In the two weeks since launching Greentree MediaWorks, my independent media consulting business, you might imagine that I have been networking like crazy to meet people and make connections.

To a person, every single one I’ve met has been gracious and helpful, eager to offer ideas about more people to talk to, advice about getting the business up and running and, amazingly, some have even had some work to throw my way.

Not one person has declined to meet with me.

I have mentioned this to several of them in my conversations: How nice, welcoming and helpful everyone has been. That’s amazing to me because, basically — and everyone knows this — many of the people I’m talking to are already doing this. I’m asking for their assistance to set up shop and compete with them.

And if they’re not media/PR consultants, they are still being extremely generous as I try to extract information from their formidable brains.

I mentioned this to several of them — particularly the PR consultants. One of them noted that she had a number of people to thank for helping her get established. She’s happy to pay it forward in this way.

Maybe it’s a St. Louis thing. I don’t know. I’m just grateful that people here are looking to raise the tide for everyone. 

So, I’d just like to extend this thank you to all of the people who have agreed to meet with me since this chapter began in my life (and I have more who have said yes to meetings that haven’t happened yet).

• Paul Riat (independent consultant)
• Jane Klieve (The Klieve Group)
• Allison Collinger (AHC Consulting)
• Charlie Hinderliter (The St. Louis Regional Chamber)
• Richard Callow (Public Eye Inc.)
• Roxanne Miller (independent consultant)
• Cara Spencer (Nebula office space)
• Mike Meiners (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Danielle Eickenhorst (Blank Page Marketing)
• Chris Reimer (Kaldi’s)
• Adam Goodman (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Nora Amato (Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce)
• Mary Hediger (Big Bang Marketing)
• Jack Hanley (Network of Employers for Traffic Safety)
• Repps Hudson (University College at Washington University)

(Image by Jeff Kubina via Flickr under Creative Commons license.)