESSION then my advice is GET ON THE PHONE!!! You’ll be glad you did J You can email Karen at theblums@gmail.com or you can phone her at 516-570-6451..... free?? No joke, free stuff for LI Connects- does it get better than free?!? J

A bit of advice that Karen shared with us: Find the thing you love to do & explore it. Give yourself permission to be happy & to be curious. Be inspired and let the “happy accident” happen!!

The July 3rd board meeting is at the Holbrook Diner on Main Street in Holbrook. The board meeting is open to all members; if you can’t make it but want to share your thoughts and ideas, please email them to me and I’ll bring them to the board. (Yes, even the suggestions, thoughts and ideas that might not tickle everyone’s fancy – minus the curse words please!!)

There is NO MEETING ON JULY 4th!! You probably knew that but I do love the sound of my keyboard!

Our next meeting is at the Hauppauge Palace Diner on July 18th at 12:30. If you’d like to invite a guest, or attend as a guest, please get in touch with Jan and she’ll extend the invitation or speak to you. Please take some time between the meetings to meet with and or speak with another member. It’s so important to our success to be aware of what each of us has to offer – you never know till you know!

Congratulations to Diana Santariello!! Diana not only graduated from the Dale Carnegie School, she’s also going to be teaching there - because she’s that good!!! ...with flying colors, of course!

Thanks to everyone who has paid their $10 towards the website. It’s up and running if you’d like to take a peek, after all, it’s YOUR website!! http://www.liconnects.com/ is where we’re at and please remember this is a work in progress; our site will constantly change and evolve because we’re a very involved and very dynamic group and if you don’t mind me saying so, we’re also really good looking!

If you’d like to see something on or off the site, if you have suggestions for content, if you have a bio you’d like associated with your listing... anything at all, please send me an email!! This is YOUR site!

Please, please, PLEASE be careful this Holiday – there are more unintentional injuries than you could imagine over the 4th of July and I think there’s an Aflac statistic somewhere that quotes the number of emergency visits but I won’t bore your feathers off with that stuff... just PLEASE be careful, be aware and by all means, be happy!!

One more thing – if you’ve got an announcement or event you’d like included in this email or on our site, please send me what you’ve got!


Best regards,Patsy Armstrong

88 Waverly AvePatchogue, NY 11772 Cell 516-383-6079Fax 631-676-4447

July 22, 2007
Dear Friends,

Hopefully everyone is dried out by now from the drenching rains we had last Wednesday - talk about your stormy weather!!

We have no meetings scheduled in August so that everyone can enjoy their summer to the fullest! We are having a summer social at my house (Patsy) on August 22nd - please see the separate email for the hot-fun-in-the-summertime details!

Several people were unable to make the meeting on 07/18 due to the weather and/or vacations,etc. We had an intimate gathering and that allowed for some interesting conversations. For example: Pete shared a nightmare networking story with us that left us in stitches and feeling sorry for him and Tom!

We clarified that our special presenters/speakers are not necessarily members or interested in becoming members but that in the interest of bringing new information to the group and in addition to our member spotlights, we will continue to have featured guests from time-to-time.

If anyone has a suggestion for a featured guest, please get in touch with Jan - our group is as great as our members want to keep it!

Jan DeRobertis won a gift of a networking evening at Suffolk OTB and has very generously donated it to our group!! On September 12th, for FREE we'll be at the Suffolk OTB! As the date gets closer, Jan will give us the detailed information.

From now on at our meetings: when you come in, please write your lunch order on the sheet being sure to write on the line that corresponds to the seat you're sitting at. Additionally, each of us is to give Vicki $3.00 to be used for the tip. The $3.00 is from each person in attendance, IF YOU'RE HAVING A MEAL OR NOT! We have accidentally been forgetting to leave a tip at times so this will clear up the problem and eliminate our being rude to the servers! Each person will have their own check.

Speaking of green: Diana is now offering a line of printers that ARE green! Green as friendly to the environment - please help pass the news!

Along the line of green (and red) Maria reminded us that NOW is the time to buy calendars and holiday cards to get the best deals possible.

Peter's company, NY Merchants Protective Service is #30 in NY State!! Congrats :)

Enough of that green - I was going to change the color to YELLOW because that's such a summer color but I couldn't see what I was typing!

Have a GREAT summertime everyone... be safe!!
Best regards,Patsy Armstrong
ArmstrongP@optonline.net