The group, which has been meeting since 1998, gets together monthly. It’s an opportunity for women to network with other women, and a place to learn something new.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody who doesn’t feel like their contribution at any level will not be welcome,” said network secretary Joyce Allegra Clare.

Recent meeting topics have covered the outlook of the economy, the ins-and-outs of health insurance and, most recently, computer tips and tricks. The group often brings outside professionals to present topics and other times the group utilizes it’s own know-how, with members making presentations.

New member Rebecca Tieche works for the Federal Aviation Administration has started her own business as an independent sales consultant with Jordan Essentials Bath and Body. She takes two hours of vacation time to attend the network meetings.

“Not every meeting is going to be all informational for everybody,” Tieche said. “But I did get some stuff out of today and I was able to help other people, which kind of pays back for the help I’m going to get next time.”

In a room full of women at Johann’s restaurant, women from both the corporate world and home business endeavors, shared their ideas about the best way to efficiently get work done and ask those “how to” questions that can bog down productivity.

Tieche offered several tips about how to save time, like designating a single block of time each day to answer e-mail.

“I can help them to work in Microsoft Office, but they can help me with how to market my business and how to meet people,” Tieche said.

Allegra Clare jumped on a computer during the meeting to share her hints on how to clean up data in spreadsheets - and learned something herself by using a newer version of the program. The group guided her through.

“I gleaned tons from today,” she said. “In Eagle River, this is one of the only venues that provides some professional business educational opportunities. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect in this group about how we do communication to not overload each other. I find that really supportive.”

Shawn Osborne, public relations specialist for Matanuska Telephone Association, brought a short presentation on how to manage overloaded e-mail inboxes.

“I didn’t have much time to do this,” Osborne said as she uploaded her presentation; but she was eager to demonstrate what tricks work for her. “Here are a few things I do.”

She brought up the screen, enlarged on the wall for everyone to see, and talked about ways she sifts through hundreds of e-mails a week - prompting questions and more tips from the women.

The women’s network meets the last Wednesday of the month at Johann’s restaurant at 11:30 a.m. To reserve a seat at the lunch meetings, call president Carolyn Jones at 350- 278

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, July 9, 2009.