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| Dear Valued Members,
As we usher in 2012 the Chamber has been extremely busy. We have some changes to the Board; we have completed Phase 1 of our new slate of Board members and will be sending out voting information soon.
We have a new organizational chart for committees and a calendar for those that are meeting on a regular basis. We are welcoming new members, including member news and are about to debut our new Visitor & Resource Guide. I have included a "Business News" section that includes updates from regional and state organizations.
We have a number of exciting workshops coming up and a Windjammer Days artwork poster contest. Based on input from our members and visitors, we are working on the redesign of our map so stay tuned for more information.
We look forward to a great 2012!
Best wishes,
Catherine Wygant
Executive Director
catherine@boothbayharbor.com
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Board Update | | |
We would like to congratulate Cindy Mastrella who has accepted the position of General Manager at Spruce Point Inn. With her new position, Cindy has resigned as the President of the Chamber and the Board has voted in the following slate of officers:
Pamela Riley - President and acting Treasurer
Doug Roberts - Vice President
Evelyn Andrews - Secretary
With this change, the Board is changing to the following meeting dates and times:
3rd Wednesday of the month
Morning Meetings - Wednesday
Feb 15 - 7:30am to 9:00 am
Mar 21 - 7:30am to 9:00 am
Apr 18 - 7:30am to 9:00 am
May 16 - 7:30am to 9:00 am
Evening Meetings - Wednesday
June 20 - 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
September 19 - 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
October 17 - 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
No meetings in July & August - Still do Board Reports on Committee Meetings
We are very excited for Margaret Hoffman who has taken a new position with the Maine Office of Tourism. She needed to officially resign from the Board because one of her primary duties is industry support and outreach which could be construed as undue influence. The good news is she will be joining us in this new capacity as the Guest Speaker and Development Project Officer for Maine Office of Tourism at our Marketing Workshop on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 5:30-7:30 pm.
The nominating committee has completed the first phase of their recruitment for new Board members and will be sending out information on the new candidates and the slate for voting by the end of this month.
Click here for the Board Roster and contact names of current Board members. |
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Committee Calendar & Organizational Chart | | |
We have had a flurry of activity with our various committees. Please click here to see the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Committee Structure organizational chart.
Regular standing meetings with committees are as follows. Other committees meet on an as needed basis:
Windjammer Days Committee - Meets 2nd Tuesday of the Month at 4:00 p.m. at YMCA
Marketing Committee -Meets every week currently on Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. at the Chamber
Arts27 Committee - Meets the 2nd Friday of the month at 8:00 a.m. at the Chamber
Members & Volunteers - Meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at 8:00 a.m. at the Chamber
If you are interested in learning more about these committees, please contact the staff contact at the Chamber. |
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Member News | | |
Maine Coast Welcome Center will be hosting a complimentary "Success Express Seminar: From Phone Books to Smartphones, How customers find your business" on Thursday, February 28, 8:00 -9:00 a.m. at the Boothbay Resort, 301 Adams Pond Road, Boothbay, Maine. In this seminar Jim LeClair of the Maine Coast Welcome Center will demonstrate how businesses get on the internet mapping systems and how you can optimize your presence on the internet & smartphones to attract more customers. Click here for more details.
Gallery & Gathering Events is now open Monday - Friday from 11:00 am - 2:30 pm serving lunch with sit down or take out. You can also join the "Gallery" for their annual Valentine Dinner on February 9, 2012 with the Rotary. Cocktails and Hors d' Oeuvres at 5:30 pm, Dinner at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $30 per person with checks payable to Rotary. Last day to reserve is February 2, 2012.
Rotary & Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to Host Tropical Winter Dance Benefiting
Local Fuel Assistance Fund
These two organizations will be co-sponsoring "A Tropical Heat Wave" dance on Saturday January 28th, 2012 at the new Bosarge Family Education Center located at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. The party begins at 7:00 PM and will offer music by Portland's own Big Chief Band (www.bigchiefband.com) along with light refreshments and a cash bar until 11:00 PM. There will be a Silent Auction and a Raffle to add to the festivities. Tickets are $25.00 per person and are available at Oak Street Provisions, The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, or through any local Rotarian. Tropical Island Wear is strongly encouraged, along with your mittens of course! All proceeds will benefit the Boothbay Region Community Resources Fuel Assistance Fund.
You can also Support the Rotary AND own a beautiful book of our region! Click here to learn more.
Boothbay Register
Congratulations to Mary Brewer on her retirement! We appreciate all you have done for the community and the Chamber and wish you the best as you start this new chapter in your life.
