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CPWN Member NewsFY 2006BOARD OF DIRECTORSA Word from Our President . Laura HenningerAs we’ve mentioned many times in the past, CPWN hasexperienced tremendous growth over the past severalyears. In January, we welcomed our 200th member, CharynMarshall of Travel Concepts. January also marked thehighest monthly attendance of any regular monthly meetingsince CPWN’s inception in 1996. Only our annual fashionshows have exceeded January’s attendance of 115 membersand guests.PresidentLaura HenningerHenninger & Henningerlaura@henningerslaw.comVice PresidentLauren ThomasThomas Benefit Sandra GlockGegorek & Vardavas Charteredsglock@gvcpas.comSecretarySharon EppleBenchmark AdministrativeSupport Services, Inc.cpwnnews@getbenchmark.comImmediate Past PresidentClaudia HolmanAberdeen Proving Ground FederalCredit Unioncholman@apgfcu.comCOMMITTEE CHAIRSAmbassador & MembershipKim SchmidtHess Hotels Groupkim-schmidt@hesshotels.comEvents & Meeting SpeakersClaudia HolmanAberdeen Proving Ground FederalCredit Unioncholman@apgfcu.comandLorrie SchenningMercantile County Banklorrie.schenning@mercantile.comFashion ShowAnne KennedyAAK Design Studioaakdesignstudio@verizon.netPublicityRenee McNallyHR Solutions, LLCrenee@hrsolutionsource.comNewsletterDaniele FleischerLemarie Interieurspouliquen@aol.comWebsiteJennifer LewisLewis Web Creationsjlewis@lewiswebcreations.comOf course, all organizations can sometimes experiencegrowing pains. CPWN is no exception. At our Januarymeeting at the Outback Steakhouse, we faced what canonly be described as an overflow crowd. We have beengoing to Outback Steakhouse every January since 1997 andhave always fit comfortably into the area of the restaurantLaura Henningerreserved for us. This year, we had to “spill over” intoother areas of the restaurant. The staff of Outback wastremendously accommodating, and all of the attendees found seats, but some seats had moreof a tight fit than others. I want to apologize to any member or guest that found their seatingarrangements less than desirable. We are continually reviewing our list of meeting locations tomake sure we provide a comfortable environment for our members and guests.One factor in January’s overflow crowd was the overwhelming number of last minutereservations we received. We have always required advance reservations - CPWN’s meetingflyers state that “advance reservations are required to guarantee a meal” and provide foran R.S.V.P. deadline. Admittedly, in our attempts to be accommodating, we have not alwaysenforced those deadlines. As CPWN has grown, however, it has become apparent that advancereservations are an absolute necessity. The Board of Directors has decided that beginning withthe February meeting, no reservations will be accepted after 12:00 Noon on the Friday prior tothe meeting. This will allow us to be adequately prepared to welcome all members and guests toeach meeting, and to provide the facility with an accurate head count.If you have any questions or concerns about this new policy, please feel free to contact me atlaura@henningerslaw.com or at 410-836-5300. I would welcome any suggestions and feedbackyou can provide.Please join us for the February meeting on February 14, 2006 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. atMaryland Golf and Country Club. Our speaker will be Mike Hill, who will discuss “Branding andMarketing for Small Businesses.” We look forward to seeing you there!LauraCharter Member Laura Henninger Remembers CPWN’s Early DaysCPWN has been an important part of my life since1996. Over the years, I have made many friendsand have many, many, fond memories. I always lookforward to our monthly meetings and am thankfulthat I have had the opportunity to be a part ofCPWN.would tap on a glass to get the group’s attention. Atthat point, everyone in the room was supposed to“switch partners”. In other words, stop talking towhoever you were in conversation with, and moveto another person or conversation group. As youcan imagine, this met with some resistance!One memory that always makes me laughoccurred at one of our very first meetings. Ourfirst President, Marianne Dixon, was a dedicatednetworker! She decided that it was imperativethat all those who attended the meeting had theopportunity to network and to converse with a lotof people. The meeting was structured as a businesscard exchange. Every five minutes or so, MarianneAlthough we never used this method again, it didhighlight one of the main purposes of CPWN – toencourage members to network, even when it isdifficult or when it forces you to step outside yourcomfort zone. It also set the tone for CPWN to bemore than just another social club. For me, CPWNhas consistently been the perfect blend of businessand pleasure!Page 2CPWN Member NewsNew Visions