March 2015 Chamber Chat

Frankenmuth
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Newsletter
Chamber Chat
t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t March 2015
// Inside //
Chamber Staff Notes
Jamie Furbush
Peggy Reinhardt
Ashley Hopp
Christie Bierlein
Say Hello!
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 6
Member Spotlight
Computer Publishing
Concepts
Page 5
Editorial & Photos
2015 Kickoff Dinner
#MuthMoments
New Members
Save the Date
Page 2
Page 4
Page 8
Page 8
Letter from the president //
Jamie Furbush
Thank you to all that sponsored and attended the
Annual Meeting & Kickoff Dinner. Being engaged
in these events is a great way to capitalize on your
investment in the Chamber/CVB. Now that we have
officially kicked off the 2014/2015 year, your team
at the Frankenmuth Chamber and CVB are working
fiercely on our priorities for this year. We talked
about the many talents of our members and staff at the Annual Meeting, where we
were also entertained by a finalist from America’s Got Talent. And as I noted in the
last edition of the Chamber Chat, we conducted a membership survey last summer
that had over 90 respondents and the results were wonderful. It reaffirmed we are
putting our collective talents together to provide value to our members, visitors
and the community. The results also provided insight on what is important to the
members as it relates to the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention &
Visitors Bureau. This information was the basis of a strategic planning session that
helped shape the direction of our work plan in the coming years. A few key items
will be our focus for 2014-2015.
They are:
• Completely redesign the Frankenmuth.org website
• Develop a packaged attraction program to sell guest experiences
• Research and create a customized educational certification program locally
• Increase and improve communication – Including a greater presence with
media and bloggers and a new communication plan for the Bavarian Easter
Celebration.
Frankenmuth
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
While we plan to continue to execute the advertising, promotion, programs
and events you have come to love, we also intend to focus on these priorities to
help achieve some of the identified outcomes. You can look for information and
communication in the coming weeks and months with regards to these key areas.
Please be sure to read and reply to all communication as soon as possible so your
organization will continue to benefit from your membership. Your involvement is
critical to our success and we don’t like to see anyone miss out, so we thank you
for your attention and action with regards to our requests. Together we prosper!
Visitor Center News // Peggy Reinhardt
Greetings from the Visitor Center.
What an awesome Snowfest!
Many thanks to Zehnder’s for
bringing us truly amazing carvers,
their creations were evidence
as to why the town swells with
visitors. Also, thanks to our city
employees and police department
for providing a safe and secure event.
The heavy foot traffic from the Snowfest has depleted our stock
of your brochures. If you haven’t received a call from the Visitor
Center regarding brochures, please call (989) 652-6106 to
check your inventory. The beginning of the year is the perfect
time to update and reprint brochures for 2015. Brochures can be
dropped off at the Visitor Center now through the end of March
from 8-5pm daily, Saturday 10-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm.
The NEW Visitor Guide for 2015 and the NEW Coupon Books for
2015 are now available at the Visitor Center downtown. They
2015 Kickoff Dinner
PAGE 2
are both beautiful pieces with lots of
information and we hope you will share
them with your front line employees so
we can promote Frankenmuth together.
Stop by and pick the new Visitor Guide
and Coupon Book up.
Having an event? Please share the what, where and when with the
Visitor Center Staff (989) 652-6106 or email the information to
chamber@frankenmuth.org. We would love to help promote your
event. We have a couple new faces to the Visitor Center; Megan
Mose and Sandy Pepera. We also welcome in Maintenance Tina
Johnson and Russ Uphold. Come see us at the Visitor Center
anytime and meet our new employees.
Chamber@frankenmuth.org | (989) 652-6106, ext. 13
Membership & Events // Ashley Hopp
Since the last Chamber Chat and beginning of our 2014-2015 fiscal year, it has been incredibly busy
with membership, events and publications. Since October 1st, we’ve welcomed 6 new members
to the Frankenmuth Chamber/CVB, held 3 ribbon cutting ceremonies, a Morning Mingle quarterly
morning breakfast, the 11th Annual Wein & Stein, the 41st Annual Holiday Celebration & Candlewalk
and the Annual Chamber Kickoff Dinner.
