CHAT - Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce

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WINE, DINE, SWINE HEALTH
The Burlington and Mount Vernon Chambers
INSURANCE
of Commerce are very excited to announce the
Kick-Off date for the Key Bank “Win a Hog”
Harley Davidson Raffle Sponsored by Key
FOR CHAMBER
Bank, Skagit Harley, Best Buy, KAPS, KBRC,
RiverCity Screenprinting, Towner Press.
MEMBERS
The Kick-Off also known as Wine, Swine
APRIL 2005
In This Issue
Wine, Dine, Swine . . . . . . . . . . .
Chamber Health Insurance . . . .
Public Official’s Day . . . . . . . . . .
10 Networking Tips . . . . . . . . . .
SBA Nominees . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Golf & Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Member Of The Month. . . . . . . .
Upbeat Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shop Chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community Meeting Room . . . .
Membership Information . . . . . .
Ad Space Available . . . . . . . . . .
CEO Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Management Mentor . . . . . . . . .
Member Announcements . . . . . .
New & Renewing Members . . . .
Chamber Events . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
Phone: (360) 428-8547
Fax:
(360) 424-6237
chamber@mountvernonchamber.com
Address: Post Office Box 1007
105 East Kincaid Street
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-1007
The Bridge To Skagit Business
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& Dine (Sponsored by: Fred Meyer, Max
Dales, Skagit River Brewery, Landed Gentry
& HomePlace – Where the Heart Is) will be
Friday, April 8th at 6:00pm at the Burlington
Chamber of Commerce - 600 E Victoria Ave,
Burlington. Guests will receive a free burger
or bratwurst with ticket purchase. First place
winner of the six-month long raffle will receive
a 2006 Heritage Softail Harley Davidson and
there are many more prizes this year. Tickets
are $10.00 each; a limited amount of discount
books are available with six tickets for $50.00.
Call the chamber to reserve your spot.
The Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
is pleased to announce that Mount Vernon
Chamber members are eligible to purchase
group healthcare programs through our
new AAOA benefit affiliate program. Your
membership in the Mount Vernon Chamber
of Commerce brings to your business
or organization an outstanding value in
employee benefits. The program is open to
businesses of two or more employees with
husbands and wives both qualifying if the
both work in the business. For a free no
obligation quote call (866) 968-0545 or the
chamber office at (360) 428-8547.
BIZ BUZZ
What’s all the Buzzzzzzzz About?
HARP Bizz Buzz Networking
Luncheon – April 20 – 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.
– Skagit Fairgrounds.
What’s the healthiest way to spend
The crew at Mr. T’s Awards and Embroidery hang out with
chamber members at last month’s Business After Hours
See ‘Biz Buzz’ on Page
Legacy Members
Platinum Member:
Safe. Smart. Secure.
IT Matters.
www.diversint.com
Silver Member:
Luxurious Living For
The Independent Senior
At Affordable Prices
Bronze Member:
Donnie Keltz
www.donniekeltz.com
www.mountvernonchamber.com
PUBLIC
OFFICIAL’S DAY
The Bridge To Skagit Business
Governor Gregoire to attend Tulip Festival
Public Official’s Day on April 8.
Governor Christine Gregoire has
announced plans to attend the second
annual Tulip Festival Public Official’s Day
on April 8. The day-long event presented
by Comcast will begin with a forum at
McIntyre Hall, followed by a tour of the
tulip fields, a reception at Skagit Station and
dinner at the Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue.
The focus of Pubic Official’s Day will be
forming collaborations and partnerships;
the unique Skagit Valley projects like
McIntyre Hall, Skagit Playfields, Skagit
River Park, Skagit Station and the Padilla
Bay Interpretative Center will be among
the topics.
Both elected and appointed public
officials and their spouses are invited to
attend. Chamber members may attend the
Governor speech from 10:00-10:30 and
the Skagit County Chamber of Commerce
Reception from 4:00-5:30 at no cost. For
more information or an invitation, call
the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at (360)
428-5959 or email info@tulipfestival.org.
SBA NOMIINEES
The Skagit County Chamber Executive
Directors Association (SCCEDA) will be
joining together with SBA and the Small
Business Resource Center to celebrate
Small Business of the Year awards on
Thursday May 26th at Skagit Valley College.
Each chamber will bring forth three
nominees and the winner from each city
will then be judged for the overall county
award. Last year Mount Vernon’s Riverside
Health Club won the county-wide SBA
award. This dinner offers recognition for
businesses achieving greatness within their
organization, and another opportunity for
businesses countywide to come together
and network. Tickets will be available at all
seven chamber offices as well as the BRC.
