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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2015)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 Florence Area Business Beat A service of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce MARCH 7, 2015 UPDATE Welcome New Members! Be sure to thank these members for their investment in our community! Connecting The Dots: Why Chamber Membership Matters Make Meetings More Productive By Bobby Jensen, owner, Shoreline Customized Apparel and Chamber board member Th e Chamber advertises around the state to invite visitors to Florence. One might think that supporting the Chamber doesn’t impact their business if they don’t serve tourists. Th is is short sighted. Here’s why: Every time a dollar is spent in Florence it has a ripple eff ect through the local economy, benefi tting many. For example: A local hotel sells a room whose occupants use hot water maintained by a local plumber who wears a locally-embroidered uniform from a local company that has a website cared for by a local broadband company whose technician gets his haircut at the local barber who pays rent to a local property manager who just paid a local contractor to remodel a diff erent location and who takes his family out to a local restaurant that buys fresh produce and meats from local growers who drive vehicles from a local dealership which uses bright lights powered by the local utility that employs your neighbor who shops locally, attends local concerts, donates to local charities, and pays taxes to support local schools, the local fi re department, and the local police department! So join the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce! Serve others through networking to build familiarity and trust! Come to Chamber events, discover new resources, ask members about their businesses, and help them connect with others. When you support them, they will support you by buying from you or donating to your organization. It’s not always what or who you know — it’s also what you know about who you know! By Scott Steward, Creative Wave Marketing Solutions Your staff all just attended the same meeting. Th eir diff ering perspectives and perceptions color what they think just happened. Th is is inevitable due to individual personalities and status within the organization. Managers tend to speak freely. Subordinates, who do most of the work and know the customers best, tend to stay quiet and support their bosses. Remember this during and aft er each meeting, and don’t let either type get away with this. Get balanced participation. Before adjourning, make sure every expectation and decision made is crystal clear to all—and is communicated to, and ultimately implemented by, the person assigned. Sadly, most organizations forget these accountability tactics, and nothing gets done. Ask these questions to get out of that rut and onto the road to productive meetings: • To whom, and how, are we going to communicate any decisions made in this meeting? • Who is responsible for carrying them out and how/when will they report back to the group? • Who else needs to know? • What did we dislike or like about this meeting? (You must facilitate an environment for unfettered participation.) • Allow each to acknowledge someone for their contributions to the meeting. (Require the person to address the one being acknowledged personally, directly, and sincerely—good or bad. And allow people to ask for acknowledgements for their contributions… (egos can be fragile!) • Are there any lingering, unspoken thoughts in anyone’s mind? (Make sure everyone is clear and feels confi dent regarding their roles, assignments, and deadlines.) Adjourn with confi dence, carrying your list of action items with names and deadlines, knowing everyone is headed in the same direction. Coming Events For even more information on other exciting local events, visit www.FlorenceChamber.com/Calendar. Noon Forums: Chamber members and the public are invited to the Chamber’s Noon Forums on the third Th ursday of each month at the World Market Buff et at Th ree Rivers Casino & Resort. Lunch is $12.50. Come enjoy food, friends, and fun! Meet area business leaders and fi nd out what’s going on in the Florence business community! March 19: In May, voters will help decide how we pay for road maintenance and preservation in Lane County. Join Lane County staff and Chamber members for a lively discussion about the proposed fee and road maintenance needs in Lane County. Th e proposed $35 annual registration fee would generate about $145,000 annually to help with roads in the City of Florence, and help Lane County maintain more than 1,400 miles of roadways and 417 bridges. April 16: Andy Marohl from Siuslaw Middle School presents his students’ Lego Robotics class. Business Aft er Hours: Chamber members and the public are invited to Business Aft er Hours, an opportunity to network at a local business, exchange business leads and tips, and learn about the business that is hosting. Th ese fun networking events are generally held on the fi rst and third Th ursday of the month: March 19 Mon Ami April 2 McKenzie Primary Care April 16 Natural Dentures (tentative) May Chamber Board of Directors election—get involved! 