About good network

Our members are located throughout Central Florida from coast to coast.

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The GOOD Story

In 2003, a group of OD practitioners gathered together with the shared vision of creating the very first group of like-minded professionals in the Central Florida dedicated to advancing learning in the area of Organizational Development. We wanted to establish a comfortable small group, so word of mouth was the way we’ve gathered the following we have today, which now has over 200 members! We represent a variety of industries, backgrounds (including OD, HR, Training, Learning, Coaching, Consulting, and more), and interests, and all come together every other month for the purpose of sharing best practices in a warm and inviting setting at Goodwill’s Central Florida headquarters. Our meetings always include an opportunity to share job openings, announce local events/conferences, and introduce new members, guests and those seeking a position. Networking and interactivity are particularly important to make our meetings feel impactful to our members. While our Friday half-day sessions have allowed us to really dig into deeper content and learning and establish a dedicated group of members, we are now focusing on expanding our scope and reach to include offerings such as our Communities of Practice, socials, GOOD doing GOOD volunteering, conferences, and more! Come drop in for one time free as a guest and see what tool, tip, idea you’ll walk away with or relationship you’ll spark!

20 Years of GOOD Network – From Humble Beginnings to a GREAT way to network with OD Professionals around Central Florida!

A Founder's History -- shared by Kristin Chase

We began with a vision to bring Organization Development into the forefront back in 2003 as we brainstormed in living rooms on couches with wine and notes in hand. We knew that OD had a special place in Central Florida alongside Training & Development, Human Resources, and other predominant fields that had well established networking groups. We also wanted to differentiate ourselves by providing tangible takeaways to apply back in our workplaces at every single meeting, establishing a comfortable and welcoming feel at our meetings, and consistently securing quality meeting content and speakers. We began small with many members in the hospitality and service industries that Orlando is known for, and then word started to spread! We continued to remain true to our principles and deliver high impact ½ day Friday meetings with consistency, care and attention to details to make each meeting experience something memorable for our attendees.

In the early days, we rotated locations, beginning with our very first meeting at the Hard Rock Café Corporate building with about 30 attendees where Jim Knight was our host. We were thankful for the generosity of many of our member organizations who donated conference rooms and spaces to meet. As word of mouth spread, we started to grow to 60-70 attendees at our meetings and recognized the need for a consistent and larger space. Our partnership with Goodwill Central Florida was then born, and we have been so thankful to use their meeting space for numerous years (and the synergy of our names was perfect!).

In February 2020, our success as an organization reached new heights at our very first conference with over 200 attendees at the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management! Jim Knight once again joined us as our keynote speaker on “Culture That Rocks: How to Amp Up or Revolutionize a Company’s Culture”. Then as we all know, things changed in our world and we pivoted to virtual meetings throughout the pandemic period.

As we look forward to celebrating our 20^th year of GOOD Network, we remember our conference theme of “Igniting our Future” and are inspired to continue to strive for our mission of encouraging innovation, promoting excellence, and increasing awareness of OD in organizations. As we return to in-person meetings in 2023, the excitement of being together again is palpable to further our mission of being a diverse and interactive community that provides continuous learning by sharing ideas, resources, and best practices. 2023 is time to rejuvenate the networking in our network and strengthen connections to deliver real business value and partnerships that might not be otherwise possible. Our community can come together to “fill our buckets” and allow ourselves to deepen our learning, commitment and connections. 2023 will truly be a year for the history books!