CHAMBER NEWS  AUGUST 2012
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The Mission of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce is to serve, represent and be the leading advocate for the business interests of its membership in ways that enhance the environment of the business community and quality of life and well being of residents and visitors.
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LEADERSHIP
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EXECUTIVE BOARD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LORETTA LODGE
PRESIDENT
DOUG CAMP
The Investor's Friend
VICE PRESIDENT
DAVID BOWMAN
PNC Bank
TREASURER
DIANE BRANDT
CNB Bank
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DAVID BOWMAN
PNC Bank
BOB GREENWALD
East Coast Storage
JON HANLEY
Hanleyman Services, LLC
JIM RICH
Inn at Huntingfield Creek
JIM ROSS
Chester River Health System
BILL RUCKELSHAUS
Champion Realty, Inc.
KATIE WARRINGTON
Horizon Organic Dairy
LANSING WILLIAMS
Washington College
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From the Executive Director
Greetings!
Well it has certainly been a hot one out there these past few weeks. Hopefully many of you were able to stay inside as temperatures reached triple digits.
The 2012-2013 Kent County Chamber of Commerce Directory should be arriving at the Chamber office any day now. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many members who supported this project by advertising in the Directory. A copy will be arriving in all of our Chamber members' mailboxes soon!
Please use this Directory as your primary source for business goods and services. These locally owned businesses significantly give back to our county, and have committed themselves to being a part of the local community of business leadership working together. Would you, in turn, help them by reinvesting your money into the local economy? You may be surprised by all that our area businesses have to offer!
Coming up, quarterly Chamber business breakfasts are in the planning stages. We will be arranging to have speakers at each of these breakfasts. If you have not taken the time to complete the brief survey sent out electronically, inquiring about topics of interest, (see notice later in this newsletter), please take a moment and do so now. These breakfasts are to benefit you, our members and we want to know what you want to hear about.
On another note, have you put in your request for hosting a Business after Hours? Call the Chamber office! This is the classic B2B networking event of all Chambers and a great way to meet fellow members at your place of business. We can even help pair you up with another member if you don't have a place of business (i.e. non-profit or work out of your home), but still want to host and let people get to know more about you.
I look forward to hearing from many of you.
Enjoy the lazy days of summer in our beautiful county.
Loretta
Loretta M. Lodge
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Welcome New Members The following businesses have recently made an important investment in their future and a significant commitment to the community by joining the Kent County Chamber of Commerce _________________________ GALE WINDS SERVICES Property Care-taking & Management and Clementine's Catering Kim Gale 24753 Langford Road Chestertown, MD 21620 Tel 410.778.9044 kgale@starband.com Gale Winds Services offers several care-taking and property management programs to look after your home and/or property, whether you are at home or away. Our Clementine's Catering and personal chef service will delight your appetite in a variety of ways. Your in-home chef will cook your dinner, serve your parties and amaze your guests! She prepares food from scratch, for the heart and from the heart. Whether you are a resident, popping in for the weekend or spending the holidays with family, let us come to your home and cook for you. Grocery shopping, meal preparation and delivery are also available. LIVING AT HOME HEALTH SERVICES, LLC Terri Dowling, RN 202 Maple Avenue Chestertown, MD 21620 Tel 410.778.2212 | Fax 410.778.2249 livingathomellc@yahoo.com Living at Home Health Services provides local home health for five counties on the Eastern Shore, helping elderly or disabled patients age at home. We work with local home agencies and other resources.
SAMARITAN GROUP, INC.
Nancy Bennington
350 High Street Chestertown, MD 21620
The mission of the Kent County Department of Social Services is to promote personal responsibility, dignity and self-sufficiency, protect vulnerable children and adults, and preserve families WILDLIFE DAMAGE CONTROL Willlie Gale
24753 Langford Road Chestertown, MD 21620 Tel 410.778.9044 galewinds50@gmail.com Wildlife Damage Control is your nuisance wildlife professionals. We remove undesired wildlife from in and around your dwelling, and relocate them in a humane and professional manner.
Just call the Critter Gitter!
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Please join us in welcoming our newest Chamber members! |
Membership & Marketing Committee Meeting
Chamber Office, 122 N. Cross Street, Chestertown
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Chamber Board Meeting
Chamber Office, 122 N. Cross Street, Chestertown
The meeting is open to all members. Please contact Loretta at 410/810-2968 or
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NEWS FROM & FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS
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We Want to Know What You Want to Know!
To All Our Chamber Members
A series of open quarterly breakfast meetings is in the planning stages.
We will have speakers at each of these meetings and are asking you to help us determine key topics of interest.
Please take a moment and click here for a "BRIEF" one-question survey to help us determine what topics are of interest to you, our members.
Thanks in advance for your input!
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Mid-Atlantic Precision Agriculture Equipment Day
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
9:00 AM - 3:15 PM
Caroline County 4-H Park
8230 Detour Road, Denton, MD 21629
For more information and to register please visit our website
or call
410-228-8800 or 410-758-0166
Practical and informative advice will be given on precision seeding, economics and practical implementation of planter section control, modifying equipment for variable rate application, variable rate irrigation, and much more. Come learn from some of the top, nationally recognized speakers in agriculture equipment and machinery engineering.
Speakers Include:● Dr. Randy Taylor, Oklahoma State University
○ Precision Seeding Systems
● Dr. Joe Luck, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
○ Variable Rate Fertilizer Application Equipment
● Dr. Mike Buschermohle and Lori Gibson, University of Tennessee
○ Increasing Farm Profits using Planter Automatic Section Control
● Wesley Porter, Oklahoma State University
○ Variable Rate Irrigation
Special thanks to our Leadership Sponsors: Rural Community Insurance Services, Southern States Coop, Willard Agri-Service, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Farm Credit, Atlantic Tractor, and Hoober, Inc.
