Photo courtesy of Leane Randle.
Oak Mountain-area business owners and neighbors attended the first Oak Mountain Connectors meetup Feb. 21. The next is scheduled for Thursday, June 13.
Oak Mountain resident and real estate expert Leane Randle wanted to provide a way to connect neighbors and local businesses to better her community. She had already been sending out a monthly email newsletter featuring information specifically about the Oak Mountain community, but sharing information about new businesses gave her the idea for Oak Mountain Connectors.
“I’ve lived here for 20 years, all my kids have attended school at Oak Mountain, all the people I know are here, so I wanted to be an expert in this area,” Randle said. “I want to know everything that’s going on and be a resource for whatever anyone needs and help connect people with who they need to be connected with.”
Her vision was to create a community where business owners help one another and offer encouragement, inspiration and support while having fun. She describes the Oak Mountain Connectors meetups as a social event more than a meeting. While her meetups are similar to chamber networking events, Randle said since Oak Mountain isn’t a city, there wasn’t anything like that in their area, and her intent is to provide a casual and fun atmosphere.
“Building relationships is the backbone of a great community, and together we can be the connectors of Oak Mountain while making our community the best it can be,” she said.
“I want to be a resource for everybody,” she added. “If someone asks, ‘Where do I get a dress for an event?’ or ‘Where can I find a painter?’ I want to be the go-to girl for all that stuff. My goal is to bring everyone together in one location and introduce people and connect people to build relationships.”
The Oak Mountain Connectors had its first meeting Feb. 21 at the Neighborhood Brew. Randle said she was pleased with the turnout, as 13 businesses were represented. She had originally planned for monthly meetings, but due to busy schedules, she changed it to quarterly meetings, with the next set for June 13 at 6 p.m. Randle advises anyone who comes to the meetups to bring information about their business to share.
“After the first meeting, I had a lot of response from people saying it was great,” she said. “It just needs to be one of those things where we are consistent with it and keep it up.
To become an Oak Mountain Connector, join their closed Facebook group, “Oak Mountain Connectors,” and attend the quarterly meetings. Anyone can post to the group and include information about promotions or sales.
“Bottom line, it’s a networking group, building relationships and connecting people in the community, both for consumers and business owners,” she said.
Randle said one of her main goals for 2019 was to build relationships and forming Oak Mountain Connectors was one way to help achieve that goal. “My hope is that people will see this group, and it will just grow and help everybody,” she said.
