December 21, 2015
Thank You for Your Generosity
 
Your Chamber has been collecting toys for Toys 4 Military Kids this month with great success. The Toys Program reaches out to military units by providing toys for their holiday parties as well as individual families. Toys 4 Military Kids has impacted thousands of children of military families in Minnesota over the years. Thank you all for your generosity this holiday season. The many kids that receive these gifts this Christmas will be overjoyed. 
Be Part of the 2016 Membership Directory & Resource Guide 
 
The 2016 Annual Membership Directory deadline is fast approaching!  Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your business and services to other members.  If you have not yet reserved your space through ECM Publishers, please do so this week. Contact ECM.
  
Why advertise?
1.  High Readership from your Target Market.  Members want to do business with other members.  The directory will allow them to quickly identify members in the category of services they are seeking.  Enhancing your listing with an ad, which is referenced in your listing (see our ad on page __), allows you to give a more in-depth look at what makes you an industry leader.  
 
2.  Cost Effective Marketing Tool.  With 1/4 page ads starting at $290, for one year of exposure, this affordable option, which directly reaches your target audience, enhances your current marketing mix.  
 
3.  To support the Chamber.  A portion of the revenue generated comes back to the Chamber for use towards benefits and programs.  In addition, this directory is used when soliciting new members, to demonstrate the robust community organizations involved in our Chamber.   
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Chamber office.  Thank you for making our annual directory a SUCCESS!
Committed to Business... for YOU.
Poll Finds Minnesotans Support Sandpiper Pipeline
 
Your Chamber has supported the development of Sandpiper Pipeline as part of Mid-America Chamber Executives Advocacy Alliance. Late last week results of a survey were released and demonstrate that Minnesotans' attitudes towards pipeline construction, railroad congestion and the important economic benefits that projects such as the Sandpiper pipeline contribute to Minnesota. If you feel the same, we urge you to contact Governor Dayton and ask him to expedite the process to build Sandpiper. Read more about the latest poll results.
Mark Your Calendars Now for Early January
 
Before you head out for the holidays, be sure to mark your calendars for the events scheduled in early January. Jump right in to networking on Tuesday, January 5 for Coffee Break with Paul Eggen State Farm Insurance and Judy Berg Cakes. On January 7, our Residential Real Estate members are invited to Industry Roundtable and to end the week, join us for our Legislative Breakfast with invited speakers Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk and House Speaker Kurt Daudt.  We look forward to seeing you in 2016!
 
Events Calendar
 
 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
21
22
23
24


25

Merry Christmas
28
29
30
31


1

Happy New Year!
4
5

8:00 a.m. 		6
7
7:30 a.m.
8

7:30 a.m.
11
12
13

8:00 a.m.
 
Noon
14

8:00 a.m.
15

Did You Know?
Do you have a New Year's Resolution about your business in 2016?  How does the Chamber fit into your business growth strategy?  What benefits will you take advantage to increase your profitability or create new jobs?  Anyone who shares their Chamber related resolution will be put into a drawing for a complimentary ticket to January 28's Breakfast with Champions! Click here to share your resolution.
Tips to Retain Employees
 
Our friends at Dakota-Scott Workforce Investment Board recently shared some helpful ways to find and keep good workers that were presented in The Kiplinger Letter (12/04/15) and we thought it might help to spark your own ideas as you continue employee recruitment in 2016.

*Recruit in adjacent industries for people with skills that can be adapted to your needs with adequate training.
*Establish internships and apprentice programs to tap younger candidates.
*Welcome back former employees who may be more than happy to return. Many companies are reversing policies against taking back folks who flew the coop.
*Don't overlook veterans. And be open to hiring former felons, giving them a second chance. You can earn a tax credit of up to $9,600 per hire.
*Cultivate a reputation as a great place to work... important to millennials and others. Thank job applicants for their interest... they'll think well of you for it.
*Consider expanding your referral bonus program to spouses, ex-workers, etc. Referred workers are typically of higher quality and more familiar with your business.
*Provide solid career advancement opportunities through mentoring and continuing education. They'll entice star workers to stick with your company.
Local Focus: Find Out What's Happening In Your Community

Farmington City Council meets December 21 - see the agenda 
Eagan Advisory Planning Commission meets December 22 - see the agenda  
Member Spotlight: Feels Like Family
 
Lisé Freking 
Did you ever feel like the new kid on the block, but you were welcomed with open arms by your new-found friends? That is exactly how I felt when I joined the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce. As a recent member on the Board of Directors, my fellow board members have made me feel like a long-lost friend. To top it off, the Chamber members I have met at Coffee Breaks and at the Business Excellence Awards have really made me feel like family. I look forward to meeting more Chamber members at upcoming events such as the Why Not Wednesdays, WomEn's Circle gatherings, Legislative Breakfasts, Annual Golf Classic and more. As a Strategy and Marketing Director at Thomson Reuters, I am excited to represent my company and the Chamber while continuing to learn and grow personally and professionally through the Chamber.
vacancy_sign_desk.jpg
Help Spread the Word

We are excited about the creation of a new position at your Chamber:
Office Services Coordinator. We recognize the importance of member engagement - an active member is a satisfied member - and so we've created a new position to ensure the highest return on investment for our members. Learn about the job details. The best employees are referrals from our members... 
 
New Members
We welcome the following new members!
 

Dakota Chiropractic
Lyon Events Management, LLC
New Horizon Academy
Piepho Moving & Storage


New York Life 
 Cory Campbell  
860 Blue Gentian Road, Suite 330
Eagan, MN 55121
View website HERE

As a licensed Agent of New York Life Insurance Company, Cory offers a variety of products that can help you meet a number of insurance and financial needs, including, but not limited to college funding, retirement, managing costs for extended periods of care and lifetime income strategies. Please contact him to help you fully analyze your 
 needs and recommend appropriate solutions.



PR Caffeine
Bonnie Rae Backer 
2438 East 117th Street, Suite 100
Burnsville, MN 55337
View website HERE

PR Caffeine is a leading provider of digital marketing services. EspreSEO™is PR Caffeine's full menu of SEO strategies that they use to perk up your search rankings. They know what the search engines like and don't like. Their job is to serve up your organization's content just the way they want it. A shot of EspreSEO does for your business what caffeine does for you - IT ENERGIZES IT!

Watch for more information about these fine companies in upcoming Weekly Updates.

Celebrate Business Success
News on what's happening with our members and in the community!

 
The Pallais Agency is currently hiring for a full-time Customer Service Representative. Anyone interested should call 651-696-9096. Don't forget you can see more job openings, or post openings, on your Chamber's website.


PR Caffeine has promoted team member Bonnie Rae Backer to director of administration. Before her promotion, Backer was the executive assistant to PR Caffeine's CEO Ryan Berkness.  Congratulations Bonnie Rae!



A wonderful time was had by all that attended the Rosemount Holiday Party. Thanks for Rudy's Redeye Grill for the fantastic meal! 

 

Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
3352 Sherman Court, Suite 201
Eagan, MN 55121
651.452.9872