8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 1, 2015
CHAMBER NEWSLETTER
CHAMBER NEWS
given by our board to serve on committees,
attend meetings, organize and participate in
events, etc. there were 1,807 hours recorded
by our visitor center volunteers in 2014!
Volunteering is a selfl ess activity, void of
fi nancial gain and is intended to promote
goodness. It is about giving of oneself to
serve others. We appreciate all you do to help
support our efforts and make Cottage Grove a
GREAT place to live and do business!
Forum - Building an
Online Business Profi le
Travis Palmer,
Executive Director
Note from the
Director
Since our newsletter is already so packed
with information and tight on space this
month, I simply want to say “thanks” to a very
special person. Thank you Suzy Kanich, for
your time and volunteerism at the Chamber’s
Visitor Information Center. Suzy came to us
almost 3 years ago as a volunteer who wanted
to stay connected to the community and keep
her offi ce skills polished. In service to the
Chamber she has answered phones, greeted
visitors, helped with all kinds of projects and
recently even helped save the life of one of
our members’ beloved cats. Suzy has been
offered a full time job with one of our local
businesses, which means her time with us is at
an end. Thank you Suzy, we wish you the best
of luck, and you will be missed.
Travis Palmer, Executive Director
Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce
Are You Good With
People?
Do you like to meet and talk with travelers
from other areas? Do you enjoy telling people
about what a great place Cottage Grove is?
If so, The Cottage Grove Area Chamber of
Commerce needs you!
Volunteers are needed to assist in the Visitor
and Information Center at the Chamber Offi ce
in the Cottage Grove Community Center, 700
E. Gibbs. Volunteers act as the fi rst point of
contact for many who choose to visit or move
to our community. Volunteers normally do
a four-hour shift one day per week. Please
call the Chamber offi ce (942-2411) for more
information or pick up an application at the
Visitor desk at the Community Center.
Hats Off To You!
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation
Week (April 18-23) we would like to take a
moment to recognize and thank our board
and visitor center volunteers (listed below)
for their commitment to the chamber and our
community. In addition to the countless hours
Join us for a hands-on workshop with step
by step instructions for setting up business
profi les on Facebook, Google, YouTube and
more. Experienced social media users will
provide valuable information on strategies
for optimizing these social media formats
to benefi t your business. This forum will be
held on Thursday, April 9 from 6-9pm at Lane
Community College Cottage Grove Campus,
1275 S. River Road, Cottage Grove, OR
97424.
- Direct instruction will take place from
6-8pm.
- Open lab time from 8-9pm will give you
an opportunity to work on your profi les and
ask questions.
This workshop is free to Cottage Grove and
Creswell Chamber members. A $20 fee will be
charged to non-chamber participants, please
bring payment to workshop. Please RSVP to
beth@cgchamber.com.
April Business after Hours
Shampoo Dolls Salon will host Business
after Hours on Thursday, April 16 from 5:30
– 7:00pm, 435 E. Main Street. Please join us
to mingle with and fi nd out more about your
fellow chamber member businesses. Bring
your business card to 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.
Chamber Night at the
Speedway
Cottage Grove Speedway invites all Cottage
Grove and Creswell Chamber of Commerce
members and their employees to a special
night of action-packed racing. So join us for
Chamber Night at the Speedway on April 18th
and June 27th. Chamber member business
owners and their employees get in for only
$5.00! Also enjoy premier seating on the party
deck and enter into a drawing for a chance to
throw the green fl ag to start one of the races!
For Chamber Night at the Speedway friends
and family of Chamber Members can pick up
a $2.00 off regular priced admission coupon
from the Cottage Grove Visitor Center. Race
and regular entry fee information can be found
at www.cottagegrovespeedway.com. Gates
open at 4pm, racing starts around 6pm .
MEMBER NEWS
Mudslinger Events
Mike Ripley
(541) 225-7946
www.oregontriplecrown.com
Sports Event Management
We encourage you to support Chamber
member businesses and our local economy and
“Shop Chamber Members fi rst”!
NEW MEMBERs
Please join us and welcome these
NEW chamber member businesses
Cobalt Computer Services, Inc.
