SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017
7 A
BUSINESS BEAT
541-997-3128
290 Highway 101, Florence, OR 97439
www.FlorenceChamber.com
www.facebook.com/fl orenceoregon
www.twitter.com/FlorenceOrCoast
December 2, 2017
From the Director’s Desk
UPCOMING EVENTS:
By Bettina Hannigan
Chamber Executive Director
Chamber Noon Forums - Lunch & Learn!
Luncheons are at the Best Western Pier
Point and lunch is available for $14.
• 12/14/17 Noon Forum - Make Social
Media Work for You Carol Shaw/Jolene
Medeiros. Carol Shaw from KEZI-TV and
Jolene Medeiros of Florence Tech Solutions
(FTS) will help you distinguish a twit from
a tweet and teach you how to make social
media work for you rather than the other
way around.
• 1/11/18 Noon Forum - Get Your Bite of 11
Billion Bucks Kari Westlund and Natalie
Inouye from Travel Lane County will
describe how every business in our region
can ensure they get their bite of the $11
billion that comes into Oregon every year
through travel, entertainment, hospitality
and destination marketing.
Business Aft er Hours
• CINDY WOBBE ESTATES Hosts
Business Aft er Hours Holiday Open House
- December 7, 2017 @ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Cindy Wobbe invites you to kick off the
Christmas season at Business Aft er Hours
on December 7, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m, at the
Cindy Wobbe Estate Sales showroom in
the Florence Antique District (498 Hwy
101). Join Cindy and her team for nibbles
and nosh, live music, and door prizes, and
preview fi rsthand the private off erings of
several local estates. Florence Antiques and
the Purple Pelican will also be open and
off ering special treats, so come out mix,
meander, and shop!
• December 21 st , 5:30-7pm – Oregon
Pacifi c Bank Business Aft er Hours
and Celebration! Come join us at 1355
Highway 101 in our Florence Branch as we
celebrate our 38th year anniversary as your
local community bank! Enjoy an evening
with your local bankers and mingle with
community members. Take some time to
savor the holiday season with local wine
and fresh hors d’oeuvres, and of course
be prepared to put your party hat on and
help yourself to a slice of birthday cake in
commemoration of Oregon Pacifi c Bank’s
38th year of local, hometown community
banking!
Business Aft er Hours are FREE to attend
and open to the public. We invite you to
come see for yourself how the Chamber
does business!
2017-2018
Corporate
Underwriters
Drift wood Shores Resort
Th e Korando Dental Group
Th ree Rivers Casino Resort
Why do we do what
we do? What motivates
small business to do busi-
ness? Th ese are questions
every small business
owner asks themselves.
Passion, purpose, de-
sire, and hope keep the
fi res burning. I salute our
small businesses, Florence
needs you.
I am very pleased to see the recent aware-
ness regarding the housing challenges Florence
and most rural communities are facing all over
the country. One of the many ways that we can
shoot ourselves in the foot, is to think our chal-
lenges are unique, they’re not. Creative think-
ing, sharing success, tapping into resources and
working together will be what makes the diff er-
ence for Florence. We all know that when you
point your fi nger at someone else, there are three
more pointing back at you. What I’m saying, is
that you, are part of the solution. I’m asking each
reader to think about who you may know and
what resources you might have that could poten-
tially partner with the government agencies and
programs that are just waiting for Joe Public to
step up. My many years as a Soroptimist taught
Emotions- Our
unconscious contribution
to a company.
By Bobby Jensen Jr.
Chamber Board President
Twelve years ago,
a very good friend of
mine who was also
employed at the small
service business I had
started, surprised me
with the news that he
would be leaving the
job to take one that bet-
ter suited his needs. As
a newer business, our workload wasn’t always
consistent, so I fi gured that had something to
do with him leaving. I later found out, that it
was one of our toughest competitors he start-
me one of my favorite lessons, the three A’s -
Awareness, Advocacy, Action. Th is new aware-
ness, is really new opportunity. We now have
awareness, now it’s time to implement advocacy
and action. Let’s partner together to share ideas,
resources, and willingness to get some skin in the
game. Florence is fi lled with wisdom, experience,
and knowledge. We have it all right here; cutting
edge innovation (think Hyak fi ber optic internet),
a city that is actively looking for partners, and
small businesses that are working to be the best
employers and community members possible.
Chamber’s purpose is to be an economic driver
for our community; I know you know this but, it’s
important for our sustainable future that we team
up – all of us. We need newcomers and long-tim-
ers, young people and retired folks, owners and
workers, government and private industry.
