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Chamber Newsletter
November 2011
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Marci's Corner
It's November, and I don't know about you, but I'm having a great time sampling all of the fall foods our local chefs are preparing, the mellow red wines and fall brews in town, and thinking about my holiday shopping already.
Speaking of holiday shopping, La Conner is showcased in the November issue of WestWorld magazine as a perfect place for our Canadian friends to come stay, play and do their holiday shopping. If you'd like to see the article, stop by the Chamber office.
CANADIAN FAM TOUR A HUGE SUCCESS
What a successful FAM tour we had in October! Twelve people who work in the B.C. concierge service, representing 5 upscale hotels and Air Canada, visited La Conner for a 2-night stay. Most had never been to La Conner before.They were treated to wine tasting at Hellam's Vineyard, dinner and gifts at Swinomish Casino, lodging at La Conner Channel Lodge/Country Inn, Skagit Bay Hideaway, Heron Inn, and Wild Iris Inn, a tour of Washington Bulb/RoozenGaarde, lunch at La Conner Brewing Company and La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib House, a boat tour of the Swinomish Channel, tour of each museum and finally dinner at La Conner Channel Grill. Each of our guests had a full Welcome Basket in their room with generous gifts from many La Conner businesses. This FAMiliarization visit could not have happened without YOUR support! These 12 influential people have returned to their respective places of work and will happily refer their guests to be sure and visit La Conner, either for a day trip or overnight stay. Thank you!
And from our Canadian guests:
"A big thank you to all the suppliers and vendors who were involved in making this trip so memorable for us. We appreciate their generosity and enthusiasm and definitely we sense the pride that they have for La Conner. We look forward to recommending this wonderful little part of the world to our guests." Shelley Hayashi, Regional Secretary - BC, Les Clefs d'Or Canada, Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver
"We were overwhelmed by the hospitality of La Conner Chamber of Commerce as well as the entire city. No doubt, we were left with a lasting impression of this picturesqe, seaside city and it will always have a place in our hearts. It is also the warmth and hospitality that will draw us to return, and to recommend to our friends and clients this "hidden treasure" called La Conner." Mila Ubungen-Chee, Air Canada concierge
MARKETING LA CONNER UPDATE 2011 is the third year that the Port, Town and Chamber have worked together to significantly enhance our efforts in marketing La Conner. The first two years generated a TV commercial, radio advertising, and historic signs directing visitors to "La Conner Historic Waterfront". This year we hired a marketing expert in order to conduct an analysis of what marketing has been done, and where we should go from here. The Port hired Ken Saunderson of Saunderson Marketing Group out of Seattle earlier this spring; Ken has since written a complete Tourism Marketing report, given two presentations to the La Conner business community, helped implement a Tourism Marketing committee, and continues to meet monthly with the committee and Task Force. The Chamber has taken on Ken's recommendations and will listen to the Task Force's recommendations going forward. The next Tourism Marketing meeting will be held Wednesday, December 7th at 8am in Maple Hall. Ken's continued involvement with moving the La Conner Tourism ideas forward are financed by the Town and Chamber. We will continue to keep the Chamber membership apprised of what the committee, the Task Force, and ultimately the Chamber decide concerning ongoing marketing efforts.
Let us know what you have planned in your business, so that we can continue to support your marketing efforts through community outreach and our monthly visitor e-newsletter. Our Calendar of Events is an amazing resource - based on the information you continue to provide to us. Thanks, and keep up the good work! We also love pictures that would entice visitors to stay and play ... send them along with your news so we can post them as well. (p.s. we especially love it when you send them as a jpg or a gif!)
By the way, as you've probably noticed, our member newsletter has a new look and a new logo. Julie Burgmeier/Skagit Marketing, Janet Gifford/Writeology and I came up with the concept and layout and Eve McCauley of Watered Roots Design created our logo.
