Every other Wednesday, Brooklin business owners gather for coffee and inspiring conversation Parvaneh Pessian ppessian@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- With spring cleaning season just around the corner, local business owners are relying on each other for tips when it comes to getting and staying organized. Paul Lucyk, chief kitchen designer and project manager at Lotus Home Interiors in Brooklin, says one of his biggest challenges is keeping up with the never-ending stream of e-mails. "I constantly find that there are so many coming in and it's difficult to keep them filed correctly," he said during a recent Brooklin Java Jolt meeting hosted by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. His experience struck a chord with fellow business owner Charles D'Mello from CDAR Consulting Services, who said one way he solves that problem is by responding to e-mails right away as they pop up throughout the day. "If there's something I need to do, I do it, otherwise I delete it," he said. "If you're just dragging e-mails into folders just in case, you're going to look at it in a few months and realize you've got thousands of e-mails you don't need." Brooklin Java Jolt is held every other Wednesday to bring Brooklin business owners together for coffee and conversation. Participants, who don't have to be members of the chamber to attend, are encouraged to discuss projects they're working on or issues they may be facing to receive feedback from other professionals. The idea for the Brooklin Java Jolt stems from a roundtable discussion held in Brooklin this past September. Many local business owners expressed a desire to improve the business community through more regular meetings. "There are always different perspectives around the table and we try to change up the topic every meeting so we're always talking about new things," said Kyle Paterson, members relations lead with the Whitby chamber. Anna Naud, a corporate/commercial lawyer at Mason Bennett Johncox in Brooklin, said she found the recent session informative and worthwhile because organizational skills are important for any business. "We have so many things going on all the time and every different matter with a client is in a file folder so all of our desks are just file folders," she said, with a laugh. "It's something that you constantly have to be aware of and keep working at or else it just piles up." The next meeting is scheduled Wednesday, April 1 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Brooklin Community Centre, 8 Vipond Rd. Registration is not required. Contact Mr. Paterson at kyle@whitbychamber.org. durhamregion.com 2 The Citizen March 19, 2015 Brooklin Java Jolt keeps business owners organized WHITBY -- Kathleen Saville is showroom manager, and Paul Lucyk is chief kitchen designer/project manager of Lotus Home Interiors. Mr. Lucyk recently attended a Brooklin Java Jolt meeting to discuss best practices for business owners to stay organized. sabrina byrnes / Metroland