The Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to a PM Exchange hosted by Kahler Automation.

Date: Monday, July 6th
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Kahler Automation - 808 Timerlake Road - Fairmont

Stop out and help Kahler Automation celebrate 25 Years!

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be served.  

All Chamber members that attend can enter themselves in a $75 Chamber Bucks Drawing.  The drawing will be at 6:00 p.m.  Someone from your business must be present to win.  If the winning business isn't present, at the next PM Exchange the drawing will be for $100 in Chamber bucks.

Want to meet other Fairmont business people? Learn about a fellow Chamber Member? Attend a PM Exchange!

Thank you to all who participated in our 18th Annual Chamber Golf Outing. Congratulations to the top placing teams!

First Flight Team CJ Johnson Ian Bents Clint Forstrom Dave Cone	Second Flight Team Mike Johnson Dave Kloeckner Bill Bittman Dean Dwyer

Thank You Golf Outing Sponsors and Door Prize Donors: 
Thank You Hole Game Sponsors:

Brandon Nordstrom - Ag. Business Committee Member with Christopher Kahler and Ellyn Swanson - 2015 Ag Business Scholarship Recipients

The Agri-Business Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce and the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) are pleased to announce the Ag Scholarship winners for 2015.  Two $4,200 scholarships were awarded this year to Ellyn Swanson and Christopher Kahler.  

Ellyn, daughter of Phil and Laura Swanson, graduated from Martin County West School and will be attending the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in the fall.  Christopher, son of Ryan and Janet Kahler, graduated from Martin County West School and will be attending Iowa State University in the fall.

These scholarships are made possible through the Agriculture Future of America, the Agri-Business Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, and the following sponsors: AgStar Financial Services, Bank Midwest, Cargill Inc., Devenish Nutrition, Dutch Creek Farms, Fairmont Vet Clinic/Preferred Capital Management, Kahler Automation, Martin County Pork Producers, Martin County Corn and Soybean Growers, Profinium Inc, Valero Renewables, WFS, and Zoetis.

The Ambassador Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a Martin County student in a Business related field entering their Junior or Senior post secondary year in a four year college or their final year in a technical college.  The scholarship will be awarded after a review of grades to confirm achievement of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.  Scholarship applications may be picked up at the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce office located at 323 East Blue Earth Avenue or fill out the application online at the Chambers website at www.fairmontchamber.org.  Applications are due at the Chamber office by July 15, 2015.

The 18th Annual Blue Ribbon Pork Cook off will be held Wednesday, August 19, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the Martin County Arena at the Fairgrounds.  Tickets are $8.  Contact the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce at 507-235-5547 for tickets.

The Martin County Pork Producers and the Agri-Business and Ambassador Committees of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce have joined together to host the 23nd Annual Minnesota State Pork Masters Golf Outing on Monday, July 27, 2015 at Interlaken Golf Club.  Martin County is Minnesota's leading pork producing county.  This event is open to area pork producers and recognizes the importance of the pork industry to Martin County and the state of Minnesota while raising funds for Ag-Scholarships and Ag-Awareness. Lunch and dinner is provided for the participants at Interlaken Golf Club.  There will be games and prizes on every hole with 250 golfers expected to participate.  For golf or sponsorship information, call Curt at the Chamber office at 235-5547.

1. Margaret Dillard President of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce

   We're a community non-profit organization funded by our members and program sponsorships
   Chambers of commerce are 501c6 non-profit organizations made up of local business members. According to Wikipedia, the first chamber of commerce, or board of trade was founded in 1599 in Marseille, France. New York City boasts the first in our nation, created in 1789. Chambers are not government institution and has no direct role in the making of laws but may act to influence local and state representation.  Our goal is to support, create and strengthen local business.
2. We collaborate but are separate from city & county governments, Economic Development Authorities and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Autonomy allows us to concentrate on business interests while working closely with other agencies without duplicating efforts
3. Programs, projects and activities are guided by our board of directors. All chambers must elect a board of directors, file articles of incorporation, follow bylaws and hold member meetings annually. Directors meet monthly to guide staff in carrying out Chamber initiatives. Each September the group sets goals and initiatives for the coming year. See current board members at: www.fairmont.org/chamber/board.htm
4. The voice of local business is amplified through your chamber. Virtually every business population in the nation falls within the region of a chamber of commerce, we are the "go to" source for information about local business stats and environment.
5. Advocacy, networking and education are our strengths. If you are in business in Martin County, I hope you will consider being a member of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce because we strengthen the local economy by:

