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.