Think Spring at Prime Time

Spring is less than a month away - and the Chamber's premiere Prime Time event is even closer! Mark your calendars for March 19 from 5 - 7 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College's Hagerty Center for a special Business After Hours featuring exhibits and displays from dozens of new Chamber members and volunteers from December's successful Membership Event.

Prime Time is presented by:

Chamber Business Lending tops $750,000

Talk about a growth curve! The Traverse City Area Chamber's business lending services administered by Senior Vice President Laura Galbraith are soaring in 2014. Thanks in part to a new lending partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Chamber's loan portfolio recently surpassed three quarters of a million dollars with more transactions in the works. To learn how your business could benefit from these Chamber resources, click here.

Happy Birthday Chamber Members

As part of its renewed commitment to members, the Traverse City Area Chamber will frequently highlight membership news in the weekly Bulletin and other communication outlets. This week we're recognizing 15 businesses celebrating their first-year anniversaries with the Chamber. Congratulations to:

Visitors Media Meijer Urka Farms Central Payments Financial Group Paradise Properties USA Inc.

Patrick Fragel Attorney at Law PC Swenson Memorials The Pest Authority K&M Tires & Services 9 Bean Rows

Cherry Bomb Lacrosse Buffalo Wild Wings Universal Cleaners Buka Bike Epic Powersports

Thanks to these companies and all the businesses that support the region through their membership in the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about these businesses and all our Chamber members, visit the Business Directory on the Chamber's website by clicking here.

Transform Your Business - Now!

Is your company ready for an infusion of energy, insight, feedback and fun? It is if you applied to take part in the Chamber's Small Business Celebration. Now in its tenth year, the SBC is the region's premiere recognition event that trumpets the enormous impact of small business on Northern Michigan's economy. Hundreds of area businesses in the five-county area with up to 150 employees were nominated for this year's Small Business Celebration, and have until March 28 to apply. For more information, click here.

The Small Business Celebration is presented by:

DC Fly-in Gets Strong Legislative Response

More than 20 Chamber representatives from throughout the Midwest - including Traverse City Area
Chamber Government Relations Director Kent Wood - converged on Washington late last month for
high-level discussions with over two dozen Congressional representatives on several federal issues
including immigration, transportation funding and the Great Lakes. Rebecca Schneider of the Metro
Chambers Coalition and the Detroit Regional Chamber summarizes the activity  here.

Celebrating Small Businesses with Big Hearts

Imagine your home-based business is open roughly 12 hours a day with variable open and close times, five or six days a week, 52 weeks a year, and that you, as sole proprietor, are the only worker for most or all of the day. That's just what many of our local childcare providers do to make this critical service available to Northern Michigan families. The Traverse Bay Great Start Collaborative honored some of these local individuals at a special event this week. Learn more....