In late 2007, Matt Criswell had become frustrated with the networking groups available to him in State College. After failing to find a better solution, Matt decided to start his own group based on input from several local business colleagues and in February 2008, Happy Valley Networking was born.

Membership

• Membership is available to businesses located in the State College area that do business in and around central PA.
• Membership in the group will be limited to one member per business category.

Admission

• Prospective members may attend up to 2 meetings at no cost.
• The president or vice president must approve prospective members.
• New members must be approved by a 2/3 vote of current members.

Obligations

• Members are obligated to share their knowledge and expertise along with leads and referrals to the other members of the group.
• Members are asked to invite potential members.
• Members are asked to suggest and/or invite guest speakers for the group.
• Maintain high standards of integrity in business conduct.

Attendance Responsibility

• Whenever possible, the president or vice president should be contacted regarding an absence prior to a meeting.
• Membership for members absent at 3 or more consecutive meetings will be subject to review by HVN officers and may result in loss of membership.
• 5 or more absences per year may result in the loss of membership.
• Members are asked to be on time for the meeting and to stay for the entire meeting unless other arrangements are made with an officer.
• Each business may assign multiple representatives so that a secondary representative may attend meetings in the absence of the primary member.
• Multiple representatives from any member business may attend meetings, however, only one vote may be cast per member business in voting situations.

Membership Fees

• Membership fees are $100 per year.
• Non-Profit organizations receive a 20% discount on membership fees.
• Membership fees cover guest meals, website design & hosting, advertising costs, insurance, and other expenses.
• At least 75% of all membership fees will be invested back into the group.
• Members may be called upon to contribute additional funds to cover the cost of special events, additional advertising, etc.

Meetings

• 2 meetings per month on the first and third Wednesdays.
• 60 minutes - see agenda below.

Meeting Agenda

• Welcome
• If there are guests:
  • Member introductions
  • Guest introductions
• 50/50 sales
• Minutes review & approval
• New business
• Old business
• Chair reports
• Truths & rumors or word on the street
• Speaker/workshop
• Miscellaneous
• 50/50 winner (must still be present)