September 2011 Newsletter

The President’s Corner – Debbie Maestas-Traynor
September 21 Program – Possibility Thinking: NeuroScience Meets Business
Corporate Partner Profiles – Atkinson & Co. & Albuquerque GED
NAWBO Means Business!
New Members
Help Us Celebrate With You!
The 2011-2012 NAWBO-NNM Board of Directors
NAWBO Satellite Breakfast Meetings
Corporate Sponsors and Platinum Members

The President’s Corner Welcome to our new members, renewing members and to those who are visiting our website for the first time!

September is a busy month for our chapter. We realize there are New Mexico women owned businesses’ struggling to “weather the storm” of this recession. In keeping with this year’s mantra “Stay in Business, Grow your Business” our Communications committee is rolling out our upcoming event, “NAWBO Means Business”. Mark your calendars for November 2, and think about outstanding women business owners that you will want to invite to spend a stimulating morning learning financial and marketing strategies to help grow your business. We recognize that New Mexico business owners come from diverse industries and experience, therefore our committee is crafting an agenda that addresses issues for emerging and established women business owners. The “NAWBO Means Business” conference is the first for our chapter and we are planning to make this an annual event.

Our public policy committee will be engaged in the “special session” which begins in early September. It is likely the New Mexico Preference legislation will be heard during the special session. We support this bill because it keeps our tax dollars in New Mexico by giving an incentive for government contracts that go to New Mexico businesses.

Nominations for SBA awards are due on September 30. Please contact me, Debbie Maestas, with suggested candidates. Categories include:

Small Business Person of the Year Award
Small Business Champion Awards:
Small Business Exporter of the Year
SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year
Financial Services Champion of the Year
Home-Based Business Champion of the Year
Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
Women in Business Champion of the Year

Please join us for our September 21st meeting, 5:30 p.m., Embassy Suites Atrium for a meet and greet networking social. Our featured speaker will be Shauna Rampley, “Possibility Thinking: Neuro Science meets Business”

Have a great month!

Kind regards,

Debbie Maestas-Traynor
President 2011 – 2012
Northern New Mexico NAWBO
Email Debbie

September 21 Program – Possibility Thinking: NeuroScience Meets Business with Shauna Rampley

How many times have you come up with brilliant possibilities for your life or business – and then immediately dismissed them as “Impossible” without a second consideration? The latest NeuroScience research explains why our efforts toward success get derailed by our own minds. Learning how the brain functions and how to manage its normal tendencies can lead to incredible improvements in both your business and personal life. How much would that be worth to you?

During this interactive presentation, you will:

• Learn some amazing facts about your brain from the latest neuroscience research
• Explore how your senses and mind operates to keep you “safe” from possibilities
• Develop the ability to upgrade your mental and emotional “software”

Shauna Rampley is the managing partner of Soaring Eagle Institute. She specializes in leadership & team development, conflict management, interaction skills, change management, self-management, and executive & management coaching. Shauna holds a Bachelor in Business Administration as well as an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in Human Resource Management.

Shauna models and teaches clients to engage in Possibility Thinking and Self-Responsibility in their businesses and lives so they can create and attract what they want: ‘right’ customers & team members, higher profits, and more fun & ease in doing business, and in their lives. She has tremendous passion for helping business people in all roles to be more conscious about how they engage in business.

Shauna especially enjoys supporting business owners & leaders in the conscious creation of learning & teaching cultures that create a collaborative environment so that the business and all its members thrive as they grow together while becoming more successful. She has 30 years management experience, and 24 years consulting experience. Shauna’s two favorite things about her work are that she is constantly challenged to learn new things, and she meets a wide range of fascinating people.

Soaring Eagle Institute (SEI) helps individuals and organizations soar to success. SEI’s highly skilled staff provides customized consulting interventions and training programs to assist organizations in this time of challenge and change. SEI consultants collaborate with the client to take an eagle-eye look at the organization, target specific areas for strategic intervention, and co-design ways to develop the organization through organizational design, leadership and team development, coaching, facilitation, mediation, and consultation.

SEI specializes in organizational design, strategic planning, change management, leadership & team development, conflict management, and experientially-based team development sessions. Call (505) 255-9782 or go to the Soaring Eagle Institute website for more information.