Much of my time has also been consumed with the sales and production of the 2015 Visitor Guide
and Bavarian Bargains Coupon Book. This year was a little different then the last couple of years due
to the fact that we bid out the design of both of these major publications. The Visitor Guide this year has a fresh new look and many
new features throughout such as a Table of Contents page, enhanced listings with amenities legends, shopping has been broken up
into “zones” to help guide our visitors’ journey through Frankenmuth. A special thank you to our 2015 Visitor Guide designer, James
Saleska. James helped bring our ideas and visions to reality. I’m proud to announce that both the 2015 Visitor Guide & Bavarian
Bargains Coupon Book are in circulation and we are extremely happy with the results.
Please let us know what you think!
membership@frankenmuth.org | (989) 652-6106, ext. 18
Plumbing
Backflow Testing Sewer Cleaning
Heating
Medical Gas
Air Conditioning
Boilers
One Night A Week
Can Change Your Life
Licensed & Insured • Emergency Service Available
Phone: (989) 777-9000 • (989) 652-8054
989-262-8686
Speaker
Chad Wiebesick
Presents:
Date: Time:
Where:
Cost: Tuesday, March 10th
11:30am to 1:00pm
rant’s
Bavarian Inn Restau
Alpine Room
$15.00 per person
“Top Tips for Starting
a Business Blog”
Chad Wiebesick is the Director of Social Media
and Interactive Marketing at the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation (MEDC),
and oversees social media for Pure Michigan.
PAGE 3
Sales & Marketing // Christie Bierlein
This winter we’ve been consumed by the website redesign; out
with the old, in with the new! To go along with our new site,
launching this spring, we’ve been working hard to update all of our
sales guides that groups use to plan trips to Frankenmuth. We’re
completely overhauling our group tour, meeting and convention,
and wedding planner guides along with making online versions
to help cut down on mailing costs. Ashley Smith, our Sales and
Communications Coordinator that joined us in October has been
instrumental in piecing all of these things together and helping
to build brand guidelines that will lead to a more consistent look
for Frankenmuth in the future.
In March and April, I will be representing Frankenmuth at the
Michigan Society of Governmental Meeting Professionals
annual conference which happens to be in the Great Lakes Bay
Region’s very own Holiday Inn of Midland. We look forward to the
continued partnerships we’ve established throughout the years
with the governmental professionals that are part of SGMP.
We just launched our second year of our social media partnership
program and have seen great success with it, again, as it has
already sold out for the 2014/2015 fiscal year. This program
allows tourism based businesses to leverage their content to our
audience on Facebook of more than 109K. While our Twitter and
Instagram has seen some success in the past, our goal this year
is to focus on engagement with the fans we currently have while
pushing out more but relevant content to help achieve that.
Something new on the social media front we’re trying out is a
campaign we’re calling, #MuthMoments. If anyone is familiar
with Humans of New York, we’re using a similar concept. The
Get Social!
// Join the Chamber of Commerce group
on Facebook to stay up to date on things
going on in the business community//
thought behind the campaign is to
feature visitors, businesses, and
the locals that call Frankenmuth
home, every other week to give
our fans a deeper look into who
our visitors and residents are.
We launched the series over
Snowfest weekend with some
interesting posts on the snow carvers and patrons to the festival.
Check it out on our Facebook page.
Groupsales@frankenmuth.org | (989) 652-6106, ext. 20
#MuthMoments
Take a look at what we’ve done so far!
“We work on a farm at home in Ohio, so
this gives us a way to express our artistic
abilities.”
- Josh, Snow Carver at Snowfest
“I’ve lived in Saginaw since 1972,
and graduated from SVSU. I come to
Frankenmuth because it’s a beautiful
place and the town always looks great.
I’ve travelled all over the world and
Frankenmuth is known everywhere. I was
in France and someone asked me, “Have
you been to Frankenmuth, Michigan?”
- Narraine, visitor to Frankenmuth
“My wife and I were visiting a
store in town because she was
cold and needed something for
her ears. We ran into another
couple there and got to trying on
funny hats and such. We came
back to Snowfest the following
year and ended up running into
them again.”
- Colette & Bruce, Snowfest attendees for 11 years, and friends Kim & Kirk
Like Frankenmuth on Facebook to see more #MuthMoments
fb.com/frankenmuth
PAGE 4
Member Spotlight // Larry Launstein Jr
Years in Business
Computer Publishing Concepts has been in business since 1992,
and continues to operate as
a home-based graphic art,
web design, and Internet
marketing and corporate IDbranding service. I, Larry Launstein Jr, have a B.A. in Journalism
from Michigan State, and a BFA in Visual Communications –
Graphic Design from the University of Michigan-Flint, with honors.
