Happy New Year! With every new year comes thoughts of times passed, and of times ahead. And you know how sometimes you look back over a period of time... Say, 10 years, and you think, "Wow, hard to believe it's been ten years... It's just flown by!" And other times, you think, "That was 10 years ago? Seems more like 20! And what was I thinking with that hair and those clothes?" Well, it's been 10 years since the very first eBrew, and for me, it definitely seems like it's been 10 years!
Yep, 10 years ago this month, I was sitting at a table at the Portsmouth Brewery with a handful of local tech-types having lunch. We got together because we all worked in Portsmouth in the high-tech arena, specifically the Internet, which at the time was still young and impressionable. We discussed the boundless opportunities and potential of Internet-based businesses we were starting. Then, we wondered aloud if anybody would notice us up here in this quaint little city in New Hampshire. Could we really hope to compete with Route 128, Austin, Seattle, and Silicon Valley? Or would this once-in-a-lifetime economic boom-time pass us by? We didn't want to move our start-ups and our families to where "the action was"; we loved it in Portsmouth and were determined to make it work here.
Based on my experience in marketing and public relations, I saw it as a classic PR problem. The NH Seacoast was (and still is) perceived as a great place to live, work, and play. Portsmouth is a well-established tourist town. But if we made people also aware of what was happening here on the high-tech front, then prospective clients and talented professionals would perceive us as a player in the Internet game... perhaps a mini Silicon Valley without the traffic? Or a Route 128 North without the taxes?
So there, over burgers and beers, we hatched a marketing plan to put us on the map. The Seacoast became the eCoast, a loose organization of tech-related businesses in the Greater Portsmouth area. Because together, we became part of something larger; not just a few tech start-ups in a small northern city, but a whole movement toward the ideal of working where you want to live, made possible by the go-anywhere Internet. And our monthly networking event, patterned after Boston's CyberBrew, became the eBrew.
Since then, we've survived booms and busts, recoveries and recessions. Companies have come and gone, but many more have stayed and thrived here in quaint ol' Portsmouth, NH. And nearly every month this past decade, there's been an eBrew where we could meet, have a drink, and talk about it. So come and join us at the 10th anniversary eBrew this Thursday evening at the Press Room. Let's celebrate what we've accomplished, and see what we can do here in the
next 10 years!
OK, so a wicked head/sinus cold kept me from attending the 13th eBrew Birthday Bash. 
NH Business Review does the "BoB Awards" every year. It's a great opportunity for your business to get some visibility, so don't forget to have your customers/clients/mom/dad vote for you! 
Happy New Year! With every new year comes thoughts of times passed, and of times ahead. And you know how sometimes you look back over a period of time... Say, 10 years, and you think, "Wow, hard to believe it's been ten years... It's just flown by!" And other times, you think, "That was 10 years ago? Seems more like 20! And what was I thinking with that hair and those clothes?" Well, it's been 10 years since the very first eBrew, and for me, it definitely seems like it's been 10 years!
Kudos to SeacoastLocal, Portsmouth's BuyLocal group, for organizing a business networking cruise onboard the MV Thomas Laighton. Personally, I'm excited about it, because it fills the gaping gap created by the demise of the eCruise, which had been the can't-miss local networking event so far this century... until the Chamber effectively abandoned it this year. (Although a quick check of the eCoast section of their web site shows they still plan to have eBrews starting next month. Hmm...) Anyway, this new free event is an opportunity for owners of locally owned, independent businesses to celebrate a successful first year of SeacoastLocal.
Mmm-hmmm, I do love a good eBrew. As one patron said, "Ever notice whenever the economy goes in the tank, the eBrew is always rockin?!" Ain't it the truth! If you missed the eBrew last night, here's my brief debriefing.
y SMG, the article quotes my friends Ginny Griffith (Portsmouth Chamber) and Warren Daniel (NH SBDC), promotes the eCoast.org web site, mentions my downtown wi-fi project, and notes (finally, some recognition) that the eCoast has just celebrated our 9th anniversary. (See my post below about last month's eBrew and the eBrew Facebook page for pictures.) So, definitely a fluffy space-filler article, but all in all, I deem it bloggable.
*BTW, I did finally find the eCoast's first iPhone at last week's eBrew! Mr. Erik Crago of Port City Web has purchased several, in fact, in order to equip himself and his team. He might be one of the most unlikely iPhone users, as one of his long-time favorite quotes is: "Apples are for eating." Just goes to show how far Apple Inc. has come over the past few years. 
In case you were wondering if there was an eBrew tonight, well, there isn't. If you're on the e-mail list, you got a notice at 3:56PM today about the special eCoast Birthday eBrew happening next Thursday. If memory serves correctly, this week-long delay is standard--an attempt to give folks a chance to get back from the holidays and get settled. BTW, if you're not on the e-mail list and are unsure about time, location, or if the eBrew is even happening, be sure to check the eCoast web site for updates before you leave.
