Paul Bastante is the founder and president of United Tips of America and is also a Veteran of the United States Navy where he served aboard the USS Simon Lake, a sub tender class vessel stationed off the coast of Northern Sardinia, Italy from 1992 to 1996. He left the Navy in 1996 with an honorable discharge after fulfilling his 4-year commitment to the service. While in the Navy, he served as a “StoreKeeper” 3rd class while also performing as the Lead-singer and drummer for his ship’s rock band while aboard the ship.

 

Bastante’s networking experience stretches all the way back to 1997 when he belonged to several different networking groups. That experience carried on for two decades as he developed the skill required to be successful in a networking environment. He also developed his skill as a public speaker allowing him to succeed in building his business more efficiently via networking. He has always loved the process of networking and it has remained a consistent part of his overall marketing plan in all of his business endeavors.

 

Bastante founded Silk City Films back in 2017. That company is a source of passion for Bastante and produces historical documentaries for cities and towns in Northern New Jersey, having released films about Bloomingdale, Wayne & Pequannock, N.J. most recently to critical acclaim locally. Bastante is the director, producer and narrator for the films, which serve as a unique marketing vehicle for companies wishing to gain exposure in those towns and cities.

 

Silk City Films enjoyed continued success with a large client base until 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic first emerged. It was at this time that the company lost a large majority of its clients due to the budgets of most small businesses being cut to stem the crisis. It was a devastating blow to his business and it was a struggle just to survive.

 

Bastante had two choices. He could have waited out the crisis doing nothing or he could have used the time wisely by figuring out a way to make the best of a bad situation by developing ways to lessen the climb back to the level of success the company enjoyed prior to the pandemic. 

 

This is when he decided that he would leveredge his networking experience by joining a networking group in his local area. But as he applied for group after group he was denied as his business category was occupied in every single group. With his prospects fading, he decided the only option he had was to start his own networking group…and the result was the founding of United Tips of Triboro, located in Butler and encompassing business owners and professionals from Kinnelon, Butler and Bloomingdale, N.J.

 

The group was founded on three main pillars: 

 

• The exchange of qualified business leads among members.

• Improving the skill of public speaking for each of the members and,

• The improvement of the communities it serves through charitable contributions and actions by members.

 

The group quickly grew and gained popularity throughout the area, attracting more and more networkers until a great deal of the categories were filled. But other professionals were inquiring about joining and were not able due to the occupation of categories.

 

The organization had reached a turning point early on in its existence, and the only answer was to start additional chapters in other areas to accommodate the demand. The organization was renamed, “United Tips of America” and the rest is history as more chapters were formed in Wayne, Pequannock, Denville, Morristown with even more chapters slated to open in Montclair, Ridgewood, Clifton & Paramus in the coming months.

 

United Tips of America is poised to become a major player in the business networking marketplace and Bastante couldn’t be more pleased with the organization’s progress so far. “More than anything, I couldn’t be more proud of the way the organization has grown and how big of a benefit it has been to our members”, Bastante said, adding, “It is my hope that we can continue to be a resource and contributor to our members’ continued success in the future”.