About Us
In 2001 a group of Midlands business leaders sought to raise the standards of traditional area business groups with a new kind of organization. What they envisioned was an organization dedicated to helping business leaders and managers grow their businesses successfully, with skill and integrity. At the same time, the founders wanted the funds generated by the organization to support a worthy charity in their community and elected Palmetto Place, a home for abused children.
The Business Development Club or BDC is the organization that grew from this concept. It is the fruition of years of experience networking with business groups. BDC offers a top rate network of businesses tested for integrity in addition to mentoring by fellow businesspersons. Each weekly meeting requires members to participate in two key elements, which demonstrate our commitment to the principle of sowing and reaping. The key elements are called Brain Sparking and Reporting Activities.
Brain Sparking is a group mentoring process that has proven to be the most exciting and rewarding part BDC meetings. Each week, a business whose profile has been e-mailed to every member, will take five minutes to introduce three areas of concern for their business. During the week, members will e-mail suggestions to the club. The very next week that member is given 20 minutes to field questions and suggestions from the club. The featured businesses have found the response invaluable.
Reporting Activities, including passing business referrals, is another key to our success. In fact, we highly value all extracurricular activities as investments in our business development. The Secretary monitors the Activities to insure active participation from every member. The BDC also offers After Hours gatherings to network, access to media through our Business Library, Training Classes, and a fulfilling opportunity to better the community through activities designed to support local charities.
Members of BDC are people of character, exhibiting excellence, with a track record to prove it. Each chapter of the BDC will admit just one member of each business category. There will never be competing businesses in any Chapter. The Better Business Bureau will scrutinize each prospective member and the applicant’s references are closely checked. Throughout their membership they will be subject to discipline or expulsion if they fail to maintain the high degree of integrity demanded by the BDC.
To form a chapter, ten business people must form a prospective group. Upon having their applications approved, the Senior Advisory Board will send in a team to run the first few meetings until such time as the group has mastered the format and identified leadership. It doesn’t take long before the new group will experience the fun, the excitement, the spontaneity and the growth offered by the BDC. For information on joining the BDC or for forming a Chapter, contact Jerry Fowler. Click here for Jerry's web page.
Membership Application
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Get the Membership Application Form
Click here to view and print your application form or right-click here and "save target as" to store on your PC to view and print later. Send the completed form with your $25 application fee to one of our Chapter Membership Chairs or to Jerry Fowler. |
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Get the New Member Packet
Includes a Member Profile document with an instruction letter and an example letter; a membership application form and the latest Objectives and Purposes of the BDC. Click here or right-click here and "save target as" to get the .zip file. |
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