Tina Cook, HR Manager - Ace Manufacturing & Parts Company
April 2011
If you missed our Chamber luncheon last week, you missed out on a huge opportunity to network and to share information about your business. We had a great turnout. This month's theme centered around April being National Child Abuse Prevention and National Volunteer Month. I want to "Thank" Doris Hallman with Hallman Counseling, Mary Heywood and Janet Jones with the Mid-Ozark CASA and Cara Combs with the Children's Advocacy Center, as well as the Camp for a Cause team. The information they shared was very informative.
Being a member of the Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce offers our members an opportunity to have access to a group of talented and dynamic individuals as a vital resource. Small entrepreneurs, medium-sized concerns, large manufacturers, retail, wholesale, creative, technical – all come together and make us stronger.
I shared with the group "Tips to Grow Your Business through Your Chamber". There are seven business building blocks that you can climb in order to build your business through your local Chamber office:
1. Credibility – Do your customers want a reliable source to recommend your business? In this age of various internet and other "scams" it can be a very valuable asset to your organization to be a member of the Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce. Your customers can be assured that you are a business in good standing within our community.
2. Exposure – Do you need more bang for your advertising buck? Each Chamber member receives complimentary advertising on our website and many other opportunities to their business through networking and the utilization of the Friday Facts.
3. Influence – Do you want your opinion to carry more weight? At the Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce, we work really hard to develop and maintain quality relationships with the City's elected officials and various government agencies. These established relationships put us in a unique position to advocate for our Chamber members, and for the business community as a whole. If you have an issue that you would like us to address, just contact us and we’ll be happy to advocate on your behalf. We are developing a new Government Committee, which will meet with our elected officials on a frequent basis or on an as needed basis to cover your issues and concerns.
4. Recognition – Does your business deserve a public pat on the back? We are dedicated to recognizing those businesses in the area that deserve a public pat on the back for exceptional accomplishments in the community. We have the annual awards banquet each year to recognize businesses for their corporate citizenship and extradionary business practices and the Friday Facts to showcase your accomplishments as well.
5. Connections – Do you want to do business with more people? Attending the Chamber's networking events and participating on Chamber committees gets you connected with other business leaders in the Sullivan area. Participation is the key to building rapport and trust in the business community. We have a membership committee being spear headed by Donnie and want to reach out and offer more opportunities for networking. Any ideas you have please direct them our way.
6. Advantage – Does your business need a competitive advantage? Take advantage of all that the Chamber has to offer, optimize your organization and stay ahead of the pack.
7. Incentives – Do you want VIP Treatment everywhere you go? Active members of the Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce not only get special treatment when they visit the establishments of member businesses, but they also receive many member-to-member discounts. We have established a committee to challenge Chamber members to provide these discounts to other members as a way to keep business local. You can be a part of this and will receive information in the mail shortly. I have asked Peggy Witt and Peggy Bryant to work on this project.
With all of the technology and resources available today and the global exchange of ideas that has revolutionized the way we do business the Sullivan Area Chamber is excited about the unique opportunities ahead and we are committed to providing quality advocacy, educational, and networking resources to help your business grow in 2011 and beyond. The Sullivan Chamber remains committed to exploring new ways to give our members the edge they will need in this challenging climate. Bottom line - We are better together.
Respectfully,
Tina Cook
2011 Chamber President
Executive Director – Lori Rego
Executive Assistant – Shirley Thurmond
2013 Chamber Officers
President – Tina Cook, Ace Manufacturing
Vice President –
Secretary/Treasurer - Amy Lee Bell, Kay's Music Studio
2013 Board of Directors
Connie Christians, Trokey Family Farm
Candy Key, LTC Providers
Deb Koch, First State Community Bank
Joshua Medling, Solarium Productions
Robin Richardson-Leach, Edward Jones
Stacy Counts, Peoples Bank
Peggy Bryant, Coldwell Banker Reeves
Sandie Dace, First Community National Bank
