Chamber Header

March 2013
Greetings! 
Membership Tip of the Month:

Help drive membership - when doing business locally, ask if the business is a Chamber member. Questions? Contact [email protected].
PROMOTING THE COMMUNITY
BigWig Luncheon: Athena Awards and SOAR Scholarships
Chamber of Commerce Mountain View is proud to announce the 22nd Annual ATHENA Award and the 4th Annual ATHENA Young Professional Award. Created to honor an outstanding Mountain View leader and Chamber member, this award will be presented to a woman and young female professional who has attained and personified the highest level of professional excellence in business and the community.  

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2013 AWARD WINNERS...

 

ATHENA Award: Betsy Nikolchev, Executive Director,  

Family Engagement Institute Foothill College  

Young Professional ATHENA Award

Darelda Medina, Human Resources, PSSI/Stanford Recycling   

 

RSVP Here  

 
Leadership Mountain View (LMV) is now accepting applications for the Class of 2014!
LMV is open to all individuals eighteen years and older. Applicants must be residents of
Mountain View, representatives of Mountain View based businesses or organizations, or otherwise active in the Mountain View community.

Click here for class schedule. 


Apply online today
For more information on Leadership Mountain View and to apply for the program online, please visit our website at www.chambermv.org/leadership. Tuition is $1,750.

Questions and Inquiries
For any questions or inquiries about Leadership Mountain View, please feel free to contact Alicia
Crank, Program Director. Email: [email protected] / Phone: (650) 968-8378

Connect with us online:
Facebook at LeadershipMV
Twitter @leadershipmv  

 

Ambassador of the Month

Name, Title:  Sev Daudert, President 

Business Name: tomatoprints 
Phone: (888) 558-1617
Email: [email protected]
Website:   www.tomatoprints.com 
 

Tell us more about your business: We are in the print media industry providing innovative solutions in Custom Photobooks, Greeting Cards, Custom Invitations, Canvas Prints, Professional B2B Custom Prints.

What do your clients crave for:  Service, Speed, and Quality that can be trusted.

How long have you been in business: Though we began operating in early 2012, tomatoprints has over 22 years of printing experience.

What is the story behind your business name?: The name has foreign origins, but was chosen primarily because it is easy to remember, and unique to the printing industry. Also, our name is easy to spell correctly - and like a tomato is sweet and cute.

A "great hidden gem" in Mountain View would be: Shoreline Park and lake!!!

Don't tell anyone else but.... Chamber of Commerce Mountain View Rocks!

What I like most about being a Chamber Ambassador is... Having the opportunity to connect with and improve the community in which we live and do business.

 

SOAR Scholarship Applications Now Available

The purpose of this scholarship award is to encourage, recognize and assist Mountain View and Los Altos high school seniors, and Foothill-De Anza College students transferring to a four-year university or pursuing a career program.

 

The scholarship awards of $1,500 will be presented to the winners upon proof of enrollment at Foothill-De Anza, other college, university or school for vocational training. For more information, please contact Katrina Apilado - [email protected]Click here for Application.  


PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Chamber Mixer at Whole Foods
Meet new contacts in a relaxed, fun, and friendly environment at our Chamber Mixer.  Be sure to bring plenty of business cards! 

 

PURCHASE A RAFFLE TICKET  

Purchase raffle tickets to be entered to win four (4) Sideline Club tickets to the San Jose Sabercats home opening game on March 29, 2013 at the HP Pavillion.  

 
Register Now
   
BX ConneXions - Come Grow Your Business With Us!
Business ConneXions is the Chamber's answer to members' needs for exchanging leads and referrals while developing their network of business connections. Guests and visitors are encouraged to attend 2 meetings for FREE. Only one seat, per industry, per group! Open seats available in each group. Contact group co-chairs for details.    Learn more
CREATING A STRONG LOCAL ECONOMY
Green Business University 2013
The Chamber of Commerce Mountain View in partnership with the Santa Clara County Bay Area Green Business and the City of Mountain View, is proud to offer its members a green certification program, Green Business University (GBU). GBU is a 3-month program targeted to small and mid-sized businesses to assist them through a step by step process of the Bay Area Green Business Program Certification. 
Learn More

A recent California decision underscores an employer's have a right to demand cooperation in workplace investigations and recognizes an employee's refusal to so cooperate may justify discipline up to and including termination.

