Category: Networking

What is networking?

Dictionary.com defines the noun as: a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest 
and the verb as: to cultivate people who can be helpful to one professionally, especially in finding employment or moving to a higher position.

I take it a step further by merging the two definitions in the forming of FOCM Networking. This is a site (system) for sharing information and services among individuals who have a diverse range of interests for the purpose of helping each other more than just professionally, but also socially and financially.

FOCM Networking Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes from FOCM Networking Meeting of October 15, 2013

Tuesday night, October 15, the RTP, NC Chapter of FOCM met at Serena’s in Durham. The weather was nice so we sat outside.

Not that a member gets points for being first to arrive or last to leave but its kinda fun to note that, so as to have accurate meeting minutes, of course.  While it is unlikely that the events recorded herein will ever appear in the Library of Congress, we can pretend that we are important.

At this meeting, the first to arrive was Gayle Grandinetti. The last to leave were myself (as required by the organization’s SOP’s), Nick Macaulay and Vince Hoefling.  The attendees were:

Gayle Grandinetti

Mike Burrows

Lisa Campbell

Mike Markowitz

Sherran Brewer

Katherine Cloninger

Joseph Barna

Tom McPhatter

Wendy Revenaugh

Carrie Gallagher

Vince Hoefling

Mark Mickunas

Nick Macaulay

The companies these people work for include: GSK, Aptiv, Lenovo, Catalent, PPD, Aerotek, TKL Research, Frontage Labs, UCB and Patheon.

It was great to have Lisa Campbell attend.  Tomorrow, 10/21, she will have her labor induced and sometime that day we will welcome  a new FOCM member.  Best wishes to Lisa and her soon-to-be-born daughter.

The following people were first time attendees and received their FOCM membership cards in the traditional and formal presentation of the membership card:  Sherran Brewer, Tom McPhatter, Carrie Gallagher and Joseph Barna.

For those who have not witnessed the formal presentation of the membership card, it goes something like this:  the card presenter holds the card in his left hand, the card recipient receives the card in his/her left hand and the two grip each other’s right hands in a handshake while the card presenter says, “Welcome to the organization.”  As you can well imagine, there is rarely a dry eye among the participants and witnesses.

 

FOCM Chairman Selected as GCSG Membership Officer

The Global Clinical Supply Group has selected Chris Matheus to join their Board as the Membership Officer. The primary responsibility of the role is to grow the membership through a variety of methods. One of the reasons he was selected was because of what has been accomplished at FOCM Networking.

The GCSG annual conference will take place April 27-30, 2014 in Savannah, GA at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.
You can see more about it and register at: http://mygcsg.com/conference/

FOCM Member Announces a Change in Employment

submitted by FOCM member Chris Diehl

Hello fellow FOCM members,

I hope that this note finds you doing well. I am pleased to announce that I have recently aligned myself with Babb McGrew, a full service Life Sciences executive search firm, servicing four practice areas:
Pharma/Biotech, Healthcare, Data Analytics and Marketing. Richard Babb, the firm’s President, and a personal friend, has been in the executive search/recruiting field for over 15 years. He has built quite a successful business, and I feel very fortunate that he has asked me to become a member of his team. Feel free to visit our website at www.babbmcgrew.com.

As we all know, by virtue of our membership in FOCM, relationships are at the core of many of our business dealings, and in my case, many of these relationships have become personal friends. You are receiving this notification because you and I have either worked together at one time, or our paths have crossed over the past few years, or just know each other from FOCM! Either way, I consider you a friend, and I sincerely
hope that we can work together again in the very near future. Feel free to contact me at any time, let me know what’s new with you, and let’s discuss how we may be able to help each other again in our work. Have a great week.

Best regards,
Chris
Christopher Diehl
Practice Leader
Babb McGrew
(910) 262-4047
chris@babbmcgrew.com
www.babbmcgrew.com

Job Opportunity for IT Professional;

If anyone is or knows of an IT guy looking for a new position drop me
a line (nickhargaden@ardroeconsulting.com)

Small company growing quickly
Most day to day IT is subcontracted, so it’s more managing
enterprise/clinical trial solutions in house, partnering with the
business.
Location: Arizona
Skills/experience: medical imaging, DICOM standard, PACS etc.

Nick Hargaden
Ardroe Consulting
nickhargaden@ardroeconsulting.com

FOCM Networking goes to Greece

FOCM Networking is headed to Greece for an in-depth observational study of that country’s approach to networking. I have been training for this all summer and feel very prepared.
I will spend the week on the island of Rhodes, which looks to be the easternmost island (not counting Cyprus) in the Greek islands.
On the agenda is lounging poolside learning to communicate with our Scottish hosts, dining out amongst the local peoples, listening, talking, eating, drinking and observing behavior and attire on the beaches.
FOCM will be back in the USA September 7.

You can (and should) network everywhere

Here is an example of not missing any opportunity or place to network. This event occurred at a Sunday church service and was initiated by the mother of a recent college graduate. You never know who you might meet at an event and whether or not they know of someone who is hiring for just the skill set or education that you or a friend of yours might have.

Submitted by a FOCM member

Her son graduated from Penn State with a degree in Civil Engineering. At Sunday church service the following week, during the “joys and concerns” portion of the service, this proud mother stood up and said: “Our joy is that our son graduated from PSU. Our concern is that he needs a job so if anyone knows of any company that needs a civil engineer, please see me after church.”
After church a woman came up to the mother and said “I am a professor of Civil Engineering at Villanova and I recently received an email from a guy with whom I had done a project. He asked if I had any December grads and I did not. I will let you know if he still is looking.”
A week later the mother received an email from the Professor forwarded from the hiring company. The mother forwarded it to her son and within 2 days he had a phone interview. The company does not use Monster or any of those internet job sites. They only hire from referrals. Three phone interviews, two face-to-face interviews, and 4 weeks post-graduation this young man got a job.

FOCM Philadelphia Chapter Meeting Minutes – August 19, 2013

An announcement was sent for FOCM Philadelphia area chapter to meet at Champps on Goddard Rd in King of Prussia, PA, just north of the big mall on August 19, 2013 from 6:00 to 8:00. The turnout was surprisingly good given my typical short notice (about 7 hours before the event) and the fact that *(&%^$ Philadephia traffic delayed my arrival until 6:30. Several new faces attended.
I was too busy talking, eating and drinking to remember any particular points of interest. We really must do it again sometime!