September Networking Events/Seminars

Networking events, workshops and seminars for the month of September are listed below. Got an upcoming business event? Send it to info@iberkshires.com.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, Michael Ryan, founder and CEO of Sampco Companies and Brilliant Graphics Group, both in Pittsfield, will discuss “Using Technology to Transform Mature Markets,” during the fifth event in the Visionaries Breakfast series sponsored by BBQ: Berkshire Business Quarterly.

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with networking and conversation with members of the business community over a light breakfast, followed by Ryan’s presentation and a tour of the facility. Michael Zivyak, founder and publisher of award-winning publications Berkshire Living and BBQ: Berkshire Business Quarterly, will host the event.

The event will be held at Sampco Companies, 56 Downing Parkway, Pittsfield. Tickets are $25; reservations are required. Call 413-443-8200 for more information or to register.

Berkshire Enterprises will offer a free Business Breakfast Forum entitled "Now What?—Planning to Make Money the Rest of the Year" on Thursday, Sept. 2 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Third Floor Board Room at 1 Fenn St., Pittsfield.

Intended for business owners and managers, the forum will focus on what people are doing and plan to do to attract business now that summer is coming to a close. The forum will be lead by Steve Fogel, program director of Berkshire Enterprises.

Anyone interested in attending should register by contacting Steve Fogel at sfogel@berkshireenterprises.com or by leaving a message at 413-236-2141. Space is limited and reservations are required.

Spark!, the networking group for members of the creative economy, will hold a networking event at the Mount, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox, on Thursday, Sept. 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact info@berkshirecreative.org or call 413-822-8324.

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host the 7th Annual Women in Business Luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield.

Kemp, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Kemp has held positions as Superior Court Trial Attorney and District Court Trial Attorney in Berkshire County as well as Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx District Attorney’s office in New York. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law and a B.A. in English from Providence College. She is a member of the Human/Animal Violence Education Network and Berkshire Community College Criminal Justice Advisory Committee. She also is an adjunct faculty member in the Criminal Justice Program at Berkshire Community College.

Amanda Rae Busch, a senior editor at Berkshire Living Magazine, will be the emcee. Busch joined the founding staff of the award-winning regional lifestyle and culture magazine in December 2004. Three office relocations and various titles later, she is now the publication’s senior editor, writing feature articles on food, wellness, eventsand personalities; penning a monthly shopping column and restaurant spotlights; planning editorial content; editing every word in each issue; shooting the rare photograph; and occasionally co-hosting the popular "Rest of the Story" series of public forums.

Due to an unforeseen conflict, Joan McMenemy was unable to speak at this year’s Women in Business luncheon, as was originally announced. The public is welcome to attend this event.  The cost is $30 for chamber members and $45 for nonmembers and includes a plated lunch. The luncheon is sponsored by TD Bank and Zonta Club of Berkshire County.

To register, call 413-499-4000, ext. 26, e-mail choyt@berkshirechamber.com or go to www.berkshirechamber.com.

Allen Jezouit and Jeff Stripp of Berkshire Direct will conduct the free training session "Google Local Search and Your Business" on Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 8 to 10 a.m. at The Orchards Hotel, 222 Adams Road, Williamstown. The event is free for Williamstown Chamber of Commerce members, $25 for others. RSVP here.

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business After Hours on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the American Institute for Economic Research, 250 Division St., Great Barrington. RSVP to visitor@rnetworx.com.

The Zonta Club of Berkshire County will meet on Monday, Sept. 13 beginning at 5 p.m. at Patrick's Pub on Park Square in downtown Pittsfield.  The guest speaker will be Cindy Haddad, a pharmacist who was the successful plaintiff in the Haddad vs. Wal-Mart discrimination lawsuit. The meeting includes a brief networking time, business meeting, speaker and dinner.

Zonta International is a worldwide service organization working to advance the status of women.  Guests are welcome at all meetings, but reservations are required for dinner.  For more information, contact berkshire@zontadistrict1.org.