• Being informed about and influencing government decisions that affects the business community.
• Legislative webinars help us stay informed about state and national business happenings. We participate in the Minnesota Chamber's statewide tour where they gather information about rural areas. Local business people volunteer their time to visit with businesses to gather information that is assimilated on a local, regional and state level to establish future actions to aid in strengthening our businesses. Staff visits with area business people daily.
• Putting people and programs together that build working synergies
  Chamber led networking events allow business people, local government, education leaders and entrepreneurs to be "in the know" about local happenings, events and plans. While Bureau 14 offers a platform for general business information from agencies and individuals at large, LEADS provides a focused environment for business building from serious applicants who agree to actively promote businesses in that group.
• Educating current and future workforce through the Junior Achievement group of dedicated volunteers, organized by the chamber and local educational facilities, teach five one-hour classes to students in kindergarten through grade six about business. Junior Achievement prepares young people to think of themselves as contributors (whether in the role of consumer, entrepreneur, employer or employee) in the world of business. Leadership Martin County is a program designed to enable candidates to learn about Martin County resources, values, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. A learning experience geared toward providing an in-depth look at eight key elements of our community; education, economic development, government, healthcare, public safety, quality of life, agriculture, and culture & diversity. This program provides opportunities for candidates to exchange ideas, build networks and begin the process of identifying and solving important community issues. A series of topical seminars held over a nine month period and conducted by local and regional professionals. Applications are now being accepted for this program. Tuition is $650 but scholarships may be available.
• Providing tools to build local business surveys of our members provide valuable information for planning projects
• The Chamber website is part of www.Fairmont.org which ranks well in search engines and links to other local websites.
• We strategize our social media efforts to get our posts to the most viewers.
• Your Fairmont Area Chamber staff are pros in the publicity arena
• We're constantly learning about new ways to reach our targeted audience

What:

The Martin County Area Foundation will be presenting their 2015 grant awards at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 22nd in the Martin County Arena at the Martin County Fairgrounds. Please join us in recognizing this year's recipients.

Do you know about the The Fairmont Substance Abuse Prevention FSAP Coalition?  Do you know what a coalition is?  A coalition is a group of individuals and organizations with a common interest who agree to work together as a team toward a common goal.

The FSAP Coalition was started in 2011 and meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at noon at the Fairmont High School Staff Development Room E144F, behind the media center. We have 38 members who come from various sectors in the community including business, civic/volunteer groups, government, health care professionals, law enforcement, justice/corrections, the under-served population, local media, parents, school administration and support staff, spiritual groups and youth serving organizations. Our vision is to have a safe and healthy community where our youth live free of substance abuse and its harm. Our mission is to work together to eliminate alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among Fairmont's youth by empowering and supporting them to make good choices.

Our Youth Coalition (YOCO) at Fairmont High School is a group made up of about 50 Students in grades 9-12 who meet during their lunch hour to talk about ways they we can empower chemical-free FHS students to know they are not the only ones making healthy choices! Through the group we work to find ways to encourage their peers to work on positive community change. As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends, ask your FHS students about this group and encourage them to join.

You might see our "Who We Are" Positive Community Norm messaging campaign around town on billboards, posters, t-shirts, and napkins just to name a few. All of our data is gathered from local assessments of youth, parents, and community members through surveys. The messaging focuses on correcting various misperceptions about the behaviors and attitudes of youth and adults regarding underage drinking. MOST youth are making healthy choices; most parents are setting rules and expectations and most community members support efforts to prevent underage drinking and its harmful effects. The goal of our campaign is to grow the goodness and focus on the positive that already exists in our community!

If you would like to come to the next FSAP meeting on Monday, June 15th or would like more information about the coalition and how you can get involved, please email Steph Johnson, Planning & Implementation Coordinator at  [email protected], or call her at 507-848-4516.

We are always seeking new members and volunteers who want to work together to improve the lives of Fairmont's youth.

The Martin County Youth Foundation held its Donor Recognition and Awards Presentation on Monday, May 11th.

• Matin County West CER Isd #2448 - $1,000    
• Kinder Prep-ISD 2752 - $2,500    
• Fairmont CER #2752 Summer Science/Art Camp - $2,850    
• Fairmont CER #2752 Scholarships for Summer Youth Programs - $2,500    
• Truman Public Preschool ISD 458 - $2,000    
• Top 20 Leadership Group-ISD 2752 Family Life Challenges Training - $500    
• Martin County Mentoring Network- Adult to Youth Mentoring - $1,500    
• Fairmont Area Kinship- Adopt-A-Match - $1,674    

The Martin County Youth Foundation was founded in 2000.  The organization is committed to acquire, manage and distribute funds to enhance the lives of youth in Martin County. It contributes over $30,000 each year in grants to support youth related programs and activities in Martin County. For more information, visit www.martincountyyouthfoundation.org

Hardee's - New Business
2000 North State Street
Lionel Bolden, Owner/Operator