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Your Chamber is Laying the Groundwork for the Future
 Paul Latture, President/CEO
Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce
Times are tough. Newspapers, TV, the
World Wide Web - everywhere you look there's another story about layoffs, plant closings, recession. When times are tough, people turn to community, and businesses turn to their chamber of commerce for leadership and guidance. As always, your Chamber remains the cornerstone of stability for local business and industry.
The board of directors and staff of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce recognize the importance of the investment so many businesses make with us. Providing a positive return on that investment is the driving force behind our efforts. To that end, we have ramped up our efforts to provide meaningful and timely educational and training sessions to assist our members with surviving in today's economy, and gain new business contacts through networking opportunities. The West Tennessee Business Resource Center and the Small Business Counseling Service, housed within the Chamber, provide free business counseling to any size business.
Read entire article.
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Delta Faucet Jackson Receives Circle of Excellence Award
 Delta Faucet Company of Jackson recently received the Masco Corporation's highest level safety award. The Masco Corporation, Delta's parent company, presents two types of awards each year. The highest level award, called the Circle of Excellence Award, is presented to plants exceeding the established top threshold score.
Several criteria that were met by Delta Faucet - Jackson in order to receive this award. The first is the Safety Excellence Audit score,, based on the quarterly safety audit that is completed by the Masco Health and Safety Engineer. Other criteria considered includes the Lost Day Frequency Rate (LDFR), Incidence Rate, and the Lost Day Severity Rate (LDSR). Each compliance Corrective Action Request (CAR) also must be closed within 120 days of issuance of the Final Audit Report and the site must have no repeat high priority CAR's.
This year marks the second consecutive year that Delta Faucet - Jackson has received this prestigious award. Delta also received this award in 2003 and in 2005.
Delta Faucet Company is a division of Masco Corporation and is the largest U.S. manufacturer of residential and commercial faucets. The company manufactures the Delta®, Brizo® and Peerless® faucet brands and holds the number one market share position in the United States.
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Women Business Owners Opportunities Conference Scheduled for June 30 in Jackson
WestStar, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development - Business Enterprise Resource Office and Tennessee Economic Council on Women will sponsor a women business owners opportunities conference called "Building Blocks for Success."
The event is planned from 7:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., June 30, at the West Tennessee Center for Agricultural Research, located at 605 Airways Blvd. in Jackson. The registration fee will be $35 per person/$60 for two, and a continental breakfast and lunch are included.
Opportunities abound for women business owners seeking to sell in the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace. This multi-billion dollar market segment consists of buyers from government and private industry who purchase services, equipment, supplies, transportation, wholesale, retail, agriculture, finance, or most any good or service. This niche market offers contracting jobs that can help establish strategic relationships to increase a company's competitive edge, so the business can grow exponentially.
Susan Hendrix O'Connell, Henco Furniture, Selmer, will be the plenary session speaker. Dr. Christy Shaffer, Inspire Pharmaceuticals president and CEO, Durham, N.C., and a University of Tennessee at Martin alumna, is the luncheon speaker.
In addition to informative sessions, panel discussions, workshops and exhibits, an "Opportunities Room" will be available. The room will be staffed with representatives of governmental agencies and private-sector businesses who will share upcoming bid and contracting opportunities. Participants will learn first hand if there is a match between a company's goods or services and the 20 participating buying entities. They'll also leave with information on how to competitively vie for contracts.
Session topics include: business planning, Internet marketing, human resources, time management, grant writing, customer service, certification processes and Internet social networking. Others are stress management, fitness and wellness, business etiquette and dress for success.
Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. If registering by mail, send checks made payable to WestStar to UT Martin, 321 Administration Building, Martin, TN 38238. One check for a group will be accepted, but there must be a separate registration form filled out for each attendee. If registering by email, send to Virginia Grimes at vgrimes@utm.edu. Make sure to include name, business, complete address and phone number. The check should arrive by the deadline, June 22. There will be no refunds. For more information, call Grimes at 881-7298.
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Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant Returns June 17-20
 Left: Miss Tennessee 2008 Ellen Carrington
The 2009 Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant will be held at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson June 17-20, beginning at 8:00 p.m. each night.
