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Upcoming Events
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October 21st
11:30-1:30
Rick Kupchella
Midland Hills
General Meeting
Click Here to RSVP | October 27th
4:30-7:00
BOWLING!!!
Midway Pro Bowl
Click Here for Details and to Sign Up
November 18th
7:30-9:00 AM
Dave Durenberger
Town & Country Club
GENERAL MEETING
BREAKFAST
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Join the Ambassadors!
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Midway Chamber board members Kevin Sevcik (University Bank) and Marcia Kopp (FastSigns-Roseville) are working hard to get our
"Ambassadors" Committee ready for another great year! We need energetic Midway Chamber supporters like you to
join us! Please let us know if you can attend our introductory meeting on
Friday, October 23rd from 8:00-9:00 a.m. at University Bank for some coffee and breakfast.
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KSTP bridge collapse coverage wins national Emmy |
Pioneer Press
While
TV news folks are gearing up for the Upper Midwest Emmy Awards at the
Pantages Theater on Saturday, KSTP-TV, Channel 5, had a reason to start
the celebration early. On Monday, the Hubbard-owned station won a
coveted national News and Documentary Emmy in the category of regional
breaking news for its coverage of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
It's the first national Emmy for KSTP, said news director Lindsay
Radford, who was assistant news director at the time of the collapse.
"Everyone was excited, and for those people who covered it, it
was one of the biggest stories of their lives," said Radford.
"Everybody knows where they were when the bridge went down and
everybody remembers that level of disbelief that something like that
would happen. And then I think the next thought is, 'Wow, we really put
a lot of effort into that day. We were the only station on for 25 hours
straight.' Luckily, because we have local ownership, we had the freedom
to do that. We weren't tied to having to make corporate happy with
commercials airing. So that made a difference."
With tickets for the national Emmy gala - held at Lincoln
Center in New York City - going for $500 a pop, no one from the KSTP
newsroom attended the ceremony. The station would rather have that
money going back into the newsroom, said Radford. But KSTP wasn't
without representation. Harold Crump, vice president of public
relations for Hubbard Broadcasting, happened to be at the show because
he's a trustee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the group that presents the Emmys.
"I couldn't believe we had beaten everyone in the country, including
WNBC-TV in New York," said Crump. "Wow, we won - it was just great. So
I got it and brought it home."
You can see some of KSTP's 35W bridge coverage on their Web site at kstp.com/ article/10975.
- Amy Carlson Gustafson
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New on MidwayChamber.com
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Better Question is what isn't new? The New midwaychamber.com
is designed to redesign the way you interact with your chamber. The
thought process behind this redesign is Business 360, which you can
learn more about at the website. We want www.midwaychamber.com to
provide you with the most up to date and relevant information, tools
for you to expand your organizations reach and outlets for you to network with fellow chamber members. Backed by a new Content Management System, www.midwaychamber.com
is more powerful and easier to update than ever before. With a plethora
of social media tools at your disposal, it is our intent that you will
use the site to further the networking that you are already doing at
Midway Chamber luncheons. So go check it out! Search for something
you're interested in. Comment on it, share it with others. Can't find
what you're looking for? Email a submission to oneil@midwaychamber.com. In
the coming months, new updates and additions to midwaychamber.com will
be taking place, so check back and check often. And if there is a a
feature you're particularly interested in seeing on the site, feel free
to let us know. |
September's Luncheon!
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The Midway Chamber got the 2009-2010 year of right with a great luncheon with Mayor Chris Coleman. Over 100 people attended starting a good precedent for the year!
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Staples Affinity Program
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There's now an easy button just for Midway Chamber Members! With 80,000 items to choose from and free delivery, what more could you want? You can get more information on this program here.
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Corporate Technologies Affinity Program
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Today a group of centrally located technicians can offer 1) better
care, 2) faster response, 3) more preventative maintenance for less
money than a dedicated full-time IT employee. A national leader in this new model of computer support is Corporate
Technologies LLC. Get more information here.
