February 2016
eBlast for the week of  
February 15, 2016
This week at the Chamber:
 

Tuesday, February 16th

Noon - Promotions Committee Mtg. @ Chamber 

Thursday, February 18th

9:30 a.m. - Chamber Coffee hosted by Clara Barton Clinic @ Clinic

Noon - Chamber Ambassadors Mtg. @ Tap Room

4-5:30 p.m. - Cash Mob @ Cates CarQuest

Monday, February 22nd 

Deadline to register for 2016 Promotions Program

Wednesday, February 24th

HHS & Hoisington ECommunity present the Entrepreneurship Challenge

This week in our area:
 
Monday, February 15th

USD 431 - No school - professional day

5:30 p.m. - Clara Barton Auxiliary Meeting  

Wednesday, February 17th


Thursday, February 18th

5:30 p.m. - City Court

7 p.m. - Lincoln Elementary Music Program

Saturday, February 20th


Monday, February 22nd

4-6 p.m. - Hoisington Food Bank Open
 
7 p.m. - City Council Meeting


Chamber News
February Cash Mob
The Hoisington Chamber Ambassadors have chosen the next Cash Mob recipient!

Mark your calendars!

Thursday, Feb. 18th
4-5:30 p.m.

LET'S MOB....

CATES CARQUEST - 261 South Main in Hoisington
Retail Promotions 2016

The extended deadline to be on the 2016 Retail Promotions program is February 22!  It is the goal of this Committee to increase awareness of your business and stimulate foot traffic into your stores. So far we have 22 businesses who are participating! If you would like to be a Retail Promotions member, please stop in or call the Chamber at 653-4311.
 
Member News
Wetlands Education Center
A snow crystal develops in a snowflake "machine" that kids participating in the Kansas Wetlands Education Center's winter programs will use to make their own snow crystals. Winter programs are scheduled for the first three Saturdays in February.

KWEC offers winter kids programs  

     The Kansas Wetlands Education Center has the cure for the winter blues - nature programs! Kids will make a snow crystal, investigate backyard birds and become a sleuth, during KWEC's February Saturday morning programs.

     Designed for children ages 6 through 12, one-hour programs will be offered at no charge from 10-11 a.m. each Saturday, except the Feb. 20 program that will go from 10-11:30 a.m. Children age 7 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Registration deadlines in sequential order of the classes are Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and Feb. 17. To register for classes, or for more information, call 620-566-1456 or 1-877-243-9268. The maximum class size is 20 children. Although there is no program charge, donations for supplies are always appreciated.

Masters of the Night Sky: Feb. 20

     Who hunts soundlessly throughout the night, striking terror in little rodent hearts? Owls of course! Learn more about these masters of the night skies, with special appearances by live owls. Participants will also dissect an owl pellet, make a bone chart and a simple owl craft.


 
Local Hospitals Endorse Workshop

 
GBRH Awarded Destinction
Great Bend Regional Hospital Named Blue Distinction + Center for Maternity Care by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas 

In an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality, affordable maternity care, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas announced the first hospitals in its 103-county service area to receive the Blue Distinction Center or Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care designations under the national Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. 

Blue Distinction Centers and Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care, an expansion of the national Blue Distinction� Specialty Care program, are hospitals recognized for delivering quality specialty care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community. To receive a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care designation, a hospital must meet the same quality criteria as Blue Distinction Centers while also meeting requirements for cost efficiency. 

Hospitals were assessed using a combination of publicly available quality information and cost measures derived from Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies' medical claims. Great Bend Regional Hospital was at the top of the list of hospitals being recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care, along with fifteen other facilities around the state of Kansas. 

"Improving quality of care is integral to transforming the health care system, so we are proud to recognize these 16 hospitals for demonstrating higher levels of quality and expertise resulting in better maternity care for our members," said Andrew C. Corbin, BCBSKS president/CEO. "This designation requires a tremendous commitment to quality in all phases of a hospital's maternity care program. The fact that 15 hospitals were further recognized for attaining cost efficiency in delivering quality care is commendable." 

Nearly four million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization. This new maternity care program evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including the percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community. Compared with babies born 39 weeks or later, early term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and respiratory failure, among other conditions. These babies also have a higher rate of admission to neonatal intensive care units. 

In addition, hospitals that receive a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation agreed to meet requirements that align with principles that support evidence-based practices of care, as well as having initiated programs to promote successful breastfeeding, as described in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative by Baby-Friendly USA or the Mother-Friendly Hospital program by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) through its "Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care." The program also evaluates hospitals on overall patient satisfaction, including a willingness to recommend the hospital to others. 

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery, and transplants. Research shows that compared to other facilities, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ are also 20 percent more cost-efficient than non-Blue Distinction Center+ designated health care facilities. 

For more information about the program, please visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

 
Great Bend Regional Hospital Implements Delayed Bathing Policy for Newborns 

Breastfeeding is a high priority for the obstetrics staff at Great Bend Regional Hospital. It's the reason their facility has maintained their status as a High Five for Mom and Baby Hospital. This means that the nursing staff emphasizes skin-to-skin time after birth, and supports and encourages exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible. And recently, the nursing staff implemented a new delayed bathing policy to even further support successful breastfeeding for patients and their newborns. 

