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Their view: No time to rest on our laurels at Northeast Sight Services

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Beyond the Byline: That neighborly feeling

<p>Guys, Thursday night was epic.</p><p>It was nothing short of amazing as the Wilkes-Barre POWER! networking group, of which I am on the board, took over Isabella&#8217;s Bar &amp; Restaurant on Highway 315 in Plains Township.</p><p>General manager Fran and her staff pulled out all the stops.</p><p>Appetizers, passed hors d&#8217;oeuvres, ambiance and more were on hand for the first event of the year.</p><p>Look, I know I am biased, but when 100 people turn out for a networking event in icy conditions you know something is going right.</p><p>What went really right for our group on Thursday was Coal Creative, the creative agency in Downtown Wilkes-Barre that provides video and web-based marketing services to area businesses and nonprofits, serving as sponsor.</p><p>They&#8217;re lovely people.</p><p>They have a way about them that is unmatched in this market.</p><p>They care. They go above and beyond for their clients. The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Northeast Sight Services and beyond use their services.</p><p>I know people joke about networking groups.</p><p>They say: &#8220;Oh, they&#8217;re not that important or not that useful.&#8221; Or they remark, &#8220;They don&#8217;t really help; it&#8217;s all fluff.&#8221;</p><p>Hold on, people.</p><p>What Wilkes-Barre POWER! does is motivate folks to get out of their comfort zones.</p><p>I can&#8217;t tell you how many new members tell me this made them &#8220;get out there&#8221; and talk to new people.</p><p>They want to form new business relationships, get involved, hear about new opportunities and beyond.</p><p>I know for a fact that several people in attendance on Thursday formed new relationships &#8211; both personally and professionally.</p><p>That&#8217;s the beauty of it.</p><p>Besides Wilkes-Barre POWER! another great networking group to consider is NEPA Networkers, whose mission is to &#8220;connect the talent of NEPA through a forum of online &amp; live networking events with the purpose of fostering business &amp; career growth.&#8221;</p><p>I know those guys.</p><p>Tom Morris, Bob Courtright and the rest of the leaders at that organization are phenomenal.</p><p>They host events &#8211; morning and evening &#8211; in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.</p><p>Like the POWER! group, they want to connect people for the greater good.</p><p>I know we&#8217;re all busy.</p><p>Life is crazy with appointments and meetings, family get-togethers and kids events, work and more.</p><p>For many, these networking events not only serve as a way to make new business connections, but as a way to get out of the house and have a night out at a place they&#8217;ve never been.</p><p>The next Wilkes-Barre POWER! event is 6 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Jonathan&#8217;s on North River Street in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>I&#8217;d be delighted if you could join us.</p><p>Send me a note with any questions.</p><p>See you then.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Mike McGinley</p><p>Around Town</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Mike McGinley is the Times Leader Media Group&#8217;s major accounts executive. Reach him at mmcginley@www.timesleader.com or 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Around town: Take advantage of networking get-togethers