Networking: Not Just Through Computers

When a house is more than a home!

Ray Wells has been networking all of his working life. As a young and struggling architect he appreciated the need for a wide circle of acquaintances. It enabled him to expand the opportunities for contacts that would lead to assignments.


Friends who might be building, builders who needed archi tects, bankers who knew of people who were going to build. The list goes on.

NETWORKING THROUGH ORGANIZATIONS

For Ray, one of the best ways to quickly develop new ac quaintances was through regular contact at various organizational meetings.

He and his wife Betty were active in their church. Ray was a Sunday School teacher and departmental supervisor. He not only joined, but actively participated in many local civic, charitable and service organizations. "I feel that my business and I, personally, owe the community that supports us, a debt.

Repayment can easily be in the form of support for that community' Ray says.

He's been a member of: The Oradell, NJ Planning Board; the Hackensack, NJ Hospital Building Committee; the Paramus, NJ Board of Education Bicycle & Safety Committee; The Board of Education Aesthetics Committee and Code of Ethics Com mittee. He was also General Solicitations Chairman for the Boy Scout Drive, Trustee for the Northern New Jersey March of Dimes and Trustee for the United Way of Bergen County, NJ.

Ray is currently involved with The George Washington Cemetery Association and the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame as a Trustee. He's on the Advisory Board of a local historical restoration project and the Board of a local community college.

Because of his talents and intense interest in the many organizations he belongs to, Ray has risen to the top offices in many of these groups. He's been President of the Paramus Chamber of Commerce, the Paramus Jaycees, and Vice President of the Paramus Boys Club.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

In addition to civic and service organizations, Ray is extremely active in his professional associations. These include: the American Institute of Architects, The New Jersey Society of Architects and the Architects League of Northern New Jersey.

ROTARY

Perhaps Ray's first love and most intensive interest is Rotary. Rotary is a service organization of more than one million. Members conduct humanitarian projects, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and work toward world understanding and peace.

In short order, after joining the Rotary Club of Paramus, New Jersey, Ray quickly moved up to club President. From there he went on to the post of District Governor and then to the Board of Directors of Rotary International. He served a two-year term with fellow Board members from twelve coun tries: The United States, Switzerland, Chile, Brazil, The Netherlands, England, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Canada, India and Mexico. The Rotary Board administers to over a mil lion Rotarians in 178 countries.

THE HOUSE THAT'S MORE THAN A HOME

In 1979 Ray came across a new, unique and truly potent networking tool - a house. Not just any ordinary house, but a house that would attract local, and even international attention. He has had visitors from more than a dozen countries. It is a house that would never be forgotten for those who visited it, and so too would its owners, Ray and Betty, not soon be forgotten.

The house which caught Ray's eye, and which he talked (conned) Betty into agreeing to let him buy, has 23 rooms and four and one half acres of ground! The house was the historic Blauvelt Mansion, a Victorian castle that was originally part of an eighty acre estate and a northern New Jersey landmark.

In addition to living in the house, (with six children and thirteen grandchildren coming and going, they need a BIG house) Ray works out of the house - his professional offices occupy one wing.

WORKING THE HOUSE

With a house this big, unique and well known, Ray and Betty have always felt it should be shared with the community.

They very generously allow community charities to use the house for fundraising tours with as many as twelve hundred people coming through for one tour. The house has also been used for many charitable receptions and parties, sometimes with the addition of a tent in the yard where Ray and Betty have hosted more than 250 people for dinner.

It doesn't take much figuring to appreciate how many people find their way into the Wells' network because of their house.

SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday evenings is the time for social entertainment functions, plays, concerts, art openings, movie premiers and stage events. Thursday evenings are also very popular with professionals and business people.

Other events include beach and boat parties, dinner parties, wine tastings, holiday parties, anniversaries and theme parties (which are always a special challenge to Don).

We asked Ray to describe a couple of typical events to which one might be invited. Ray described a wine tasting party hosted by a friend and member. It's a sumptuous wine tasting held every year with more than 750 people invited to Don's friend's home for hors d'oeurves and wines from around the world.

"He has money," Ray says, "and the place to hold such an event, but he is unable to spend the time required to select and invite the guests. So he leaves it to my discretion. These gatherings have now become the basis for his social and business calendar for the ensuing year."

Sailor John is a retired sea captain who enjoys taking as many as fifty guests out for a picnic sail on his 89 foot catch. He enjoys sailing, but he really enjoys entertaining. Owning an auto parts distributing company doesn't allow John the time to round up 25 to 50 guests for his weekend sails, so he relies on Ray and his network to provide the guests.

LAUGHTER: THE BEST MEDICINE

Like most who have networked their way to success, Ray Wells uses more than one technique to build a network. As another facet of the artistic talent needed for his architecture, Ray is blessed with the ability to create cartoons. In place of standard greeting cards, Ray sends friends who are hospitalized humorous personalized cartoons exaggerating their situations and combining some of their special interests or hobbies. Usually he sends the cartoon in a three to five day series. Not only the recipients, but the doctors and nurses as well look forward to Ray's next get-well cartoon.

In spite of the time Ray spends doing things for other people, he still finds time to enjoy the fruits of his success: traveling, playing golf and tennis and enjoying his family. Ray and Betty Wells are typical examples of people who have learned to "give themselves away."