Ram Dachepalli has been a SCORE counselor for seven years.  He has approximately 40 years of industrial experience - 5 years in India and 35 years in the United States.  His areas of experience include project engineering/management, manufacturing engineering, operations management, plant start-ups, turnarounds and shutdowns both domestically and abroad (Australia, India, & Mexico).  He is currently the Chairman of the Charleston Chapter of SCORE.

SCORE the "Counselors of America's Small Business Owners" is a national association dedicated to helping small business owners form and grow their businesses. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia and Washington D.C., SCORE has 364 chapters in the United States as well as in U.S territories. SCORE is a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

At SCORE, business mentoring is always free-of-charge.
At many offices, consultants charge $100-$500 per hour, but SCORE offers its business consultations free of charge. Their volunteers donate their time and talent. As a nonprofit association, they bring Fortune 500 executives and successful entrepreneurs to your team as mentors.

March 1 - Next Board Meeting - 11:30 - Tidelands Bank
March 18 - Regular Meeting - Program:  Networking
March 29 - Spring Fling Social Event - Location TBD

The vast majority of our membership has a renewal date this month, so many of you will have received a renewal notice in the mail. Please consider renewing your membership and enjoying another great year with the MPBPA.

Mail in your $175 renewal payment today - or if you plan to attend Thursday's meeting, your renewal can be put on your credit card and it only takes moments as you sign in.

If you are unsure when your renewal date is, just ask at check-in this Thursday. Or if you don't make this week's meeting, you can contact Diane Pauldine at 884-9147 in order to pay by phone with a credit card.

We are also still seeking sponsorships for 2010.  If your company would like to join or renew as an Association Sponsor for $500, please reply to this email or ask about it at Thursday's meeting.  Association Sponsors get recognition in all newsletters, table tents, banners, agendas and advertising.

Thanks for your continued membership in the Mount Pleasant Business and Professional Association. Your membership supports our annual scholarship program as well as the annual charitable donations to deserving local programs. And it's 100% tax deductible.

For those of you who have become involved with the hottest social network out there - Facebook - you can now join the MPBPA Facebook group. We intend to develop this as an adjunct to our website as a method to share information and communicate with one another.

Because it has been asked, be aware that joining our Facebook group does not automatically make other MPBPA Facebook members your friends. It's simply a way to keep up with the MPBPA.

Please join our Facebook group to network, stay informed and further extend the wonderful connections you've made at the meetings. Click the link below to go to our new page and contribute:

Click Here To Go To The MPBPA Facebook Page