2012 Elk Rapids Chamber Champion Award

Friday, April 20, 2012

Volunteer of the Year Gloria Johnson & Martha Snyder

Community Champion Ben Holsinger, Elk Rapids News

Individual Presidential Award Jim Witte, the W Group

Business Presidential Award Tim Maylone & Cherry Capital Connection

Raffle winners:

Rich Smith Grand Prize $2500.00

Wes Knecht 4 Rounds Golf any course Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Steve Montero Gourmet Basket from Elk Rapids Wine Shop

Rob Ford $200. Gift certificate Mullaly’s 128 Gallery

Dolores Hibbard Zender’s in Frankenmuth, room , dinner, golf

Tammy Valenzula 4 Rounds of Golf Lochenheath

Chris White Overnight Stay at Cherry Tree Inn

Desiree Worthington 2 Round of Golf A-Ga-Ming any course

Sharon Fitzpatrick Scott’s Snap Lawn Care-

Torch River Ace Hardware

Dan LeBlond Turtle Creek Casino Dining Gift Certificates

This two hour orientation session is facilitated by a NLEA/SBTDC Business Consultant.  You will be acquainted with the process and the tools needed to help you begin developing your business.

February’s topic is

“What the Lawyers Know about Starting Your Own Business”

The speaker is John Ferguson PLC

John Ferguson is an attorney in Elk Rapids, Michigan and works as a trial lawyer in Antrim County,

Charlevoix County, Grand Traverse County, and Kalkaska County. He serves clients throughout northern Michigan with expert legal counsel and representation in a wide variety of legal areas such as criminal

defense, family issues, child custody & adoption, small business law, real property and estate planning.

Upcoming Lectures

Thursday

March 15 TV ADVERTISING AND BUSINESS TO BUSINESS BARTERING

Bev Knickerbocker

April 12 THE RIGHT WAY TO ADVERTISE Nate from Curiosity Creative

May 10 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Barbara Shellman from Brassy Marketing

June 14 SELF DEFENSE Preston Taylor

July 12 THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING Sam Pfeiffer

August 9

September 13

October 11

November 8 TAX INFORMATION Doreen Dault

December 13

We’ve also confirmed the following speakers that will speak at one of the meetings Chris Wendel from The Small Business and Technology Group, Vic McCarty from 1270am, Ryan Goddard Pro Web,

PC Doctors John Mango “Data Protection” and Shannon Vander Leek Life Coach.

A continental breakfast will be included, so reservations are required to plan for the breakfast. Seating is limited to 35 peo-ple. Be sure to bring several business cards with you and be prepared to speak about your own business for 60 seconds.

If you have any questions please contact Steve Parafin at www.SteveParafin.com or 231-676-0234.

Make your reservations for our February lecture by noon on Tuesday February 7th at Kym’s Photo

Membership Is Still REALLY Important

by Executive Plan on January 16, 2012 ·

The United States Chamber of Commerce has 300,000 member businesses. There are also 3 million businesses that are members of the nearly 13,000 state and local Chambers.

The big question today is WHY?

In a day and age when business owners can sell globally with the click of a mouse, build rich business relationships online through Facebook and LinkedIn, and make their voice heard to politicians through email and Twitter, 4 Benefits of Chamber of Commerce why is Chamber of Commerce membership still important?

Benefits of Chamber of Commerce Membership

1. Face to Face Networking – You just can’t beat face-to-face networking. Yes, you can make great relationships with individuals online through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but face-to-face relationships (for most people) will still be your deepest relationships. Networking at Chamber of Commerce events allows you to build trust with potential customers and partners, a trust that you just can’t build online.

2. Group Deals – Have you taken advantage of any group deals from companies like Groupon or Living Social? You may not realize this, but you can access discounts and deals every day as a member of various Chambers of Commerce. Many businesses will offer special discounts to Chamber of Commerce members. Make sure to check out your local chamber to find out what kind of deals and discounts you have access to as a chamber member.

3. Access to Shop Local Crowd – Yes, online sales are increasing every year, but US Census Data shows that online retail sales are still under 10% of total retail sales. That leaves 90% of retail sales to be had locally. Many consumers are determined to buy as much as possible local-ly, and one of the best ways to find local businesses is to search through the local Chamber of Commerce Business Directory. If your community is excited about shopping local, then you have to join the Chamber of Commerce or you are simply leaving sales on the table.

4. Take on the Government – Traditionally, Chambers of Commerce help businesses lobby the local, state or federal Government. If you are unable to successfully lobby your politicians for more business friendly policies on your own, then joining a chamber may give you the lever-age you need to get the attention of your politicians

Benefits for Members

I’m always amazed by the quality of service I receive when I shop local. The personal touch is always present. Local merchants will take the time to ask questions to help you find the perfect gift or item. Last month I had a shopping experience at the Elk Rapids Wine Shop that is worth sharing.

I needed a gift bag for a holiday party and I had little time to shop. The gift was to include a bottle of wine or beer and a local food of some sort. I stopped into the Elk Rapids Wine Shop where owner Rob Crandell was on his cell phone. He smiled and said “I’ll be right with you. I’m on hold with the phone company. My phone line is down.”

I walked around the shop once and became a bit overwhelmed at the selection (there are over 300 wines in the store!). Rob must have sensed my confusion because he hung up the cell phone and came to my assistance. I introduced myself and told him what I was looking for. He asked thoughtful questions about budget and the person receiving the gift. Rob made suggestions, discussed the merits of each wine selection. We found a gift bag and began to fill it up with treats. I was ready to pay for my purchases with my credit card.

However, as I said earlier, Rob was on his cell phone with the phone company because his phone line was down….which meant he was not able to take credit cards at that moment. I checked my purse for my checkbook, went to my van to check my briefcase for cash. No such luck. I looked at my watch and wondered if I had time to go to the bank to make a withdrawal from my account. I was already running late and began to panic.

Then Rob said “You know what…just take the bag and come back tomorrow and pay me. “

“Really? You would do that?” I asked.

“Yes. You seem trustworthy and besides I know where to find you, “he joked.

We exchanged businesses cards and I went on my way, amazed at the quality of service I had just received. He was in a crisis of his own and he was still able to give great service in a timely manner.

Thank you, Elk Rapids Wine Shop owners Mary Sawyer and Rob Crandell.

It pays to shop local.

Do you have any great customer service story you would like to share? Send them to myoungson@elkrapidschamber.org and perhaps we can use them in upcoming newsletter.

If we have enough submissions we might be able to start a monthly feature.

Thank you,

Misty Youngson, Executive Director

Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

231-264-8202

VIEW FROM THE SWAN’S NEST January 2012

Ms. Youngson began her executive duties in December of 2011. Visit the chamber office, introduce yourself and enjoy some light refreshments.

The Chamber office is located at 305 US 31 North in Elk Rapids, MI.