If you skipped this month's B2B breakfast on February 1, you missed out on an extra-special treat, as our fabulous food sponsor Marmalade Café served up scrumptious French toast along with their usual scrambled egg dishes. Meanwhile, beloved caffeine sponsor Zizzo's Coffee was cheered heartily as they made their entrance on this chilly morning.

Our enthusiastic attendees got right down to business, sharing success stories and testimonials on the mike, encouraged by emcee Drew "Mr. Ramada" Wakefield—the Goleta Chamber's newly named Ambassador of the Year. Jeffrey Gorell, AIA, of Lenvik & Minor Architects was officially welcomed as a new member by Pat Merna, Director of Business Development.

Meeting sponsor Melissa Moreno of Santa Barbara City College's Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation delivered an informative slide presentation about their latest initiative, the Small Business Development Center. Launched in conjunction with a statewide program, SBDC provides at last five hours of free mentoring to help entrepreneurs start, run and expand their small businesses. 

Explains Melissa, "Whether you want to formulate your business plan, obtain financing, launch international trade contracts, develop a manufacturing facility or craft a marketing strategy, SBDC has over 17 trained consultants to support and guide you on a  long-term basis." For more information, contact her by email or call 805-892-3643.

Once again, the 20-second promotions were sponsored by Santa Barbara Axxess, who donated two free Axxess books for the best presentations. Congratulations to existing member Denny Cooper, Santa Barbara Credit Solutions, and first-time guest Kimi Vandyk, creative promotional items.

Don't miss out on the next B2B Breakfast, Tuesday, March 1 at 7:00am; register by noon the Friday before to get on the roster. Meanwhile, you can mix and mingle at our next networking event, Business After Hours—back after a long hiatus. It will be hosted by Alpha Thrift Resource Center on Wed., February 16th, 5:00-7:00pm, at 5624 Hollister Avenue, Goleta. Alpha has some fun things planned, so we look forward to seeing you there.