April 18, 2016
Take Advantage of Your Membership 
 
Are you taking advantage of all your Chamber has to offer? The best way to get the most out of your Chamber membership is by being an active participant. Members are able to make new connections with other members by attending events and volunteering on a committee. Here are a few other ways to make the most out of your Chamber membership:
  • Ribbon cuttings: Take advantage of a Chamber ribbon cutting when your business has something to celebrate such a a remodel, a new location or a new product line. Contact Heather to arrange your ribbon cutting!
  • Job Board: Post any open positions you may have to help spread the word.
  • Hot Deals: Post any offers you may have for fellow Chamber members. It's a great way to promote your business and connect with other Chamber members.
  • Events Calendar: Post your upcoming events on the Chambers event calendar.
Posting on the job board, hot deals and on the events calendar are all accessible through your Chamber website log in. Contact Pam Schmidt if you need help logging in or to reset your password. 
Committed to Business... for YOU.
How about saving 30% of your tax bill?
 
Legislators are ready to make major decisions on taxes and spending so now is the perfect opportunity to let them know how their decisions affect your bottom line. Tell your lawmakers to use a portion of the $900 million budget surplus to improve Minnesota's business tax climate by reducing uncompetitive business taxes. Did you know:
  • 30% of your business property taxes go directly into the state's general fund?
  • Minnesota is only one of 14 states with an estate tax?
  • Minnesota was the first state to enact R&D tax credit?
Join us to learn about efforts to reduce business property taxes; conform estate tax to the federal threshold; enhance the R&D credit and other tax items from our elected officials at Business Day at the Capitol on April 22. Please call Vicki Stute at 651.288.9201 about details for the day.
Legislative Breakfast: Donkeys vs. Elephants 
 
May's Legislative Breakfast features "Donkeys vs. Elephants" with Minnesota's political party leaders, Keith Downey (GOP) and Ken Martin (DFL) on Friday, May 6, 2016 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Commons on Marice in Eagan. Join us as they "unwind the spin" on November's elections, learn more about their strategies for the future, how they plan to capture the independent voter, and the race for cash. Click here to register.
Keith Downey was elected chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota April 2013. Downey served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives and was the Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He is a business consulting specialist and was a partner with Virchow Krause Consulting.


Ken Martin has a long history of involvement in campaigns in Minnesota and around the country. As Chairman, Ken has rebuilt the DFL party restoring confidence amongst donors, elected officials and party leaders by showing that the party has a plan and vision to win elections and advance a progressive agenda forward. Ken holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Kansas. He and his wife currently live in Eagan with their two sons.
 
Thank you to our sponsors:
                                                       
South Metro Young Professionals: Turning Business Cards into Connections 
 
Fortune is in the Follow Up, Use LinkedIn to Super-Charge Your Networking
 
You've paid the registration fee, shaken hundreds of hands, and collected dozens of business cards. But do you have a plan for following up with all those new connections? How do you transform that pile of cards into client relationships?
 
Join local LinkedIn consultant, Sandy Zeiszler, to discover how to use LinkedIn to turn business cards into connections, including:
  •  A 7-step touch-point plan to engage with potential clients and referral partners.
  • Templates for customized connection requests and follow up messages.
  • LinkedIn's tagging feature to track where and when you meet your connections.
  • A follow up plan to use after any networking event and with past connections.
Join us for networking and education! Register today.
 
Events Calendar
 
 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
18
19
7:30 a.m.
Board of Directors
Noon
20
7:30 a.m.
21
7:45 a.m.
22
7:30 a.m.
Government Affairs Committee
7:30 a.m.
Golf Classic Committee 
25
26
8:00 a.m.
27

7:30 a.m. 		28
7:30 a.m.
29
2
7:30 a.m.
Executive Committee
3
7:30 a.m.
PAC Board

11:30 a.m.
SMYPro Committee
3:30 p.m.
Ambassador Committee
 
4
8:00 a.m.
Small Business Academy Committee
5

4:00 p.m.
6

7:30 a.m.
9
10
11

8:00 a.m.
Noon

12

8:00 a.m.

13
Did You Know?
If you are like me, you have been wondering why we as tax payers received an extra three days to file our taxes this year. According to Syracuse.com, you can thank the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia for the extra time. Emancipation Day is a celebration of the anniversary of the Compensated Emancipation Act which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862, and freed 3,000 slaves in the District of Columbia. Since April 16 is a Saturday this year, the holiday is celebrated on April 15. And since the Internal Revenue Service is based in the District of Columbia, the tax filing deadline was switched to Monday.
Rosemount City Council Puts Referendum Before Voters
 
The Rosemount City Council voted 5-0 to put before the voters a proposal for new recreational facilities in the community. The election on Tuesday, May 17 will determine whether the City can borrow up to $15 million, to be paid off over 20 years through property taxes. The City estimates that commercial/industrial taxes will increase 1.6% each year if passed. There will be two informational meetings that citizens are welcome to attend:
  • Thursday, April 28th, from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Rosemount Community Center
  • Thursday, May 5th, from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Rosemount Steeple Center
You can find additional details of the proposal on the city's webpage. 
Local Focus: Find Out What's Happening In Your Community
 
Farmington City Council meets April 18 - see the agenda 
Eagan City Council meets April 19 - see the  agenda
Mendota Heights City Council meets April 19 - see the agenda
West St. Paul Planning Commission meets April 19 - see the agenda
Rosemount City Council meets April 19 - see the agenda
Rosemount Port Authority meets April 19 - see the agenda
Dakota County Board of Commissioners meet April 19 - see the agenda 
Marketing to the Members
 
Did you know you can purchase our Chamber membership mailing list? This is a great way to market an event you may be having or inform them of a service or promotion you are offering. The investment for the list is $75 and consists of company name, primary representative, phone number and mailing address.

