 Hillsdale County Chamber of Commerce
22 North Manning Street
Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517) 437-6401 Fax: (517) 437-6408
www.hillsdalecountychamber.com |
2010 Chamber Associate Members
 
2010 Chamber Partner Member
County National Bank | |
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September 2010
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Issue No. 9 |
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A Note From Karri
 Dear Chamber Member,
I apologize for the delay in getting this month's newsletter edition to you. We have had a few road blocks that delayed us. Thanks to all who called wondering if their newsletter had been lost in the mail.
The last several weeks have been very busy at the Chamber. We co-hosted a golf outing with the Hillsdale County Sheriff Department, held our Member Picnic & Annual Meeting, hosted a four day Texas Hold 'Em tournament at the Hillsdale Hunt Club and held a two day Fall Used Vehicle Blowout Sale with six Hillsdale County car dealers at the Jonesville Crossing/Wal Mart Parking Lots. We are now preparing for the "Most Popular Fair On Earth."
A membership benefit the Chamber provides is the ability to showcase your business at our fair booth during the Hillsdale County Fair. Businesses may utilize the Chamber's booth for a half day shift (10 AM - 4 PM or 4 PM - 10 PM). This is a great opportunity to have your business on display. If you are interested in utilizing our booth, please give us a call for more details.
Are you participating in the TUF program? Many businesses have experienced increased traffic and sales from this program. Interested in learning more about TUF? Please give us a call.
I am pleased to report I will be working on the design committee through South Central Michigan Works! to implement a revolving loan fund for Hillsdale County. This is a necessary tool in the economic development arena to help small business. We will be applying for a loan through USDA in December. This will be a great asset for Hillsdale County. I will keep you posted as to the progress.
Are you interested in serving on the Hillsdale County Chamber Board of Directors? We are looking for a couple of people to fill vacancies. Each term is a three year term and is renewable for one additional term. If you would like to learn more, please give me a call or speak with any of the board members.
As always, if there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Respectfully,
Karri Doty, IOM
President/Executive Director |
A Message from the Chairperson
 Dear Chamber Member,
I
would like to personally thank every one that attended the second
annual member picnic & annual meeting. Thank you to Karri & her
staff, the board members & the many volunteers that are always
ready to help!
Also
thanks to Karri & Jon for attending the SOURCE Event at Hillsdale
College on Tuesday, September 7. I don't know of a better way to
represent the membership to the students of the college than to promote the TUF program at the start of their stay in Hillsdale County!
Don't
miss the chance to have your business on display at the Hillsdale
County Fair by using the Chamber's fair booth - call Jon for details!
In
closing I would like to thank the great Board of Directors for all of
their hard work this year, Joe, Scott, Cyndi, Michael Lee, Raymond,
& Jeanne. No matter what we have going on at the Chamber, they are
always ready to make it happen!!
Thanks,
Jeff Layman, Board Chairperson
Layman's Service Center |
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Hello
Hillsdale County
Lunch
September 23, 2010
7:45 AM
Breakfast Buffet
($10 per person)
Location:
Johnny T's Bistror
Join us for lunch and network with other Chamber Members.
Please RSVP for this event by September 20th
Register for this event by clicking this link!
Pre-payment or payment at time of breakfast is requested.
An additional $2 fee will be added for those being billed or for those without an RSVP.
Cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to the event and
no- shows will be billed $12.
2010
Hello Hillsdale County dates & locations
October 28
Breakfast
Warner's
Family Restaurant
November 18
Lunch
Saucy Dog's Barbeque
December 16
Breakfast
Hillsdale Golf
& Country Club |
Three Social Marketing Myths Busted
Source: www.fivesparrows.com
Social marketing offers plenty of benefits for small businesses, but there are a number of common misconceptions that may be holding you back from embracing this new form of marketing.
Here are three common excuses used to avoid using social networking as a business marketing strategy, and the reasons these excuses are really nothing more than myths.
1. "Our customers don't use social networks."
Really? Facebook has 500 million users, with half of active users logging in every single day. In addition to that, each Facebook user has an average of 130 "friends" in their own personal networks. Combine that with Twitter's more than 100 million users and LinkedIn's 60 million users, and it would be difficult to imagine your customers not among these millions of users! |
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5 Ways To Encourage People To Share Your Content
By: Lisa Barone On August 26,
Source: Small Business Trends
You spend hours creating linkable blog posts, valuable resources and juicy articles all so that your customers will find something to dig into and engage with. You know that producing great content is one powerful way of increasing your own authority. But you don't want the interaction to just stop there. Oh no! You want your customers to share your great content with their own network because doing so gives your content legs and increases the brand exposure for your business.
