 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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November 2010
| Issue No. 11 |
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A Note From Karri
Dear Chamber Member,
This letter comes with great excitement as I just amassed one of the biggest accomplishments a Chamber director can achieve. At the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals fall conference, I was awarded the 2010 Michigan Chamber Professional of the Year! I was selected by peers from several other states for my accomplishments as a Chamber director. Coming from a small Chamber and competing amongst directors throughout Michigan is definitely not an easy accomplishment. Many other Chambers have much larger budgets, more staff and more businesses to work with. I am grateful for this award and will continue to do my best to serve you, our members.
The Chamber will continue to publish the Hillsdale County Chamber Phone Directory which has become the #1 directory in Hillsdale County over the past ten years. The Chamber is committed to producing another high quality award winning directory and is actively planning the production of the 2011 Chamber Phone Directory. Our Chamber staff has worked very hard to ensure accuracy of past publications. Please note we are no longer affiliated with Eckhardt Marketing or WIN Publishing. If you are approached by either of these entities, please know they are not representing the Chamber Phone Directory. If you are interested in advertising in the Chamber directory, please give us a call.
The 41st Annual Holiday Bazaar is around the corner on Saturday, November 27.
We are looking for cookie donations for our cookie walk. We also are looking for volunteers to help with admission, concessions, lunch with Santa, candy cane hunt and the cookie walk. If you are able to donate cookies or volunteer for the bazaar, please give us a call.
We have partnered with WILX to offer an advertising package to promote Hillsdale County during this holiday season. For $400 you can be featured with another business and the Chamber in a 30 second commercial which will run 17 times. It is estimated, 90,000 people will see the commercials on an average of two times. This program is only available to the first 12 advertisers, if you are interested in learning more about this program, please give me a call as soon as possible.
We are also working with GEMS Solutions and the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals to offer you LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook webinars. Each topic is divided into three 1 hour webinars. The total cost for each topic is only $25 or $60 for all topics. More information can be found on page 6 of the newsletter.
As always, if there is anything the Chamber can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Respectfully,
Karri Doty, IOM
President/Executive Director
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Hello
Hillsdale County
Lunch
November 18, 2010
11:45 AM
Lunch Buffet
($10 per person)
Guest Speaker:
John Knevel - adjunct instructor - JCC Business Department
Topic: JCC's initiatives to help students (especially non-traditional students) develop entrepreneurial skills which will assist them as current or future small business owners
as well as in positions as key employees of other small businesses within the community.
Join us for lunchand network with other Chamber Members.
Please RSVP for this event by October 22nd.
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.
Last Hello Hillsdale County of 2010!!!
December 16
Breakfast
Hillsdale Golf
& Country Club |
How to Reduce Small Business Costs
10 Ways You Can Reduce the Cost of Running Your Small Business
By: Alyssa Gregory
Source: About.com Guide
Reducing costs in your small business and creating processes that will cost you less money over time doesn't have to take a lot of time or even a lot of effort. In many cases, it's about making smarter choices when deciding where to put your small business funds.
Here is a look at 10 ways you can reduce business costs and improve your bottom line.
1. Use Technology
Technology allows us to save money and advance our businesses in ways that weren't possible even five years ago. From teleconference tools and online payment services, to open-source software and remote desktop applications, there are many ways you can reduce business costs with technology.
Read More |
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Everything Counts!
Source: Barbara Wold
International By: Barbara World The sales and customer service experience begins when a customer picks up the phone or walks in the door.
Customers scrutinize how they are treated after the sale as much as they evaluate a business while making the decision to buy. They are closely watching how every situation is handled, especially the difficult ones.
Remember: Everything counts when it comes to a customer's loyalty.
There are four specific things that customers say they will never forget about when doing business.
1. Customers do not forget attitudes. Each member of the team is an extension of the sales and customer service experience.
2. Customers do not forget promises. Business is based on trust. When a business looses a customer's trust, there is really no basis for continuing the business relationship.
3. Customers do not forget how a business handles issues or misunderstandings. When customers have an issue or misunderstanding,more than any other time, a business has the opportunity to develop a bonded relationship.
4. Customers do not forget what happens after the sale. The best marketing tool available to a business is the customer's satisfaction after the sale. A business can set itself apart by being an after-the-sale champion.
Customers will become loyal if the sales and customer service team develops a "no matter what it takes" attitude, keeps its promises, quickly addresses issues, and takes care of them after the sale. If a business does all these things, customers will be glad to come back for more!
Remember: Everything counts!
"Opportunity is like a hair on a bald-headed man; it only comes around once and you have to grab it while it's there."
Joycelyn Elders,
First African-American U.S. Surgeon General
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Got Confidence?
Three Reasons
You Need It
By: Alyssa Gregory
Source: About.com
Successful small business owners come from all backgrounds and experience, but there is one common thread that runs through almost every single one -- confidence. Here are three reasons why confidence can help you succeed.
Confidence Fosters Trust
It's hard to trust someone who doesn't believe they can handle it. If you present yourself as a completely together, on-the-ball professional, you'll make it easier for your clients and customers to trust you, your company and your products/services.
Read More
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Welcome
New Members
RCI Painting
Robert Torres
10400 Moscow Road
Jonesville, MI 49250
(517) 513-9410
Residential, Commercial
& industrial Painting
Simply Hers Magazine
Marlanea Chestney
3670 Waldron Road
Hudson, MI 49247
(517) 320-9235
Women's Magazine
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Did You Know....