Steven Church
(541) 393-2545
www.cobaltservicesinc.com
IT Consulting
Life Flight Network
Cindy McGrath
(541) 280-1224
www.lifefl ight.org
Air Ambulance Services
Renewing Members:
Thank you for your continuous support of
our efforts through your membership and your
commitment to helping make Cottage Grove a
better place to live and do business. We look
forward to a successful and profi table year!
Kiwanis Club of Cottage Grove, Creswell
Rehabilitation Center, Coast Fork Nursing,
Charter, Humane Society of Cottage
Grove, Cottage Grove Community Hospital
Foundation, Northwest Natural, Torerro’s
Family Mexican Restaurant, Bochetto Day
Spa, Anytime Fitness, Imagine It Framed,
Cottage Grove Sentinel, Lane Community
College Cottage Grove Campus.
“Shop Chamber Members fi rst”!
2015 Visitor Center Stats
Phone calls
Walk-In Visitors
Relocate Requests
Visitor Requests
Referrals to Chamber Members
2/27 Thru 3/25
213
343
2
7
107
YTD
828
1012
9
17
324
698
3324
1403
148
1572
524
37
32
2050
9226
4876
556
3404
1278
138
92
2015 Website Stats
Business Directory Searches
Members Listed in Results
Member Page Views
Links to Member Website
Event Searches
Event Page Hits
Hot Deal Searches
Job Searches
What do these numbers mean?
Business Directory Searches: Th is number refl ects how the chamber website has been used to
search for business in Cottage Grove.
Members Listed in Results: Th is number indicates exposure to chamber member businesses
through the chamber website. It displays the number of times member’s listings
were displayed in the search results.
Member Page Views: Th is number indicates the number of times the chamber member
information page has been viewed on the chamber website.
Links to Member Website: Th is number indicates the number of times a chamber member’s own
website link was clicked.
Event Searches: Th is number refl ects how the chamber website has been used to search for events
in Cottage Grove.
Event Page Hits: Th is number indicates how many times event pages have been viewed no matter
by who, or how many times they view it.
Hot Deal Searches: Hot Deals are coupons created by chamber members and posted on the website.
Th ese numbers refl ect how coupons are being searched for.
Job Searches: Chamber members can post job openings on the website. Th is number refl ects how
many times the website has been used to search for job posting.
Chamber Members! Give us a call if you want to learn how to maximize your presence on our
website:
• Enhance your home page information with pictures and text
• Post hot deals, job openings, and events
• Add keywords to help consumers fi nd you when they run searches
• Run reports to see statistics for your home page
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
2015 Chamber Board of Directors: Thank you for your hours upon hours of volunteer time,
commitment, and service!
Offi cers
Tiffany Thackara, President
Emerald Valley Resort Event Center
Joe Raade, President Elect
South Lane County Fire & Rescue
Paul Tocco, Vice President
Busterʼs Main Street Cafe
Amanda Akers, Treasurer
Commonwealth Financial Network
Tim Wilson, Past President
Universal Trucking
Directors
Lorraine Eriksen
Cottage Grove Souvenirs
Sheri Henry
Banner Bank
Lindsay Laycock
Lane Community College Cottage Grove Campus
Jennifer Radcliffe
South Valley Athletics
Linda Schmale
Retired, Past Board President
Candace Solesbee
Shampoo Dolls Salon
John Trombly
Fort Rock Construction
Don Williams
Retired, Past Board President
Rhonda Worley
CJW, LLC
Advisors
Tim Herrmann
Richard Meyers
Mayor Tom Munroe
Krista Parent
Darby Valley
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center
City of Cottage Grove
City of Cottage Grove
South Lane School District
Cottage Grove Community Acupuncture
Visitor Center Volunteers:
Heidi Abbott, Susan Jeppesen, Sunny Kennedy, Donna Laney, Chieko Tomasulo,
Jim Vander Platt, Judd Van Gorder, Sharon Van Gorder, Sherry Wendt ,
Penny Westling, Nolene Wheeler.
Staff:
Travis Palmer
Beth Martin
Jennifer Violette
Executive Director
Offi ce Manager
Bookkeeper