By María José Durán

GADS business organization helps local companies create profitable relationships

Jane Blount introduced herself in the big meeting room of Brothers Diner in Allied Gardens and offered her fellow business owners discounted massage gift certificates. She sold five.

“Right now business is pretty good,” she said. “In fact, since joining this group and networking with other individuals, I’ve increased my throughput.”

GADS (Grantville, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro and San Carlos) business association was created to help business owners in those areas build a network of relationships with their peers that eventually can lead to increase their clientele.

On Friday Feb. 13, GADS held its monthly meeting at a local diner on Waring Road. The guest speaker, Liz Saidkhanian, director of outreach for District 7 councilmember Scott Sherman, explained the consequences of the long-awaited Grantville Focus Plan. This amendment document, approved in June 2015, is an effort to redevelop the area.

Lisa Hamel and Maggie Pound are the co-founders of GADS. These two women perceived the need of a business association in the area and joined efforts to develop one. In less than a year, they have connected more than 25 ambassadors and established a network of relationships among business owners throughout San Diego’s District 7.

Hamel believes that the desire of information about the Grantville Focus Plan is attracting more people to the association.

“A lot of the people that are on the river, close to the river or in areas that are going to be changed to this new housing and retail land multi-use want to know on an ongoing basis what that means,” Blount said. “We heard today of 4,000 new residents or places to live, that means new people coming into our community and purchasing products and services from them.”

A rental property, a dentist office, a business supply store, a professional life coach and a business broker were some of the businesses represented in the February GADS meeting.

Pound takes pride that the local organization is inclusive. “There’s not just one of any category, so today there’s only one massage therapist but if another massage therapist wanted to join us, everybody understands, this is about relationships,” Pound said.

Being a GADS ambassador has helped Blount with her massage therapy business. “The core of this group seems to be awareness of other business and how can we support each other and how we can grow organically,” Blount said.

“What they have in common is a desire to create relationships with other people that are in business,” Pound added.

One of the defining characteristics of GADS is that no membership fee is required of its members.

“That’s what makes us different, we don’t charge a fee. If you come, you have breakfast, you pay for your breakfast, that’s it,” Pound said.

To be an ambassador, a proprietor has to attend two meetings and indicate their interest to continue going to the monthly gatherings.

“(An ambassador) can be a spokesperson for the meeting too, and ideally go out and promote what we are trying to do,” Hamel said.

The area covered by the GADS business association has many perks. There’s Mission Trails Community Park, safe neighborhoods and good schools. It’s close to downtown but lacks the issues of the central area. “We are one of the best kept secrets of areas within the city,” Pound said.

However, that area doesn’t have a commercial center, a pedestrian-friendly avenue or a big street mall where small businesses thrive together. Rather the contrary, local stores are scattered here and there. In that scenario, creating relationships between local proprietaries or attracting new clients can be a challenge.

“What they have in common is a desire to create relationships with other people that are in business,” Pound said. “They understand the importance of relationships. That’s how I built my business, through relationships.”

Hamel said that the ultimate mission of GADS is to create a network of connections that helps lift the community. “Supporting each other… That’s what it boils down to,” Hamel said.

In Blount’s opinion, “(GADS) is based on building relationships and get to know who the other business owners are in our community and genuinely channel people into their front door.”

Anyone can attend one of the meetings and present themselves and their businesses.

Hamel and Pound complain that bringing more people to the business organization has been a hard task. “It’s hard, truthfully, the passion that Maggie and I have, to have enough people that are as passionate as we are,” Hamel said.

For more information, visit their Facebook page facebook.com/GADSB2B or give them a call at 619-961-1957.

—María José Durán is a freelance writer from San Diego. Reach her at [email protected].