Chamber Insider - Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce

Volume 15 Issue 4
April 2015
Microsoft
Chamber Insider
Executive Board
Dr. Todd Christy, Chair
Fred Welch, Vice Chair
Phil Laney, Treasurer
Lesa Phillips, Secretary
David Krock, Past Chair
Tammie Howard, President
Another record-breaking month
for new memberships! See page 2
Are you getting all the benefits of membership?
Membership in the Cornerstone Chamber offers so many benefits, some may get
overlooked. Make sure you are taking advantage of all the benefits your membership offers.
Inside this issue:
Chamber Benefits
Checklist
1
New Members
2
Proposal 1
3
Chamber events recap
4
Free movie tickets
4
April Calendar
5
May Calendar
6
United Federal Credit
Union
7
More Customers
8
Current and up-to-date web site profile on the Chamber website?
Information at the Chamber’s literature display rack?
Business education seminars for employees and owners?
2015 Cornerstone Chamber window decal displayed?
Auto, home and business insurance discounts for owners and
employees?
Member-to-member marketing* in the Friday communication?
Hot Deals on the website?
Save Local Now digital marketing platform and mobile app?
Website banner* ads?
Business After Hours and networking events?
Discounted movie tickets?
Job postings on the Chamber’s website?
Ribbon cutting assistance for opening, relocation, or expansion?
All benefits are free with Chamber membership except asterisked items which may have additional costs.
Learn about all your membership benefits at Chamber 101 or call (269) 932-4040
Chamber Insider
Welcome New Chamber Members
Animal Care Center
Universal Induction
Marshall’s Carpet Cleaning
Fox 28 Sheila A. Ward
Anissa DeSanctis, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Anchor
Parable Christian Store of
St. Joseph
Attitudes Salon
Gane Possible
Lakeland Health Foundations
Baja Gringo Tacos
Friendly Appraiser.com
A Division of Peters
Real Estate Services
Red Arrow Dentistry
St. Joe Kickers Sport Club
ABC57 TV Norma Shelon
ABC57 News
Liquor Locker
The Mason Jar Cafe
Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning of
Southwest Michigaan
Page 2
Tosi’s Italian Restaurant
Hammermeister Insurance Agency, Inc
State Farm Agent
.
Volume 15 Issue 4
Proposal 1 Will Cost Average Michigan Household
Up to $525 a Year in Extra Taxes—2 studies agree
The average household in Michigan will pay as much as
$525 more in taxes in 2016 if Proposal 1 is approved by voters on May 5, according to a study by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy.
The study estimated that increasing the sales tax from 6
percent to 7 percent would cost a typical Michigan household $389 and the change in the fuel tax would cost between
$88 and $136.
“Policymakers chose to fix the roads with a tax hike instead
of budget cuts,” said James Hohman, the author of the study
and the assistant director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac
Center. “But asking for more taxes pushes budget cuts onto
households that will have about $500 less if Proposal 1 is
approved. Taxpayers will get something in return for higher
taxes — roads will eventually be fixed, though that is only
one of the spending priorities in the proposal.”
Read the entire article here.
The Anderson Economic Group Updated Tax Note has also
published a study on the likely effect of Michigan Prop 20151. Read the Executive Summary here.
Another benefit of Cornerstone Chamber membership
SLN Hands-On Seminar on April 22nd at 3:30 p.m. at Kinexus. Register Now!
On May 5, Let's Fix the Roads with Proposal 1!
By Business Leaders For Michigan on Thursday, March 19, 2015
Imagine you're driving up I-75 from Ohio, and you cross the border. You see the beautiful blue sign welcoming you to Michi-
gan, and suddenly the smooth road beneath your wheels gives way to a crumbling, tooth-rattling mess. Is this really what we
want "Pure Michigan" to mean to our families, our tourists, or worst of all--the job providers thinking about locating here?
