​Jump-Start Your Business For Success in the New Year

Learn how to grow your business for success in 2025.

Save the date of Thursday, January 23 for a Visitors Day from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. hosted by the Westport Business Network International (BNI) Chapter.

An in-person meeting will be held at the United Methodist Church of Westport & Weston, 49 Weston Road, Westport with coffee and homemade baked goods. We will share valuable information about how our structured referral marketing program can jump-start your business in the new year. Open networking takes place from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., while the meeting officially starts at 7:30 a.m.

This dynamic group of business professionals is seeking new members in select business categories. The Westport BNI Group has 55 members, all tops in their profession. Not only are they a tremendous resource for each other, but the group represents an extraordinary network of business services and solutions in Fairfield County.

Westport BNI President Barbara Reynolds of Brown Harris Stevens noted, "We are excited to be hosting our first Visitor's Day of 2025 and celebrating BNI'S 40th anniversary and hope you will join us! I have been a member for 7 years and in that time have been able to grow my business through the many referrals I have received from our members as well as been able to confidently refer members to my clients, making transactions smooth and seamless. It is wonderful to have a large group of trusted business associates to work with."

Membership is structured to allow only one person per profession to join its chapters. Classifications that are open for this exclusive opportunity include: estate attorney, residential contractor, salon, restaurant, hotel, home security, personal trainer, photographer, caterer or bakery, commercial real estate, florist, event/wedding planner, travel/tour operator, automotive repair, roofer, nutritionist, physical therapy, and promotional products.

In addition, there are other business categories open as well. Contact Visitor Hosts Andrew Tregurtha of ADP at andrew.tregurtha@adp.com, Maja Sholler of The Patch Boys of Danbury and Norwalk at danbury@thepatchboys.com or Matthew Cummings of M&T Bank at mcummings2@mtb.com to sign up in advance. All visitors must pre-register for attendance purposes. Also, check out www.WestportBNI.com for more information.

The achievements of Westport BNI have been recognized with two of the most prestigious BNI awards in Connecticut: Gold Chapter for over 50 members and Platinum Chapter for over $3 million in closed business.

BNI is the most successful business referral organization of its type in the world. Globally, in the past year, BNI members generated over $22.9 billion in revenue.

"Our group embodies BNI's 'Givers Gain' philosophy, uniting generous, professional, and highly referable members. BNI offers more than networking—it’s a peer support system and an effective 'sales team' that helps you grow your business while sharpening your public speaking and leadership skills," said Westport BNI Vice President Crista Mathew of Cereset Westport.

Other members of the leadership team include: Secretary/Treasurer Curtis Bentley of Health Directions; Membership Chair Evan Lister of Fairway Mortgage, and committee members Jamie Gerard of Lennon Murphy & Phillips, LLC, Dr. Gail Szakacs of Beyond The Prescription, and Ed Belenski of TLA Graphics; Mentoring Chairs Sean Doyle of Charter Oak Insurance Agency and Steven Cooper of Ware, Fressola, Maguire & Barber LLP; Education Coordinator Chris Tormey of Bull Harbor Capital; Event Coordinators Susan Moch of Law Office of Susan Moch, Mira Ebert of the Norwalk Inn, and Trey Bickers of Claims XP; Roster Coordinator John Clapps of Brand 24 LLC; Health & Wellness Coordinators Dr. Richard Pinsky of Southport Chiropractic and Sheila Oppenheimer of Believe, LLC; Technology Coordinator Seth Benjamin of ServiceMacs, LLC; Coffee Coordinator Bridget Flynn of Divine Organizing; Sergeant at Arms Bill Hall of Advanced Rooter Plumbing; and Set Up Coordinators Rufino Gonzalez of Restoration 1 of Fairfield County, Ken Kearney of WindowRama Westport and Marcos Borges of Borges Home Improvement, LLC; and PR/Marketing Coordinators Cara Mocarski of Welcome Wagon, Adam Goodman of Purple Cow Cleaners, LLC, Jorge Raigoza of The Computer Support People, LLC, and Nick Marini of Billgistics.

Founded in 1985, BNI is a global, proven business networking organization. Members are business professionals who help each other grow their businesses through their commitment to the principal core value, Givers Gain ®.

Each week, in thousands of communities across the globe, members meet with other trusted business leaders to build and nurture lasting relationships and pass qualified business referrals. Membership in BNI offers access to business training, peer learning and opportunities to network and do business with hundreds of thousands of BNI members around the world.