Meeting Schedule & Location

We meet at the Embassy Suites Lomas and I-25 Albuquerque
Our September 21 event will be a little different. Your survey responses said you wanted MORE NETWORKING time so we are LISTENING and here it is.

Social Networking starts at 5:30 PM in the Atrium area of the Embassy Suites Hotel with a Cash Bar. This allows an additional 30 minutes of Meet and Greet time to TRULY network and create strategic business alliances. The doors to our Standard Event will open at 6 PM for a few minutes more of Networking and then to business with a great speaker and topic!

Cost

Please note a change in cost for our dinners effective with this meeting.

Members: $33 with an advance reservation.
Non-Members and guests $38 with an advance reservation.

Reservation Policy

Advance reservations are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 16. RSVPs received after the deadline, walk-ins and no-shows will be charged an additional $5. If you need to cancel an advance registration, you must notify NAWBO by 5PM on the Friday prior to the meeting. No shows are responsible for paying for their advanced reservation and will be billed within 1 week after the meeting date.

Members, please click here to make an advanced reservation. After you RSVP, you have the option to continue and pay in advance.

Guests, please click here to make a reservation and pay in advance.

The following article is provided by our Corporate Partner, Atkinson and Co., Accounting and Consulting.

Small Businesses Fight Soaring Health Care Costs

What can business owners do about this threat to the bottom line? One tactic is to stop offering a health plan to employees; however, that may not be practical. Starting in 2014, businesses with 50 or more full-time employees will owe fines if they don’t offer health insurance plans.

High deductibles, low premiums
Companies that want to provide health insurance but control costs can choose high-deductible plans. That way, insurers have less exposure, so the consumer’s cost is lower.

What’s more, certain types of high-deductible health insurance plans can be paired with a health savings account (HSA). Individuals enjoy major tax advantages with HSAs, so employees might appreciate a high-deductible health plan that is compatible with HSAs.

Qualifying criteria
In order for a health plan to be matched with HSAs, the insurance policies must meet certain tests. Here are the rules for 2011:

Individual coverage: The deductible must be at least $1,200. Insured individuals must have a maximum out-of-pocket cost (for deductibles, copays, coinsurance, etc.) of no more than $5,950 before the insurance pays all ongoing costs. If those conditions are met, the maximum HSA contribution in 2011 is $3,050 ($4,050 for people 55 and older).

Family coverage: The deductible must be at least $2,400. The insured family must have a maximum out-of-pocket cost of no more than $11,900. If those conditions are met, the maximum HSA contribution in 2011 is $6,150 ($7,150 for people 55 and older).

The following article is provided by our Corporate Partner and September Spotlight Table, Albuquerque GED.

Albuquerque GED, Inc., is a new 501(c)3. Last year we received the NM Higher Education Adult Basic Education Division’s “2010 Outstanding Program of the Year” Award. In July, ABQ-GED received a bonus for performance.

ABQ-GED’s mission is to provide student-focused education and GED preparation in underserved communities within the metro area. As a Community Based Organization (CBO), we provide Adult Basic Education and GED preparation services to a predominantly Hispanic (71%), and female (67%) population. Based on our 2010-11 Participant Enrollment Report: 68% are unemployed, 61% are on public assistance, and 53% claim single parent status. Our target population is diverse with 65% youth between the ages of 16-24, 30% of students between the ages of 25-44, and 5%, 45 and over.

In synergistic partnership with Bernalillo County and City of Albuquerque Community Centers, our programs provide onsite ABE/GED services at three (3) sites, each imbedded in the communities we serve in the International Airport District, South Valley, and West Side areas. Our developed sites target low-income neighborhoods, easing transportation and child care concerns while promoting a sense of community. Partnerships with government, private organizations and social service partnerships help us maximize fiscal year operations. Our educational and transitional programs account for an average of over $1.5M to the local economy in new earned income and public assistance savings annually.