But what are you doing to make it easy for your customers to share your brand? Are you putting
obstacles in their way or are you instead breaking down those walls and giving them the sharing tools they're looking for? That's the question.
Below are five ways to increase user spread of your content.
Use Twitter Buttons
Twitter continues to be one of the most popular ways for Web users to share and pass on content in their networks. Users like sharing content on
Twitter because it's fast paced, allows them to play the role as discoverer, and they can use it to start their own conversations. However, you need to
encourage them to share it. In order for the typical user to share your resource on Twitter they need to find it, use a link shortening service to shorten the link, and then go back to Twitter to tweet it out to their network. That may be too many steps for them. To help encourage spread, embed an a service like TweetMeme on your site to allow
people to tweet your post directly from that page.
Read More |
Got E-Marketing?
Source: www.fivesparrows.com
Of the hundreds or possibly thousands of marketing messages consumers are bombarded with each day, e-marketing is still one of the most effective marketing methods available, in both the online and offline worlds. In fact, a study from Forbes Media last year found that e-marketing generated the most conversions, second only to search engine optimization. Offline, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reported that e-marketing out performed all other forms of direct marketing last year as well. So the data clearly shows that e-marketing works for reaching (and converting) customers today. But why?
A Broad Reach
One of the reasons e-marketing works so well could be that it has a very broad reach, since almost everyone today has an email address, and many have more than one. Spam-compliant e-marketing services (such as Constant Contact or Vertical Response) are readily available and very affordable, meaning you can easily reach your entire customer base using email. If you are not regularly e-marketing to your customers, you're missing out on an excellent opportunity to keep your name and products/services in front of customers and remind them of the value you provide.
Read More
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Welcome New Members
Bi-County Herald, Inc.
John Monahan
115 South Church Street
Hudson, MI 49247
(517) 448-2201
Weekly Advertiser
Diverse Lawn Care, LLC
Chris & Ryan Finch
5990 Half Moon Lake Road
Jonesville, MI 49250
(517) 849-2048
Lawn Care & Snow Plowing
Frank Beck Chevrolet - Cadillac
Franklin Beck
3750 West Carleton Road
Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 849-2886
Chevrolet & Cadillac
Sales & Service
Patrick's Gold
Regina Scheidler
584 Olds Street
Jonesville, MI 49250
(269) 832-6768
Buyer/Seller of Gold
& Silver
The Archery Spot
Tina Jenkins
3400 East Territorial Road
Camden, MI 49232
(517) 254-4455
Archery & Firearms Sales & Service
WIN Publishing
John Klein
P.O. Box 206
Hudson, MI 49247
(517) 383-2261
Visual Communications,
Publishing, Website Design & Hosting, Commercial
Photography |
Did You Know....
The Hillsdale Bob Evans
plant was awarded as the
most productive plant for the most pounds produced in the 2010 fiscal year with 18,217,462 pounds?
Hillsdale Interiors now
cleans blinds & draperies?
DJ's of Pittsford celebrated
their 19th Anniversary
this month?
You can submit your ideas
for the name of the new restaurant (which will replace
the former ChicagoWater
Grill) until September 26?
Send your suggestions to chicagowatergrill@sbcglobal.net. You must put "Name Contest" as the e-mail subject.
You can display your business at the Hillsdale County Fair through the Chamber's booth?
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Michigan Residents Interested in Appliance Rebate Program Should Act Soon Program offers rebates for replacing old appliances with new energy efficient ones
By: Mario L. Morrow
Source: Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
August 23, 2010 - Michigan residents interested in replacing an old appliance with a new energy efficient one and receiving a rebate from a state program should act soon because 60 percent of the rebate funding has been expended.
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The views expressed in the Commerce Connection may not necessarily reflect the views of the Hillsdale CountyChamber of Commerce or its staff. |
 Annual Meeting & Member Picnic
The 2nd Annual Meeting & Member Picnic was
a great success.
The Chamber staff and volunteers prepared and served locally grown and produced foods
from five Hillsdale County farms and Bob Evans.