Denny Groves of Coldwell Banker Denny Groves & Associates was appointed to the Coldwell Banker Affiliate Growth Council at the annual Affiliate Growth Council meeting in Parsippany, New Jersey in October?
Toasted Mud (pottery shop) recently opened in downtown Hillsdale?
Marlanea Chestney is now producing a new women's magazine called Simply Hers?
CC's Bakery is now open and located in the Broad Street Downtown Market?
Reading Emergency Unit is having a First Aid, CPR, AED class on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 from 6pm - to 10pm & a Healthcare Provider CPR class on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 from 6pm to 10pm. Both will be held at the Hillsdale Training Center, 30 Monroe St, Hillsdale?
Lori Neill is the new branch manager at Southern Michigan Bank & Trust?
Whispering Sands Jewelry is now open in downtown Hillsdale?
Jay Williams of Southern Michigan Bank & Trust is now the President of Farm Bureau?
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Have a topic you would like more information on or know of an article that could benefit your fellow Chamber Members? Send your requests via email to Jon - jon@hillsdalecountychamber.comwith any topic requests or articles you wish to share and
we will do our best to publish
the information in the Commerce Connection. When submitting articles please include the author and source so that permission can be obtained for the usage of the material.
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 The Hillsdale County
Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors
& Staff
would like to
congratulate Karri
for receiving the
2010 Michigan
Chamber Professional
of the Year Award
presented by the Michigan Association
of Chamber Professionals
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KARRI DOTY NAMED
MICHIGAN CHAMBER
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
FOR ACHIEVEMENT BY STATE ASSOCIATION
LANSING, MI- The Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals (MACP) recognized Karri Doty of the Hillsdale County Chamber of Commerce with the Michigan Chamber Professional of the Year Award. Doty was selected through a competitive process with other local Chamber of Commerce professionals for her demonstration of high professional development and leadership standards. Doty was selected from three Chamber executives in Michigan to be named Michigan Chamber Professional of the Year.
"MACP is proud to present Karri Doty with the 2010 Michigan Chamber Professional of the Year Award," said Bob Thomas, MACP director. "Through Karri's service on the MACP Board of Directors, her leadership at the Hillsdale County Chamber of Commerce and her example to other Chamber executives nationally makes her an outstanding recipient deserving of this award."
The Michigan Chamber Professional program requires recipients to meet minimum criteria in three areas annually. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in Professional Development, Professional Service and Organizational Performance.
Under Professional Development, candidates for the Michigan Chamber Professional Award earned points for continuing education efforts; for Professional Service, points were earned by serving on local or professional boards or by having articles published; and Professional Performance points were earned for membership growth, the quality of their communications pieces, unique or innovative programs, and advocacy efforts in their respective Chambers.
The Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals is the industry association for over 270 Chambers in Michigan. Its mission is to build excellence in Chambers of Commerce through organizational and board-level resource support, professional development for chamber staff and to promote the image of Chambers of Commerce across the state.
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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. |
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Volunteers wanted!
Can you volunteer at the 41st Annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday,
November 27? Volunteers are needed to help with registration, concessions, cookie walk, lunch with Santa and the candy cane hunt. Shifts are available throughout the day from 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
If you are able to help, please call 517-437-6401 and let us know where you would like to volunteer.
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HOMEMADE COOKIES WANTED.....
Homemade cookies are needed for our annual cookie walk on Saturday, November 27 in conjunction with the 41st Annual Holiday Bazaar.
If you are able to donate cookies, please call the Chamber at 437-6401.
Cookies will be accepted on Tuesday, November 23 and Wednesday, November 24 at the Chamber Office or Saturday, November 27 at
Hillsdale High School (back entrance).
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A message from State Representative Ken Kurtz |
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November 1, 2010
This election will signal RESOLVE over PANIC. Panic gripped our state and nation in 2009 and much of 2010 as we watched our state fall to the very bottom in economic categories. We have lived through a "lost decade" of deep recession, bankruptcy of two major automakers and a contraction of our manufacturing base, leading to the loss of nearly 1 million jobs. Michigan's unemployment rate has stubbornly held at first or second highest in the nation for nearly 3 years in a row. Home foreclosures and unemployment checks have become all too common. In some respects many feel we have nowhere to go but up.
However examples of our resolve exist in the businesses, schools and homes of every community. We have
become more focused on priorities within our local and state government and I believe this will continue.
Manufacturing is showing signs of slowly coming back and unemployment numbers are beginning to edge lower. We are seeing new faces willing to look ahead for results instead of looking back to point blame. Every person has had to ask, "What can I do to help get through this?"
I believe the results of this election indicate that reform is being demanded by the voters, even when painfully difficult. Changes in our tax structure and regulation must take place to allow business to more easily thrive in Michigan. Government departments must be held accountable and live within the funding that is realistically available.
Next Year, new leadership will bring a new vision and commitment to make the tough choices that are needed to find better days ahead. My resolve is strengthened by the determination that I see in the citizens of Hillsdale and Branch Counties. I am committed to do my best in working with a new Governor and legislature for the
continuing good and future of Michigan.
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
Eric Potes - County National Bank
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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