There’s something about being surrounded by enthusiasm.

It energizes you, excites your imagination, and encourages you to try harder to bring your dreams to reality.

In February, the Treasure Island & Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce launched its new Leads Group, and early indications are that the group will grow enough to launch more groups in the near future.

The Chamber’s 2^nd Vice Chairman, J.J. Buggle (Admiral Farragut Academy) is at the helm of this inaugural Leads Group.

“Our Leads Group builds on the networking premise that we do business with those we know, like, and trust,” says Buggle. “Our purpose is to form a size-limited group of members who will become well-acquainted with each other, get to understand each other’s businesses, and form referral teams to help each other achieve greater success.”

The Chamber’s Leads Group is open to members in good standing, but prospective members are invited to attend a meeting to get a feel for the “personality” of the group. The Leads Group will welcome up to 20 members. As more members express interest in participating, the Chamber will form new groups to accommodate.

“We’ve wanted to offer this to our members for some time,” says Chamber president Missy H. Hahn. “J.J. expressed interest in launching our Leads Group, and his first meeting in February drew 10 business leaders from diverse categories. I think this idea is going to grow, and be a valuable benefit to our members.”

That first meeting, on February 17, welcomed Buggle, Tina Morrison of Advertising Concepts of Madeira, Marcus Winters of Caddy’s Treasure Island, Bryan Harding of Freedom Financial, Jim Everett of Jim Everett Risk Management Planning, Mimi Lange of State Farm, Jeff Michaels of Primerica, Shari Whisenhunt of Signal Interactive, Chamber President Missy H. Hahn, and Bill Vear of Vortex Security.

Among the ten attendees were two new members of the Chamber, and two prospective members. Buggle notes that calls have been coming in from businesses outside the Chamber’s membership expressing interest. “As our Leads Group grows, I think we’ll see membership growth, too,” he suggests.

The Leads Group meets on the third Monday of each month at 9:00 a.m. at the Chamber office, 12601 Gulf Boulevard, on Treasure Island.

The hour-long meeting will include sharing of best business practices, building business relationships, and generation of referrals among the members of the group.

Participation is free, but an RSVP is required. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER/RSVP.