Berkeley Business Referral Network | BNI

We are looking for business professionals who want to grow their businesses. As entrepreneurs living and working in the Berkeley, California area, we invite you to consider the mutually profitable prospect of becoming a part of our growing network for a mutually profitable business association.

BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world, and it has a unique twist. We accept only one person per professional specialty in each chapter. If you are accepted into membership, you will lock out your competition. Our network functions as your extended sales force through the world's most effective form of advertising, word of mouth! Our purpose is to provide referrals to you when we encounter persons looking for goods and services that you can provide. And likewise, we expect you to provide leads to us.

Is BNI right for you? We welcome you to visit our chapter to find out. Bring plenty of business cards, and take the opportunity to network with dozens of Berkeley business professionals. The cost for visitors is $12, and breakfast is included. We meet at 7 a.m. every Thursday morning at the Jazz Cafe, 2087 Addison Street, in Berkeley. There's plenty of free street parking before 9 a.m. Please contact chapter President Amira Alvarez for more information.


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Current Membership List

BNI-BRN Membership list

1. Amira Alvarez Alexander Technique teacher
   510-528-3109 email Amira
   Alexander Technique in Berkeley website
2. Julie Asti, Certified Financial Planner Asti Financial Management
   510.558.8557 email Julie
   Julie's Website
3. Lisa B. Cain Web Design and Marketing
   510-558-1534 email Lisa
   pagepoint web solutions website
   
4. Steve Faltis Handyman
   510-325-4668 email Steve
5. Isabel Gonzalez Residential Cleaning
   510-232-4524 email Isabel
   
6. Whitney Greer Company and Career Launch Services
   510-717-9657 email Whitney
   Whitney's website
   
7. Clay Kirchenbauer Jeweler
   510-339-6269 email Clay
   Clay Kirchenbauer Jewelry Designs website
   
8. Katherine Korlacki Organizing Professional
   510-525-3310 email Katherine
   
9. Bonnie Levine Residential Mortgages
   415-460-1114 email Bonnie
10. Rosie Liebe Integrative Bodywork
    510-828-3441 email Rosie
    Rosie's website
11. Walter Liebe Electrician
    510-508-4095 email Walter
    Walter Liebe LLC website
12. Jennifer Mayfield, MPA Executive & Personal Life Coach
    510-847-9744 email Jennifer
    Jennifer Mayfield's website
13. Aviva Morger Hair Stylist
    510-849-0306 email Aviva
    Keter Salon website
14. David Ourisman Travel Agent
    510.647.8444 email David
    Luxury Travel website
    
15. Meena Pal Chiropractor
    510-849-0327 email Meena
    Pal Chiro Care website
    
16. Yaron Rosenthal Computer Consulting
    510-652-4101 email Yaron
17. Ellen Toomey Graphic Design
    510-526-0737 email Ellen
    Toomey Design website
    
18. Michele Voilleque Soprano, Music Educator
    510-552-8160 email Michele
    MV Musik website
    
19. Colleen West Marriage and Family Therapist
    510-412-2155 email Colleen
    Colleen's website
    
20. Ann Wilkins, East Bay Sotheby's International Realty
    510-899-6373 email Ann
    Ann's website oaklandforeclosureoptions.com
21. Wendy DeWitt BNI Area Director
    510-2238499 email Wendy
    Wendy's website

Meetings: 07:00am on Thursday at Jazzcaffe, 2087 Addison Street, Berkeley, Thursday, 7-8:30 am

Rosie Liebe | Integrative Bodywork

After years in the software industry, I found my passion in bodywork and proceeded to earn the Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) and the Conscious BodyWorker (CBW) certifications at the Institute of Conscious Bodywork, Corte Madera, CA.
Having always been very active (weight training, swimming, running, cycling, yoga, Pilates, tennis, volleyball, etc) and an expert multi-tasker, I discovered the benefits of receiving regular bodywork to keep me going healthy, injury-free, and with much more ease.

I have been in private practice since 2006. My clientele consists of kids in their early teens all the way up to men and women in their late 70s; desk workers, weekend warriors, athletes, people with injuries, repetitive stress injuries or post-surgery; anyone seeking to manage their stress level.


Who I work with are people experiencing discomfort or pain due to stress, injuries, accidents or illness. I help them get relief and feel ease again by rebalancing and reintegrating their body.