Tracey Post, a registered nurse in the Women and Children's Center, is pursuing a master's degree in nursing education at Fort Hays State University and has discovered new research showing the numerous benefits of delaying the newborn's first bath for 24 hours. "New research shows that mothers and babies may have a more successful breastfeeding experience if separation is minimized during those very important first hours and days after birth," Post says. "My goal is to monitor our patients over the next several months and see if it does, in fact, improve our exclusive breastfeeding rates." 

The World Health Organization recommends delaying the first bath for a minimum of 12 hours after birth, but should ideally be delayed for 24 hours. The benefits of delayed bathing include improved stability of the newborn's temperature and blood sugar levels, along with a scent imprinting that occurs when the vernix from the baby's skin is allowed to pass to the mother during skin-to-skin time. Vernix, the thick white substance covering the baby's skin at birth has also been shown to have properties that may help to improve baby's immunity as well as the health of the baby's skin when it is not removed right after birth. Finally, by delaying the bath for 24 hours, it gives the mother more time to recover from the birth so she and the family have the opportunity to participate in baby's first bath. 

The hospital's Women and Children's Center delivers about 40 babies per month to parents from all over central and southwest Kansas. Dr. Jodi Henrikson and Dr. Aisha Rush are the two obstetricians that see patients at the Heartland Regional Health Clinic on the second floor of the hospital as well as delivering babies in the hospital. Most recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas awarded Great Bend Regional Hospital the highest possible designation as a Blue Distinction Plus Center for Maternity Care.
Bike/Ped Master Plan Complete
Great Bend, Kan. - The Barton County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is now complete, creating a cohesive vision that may be used by local government as a tool for planning and development.  The plan reflects that connectivity and safety are paramount in fostering an environment that is both traveler and resident friendly. 
 
The master plan addresses both short and long term goals.  An initial phase, attainable within a five-year period, proposes routes identified by number and associated color.  Most of the system uses existing streets, roads, and paths enhanced with identification and wayfinding signage.  Later phases include trail segments and trailheads.  The plan also speaks to pedestrian needs such as crosswalks, crossing signals, and curb ramps. 
 
In 2015, Be Well Barton County worked with a consulting company and appointed a steering committee to develop a county wide bicycle and pedestrian master plan.  Through a series of community workshops and meetings, concerns and data were collected to formulate the recently completed master plan.   The end result is a superior, adaptable plan that includes both county and community networks encouraging active transportation. 
 
Golden Belt Community Foundation received a Healthy Communities Initiative grant from the Kansas Health Foundation almost four years ago.  The coalition, Be Well Barton County, was formed and operates under Central Kansas Partnerships.  The Barton County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was recently endorsed by the Be Well Barton County coalition team.  The plan is now available online at  www.goldenbeltcf.org/be-well-barton-county.

 
Weekly Business Article
Is Your Business a Carmaker or a Carriage Maker?
 
Image via Graphic Stock

Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile. He didn't invent the assembly line either, but he found a way to use the technology to place cars in the hands of a large percentage of the population who couldn't previously afford them.  

His less than egalitarian views of the customer are the kinds of things legends are made of. He's believed to have said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Scholars argue over whether he said that or not, as well as his famous quote about car color choice, "you can have any color you want as long as it's black." We'll never know whether he did or didn't say those things but the idea of giving your audience/customers what they want versus what you envision for them is becoming less widely debated.
 
Car, Carriage, or Flying Saucer?
In the quote about faster horses, Ford believed he knew best. He had an innovative idea to get a known product into more hands; to manufacturer it cheaper; and provide steady income to a dependable workforce. He was doing something others weren't, even if he hadn't created the product or the method.

In today's business world, it's difficult to create something entirely new, something no one has seen before. You're no longer competing with the same businesses in your town. You're competing with people across the world.
You can decide to produce cars, carriages, or flying saucers in your business. "Cars" are ideas, products, or services that already exist. To thrive in a "car-selling" environment, you must do something in your business that helps you stand out. Offer something in some way that no one has experienced before. For Ford, that was mass producing an affordable automobile.

Businesses that sell "carriages" recognize a successful product or service that is in demand and keep selling it. After all, it was popular last year. Why won't it be popular next year? Most businesses fall into this category.
"Flying saucer" businesses are those that create something that only lived in people's imaginations prior to them bringing it to market. They capture our attention with that lightning strike of any idea that is thrilling and concerning. They open doors that can never be shut again. It takes a special kind of fluffy unicorn of an idea to find your business in this category.

Is Your Business the Car or the Carriage?
Maybe you are a wizard and prone to exquisite flights of fancy and the idea for the next iPhone is percolating in your subconscious. Good. Stop reading here and go get a patent.

If that's not the case, and you're trying to figure out if you are a car- or a carriage-maker you may be expecting this article to instruct you on how you need to follow in Ford's footsteps in creating a more efficient means of production. You would expect directions on how to re-envision something that already exists for greater profit.

You'd be wrong.

