By ROD LEE

No one needs to tell members of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Success Network (WSN) how important connections made through face-to-face contact with other professionals in various business and social settings are.

As the WSN’s Pat Hurton says, the word ‘network’ “is in our title.”

UniBank’s Pat Baker says networking opportunities made available to members of the BV Chamber’s Women’s Success Network are beneficial in a number of ways.

The WSN’s Pat Baker, a senior vice president/manager with UniBank, puts it like this:

“Our WSN networking events are places where dreams are revealed, partnerships forged, friendships made, mentors found, and new beginnings start to take shape. It is where resources are offered and skills are shared. We are women committed to helping other women achieve their vision of success.”

The results of a study conducted by the Kellogg School of Management underscores the importance of networking for women. Professor Brian Uzzi, a co-author of the study, says 77% of the highest-achieving women in the study had strong ties with an inner circle of two to three other women. The research also showed that women who can share career advice are nearly three times more likely to get a better job than women who don’t have this support.

Jeannie Hebert, president and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber and the force behind formation of the Women’s Success Network, said during a telephone conversation on September 19th that networking has been “one of the most important aspects of my career.”

Over the years, Ms. Hebert said, “I have been able to meet and work with a number of people who have given me valuable mentorship. In every business I’ve worked in, dental hygiene, candy, the CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau), WICN and of course the Chamber, networking with different individuals gives you a different perspective; and when you build your repertoire you can always reach out to anyone” from this pool of contacts for support.

Ms. Hebert cites establishment of the education hub within the Chamber’s offices on Linwood Ave. in Whitinsville as evidence of this. The hub is flourishing.

“In building the school, for instance, I didn’t know anything about that. Jack Healy of MassMEP encouraged me, before he retired,” she said.

Like so many women in the workplace, Jeannie Hebert initially found networking to be somewhat of a scary proposition.

“It was very imposing at first,” she said. “I didn’t want to go to events without someone with me! I chuckle about that today. It’s off-putting until you get your sea legs and find your voice.

“Everyone is afraid of networking at first.

“WSN is about putting people at ease.”

Ms. Hurton notes that networking “is a significant component of our mission. It is not just exchanging business cards; it is building relationships based on trust involving give and take. It is about helping people know who you are and it is about giving so you can help others.”

As a newcomer to the area, Paula Bertou says the Women’s Success Network has been every bit as welcoming to her as Whitinsville-based Fulcrum Acoustic co-founder David Gunness was.

“I moved here in May from upstate New York and found out about WSN through emails—we are members of the Blackstone Valley Chamber,” Ms. Bertou said. “I enjoyed meeting everyone involved. We went to a steamers event and I ran into some of the ladies there. Heather Elster is right across the street from me at the Community Center (on Main St., opposite the Shop) so I chatted with her. I am on the WSN’s Community Support Committee. It’s interesting to see the leadership at work.”

With Fulcrum Acoustic, a professional loudspeaker manufacturer whose products are known for their “stunning output and unmatched clarity even at high SPLs in the smallest enclosures possible” according to the company, “I have been doing accounting and admin stuff and my job is to know what kind of services are available to us,” Ms. Bertou said.

WSN is one of these, for her.

More information about the Women’s Success Network can be found on the Chamber’s website, www.blackstonevalley.org.

Contact Rod Lee at [email protected] or 774-232-2999.