Contact Rosie at 510-828-3441

www.thegiftoftouch.org

Whitney Greer | Marketing Consultant

Whitney Greer is a career and company launch specialist who for 20 years has been finding antidotes for bland, boring and “me too” marketing that misses the competitive mark. Whether preparing Adobe executives for a major product roll-out, or developing web copy for a graphic designer, she zeros in on a client’s authentic differentiation and helps communicate their story in a fresh, creative way.

As CEO of Thumbprint Communications, she built a national communications consulting and training company founded on this approach. There her clients included AT&T, Delta Airlines, Intercontinental Hotels and the Turner Networks (TBS, TNT, TCM and CNN.) During 2009 she authored Wabi-Sabi at Work: A Natural Path to Career Change and produced a television pilot based on launching a dream career while taking the family along for the adventure. In 2009 she opened her doors as Whitney Greer Communications, a marketing communications and business coaching consultancy specializing in career and company launches.

Contact Whitney at 510-797-9657 or

wgreer@whitneygreer.com

www.whitneygreer.com

Aviva Morger | Hair Stylist

Aviva Morger is the newest stylist at Keter Salon. She began her career in San Diego in 1999 and just recently moved to the Bay Area. She is enthusiastic about hair and loves cutting, coloring and styling to achieve her clients' desired looks. Her mission is to achieve the perfect balance of face shape, lifestyle, and at-home hair care and maintenance for her clients.
Aviva is inspired by the colors, shapes and beats found in art, fashion, and music, and is reinvigorated in the everyday beauty found in nature. She works hard at educating herself and her clients on the latest and greatest in the hair world through formal education, magazines and a pure love of fashion. She says, "Hair is the most important accessory that we wear every day of our life, why wouldn't we want it to be the best that it can be?!"
In 2001, she competed in the Davines Global Style contest, where her partner and she placed 1st in North America. From that it was off to Rome, Italy to compete for the Global position. It was there that they won 3rd place and had a fabulous time shopping and enjoying the incredible sites!!
Aviva has a strong color background as she was a color educator for 5 years with Davines North America. She also has extensive haircutting training from Rusk, Vidal Sassoon and TIGI and more color training with L'Oreal Professional.
She is very excited to build her career here. Aviva looks forward to experience the influence NorCal has on fashion, hair, and style. She says the beauty of the people and landscape of Berkeley has already been so welcoming and inspirational to her.
You can reach Aviva at 510-849-0306 or aviva.ruth.morger@gmail.com

Jennifer Mayfield | Personal & Execitive Life Coach

Jenifer Mayfield, MPA
Inspirational Speaker & Author, Group, Personal & Executive Life Coach

Jennifer Mayfield, MPA has worked in multi-national corporations, non-profits and the public sector for over a dozen years. She is also a devoted spiritual student. The essence of her work is expanding each individual’s inherent intelligence through group and one-on-one coaching. She is an expert at guiding clients to recognize and integrate their current skills, knowledge and talents with their deeper wisdom. Her work, whether one-on-one or in a energy-filled workshop is on the cutting edge of personal and organizational change.

Jennifer’s heart-centered coaching presence, powerful leadership and educational background generates lively and lasting results. With Jennifer you can expect to laugh, get on task, be inspired, and connect with a deeper knowledge that will bring you or your organization further into alignment with current trends. Jennifer is an Inspirational Leader and a Coach and a trainer for Leaders and Coaches. Jennifer received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Community Studies with a focus on alternative organizations, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, is a member of the International Coaching Federation and a Graduate of the worldclass Accomplishment Coaching Coaches’ Training Program. Creative, illuminating and down to earth, Jennifer’s warmth and enthusiasm is felt whether she is at a little league baseball game with her kids, or speaking in a room filled with successful business owners and executives.

Email Jennifer
Jennifer's Website
Call Jennifer at: (510) 847-9744

Julie Asti | Certified Financial Planner ®

Julie is the Founder and Principal of Asti Financial Management, LLC.

She began her 18 year financial services career back in 1991 working for MetLife Securities in San Francisco helping hospital employees plan and save for retirement using California Pacific Medical Center’s tax-sheltered annuity program. Her financial services career has been long and varied including working for very large firms like Barclays Global Investors, the largest institutional index money manager in the world, and very small firms like mPower, a Registered Investment Advisor that provided customized online investment advice to 401(k) plan participants. Before she founded Asti Financial Management, LLC, she was a Managing Director at Van Wagoner Capital Management in San Francisco.