15-17: 108th Rhododendron Festival th ODENDRON F OD ES RH TI LET’S Rock ‘n Rhody 15 Located just 11 scenic miles north of Florence, they are a major employer in our tourism industry, and a huge supporter of the community overall. If you haven’t visited the Caves, you’ll be surprised to learn that it is the largest sea cave in America at 12 stories high and as large as a football fi eld. Th e bronze statue “Th e Family” was presented to the Caves in 1982 in celebration of their 50th anniversary. By Woody Woodbury, Owner, Florence Grocery Outlet When I moved to Florence 10 years ago the fi rst organization I joined was the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. It had been recommended to me by some of the staff at City Hall. I started attending the Noon Forum luncheons and Business Aft er Hours as a means of meeting potential customers and as a great way to network with other business owners. By my second year in business I was asked to attend a board meeting as a potential board member. I was impressed by the board’s desire to promote its member businesses and Florence as a recreational destination. Aft er I joined the Chamber board I realized how many events for which the Chamber was responsible for recruiting volunteers, sponsors, and participants. Ten years later, this is still all being done by one paid employee and the remainder by Chamber members who volunteer their time to make these events successful. I proudly served on the board for seven years and I am still a member and volunteer. It’s a great way to contribute our community. L VA Distinguished Sponsors 2014-2015 101 Things to Do Bi-Mart Burns’s Riverside Chapel Driftwood Shores Resort Firenze Wine & Chocolate Florence Heating & Sheet Metal Fred Meyer Stores KCST/Coast Radio Oregon Pacific Bank PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center Sea Lion Caves Shippin’ Shack/Siuslaw Signs & Graphics Siuslaw Bank Spruce Point Assisted Living TR Hunter Real Estate The Siuslaw News Th ough discovered by settlers in 1880, the Sea Lion Caves recently celebrated 80 years in the Florence business community and have been a long-standing supporter of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce as a Distinguished Sponsor or at a higher level. Co-owner Steve Saubert served as Chamber president twice in the 1970s. Th ey were also the recipient of the Chamber’s Stu Johnston Business of the Year Award for 2012! Why I am a Member N E Three Rivers Casino & Resort Meet Our Distinguished Sponsors Sea Lion Caves February Noon Forum Speaker Packs the House Mayor Joe Henry addressed a packed house at the Chamber’s February 19 Noon Forum at Three Rivers Casino Resort. He presented “Look at Us Now Because We Are a City in Motion.” Henry described each of the seven primary goals recently adopted by the Florence City Council, including expanding and diversifying the Florence economy, in part through a partnership with the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. R Underwriters 2014-2015 If you’d like to know more about the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and what it can do for you, call 541-997-3128 or e-mail Cal Applebee at Cal@ FlorenceChamber.com O FL By Cal Applebee, executive director We may be coming out of the winter months when things seem somewhat dormant, but that doesn’t mean your Chamber Board and committees have been! Th ere has been a lot going on over the past several months to bolster economic development and the business community on several fronts. Your Board of Directors met in early February in a strategic planning session to evaluate events, marketing eff orts, and membership benefi ts. We’re making progress. For the past year-plus, the Downtown Revitalization Team (DRT) has been working at continuing various eff orts launched over the past two decades to enhance the Highway 101 corridor through Florence. Th ese initiatives originated with a City of Florence downtown implementation plan in 1999, followed in 2009 by a visitor readiness report prepared by Travel Lane County. Th e DRT has taken some elements of those plans and is making great progress toward implementation. A Membership Committee has been meeting for several months, evaluating along with the Board of Directors, our benefi ts packages and determining ways to enhance the value to our members. Th is committee is also recruiting new members and helping existing members understand the value of a Chamber membership. And of course, the Rhododendron Festival Committee has been making progress on this year’s spectacular 108th celebration of that iconic community event. Th ere is a lot of planning and work that goes into producing these events to benefi t our membership and our community. It simply would not happen without these volunteers. Your Old Town Committee has been meeting faithfully over the past few years and is constantly evaluating the eff ectiveness of the various events and promotions they produce for historic Old Town and the rest of our membership. Th e Marketing Committee continues to meet on a regular basis to guide our marketing plan in conjunction with Celeste/Daniels Advertising and Design. Both groups are making measurable progress. Th ere is a lot of work that goes into making your Chamber a viable partner in the Florence business community. Th e value of all these benefi ts and eff orts far exceed the dollar investment of a Chamber membership. When you join the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce you’re investing in your business community and the economic health of the Florence area! If you’re not yet a member, make some progress of your own and join today! 20 Your Chamber— A Work In Of Progress Blue Heron Inn Bed & Breakfast – 6563 Hwy 126, Florence, 541-997-4091 Charming bed and breakfast overlooking the Siuslaw River, minutes from Old Town. Beautiful views and comfortable rooms with a full breakfast! CE 7, 541-997-3128 10 8 www.florencechamber.com Call or visit these new Chamber members and tell them you’re glad they joined! Fresenius Medical Care – 2820 Kingwood Street, Florence, 541-997-1136 Leading network of dialysis facilities and top producer of dialysis equipment in North America. , O REGO 5 Y 1 N • MA -1 July 4: Fireworks Display in Old Town, Wings & Wheels Fly-in/Car Show at Florence Airport September 11-13: Rods ‘n’ Rhodies Invitational Car Show 12, 13: Community Wide Garage Sale— FEC and everywhere October 3 Oktoberfest—FEC/Old Town 11 Columbus Day Festival—Old Town November 11 Veterans’ Day Parade December Florence Holiday Festival Get the Chamber’s Membership Advantages • Networking • Business Tips • Cooperative Promotions • Preferred Trade Status Join the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce! • www.florencechamber.com • 541-997-3128 Have some good business advice? An event to promote? A story about your Chamber membership? To get an article or notice published in Business Beat, e-mail Cal@FlorenceChamber.com by the third Friday of the month. Publisher: Cal Applebee, Executive Director. Editor: Scott Steward, Creative Wave Marketing Solutions.