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Greetings!
Continuing with our focus on social media and new technology we are proud to have Rick Kupchella speaking to us on his new online news feature and trends in utilizing the internet and social media to promote businesses. You can RSVP for the luncheon here. And the following week make sure to join us for Bowling at Midway Pro Bowl! Read on for all the details. |
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Chair's Article
 by Tom Whaley, St. Paul Saints
Your network of relationships is your number one asset during trying times!!!
Greetings fellow Midway Chamber members! I have found my membership with this chamber and attendance at our events to always be worthwhile, but as the challenging economy lingers it really struck me how amazing this group is at our September luncheon at the Hoa Bien resturant.
First, there is our ability to consistantly attract a group of well over 100 at our luncheons. Believe me, there are groups across the Twin Cities with total membership much higher then ours, who can not achieve that level of participation. For a mere $30 and 1 1/2 hour of my time, I had a delicious buffet lunch, effective networking time with a great group of people and an informative update from Mayor Coleman about the complexities related to the Central Corridor project. Wow, you truly can't have better time management then that and at a great price! To set up a lunch with even a hand full of those people would have taken a great deal of time trying to connect and I would have had to pay for their lunch!!!
Strength comes in numbers and we need your help to remain a viable organization. Please join our membership co-chairs, Julie Novak, Anchor Bank and David Dominick, Family Midway YMCA, to bring in ONE NEW MEMBER!! Tough economic times are exactly when utilizing our network and promotional opportunities is a sound, cost effective investment. Better yet, bring in 2 new members utlizing our "stimulus offer" of $160 to join the chamber before our December 16th luncheon!!!
Consider these points for recruiting a new member or renewing your dues:
Number 1 reason to join: When things are tough, an established network like the Midway Chamber of Commerce is truly invaluable! Crisis management is to be prepared! We as business people could not foresee or control what is going on with the national and international economies, but we must always be prepared that outside forces may impact our businesses.
Whether you need referrals, new business contacts, chances to strengthen established relationships, or even find new employees; your connection with the Midway Chamber is an effective low cost way to promote you and your business.
Number 2 reason to join: Advocacy for this area. Whether you have been a supporter or have concerns about light rail, beginning perhaps this time next year, construction will begin on the biggest public works project that will most likely ever hit St Paul. And your chamber has been involved in advocating for area businesses since day one. Maybe the construction won't impact you directly, but it might impact your customers and vendors, which in turn will effect you!!! Our participation in the planning and implementation of this project is critical; we must be a healthy organization to do so! WE ALSO WILL BE NEEDED AS A GROUP TO KEEP ACTIVITY LEVEL AT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES DURING CONSTRUCTION. This again, is where our high participation rate will have a tremendous impact!
Number 3 reason to join: Your staff and board have worked tirely to develop a new website www.midwaychamber.com and strategy to keep your membership investment valuable with our more "traditional" benefits like the listings in our directory that is distributed to 17,000 residents and 3,000 businesses and in our online directory that receives over 700,000 hits per year. But now we are leading the pack with Business 360. Our membership is quickly learning to utilize social media to keep communication and business promotion interaction going on with each other between face to face contact at our events.
And finally, for 91 years this organization has been an advocate for the unique concerns of our area's business community and in general, a connection to what is going on locally. All for less then 45 cents per day at our special introductory rate of $160! You can't buy a cup of coffee for that amount of money! Start thinking, you are the chamber's best sales people.....we need you to get one new member!
Meanwhile, strategize how you may better utilize your own membership. First, go now to see our new website and the "Live" function of the site, then make sure you are connected to our groups through social media opportunities. If you are unable to attend events is there another employee to participate? In particular, consider a junior member of your business; it is a great opportunity to expand their network professionally and personally. Before attending an event, identify your goal, be prepared and make sure to follow up with whatever contacts you make. Participation in the Midway Chamber can come in many forms. Please feel free to contact our President Lori Fritts or Travis O'Neil at 651-646-2636 to further discuss how to better utilize your membership. Thanks for your support; I hope to see you and your new member recruit at our next event!
