The Alternative Press

WEST ORANGE, NJ – When Kevin Kinney of the Shillelagh Club wanted to get the word out that their establishment is a public bar and not a private club, he knew just where to turn: his local Chamber of Commerce.

Kinney attended his first networking event with the Chamber Tuesday night at the Courtyard Marriott and had the chance to tell many individual people, as well as the whole group, about the Shillelagh Club, including the space they rent for events or, in the case of established charities, open for free.

“I wanted to get the word out about the club, and I knew the Chamber is a great way to meet people and network,” he said.

This is the second such networking meeting the West Orange Chamber has organized. As with the first event, Chamber board member Roger Schneider opened the floor to allow each person in the room to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

Schneider also recognized Dr. Ira Sonet, owner of Sonet Family Dentistry – recipient of this year’s Business of the Year award – and former Chamber president who Schneider said “raised the bar” as president.

The featured speaker for the evening was Wendy Richmond, author of the book “How to Create Wild Success Within Your Organization.” Richmond’s talk focused on remembering people’s names, which she said is vitally important in building good business relationships.

One of the tricks, she said, starts before you even meet someone, say “I wonder what their name is?” to yourself. That focuses you on the person’s name and not on other distractions. She also advised to wear name tags on the right side, so they are more easily viewed when shaking hands.

For more information on the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, visit www.westorangechamber.com.