About
Elm City BNI
About BNI
With over 240,000 members in 8,500-plus chapters worldwide, BNI is the world’s leading referral organization. In 2017 alone, BNI member referrals have generated $13.6 billion USD in revenue for our member businesses.
About our Elm City Chapter
The Elm City BNI Chapter started in 2004. The first meetings took place at the Masiello Group conference room, which comfortably held about twelve to fifteen people. As the chapter grew, it was necessary to find a larger meeting space.
In 2005, the Keene Post Office graciously offered the use of their very large meeting area. This was perfect, as it was large, free, and would easily accommodate our growing chapter. However, the post office needed their own conference area on occasion which conflicted with our meeting times (the nerve of them)!!!
We then moved our meetings to the upstairs room of the Keene Recreation Center, and eventually moved to the downstairs area, which was larger. This worked for us for a number of years (thank you Andy Bohannon).
In search of a more professional atmosphere, we moved our meetings out to Genesis Health Care, which was at that time, Langdon Place of Keene. The space was nice, but we needed a larger, more private area.
Up until Covid-19, we had been meeting at Bentley Commons (now The American House) for at least eight years, a symbiotic relationship, where we use the space, and the residents seem to enjoy the activity of seeing our sunshiny faces each week. We really appreciate being able to use their nice large conference room. It’s a beautiful building, in a central location. Thank you Bonnie Moore, and The American House.
We conducted our meetings via Zoom during the pandemic. Prioritizing the safety of our members and visitors.
In 2023, we returned to meeting in person at the Keene Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce provided us with a welcoming and professional environment that allowed us to continue our growth.
In May 2023, we were excited to return to our long-time meeting space at The American House. We are incredibly grateful to The American House for their continued support and for providing us with such a beautiful space to conduct our meetings.
The Elm City BNI Chapter now meets at The American House every Wednesday from 8 to 9:30 am. We are eager to welcome new and returning visitors. If you’re interested in expanding your network and growing your business, we invite you to come and join us at our weekly meetings in the welcoming atmosphere of The American House. We look forward to seeing you there!
As we get more history, we will post it.
Disclaimer: This is from memory….I can’t guarantee the accuracy of the dates!