Business Leaders Network Over Wine and Cheese

Bruschetta with olive tapenade and tomato basil, accompanied with L'Isola dei Profumi al Bianco Sicilian white wine. Meatballs with blueberry barbeque sauce, chicken satay with chipotle smoked tomato cream, brie en crute with jalapeno jelly with Corte alla Flora Cabernet Sauvignon, Sam Adams Cream Stout and Babbo Prosecco. Assorted mini cheesecakes with Maryland's own Loew Raspberry in Grape dessert wine.

This was all on the menu of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) Wine and Beer Tasting and Charity Bake Sale held at Kentlands Mansion on Thursday evening.

The GGCC partnered with the City of Gaithersburg, Pinky and Pepe's Grape Escape in Kentlands and Chef Bryan Davis of P.B. Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville, Maryland to concoct a delectable evening for new, existing and prospective GGCC members. The Hilton Hotel in Gaithersburg sponsored a charity bake sale featuring red velvet cupcakes and an assortment of cookies, brownies and loaf cakes from Custom Cake Designs in Gaithersburg. 

Aimed with providing opportunities for guests to network, the event welcomed over 60 businesses from the Gaithersburg and Germantown area.

"Most of the businesses represented here tonight are small businesses," said Laura Rowles, Director of Events and Marketing for the GGCC.

Graphic design companies, dentists, law firms, banks, local publications, consultants, accountants, landscaping and health insurance firms, among others, placed their business cards in the drawing for raffle prizes, which included two golf toolkits for afficionados and a foursome at P.B. Dye Golf Course, all donated by the golf course and a cooler on wheels, donated by Sandy Spring Bank, said Colette Releford, a member of the GGCC Board of Directors.

Halfway through the evening, a series of speakers took the podium. Pinky of Pinky and Pepe's Grape Escape welcomed the guests, shared her insights on the wines she and her husband chose to accent Chef Bryan Davis's hor'dourves and offered guests a one-time 10 percent discount in her store.

Gaithersburg Councilmember Jud Ashman announced that the city was proud of its relationship with the GGCC and its members and shared in its aim to make it easier to do business in Gaithersburg. Chef Bryan Davis received a big applause and expressed his appreciation of the collaboration with Pinky and Pepe.

"We worked together to match the food and drinks. I always have two staples for the event and then I come up with two or three things we haven't done before," said the P.B. Dye Chef.

He also announced that the restaurant at P.B. Dye is limiting its regular menu and offering five to six specials daily in the coming weeks. In keeping with the open spirit of the event, he offered GGCC members a 50 percent discount at his restaurant at P.B. Dye Golf Club.

The event was truly a public-private partnership. While the City of Gaithersburg donated the space and the GGCC coordinated donations and participants, corporate sponsors included: DeLeon and Stang, Gene D, The Gazette, Genesis Security Systems, Holy Cross Hospital, Hughes, M&T Bank, QIAGEN, Montgomery College, OBA Bank, Rodgers Consulting and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.

"The GGCC's primary focus is to help businesses increase their value," said GGCC Executive Director Marilyn Balcombe. "While networking events are our bread and butter, we also provide opportunities for education. We hold two to three events per month. These provide a sanctioned place for people to introduce themselves to one another and exchange business cards. Our monthly seminars and brown bag lunches provide insight into marketing strategies and how to do business with the government."

The GGCC hosts five special sponsored events each year, she said. In addition to the wine tasting, the GGCC hosts a marketing seminar, public safety awards, an annual gala and a golf tournament.

According to Balcombe, the GGCC also keeps an eye on legislation. It monitors taxes, infrastructure and zoning laws in order to better serve its members and maximize opportunities for business and public connectivity, she said. 

Proceeds from the bake sale benefited Give Kids The World Village, which provides a fantasy vacation experience for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Located in a 70-acre resort in Kissimmee, Florida, the facility has accomodated over 75,000 families internationally and hosts over 6000 children each year. In order to meet growing demand by 2015, the Village needs to expand capacity by 92 percent by building new residences for guests.