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
For more information call (360) 428-8547
NETWORKING
10 Keys To Generating Endless Referrals:
1. Create and maintain your database
(contacts details, special interests, major
achievements).
2. Make contact with current clients
and prospects every 60-90 days.
3. Attend one or two networking
functions regularly and become known as
the key person in your industry.
4. When you receive a referral,
acknowledge the referral in writing-fax,
card, email, at the time of receipt. Then
get back to the person and let them know
how it went.
5. Give away a referral a day to someone
in your network with the law of reciprocity,
“what you give out is what you get back.”
6. Send a thank you card every day to
someone.
7. Build a positive profile in your
community – call people by name, wear a
name badge, sponsor on a local basis. As
Anita Roddick says: THINK GLOBALLY,
ACT LOCALLY.
8. Volunteer for a civic event. It is a
great way to rub elbows with others you
might not know and let the community
know that you care.
9. Avoid keeping tabs on what you do
for others: “Give Without Expectations.”
10. Be open to opportunities
– “The window of opportunity is so clear,
sometimes we miss it.”
Incorporating even a few of these
practices will affect your business referrals.
Go out and make it a great year!
This list was compiled by Colleen
Smiley owner of Creative Celebrations and
new chamber member. Colleen can be
reached @ 428-5972.
AUGUST 19
A Hands Across The River Event
Presented By The Burlington &
Mount Vernon Chambers
GOLF & SHOW
Get On The Team!
We need volunteers. If this is you
come to the Burlington Chamber on
April 6th and find out how you can
Be a part of this wonderful event.
MountVernonChamber.com • APRIL 2005
www.mountvernonchamber.com
The Bridge To Skagit Business
MEMBER OF THE
MONTH
Bayshore Office Products
Catering for all Occasions
Appetizers • Party Platters • Boxed Meals
Wedding Cakes • Delivery Available
Toll Free 1-866-912-2233
Serving Skagit and Whatcom Counties
406211
July Haggen Catering Ad
Mount Vernon Chamber
Tune In
Monday mornings, Chamber Executive
Kristen Whitener, addresses the Skagit
Valley with updates on Chamber activity.
KAPS
8:20 AM
KBRC
8:40 AM
ChamberCHAT
2005-2006
The ChamberCHAT Newsletter is distributed to
20,000+ every year and growing. Ad sales for the
next volume are open now. For more information
call at the Chamber 428-8547.
On September 10, 1985 Partners Duane
Remmenga and Doug Vanderpool opened
Bayshore Office Products with a simple
vision. “We set out to build a business for
the long haul,” Remmenga recalls. “We
wanted to build it on customer service
because we didn’t know any other way to
do it- And we still don’t,” he adds with a
chuckle.
Today their vision is as clear as it was
20 years ago. The store, located at 603
Commercial Avenue in Anacortes, is now a
bustling full-service office supply company,
with 14 employees servicing customers
large and small alike.
Besides selling every kind of office
consumable, both in-store and via catalogue
with guaranteed next-day delivery, Bayshore
has also assembled an 14,000 square foot
office furniture showroom of domestically
and locally manufactured veneer pieces
that are simply not available anywhere else.
Remmenga asserts that “Our mission is to
help make our customers successful, and
I believe in the package we bring to the
marketplace.”
Bayshore is an exclusive dealer of
Panasonic copiers, fax machines and
printers. They also sell and service Okidata
impact printers and fax machines. The
UPBEAT AWARD
Beau McCallum
Beau McCallum
of Emerald Bay
Events is not
only active in the
Mount Vernon
Chamber
but
in other areas
of the community. He has a positive
attitude that makes everyone around him
feel welcome and relaxed. His positive
attitude mixed with his dedication and hard
work, shows in everything that he does.
Doug Vanderpool, Craig Volkman, Duane Remmenga
- part of the great team at Bayshore Office Products
service team currently handles over 600
machines from Birch Bay to Langley, with
a guaranteed four hour response time.
That number is growing thanks to the sales
efforts of Craig Volkman. The partners note
that “Craig is a major factor here because
he is a hard-working, very ethical guy who
believes in dealing straight with people and
doing the job right the first time, which
makes him a perfect fit for our team.”
As Bayshore approaches its twentieth
birthday, they seem a perfect fit for
our business community as well. From
major industrial concerns to one-woman
consultancies, the customers share an
appreciation of the founding principals
founding principles. “We wanted to
establish a tradition of trust, and it seems
to be working,” Remmenga reflects, adding
that “When people give us an opportunity
to show what we can do for them, they
tend to stay with us, and we are thankful
for that.”