Overall, during FY2010-11, ABQ-GED served 227 students of which 55 received their GED. Additionally, 220 achieved 12 or more hours of instruction, a total of 22,965 contact hours, and a 97% retention rate! Of this population, 85% were Adult Basic Education (ABE) 0.1-8.99 Grade Level Equivalent (GLE), and approximately 15% were Adult Secondary Education (GED) Learners, 9.0-12.9 GLE. ABQ-GED’s professional caliber of instructors, (BA/PhD credentials), and our team’s performance practices, distinguishes our program from other local GED Programs.

Albuquerque GED, Inc. (ABQ-GED)
Gloria Gonzales, Executive Director
419 Pennsylvania SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Visit Albuquerque GED website
505 980-2129

NAWBO Means Business

Attention NAWBO Members. Hold the date! November 2. 8AM-1PM

NAWBO Means Business brings together NAWBO members and corporate partners who will offer informative and actionable workshops on what women need to know to be effective business leaders. Whether you have just started a company, or you are a veteran, the event has something to offer you.

Invite your colleagues who want to know more about what NAWBO has to offer.

Watch this space for details!

Welcome New Members!

Rosemary Breehl
Founder
Breehl Traynor & Zehe, Inc.
7820 Enchanted Hills Blvd NE A-269
Rio Rancho, NM 87144-8638
Phone: (505) 771-9435
BTZ helps clients create a preference for their brand. Our guaranteed process uncovers what is unique about your brand, how to communicate that uniqueness to the right audience, and how to create loyalty among your customers and your employees. The results of this process drives revenues and creates strong and sustainable companies.
Email Rosemary
Visit Breehl Traynor & Zehe, Inc website

Minda McGonagle
Principal
Consulting Duo LLC
2505 Candelaria Rd NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107-2908
Phone: (505) 228-3755
Email Minda

Please introduce yourselves to Rosemary & Minda at our next meeting and welcome them to our chapter.

NAWBO wants to celebrate with you!

Please, when you open a new location, get an award, or do anything else of note, post it to our NAWBO NM LinkedIn group and let everyone know about it!

The 2011-2012 NAWBO-NNM Board of Directors

President…..Debbie Maestas-Traynor

Past President…..Robin Dozier Otten

President-Elect/VP…..Merri Jean Jones

Secretary…..Lisa Obeji

Treasurer…..Johanna Tighe

Director of Member Services…..Donna Luke

Director of Public Policy…..Joan Schlueter

Director of Education and Leadership…..DJ Heckes

Director of Economic Development…..Carolyn Ward

Director of International Opportunities…..Kay Carrico

Director of Communications…..Barbara Kline

Liaison to FEE…..Lorie Guthrie

NAWBO Satellite Breakfast Meetings

Establish relationships, network, share business building tips in an intimate casual NAWBO group, and experience the added benefit of being part of a powerful group of New Mexico business owners.

NAWBO-NNM SANTA FE Satellite

Breakfast Meeting
The SECOND Tuesday of every month
Where: Joe’s Diner, 2801 Rodeo Road in Santa Fe
For information please contact Christy Martinez by email or
call 505-983-2666 ext. 109.

Corporate Sponsors and Platinum Members

We extend special thanks to our chapter Corporate Partners

They look forward to working with our members. Click on a company logo to visit the web site in a new window or click on a name to send an email.

DIAMOND NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNER:

New Mexico Business Weekly has the right tools to help you grow your business. The Business Weekly is chock full of local business news, in depth information and tons of leads. Stay in touch with New Mexico Businesses by subscribing to the NM Business Weekly! Our contact is Nancy Salem, 505-768-7008.

Jobing.com exists with one key mission: to connect local employers and local job seekers. It’s that simple. Our company was founded by a human resources professional who believes passionately that HR is the driving force behind the success of every business and that finding and keeping great talent is the key to that success. Contact Randy Richardson, General Manager, 505-440-6351.

SILVER NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNERS:

We are a full service regional financial services company with a strong focus on a superior level of customer service. We provide a range of services for commercial banking, retail and business banking, and consumer finance. Bank of the West is big enough to help and small enough to care. Please contact Leslie Quade, 505-271-9770

Perfectly situated between the University of New Mexico and the downtown business district, the Embassy Suites Albuquerque provides a relaxing guest experience with comfortable accommodations and impeccable service. Our contact is Mark Gundlach, 505-275-7100

COPPER NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNERS: