Dear Friends of the BABC,
 
As we head in to the summer months there is plenty of good news for all of us here in Northern California with vaccine rates skyrocketing and infection rates falling rapidly. There is still plenty to be done but it feels like a return to normal is just around the corner. Despite this, we must not forget other parts of the world who continue to struggle with the virus and with India accounting for more than half of the world’s cases last week we can’t afford to get complacent and lose focus.
 
At the BABC, our focus continues to be on creating events to bring our community together virtually and we have developed a series of events with specific goals in mind. Our quarterly Business Insider series, to be launched later this year, will give members an opportunity to learn about current trends and topics from the local business community. Our bi-monthly coffee connects offers focused business networking opportunities with all attendees able to discuss their business, what they need to help grow their business as well as how they might be able to help other BABC members with their business growth needs. And our monthly Happy Hour offers everyone a great opportunity to get together in a fun environment with their drink of choice and group questions designed to get to know each other on a whole new level. If you have not checked these out already I would encourage you to do so.
 
You will also be excited to hear that while we will continue to host our events virtually until August/September, our Executive Director, Jo Healey, is starting to plan some in-person gatherings for late Q3, early Q4. Please keep your eye on our website for news of these events taking place in the Fall. And the best news of all is that it is looking highly likely that we will host the BABC's 68th Annual Christmas Lunch at the fabulous Fairmont on December 10th. Please save the date!
 
Please also save the date for the BABC 65th Annual General Meeting on June 30th. This will be virtual once again and as well as providing an opportunity to update our members on state of the BABC, it is also the time when we hold our election of directors and officers. Jo will shortly be circulating the Ballot, so please, when it arrives in your inbox, vote! It is important for us from a compliance standpoint as an organization to obtain at least 51% of membership participation. My thanks to you in advance.
 
If you missed our annual event for British and Australian expats, you can view this on demand at this link. I'm told that this year, the event was very well attended with some excellent information for folks wishing to get up to date on immigration and personal finance matters.
 
Finally, I would like to thank all of our new members who are detailed below as well as our renewing members. Thank you for your continued support. 

 
Sincerely,
 
Stephen Wares
BABC President