We have a few flying saucer manufacturers and we have companies that are able to slice and dice the extra fat from their budgets until they are operating one of the leanest environments out there. It's difficult to compete with these types of corproations, particularly for small businesses.

To stand out in today's market, without losing your shirt, you want to be a carriage maker.
 
Why Carriage Makers Rule
Carriage makers are not cutting-edge innovators. They create a tried and true product, but what they do best is what others are not doing nearly enough. They listen to what their ideal customer is asking for. Like the Ford saying - ...if I'd asked, they'd have said faster horses - carriage makers listen to the people who are buying from them and give them faster horses.

Since Ford's time, audiences have taken a more active role in telling companies what they want and expect. Spend some time on social media. Listen what people are saying about your industry and the products or services you sell. You don't need a costly research and development panel. You can learn what people want for free.

Online branded communities provide insight, along with social media, polls, and surveys. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. One of the easiest ways to get customers to buy from you is by listening to them. Customers love to hear and see their ideas implemented. People who are a part of a process or product are more apt to support it.

The one down side to being a carriage maker is that carriage makers tend to ignore innovation. Chances are you can't keep providing the same exact product you always have, but you can ensure your innovation is supported by people who buy from you. If you listen to them, you'll always be in touch with what they want and need.

You can make cars or flying saucers, but the way to stand out in your customers' minds and capture their hearts is to listen to them. Small businesses have an advantage as carriage makers because they're closer to their customers, the feedback is more immediate, and implementation is faster. Don't feel like you have to create something no one has ever heard of to be a success in business. You can do it for a lot less by listening to those who support you.
_______________________
 
Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives' Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and the Event Manager Blog.
She's a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.
Barton County Young Professionals Corner
Casino Night Approaches!



Area News
Hoisington K of C Fish Fries
"ALL YOU CAN EAT"
FISH FRIES
 
FRI. - FEB. 19MARCH 4 & 18
 
5:30 TO 7:30 P.M.
 
HOISINGTON K. OF C.
 
SERVING: POLLOCK FISH, SCALLOPED POTATOES, COLE SLAW AND DRINKS
 
EAT WITH US OR CARRYOUT AVAILABLE
 
$ 10.00 FOR ADULTS
$ 5.00 AGES 4 TO 11
FREE FOR UNDER 4

American Red Cross Blood Drive 

The next Hoisington area American Red Cross Blood Drive will be on Monday, February 22nd from 1:45 - 6:30 p.m. at the Hoisington Activity Center.  
 
Management Development Center Offers Class
 
First Impressions Matter:  A Customer Service Training


Date:  Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Time:  1:00 to 4:30 P.M.
Place: FHSU Campus, Memorial Union Stouffer Lounge # 222

Registration fee:  $119

This training will assist participants in implementing a service culture within their organization. The workshop will also help develop individual professional and personal aptitudes in the areas of customer service, telephone etiquette, communication/listening, written and email communication, and time management/follow-through.

Participants Will:
  • Demonstrate knowledge and skills needed to communicate professionally, achieve respect, enhance customer relationships, and secure an overall competitive advantage through excellent customer service.
  • Define active listening and explain its importance.
  • Display an understanding of basic telephone etiquette communication.
  • Display an understanding of proper written and email communication.
  • Analyze current time management effectiveness and identify ways to improve time management skills and track follow-through on tasks.
Facilitated by Ms. Sabrina William and Dr. Stacey Smith

 Ms. Sabrina William, is the Director of the Management Development Center (MDC), at
FHSU. Sabrina has over 10 years of experience in economic development and has worked effectively in leading projects, organizing teams, managing organizational budgets and working within the guidance of boards. She enjoys meeting facilitation and work with non-profit organizations and in the past year began facilitating training and development workshops. She has a Master of Liberal Studies with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and a B.S. in Business Administration from Fort Hays State University.
 
Dr. Stacey Smith is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Tourism and Hospitality Management Program at FHSU.  Her industry experience includes the convention and visitors bureau where she worked in event planning and Hyatt Hotels where she worked in the rooms division. While in the lodging industry, she also obtained exposure to food service operations and meeting planning activities. Dr. Smith has many presentations and publications in the field of tourism and hospitality. Her primary research interest is in the area of crisis preparedness for the tourism industry. She also does research in the areas of lodging, meetings, and training.  Dr. Smith has been an MDC facilitator an consultant for over 5 years in the areas mentioned above as well as management, leadership, organizational development, communication, and change management.


 
Census hiring
Now Hiring
In the interest of keeping the eBlasts and Newsletters manageable in size, the Job Opportunities from our investment members will be listed on our website under the "About Hoisington" link under "Employment".

TO SEE WHAT JOBS ARE AVAILABLE FROM OUR MEMBERS.
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If you have exciting news that you would like to share in our monthly newsletter or weekly eBlasts with nearly 200 individuals in our business community, please send it to the Chamber office at [email protected] three business days prior to the 1st of the month.

 

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Hoisington Chamber of Commerce
123 N Main St
Hoisington, Kansas 67544
620-653-4311
[email protected]
Open Monday - Friday  9a.m. -12 p.m. & 1-4 p.m.