Thunder Bay Business Women's Network Provides A Great Service
By Scott A.Sumner
Thunder Bay Business
The Thunder Bay Business Women's Network was founded in 1985 by two women who held a meeting at the Valhalla Inn. Over 250 women attended, they could see there was a need and it has blossomed into a great organization. There are over 100 members now who are either business owners or work for a corporation. We meet monthly to network and promote each other's businesses and enhance our own business with educational seminars. You can see other people, what they are doing, what's happening in the city, get new tax legislation etc. smiles Donna Brown, owner of PC Medic and on the board of the Thunder Bay Business Womens Network as Public Relations Director. We meet all over the city with some lunches, some dinners and some speakers. Every person who comes gets to stand up and say what company they are with and whether they having any specials for the month and so on.We have
draws for attendance and referrals who will win 10 - 30 second spots on Magic 99 to promote their business. Our next meeting is with Mayor Lynn Peterson and Steve Demming ofthe TBEDC.
I have found joining the TBBWN valuable because of the connections you make. For services that I need I look to the network and see if I can use a member. I have also been with PARO for 11 years and do their web site. We are also a member of the Thunder Bay Chamber fCommerce, notes Brown, who is married to Charlie Brown of Thunder Bay Transit.
I worry about a lot of the people here losing their jobs.That effects everybody. We are OK now but I don't know how we will replace the lost jobs and keep our youth here. I am offering discounted computer training for people. One of our biggest requests is to help
people use the internet to find jobs. We do offer discounts to anyone laid off. People can bring in their systems here and we will set it and work one on one with them answering their questions. We are also a full service computer shop that provides repair, new systems, used
systems, printers, scanners and custom work including virus removal, data back up and data recovery. notes Brown. I worked with Bell Canada for 17 years here as a computer network administrator and Novell trouble shooting until I was downsized. I found an opportunity in
Thunder Bay getting up networks and training and then went from on site work to computer repair and then from my home to the PARO incubator centre and then to my own office. It's been 13 years in business.
If you are interested in joining the group you can go to the www.businesswomensnetwork.ca and register on line or phone them.The yearly membership fee is $75 covering from September 1 to August 31st. If you renew your membership early it is $60.
