One of the things I’m most of proud in the last six years I’ve been the executive director at the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber is the emergence of WILL Power — our Women in Local Leadership team. This team has created some of our best events and executed quarterly events right up until the pandemic hit. Since then, we’ve held only one WILL Power event which was in the summer of 2021 before COVID-19 numbers spiked again in the fall. That all changes next week.

We’re thrilled to announce the return of WILL Power’s regular quarterly events, with Reconnect & Reignite next Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Long Reach Kitchen & Catering in Bath from 5-7 p.m. The event is a blend of a welcome-back, happy-hour networking event and a brainstorming mixer. There’s no attendance fee, thanks to our generous sponsors SERVPRO of Bath/Brunswick/Belfast/Camden/Rockland and the April Caron office of Edward Jones Financial.

One of the cornerstones of WILL Power’s success is that the events change annually. If an event is popular, they’ve brought it back — like the Speed Networking Nights — but the majority of WILL Power events have been one-offs. CEO Champions Panel Luncheon, a Meet the Author Breakfast, a self-defense course, a flower centerpiece and wine social, and more. Sure, each event has an element of networking, but many times the events touch on other aspects of being a successful business leader and offer tips, training, education, stress relief and insights.

That’s what Reconnect & Reignite is all about. The event champions (our event leads) developed this so that they can hear from the women business leaders in the region about what types of events they think would be best in 2023. They want to know what is affecting you right now and what topics you’d find most relevant.

To get that feedback, there will be four or five easels set up around the event space. One easel might say, “Here are a few ideas we have come up with. Please put a check next to the ones you like best.” Another easel pad may say, “What post-pandemic issue would you like more training on or to have a speaker on?” Those are just example questions, but you get the idea.

Arrival is between 5 and 5:20 p.m., and attendees will check in, get a name tag, grab some complimentary food and likely a drink from the cash bar. At 5:30 p.m., the event champions will introduce themselves and explain the easels, then it will be 45 minutes of mingling while causally putting your thoughts on some of the easel pads. Around 6:15 p.m. they’ll pull the group back together and go over the most popular responses and open it up for idea sharing. By the end of the night, the hope is to have two to six concrete ideas to choose from for the 2023 schedule.

We do need an RSVP list for food head count, so please log on to the chamber website (midcoastmaine.com) or the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber Facebook page and find the event there to RSVP. You can also just call the chamber office (725-8797), and I can register you or answer any questions.

Lastly, we’re hoping that attendees will invite their friends. We’d love to see 10-15 groups of three to four friends coming to this together — it could be a great night out on a Tuesday. Additionally, though we expect many chamber members to attend, this is not exclusively a member event. Personally, there isn’t a better way for me to show you what the value of membership is than by inviting you to attend an event.

Here are four other events coming up over the next four weeks, including one this Wednesday:

Gosline Insurance Ribbon-Cutting, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 10:30 a.m.

Gosline Insurance has expanded into the Brunswick market and has a new office in the Tontine Mall (149 Maine St., Brunswick). We’ll be doing a ribbon-cutting with them on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. They’ll be open for tours, you can meet the staff, and enjoy food and drink provided by Butcher & Bakers.

50th Anniversary of Maine Clean Water Act, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2-5 p.m.

The Androscoggin River used to be a stark example of a natural resource in need of change as the polluted waters were unsafe for recreation, wildlife and fish. The river inspired the Maine Clean Water Act and that progress will be celebrated Thursday at Simard-Payne Park in Lewiston. A 45-minute program will begin at 2:30 p.m. hosted by Bill Green and will include speakers on the impact of the legislation and about the positive impacts of it today. The highlight will be honoring the 100 Water Champions who have been recognized for their work over the past five decades. Our chamber is honored to be a part of the coalition who helped build this event.

Drinks With Neighbors, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 5-7 p.m.

L/A Metro Chamber members and Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber members are invited to Olive Pit Brewing in Lisbon for a happy hour event to meet Lisbon businesses so we can all be more aware of what each other does. If you’re a member business who is looking to expand your reach into Lisbon or Lewiston-Auburn, this should be a good one to attend. RSVP on the chamber website.

Chamber After Hours, Ribbon Cutting and Meet the Candidates Event, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m.

Reform Physical Therapy is hosting our next Chamber After Hours event, which will also be a ribbon-cutting for their brand-new location at 190 Pleasant St. in Brunswick on Oct.18. We’ll have much more on this event next week, as we’re working out the final details on inviting the local legislative candidates from our region (we haven’t sent the invitations yet). With eight to 10 local races, it’s a lot to coordinate, but we hope they can all make it so our local business leaders can meet those asking for their vote in November.

Cory King is the executive director of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber.

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