March
eBlast for the week of  
March 28, 2016
This week at the Chamber:
 
Wednesday, March 30th
Chamber office closed to attend Grant Writing workshop

Thursday, March 31st
Chamber coffee hosted by Hoisington Pizza Hut @ 9:30 a.m.

Camp Aldrich Event Hall Grand Re-Opening 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 1st
Flush a Friend Fundraiser begins!

Saturday, April 2nd
Antique Tractor Pull @ The Long Drive Driving Range @ 12 p.m.
This week in our area:
 
Monday, March 28th
USD 431 - Easter Break - No School
4-6 p.m. -Hoisington Food Bank Open

7 p.m. - City Council Meeting

7 p.m. - KSRE Night Own Presentation at Clara Barton Hospital

Wednesday, March 30th
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Clara Barton Clinic Open House


Thursday, March 31st
Hoisington Pizza Hut Fundraiser for Southern Kansas Fire Fighting efforts - All day

Friday, April 1st
Kans for Kids Radiothon on Eagle Radio stations

Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament @ Knights of Columbus @ 8 p.m.


Chamber News
The April Newsletter will be mailed out on Friday! 
If you have news, photos, events, or specials your would like to be included, please send those by Friday morning to [email protected]
Retail Promotions 2016
Congratulations to Josh Nickerson who was the winner of the 3-Spray Lawn Treatment
from Miller Lawns!

 
Tractor Pull This Saturday!
We are looking for volunteers to help with parking, gate and concessions. To volunteer call the Chamber at 620-653-4311 or email us at  [email protected]

Chamber Announces
Fun(d)-Raiser
As a non-profit organization, much of our operating budget comes from our fundraisers. We take this very seriously at the Chamber, so in the spirit of being thoughtful and meaningful, we meditated long and hard on what our next fundraiser would look like. 

On just how we could present a exceptional opportunity to our membership and our community. After all, if the Chamber is flush, think of all of the wonderful things we could offer to our members!

On how we can spread our mission and make the Hoisington area a fertile place for new businesses to flourish.

In fact, we'll be  surprised if this fundraiser doesn't make a big splash...  

So...




To purchase Potty Protection Insurance or to add a name to the Flush a Friend list, call or visit the Chamber!

Member News
Your Action Plan Class @ CBH

 
Clara Barton Clinic Open House

Pizza Hut Fundraiser
Many Pizza Huts in Kansas are participating in a fundraiser to benefit the people/communities affected by the fires that rampaged through Southern Kansas earlier this week, and the Hoisington Pizza Hut will be one of those participating.

This ThursdayMarch 31st, Pizza Hut of Hoisington will donate 15% of ALL sales that day to this cause

 
Kans for Kids Radiothon Approaches!


GBRH gives donation to KWEC 

Art Baker and Curtis Wolf with the Friends of Cheyenne Bottoms group accept a $250 donation from Dr. Roger Marshall and a matching $250 donation from Great Bend Regional Hospital, represented by its CEO Brent Hanson. The local healthcare leader is sponsoring the Great Migration Rally taking place at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center on Saturday, April 20th, which draws between 150 and 200 people from all over the region to the Great Bend community for nature tourism and wildlife education. This year's featured guest speaker will be falconer Nate Matthews, along with his golden eagle. Learn more about the event by visiting WetlandsCenter.FHSU.edu or by liking the Kansas Wetlands Education Center page on Facebook.

 
Grant Writing Workshop



  
Get more information by emailing GBCF HERE or calling 620-792-3000.
Camp Aldrich Events Center Celebrates Grand Re-Opening
Camp Aldrich Dining & Events Center
Grand Re-Opening
 
Thursday, March 31st
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.



This After Hours Ribbon Cutting Celebration is in conjunction with Barton Community College, the Great Bend, Ellinwood and Hoisington Chambers of Commerce and Claflin Area Pride.

The event will be catered by Great Western Dining.

A program and ribbon cutting will be at 6:20 p.m.