Special thanks to All Star Rental, Bob Evans, Glei's Orchards & Greenhouses, Hillsdale County Parks Commission and Therapeutic Massage for their generous contributions.
Hats off to the following volunteers for preparing a delicious meal: Rosie Dryer, Rachel Jablonski, Debbie, Jeff & Heather Layman, Raymond & Linda Lee, Melissa McKitterick, Scott & Nita Phillips, Joe & Joyce Sanford, Ron Spence & Tina Stevenson.
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A message from State Representative Ken Kurtz |
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The focus of the Michigan Legislature continues to be on the immediate needs of the state budget. I will be committed during this time to no new taxes, no increased fees or any other type of revenue enhancement. Long term solutions are needed, but temporary "fixes" are being proposed and passed that simply shift funds from one line to another. I recognize, as with many, that as a state we need to control our spending. Legislative proposals to address waste and fraud are on the table in various committees with little action being taken.
I recently voted against transferring funds from the K-12 budget to other budget areas. I will continue to vote against using stimulus dollars to fill budget holes. These are short term in nature and do not solve any of the issues related to how Michigan spends money. We must better prioritize our spending and be ever more diligent in finding greater efficiencies in providing the services that folks expect from state government. I have introduced legislation to make the "Open Burning Barrel" a local issue has yet to come out of committee.
I believe that our local municipalities and our citizens can control any concerns here. I am hopeful that the election this fall will bring a more positive approach to doing business in Michigan.
I was very encouraged to see that Rick Snyder chose Brian Calley to be his running mate as Lieutenant Governor. I have developed a good relationship with Representative Calley as he has been one I sat next to in the House of Representatives during my first term. Brian is highly regarded for his knowledge and commitment to reform in respect to more business friendly policies coming out of Lansing, particularly in the area of tax policy. He is also recognized within the legislature as being a person very willing to work together for the mutual good of Michigan citizens. This will be the attitude that is needed to move Michigan in a positive direction. I am excited to be a part of moving forward, and it is certainly a pleasure and an honor to continue serving the fine people of Hillsdale and Branch Counties.
I am encouraged with the positive sounds from all our farmers of a good growing season and the anticipation of a good harvest. With fall around the corner, we all are looking forward to the "fair" in Hillsdale and wish our 4-H clubs and individuals a successful time. My door is always open to the cares and concerns of our friends and neighbors.
As always feel free to contact me through my office.
Kenneth Kurtz
State Representative
58th District
Phone: (517) 373-1794
Toll Free: (866) 362-8812
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Advertising, Email Blast & Insertion Rates
Advertising
3" x 2 ½" ad in Commerce Connection ad provided by you (jpeg or PDF format) - $25
or 12 ads - one per month - 4 changes per year - $175
3" x 5" ad in Commerce Connection ad provided by you (jpeg or PDF format) - $42.50 or 12 ads - one per month - 4 changes per year - $410
3" x 7 ½" ad in Commerce Connection ad provided by you (jpeg or PDF format) - $60
or 12 ads - one per month - 4 changes per year - $510
E-mail blast
E-mail blasts will be sent once per week - $35 per blast
Inserts
Chamber composes & prints - (black print & 1 side) $165.00
(exclusive - no other inserts)
You compose & supply 250 copies, Chamber inserts & mails $125.00
(exclusive - no other inserts)
Chamber composes & prints (black print & 1 side) $115.00 (with other inserts)
You compose & supply 250 copies, Chamber inserts & mails $75.00 - Month
(with other inserts) $25 for ads created by Chamber Color printing - $25
Colored paper - $10 Second side printing - $10 black and white & $25 color
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Chamber Board of Directors and Staff
Executive Board of Directors
Chairperson - Jeff Layman - Layman's Service Center
Vice Chairperson - Joe Sanford - Century 21 Action Associates
Member At Large - Raymond Lee - Raymond Lee Custom Carpentry
Treasurer (Non-Voting) - Jeanne Mills - Bottom Line Business Service
Board of Directors
Scott Phillips - Coldwell Banker
Cyndi Young - WCSR
Michael Lee Thorp - The Plant Nook Florist
Chamber Staff
Karri Doty, IOM - President/Executive Director
Jon Doty - Administrative Assistant
Kathy Spence -Administrative Assistant |
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