Julie has a Graduate Certificate with honors in Personal Financial Planning, from UC Berkeley. She also holds a BS in Finance, Banking and Real Estate from San Francisco State University. She is a Registered Investment Advisor with the state of California. She is also a licensed Life and Health Insurance Agent with the State of California (License #OE67228).

As a small business owner, home owner, wife and mother, she faces the same financial decisions and tradeoffs that many of her clients do, so she truly understands their financial situations. Julie is married and lives in Berkeley with her husband John and two sons, Justin and Ryan. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, camping, cooking, wine tasting and reading.

Call Julie at 510.558.8557 or email Julie

Ann Wilkins | Real Estate Agent

With over 20 years of consultative selling and business experience, my specialized skills in finance and negotiation have proven to be extremely successful for my real estate clientele. Carefully listening to clients' individual needs and guiding them at their own pace allows for a sense of comfort and control in what can otherwise be a stressful process. I believe that honesty and communication, together with a thorough knowledge of the local real estate market are the heart of every successful transaction. My specialties include helping financially struggling homeowners with "short sales" - selling their homes before foreclosure. I also work with investors finding them investment properties with a positive cash flow. Finally, most of my business is helping first time home buyers find the home of their dreams. I am knowledgeable about all loan programs and city assistance programs.

Call Ann at (510) 899-6373 or email Ann

Michèle Voillequé | Soprano, Music Educator

If you can speak in complete sentences, hear the difference between a statement and a question, and have ever yawned, Michèle Voillequé can help you improve your singing voice. Michèle is a classically-trained soprano and certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher who specializes in private voice and music lessons for children and adults. Lessons are playful and individualized, taught one-on-one and in larger groups. Her students currently range in age from 5 to 90 -- it's never too early or late to find your natural voice.

Contact Michèle at 510-552-8160 or mvmusik@earthlink.net

Lisa B. Cain | Web Design & Development

Ms. Cain is a principal with PagePoint Web Solutions. She has both practical and academic marketing experience. She's an avid internet user and shopper and began using the Web when "lynx" and "Mosaic" were the only browser options. She helps her clients keep their marketing needs in mind when considering their Web development requirements. In addition to her work with PagePoint Web Solutions, she teaches marketing and sales force management courses at UC Berkeley and Mills College.

Lisa has a Ph.D. in Marketing from the Wharton School, a Bachelor's of Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware, an MBA from the University of Delaware, and a Master's of Marketing from Wharton.

Contact Lisa at 510-558-1534 or lisa@pagepoint.com.

Colleen West | Marriage & Family Therapist

For more than a dozen years, I have been helping people work through difficult times, find their sense of agency, and begin to change the things they can. I see adults, couples and children for short, medium and long-term work in El Cerrito--utilizing a wide range of therapeutic approaches adapted to meet my clients’ individual needs.

I have extensive training in depth-psychology, family systems, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a very effective therapy for resolving long-standing and unconscious patterns. Although I am serious about this work, I try not to be heavy. I also seek to be mindful in my life, scrupulous about self-care, and take special care to be fully present for you during your time with me.

Contact Colleen at 510-412-2155 or contact@colleenwest.com

Ellen Toomey | Graphic Designer

Graphic designer Ellen Toomey is adept at tuning in to a client’s specific needs — tailoring a message to speak directly to an intended audience, and making the most of a client’s resources, budget, and time.

She has created effective communications for individuals and organizations, design of books, billboards, brochures, business identity. Ellen taught design at UC Berkeley’s extension program for five years. She draws on her tremendous network of creative professionals as needed for specific projects.

Ellen is masterful at organizing text to make your forms, reports, and brochures appealing and accessible. If you are starting a business in need of an identity, need an upgrade to your look, or if you have a new serivce or product you wish to promote, give Ellen a call.

Amira Alvarez | Alexander Technique Teacher

The Alexander Technique is about preventing the unnecessary physical and mental tension we put into everything we do, from sitting at the computer to carrying groceries to swinging a golf club or tennis racket. By releasing this tension, the technique will help you perform the activities of your life in a freer and more natural fashion. Movement becomes fluid and easy; range of motion increases; balance, alignment, and posture improve; and the mind grows calmer, clearer. It’s especially helpful to athletes, musicians, actors, singers, public speakers, and people in pain, including back, neck, and shoulder pain, jaw (TMJ) pain, chronic headaches, hip/knee problems, sciatica, and repetitive stress injuries.

