*Vol 2007 - Issue 6* *June 2007 * /*Post Office Box 23874 Chattanooga, TN 37422 */ *JUNE MEETING * *Steven Andrew Culp * Stephen Culp is Chairman and CEO of Chattanooga-based Smart Furniture, Inc. Honored in 2005 as one of 40 Rising Stars in Retail, Stephen is the inventor and engineer of the patented Smart FurnitureŽ Design-On-Demand model. A licensed attorney, Stephen is also an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve and former Peace Corps Volunteer. He serves on the local boards of the Chamber of Commerce, American Lung Association, Theatre Centre, In the City Magazine, and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chancellor?s Roundtable. Stephen received his BA, summa cum laude, and varsity letter for NCAA Division I fencing, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While studying abroad in 1989 and ?90, he produced an on-site photo & audio journal of the political revolutions breaking out across Eastern Europe. Traveling in Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East and West Berlin, he spent Christmas 1989 hammering pieces off the Berlin Wall, pieces he holds to this day. Returning to the U.S., Stephen took a small grant to do research for the United Nations, and then joined the United States Peace Corps. He served in a small town in Hungary from 1992 to ?94 and was awarded Teacher of the Year by the school where he served. Returning again in 1994 to attend Stanford Law School, Stephen received his Juris Doctor degree and was awarded a graduated fellowship at the Stanford Center on Conflict and Negotiation to study international terrorism. He worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation after his 1st year, and again as an Intelligence Research Specialist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he also ran a leg of the Olympic torch relay. Stephen originally envisioned the Smart Furniture concept while at Stanford, identifying a market need for furniture and fixtures that could adapt to increasingly dynamic retail, residential and commercial environments. Applying lessons learned from watching the Silicon Valley boom and bust in person, and applying a mantra of ?always be flexible? learned in his days with the Peace Corps, Stephen began creating an innovative new product, business model, and company called Smart Furniture. In 2001, Stephen returned to his former hometown, Chattanooga, Tennessee, to launch the company. Successfully closing multi-party venture capital investments in 2004 and 2006, Smart Furniture has since added several patents and numerous industry honors to its portfolio. As its CEO, Stephen can be seen on the cover of the November 2004 issue of Inc. Magazine. Past speaking engagements include a presentation on ?Customer Service Best Practices? sponsored by American Express and the National Retail Federation at the 2004 NRF Big Show in New York. On a 3-member panel with executives from Dell and Saks Fifth Avenue, Smart Furniture was chosen for its unique ?self-service? and weboriented business model. Stephen has also presented to numerous audiences on related topics, the process of acquiring venture capital in today?s economic environment, and the Design-On-Demand revolution. Stephen was born in Birmingham, Alabama, youngest of five boys. His interests include international affairs, public service, and asking lots of questions. He has climbed both the Grand Teton in Wyoming and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, holds a black belt, and is an avid surfer, a sport he says helped him keep his sanity during law school. To sign up for the event, either email Nesha at Nesha_steele@bsbst.com or try out our new Event Registration section on our Website. Click here to register for lunch or go to www.chanawbo.org and click on Event Registration. Luncheon: *Thursday, June 21* Sign in: 11:15 AM Lunch: 11:30 AM Location: Mountain City Club 729 Chestnut St Cost $17.00 Register by *Monday, June 18* Email Nesha_steele@bsbst.com or register online at www.chanawbo.org All reservations must be paid *OUR MISSION STATEMENT* Empower women business owners through education, opportunity and support, to achieve success economically, socially, and politically *NAWBO CHATTANOOGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2006-2007 * President - Celeste Friend Immediate Past President - Marj Flemming Vice President - Julie Bestry Secretary - Katrina Chesney Meeting Management - Mary Robertson Treasurer - Deborah Wooten Membership Chair - Julie Bestry Newsletter - Pat Egen Publicity - Deborah Levine Chattanooga NAWBO Website National NAWBO Website Send us your comments and articles: info@chanawbo.org or click here: Editor Email *President's Column By Celeste Friend* Hello Ladies, Wow! Have our last few programs been fascinating? These past two months we?ve had talks on business fraud and personal coaching. June?s meeting with Stephen Culp of Smart Furniture should be equally fascinating. He?s been in the news recently due to the explosive growth of his business and he?ll be talking on entrepreneur small business lessons learned. We have also instituted a ?Standing Reservation? option for busy people. You can email Nesha and tell her that you want her to count you every month for the meeting unless you opt out. You would be responsible for the luncheon fee unless you inform Nesha 48 hours in advance that you could not make that meeting. Elections are coming up next month. The current officers are willing to serve another year, but if you are interested in being active in NAWBO in some capacity, we would love to include you. Email me or Pat Egen. Have a productive day! Footnote: Celeste's comments on the Convention: "I?ve heard Pat rave about the NAWBO Conference for years and always thought she was too enthusiastic in her description. However, I must admit I had a really good time and found some of the sessions to be quite educational. I also attended every Public Policy session that I could and they confirmed that NAWBO is a force in the political world. One of my goals is to have our chapter?s voice count in regional and local circles. The Conference was well worth the investment of time and money." Celeste ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *2007 Annual NAWBO Convention* The convention was a great success. Here are a couple of photos of the event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Julie Bestry did a wonderful job recruiting members during the March membership drive. We have several new members. Thanks Julie! *WELCOME - NEW MEMBERS* Ms. Gail Lindsey Lindsey & Associates 4031 Brookfield Cir Chattanooga, TN 37412-2611 423-698-1113 Gail;@lindseyassociatesltc.com Ms. Shirley Brennan BrennanDavis Company, Inc. 4105 Highwood Drive Chattanooga, TN 37415 423-877-3207 Brennan2344@comcast.net Ms. Carolyn Roberts Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear 4422 Dayton Blvd Chattanooga, TN 37415-2756 423.875-8484 info@feetandfootz.com Ms. Pauline Field Pineapple Code 3821 Saint Elmo Ave Fl 2 Chattanooga, TN 37409-1237 (423) 821-3463 nawbo@surfnusa.net Ms. Melanie Cox Without Reservations Personal Chef Service 147 Rolling Ridge Dr Chattanooga, TN 37421-5343 423 605 7059 Chef@willcookforyou.com Deanna Maurer D & J Tool & Supply, LLC PO Box 9601 Knoxville, TN 37940 865-609-9334 deanna@djtoolsupply.com Mrs. Melissa Smith Volunteer Biomedical Services & Supply, Inc PO Box 9261 Gray, TN 37615 866-598-1958 msmith@volunteerbiomed.com *PAGE TWO* *5 Tips to Creatively Search For Funding* Take advantage of organizations aimed at helping you. The National Organization of Women Business Owners offers special funding programs for women entrepreneurs, for example, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council has an arm that works with minority entrepreneurs. Contact your state, county and local development departments. Many offer funding programs to foster business within a certain geographic area. Call on the community banks in your area. These smaller banks pride themselves on helping small business owners. Find out of there are any revolving loan fund (RLF) programs for which you might qualify. They provide ?gap financing? that your bank won?t or can?t offer. Your banker should know of any RLFs available. Visit www.sba.gov/financing, the finance section of U.S. Small Business Administration?s Web site. It provides details on SBA?s many funding programs. Perhaps you qualify for one. disclaimer: http://www.bcbst.com/email_disclaimer.shtm