Leads & Introductions
Members introduced themselves and announced leads and thank you's. 

The general consensus is "yes, May has been slow".

Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Sandro Menasci.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Board Reports
Social (Janice Jaicks) - Let's get together for a happy hour tonight, 5:00pm at The Keg at Tempe Market Place
again.   Please let me know if you can join us!  In accordance with our new fitness and wellness guidelines and agenda, we will park a little further away from the bar, so that we can walk off our drinks and apps. How about that plan?!

Meeting Schedule
May 21 - Small Table Topics
May 28 - NO MEETING
June 11 - Marketing Strategy, ThreeDames Webworks

There will NOT be meetings on the Friday's before Memorial Day or 4th of July. 

Today's Program:  Spotlights
Althea Bussert - She hails from Iowa.  She got my undergraduate degree in Art.  She taught art at the elementary and junior high school levels.  She left teaching when she had Kayla.  She started doing a lot of weaving, self taught.  She made large tapestries that she sold to corporate clients.  These clients started asking her for interior design-related advice which evolved into a new business venture.  She began doing on overflow interior design work at model homes.  She does both commercial and residential design work.  Joining MABE was the best thing she ever did.  All of her work comes from referrals.  What gets her excited? Seeing a wall get knocked out!

Bill LaLonde - Most people ask "How does one get into the pool business?".  But Bill wants to know "How does one get out?!"  His son had a job working for a pool building contractor as part of a summer internship program.  His son decided to come to school in Arizona.  Bill came out too to help his son get settled in.  His son found a job cleaning swimming pools.  Within a year he able to branch out on his own.  Bill's other son moved out and also began cleaning pools.  Back in Michigan Bill was noticing the "writing on the wall' with his job at GM.  He took his early retirement, moved to Arizona and purchased a small pool company.  He merged his company with his sons company and this new company became True Blue Pools.  They do pool remodeling and quite a few repairs.  Survival tactic...Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Steve Chilton - Steve has been in the construction industry for a long time.  He began as an apprentice in his teens back in England.  There came a time when there was no work anywhere (and he was being shot at!) so Steve and his family just bummed around, traveling the world.  He eventually made his way to the US and started CBS Construction.  His company has evolved quite a bit.  He was training to keep work in-house.  He now has a full time architect, electrician, etc.  He does do plumbing.  He does do swimming pools.  He does do tile work.  He doesn't want to step on any MABE toes.  But this is how he survives...He diversifies.  His business is legal.  Is he?  Don't go there!  (Side note:  Steve is a big sports guy).