 

In McGrory v. Applied Signal Technologies, Inc., Applied Signal ("AST") secured the dismissal of a former manager's claims that his termination was discriminatory and violated public policy and that AST defamed him, and a court of appeals upheld the dismissal. AST fired plaintiff McGrory because, in AST's view, he was untruthful and uncooperative in the investigation of a complaint that he discriminated against and harassed a subordinate based on gender and sexual orientation. The investigation also revealed... Read More

By Dave Steer - Digital Marketing Consultant 

 

Facebook, Twitter, Google+. These are all names that we all know, and most have tried to incorporate into their business with various degrees of success. Everyone has an awareness of Social Media, but few local businesses have managed to crack the code of how to make Social Media truly work for them. Here are a few tips to help guide your social efforts in the right direction... Read More 

 

Selecting a Business Entity for your Startup

When starting a business, one of the most important decisions an entrepreneur can make is which type of business to form. The most common types of entity are sole proprietorships, LLCs, C-Corps and S-Corps.  Of course, a business may always be restructured later if the company needs to switch from one form to another, but getting it right from the beginning can save a person time, taxes and legal fees. In order to determine what business formation will best suit your company's needs, it is important to consult with an experienced business attorney regarding the specifics of your situation, and Kalia Law P.C. is available to help. To get you started thinking about which business entity may be right for you, below is some basic information about the most common types used by small businesses and startups... Read More 


Branding Tips and Tricks using Microsoft Word 

Branding touches and intersects with all aspects of a business: marketing, operations, sales and more.
Consider how effective integration and consistent portrayal of a brand image can benefit your business.

MS word has traditionally been used and accepted as a generic word processing tool, with branding left
in the hands of the marketing team, graphic designers and media developers. What if you could easily
incorporate your companies branding specifications into your Word documents, displaying the company's
identity in any word processed document?

To help your company establish its brand, Word 2010 (or newer) provides more options to add visual
impact to your documents. The SmartArt Graphics feature even allows you to build impressive diagrams
just by typing a bulleted list. Use SmartArt to transform basic, bullet-point text into compelling visuals
that better illustrate your ideas.

Would you like to learn more about how special features in Word can help you save time, money, and
establish your business presence? Krause Center for Innovation, Foothill College is offering a workshop:
Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks Sat. 3/9 9am - 3pm.

To learn more about using MS Word to improve your branding and sign up at www.kci-signup.org.

 

Exciting Opportunity to Expand Your Business in Brazil, Colombia and Panama

The Secretary of Commerce will lead an Infrastructure Business Development Mission to Brazil, Colombia and Panama from May 12-18, 2013. In all three countries, the governments and private sector are investing significant money in infrastructure projects. As a result, the mission will focus on export-ready U.S. firms in a broad range of leading U.S. infrastructure industrial sectors with an emphasis on project management and engineering services (construction, architecture and design), transportation (road/highways, rail, airports and intelligent transportation systems), energy (distribution, transmission and smart grid) and safety and security.

 

If you're interested in participating in the upcoming business development mission, please visit the mission website to apply: http://export.gov/brazilcolombiapanama2013/eg_main_057839.asp.

Mission Details PDF

 

COMMUNITY NEWS
Grand Boulevard Initiative Walk the Talk Forum

Greenbelt Alliance-as a member of the Grand Boulevard Initiative along with Joint Venture Silicon Valley, the Valley Transportation Authority, and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department-presents the final Walk the Talk Forum. Join us for a complimentary breakfast and panel discussion about the future of El Camino Real in Sunnyvale and Mountain View.

 

The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A. The featured speakers:

  • Jon Haveman, Chief Economist, Bay Area Council
  • Dan Peddycord, Director, Santa Clara County Public Health Department
  • Dan Zack, Downtown Development Coordinator, City of Redwood City
This event is co-sponsored by the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce and Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.

When: Tuesday, March 19, 7:30 - 10 a.m.
Where: Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 2440 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
Details: Event is free-light breakfast, coffee, and tea will be provided
RSVP Online

 

Renewing Members
Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View.  Click here to see this month's renewing members.

M2M Discounts
Save money when making purchases at participating Chamber member companies. Learn more.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR



March 9
Arbor Day 2013

Summer Camp Fair

March 19
 
Stay Connected
Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn  
580 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA � 650.968.8378