--evergreen business builders--
Business members agree
there is strength in numbers
by Jo Ann M. Colton
If you are a local business owner wondering what you can do to stay afloat amidst our nation’s current recession, the answer is to stick together and remember there is strength in numbers. “Join a business networking group,” said Pierre Martin of Computer Hounds in Conifer, who has been involved with Evergreen Business Builders for more than eight years.
In 1999, Pierre and a few other mountain business owners were part of a local chapter of an international networking assemblage, but became disenchanted with some of its business decisions and withdrew from the group. In 2001, when fellow former member Paul Koentges (since retired from Evergreen Mortgage) decided to start a new organization that subscribed to a similar concept, Pierre Martin, along with Don Alvarado of American Family Insurance and Idaho Springs attorney Ed Shindel of Ed Shindel Attorney at Law, quickly sought membership.
Evergreen Business Builders gathers at its founding meeting place, LePeep Grill of Evergreen in Bergen Park, from 7:30 am to 8:30 am every Wednesday. The group has a current membership of 22 businesspeople. “We are there to make money, not just make friends,” stated Don Alvarado, who indicated that as many as 30 business leads in a month can be exchanged between members.
“The group is structured with rules and membership dues, and its program might not work for everyone. I actually believe that our group has enjoyed longevity because of its structure. While we do socialize with each other and cultivate long-lasting business friendships, we are all there for one reason and that is to increase our sales and customer bases. It’s all about growing our businesses,” explained Pierre Martin.
Evergreen Business Builders members include: American Family Insurance (Don Alvarado), America’s Business Benefits Association (Matthew Van Beek), Atmosphere Staging & Interior Design (Teri Carr), Back to Wellness Chiropractic (Christopher Davis), Better Choice Home Care (Arlene Sutherland), Computer Hounds (Pierre Martin), Ed Shindel Attorney at Law (Ed Shindel), , Edwin Biggs, CPA (Ned Biggs), JM Colton Communications & Publishing (Jo Ann M. Colton), Juice Plus+ (Colleen Wilkinson), Kane Massage Therapy (Kathleen Kane), Mary Kay Cosmetics (Gretchen MacArthur), Mountain Hearth and Patio (Scott Cortelyou), Mountain Connection (Marilyn Innerfeld), RE/Max (Bradley Eich), Right Management (Edith Somouillet), Janet Redford (Send Out Cards), 10 Pound Gorilla (Bob Peterson), and US Bank (Joanna Coil).
For more information about Evergreen Business Builders, visit www.evergreenbusiness.org or contact current president Matthew Van Beek at 303-886-3759.