What We Do
We offer a wide variety of
services, such as fliers,
brochures, business cards,
and many more things to
help you promote your
business. CPC can do
the designs from the logo on up, and has relationships with
commercial printers to help with the finished product. CPC
designs most of its web sites from the ground-up, to suit the
needs of your business or organizational branding. We can help
create a fully functional, multimedia web site that will get you
results. CPC is well-versed in e-commerce, helping you find a
shopping cart pre-designed and can be set up for use with your
site. We can work with programmers who can help CPC provide
a custom shopping cart experience for your customers. CPC
also offers placement in search engines, major directories, and
industry-specific directories related to you business.
How We Got Into Business
I was exposed to desktop publishing and page layout while
attending Michigan State University. But as time went on, I
decided I wanted to learn all about the graphic art, web design
and Internet marketing business. Slowly but surely, I started
building my skills, with the help of a lot of great instructors. I
found something else was very neat – the idea of making money
doing graphic art and web design for clients while being a student.
Hardest Lesson Learned
The hardest lesson I’ve had to learn is to run, don’t walk, when
people who say to me “here it is ... DO IT!” It takes a lot of work
between client and designer. In my blog on my web site (www.
cpcwebsite.com), I talk about what a client’s responsibilities are
and what materials are needed. I also mention the benefits, and
what can happen if the relationship breaks down. I even take
some time to discuss designer responsibilities.
Best Piece of Advice for Local Business Owners
• Don’t be afraid to work with the designer as a team.
• Understand that search engine optimization has become so
localized, and for the most part, you will get your best rankings in
your local area. When you try to get listed farther away, the less
likely you will get listed for everything you want.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the designer about anything
during the design process. CPC keeps a draft of your materials
on our server space so you can see the work in progress. When
contacting CPC to ask questions, please organize your questions
so we can answer them as honestly and accurately as possible.
• Understand the need for a unique experience that helps brand
your company, draws potential customers in, and help keep them
engaged. Build your site from the ground up.
Something Readers Might Not Know
CPC uses the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator,
Dreamweaver) and HTML 5, found in the latest editions of
Dreamweaver and in WordPress and Joomla. We also use the
WordPress platform for designing web sites and blogs. The
best way of doing this is to have a self-hosted (hosted by your
hosting company) WordPress site and blog. Sometimes your blog
will show up on a search engine such as Google as well as your
regular listings for your web site. Make sure you have a link to
the site you are blogging about, because it could help a business
or organization be found. With a self-hosted WordPress site, you
can make use of the many plugins to customize and enhance
the functionality of your site, as well as grow it by having more
pages of optimized, relevant, readable content. I’m not really
a fan of companies such as Wix and Foursquare, or any of the
others like them. The idea is to create an original experience that
stands apart from everyone else. Write a great description to go
Continued on page 6
PAGE 5
Member Spotlight//
Say Hello! // Ashley Smith
with the relevant, readable content, like a human
would read it, and on the same pages you want
optimized.
I’d like to start off by saying thank you
to my team members and the business
community for the warm “Willkommen!”
(I’m still learning my German) I’m
happy to join the Frankenmuth Chamber
of Commerce and Convention &
Visitors Bureau as the new Sales and
Communications Coordinator. I’m new to
Frankenmuth, moving all the way here from Phoenix, Arizona just this past
October. Before anyone asks, yes I’ve been here during the winter. After
several visits to Michigan throughout the last year, I realized I wanted to
spend my days here, not only when I could find the time, but all of the
time. It’s been a major change, going from a big city to a small town, but I
am glad to be living amongst people who are so kind and welcoming, and
I’m happy to make Frankenmuth my new home.
Continued from page 5
Favorite Piece of Technology
The one favorite piece of technology I couldn’t
do without, from a business standpoint, is design
programs like the Adobe Creative Suite, and
WordPress. Without those things, I would not be able
to create the materials needed by a client the way it
should be done – from the ground up. I would rather
create an original work for a client that reflects their
brand, how they want to be seen, and that helps them
get more business. Just about all the web sites I’ve
done have been from the ground up – but WordPress
offers several great templates, and there are third
parties who offer really good ones as well. They can
be modified to fit a client’s needs and their branding
attempts. There is no reason why the sky should not
be the limit when it comes to any kind of design.
