 On Tuesday, November 4, 2010, the BNI Pura Vida chapter kicked off in San Jose, Costa Rica, marking the official launch of BNI Costa Rica!
D’Arcy Gauthier, National Director for BNI Costa Rica, began his BNI career 11 years ago in Toronto, Canada, as an assistant director of the GTA Plus Region. He has been working diligently for the last 12 months in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, locating like-minded business owners who recognize and appreciate opportunities to do something different and proactive to build their businesses. On November 4th, his efforts paid off when the Pura Vida chapter kicked off, 28 members strong!
“Pura Vida” is an expression, unique to Costa Rica, which summarizes the essential Costa Rican lifestyle and is used in many conversational contexts, usually to indicate that something is “perfecto,” “fine,” “great,” or “very well.” The concept of Givers Gain (“Ganar Dando” in Spanish) is not a new concept for Costa Ricans. Part of their social system is based on the art of giving and receiving referrals. The difference between what BNI offers and the social referral system already in place in Costa Rica is commissions. Not having to pay a commission to someone for a referral is a breath of fresh air for the business community. The newest members of BNI Costa Rica are genuinely embracing the Givers Gain philosophy!
Some of the challenges in starting BNI in Costa Rica were cultural and after a few months of holding information sessions with very little response from the community, D’Arcy hired a cultural expert to help him understand the differences between the “North American” and “Costa Rican” business attitudes. Once he understood the “Pura Vida” lifestyle and Costa Rican way of doing business, BNI Costa Rica began to come to life.
D’Arcy has truly done a fantastic job in bringing BNI to Costa Rica and the highly successful Pura Vida chapter kick off is sure to be just the beginning of many years of growth and prosperity for BNI Costa Rica! Congratulations to National Director D’Arcy Gauthier and all of BNI Costa Rica on their official launch!
Ivan and Elisabeth Misner, all of BNI Headquarters’, and BNI members and Directors around the world, are thrilled to welcome BNI Costa Rica as a valued addition to the BNI organization! |