Do you want to send something out to the membership but don't want to deal with the mailing process? If so, the MailPak is your ticket. You provide the ad and we supply the postage and send it out! Participating in the MailPak is $150 and is sent quarterly. The next MailPak will be sent out early May so your ad is due April 25.

 
New Members
We welcome the following new members!
 


ABRA® Auto Body and Glass- Eagan
Jeffrey C. Blesener 
1399 Town Centre Drive
Eagan, MN 55123
(651) 452-0717
 
ABRA Auto Body provides outstanding customer service to our customers. Our friendly, professional staff and skilled repair technicians are dedicated to repairing your vehicle right the first time, on time and getting you back on the road as quickly as possible. ABRA works hard to earn your trust and provide unparalleled customer service combined with top quality repair work. Our highly trained vehicle repair technicians use top-of-the-line equipment along with the best products available. We offer auto body collision repair, paint-less-dent-repair, and auto glass repair and replacement. All services include a Lifetime Guarantee.


Teresa's Mexican Restaurant 
Fernando Arellano
672 Highway 100, #2
Mendota Heights, MN 55120

Now Open!
1008 Diffley Road
Eagan, MN 55121
Visit website here 
 
Felipe Mata, the owner of Teresa's Mexican Restaurant, is originally from the small town of San José de la Paz in the Mexican state of Jalisco. He immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia at age 13 in search of the American dream. When he arrived, he received a job as a dishwasher. Throughout the years, he worked his way up to becoming a cook, and then a manager. During these years he met his now wife, Teresa.

In 1980, with his brother Arturo by his side, Felipe decided to begin his own restaurant in Rome, Georgia. He named this new restaurant El Zarape, which still remains in business to this day. In the mid 1980's he decided to start expanding his flourishing business. In 1985 he established another restaurant in Augusta, Georgia and decided to name it after his wife, Teresa. After the success of this new restaurant, Felipe decided to open more locations in three states: Georgia, South Carolina, and Minnesota.   


Crown Rental 
Doug Haas
15211 Canada Avenue 
Rosemount, MN 55068
Visit website here 

Started in 1989, Crown Rental has grown to be a leader in the Equipment Rental and Party Rental business in the South Metro area. With locations in Burnsville, Rosemount and Apple Valley, Crown Rental is continuing to expand our inventory and locations to better serve our customer's needs!
With 27 years in business, Crown Rental continues to expand our ever growing inventory. Our equipment inventory ranges from small hand tools to everyday lawn equipment to midsize excavators. Our party inventory is always changing with the times and offers everything from tables and chairs to large span canopies to all the dishware and linens for that next event.


Sylvan Learning Center - Eagan
Annette Braaten
4160 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan, MN 55123
Visit website here 

Sylvan provides personalized learning programs all ages of students by helping students conquer the fundamentals before advancing to more challenging concepts and building the skills needed for lasting success in the classroom and beyond. Sylvan offers personalized instruction in reading, writing, math, study skills, homework support, and ACT Prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan also offers STEM camps (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math for grades 1-8 as well as academic camps for early learners Pre-K. If you are looking for a positive learning environment where students can reach their full potential, then Sylvan is the place for you.
   
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 Minnesota Business Ethics Awards recently announced their 2016 finalist companies. Congratulations to two of our members, Ecolab, Inc. and HealthPartners, who were selected as finalists. Recipients will be announced at the May 11, 2016 Luncheon.


Xcel Energy has been named the country's top utility wind energy provider for the 12th consecutive year by the American Wind Energy Association. They are proud of this distinction, and feel that wind energy is good both for their customers and their bottom line. They are continuing to make investments in wind energy, as an important part of their electricity generation portfolio.
 
Chamber members are invited to the DCTC Foundation's annual event, the True Brew Gala, on April 28th. This year's gala will highlight DCTC's new brewing program and will feature local craft beer. Click here to learn more about this exciting event.

The City of Eagan has named an up-and-coming manager from the Minneapolis and suburban Denver park systems, as its new Director of Parks and Recreation. Andrew Pimental has overseen recreation programs, facilities and services in Northeast Minneapolis the last three years, following his move to Minnesota with his wife, Kristin, a Minnesota native. Please join us in welcoming Andrew!
Thank you to Minnesota Energy Resources
 Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
3352 Sherman Court, Suite 201
Eagan, MN 55121
www.dcrchamber.com
651.452.9872