On Friday, February 24, 2017, BNI Vermont hosted a special chapter launch event at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Montpelier, Vermont making the Heart of Vermont BNI chapter the organizations 12th in Vermont. As part of the launch event the Chapter’s Charter Leadership Team was introduced to more than 75 small businesses owners from Central Vermont. Heart of Vermont (HOV) BNI has launched with 27 professionals who will work hard to create a strong referral network to grow small business in Central Vermont. Leading the new chapter are; Gabe Lajeunesse a financial advisor with Edward Jones will serve as President, Shawn Shouldice a strategic communications and public relations consultant with Capital Connections, LLC will serve as Vice President, and Sarah Lipton a leadership mentor with The Presence Point, will serve as Secretary/Treasurer.
“I’m so proud to have had the BNI Vermont team’s expertise and passion assist in the launching of this new chapter. Having a group of professionals representing BNI’s goals and mission based in Montpelier is a huge achievement for our organization,” said Vickie Wacek, Executive Director of BNI Vermont. “The caliber of these professionals is extremely high and we are thrilled to welcome them to join over 300 other member businesses throughout the state,” Wacek added.
Gabriel C Lajeunesse, JD has been appointed President of Heart of Vermont BNI, he specializes as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Montpelier. Gabe believes active portfolio management is the cornerstones of sound investing. Gabe served in the Air Force for 20 years (1994-2004), including service as an advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and membership on National Security Council Interagency Policy Committees at the White House, under Presidents Bush and Obama. He earned his a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008 and currently teaches International Law and Policy at Norwich University.
Shawn Shouldice has been appointed Vice President of Heart of Vermont BNI, she is a strategic communications and public relations specialist with the firm of Capital Connections, LLC carrying with her 27 year experience to start-up and small businesses all across Vermont.
Sarah Lipton has been appointed Secretary/Treasurer of Heart of Vermont BNI, she guides emerging leaders to connect deeply with themselves and the systems they work within through her business, The Presence Point, helping them understand innate vision and offering the tools needed to manifest with confidence.
ABOUT HEART OF VERMONT BNI:
Heart of Vermont BNI chapter meetings are held every Friday from 8:00 am to 9:30 am at Christ Episcopal Church located at 64 State Street in Montpelier. For membership information, please contact the chapter's Leadership Team by visiting www.BNIVermont.com, or emailing [email protected].
Established in 2001, BNI Vermont is a membership-based business networking organization with 12 chapters and more than 300 member businesses throughout the state. Vermont chapter members exchanged referrals which has resulted in closed business of more than 8.4 million dollars in the past 12 months alone. Chapters meet weekly to learn about each other’s businesses and how they may assist each other in generating solid business referrals.
The Mission of BNI (Business Network International) is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive and professional referral marketing program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals. The philosophy of BNI is built upon the idea of “Givers Gain.” The 190,000 members of BNI worldwide passed over 7.7 million referrals, in the past year, which resulted in more than $9.3billion in business.