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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
4B COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 6, 2017 CHAMBER NEWSLETTER Our Mission: Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce promotes economic vitality through advocacy and collaboration with its members and the larger community. Director’s Note Meet the newest member of our staff ! We are excited to announce that Jessica Baker has joined the Chamber Team as our Membership Development Coordinator. Jessica still serves as the Foundation Relations Specialist for the Cottage Grove Community Hospital Foundation and will work for the Chamber of Commerce as a part time contractor. Her goal is to meet with businesses in the Cottage Grove area and grow the Chamber’s overall membership. Jessica brings a lot of experience in developing relationships with the business community and we know she’ll be a great Jessica Baker, Membership Development Coordinator asset for the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce. If you would like any information about the benefi ts of Chamber Membership, please contact our offi ce and Jessica will be happy to meet with you. 541-942-2411 CHAMBER NEWS Board Election Petition Letters As a membership organization our members have the right to petition additional names of candidates to serve on the board of directors. Once the nomination committee has presented a slate of candidates to the board, petition letters will be sent giving our members an opportunity to present additional candidates. Names of candidates for directors can be nominated by petition, bearing the genuine signatures of at least three (3) qualifi ed members of the Chamber. Look for your letter in the mail later in September! Update Your Listing – Chamber Membership Directory It’s time to prepare for the production of our 2018 Chamber Membership Directory. Letters asking you to review the information we have on fi le and make any corrections will in the mail soon. In addition, the directory is another one of the ways we promote our member businesses. As a chamber member you receive a free listing in our directory and have the opportunity to purchase advertising. Travis will be contacting you to discuss a variety of ways you can promote your business through the directory. For those of you who have thought about membership, and wish to be in next year’s directory, the deadline for new members to be included in the directory is November 13. So now is the time to move ahead with your plans to join the Chamber. Participate in chamber membership and watch your marketing dollars stretch. To those of you who are already members, we thank you and hope you enjoy this great chamber benefi t! Please contact Travis at the chamber offi ce regarding your intent to join so that we do not miss including your business in the 2018 publication. September Business Aft er Hours South Lane County Fire & Rescue will host Business Aft er Hours on Th ursday, September 21 from 5:30 – 7:00pm. Please join us for a time to network with others, learn something new, and have some fun at the Firehouse, 233 E. Harrison! And don’t forget your business card to enter the door prize drawing. Your attendance reinforces the spirit in which the Chamber provides these monthly activities. Cottage Grove and Creswell Chamber members are encouraged to attend this classic, fun networking event! Many thanks for supporting our best concert season yet! Last week, we concluded our 2017 Season of Concerts in the Park and I think this was our most successful season ever! Len Blackstone from Windermere Commercial Real Estate and Jon Kloor from Northwest Natural Gas came in early as our Season Sponsors which set us off to a fantastic start. We completely sold out of our Supporting Sponsorships which ensured a successful season of music in the park and the Cottage Grove Safeway store even helped out with ice and water bottles to keep the bands and volunteers cool and hydrated each week. Cameron Reiten and K. Michael Roberts from KNND AM1400 did a great job with the sound and every single band provided a unique entertainment experience for the hundreds of people who were in the audience each week. We added new vendors and even had to expand electrical capacity in the park to keep up with higher demands. Nine diff erent community organizations were able to earn money for a great cause through the 50/50 drawings in exchange for helping with set-up and take-down each week and none of them earned less than $100 for a few hours of work. Of all the things we did well this concert season, the thing we at the Chamber of Commerce are most proud of is that we provided the community a fun, free, family-friendly event that didn’t involve staring at the screen of a television or cell phone. Families of all demographics could be seen playing, dancing, interacting with each other, making new friends and just enjoying