A local networking group – aptly named the Best of the Best – was started during the pandemic by Benjamin Hecht to help members navigate the pandemic more easily with the much-needed support of like-minded people, writes Christine M. Johnson-Hall for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The group began with six members and has now ballooned to 107 “givers and doers.” A lot of the members are owners of small- to medium-sized businesses based in the Philadelphia region, including Montgomery County.

So far, the group has helped more than ten people find jobs, provided numerous sales leads, and helped raise funds for several charities, including Philabundance and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

It has provided members with invaluable resources, introductions, support, and knowledge.

Group members include Steve “Mac” McKeon, CEO of Glenolden-based MacguyverTech, networking guru Ashley Owens, and Philadelphia Union senior account executive T.J. Smink, who joined the group in June after completing chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Ben might not know it, but I needed the group at the time,” said Smink. “The Best of the Best gave me that sense of normalcy and was a huge help to me in getting back to my roots after my treatments were complete.”

Read more about the networking group in The Philadelphia Inquirer.