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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2015)
10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL January 7, 2015 CHAMBER NEWSLETTER CHAMBER NEWS Travis Palmer, Executive Director A Note from the Director Did you make any New Year’s resolutions for 2015? If so, you’re taking part in a tradition that has been going on for over 4,000 years when ancient Babylonians reportedly made promises to the gods that they would return borrowed objects and pay off debts which they believed would earn them good favor in the coming year. There are a lot of common types of resolutions ranging from weight loss to getting out of debt or making amends with old adversaries. Sadly though, another all- too-common theme to making resolutions is the fact that they often only last for a short time before being abandoned or forgotten about. If you want to make a resolution that lasts, there are several simple things that you can do to prevent yourself from carrying out the much sadder tradition of abandoning the idea before Valentine’s Day. Here are a few simple, unoriginal, yet highly effective tips on how to make your New Year’s resolution a reality for 2015. First, write it down. The simple act of putting thoughts into words and making a record of it will drastically improve the odds that you will do something to achieve your goal. You don’t need anything fancy, just a piece of paper and a pencil are all you need to take this fi rst and arguably most important step. I also recommend keeping what you’ve written down someplace where you’ll see it often. For me, out of sight is out of mind so the refrigerator, bathroom mirror or even the ceiling above the bed are great places to put a list of my most important resolutions so that I’m constantly reminded of what I set out to accomplish. Next, follow George T. Doran’s model and make sure your resolutions are S.M.A.R.T., that is; Specifi c, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Vague statements of what you want will rarely lead to positive results so be clear about what you want to do and how you plan to do it. Measurable means creating a way to track your progress as well as your successes and failures. If you can’t measure your progress, you can’t tell if you need to make course corrections along the way and you won’t know if failure is in your future until it’s too late. Attainable means you need to be realistic about what you are trying to accomplish. Set goals that you know you can achieve. Stretch your comfort zone but don’t try to stretch reality. Relevance in goal setting is important because it magnifi es the success of your other related goals. When goals are relevant, each successful completion leads to increased chances for success in all of your other goals. Timely means setting a start and end date for what you plan to achieve. Someday is not a day of the week, nor is it on any known calendar, therefore saying that you’ll do something “someday” essentially means it will never happen. Give yourself a deadline, stick to it, and you’ll know exactly when you should be able to celebrate. There are numerous variations of Doran’s SMART model and what each letter stands for but no matter which one you choose, the point is that you are using a formula to set goals and improve your odds of achieving them. My last tip is to give yourself a little peer pressure by publicly stating your goals. Tell your friends, family, or someone that you look up to what your resolutions are and suddenly you’ll have not only a support system but you’ll also have someone besides yourself to answer to when it comes time to track your progress. Letting yourself down might not feel like a big deal but once you’ve made a statement to someone that you respect and admire, it becomes a lot harder to let yourself go back on your word and you’ll be much more motivated to push through any obstacles along your way. Now that you have some simple tips on how to successfully achieve your New Year’s resolutions, here’s another resolution to add to your list; Make the most out of your Chamber of Commerce membership. You can do this by picking one Chamber of Commerce activity to participate in each month and putting it on your calendar today. You don’t have to do everything, just pick one thing each month that relates to your business goals and by the end of the year, you’ll have accumulated some signifi cant time and effort to promote and achieve your professional goals. Next, check and update your business listing in our online directory. Each member has their own log- in and you should take the opportunity to maximize your business’ online presence. Finally, talk to other Chamber members about what your goals are for growing your business. Most people genuinely want to help and see you succeed but they can’t help if they don’t know what you are trying to do. Your membership dues support hundreds of activities throughout the year that are designed to help stimulate the local economy and make Cottage Grove a better community by providing networking, education, and advocacy opportunities for local businesses. We depend on the support of our business members so we want to support your success as a business. Tell us how we can better serve you and together we can all resolve to make 2015 a year for the record books. enter the door prize drawing, enjoy some delicious hors d’oeuvres, learn something new, and have some fun! Your attendance reinforces the spirit in which the Chamber provides these monthly activities. We look forward to seeing you there! Many thanks to those who support our efforts and your fellow Chamber members by attending this Chamber program. MEMBER NEWS Please join us in welcoming our NEWEST Chamber Member: Jennifer Radcliffe – Keller Williams Realty Eugene/Springfi eld PO Box 848, Cottage Grove (541) 554-4454 www.jradcliffe.yourkwagent.com Real Estate Travis Palmer, Executive Director Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce Renewing Member: Universal Trucking. We Hope You’ll Join Us! It that time of year again! Join us for the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce 66th Annual Awards & Installation Banquet. The banquet will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2015 so put on your fi ne attire and walk into a Winter Wonderland at the Emerald Valley Resort Event Center! In addition to an evening of great food and fun times with friends, the Chamber Banquet is a time to recognize those in our community who truly stand out through volunteerism and excellent business practices. It is also an opportunity to recognize student excellence and other honors. Nominees for 2014 First Citizen and Business of the Year are: First Citizen Award Gary Ackley Lindsay Haskell Ruth Linoz Business of the Year Award Buster’s Main Street Cafe Commonwealth Financial Edward Jones KNND AM1400 South Lane County Fire & Rescue We thank each of you for your continuous support of our efforts through your membership and your commitment to the Chamber and our community. We look forward to a successful and profi table year! We encourage you to support Chamber member businesses and our local economy and “Shop Chamber Members fi rst”! Holiday After Hours Fun What a fun time we had at the December Business after Hours hosted by the Cottage Grove Sentinel! The Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce will kick off the new year by hosting January’s Business After Hours so mark your calendars join us for more fun times! More photos on second page. January Business after Hours This month the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce will host Business after Hours on Thursday, January 15 from 5:30 – 7:00pm in the Community Center located at 700 E. Gibbs Avenue. Please join us to mingle with and fi nd out more about your fellow chamber member businesses. Bring your business card to 2015 Chamber Board of Directors, Advisors and Staff Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce 700 E. Gibbs • Cottage Grove, OR info@cgchamber.com • www.cgchamber.com P. (541) 942-2411 • F. 888-832-2045 2014 Chamber Board of Directors: Thank you for your hours upon hours of volunteer time, commitment, and service! Offi cers Tiffany Thackara, President Elect Emerald Valley Resort Event Center Joe Raade, Vice President South Lane County Fire & Rescue Amanda Akers, Treasurer Commonwealth Financial Network Tim Wilson, Past President Universal Trucking Directors Lorraine Eriksen Cottage Grove Souvenirs Sheri Henry Siuslaw Bank Thomas Knight Oregon CTO Lindsay Laycock Lane Community College Cottage Grove Campus Linda Schmale Retired, Past Board President Candace Solesbee Shampoo Dolls Salon Melinda Thompson Best Western Agate Beach Inn Paul Tocco Busterʼs Main Street Cafe John Trombly Fort Rock Construction Don Williams Retired, Past Board President Rhonda Worley CJW LLC Advisors Jake Boone Tim Herrmann Richard Meyers Mayor Tom Munroe Krista Parent Darby Valley City of Cottage Grove PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center City of Cottage Grove City of Cottage Grove South Lane School District Cottage Grove Community Acupuncture Staff: Travis Palmer Beth Martin Jennifer Violette Executive Director Offi ce Manager Bookkeeper Visitor Center Volunteers: Heidi Abbott, Susan Jeppesen, Suzy Kanich, Sunny Kennedy, Donna Laney, Chieko Tomasulo, Jim Vander Platt, Judd Van Gorder, Sharon Van Gorder, Sherry Wendt , Penny Westling, Nolene Wheeler.