A year ago, Bruce Lande found himself blocked from joining several local networking groups. Then an employee of a web site development company, Lande was rebuffed because the groups he approached already had a member from that business sector, and limited membership to one member per industry.

So Lande decided to create his own.

A year later, Lande’s American Business Networks has just launched two new chapters in Greensboro that bring the total chapters to seven, and its more than 100 members meet every two weeks to network, discuss business challenges and learn from each other.

“The more I got involved in it, the more I saw there was the potential to build a business around it,” said Lande, who left the web development business in March to dedicate himself to American Business Networks full time.

The company and its chapters build upon the common practice of bringing local business owners and employees together to share leads and find opportunities to build a business network. Lande said his model goes beyond the simple networking that some groups offer to provide mentoring and coaching for sales and business development.

The emphasis isn’t just on bringing together new businesses, Lande said. “There are not a lot of people who have a lot to offer to companies who have been around for three to five years. The goal is that we would continue to provide services at whatever level of development you might be at.”

The list of American Business Networks members offers a broad spectrum of businesses including more traditional areas such as real estate and marketing along with more unique areas such as massage and a safari vacation company. It has established chapters in Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Mocksville, Clemmons and Statesville, and just launched two chapters in Greensboro.

The Triad offers a variety of networking resources, and the host of groups that have come and gone over the years shows there is a demand for groups to promote business connections, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.

“It kind of ebbs and flows from a market standpoint,” Anderson said. “These groups are very easy to get going. The challenge as always is can you sustain it? Are people getting out of it what they want?”

Some groups are designed simply to offer a quick route to business leads, and not as focused on promoting solutions for confronting long-term business challenges, Anderson said. Maintaining a network and mining for leads is important during the booming times as well as during the slumps, Anderson said. The chamber offers a number of different gatherings and groups to help connect local businesses, too.

“When you have enough business, don’t stop,” Anderson said. “Don’t wait until business is down to make new connections.”