Intro from Alana:
I love weddings. In addition to basking in the glow of the event itself, guests can bond over their shared connection to one another through the bride and groom. Such was the case several weeks ago when my handsome cousin, Danny, married the gorgeous, Lauren. During the weekend, I had the chance to get to know Thomas Cohen and Lena Price – originally from Kansas City, but now living in San Diego. At one point, Lena said, “Tom is a serious Master Networker!” It was then I knew I had found my people!
Tom has been a commercial mortgage banker since 1996. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Barry Slatt Mortgage’s San Diego Office; a boutique commercial mortgage banking firm with offices throughout California. He specializes in the placement of debt and the procurement of equity for commercial real estate projects nationwide.
Additionally, Tom serves on the Advisory Board of San Diego’s newest community bank, Endeavor Bank. He is also an active member of San Diego’s largest Rotary Club, Club 33. Also, he is a board member of Tikkun KC, a Kansas City-based not for profit that focuses on restoring homes in the urban core and was formerly on the board of Take Flight Kansas City, Inc, a not for profit whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals with severe disabilities. Prior to his move to San Diego, Tom served on the board of directors of Peoples Bank, a Kansas Banking company and served on the board his local synagogue.
Tom received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law.
I’m delighted to welcome Tom Cohen to the CLC Community.
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“Come Together” by The Beatles. Guest Post by Thomas Cohen.
Combining a discussion of networking with music was a daunting assignment. There are so many good tunes out there and I have so many good networking stories to share.
So maybe Come Together by The Beatles best captures what my recent networking experiences have been about. You see, I’ve been networking since my teens and get energy from the people I’ve met along the way.
Recently, I left my hometown of Kansas City to follow my dreams out west. I moved to San Diego officially this January. I didn’t go there “cold turkey;” I’ve been traveling there for the past 25 years and over the course of time have developed both business and social relationships.
Nevertheless, I could count on two hands how many people I really knew. Clearly not that many. It was just that those I did were well connected and they offered to connect me with the wider fabric of the San Diego community.
My goals in moving to SD were to get involved in both the civic and business community and I wanted to rapidly expand my contact base there. So I turned to Rotary, an international service organization. Certainly, I was well aware of Rotary, but I had only attended a few meetings in Kansas City and didn’t have much interest in joining. However, a few of the people I did know in San Diego asked if I’d like to attend a Rotary luncheon and following that asked if I’d like to join. My first meeting was in January and by April, I was a member of what I later learned is the 4th largest Rotary Club in the nation with over 500 members. I am still meeting many of them, but I can say that I do run into fellow Rotarians at civic and charitable functions across the city and those Rotarians have been instrumental in introducing me to other organizations in San Diego.
Our Rotary Club “comes together” every Thursday and when I’m not at my home meetings, I can be found attending as a guest at other Rotary Club meetings. You see, Rotary is an international organization and Rotarians are welcome at any Rotary meeting around the world. I’ve attended club meetings in such far-off places as Chiang Mai, Thailand, and more central places such as Leawood, Kansas. It’s amazing how many new people I meet and how many of those I meet, I have something in common with. Networking just doesn’t get any better than this. Yeah!