March
eBlast for the week of  
March 7, 2016
This week at the Chamber:
 

Monday, March 7th
Spring Fling Retail Promotion Starts!

Thursday, March 10th
Board of Directors Meeting - 8 a.m. @ Chamber

Chamber Coffee hosted by Eagle Communications - 9:30 a.m. @ Chamber
Chamber closed 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Friday, March 11th
Chamber Closed.

This week in our area:
 
Monday, March 7th
7 p.m. - City Planning Commission Meeting
7 p.m. - USD 431 BOE Mtg.

Friday, March 11th
USD 431 - First Day of Spring Break

Saturday, March 12th
9 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Rabies Clinic @ Hoisington Fire Station

Monday, March 14th
2-4 p.m.- Hoisington Food Bank Open
7 p.m. - City Council Meeting

7:30 p.m. - Meeting and First Degree for all K. of C. members
Chamber News
Retail Promotions 2016
STARTING TODAY - March 21st!

 
Legislative Coffee 
The Hoisington Chamber of Commerce will host a Legislative Coffee Saturday, March 19 at the Hoisington Activity Center meeting room at 10 a.m.
 
Invited to attend the coffee are legislators Senator Mitch Holmes, Representative John Edmonds and Representative Troy Waymaster.
 
The public is encouraged to attend the Legislative Coffee to hear legislative updates and to address questions to legislators related to issues in Topeka this session. Coffee, juice and a light breakfast will be served to all that attend thanks to a sponsorship by Wilson State Bank.

Clown Committee announces Tractor Pull

Member News
Rabies Clinic

 
Kansas Wetlands Education Center Upcoming Programs
A "Taste of Wild Kansas"

Outdoors writer/photographer Michael Pearce will present "Savoring the Kansas Outdoors, One Bite at a Time" at 2:30 p.m. on March 13 at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. 
 
Pearce will be talking about the book and sharing tips on how to make wild game into restaurant-quality meals. He will conduct cooking demonstrations, and share game cooked with some of his favorite recipes for tasting. Recipes include everything from venison and elk to turkey and fish, with tantalizing titles: Venison pumpkin chili, grilled walleye ribeyes with lime and rock chalk gobbler gumbo.
 
As the outdoors writer at The Wichita Eagle since 2000, he's written articles ranging from catching crayfish at Cheyenne Bottoms to reporting on times the Kansas legislature or other governing bodies threatened Kansas wildlife or those who value it. Before his days at the Eagle, Pearce frequently contributed outdoors stories to the Wall Street Journal, Outdoor Life and scores of other publications for 19 years.
 
His book, "Michael Pearce's Taste of the Kansas Outdoors Cookbook, features 53 of his recipes for Kansas wild game and plants, more than 100 photos and a selection of stories from the Eagle. The book was named a prestigious "Notable Book of Kansas" by the state library association.

Spring Break in the Wild!
Jean Aycock

The critters of Cheyenne Bottoms don't get to party for spring break - what DO they do?  Find out how our local animals are getting ready for spring at this fun come and go morning.  Who is waking up from a long winter's nap?  Who is about to go on a big road trip?  Who is getting ready for romance?  You can also check out our self-guided spring nature walk - enjoy some quiet time on the KWEC nature trail.  

Cheyenne Bottoms Naturalists is an exciting opportunity for adults and interested teens to learn more about the natural world, participate in research opportunities, and enjoy hands on activities!

This FREE come and go program takes place at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center from 9am to 12 pm on Saturday, March 19th.  For more information, call the KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.  No registration is necessary, simply come prepared to enjoy yourself!
  

Tech Talk time at Library
Thursday, March 10th   
Your Online Persona 
Hoisington Public Library  

If you held up a mirror to your online image (personal
and professional) what would you see? Presented by
Nathan Carr from the Newton Public Library.

Tech Talk Classes are held every 2nd Thursday of the
month at 6:30 p.m.  Choose the classes that meet your
needs.  We request that you sign up prior to each
session so that adequate seating is available. 
We need at least 5 people per session to have a party!                                         
Visit with Melissa at the Library or phone (653-4128)
for more information and to sign 
up.                                                                                                                                      
Weekly Business Article
The Key to Employee Engagement is You
 

Would you trust the care of your most beloved loved one to someone who didn't like you very much? If you have disengaged employees you might be doing just that.
It is impossible for a disengaged employee to provide excellent customer service. It doesn't matter how skilled the employee is, if they think of your business as the mere source of income, you/they won't be wowing your customers.

Worse than that, those suffering from disengagement should be quarantined by the CDC as it is a highly infectious disease. One disengaged employee can make all of your employees reevaluate their level of happiness within your business. For this reason, employee engagement is one of the most important investments you can make in your company. The good news is, a lot of that is up to you.

Act Decisively
If you have employees who are showing signs of being disengaged, don't let it fester hoping it will go away. It won't. It will spread. Before you even begin working on your company culture, tackle this problem head on. Talk with the individuals involved. See if you can't come to an understanding of how you can both work on turning it around.