for Women Conference at HCC - February 11thThe New Visions for Women Conference for Women is Saturday, February 11thfrom 8:30 a.m. – 3:10 p.m. at Harford Community College. The cost to attend is only 30.00. Enjoy a continental breakfast, lunch, great workshops, and the opportunity tobe a part of women coming together. Give the gift of this day to yourself and bring agirlfriend, sister, mother, aunt, or co-worker!This year’s theme -- True Love! You can’t be truly good to others until you learn toknow and love yourself. It’s true! Ginny Robertson from On Purpose Networkingfor Women will be the keynote speaker. Take time for yourself and enjoy an amazingday of workshops sure to suit your taste. Workshops offered include The Enneagram,Heart Health Meets Holistic Medicine, Salsa Dance Lessons, Gardening, BellyDancing Lessons, Local Travel, Tai Chi, Window Magic and a Taste of Neuro-LinguisticProgramming. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call HarfordCommunity College Non-Credit Class Registration at 410-836-4376.Committee CornerCPWN Newsletter Committee NewsMay We Have Your Opinion?How can we improve CPWN’s monthly newsletter to make it an even better publicationfor you? What would you like to see in future issues? How you would prefer to receiveyour newsletter – in hard copy by U.S. Mail or in Adobe PDF format by e-mail? We’d liketo have your opinion.Look for our brief questionnaire at the February CPWN Members Meeting and let usknow what you think! The February meeting will be held on Valentine’s Day, 11:30 a.m. to1:30 p.m., at Maryland Golf & Country Club. See you there!MEETING RESERVATIONS REQUIREDJust a note to confirm our monthly meeting reservation policy -- advance reservationsare required. Reservations will not be accepted after 12:00 Noon the Friday prior to themeeting date. Meeting accommodations will not permit us to accept “walk-ins” at CPWNmonthly meetings. Thank you in advance to everyone for cooperating with this policy!MEMBER NEWS &ANNOUNCEMENTSWhat’s happening in your world?Let your fellow CPWN membersknow!CPWN Event CalendarMARK YOUR CALENDARS!March 14, 2006Bayou RestaurantSpeaker: Chris Sopa“Stress-Free Living”11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.April 11, 2006Wetlands Golf ClubSpeaker: Harford CountyExecutive, David Craig“Update on Harford County”11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.May 9, 2006Vitali’s Restaurant“Meet the Authors Night”A Variety of Local Authors5:30 - 7:30 p.m.June 16, 2006CPWN 10th Anniversary GalaDinner DanceMaryland Golf & Counry Club7:00 - 11:00 p.m.July 11, 2006Speaker: Dr. James LaCalleDean of Harford CommunityCollegeRipken Stadum11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.August 8, 2006Networking Event!Clarion Hotel(Formerly 4 Points Sheraton)11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Please forward promotions,announcements, member news,non-profit events, business-relatedclassified ads, anniversaries, salesand promotional events andother news of interest to ourmembers to Suzanne Green atsuzannegreen@ymcamd.org or callher at 410-803-2025.September 12, 2006Speaker: Kendra FujiwaraTopic: TBDMaryland Golf & Country Club11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.You may also forward announcementsto cpwnnews@getbenchmark.com.Page 7

CPWN Member NewsMember News & Announcements!Human Resources Advice – Be Aware!How do you ensure your business’s protection in a litigioussociety? Employment related lawsuits can kill your business with aprice tag ranging from 250,000 just to defend a case, to millionsof dollars in potential damages. Violations and fines from theDepartment of Labor can also cost your organization money.There are steps you can take to help prevent fines and litigation.The most important thing you can do is BEAWARE. Be aware that employment regulationsdo exist and even businesses with ONEemployee are obligated to comply with them.Different laws have different thresholds, however.CPWN Member NewsHow about your employee files? What is in them and where arethey kept? Have you ever had to discipline or fire someone, orever considered it? Before you did that, did you consider all theselaws and the impact that termination could have on you and yourcompany? If you didn’t, you are putting yourself at risk.Be aware thatemployment regulationsdo exist and evenbusinesses with ONEemployee are obligated tocomply with them.Do you have at least one employee? Amongother laws, you need to be aware that youare bound by the FLSA, or the Fair Laborand Standards Act, which governs what and how you pay youremployees. In 2004, over 31,000 claims were filed under theFLSA and this only counts the ones that actually made it to theDept of Labor. Do you have at least 15 employees? Now youmust also comply