Computer Publishing Concepts
Larry Launstein Jr. – Owner
larry@cpcwebsite.com | (810) 624-2075
www.cpcwebsite.com
I’ll be responsible for creating content for Frankenmuth’s social
media outlets, as well as different graphics and ads for our numerous
publications and marketing materials, communicating with members
about promotional programs, along with assisting Christie, our Sales and
Marketing Director, on various projects.
For the past seven years, I’ve studied many aspects of the media and
visual arts including video production, broadcasting, graphic design, and
advertising. Photography however, is one of my favorites among all the
fields I’ve worked in. In Arizona, I had my own part-time photography
business, and I eventually took those skills to a higher level, working for
Portrait Innovations, one of the busiest photo studios in Peoria, AZ, as a
Studio Photographer.
I’m looking forward to utilizing my creativity and all the skills I’ve attained
over the years to better assist the Frankenmuth community and the
Chamber of Commerce and CVB. I couldn’t be more thankful for the
opportunity to be in a position that allows me to work so closely with
the members in my new community, explore creatively, and experience
a different way of living. If we have yet to meet, please feel free to send
me an email or give me a call. I believe it’s important to know the people
you work with as best as you can to better serve them. I look forward to
meeting the remainder of our Chamber and CVB members!
projects@frankenmuth.org | (989) 652-6106, ext. 16
PAGE 6
Floor Rescue, Inc.
carpet cleaning & Floor Care
989-971-1911
P.O. Box # 94
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Lonnie Moline
Owner, Floor Technician
Residential - Commericial - Upholstery
PAGE 7
**Coming Soon!** The meating spot.
Specializing in specialty jerky, exotic
meats, pickled food, rubs and sauces.
E.T. Automotive & Machine
Eugene & Charmane Turnbull
6795 Dixie Highway
Bridgeport, MI 48722
Phone: (989) 777-0000
We are a family friendly automotive repair
facility and automotive machine shop for
most makes and models.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Frankenmuth
Dan Douglas
926 South Main Street
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: (989) 652-8100
A new 70 room Holiday Inn Express Hotel
& Suites located directly across the
street from River Place Shops.
Bavarian Easter Celebration
March 20th - April 19th
Bringin’ Back The 80’s
April 24th & 25th
(989) 652-8008
World Expo of Beer
May 15th & 16th
Dog Bowl, Hot Air Balloons,
Tour De Frankenmuth
May 23rd & 24th
1 (800) 600-0105
Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival
June 11th - 14th
1 (877) 879-8919
Frankenmuth
Jerky Joint
Katie Zehnder
925 South Main Street, G-4
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: (989) 652-8226
New furniture & mattress in factory
cartons & wrappers at wholesale +
20% - pick up in Frankenmuth! Go to
RauFurniture.com and save big money.
Kremin’s Business After Hours
March 19th @ 5:00pm
Chamber of Commerce
Beautiful family owned/operated
campground on a 32 acre lake with over
130 sites. Fully stocked general store and
lots of activities for the family.
RJ Rau Management, Inc.
DBA RauFurniture.com
Ray Rau
306 East Genesee Street, Suite B
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: (989) 239-1588
John and Aaron Murdick, the fourth and
fifth generations of the Murdick clan,
continue their family’s 128 year old
tradition of making creamy, melt-in-your
mouth fudge on marble slabs. We also
make homemade salt water taffy, brittles
and chocolates. Come and taste the
difference!
Lunch ‘N Learn
March 10th @ 11:30am
Convention & Visitors Bureau
Genesee Otter Lake
Campgrounds
Amanda Nurkala
12260 Farrand Road
Otter Lake, MI 48464
Phone: (810) 793-2725
We are a family owned & operated carpet
& floor cleaning business.
Original Murdick’s Fudge
John Murdick
976 South Main Street
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: (989) 652-4775
635 South Main Street
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Electrical contractor specializing in
commercial, industrial, residential and
generator installation. Licensed and
insured with over 20 years experience.
Floor Rescue, Inc.
Lonnie Moline
PO Box 94
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: 989-971-1911
Chamber Chat
Bierlein-Trombley Electric
Adam Bierlein
1849 South Dehmel Road
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Phone: (989) 529-0841
Upcominn Eventt
// Save The Date //
Frankenmuth Chamber of
Commerce Newsletter
Welcome New Members