BWI Business Professionals (BWI Biz Pros) is an independent group of local business people who formed to maximize the businesses of our members through qualified referrals. We are an industry-exclusive organization; only one member of any profession is permitted in the group.

We meet for lunch every Tuesday. There are no outside speakers at our lunch meetings. Instead, each member is given the opportunity to speak and go into depth in his/her area of expertise, educating the members so that we can serve as an additional “sales team.”
On the 2nd Tuesday of the month, in lieu of our usual lunch meeting, we host a happy hour at a local establishment in order to grow our group and give local businesses an opportunity to network without a fee.

We promote and encourage the “one-to-one” technique of getting to know the business of other members. Through regular lunch meetings, our monthly happy hour, and independent coffee meetings, relationships are built, and thus we all become better referral partners for everyone in the group.

We encourage potential new members to join us at our lunch meeting &/or a happy hour to get to know the existing membership. Any potential member is evaluated by the membership committee to determine how we can help that person grow his/her business and if it’s a good fit for both parties. Our annual membership fee is reasonably price for a small business owner. Those funds are used to further our networking and for the occasional charity event.

Board Members

President: Tom Mrozek
Vice President: Peter Ocasio
Treasurer: Jutta Flett
Secretary: Karen Authement
Communications: Tom Mrozek

Bylaws

DUES

There is fee to apply for membership. Dues may be paid annual dues for $200 or semi-annually for $120. Dues are payable on January 1 of each year. A new member will pay $200 for the first 12 months with the remaining months paid at the rate of $16.00 per month in the following year. If dues are not paid, the member will be terminated from the group. Dues are not refundable.

ATTENDANCE

A member who is unable to attend a meeting may send a “sub” in his/her place. If a member misses 3 meetings in a quarter, the member’s status will be reviewed by the board of directors. The member is subject to termination with a two-thirds majority vote by the board of directors and members if it is deemed to be the appropriate action.

POINTS SYSTEM

As a means of keeping track of activity, points will be assessed as follows:

• (1) point for each meeting you attend (or send a representative in your place).
• (1) point for a qualified referral given to another member.
• (1) point is earned for a one-on-one with another member.
• (1) point is earned for bringing a new guest to a meeting.
• (1) point is earned for attending all the happy hours in a quarter.
• (2) points are earned for bringing a new accepted member.

Each member is expected to earn at least 12 points per quarter.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board is comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

WEEKLY MEETING

Meetings are held at Ledo Pizza at 12:00PM on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th (and 5th) Tuesday of each month. Meetings begin at noon and end at 1:00 p.m.

EXCLUSIVITY OF EACH POSITION

Each business category in the group is to be represented by a single member. Members are to immediately express a potential conflict to a board member if they feel that a guest/potential new member would represent a conflict to them in regard to their business interests in the group.

SNOW

When schools are closed in Anne Arundel County (the county where our meetings are held), the group will not meet.