LEAP In: Entrepreneurship and the Power of Peer Support

What will you do with your extra day in 2016? On Monday, February 29 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m., the University Club will host LEAP IN: Entrepreneurship and the Power of Peer Support at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. Event sponsors include Capital Region Women@Work; the Women’s Business Council of the Capital Region Chamber; and the Women’s Business Center of New York State. The event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend.

The evening begins with a festive sampling of wines with names appropriate to the occasion such as Stump Jump, Frog’s Leap, and Rabbit Ridge and a savory hot and cold hors d’oeuvres buffet. Wines are provided by Capital Wine & Spirits on Lark Street in Albany.

At 6:30 p.m., the Club will host a panel discussion featuring successful business owners who have made the leap outside their comfort zones to start and grow their own businesses. Each panelist will share stories about her business journey, her successes and failures, and the support she’s received from – and given to – other business owners. The panel will be moderated by the Times Union’s Tracy Ormsbee, a Senior Editor overseeing Features, Sports and two lifestyle magazines, Women@Work and 518Life.

Panelists will include: Silvia Meder Lilly, who became the proprietor of Lark + Lily Wine Bar and Kitchen in Albany after a career as a school librarian; Dr. Tobi Saulnier, founder of 1st Playable Productions in Troy, who was inspired by the potential of video games to educate and make a positive impact; and Katie O’Malley, owner of Katie O’ Weddings & Events, whose job takes equal parts patience, compassion, mentoring and positive attitude.

February 29 usually occurs only once every four years, and is commonly known as Leap Day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days. In the Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, most years that are evenly divisible by 4 are leap years. In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28.

Tickets are $29 each, participation is limited and reservations are required by Thursday, February 25. Call the University Club at 518-463-1151 or visit www.universityclubalbany.com to reserve your seat.

The University Club of Albany Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901. Support for educational programming presented by the University Club Foundation is provided by AT&T.