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First Meeting of Marin Business Forum Cited as a Rousing Success by County Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs

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Positive Reception for New Networking and Educational Forum Demonstrates Demand for Regional Business Support Initiative

LARKSPUR, Calif. (October 6, 2011) – The first gathering of the Marin Business Forum, held Thursday, September 22 at the Wood Island office complex, has been enthusiastically received by Marin County business owners and entrepreneurs. The event, jointly sponsored by Pacific Crest Group (www.pcg-services.com), Filice (www.filice.com), and Cypress Partners (www.cypresspart.com), attracted 40 local professionals from a wide range of area businesses. All who attended were enthusiastic about the event, saying they learned valuable tips to take back to the office and were inspired from the presentations. All of them had an opportunity to connect with other local business owners who share similar business concerns.

The event included presentations by Franka Winchester, co-founder of Pacific Crest Group, who discussed outsourcing strategies to help small companies act “big”; Nina H. Gardner, J.D., Employee Benefits Consultant with Filice, who outlined what to look for in an effective employee benefits program; and Pete Woodring, co-founder of Cypress Partners, who explained the five essentials to a successful 401(k) plan. The event concluded with attendees networking on a gorgeous evening on the outside deck overlooking the bay. In addition, it included a wine tasting hosted by Willow Brook Cellars, and a few raffle prizes such as massages and sports tickets. The organizers plan to schedule experts in the field of business in the future and schedule an open gathering once per quarter, or even more frequently.

Attendees were universal in their praise of the event, offering such comments as:

· “That was a wonderful event put on by the Marin Business Forum…Not the same thing and not the same people! The MBF combines networking with several brief 15-minute long business presentations. I highly recommend that everyone in this group try to find a way to go to the next one!”  – Russell J.

· “Yes, this was a four star event. Thanks to the great, energetic entrepreneurs who put this on the map. This was an awesome venue, thanks for a wonderful chance to meet other business owners. – Denis F.

· “A great chance to meet and network with other business owners and B2B professionals. A cut above all the other networking groups for solopreneurs.” – Mike VH. “The audience was a diverse mix of local business owners and management. I made some excellent connections.” – Joe B.

“Some time ago we identified the lack of a venue for Bay Area business owners to meet and exchange ideas, so we decided to launch the Marin Business Forum and throw it open to qualified professionals who wanted to participate,” said TJ VanVoorhees, co-founder of Pacific Crest Group. “This first gathering was more successful than we expected, which demonstrates a real need for a regional educational and networking business group that is a bit different than most known organizations providing similar events. We are already hearing from volunteers who want to share their expertise at future events, and we expect momentum behind the Marin Business Forum to continue to build in the coming months.”

The Marin Business Forum also is building a following through social media. The Forum already has launched the Marin Business Forum group on the social networking site LinkedIn and Facebook.

For more information or to learn more about the next gathering of the Marin Business Forum, please join the Marin Business Forum group on LinkedIn or contact Franka Winchester at 415.461.2586, fwinchester@pcg-services.com.

About Filice Insurance

Filice Insurance Agency is a full-service employee benefits consultancy and brokerage that works with small to medium sized businesses (20-5,000 employees) to design, implement and manage health benefit strategies. For more information, visit www.filice.com.

About Cypress Partners

Cypress Partners, LLC is a registered investment advisory (RIA) firm focused on private client and pension plan consulting, including helping company owners run successful defined contribution and defined benefit plans. For more information, visit www.cypresspart.com.

About Pacific Crest Group

Founded by a team of entrepreneurs with expertise in accounting and HR, Pacific Crest Group has built its reputation by identifying organizational needs and opportunities for improvement, optimizing financial procedures, and human resources management so clients can focus on their core business. Visit Pacific Crest Group online at www.pcg-services.com.

Contact:

Franka Winchester
Pacific Crest Group
(415) 461-2586
fwinchester@pcg-services.com

Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
(415) 259-5638
tomw@woolfmedia.com