MARION — Community Business Connections is a networking organization of small businesses with members from Marion, Delaware, Mount Gilead, Bucyrus and Mansfield.
Their mission statement is: “It is our mission to assist fellow members of Community Business Connections (CBC) to grow their business by referring individuals and businesses to one another. We believe in our community. It is our desire to be of service to local charities while promoting our members’ businesses.”
They are looking for new members interested in networking and community service projects.
They meet every other week at the Harding Centre in Marion. Pat Case, president of the CBC, said the meeting topics follow the needs or interests of the members which makes them less formal than some business groups. Each meeting also includes a brief educational talk from business coach Rich Herb on topics such as how to make good first impressions with customers, marketing newsletters and trends to pay attention to.
According to Case, the CBC members work to offer insights, answer questions and help each other in whatever ways they can. Dwight Murphy, a longtime Morrow county resident, said, “CBC has helped our business in many ways. Referrals and sharing ideas of how to grow and maintain a client base are a valuable tool in today’s business climate.”
“We’re looking for people interested in developing long-term relationships. We really develop a lot of trust with our members. We get to know how they run their businesses, and we can make referrals to members about friends, family members, neighbors or anyone seeking advice about who to contact for a service they need,” she said.
Carolyn Asher, CBC vice-president, pointed out that business size doesn’t matter. “Big or small, we still need interactions to continue building and supporting our own brands.”
The group is actively looking for members from any service-oriented business such as florists, caterers, cleaners or those with independently operated medical services such as audiologists, optometrists or therapists. Although only one member from a particular business type can belong, the group tries to accommodate everyone they can.
“We try to be as flexible as possible for anyone who’s interested in what we offer,” Case said.
Another aspect of the CBC that distinguishes them from other business groups is their focus on community service. They invite community organizations to their meetings not only to learn about them, but to understand how they can contribute to them.
“Hearing from community groups educates us about their needs and how we can support them and reach out to help,” Asher said.
So far the CBC has contributed expertise, money and time to a number of local charitable groups. On New Year’s Eve day – the one day all police have to work – the CBC provided food for all shifts the police worked.
“We’d like to incorporate something for the firefighters. We’re interested in groups who want to speak to us. We’d be happy to invite them,” Asher said.