each other’s company in one of the best outdoor venues that Oregon has to off er. We are extremely proud to serve Cottage Grove and we could not have done it without the help of the following people and organizations: Th e Stewart Family, the City of Cottage Grove, the Bohemia Foundation, Len Blackstone – Windermere Commercial Real Estate, Northwest Natural Gas, Jack Sprats Restaurant, Walmart – Cottage Grove, Lane Electric, Pacifi c Yurts, Cascade Home Center, Matt Bjorn – State Farm Insurance, South Lane County Fire & Rescue, Territorial Seed Company, Pacifi c Power, Middlefi eld Oaks, Emerald People’s Utility District, the Cottage Grove Sentinel, Banner Bank, RV Corral, Lane Community College, McDonald’s – Cottage Grove, the Cottage Grove Safeway, Parent Partnership, Cottage Grove Aqualions, Cottage Grove High School Cheerleaders, Cottage Grove Faith Center, Bohemia Sunrisers Kiwanis, Family Relief Nursery, Cottage Grove High School Spanish Club, Cottage Grove Brewers Guild, the Chamber Greeters, KNND AM1400 and the Cottage Grove Police Department. All of you have contributed to the success of Cottage Grove. Future Business Aft er Hours October 19th - TBA November 16th – Village Green Resort December 21st – Cottage Grove Sentinel Reservations are being taken for Business Aft er Hours in 2018. Give us a call at 942-2411 and reserve your month today! MEMBER NEWS Business plan competition will award $10,000 in start-up cash A chamber member entrepreneur in Cottage Grove is off ering $10,000 to help fund the creation of new businesses and new jobs in the Cottage Grove Area. Harold Frazier, owner of New Breed Seed Company wanted a way to give back to the community in a way that would create new jobs and encourage entrepreneurship. “At fi rst, I was just going to put an ad in the newspaper off ering $10,000 to the best business plan that was submitted,” said Frazier. “I decided to talk to the Chamber of Commerce and see if maybe there was a better way.” Aft er meeting with Travis Palmer, Executive Director of the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, they decided to bring in a few more strategic partners. “I arranged a quick meeting with our local economic development partners and we all felt like this was something that RAIN Eugene could help us with and make sure we get it right the fi rst time,” said Palmer. “A competition like this has been on our wish-list for years but without a source for the prize money, the idea would have just sat on a shelf indefi nitely. With RAIN involved, we are confi dent that we can host a successful business plan competition and set an example for others to follow.” RAIN stands for Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network and their website describes them as an organization that, “connects entrepreneurs, mentors and investors together to create a network of talented and dedicated individuals who support the startup community in the Eugene-Springfi eld area.” Micah Elconin represents RAIN-Eugene on this project and is the Mentor in Residence. “We are excited to support this contest and connect with Cottage 2017 Chamber Board of Directors, Advisors and Staff Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce 700 E. Gibbs • Cottage Grove, OR • P. (541) 942-2411 info@cgchamber.com • www.cgchamber.com 2017 Chamber Board of Directors: Thank you for your hours upon hours of volunteer time, commitment, and service! Offi cers Candace Solesbee, President Chloe Beckes, Vice President Ruth Linoz, Secretary Gary Manly, Treasurer Joe Raade, Past President Shampoo Dolls Salon Jack Sprats South Lane Wheels Cottage Grove Sentinel South Lane County Fire & Rescue Directors Cassie Barrong Ryan Gifford Dean Kruschke Bret Munk Layla Beth Munk Shuana Neigh Danny Solesbee Don Williams Lloyd Williams Judd Van Gorder Oregon Aviation Historical Society Gifford & Gifford Attorneys at Law Cascade Home Center CG Body Studio CG Body Studio Busterʼs Main Street Café Five Flying Monkeys Retired, Past Board President South Lane Television Carousel House B&B and Catering Advisors Tim Herrmann Celeste Krueger Richard Meyers/Mike Fleck Garrett Bridgens PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center Pacifi c Power City of Cottage Grove South Lane School District Visitor Center Volunteers: Heidi Abbott, Dotti Bittner, Tara Sue Hughart, Susan Jeppesen, Suzy Kanich, Marie Longfellow, Judd Van Gorder, Sharon Van Gorder, Penny Westling, Nolene Wheeler. Staff: Travis Palmer, Executive Director Beth Martin, Offi ce Manager Mavis Bradsby, Bookkeeper Jessica Baker, Membership Developement Coordinator Five Year Vision Statement: Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce promotes Cottage Grove as a prosperous destination community. Economic vitality is at the heart of everything we do. As a resource for businesses, we are the conduit that provides advocacy, marketing, education, and networking opportunities to over 300 members.