Call 293-4669 to find out how Bayshore
can help your business.
It’s what you do
AFTER
HOURS
that really matters.
who: North Cascade Eye Associates
when: May 12
where: 2100 Little Mountain Lane
time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
www.mountvernonchamber.com
The Bridge To Skagit Business
SHOP CHAMBER
FIRST
RESERVE YOUR
SPACE NOW
MEMBER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Skagit County Chamber Executive
Directors Association (SCCEDA) will be
kicking off a “Shop Chambers First” campaign
for the second quarter. This campaign is
sponsored by the Skagit Valley Herald and will
feature special promotional shop chamber
posters for members around the county to
display in their places of business, as well as,
a special full-page advertising section in the
Skagit Valley Herald. The seven area chambers
take membership very seriously and are
in the business of promoting member-tomember spending. For more information
on this campaign call your local chamber of
commerce!
How would you like your message to reach
local business owners on a regular basis
for a reasonable price? Ad sales in this
Newsletter are on sale now. Your ad will
be permanently placed in the newsletter
for 12 issues – which has a circulation of
20,000 annually. You can reach this targeted
audience for as little as $400.
Backman Marketing.
COMMUNITY
MEETING ROOM
The new Skagit Station has a community
meeting room available for reservation.
The 1,500 sq foot space can accommodate
95 people and has a warming kitchen
attached. Current rental prices ranges from
$100 - $225. Call 428-8547 to reserve; the
calendar is filling quickly.
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
CEO MAGAZINE
The Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
was a proud participant in the March
“Skagit County” insert for the Washington
CEO magazine. Kristen Whitener,
President/CEO was interviewed by featured
writer Michael Barrett regarding the
economy in Mount Vernon. The special
feature was published in March and was a
collaborative partnership with EDASC, the
Anacortes chamber, Port of Skagit County
and City of Mount Vernon. The Skagit
Valley is a vibrant and growing area we all
should be proud to do business in! Call the
chamber for your copy of Washington CEO
Featuring “Skagit County.”
Additional copies are available at the
chamber office.
BIZ BUZZ
The Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
currently has 399 members and is quickly
growing. You too can be a included in this
list of businesses simply by investing with the
chamber. Our mission is to Serve, Promote,
and Protect our members. We serve by
acting as the front door to the communityanswering phone inquiries, sending
relocation and visitor packets and referring
our members. The Chamber protects its
members through business advocacy at
the local, state and federal level monitoring
legislation that would negatively impact
our business community. We promote our
members through a variety of networking
and advertising opportunities like the
quarterly “Biz Buzz” meeting, Business
After Hours, Golf and Show, Chamber
Chat newsletter, email and radio show, and
the Mount Vernon Marketplace tradeshow.
You to can be included in this incredible list
of businesses by investing. Call today or go
online to join.
...Continued from Page 1
your lunch
hour? Some say
exercising your
body…but we
say it’s exercising
your
business
card. First there is the warm-up – spend
a few minutes preparing your one-minute
“elevator speech” and gathering handout
materials. Next it is time to fuel up – get
there early for lunch, and be sure to choose a
table full of new faces. And finally, power up
your business by presenting your products
and services to at least twenty-four likely
customers or referral sources! That’s right:
At least twenty-four business leaders will
hear what makes your business special!
Last quarter we had over 150 attendees
so reserve your seat at the table right now!
Call 428-8547 for a reservation today.
Chamber
Ambassador, Donna Backman of Backman
Marketing, just completed an exciting
quarter with two Skagit Valley College
Interns. The theme for the internship
was “Chamber Membership” and her
students helped Backman Marketing put
on a Business After Hours at The Children’s
Museum of Skagit Co, participated in a
Biz Buzz, designed flyers & posters and
personally invited Chamber Members to
attend the event. With over 80 people
attending, the business after hours was a
huge success and the students felt it was a
valuable class in their education.
To host students in an internship,
please contact Skagit Valley College or call
Donna Backman @ 360-420-3385.
GrafixCORP.
The Skagit County
Chamber Executive Directors Association
(SCCEDA) recently announced the
development of their new marketing
identity for Skagit
Tourism. The mark
was designed by
grafixCORP
of
Mount Vernon. Skagit
Tourism is the name
by which SCCEDA
will market tourism in and around Skagit
County. The new logo identity will be used
in all marketing materials as well as on the
skagittourism.com web site. GrafixCORP is
a full-service graphic design studio, which
provides visual communications in print,
illustration and web-site development.