with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which governs discriminationlaws. When you grow to 50 employees, throw in the FMLA – theFamily Medical Leave Act, which has resulted in more complexitiesthan President Clinton ever imagined. Once you’re above 100employees and/or you are a federal contractor, you can pile somemore laws on top of all that.Confused? Overwhelmed? It is confusing andoverwhelming. But realize that you don’t needto know and understand everything aboutevery law. You just need to be aware that theyexist and when an issue arises, that you needto ask questions, do research, or just knowwhere to go for resources and answers. Somehelpful websites you may wish to visit for moreinformation include:U.S. Department of Labor - www.dol.govU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - www.eeoc.govMaryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation - www.dllr.state.md.usSusquehanna Workforce Network - www.swnetwork.orgYou can also utilize the services of a human resources consultant.This article was contributed by Renee McNally, SPHR, HumanResources Consultant, HR Solutions, LLC. To obtain more informationregarding human resource issues, contact Renee at 443-243-4031 orrenee@hrsolutionsource.com.Going Places . The All Inclusive Vacation PhenomenonWhether your choice is Cancun, Punta Cana, Jamaica, St. Luciaor any other number of exotic islands, there is an all inclusivevacation waiting for you.Renee McNally, SPHR, Human Resources Consultant, will teach“Performance Management” on February 8th and “Manage andRecruit for Retention” on February 22nd at Harford CommunityCollege. To register, contact Harford Community College at410-836-4376. For information contact Renee at 443-243-4031,email: renee@hrsolutionsource.com, or visit www.hrsolutionsource.com.Upper Chesapeake Chorus Sponsors Travel RaffleFebruary 14, 2006Pack your bags and get ready to go! The Upper ChesapeakeChorus of Sweet Adelines is sponsoring a Travel Raffle with aprize of 2,500 in AAA travel vouchers. The tickets are 10 eachand there will only be 500 tickets sold. The drawing will be heldon February 14, 2006. (What a great Valentines’ Day gift!) Topurchase a ticket, please call Fran King at 410/893-6779 or e-mailfking@getbenchmark.com.“Smart Women Finish Rich” SeminarFebruary 23, 2006Melissa Heller of Morgan Stanley will hold a complimentaryseminar discussing the seven steps to crossing the financial finishline on Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 6:30 P.M. at Giovanni’sRestaurant, 2101 Pulaski Highway in Edgewood. Please RSVPby February 16th to Melissa Heller at 410-229-8220 or melissa.heller@morganstanley.com.Emmorton Rec Council Seeks Corporate SponsorsDeadline March 1, 2006Emmorton Rec. Council is currently seeking corporate sponsorsfor its spring baseball season. Emmorton is one of the largestrecreation councils in the state of Maryland, and throughcorporate sponsorships is able to offer kids ages 4 and up theopportunity to participate in team sports. Sponsorships beginat 100, which will include printing your company name on eachof one team’s jerseys. Deadline for sponsorships is March 1st.For information, please contact Jennifer Lewis at (410) 569-9963or the Emmorton Rec. Council at (410) 638-1713 or emailemmortonbaseball@yahoo.com.YMCA Infant Toddler Open HouseFebruary 15, 2006The YMCA Campus Preschool will be holding an open house onFebruary 15th from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. for its new Infant/Toddler Program that will be opening in March of 2006. Stop byfor refreshments and a tour of the new Infant/Toddler rooms!For information, contact Suzanne Green at 410-803-2025 orsuzannegreen@ymcamd.org.Women’s Leadership BreakfastMarch 3, 2006The ATHENA Award will be presented at the Women’sLeadership Breakfast on Friday, March 3, 2006 at RichlinBallroom from 7:30-9:15 A.M. Cathy Riley will be the speaker.All are welcome! The cost is 25.00. For information andreservations, call 410-836-4176.“After dArc”Celebrity Chef Event for The ArcMarch 4, 2006Paint & Powder President’s BallFebruary 18, 2006The tropical Caribbean boasts hundreds of all inclusive resortscatering to your every need. Gourmet restaurants abound incuisine and service. Some of the hotels boast more than onepool, several restaurants, spa facilities and more. Entertainment isincluded in the price as well.Save the date! The Paint & Powder President’s Ball benefits theHarford County Family Branch YMCA and will be held February18th at 6:00 P.M. at the Baltim

Credit Union cholman@apgfcu.com COMMITTEE CHAIRS Ambassador & Membership Kim Schmidt Hess Hotels Group kim-schmidt@hesshotels.com Events & Meeting Speakers Claudia Holman Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union cholman@apgfcu.com and Lorrie Schenning Mercantile County Bank lorrie.s