Have a great month, and if I don't get a chance to talk to you in person, please have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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How to Reach Us
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Marci Plank
Executive Director
PO Box 1610
La Conner, WA
360.466.4778 or toll free 888.642.9284
Reinhild Thompson
VIC Director
PO Box 1610
La Conner, WA
360.466.4778 or toll free 888.642.9284
Board Meetings
Third Tuesday of the month
9:00am
La Conner Garden Club
~Open to all Members~
If you have comments or questions for the board and are unable to attend, email Marci Plank with "Member Comments" in the subject line. Your comments will be read at the board meeting.
_________________________
WANT TO GET SOCIAL?
WE'LL SHOW
YOU HOW!
Free Chamber Workshop
Monday, November 14
8:30am-9:30am
Wild Iris Inn meeting room
Social Media Marketing can
ramp up your business.
Come get ideas and solutions!
________________________
If you know a business owner who might like to receive our e-newsletter, please feel free to forward it along.
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@WORK
LA CONNER PROMOTED AT THE NORTHWEST WOMEN'S SHOW IN CANADA
A big thank you to Jane Schmidt and Sarah Nelson,who recently attended the Northwest Women's show in Canada, and reported back that it was a huge success. The projected attendance was 25,000 people and there were approximately 400 booths. Vendors included home décor, food & culinary, travel & tourism and personal care. The Channel Lodge/Country Inn booth had nearly 1,500 people sign up for their drawing alone. According to Jane and Sarah, a large majority of people who stopped by the booth said, "We haven't been to La Conner in 10 years...we love La Conner." Along with their company marketing materials, Jane and Sarah also handed out information on La Conner as well, including information on the holiday shopping program.Thanks Jane & Sarah, for helping spread the word about La Conner and all we have to offer!
CHAMBER WEBSITE UPDATE
We're moving along on the new Chamber website, getting ready to build the platform, then begin the content process. We have accepted bids from How It Works for the platform and a new local business, Writeology, for the content. Julie Burgmeier of Skagit Marketing is also playing a key role in making sure all the pieces come together as planned. I'll keep you updated as this project comes together. The new user-friendly layout and functionality will maximize our ability to promote La Conner as a terrific destination location, and promote our Chamber member businesses and all they have to offer.
SKAGIT BUSINESS ALLIANCE LOOKING FOR REPRESENTATIVES
The Skagit Business Alliance (SBA) brings together chambers of commerce, the builders association, realtors and other interested business groups to represent the Skagit County business community. The alliance enables members to speak with a unified and thus stronger voice. The SBA meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month, 7:30 am at the Farmhouse Inn. Each town in Skagit County is asked to have at least 2 representatives, one from the chamber and one from the business community. Next meeting is Tuesday, November 15th. If YOU are interested in joining this advocacy group to help address legislative issues that affect small businesses, please let Marci know.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS NOVEMBER 26
A coalition of national businesses is urging shoppers to trade at their local small business outlets on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, the day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year in the heart of the holiday shopping season. Leading the coalition of advocates is the non-partisan, San Francisco-based Women Impacting Public Policy. The national Small Business Saturday movement is a day to support local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods. About 90 percent of WRA's membership is composed of businesses that employ fewer than 100 people. Founding sponsor American Express began the campaign in 2010.
"Shopping small" can have a widespread economic impact, organizers say. Their consultants suggest that for every $100 spent at a local small business, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. The majority of jobs created in the U.S. the past decade have been in small businesses, organizers say.
3RD ANNUAL "SEASON OF GIVING" PROGRAM
For the third year in a row, businesses in La Conner will be celebrating the "Season of Giving" this holiday season. For three Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 10% of sales at participating merchants will be designated to a different charity:
- November 27: Hospice of the Northwest Foundation
- December 4: Humane Society of Skagit County
- December 11: Boys and Girls Club of Skagit County
Last year we had 30 businesses participate and we are asking for your participation this year.The Chamber will be sending out press releases, promoting this on our website, and adding bylines to advertising about the event. Each charity will include our event in their newsletter, and will send out reminder emails to their members as well. We would love to list your business as one of our partners! For more information, contact Cathie Wyman via email or call her at: 360-466-4148.
