On Thursday, January 15, 2008, Loyola business freshman paticipated in a networking night with business professionals of the New Orleans area, most being mentors. Over the course of the night, each freshman had to network with five professionals and collect their business cards. The five business people I networked with were Lee F. Pitre, Mason G. Couvillon, H. Jude Boudreaux, David M. Jacobs, and Meaghan Ryan Bonavita. Lee F. Pitre is the President and Cheif Executive Officer for TechComm Associates, Inc. Mason G. Couvillon is the President of Dardis Couvillon & Associates. H. Jude Boudreaux is the Director of Financial Planning of Bellingrath Wealth Management. David M. Jacobs is the Project Manager for Unisys Inc. Meaghan Ryan Bonavita is a Sales Associate for Carlisle Collection.
I was very anxious to meet the business people that surrounded me in the room. I was nervious also that I was going to say the wrong thing or do the wrong action. I do know that I gave great handshakes and that was confirmed by Mr. Boudreaux when he told me that I gave a great handshake! That made me very proud that I received a complement from someone that I think so highly of.
I know I did do some things wrong during the networking night also. I feel that I should have approached the businessmen and women by myself. I feel that next time I am at a networking night I should roam around the room and talk to people I am meeting as an individual. This will help and provide me with a better one-on-one conversation with the professional.
The business person I would most like to emulate is Leslie Monson, my executive mentor. She is the Advertising Manager at Harrah's New Orleans. She has a sparkling personality and she is so easy to talk to about anything. She is also very smart and very successful in the feild of business that she is involved in.
I also found a networking site that I found to be very helpful. It explains the Ten Tips for Business Networking.