Blueberry Broadcasing
Save the date: Blueberry Broadcasting will be holding its annual marketing workshop on March 8th at 4:00 p.m. at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens or at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the Skidompha Library in Damariscotta. Reservations are necessary as seating is limited. Please contact Marilyn Quinn at 350-0118 or marilynquinn@blueberrybroadcasting.comfor more information. |
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New Members | | |
The World is Mine Oyster
16 Wharf St., Pier 1
207-633-6616
207-380-3818- Bookings
www.mineoyster.net
Inspired by the Shakesperean
"The world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open", Ralph Smith and his team are excited about their new venture in opening the first sushi, raw bar and nightclub in the region. Located on Pier 1, between McSeagull's and Knot Gray's, you will see the doors open in the spring. Patrons can gather downstairs for fresh shucked Gliddeon Point Oysters, local savory sushi and a pint of a great Maine Brew. Upstairs great bands will have you dancing the night away. The oversize rooms upstairs will be a great place to host your event. Wedding, birthday, office parties- whatever! Mine Oyster- welcome to the Chamber.
And Candy Too!
207-633-4813
Sarah Fahnley
andcandytoo@myfairpoint.net
Try a tasteful homemade treat from new member And Candy Too! Owner Sarah Fahnely creates a wonderful array of homespun chocolates, cakes, cupcakes and more for you to treat yourself or your guests. Made with only fresh natural ingredients, everything you can spell or pronounce! All chocolate is premium Belgium chocolate- Callebaut. You can find And Candy Too! at Oak Street Provisions and the Farmers' Market on the Boothbay Common.
If you need that speical holdiay treat, wedding favors or a beautiful birthday cake, give her a call and let her work her magic. So welcome to the Chamber.
Constant Contact - Membership Benefits
Did you know that as a chamber member, you are entitled to a great discount offered through Constant Contact? You could save up to 25%! This offer is open to all members of the chamber. Constant Contact is tool that we use here at the Chamber to send out the Visitor E-New and the Executive Report. It allows you to build your email database, store client information and keep open the lines of communication.
If you are already using this powerful marketing tool, you can still take advantage of the discount. Visit the link below for more information, or contact one of us at the Chamber and we can tell you more about this great promotional product for your business.
Constant Contact for Chamber Members
Heather O'Brien
Director of Membership
heather@boothbayharbor.com |
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Marketing & PR | | |
Media Recap:
We are very pleased to announce the completion of our 2012 Visitor & Resource Guide, due to arrive in a couple of weeks! This years guide will debut several exciting new elements designed to target an even broader audience than before. The guide will also be delivered to residential homes in the region for the first time ever, making it more useful to locals and more valuable to our service members who chose to advertise in it. We worked very hard to tell the wonderful story of our region throughout the 144 pages and we look forward to hearing your feedback!
In-house Marketing:
FREE, FUN & INFORMATIVE Marketing Workshop
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
5:30-7:30 pm
Boothbay Craft Brewery
For more information about this workshop, click
here.
Do you have a topic that you would like to bring to our 'Round Table'? Call us today to share your ideas and we'll schedule the next one.
For a copy of our past workshops click on the following:
Print Advertising: The Necessary Evil
Working Together to grow your business and our region
Your Chamber is Marketing for YOU!
The chamber placed a full page ad in the 2012 Homeschoolers summer vacation guide that reaches home schooled families all over the country. This is an excellent opportunity to reach a demographic that vacations during off peak times. For more information about who and where this guide reaches, click here.
MC3 - As part of our Mid-Coast Chamber Council our MidCoast region was represented with a web banner that is running on the Downeast Magazine website during January, May and July, concurrent with the Downeast Magazine print ads. We completed a ¼-page color ad for Canadian travel journal East Coast Traveller Magazine for 2012 distribution, and a 1/3-page color ad for Yankee Magazine. All our print media this season feature a striking lighthouse scene on a rocky MidCoast shore with the tagline "Explore, Discover, Live." Click here to see the ad.
Downeast - My Maine Wedding Ad - We placed a Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber ad in Downeast in their January edition with the section Maine Vows. Click here to see the spread.
Our Marketing Committee has been meeting weekly to discuss plans for the 2012 Region map. We are taking feedback from the 2011 map very seriously and looking forward to more user friendly options. We are confident that you will be pleased with the changes and will be sending out details in the next two weeks so stay tuned!
Cheers!