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Softball and Bowling Update!
It was another exciting matchup this year at Midway Stadium as the Park midway Team squared off against the Mighty Midway Misfits. After 6 innings of error filled but otherwise spectacular softball action the Park Midway Team stomped the MMM 18-14 (though the scorekeepers may have been a little generous. Let's (begrudgingly) congratulate the Park Midway Team on an excellent victory.  Park Midway Team
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Member Notes
American Engineering Testing, Inc. (AET), congratulates Richard D. Stehly, P.E. on his nomination to President of the American Concrete
Institute (ACI) for the 2010-2011 term. He has served as Vice President of ACI
since 2008.
Marco, Inc. is pleased to announce the following position
changes: Keith Schwichtenberg - Vice President of Sales; Jonathan
Warrey, Regional Sales Director- Western Minnesota and North Dakota; Steve Gau,
Regional Sales Director-Twin Cities, Mankato, and South Dakota; Jack Herold,
Regional Sales Director-St. Cloud and Central Minnesota; Trevor Akervik,
Managed Services Sales Director; Eric Casteel, Enterprise Sales Director; Paul
Hagen, IT Sales Manager-Twin Cities.
Saint Paul Saints are holding the Fun is Good Seminar on Thursday October 15th. The Fun is Good Seminar will show you how to empower your workplace,
from the CEO to the entry level employee. You'll learn that laughter
isn't only the best medicine...it can be the key ingredient in turning a
floundering business into a profitable one or jump-start a stalled
career.
Make work fun and you'll create a culture of creativity where the
best people will want to work and customers will want to spend their
money. At the heart of the Fun Is Good philosophy is the need to
reexamine the way we do business, from employer-employee relationships
to customer service.
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FISH!
The Musical takes you beyond what you'd receive with a keynote or
training. It entertains, teaches and inspires, helping companies become
more aware and engaged while boosting their employees' morale. This new
way of training is the perfect solution for any venue. Whether it be a
company celebration, annual sales kick-off, business retreat, employee
or teacher appreciation; FISH! The Musical is "enter-TRAIN-ment" at
it's finest and you'll only find it through ChartHouse Learning.
FISH! The Musical...because every office needs a little harmony.
Click Here for more information!
One Day Only!
Saturday, October 10
7PM
O'Shaughnessy Auditorium
2004 Randolph Ave.
St. Paul, MNFor tickets call: 651.690.6700 or visit www.ticketmaster.com
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New Midway Chamber Member, MSA Professional Services, Inc
See all of our new member profiles on the Midway Chamber Blog!
Company: MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Main Contact for the Chamber: Joe Samuel
Title: Senior Project Manager
How long has the company been in operation: Since 1962
Company's mission statement: "A trusted partner helping clients succeed"
What do you hope to gain from your Chamber membership: Exposure in the Twin Cities market, stay connected with what's happening along the Central Corridor, and networking opportunities
Accomplishments/Company Background Information: MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) is the "trusted partner" for many public and private clients throughout the Midwest. Incorporated in 1962, MSA is an employee- owned (ESOP) company. We are well known for providing comprehensive engineering, planning, architectural, and surveying services to both public and private clients. In addition, the company provides transportation, and environmental services.
MSA's staff of approximately 300 employees are available at 14 locations throughout the Midwest: Duluth and St. Paul, Minnesota; Adams, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Madison, Marshfield, Rhinelander, and Rice Lake, Wisconsin; Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque and Des Moines, Iowa; and Galena, Illinois. The MSA team consists of engineers, architects, planners, surveyors, GIS specialists, and environmental scientists.
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Sincerely,
Lori Fritts
Midway Chamber of Commerce |
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