For members on the quarterly dues plan, don't forget that your 2nd Quarter dues are now due. 3rd and 4th quarter dues will be due on January 1 and April 1, respectively. If you're not currently a Chamber member but would like more information, I'd be more than happy to come talk to you about the benefits of membership. Just give me a call at the Chamber office: 360-466-4778.
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Business to Business (B2B)
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INCREASE SALES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Free, one-hour Chamber workshop
Monday, November 14th
8:30am-9:30am
Wild Iris Inn meeting room
If you're not paying attention to social media marketing and how it is changing the face of retail business, you're missing out on a whole lot of potential revenue. Traditional marketing will never go away, but social media marketing is so important these days! Right now, Facebook users total 77% of the U.S. population - in Western Washington alone, that's more than 1 million people on Facebook who are talking about their lives, talking about their interests and talking about (and referring!) the businesses that they know, like and trust. Is your business on their list?
There are easy ways to successfully tap into social media marketing, without a lot of cost, and without a lot of time. Want to know how? Join Julie Burgmeier/Skagit Marketing and Janet Gifford/Writeology for a free one-hour Chamber workshop that will make you a believer, and get you started on the right path to generating more business using social marketing. RSVP to Marci Plank or call Marci at 466-4778.
CHANNEL LODGE/COUNTRY INN LOOKING FOR SHOPPER'S PACKAGE PARTNERS
Are you interested in becoming a featured business through the Channel Lodge/Country Inn's Shopper's Package? The packages includes a $30 coupon to the featured shop of the month. There is no cost to you, you simply accept the coupon and then turn it in for payment. If you'd like more information contact Sarah Nelson at the Channel Lodge - 360-466-3101.
JOIN THE CHAMBER AMBASSADORS FOR SOME HOLIDAY CHEER
 The La Conner Chamber Ambassador Committee invites you to a Christmas Potluck! This will be a terrific evening and a way to enjoy some time with your friends in a festive atmosphere. You can RSVP via the evite sent via email, or click here to RSVP.
Host: Mary Davis
Tuesday, December 6
6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: 113 S. Whatcom St, La Conner
WELCOME WAGON
Would you like the new chamber members to know about your business? The La Conner Chamber now has an Ambassador Committee to help welcome new businesses to town and encourage them to become members of the Chamber. If you'd like to find out more, contact Marci at the Chamber office.
MOORAGE AVAILABLE
The Swinomish Yacht Club has two dock spaces open for moorage; available from Oct 1st to May 1st, 2012. The space is open dock which can handle sail or power boats.We charge $390/month for 50 feet of dock, but we include the power in the fee. We have space for two boats. A smaller boat will be a smaller fee depending on the dock space required. For more information, contact Ed Brooks at 425-750-4312.
LA CONNER MARITIME SERVICE & MARITIME FABRICATIONS
SPECIAL discount through November 30th - 10% off labor & materials for winterization work (includes shrink wrapping) and 10% off labor for service work found during winterization inspection. For more info or to schedule and appointment, call 360-466-3629 or check out their website. Located at 920 W. Pearle Jensen Way.
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Community & Lifestyle
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WE LOVE THE HALLOWEEN PARADE!
A huge thank you to all of our wonderful businesses who participated in the Halloween parade and trick-or-treat fun. We talked to many parents who told us that this is one of their favorite events of the year, and that they are SO appreciative that Kiwanis and the local business community make it a special afternoon for the entire community. Thanks again ... it was really fun for everyone.
HALLOWEEN PARADE NOT JUST FOR LOCALS ...
Our Chamber volunteers were out during the Halloween Parade - taking photos and video for our new website. While out and about, they ran into 4 parade viewers, sitting on a bench by the La Conner 'Tav'. Turns out they are artists from Snohomish, Everett and Mukilteo, who decided a trip to La Conner was in order before winter sets in. The day they could come happened to be Monday, October 31 - so one of the women looked on the Chamber website to see if there was anything fun going on. The event of the day was our Halloween parade and trick-or-treat fun ... and our guests thought that was just the icing on the cake for them. They got to wander our shops, have a great lunch, and experience Halloween, La Conner style. Said one of the guests, "How fun is this??!! We had a great day, and now we get a parade. We're coming back next year on Halloween, and we're bringing another car full of our friends. This was a really fun day!"
WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUN LA CONNER FACTS
The finishing touches are being put on the Children's Passport, and we're looking for fun and/or silly facts to put on the History of La Conner page. If you have the skinny on something that kids would like (and would make them laugh), we'd love to hear from you. You can contact Marci at the Chamber office, or Sara Eisen, project coordinator. Let's give kids not only fun things to know about La Conner's history (or residents/pets/stories), but things that will help them remember us for years to come.
LA CONNER WELLNESS GUIDE
The new community wellness guide is back from the printer and now available for distribution. If you'd like copies of the new guide, stop by the Chamber office.
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Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA)
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"TOURISM IS NOT AN EXPENSE, IT IS AN INVESTMENT"
- $15 Billion is spent overall on tourism in WA State
- $1 Billion in tax revenue is generated by tourism
- 140,000 jobs are tourism-related
- 80% of small businesses in WA State are tourism-related
- $365 per household taxes is paid by tourism
The WTA, a non-profit 507(c)6 organization, was created in February 2011 following the announcement of the closure of the Washington State Tourism office in June of 2011, in order to sustain the Washington State tourism program. According to WTA: "At a time when our economy is faltering and the state will no longer direct tourism marketing, the responsibility falls to
those who have a vested interest in the industry to make bold moves."
In order for Washington State to continue to promote tourism, businesses and individuals simply MUST help support the WTA.
How can you help? By joining WTA either as a business or an individual member. By getting involved, and supporting WTA. By recognizing that without WTA, our ability to influence and attract the tourism industry - and continue to reap its economic benefits - is severely limited by the size of our community, and our inability to adequately fund tourism marketing on our own.
Individual Members: $25
Company Members: $300
If you want more information, give Marci Plank a call at 466-4778. You can also go to the WTA website, or send them an email, for more information or to become a member.
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Member Resources
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WASHINGTON RETAIL ALLIANCE
There is often great information about the health of the retail industry - both nationwide and statewide - at the Washington Retail Association website. If you're not familiar with this organization, you might find it a good resource.
Check the EDASC website for details on each of the classes below. Unless otherwise listed, all workshops are at the EDASC offices at 204 West Montgomery in Mount Vernon. Register online at least 24 hours before the workshop; to register, click here, then click on the individual class to go to the registration page. Sessions are produced in partnership with Skagit Valley College and the Small Business Development Center (SBA).
- November 8: Planning and Financing a Business. FREE! 1pm-4:30pm. Refreshments provided.
- November 10: Understanding State Business Taxes. $10 member, $20 non-members. Noon-1:30pm. Lunch provided.
- November 16: Managing Conflict Effectively. $30 members, $40 non-members. Noon-1:30pm. Lunch provided.
- November 21: Planning and Financing a Business. Orcas Island. Provided in partnership with the San Juan County Economic Development Council. Workshop held at Orcas Fire Hall. FREE! 9am-12:30pm. Refreshments provided. Click here
to register.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
From time to time we get requests for contact information for various state and federal agencies. Below are links you might find useful:
PUGET SOUND ENERGY OFFERS REBATES FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMMERCIAL LIGHTING
Did you know that installing energy-efficient lighting in your building is one of the quickest, easiest and cheapest ways for you to save energy and money on your utility bill each month?
PSE is offering the following rebates for businesses and other non-residential organizations:
- Light Emitting Diodes (LED) Lamps - rebates range from $10 to $25
- Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) - rebates range from $3 to $12
- Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) Lamps - rebate is $25
- Reduced-wattage T8 Fluorescent Lamps - onetime rebate of $1 per lamp (Rebate limited to projects that are re-lamping the entire building or entire floor.)
Be sure to check out the complete information on qualifying products and how to participate by visiting PSE.com/ForYourBusiness or by calling a PSE Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482.
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La Conner Live
Join Marci on Monday mornings and find out what's happening in La Conner and the surrounding valley.
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