We Took Care of Business at Biz in the Backyard

Rain? What rain? The weather knew better than to mess with our party.

We had yet another awesome Biz in the Backyard, our special summer edition of our NWITweetups. The purpose of these events is to provide excellent networking opportunities in a relaxed and fun setting where everyone can be themselves. We get to show off our great partners to the community and see some new faces. The Tweetup had the traditional theme with great food, games, and friends, but new faces and fresh ideas made this Tweetup unique and extra sweet.

“We truly enjoy having the Biz in the Backyard,” Jenny Craig Brown, Executive Team Leader and Lady Lifer said. “We have done this a few times now and it is quickly becoming an annual event that people are excited by. Much like we did with traditional media, we have flipped the traditional networking event on its head and made it a party to look forward to. We are really thankful to everyone that came out and I hope they all enjoyed it.”

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It was relaxed and casual as guests mingled with one another, laughing with old friends and making business connections and new friends. There was music playing everywhere, fierce games of corn hole were played in the front yard, and many ate, drank, and stayed merry in the backyard.

Libations were provided by Holley’s Landscaping. The drinks were kept on ice in their front loader, showing that this machine is indeed multifunctional. Delicious food was provided by Texas Roadhouse, Pampered Chef, Culver’s, Zao Island, NorthShore Health Centers, Valpo Viennas, Chicagoland Popcorn, and Pumps Fitness.

There were neat party favors, too! Stickers, cozies, coupons, and more were bestowed upon guests. These fun and useful items were provided by: Oil ‘N’ Go, Bargain Barn, My Damsel Pro, Sprint Tri-Corp Wireless, Hines Plumbing, D. Cohn Communications, and Overhead Door of Northwest Indiana. A Tweetup veteran, Dave Woodson of Prime Real Estate, was happy to see things growing and changing.

“There are a lot of new faces here tonight,” Woodson said. “It was good to see people that I know, but I’m seeing a lot of new businesses here… I came here because I wanted to meet people that I have only seen thus far online. It’s great to take the online offline.”

First time Tweetup attendees also had something to say about their experiences.

“I came tonight to grow awareness of my business to people in my community,” Tom Uban, owner of Figure Eight Brewing said. “It’s surprising how people don’t know about the businesses in their own backyard, and I think that this event is a great way to showcase local businesses to people in a new and relaxed setting.”

Ian Bowen, owner of Pumps Fitness, said, “It’s a very organic event. It’s in the backyard, laidback, very informal and great new take on networking. When you get a bunch of business owners together in one place, eventually good ideas will form. Sometimes networking can be hard, but here it is fun and easy, and making those relationships is important and helpful to the community.”

“We’re here for the opportunity to meet with people who you wouldn’t normally get to speak,” Bob Wszolek Production and Design Supervisor for Steindler Signs said. “This is very relaxed and a good place to get to know people personally and find out their needs and wants. Face to face is always better than on the phone."

Andrew Porter, Production Specialist for Steindler Signs agreed by saying, “I’m outside of work, able to see the people that I only know of by phone call or on social media. It’s neat and super relaxed and a good way to acquire more business.”

In case you missed out, there will be more Tweetups in the future. Our Biz in the Backyard is one of the many events that we hold to celebrate our partners and to celebrate Life!