Tickets for the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant are $50 per person and will provide admittance for all four nights of the competition.
The scholarship fund is based on a rich scholastic tradition which has been the cornerstone of the Miss America program since 1945. Today, educational achievements and public service continue to be the primary objectives for the Miss America and the Miss Tennessee organizations. Many levels of participation are available for businesses and individuals who wish to support the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Foundation.
For additional information, call the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition office at 425-8590, email misstned@bellsouth.net, or visit www.misstennessee.org.
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"B" for Business Program Provides Free Business Tips and Advice
 Succeeding in business, especially in the current economy requires business owners to continually analyze how business is done. The Chamber's West Tennessee Resource Center's "B" for Business program helps by providing experts each month who share business tips and advice, and peers who share success stories.
The program, sponsored by The Hamilton-Ryker Company, is held the last Thursday of each month, 8:00-9:00 a.m. at the Chamber, 197 Auditorium Street. Breakfast begins at 7:45 a.m.
The June 25 "B" for Business session will feature Professor Don Ashton, Lambuth University, presenting "Don't Let the Well Run Dry - Overcoming Cash Flow Challenges - Being Proactive."
On July 30, Seth Chandler, DCA/DCPR will offer his presentation "You Don't Have To Be Spiderman - Using Web Marketing As A Tool."
Chamber members should not miss this FREE educational opportunity.
To make reservations, call 427-7900 or email bstutsman@jacksontn.com.
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Newsletter Deadline
June 19
Your Chamber wants your news! If you've attended a class, received a designation, promotion, or are providing a new product or service, let us know!
Submit your information for Chamber Connection no later than Friday, June 19, for inclusion in the July edition. News should be emailed to lsmallwood@jacksontn.com.
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Volunteer of the Month -
Amy Hasty Miller
Wearing her CUBE green, Chamber volunteer Amy Hasty Miller is always easily found in a crowd.
cube. LLC was begun two and a half years ago when Miller decided it was time to form her own company.
CUBEs are customized packages of related marketing products and services bundled to help clients build their business. It is a package process that involves the steps necessary to complete a project one CUBE at a time.
"We create classy-but-funky marketing/advertising campaigns and materials for the savvy business owner who wants to make a lasting impression on his target market," says Miller.
Hasty Miller received a bachelor's degree in marketing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and has also been personally taught by Dave Ramsey through the EntreLeadership Graduate course for small business owners. EntreLeadership is a course designed to teach small business owners how to blend entrepreneurship and leadership to take business to the next level.
When Hasty Miller and her husband relocated to Jackson, she immediately joined the Chamber and became involved as a volunteer. In addition to being a Chamber volunteer, she is a member of the Exchange Club, and a girls leader for College Fellowship.
Hasty Miller takes pride in volunteering for the Chamber. "It's great fun working with Chamber staff and other Chamber members, and I love the people! There is sense of motivation that is contagious. Everyone is out to help everyone else in the community."
In her spare time Amy enjoys photography, working out, scrapbooking and anything that involves creativity. Amy can be reached at 419-376-1756, or at amy@cube-marketing.com.
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JOLT! A One-Day Shot in the Arm for Your Business
 Looking for ways to survive, even thrive in this tough economy? Look no further than JOLT! This one-day high energy event sponsored by the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is your best opportunity to show Jackson what your business is all about and network like never before! JOLT! is also your chance to gather valuable, use-it-now-to-grow-your-business information from recognized leaders in fields ranging from A (advertising) to almost-Z (web marketing). And, in the process you'll have a whole lot of fun!
JOLT! will be held Tuesday, October 27, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
Booth space and sponsorships are now available for this educational business exposition. The cost for early bird booth space is $150 for Chamber members and $250 for non-chamber members. Three levels of sponsorship are also available.
Additional details will be provided in the coming weeks. For more information, to become a sponsor, or to reserve booth space, contact Lisa Webb, 423-2200, or email lwebb@jacksontn.com.
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Did You Know? The Chamber Has A Partners in Education (PIE) Program
Chamber member businesses partner with local schools to volunteer time and resources for the betterment of public education and to demonstrate community involvement. For more details about the program or to become a Partner in Education, call Shirley Jones, 423-2200, or email sajones@jacksontn.com.
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