Making new business connections -- a favorite pastime for many Chamber members -- will be easy and fun when Pastimes Pub & Grill hosts a Business After Hours on Tuesday, July 26, from 530 to 7:30 p.m.

The new Chamber member is located at 1333 Worthington Centre Drive, near the Worthington Park Library, at the intersection of Worthington-Galena and Park Roads. Click here for a location map. 

Join other Chamber members on the patio at Pastimes for similar fare at the Business After Hours. Enjoy frosty beverages, door prizes, great networking, and an opportunity to meet owners Wes Appel and Andy Greene.  

At the BAH, you'll also have the chance to view a slide show of photos from A Taste of Worthington on July 15. 

To ramp up your networking, register by noon on July 25 to be included in the "Know Before You Go" section of our website. Members who pre-register by the deadline will receive preprinted name tags, eligibility for extra door prizes, and inclusion on the "Know Before You Go" list. Browsing the list before you attend can help you target new business connections,  reinforce developing business relationships, and welcome newcomers to the Chamber.

Business Before Hours (BBH) and Business After Hours (BAH) events are designed to give Worthington Chamber members the opportunity to network with other members in an informal setting and to learn more about Chamber member businesses.

We encourage pre-registration. Select "REGISTER NOW" above to reach the online registration page, and follow the registration prompts.  Be sure to click "SUBMIT." You'll receive an e-mail confirmation when successfully registered.  

Call us at 888-3040 to learn more about this and other upcoming business-building activities of the Chamber.

Young Professionals of Worthington (YpoW) will gather to serve the community and celebrate their successes at an after-party on Wednesday, July 27.

The event includes a camp volunteer project at YMCA North, 1640 Sandalwood Place, Columbus 43229, where summer camp is among many projects serving area youth. At the Y, volunteers will complete several large projects, such as painting, mulching/landscaping and odd jobs to renew and repair the facility. The volunteer activities will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

Following a one-hour break to clean up and/or change clothes, the after-party mixer for social and professional exchange will be held at House Wine, 644 High St., Worthington, from 5 to 7 p.m.  Enjoy cheese and crackers sponsored by House Wine owner Donnie Austin -- and Happy Hour prices on many fine wines and beers. Also enjoy food from Rivage Atlantique sponsored by the Law Offices of Craig Bringman and Insurance Agencies of Ohio.

Pre-registration is requested. Attendees who pre-register will be eligible for a door prize drawing and will have preprinted name tags. The event is free for YPoW members. For prospective members, $30 is your admission to the event AND your annual membership fee if your company is a current Chamber member.  

YPoW is grateful for the year-round sponsorship of AAA Ohio Auto Club and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield during our 2011 program year.  

If you work in a home office or "wear all the hats" at a small office with five or fewer employees, the Chamber's Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) subgroup may be for you. At each monthly "brown bag lunch" style meeting, members exchange best practices and business leads and learn from experts about topics that affect small business owners and home-based businesses, including legal, tax, organizational, IT and marketing/promotion issues.

The SOHO group will meet next on Thursday, June 28, from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at the office of Ann Baldwin, independent senior sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, 6161 Busch Blvd., Suite 300.  

Jonathon Howard

Business members of the Chamber are eligible to join SOHO. SOHO members pay a subgroup participation fee of $30 per year, in addition to their Chamber dues. A prospective SOHO member may attend the meeting free of charge for a one-month period and then may choose sign up for the group with the $30 annual fee.

Registration is required. To register, click on REGISTER NOW in the registration box above.  Bring your own lunch, if desired; bottled water will be available.  

SOHO meetings are scheduled for the fourth Thursday of the month. To learn more about SOHO, contact the SOHO Leadership Team for 2011, Glen Allie of Prudential (614-472-2707, ext. 7235) and Howard Brody, GLFM Business Solutions (614-209-0480).