Professional Women of Warwick, RI Learned the ABC’s of Tutoring at NAPW Warwick, RI Chapter Event in August
Garden City, NY (PRWEB) September 12, 2013 -- Members and guests of the NAPW Warwick, RI Local Chapter gathered on August 28th for a professional networking meeting at the NYLO, a distinctive boutique hotel located in Warwick.
The group of professional women heard from guest speaker Patti Avin, who shared how her company Tutor Doctor helps students and adults throughout Rhode Island learn more in the comfort of their own homes.
Warwick Local Chapter President Pipier L. Bewlay kicked off the meeting by welcoming members and guests to NYLO’s beautifully appointed Loft Bar & Restaurant.
The evening began with the group of professional networking over cocktails as they enjoyed a complimentary gourmet pizza.
“We all shared what was going on in our lives both professionally and personally since our last meeting and new members were introduced,” said Chapter President Bewlay.
Once in the dining room, the women ordered dinner and the guest speaker began her presentation. Ms. Avin provided a brief history of where the Tutor Doctor franchise originated: Toronto, Canada. She came to Rhode Island from New York.
After spending 20 years with United Healthcare as a corporate director, Ms. Avin wanted to do something to make a difference. When she heard about Tutor Doctor, Ms. Avin’s remembered the academic struggles her own children experienced when they were young and her experience with hiring tutors for them and the inconvenience of driving them to their appointments.
At Tutor Doctor, Ms. Avin feels she is making a difference helping students improve academically, and offering parents the convenience of in-home. She is in her fourth year servicing 300 plus families, including both children and adults.
“Patti is hoping to make Tutor Doctor a household name and is slowly moving in that direction. Her tutors are all subcontractors who are screened thoroughly for a criminal background,” said Ms. Bewlay. “Her key requirement is they must be passionate about teaching!”
Tutor Doctor also helps those struggling academically and those looking for a challenge to improve their grade point average, as well as tutoring those interested in music, dance, guitar, etc.
Ms. Avin even teaches grandparents how to use a computer to use email and Skype. She provides tutoring for home schooled students, corporate training including tutors who offer one-on-one instruction that is tailored to their employees’ needs.
Ms. Avin explained she takes screening tutors very seriously, conducting criminal background checks and looking for folks who are passionate about working with students. She wants her students to look forward to their tutoring sessions. She provides what she refers to as a very personalized/individualized “magic match” between students and tutors based on skill sets, personality and location.
“Her tutors are innovative and fun, providing relative lessons to pique the interest of students. For example, they may use football formations for math instruction for a student who likes or plays football,” said President Bewlay. “Patti is very proud of her accomplishments in building her business.”
All inquiries are answered personally by the owner who visits each and every home she services and provides a letter to parents introducing them to the matched tutor. She will make accommodations for tutoring folks in the environment that works best for them, such as the local library, Panera Bread or a grandparent’s house, for example.
Her customers understand that she “gets it” due to her own struggles when her kids were young. She is even interested in reaching out to businesses to donate old computers to help her students learn.
At the end of her presentation, Ms. Avin provided members and guests with her company brochure, a handout and magnet with her company information that has a white area on the magnet for parents to write the name and phone number of their child’s tutor with a dry erase marker. Patti even has a roster of substitute tutors that will fill in if the regularly assigned tutor has an emergency. She has carefully thought out every detail of her business.
When asked about the pricing of her services, she explained that consultations are free. Customers purchase “investment bundles” that never expire. They deduct the number of hours serviced daily, weekly, etc. and the hours not used remain in the “bank.” Ms. Avin accommodates customers by allowing them to transfer banked hours to give as gifts to friends and family. She keeps a book of testimonials; 40% of her business is referrals. Visit http://www.tutorrhodeisland.com/pavin for more information.
“Patti clearly loves what she does and leads by example. She is extremely passionate about her work!” said the Chapter President.
The group of professional women wrapped up the night by posing for the camera with the NAPW banner. The next Chapter meeting is on Wednesday, September 25th at 5:30pm. Topic and location are being finalized. Members were encouraged to bring a guest.
Women attending were affiliated with various companies/organizations: Cox Communications, Pipier Bewlay, Joyce Hurlbut, Patti Baccus and Christine Williams; Tudor Doctor, Patti Avin; Tracey Renzi, Johnson & Wales University; Shannon Salisbury, NC3 and Diane Dowiot of Jewish Seniors Agency of Rhode Island; Judith Cohen of Oracle DBA; Governor’s Commission on Disabilities -Christine Rancourt Bruzzi; Right Brain Life - Lisabeth Gutierrez and Christiana Gondreau of Beauty Counter.
The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is the largest and most recognized network of female professionals. NAPW provides a forum where women can interact, exchange ideas, educate, network, and empower. NAPW Local Chapters allow members to maximize their experience through meetings, networking opportunities, and professional events.
For additional information regarding the NAPW Warwick, RI Local Chapter and/or NAPW, please visit http://www.napw.com.
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Samantha Pokorny, National Association of Professional Women, http://napw.com, 516-453-6145, [email protected]
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