LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. We welcome new member Dan Frame, an electrician from Electrical Plus (www.electricalplus.net). A guest representing telecommunications visited with us. Our showboater for the meeting was our portrait photographer, Jack Ansley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Jack showed us that, in addition to taking professional portraits of people and animals, he also has a large library of scenic photographs that would make excellent gifts or add a touch of beauty to any home or office.

Our speaker was mortgage broker Lonnie Cooper from The Rate Kings Mortgage (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The mortgage loan process begins when a potential customer fills out an application, either online or over the phone. Lonnie will take a look at all of the pertinent data supplied in the application to look for anything that could become an issue once the application is presented to the bank. It's better for Lonnie to address the issues with his customers before they get surprised by unexpected questions or problems from the bank. If Lonnie feels that there are no issues (or that they have been dealt with appropriately), then he will give a rate quote to his client. Once the client accepts the rate, Lonnie will send them a checklist of all the items that the bank will want to see prior to approving a mortgage loan. Once again, Lonnie will check to make sure that all documents are accounted for and that he doesn't notice anything that could be a red flag for the bank. The customer then will look over several pages of disclosures, which they then need to sign. Lonnie then will review all of the documents and signatures prior to sending the whole package to the bank. Once the title to the home has been cleared and an acceptable home inspection has been completed, the client is cleared to close and can confirm the closing date. Lonnie is proud of the service that he provides, including all of his pre-underwriting that minimizes unforeseen problems from the bank. He wants the entire process, from application through closing, to be as smooth as possible. He typically receives five-star reviews from his clients once closing is complete. Contact him for mortgages or refinances.

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. Welcome to our new graphic designer, Leigh Friedman with Full Circle Graphic Design (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). We were also joined by guests representing the categories of advertising specialties and electrical contractor.

Our showboater was our mortgage broker, Lonnie Cooper from The Rate Kings Mortgage (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Lonnie has all the latest information about mortgage loan rates and can help people to finance a home purchase or refinance an existing mortgage.

Our speaker was our website designer, Greg Cazillo. Greg showed us some of the components of designing a website, using a particular site that he is working on currently. There are two components to the business, so the home page has two side-by-side photos to highlight each one. Greg added some text, the business logo, a site navigation menu, and buttons to link to social media sites. He also adjusted colors and shading to give the visual appearance that he wanted. Many visual designing can be done on a tablet computer, and that allows Greg to show the site-in-progress to the customer more easily. Later on, he will add all the code and background information that makes the site work and respond to screen size and user interaction. He is happy to work on new websites or update existing sites.

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. Welcome to new member Kelly Smyth from FastPro Restoration Services (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). We were also joined by guests representing the categories of energy efficiency, accounting, and graphic design.

Our showboater was Greg Cazillo, our website designer. Greg demonstrated several features of a website that he designed for a hot air balloon company. The site responds to different sizes of computer or mobile device and will always fit on the screen. Certain items (e.g., the menu) may also change format to work better on mobile devices.

Our speaker was Jen Canfield-Clark, our travel agent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Jen spoke to us about what is offered at Sandals resorts. Sandals will always offer a variety of room categories and price ranges. Every Sandals resort has all-you-can-eat sushi, which can be a meal or simply an appetizer before dinner. Some rooms have a butler and a pool. SCUBA is included for guests who are certified divers, although guests can also pay to receive their certification during their vacation. There are also opportunities for sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Sandals offers daily and nightly entertainment, premium liquor, and pool bars. Excursions are available but will incur an additional charge. A vacation at Sandals will also include a wedding or vow renewal, if desired, and the resort will offer extra perks depending upon the number of guests. Jen has traveled to many Sandals resorts and can answer any questions and help to make plans for an excellent vacation.

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. We were joined by guests representing home restoration (after fire, flood, etc.), house cleaning, and accounting. Our showboater was our travel agent, Jen Canfield-Clark (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). She displayed beautiful pictures and brochures from places that she has traveled to and recommends to her clients.

Our speaker was our marketing representative, Kat Homnack from Solomon Caw (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Kat told us about her company and their specialization in Community Investment Marketing (CIM). A business that gives back to the community will engage with customers more personally and build trust. Studies have shown that 90% of consumers may change their purchasing habits based on CIM. It is helpful for businesses to engage in inbound marketing, with quality content that draws people in. People are attracted, then converted; the sale is closed, and the people are delighted. In this way, strangers can turn into customers and then into promoters of your business. Kat told us how important it is for marketing to have a visual component, since 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. Solomon Caw wants to help business owners to engage in strategic and effective marketing, because most business owners don't have enough time and resources to do this themselves. They offer collaboration, knowledge, community giving, customer service, and creativity. Contact Kat to find out more about what Solomon Caw can offer to a business you know or own.