Th e Chamber’s Downtown Revitalization
Team (DRT) committee has partnered with Or-
egon State Park’s “Main Street” program to help
economic development in our area, the DRT
committee is making big progress. We have Revi-
sion Florence coming up; this street–scape proj-
ect will improve our town - downtown and all
around town. Government, non-profi ts, big and
small business, and private investors, are devel-
oping new ways to get things done, through part-
nerships. Yes, we need more housing – not new
news, but how meet this need is new news. Flor-
ence can do this, if we do it together. Let’s do this!
ed working with. I about lost my mind! I got
so angry because I felt he had abandoned our
special little startup and was taking all of our
trade secrets to a competing business. I picked
up the phone and called my younger brother
who was familiar with the business and told
him how I was going to go and let the business
manager know they stole our best guy, then go
to my friend and explain his disloyalty. My
little brother in his calm demeanor quickly
said, “Bobby your bringing emotion into busi-
ness”. I stopped my rant and listened as he ex-
plained to me that there is no room for emo-
tions in businesses and that he had left for a
good reason. I agreed to hold my tongue, and
proceeded to do business without him and
even continued to be his friend, as he worked
with a competing business. One year later he
moved away and the company he worked for
contacted me. Th ey stated that they had lost
their best technician because he moved away.
Th ey also said that before he left , he consulted
them that they are better off turning over all of
their service work to our company and focus-
ing on only sales. Th at call made our little
business the replacement service department
for theirs, which had been running for 45
years prior. Th eir clients became ours and the
revenues from the referrals of that company
ads up to well over a million dollars to date.
It gave us the stability we needed to provide
steady jobs and build up the business.
Th e reason I’m sharing this experience,
is so we will remember that in business there is
no room for greed, anger, pride, jealousy, and
hate. If you feel these emotions push them
out, and replace them with gratitude, generos-
ity, kindness, understanding and humility. A
business is made up of systems and formulas
which have no emotions. We are the ones that
bring them whatever they may be.
Bobby Jensen Jr.
Doing Good Business in a Season of Doing Good
’Tis the season of “make it or break it” for
many small businesses. Th e last six weeks of
the year represent an outsized portion of the
annual bottom line (and most of the profi t) for
many businesses nationwide.
Based on annual customer surveys by
a large federation of retailers, we can expect
annual holiday sales to be up by 5% nationwide
this year, which—fi ngers-crossed—bodes well
for Florence area businesses, too.
As you strategize for the fi nal push of
2017 and look ahead to a brighter 2018, there
are some things your business can do to help
ensure that you get the attention—and most
importantly, the loyalty—of our regional
consumers, clients and customers.
One of the most interesting and
compelling things a small business can do—
and it’s something that can be especially
eff ective in a small town—is to boost your
business by “doing good.” For example, if your
profi ts are up this year, you might marginally
increase any advertising budget, and then give
that budget a booster shot by sponsoring an
event in support of one of the many excellent
non-profi ts or other community organizations.
• Do your customers include families with
children? Sponsor uniforms in an athletic
league or support a special class project
or trip. Get your name in front of one of
the local family-oriented organizations
that showcase the arts or engage in aft er-
school programs.
• Speaking of the arts, your business could
sponsor a concert, a gallery event, a play,
a lecture or more to imprint your brand
on a vital segment of your customer base,
or that might represent a new market seg-
ment and an exciting growth opportunity.
Associate your business with the big
community events—the Rhododendron
Festival and the smaller-but-signifi cant
community-wide celebrations.
Th is kind of “doing good” can be especially
impactful if you work behind the scenes to
assist with press releases, announcements,
etc. Th ese sorts of activities take the value of
advertising and enhance its impact. An article
or news story that highlights your business, for
example, has an economic impact considered
three times that of a paid advertisement alone.
For instance, if a half-page ad in the newspaper
costs $500, then a half-page worth of editorial
in the same newspaper would be valued at
$1,500.
Remember … doing good is good
business.
•
TR Hunter Real Estate
Distinguished
Sponsors
101 Th ings to Do Magazine
Banner Bank
Event Committee Meetings –
Come join the fun!
Want to grow your business? Business
by referral is powerful. Participating on a
Chamber Committee is an eff ective way to
build relationships and referrals. Contact us for
upcoming meetings and times at 541-997-3128.
Maximize Your Membership!
• Th e Chamber’s website has an average of 25,000 page views per month! Make sure your
business is up to date and ready to drive new business to your company. Add photos,
verbiage, specials, and update business contact information.
• Visitors Center presence – Business cards and brochures are an eff ective way to drive our
14,000 visitors a year to your business.
• Relocation and Visitors Packets – Corporate Underwriters and Distinguished Sponsors
have their promotional material included along with the Chamber Directory (listing all
members) mailed to hundreds of people a year.
Bi-Mart
Beachcomber Pub
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Fred Meyer Stores
Lofy Construction
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
PeaceHealth
Florence Area
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Siuslaw Awards
2017
Peace Harbor Medical Center
Sea Lion Caves
Spruce Point Assisted Living
Th e Siuslaw News
Be sure to thank these
members for their
investment in our
community!
Th is prestigious event recognizes excellence in the
local business community by naming recipients for
awards in Excellence in Customer Service, Curb Appeal,
Non-Profi t Achievement, Community Caring, Innova-
tion in Business, and the Stu Johnston Business of the
Year Award.
Let’s recognize our locals for their service!
NOMINATIONS
Now Open!
Nominate online at www.fl orencechamber.com/events
Nomination Close Date is December 15th at 5pm
