The fine folks at Yahoo! did another good deed last week. They hosted one of the crazier power lunches I have ever attended in order to help some deserving small businesses.

Now I’ve been very lucky in my life. I did not attend an ivy league school, I’m not a billionaire and I don’t look like a model. But I have attended some pretty great lunches including the Diplomats Ballroom in the United Nations, a private chef’s tasting lunch in Napa Valley and a special event in the CN Tower. Yahoo’s power lunch is in a category by itself.

I was able to talk with Yahoo’s Chief Marketing Officer Cammie Dunaway, Yahoo’s Small Business Guru Rich Riley (who also created a successful million dollar startup) and oh yea I was suspended high up in the air overlooking the Manhattan skyline. This was truly a power lunch like no other.
What made this power lunch really great was that I was also joined by three really happy small business owners. Ya see Yahoo ran a small business contest and these three had won this lunch as well as a $25,000 Yahoo! advertising budget and a mentor to help them spend that free advertising the best way.

In addition to the great karma from this contest, it turns out Yahoo! has been quietly doing things to help small business. During the power lunch I found out they were in New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina helping people get back on their feet and getting their online presence rolling again. A big tip of the hat to Yahoo! and a congratulations to the winners who won out of 10,000 entries.