The one thing you don't want is happy employees seeing disengaged employees sitting around doing the minimum with a lousy attitude and getting paid for it. Employees are not robots. No matter how many times you tell others to ignore your Eeyore in the corner, the bad feelings are bound to disrupt the working environment.

Some disengaged employees are too far gone. While you should give them the opportunity to turn it around, know that this is not always possible. In those cases, you need to help that employee begin the journey in finding what will light their fire.

Decide Who You Are and Communicate It
This idea is much easier if you start your business with a mission and you clearly convey it to everyone you hire. Your mission doesn't have to be something as grand as ending world hunger. A mission can be as simple as being "Smithville's favorite family ice cream shop." Everything you do should focus on your business mission.

The importance of sharing your mission with your employees is that it becomes the basis for all decision making. If employees know and understand your mission, they can use it as a referral point asking themselves at each decision, "Is this inline with our mission?"

Hire for Fit
Next you need to hire in accordance to your mission and culture that you want to create. Skills can be taught easily, shaping one's attitude to fit the culture is a lot more difficult. Keep in mind: each new hire either brings you closer to attaining the culture you want, or takes you further away from your goal.  Don't hire someone just to plug a hole in your payroll.

Give Them the Resources They Need and Get Out of the Way
Have you ever seen a poll about qualities you want in a manager? If so, maybe you've noticed the one thing that is never mentioned is "micromanaging." No one wants to be spied on, told their way is wrong incessantly, or limited in their growth potential.

If you hire well and communicate expectations, goals and your mission, assuming your employees have the resources they need to succeed, they will begin to feel the company's success is their success. To that end, use inclusive language like "we" when communicating where you want the business to go and how you'll get there.
However, when giving specific direction or assignments forgo the "we." No one knows who's doing what when you talk in generic terms about specific roles like "We will check the Facebook page each morning."

Check in Often
Giving employees the resources to perform their jobs isn't your only role. You need to provide feedback often. You'll find Millennials, in particular, are interested in guidance on their performance. It needn't be a formal review process. Just a weekly or monthly check-in on how you think things are going but it should be a two-way conversation and not a monologue.

When someone exceeds your expectations, call attention to it immediately. Give examples of why this is ideal behavior. Don't wait for an annual review to call it to everyone's attention. It will get lost or forgotten by then.
Create a culture where peers can also give constructive feedback, especially praising one another. Receiving peer recognition helps in team building and building a cohesive team increases employee loyalty.

If you want your business to be successful, you need to have a team that can help you attain your goals. Investing in your employees and increasing their engagement level allows you to exceed your customers' expectations and become a company that everyone wants to work for.
Image via Graphic Stock
 
____________________________
 
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.
 

BAM Nominations  
Nominations now being accepted for the 2016 Kansas Business Appreciation Month!

Kansas businesses are the engines of economic growth. They better the quality of life in our state by creating jobs, investing in our communities and supporting local activities.

In 2016, we are once again excited to honor the businesses in our state and invite you to join us by nominating the successful businesses in your community for the 2016 Kansas Business Appreciation Month Awards. The top nominees will be recognized at the Team Kansas awards banquet in June, and the winner will take home the 2016 Governor's Award of Excellence, the highest award given to a business by the state.

Nominations will be accepted in four categories: manufacturing/distribution, retail, service and hospital/non-profit. Businesses can be nominated by an individual or organization, and nominators may submit multiple companies for consideration. The nomination deadline is Friday, March 25 at 5 p.m. Late nominations will not be accepted.

To submit an online nomination, please visit KansasCommerce.com/BAM.
Nominate a Kansas businesses today to show your thanks to the businesses that support the Kansas economy and our communities.

For more information, please contact:
Tricia Rice
Kansas Department of Commerce

Barton County Young Professionals Corner
Casino Night Approaches!



Area News
Hoisington K of C Events
"ALL YOU CAN EAT"
FISH FRIES
 
FRI. MARCH 18th
 
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

WKHRMA Meeting
Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association (WKHRMA) will hold their March meeting on Wednesday, March 9th at Thirsty's Banquet Room, 2704 Vine St., Hays.  Registration is between 11:15am - 11:30am with a short business meeting starting at 11:30am.  

The program for the March meeting will be "The Business Case for Breastfeeding: Implementing a Worksite Lactation Support Program" presented by Brenda Bandy with the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition. The program will end at 1:00 pm.

If you are interested in attending the March meeting as a guest at no charge, please RSVP to 
sldryden@yahoo.com no later than Monday, March 7th by noon.  

WKHRMA is an affiliate chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), a local professional organization for persons engaged in personnel or human resource management.  For more information on WKHRMA please check out the web site at www.wkhrma.org

 
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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                    Call for Content eBlasts and Newsletters

 

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 hoisingtoncofc@embarqmail.com three business days prior to the 1st of the month.

 

If you would prefer to get a printed copy of the monthly newsletter, please let the office know.

Hoisington Chamber of Commerce
123 N Main St
Hoisington, Kansas 67544
620-653-4311
hoisingtoncofc@embarqmail.com
Open Monday - Friday  9a.m. -12 p.m. & 1-4 p.m.