Lori Pecor
Director of Marketing & Sales |
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Business News: | | |
Governor's Conference on Tourism: Catherine Wygant will be attending the Governor's Conference on Tourism this Thursday, January 26th at Sunday River. The Governor's Conference provides a forum where you can learn about tourism trends, participate in interesting educational sessions, and network with fellow industry members. Click here for more information.
Maine Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives: Catherine Wygant will be representing Boothbay Harbor at the MACCE meeting with Governor LePage on Monday, January 30 at 11:00am in the Governors Cabinet Room at the State House. The impetus for the meeting is a follow-up of the workshops held throughout the state last fall that identified several critical issues that are affecting businesses in Maine. The Governor is reaching out to the local and regional Chambers of Commerce as we are the primary advocates, voice and resource for businesses in our communities.
Maine Center for Economic Policy: Catherine Wygant heard Executive Director, Garrett Martin of the Maine Center for Economic Policy give a presentation to the Rotary Club last week called "Buying Locally Pays Big Dividends for Maine's Economy." Their analysis finds that by buying locally shifting just 10% of consumer spending from national chains to locally owned businesses would result in an additional $127 million in economic activity with 874 new jobs generating over $35 million in wages. Click here for the full report.
Maine State Chamber: You are invited to its annual "Legislative Strictly Social" networking reception on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm Senator Inn & Spa, Western Avenue, Augusta REGISTER for this FREE event by contacting Rita Stoddard at: rstoddard@mainechamber.org This an ideal way for you, the Maine business leader, to interact with legislators, business associates, new and prospective Maine State Chamber members, and government representatives in a relaxed setting.
The Maine State Chamber in Partnership with the Maine Department of Health & Human Services and the Maine Department of Labor present: Maine's Untapped Workforce - How hiring people with disAbilities makes good business $ense. Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport, Maine
This half day conference will include a welcome from the Governor's Office, (the Governor has been invited), a keynote address from Deb Russell, corporate manager for Walgreen Company, and testimonials from several businesses from right here in Maine. To Register for this event CLICK HERE or contact Amy Downing at the Maine State Chamber. Email:adowning@mainechamber.org - Phone:207-623-4568 ext. 104
Mainebiz is accepting nominations for their 2012 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year. Past Business Leaders of the Year recipients are from three sectors; large company, small company and nonprofit. Online nomination forms can be found by visiting www.mainebiz.biz/bloy and click on 'Submit Nomination'. The nomination process will be open through January 27th. Recipients will then be announced and featured in a special section of the March 19th issue of Mainebiz. Following the issue a reception celebrating the recipients will occur in May. Event location is TBD.
Maine Revenue Services Sales Tax Division: Check out the recent revisions to the following sales tax bulletins which can be viewed at www.maine.gov/revenue/salesuse/salestax/bulletinssales.htm:
IB 12 - Grocers
IB 32 - Rentals of Living Quarters
IB 39 - Sale Price Upon Which Tax is Based
ADA Regulations Update - Recreational Facilities
One of the most impactful standards from the 2010 ADA regulations will concern pools and exercise facilities. Click here to learn what you need to know.
Maine Arts Commission:
The award of the Creative Communities grants went to Waterville and Belfast. We are disappointed, however, knowing that Lincoln County's arts and cultural sector is unique and is one of our strongest economic engines --- it was exciting to think of what we could do if we were all working together!
Linda Morkeski of River Arts and Mary Ellen Barnes of LC Regional Planning Commission will meet with Donna McNeil to follow-up a review of our application, and helpful guidance for any future MAC applications. |
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Events: | | |
The Windjammer Committee in cooperation with Arts27 is pleased to announce the 1st annual Windjammer Days Design Poster Contest sponsored by The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce. The contest is an effort to support local artists and our maritime heritage with the goal of creating a design that captures the essence of the 50th Annual Windjammer Days Festival to be held June 26 - 27, 2012.
The contest will be juried by Arts27 who will judge the contest entries based on artistic interpretation, originality, visual impact, ability to reproduce in different media and contest theme. Click here for the Rules & Guidelines and here for the Entry Form. Deadline for Submission: Artwork will be accepted up until Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Artists are to mail or drop off their original artwork to the Chamber and then to pick up their artwork by Monday, March 5th at 5:00 p.m. |
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Finance | | |
We still have outstanding invoices from some members. We appreciate those who have paid up. If you have any financial questions, please speak with Rachel.
Rachel Tibbetts
rachel@boothbayharbor.com |
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Guest Relations | | | We're very excited as we've already started getting calls for Windjammer Days, our new guides and more! |
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Member Advertisements | |  |
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