The Williamstown Chamber of Commerce will host "A Meet-and-Greet with Adam Falk," president of Williams College, on Monday, Sept. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Williams College Museum of Art. Admission is $10 per person; reservations are required to info@williamstownchamber.com or 413-458-9077. There will be hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

Lee Bank and the L. V. Toole Insurance Agency will host “Workers’ Compensation: A CPA’s Guide,”a seminar for certified public accountants on Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Pittsfield Country Club.

The seminar will be presented by Kevin Ring, lead workers’ comp analyst for the Institute of WorkComp Professionals, as well as John Toole, president, and Kim Baker, account executive, from the L. V. Toole Insurance Agency.

This highly interactive seminar will focus on the critical factors that create errors and overcharges in employer’s workers’ compensation insurance premium. With this knowledge, CPAs can improve their clients’ ability to manage workers’ compensation insurance—a major source of expense and frustration for many business owners.

Participants will receive four continuing professional education (CPE) credits from the Institute of WorkComp Professionals, a registered sponsor of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). Continental breakfast will be served. Registration cost is $150.

To register, go to www.regonline.com/compseminar. For more information, call Heather Forman at 413-243-0089.

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host Chamber Nite at Hillcrest Educational Centers, located at 788 South St., Pittsfield, on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Networking will be from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free to Berkshire Chamber members; attendees are encouraged to bring along plenty of business cards for networking and to be eligible for the door prize drawing. Call 413-499-4000 or e-mail choyt@berkshirechamber.com to register.

The Lenox Chamber of Commerce will hold a general membership meeting on Thursday, Sept. 16 at Cranwell Resort. The evening includes a cocktail hour from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., with cheeses, fruits and cookies and a cash bar. The general meeting will begin at 7:30. RSVP by Sept. 6 to the Lenox Chamber, 413-637-3646 or info@lenox.org.

Berkshire Visitors Bureau will host a Tourism Talkback session on Monday, Sept. 20 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 187 Marshall St., North Adams. The theme of the open forum will be "Marketing the Berkshires to Generation X."
 
Attendees are invited to visit the galleries before or after the session, which is free and open to all businesses in Berkshire County. For more information, call 413-743-4500.

The Northern Berkshire Business and Professional Women will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Williams Inn, located at the junction of routes 7 and 2 in Williamstown. The scheduled speaker is Mary Valquez-Stack, who will discuss the virtual office support industry. Admission is $25 and includes dinner; for meal choices and to make a reservation, contact Maureen Riley Moriarty at 413-743-0432 or rileymoriarty@yahoo.com.

The Center for Ecological Technology (CET) will present a "Greening Your Business" workshop Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Jamie Cahillane, program manager of waste reduction and recycling programs, will lead the workshop and discuss case studies from several Berkshire businesses.  Jim Hunt from the Red Lion Inn will share some of his experiences. Businesses will be given tools and resources to take away and use at their locations. This workshop is sponsored by the USDA, RDA and the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Admission is $15 for Southern Berkshire Chamber members and $20 for nonmembers.  Registration is required. Contact Cahillane at jamiec@cetonline.org or 413-445-4556, ext. 14 by Friday, Sept. 24.

Partnerships In Employment is hosting an employer recognition breakfast at the Berkshire Hills Country Club on Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. to recognize regional employers for supporting the employment of individuals with disabilities. State Sen. Benjamin Downing will be speaking as well as presenting awards for exemplary practices and demonstrated commitment. This event is sponsored by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and is free for registrants. RSVP by Sept. 15 to April Morgan at amorgan@bcarc.org or 413-443-1038, ext. 31.

The Williamstown Chamber of Commerce will co-host a Business After Hours event with Images Cinema and the Williamstown Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Images Cinema, 50 Spring St., Williamstown. Executive directors Sandra Thomas (Images Cinema) and Steve Lawson (Williamstown Film Festival) will provide brief overviews of their organizations, and a sampling of WFF shorts will be screened.

Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy organic popcorn, real butter and an advance look at the festival's 12th season (Oct. 15-24). Admission is $10 per person; contact the Chamber at info@williamstownchamber.com or call 413-458-9077 to register.