These folks know a secret

Nicole Laskowski of The Arlington Advocate, Maueen Igoe of Amerprise Financial, Alan Tauber of The Drum Connection, Ruth Yannetti and Patsy Kraemer from the Town of Arlington, Linda Varone of Nurturing Spaces, Bob and Mary Jo Sargent of Flora, Jan Whitted of ARTBEAT The Creativity Store, Paul Turano of Tryst, Stevie Kuhn of Giles Fine Wine, Rustem Gode from Quadcycles, Andy Winig of Improv Andy and Jenny Briggs of Take Charge Fitness know a secret. I don’t think they’ll mind if I share it.

All of them entered every single household in Arlington this past week. How? They were featured in the fall catalogue mailed out by Arlington Community Education. If you are a town resident, you received one this week. These Chamber members know that getting in front of a classroom of people packs a double benefit. It gives them a chance to give back to the community (no one gets rich from teaching in community ed. programs) by offering fun, engaging, worthwhile and enriching opportunities to the community AND it gets them in front of their target audience at the same time.

All of them walk a fine line. While they teach and gain valuable business exposure to potential clients and customers, they also know that it is not the time for an extended sales pitch. This low-key approach often leads to new clients even months after the fact because students leave with a business card, brochure and a great experience to remember.

Donna Eidson, the director of Arlington’s zestful program, is always open to new ideas for courses.