Amira Alvarez is an Alexander Technique teacher based in Berkeley, CA who specializes in working with people in pain and sports enthusiasts wanting to raise their performance. She regularly gives lectures, demos and classes throughout the Bay Area. In addition to her private teaching practice, Amira teaches the Alexander Technique at UC Berkeley through their fitness program and at Google's Mt. View corporate headquarters.

Alexander Technique (search here on Google)

Contact Amira at 510-528-3109 or amira.alvarez@gmail.com.

David Ourisman / Independent Travel Consultant

David J. Ourisman has a life-long love of travel. He has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, the South Pacific, and Europe including extended study trips in France. A dedicated adventure and active traveler, David is the veteran of four Backroads tours.

For David, travel provides the joy of coming into contact with different cultures and cuisines and the opportunity for artistic expression. On every trip, David captures distinctive landscapes with his camera. In fact, the spectacular photographs featured throughout this website were taken by David on his many travels.

As one of a handful of members in the first mentoring group assembled by renowned travel agency Sterling Brownell, David has been educated in planning travel to exceed all expectations. His clients appreciate his strong travel background and his intelligent and intuitive approach to the art of travel planning.

Steve Faltis | Handyman

Steve Faltis is the grandson of a master carpenter and has worked with his hands for most of his life. Though he spent many years working with cars (founding Alameda Transmission in 1980) he now spends his time fixing everything else.

As a Handyman, Steve loves a challenge and he is especially good at quickly transforming a house to ready it for sale…or just to do a makeover for the joy of the homeowners.

He can install grab-bars in bathrooms, repair holes in walls, hang shelves and just about anything you need. He is known for excellent painting, attention to detail and leaving the places he has worked in sparkling condition.

If you need something fixed or have a “Honey-Do” list, call Steve at 510-325-4668

Katherine Korlacki | Professional Organizer

Katherine Korlacki is a professional organizer in the Berkeley area. She helps people get past the "overwhelm" to find peace and order in their homes and offices. Bringing a nonjudgmental approach to organizational challenges, Katherine helps people who are overwhelmed and don't know where to start get a handle on the "stuff." A three hour session will change your life. Her motto: Clear out what weighs you down, keep what brings you joy.

Contact Katherine at 510-525-3310 or kkorlacki@aol.com

Walter Liebe | German Master Electrician

Walter Liebe is a German Master Electrician with more than 25 years of experience. Walter specializes in upgrading existing electrical installations in residential buildings. His services include troubleshooting electrical problems, upgrading electrical panels, installing and replacing water heaters, modernizing old installations, repairing wiring, and installing indoor and outdoor lighting to illuminate your life without wasting energy. Fully licensed in the Bay Area, Walter can respond quickly and reliably to your electrical needs.

Email Walter with questions or a service request.

Meena Pal | Berkeley Chiropractor

Meena Pal is a Berkeley Chiropractor. One patient offers this testimonial. The way that Mina takes care of me makes me feel cared for in a gentle and a capable manner. She provides safe, effective, gentle care for common health problems including headaches, migraines, pain in the neck and back, pain in joints such as the wrist and shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injuries (RSI), pain from arthritis, and fibromyalgia. She offers holistic care to help her patients achieve optimal health through preventative care as well as assistance dealing with acute pain.

Clay Kirchenbauer | Jewelry Designer

I am a jewelry artisan and designer with more than two decades professional experience, bringing to life the special jewelry pieces that commemorate the special occasions of your life.

Whether you find an inspiring design from my pre-existing creations or we collaborate to create a new design with a special meaning for you, what I offer is the personal.

Fine jewelry is a very personal item - often worn daily, for years and even passed down through generations. Style, quality, fit and finish all play important roles in personal satisfaction with a jewelry piece. Satisfying my clients' visions and quality expectations has been my passion for more than two decades now.

Yaron Rosenthal | Computer Consulting

I offer Windows PC and Mac consulting, repair, maintenance and backup. We also build networks (this can include the actual wiring); resolve issues with routers, modems and problems relating to service providers such as Broadband and mail/web hosting. An ideal client for me is a small business with multiple PCs, Macs or mixed platform environment. Our clients include schools, churches, dental offices.

Isabel Gonzalez | House Cleaning Services

Casa Azul Cleaning Company is the area's finest house cleaning service. Our trained staff works in a variety of settings beyond the home including office buildings, schools and universities, retail facilities, medical offices, and construction areas. All our products are safe for the environment, children and pets. We guarantee you will be more than satisfied with our work — because, like our motto says, it's not clean until it's pristine.