Rescheduled: Dave and Silke Monnie: Thursday, January 15, 2009. 6:00-8:30 pm

December's AHB meeting was cancelled (as was much else during the holiday's) due to the winter wonderland which shut down Portland for year's end 2008.

The rescheduled meeting was held at the SMILE station. At six o'clock members began to trickle in, helping to set up the room for the round table discussion. Tables were readied for the evenings dinner and business portion. During this time, guests & members arrived, spent time reacquainting and catching up on holiday news.

Meanwhile, Lynn Miller and guest Mark Ripkey rolled up their sleeves and got a quick lesson in wrapping spring rolls from Zoe Johnson. The menu and food were prepared by Zoe who wo-manned the wok and provided direction to Kathryn who offered to give last minute assistance : As courses were completed and dipping cups filled she arranged them in the dining area. By 6:30 the table was laid and dinner was served.


The repast was light to make way for Eric Norberg's favorite mid-January dessert (it was the best he enjoyed all day). Fresh springrolls with dipping sauces, Mandarin Orange Basted Chicken or Szechwan Style eggplant were accompanied by asian style soft noodle. Braised Baby Bok Choy & savory greens were napped with a light sesame coating to complete the NEW YEAR repast. Ice tea and hot beverages rounded out the meal.

Rosewater infused Rice pudding with Raisin, cardamon and cinnamon; the largest bowl ever seen or consumed at the SMILE station tempted diners sweet tooth. Settling in with pudding, smiles and a bright look for the new year, members and guests alike turned all ears to the esteemed president of AHB, Eric Norberg.
Prior to Eric announcing nominations for the Board of Directors, members and guests provided short elevator speeches, describing themselves and their Home Business.


The mood was giddy much as it would be five days later. Having officiated introductions, Eric moved on to the Board elections. The current Board of Directors were unanimously re-elected to their posts for 2009.

• Eric Norberg- President
• Dave Monnie- Vice President
• Ron Miller- Tresurer
• John McAnulty- Secretary
• Board Members at Large: Bob Gallo, Zoe Johnson, Lynn Miller and Deb Minkler

Members and guests learned that the Board had finalized several decisions for the current meeting and the upcoming year.

• A monthly drawing from the pool of attendees, good for one free meal at an upcoming AHB meeting. Clarice Kruchwitz won the first drawing.
  

• 2009 season of the Sellwood Moreland Farmers Market, AHB will set up a booth as an informational service to the community. The booth will staffed by rotation of AHB members. More to follow including a sign up sheet for the weekly Farmers Market. (Wednesdays: 3:30-7:30 pm). Details to follow including start up date.

• A membership committee may be established. Discussion ongoing re: formation, purpose and direction.

• A LinkedIn Group has been formed as a layer of membership benefits to the AHB. Members may establish a LinkedIn profile, join the group and participate in ongoing discussions related to the AHB. Contact Zoe for more information. She'lll email you an invitation to join the AHB member group on LinkedIn.

The evening's moderators Dave and Silke Monnie initiated a casual round robin discussion. Members were encouraged to talk about the impact the media defined economic crisis is having on their business. What adaptations are Home Business owners making to adjust to the current market? What plans are they making for 2009 or beyond?

• Dave noted that small business owners were being impacted both postively and negatively. DIY, auto repair, shoe repair and the like have seen increased traffic. Some businesses were adapting by offering smaller plates or value added menu items: upscale dining establishments are feeling the pinch and adjusting.

• Silke Monnie: (property management) Her business has been impacted on mostly a positive level with increased properties available as owners relocate for work elsewhere or time a unit is empty may increase. Some people are moving to reduce costs or seeking shared-housing options. Owners are holding money closer and not as responsive to repair needs.
  

• Jesssica Kindrick: (real estate) New rules are impacting her work daily. She has gotten better at negotiations.

• Kelly Kindrick: (computers) Doing Sales and Repairs. He is positioned at both ends of the market.

• Guest: Emily Maletz: (graphics) things have slowed down. Small jobs are not coming as often. She is working on grant funding opportunities

• John McAnulty: (photography) Purchases of Stock Images are down with his contract company. The adjustments being made are more on a personal level than in his business.

• Sally Rhys: (ethics coaching) Noted that Fraud goes up in tight economic times. Her work has increased and improved.

• Bob Gallo: (sendoutcards) Relationship building has increased. This has impacted his business in a positive way.

• Guest: Mark Ripkey: (send out cards) His relationship marketing firm has seen business increase by 70% in the past 2 years. He continues to be diversified with his business concerns.
  

• Kathryn Leech: (landscape design) Encouraged by the movement toward staying around home: Stay-cations. Positive about changes in economic times. Sees it as an opportunity for folks to readjust, rethink and act more as community. she remains focused on Sustainability, Planting food crops as part of landscape design and is offering Do-It-Yourself seminars. Her business keeps 'growing".

• Clarice Kruchwitz: (Shaklee) Her products have a dedicated following and lots of customer loyalty.

• Shari Bandes: (Mediation) Her practice is balanced out on both ends of the spectrum.

• Lynn Miller: (physician's assistant ) Practice has growing pains even now. Her employer is very Service oriented and it makes her feel positively about his practice and the direction the year will take with his practice.

• Eric Norberg: Has three businesses. Each one has its plus and minuses. The newspaper business is strong and it is important to remain focused on strong customer service.

As the meeting wrapped up the feeling of the group remained optimistic and forward thinking. Members and guests visited while straightening up for the close of business. The group is excited to move into the next level of supporting Home Business owners and invites those who are interested to our next dinner meeting on Thursday, February 19th, 2009. The meeting will be held at the SMILE Station in Sellwood from 6:30-8:30.

Kelly Kindrick of Sunset Computers will be giving a talk and demonstration. Sign up to attend and learn from Kelly as he demos: "The Ten Things Every Small Business Owner Should Know About Their Computer".

RSVP at the AHB website to attend our meeting in February. View the site for more information on the AHB, member links, maps and phone contacts. Looking forward to seeing you there!