CCA and Nutrient Management Credits Will Be Available
Lunch will be available to purchase
Equal access programs.
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UNIVERSITY OF
MARYLAND
EXTENSION
Solutions in your community
SMALL FARM BUS TOUR SLATED FOR LATE AUGUST
PRINCESS ANNE, MD - (July 19, 2012) - A small farm bus tour offers a variety of educational stops over a two-day period late August. Back by popular demand, the tour will allow participants to "Explore New Farm Income Opportunities," on Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28. Tour participants will depart from the Richard A. Henson Center on the UMES campus at 7:30 a.m. sharp. The next 48 hours will provide them many opportunities to experience successful and innovative farming ventures in Delaware and Pennsylvania and to explore alternatives and possibilities that will help the average farmer increase his or her bottom line and implement sustainable practices. Major topics of discussion will be centered on direct marketing, value-added products,sustainable farming practices, alternative "niche" crops, agri-tourism, and more. The tour will end as the bus returns to the Henson Center around 6:30 p.m. on August 28.
The "Explore New Farm Income Opportunities" tour is sponsored by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Small Farm Outreach Initiative, a grant-funded project to help small-scale and under-served farmers prosper and become successful agriculture entrepreneurs through education, training and outreach. In the project's third year under the leadership of Small Farm Program Coordinator Berran Rogers, over 400 clients have participated in informational meetings, workshops,field tours, and conferences as well as other program activities.
The registration fee, which covers bus transportation, hotel accommodations for one night, educational materials and light refreshments, is $25 per person. To register online, visit www.umes.edu/1890-mce. All registrations and payments must be received by Thursday, August 23.
For more information about select tour stops during the "Exploring New Farm Income Opportunities" bus tour or the Small Farm Outreach Initiative, contact Rogers at 410-651-6070 or 6693.
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Kent County Public Library
in Search of Board of Trustees Candidates
Interest forms are now being accepted by the Kent County Public Library Board of Trustees for citizens who wish to serve on the Board of Trustees. The form is available on the Library's website at
http://www.kentcountylibrary.org/documents/BoardApplication.pdf
or at any Kent County Public Library location.
Completed forms can be sent to kcpltrusteesearch@kent.lib.md.us
or mailed to:
Kent County Public Library Board of Trustees
408 High Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
DEADLINE: September 15, 2012
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Howard County Chamber of Commerce Invites Nonprofits
to a Workshop on Building a Highly Effective Volunteer Board
Building an effective board of directors is vital to running a successful organization. The Howard County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer nonprofits and associations an opportunity to learn best practices for board management during a half-day interactive workshop with nationally recognized association expert, Bob Harris.
Mr. Harris has more than 30 years experience helping associations and nonprofits operate more efficiently and productively. He is on the faculty for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has given presentations around the world and has authored resources used by thousands of nonprofit organizations.
On August 29, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Mr. Harris will share examples, tips and tools to help boards perform at their best. He will discuss the importance of boards, the duties of directors, protecting the organization, effective committees, strategic direction, board meetings and more.
This event will take place at Turf Valley, and with the support of generous sponsors - Davis, Agnor, Rapaport and Skalny, LLC Attorneys at Law; Bormel, Grice & Huyett, P.A. Certified Public Accountants; and the Columbia Association - the Howard Chamber is able to offer this program to its members for only $25 and to nonmembers for $35. Past presentations by Mr. Harris have cost as much as $100 per participant. The workshop includes a continental breakfast and a copy of the 70-page Board Excellence Manual.
To take advantage of this valuable opportunity, register online at www.howardchamber.com. Turf Valley, 2700 Turf Valley Road, Ellicott, MD 21042Howard County Chamber Members - $25, Non-Members - $35Participants will receive continental breakfast and a copy of the Board Excellence Manual. You are invited to bring your mission statement, strategic plan or leadership manual to engage in an interactive dialogue.
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Character Counts! Kent County Fundraiser
55" LG Flat Panel LED HDTV
$5.00 for one ticket/$10.00 for three tickets.
Drawing date: September 15, 2012.
Tickets are also available through The Scotties Shoe Store in Chestertown, school offices, and kent.charactercounts@gmail.com
Good luck! and thank you for supporting our non-profit organization.
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Do you have news about your business that
you want to share with our readers?
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IN THE NEWS
&
AROUND THE STATE
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MD Ranks 7th for Growth in Women-Owned Firms
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- E-Blasts - Broadcast E-Mail Service Now Available!
The Chamber now offers an E-Blast service to all of our members. In an effort to help you build your business and get your message out efficiently and cost effectively, the Chamber office will send an email specifically on your behalf to all Chamber members and non-members who have signed up for our mailing list. This is an excellent way to announce new products, services or events. As a Chamber member, you can take advantage of this service at a very reasonable cost of $25. Please contact the Chamber office for further details.
- SCORE (Senior Core of Retired Executives)
Invites retired executives to become counselors for new and existing local businesses. Contact Damon Bradley at SCORE to get more information: windtryst04@aol.com
- Help Us Help You. Keep Your Business Information Current!
Please remember to contact Loretta in the Chamber office if you have any changes or updates to your business contact information. We want to keep all of our members' information current.
- Member-To-Member Benefit Program
This program allows any Chamber member to offer discounts on their products and services to other Chamber members and their employees. Even if you do not offer a discount to fellow members, as a Chamber member, you may take advantage of the discounts offered by other members.
Don't miss out! Sign up for this program today.
Call Loretta at 410/810-2968 or email at kentchamber@verizon.net
The following businesses are participating members.
Please support these businesses!
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