Wednesday evening at 1st Source Bank in La Porte, their "Business After Hours" event was held in partnership with the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce. These nights give the community a unique opportunity to branch out and meet other people and businesses they might not ordinarily interact with and open new horizons for attendees.
La Porte Chamber of Commerce President, Rita Mrozinski, has been working with the Chamber’s Marketing Director, Andrew Gesse, to make this event possible.
“Drew has been my rock this whole year. He does the invites and the social media. Tonight, we want to provide value and a connection of some sort,” said Mrozinski. “If we come together as a whole, we can fix the community. These events give positive vibes, which we are all about.”
First Source is happy to host this month’s networking event, which is especially beneficial to the community because they are a great opportunity to showcase the new staff and businesses of La Porte. Agricultural Loan Officer, Catherine Langford, was especially impressed by the amount of turnout at the event.
“These events give the community a way of learning about a business in a non-threatening, non-business type of way. You can come in, discuss with each other and not be bombarded in a sales type of approach,” said Langford.
First Source hopes they can bring customers as well as La Porte residents together and communicate effectively with them.
“We’re not trying to open a checking account for them or bombard. That’s not First Source’s mentality, and that’s what people think when it comes to financial institutions. This is just a great way to see an institution without being able to commit,” said Langford.
The Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce conducts these networking events every month. Each time a new face will show, and that is exactly what the Chamber is looking for when hosting these events.
Some, like CLH Staff Accountant Allison Raymond, hoped to expand their professional network and meet other young professionals at the event.
“Because I am a millennial, I want to grow my own network. I’m new as a professional and nights like tonight let me practice my networking skills. Those are going to be important down the road. I mostly just want to continue to build relationships in Northwest Indiana,” said Raymond.
Matt Vessely, who oversees La Porte and Porter County as Regional President for 1st Source, sees the opportunity to deepen community relationships at events like “Business After Hours.”
“We want to expand our relationships with the community and with our customers. This is a chance to celebrate the business community we have here in La Porte,” said Vessely. “Tonight celebrates the community and who we are.”