MANAGEMENT
MENTOR
Probably the biggest faux paus a manager can
make is planning in a vacuum. We usually miss
the forest, because all those trees are in the way!
Remember to include your employees when
updating your plan and just like surveying
your customers, feed your staff surveys with
a variety of possible answers when identifying
what is working well, what isn’t and what are
the main roadblocks that are holding up the
progress of your company. Never assume you
know what they think. A good anonymous
and confidential survey with optional answers
provided and room for comments will help
you understand where your company is and
how you can lead it forward.
MountVernonChamber.com • APRIL 2005
www.mountvernonchamber.com
The Bridge To Skagit Business
NEW MEMBERS
CHAMBER EVENTS
Skagit Capital Funding
April 6
Javier Arreola
17091 Blodgett Road
Mount Vernon, WA 98274
Phone: 866-857-3569
Fax: 800-605-3871
Email: email@skagitcapitalfunding.com
Cash Flow Consultant
Splash & Dash Car Wash
Larry Vandermay
909 E College Way
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone: 360-424-5257
Fax: 360-424-5487
Email: dutch@pacifier.com
www.splashanddash.biz
Skagit Transit
Dale O’Brien
600 County Shop Lane
Burlington, WA 98233
Phone: 360-757-8801
Fax: 360-757-8019
Email: dobrien@skat.org
www.skat.org
Boys & Girls Clubs of
Skagit County
Wendy Poulton
160 Cascade Pl. Ste#218
Burlington, WA 98233
Phone: 360-404-2031
Fax: 360-404-2008
Email: wpoulton@bgcskagit.org
Clubs/Non-Profit
General Teamsters Local 231
Charles Eggert & John Lynn
P.O. Box H
Bellingham, WA 98227
Phone: 360-734-7780
Fax: 360-734-8501
www.231teamster.org
Labor Union
Golf Committee Meeting
10:00 am
Burlington Chamber Office
April 8
Public Official’s Day
3:00 pm
Skagit Station
Harley Kick Off Sales
WINE, DINE & SWINE DINNER
6:00 pm
Burlington Chamber
April 12
Chamber Board Meeting
7:30 am
Skagit Station
April 20
‘HARP’ Bizz Buzz Lunch Meeting
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Skagit County Fairgrounds
RENEWING
MEMBERS
• Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland
• Vilaorba Property Management
• Human Resources of Mount Vernon
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Wal-Mart
• The Chrysalia Inn & Spa
• The Leaning Ladder
Child Development Center
• Brecky’s Events Guide Gazette
• ALLDATA Shredding Inc.
• Flounder Bay Seafood Café
• Anacortes Inn
Your LOCALinformation resource
for Northwest Washington State
MacGregor
PUBLISHING COMPANY
THE PLAID BOOKS
Phone Directories • Newcomersʼ & Visitorsʼ Guides
All Available at your Chamber of Commerce.
Or our offices: 17869 SR 536 • Mount Vernon
(360) 336-6171 • www.PlaidNET.com
www.mountvernonchamber.com
O F F I C E S TA F F
President/CEO
Kristen Whitener
Chamber Office Manager
Sue Sayer
Membership Development
Susie Heller
VIC
Keith Ridgley
The Bridge To Skagit Business
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman
Stephanie Hamilton
Mary Kay Cosmetics
Treasurer
Frank Tuzzolino
Geiger’s Custom Cleaning
Vice Treasurer
Donnie Keltz
All State Insurance
Legal Counsel
Rachelle Eason
The Eason Law Firm, P.S.
Vice Chairman
Dr. Karen Westra
Riverside Health Club
Past Chair
Larry Clark
American Express
Financial Services
Dan Berentson
Dottie Piazza
Skagit County
Piazza Construction
Jon Pederson
Dale Ragan
Prime West Graphics
Karl’s Paints
Mark Stearns
Carrie Parks
Comfort Inn
Landed Gentry
Charlie Sulivan
Teresa Knight-Pugh
KAPS/KBRC
Skagit River Brewery
Jana Hanson
Barb Lowery
Synergy Salon
& Day Spa
Claudine Joly
City of Mount Vernon
People’s Bank
George Feldman
Scott Sutton
Haggen Food &
Pharmacy
Towner Press
PRESORTED
STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID
MOUNT VERNON, WA
PERMIT No. 47
Phone: (360) 428-8547
(360) 424-6237
Fax:
Post Office Box 1007
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-1007
www.mountvernonchamber.com