Special thanks to: Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Inc.,Camp Hope, Bob Dole.
 
Nex-Tech "Tech Edge" Event
Open for Registrations
Registration for Tech Edge 2016 is now open! 




Tech Edge
Tech Edge


The top 7 reasons you should attend TechEdge 3.0:
  1. Largest technology event in Western Kansas!
  2. Get a glimpse into technology trends for the future!
  3. Breakout sessions for executives to learn how technology trends will impact business now and in the future!
  4. Hands-on technology labs with industry leading products!
  5. Prize-A-Palooza (Giving away $15,000 in prizes in 20 minutes)!
  6. Keynote from Austin McChord who started a technology company in his parent's garage and grew it to over $100 million plus and growing!
  7. Vendor floor with the best products and solutions in technology!

 
Weekly Business Article
5 Essential Efficiency Tips for the Small Business Owner

Small business owners often resolve to work more hours for the freedom of choosing their own boss. But any way you look at it, we all have only 24 hours in our day, so working longer has its limits. Still most business owners wouldn't trade the stress and long hours for anything in the world. Discovering the keys to working smarter will give you more time to enjoy other pursuits.  

It's not just about wrestling some free time out of the clutches of obligations. Working smarter makes you more efficient, which means more revenue. But you can't increase efficiency to the point it alienates customers. It's a fine balance. Here are some efficiency tips for you and your team that will not negatively impact your customers.

Chunk It All
The most efficient shoppers among us know their grocery stores well and they may even organize their list accordingly. This means less time meandering around the store and going up and down the same aisles for different items. For instance, you pick up all of your produce needs at once instead of getting string beans and then going for meat, only to come back around again for corn.

This is the concept of chunking. Organize your To-Do list so that like activities go with like. Perform similar activities back-to-back to be more efficient. Many efficiency experts suggest slots of time for answering emails. This allows you to get into the mindset and hit the task with all of your attention, instead of allowing it to disrupt you at unplanned times throughout the day.

Automate What You Can
You can't automate relationships but most everything else is worth a try. Automate social media posts but leave time for real-time interaction with your audience. You need good content and you need to be out there. Use FAQs on your website to help people self-serve and get the answer they need without calling and asking the same things. This doesn't replace your customer service, merely assists them in answering questions that never change, aka hours, address, phone number, etc.

Kill the Meetings
One of the largest time sucks in your day is probably status meetings that go on forever. Stick to your agenda. Think of your team meeting as a huddle not a marathon. Hold them standing up because it will cut down on long, drawn out monologues. While bonding is important, you can do that elsewhere through team lunches or after-hours events. Get the information you need and then get everyone back to work.

Move to the Cloud
There is no need for any employees to be hampered by a lack of information they require to do their jobs. Moving your information to the cloud will give people more opportunities for collaboration and it will kill the excuse of, I didn't have it with me. Unplanned things come up, ideas hit. Giving employees access to what they need to do their jobs well is critical to your success and improving efficiency.

Hire Right
One of the biggest time sucks outside of meetings is employing the wrong person. Someone who is not a good fit for your business will not only be less efficient than someone who is, but they will also wear down others and sink morale. Every employee you have represents your business in our social media-driven world. Hiring wrong is more detrimental to your brand than running an ineffective campaign.

A final tip about productivity: For an efficient business you must have the right team, that has access to the right tools, with no obstacles in their way. As the owner of a small business one of the most crucial things you can do to improve efficiency is hire well, outfit the team with what they need, and ensure nothing gets in their way. Now maybe you can get a couple of hours for yourself.
 
 ________________________________

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.

Area News
Hoisington K of C Events
TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER TOURNAMENT
 
Everyone 21 and over is invited to compete in a Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 1st. at the Hoisington Knights of Columbus Hall.  The Knights host this tournament to raise funds to be donated to area charities.

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.
--------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

                    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 [email protected] 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
[email protected]
Open Monday - Friday  9a.m. -12 p.m. & 1-4 p.m.