Of course not. That is why Proposal 1 on the May Election ballot is so important. It provides a dedicated source of funding to fix
our roads now and in the future. Proposal 1 would guarantee an additional $1.2 billion to make MI's roads and bridges safer.
Proposal 1 has three strong guarantees:
Every penny you pay at the pump in state gas taxes is constitutionally guaranteed to fund transportation.
Roadbuilders would have to provide warranties on the roads they build, so taxpayers aren't forced to pay for improper repairs.
Every penny in the School Aid Fund is constitutionally guaranteed for K-12 schools and community colleges.
BLM's position: Other states around us invest far more in their roads than we do and it shows.
Businesses thinking of locating here take the condition of our roads into account as they consider how to move their products
and ideas to market. We need to make sure our roads are safe, strong for our families and capable of supporting our businesses
and the economy we want. The May Ballot Proposal is about making our roads safe and requiring those that fix our roads to
guarantee their work. BLM supports Proposal 1.
Page 3
Volume 15 Issue 4
Business After Hours & Chamber Events
and our regional economy. Learn more about
Great Lakes Wine Institute at
www.lakemichigancollege.edu/wine. Chamber
members enjoyed a live jazz performance by
the Tritones, sampled some of the area’s finest wines, and made hundreds of business
connections. Congratulations to the Beaudoin
Electric employees who were the winners of
the beautiful hand crafted wooden wine rack,
United Federal Credit Union celebrated the the Haier 8-Bottle Wine Cellar and the Marble
grand opening of its new flagship branch with surface wine cooler. Also congratulations to
a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 25th. An winners Karen Broadwater from LMC who won
impressive number of members turned out to the Celebration Cinema tickets, the 50/50
winner James Gunn of Beaudoin Electrical,
congratulate UFCU employees on their 9,600
and Bert Peters of FriendlyAppraiser.com who
During March, Chamber members attended square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. The build- won the chamber banner ad. What a great
two Business Education Seminars. The first
ing was designed based on feedback from
evening!
Lunch & Learn was Above the Line Thinking
UFCU members, and the branch offers a full
At the Heart of Quilting is the Midwest
Gammill
Dealership with locations in Wisconpresented by Dr. Tara Scharich of Fully Alive suite of member services including teller sersin,
Iowa,
Minnesota, and most recently, St.
Family Chiropractic. She showed the group
vices, auto and mortgage lending, business
Joseph, Michigan. The shop has a variety of
techniques for handling undesirable situations services, and investment planning.
quilting supplies as well as the Gammill Vision
in a positive way. Mid-West Family Broadcast2 (hand-guided) and Statler Stitcher
Over 200 people attended the Business
ing’s Zack East conducted a seminar called
(computerized) quilting machines. At the
After Hours at Lake Michigan College. The
Selling Yourself Digitally, and he educated
Heart of Quilting offers Longarm machine
event showcased the Great Lakes Wine Instisales, machine rental and classes, quilting
members on how to get the most out of their
tute, which is the Midwest’s first commercial
classes, fabric, batting, threads, and much
LinkedIn accounts.
teaching winery. LMC’s new, enology (winemore. Bekki Lund, store manager, can help
making) and viticulture (grape-growing) proyou with all your quilting needs.
gram will benefit students, the wine industry,
The Cornerstone Chamber kicked off the
month of March with a ribbon cutting for
Friends by Design. On March 5th, Susan Mason, owner of Friends by Design, welcomed
chamber members into her unique women’s
boutique located at 318 State Street in downtown St. Joseph. Friends by Design specializes in women’s clothing, accessories, and
handbags. All of her pieces are updated classics with a bit of flare and character, and the
personalized service makes each customer
feel special and beautiful.
New and long-standing Chamber members
took advantage of March’s Chamber 101 Maximizing Your Chamber Membership. The
seminar was an excellent opportunity for everyone who attended to learn something new
about their Chamber benefits. The next
Chamber 101 is on April 28th.
April 2015
Check out all the latest
Chamber events online at
1
2
3
Networking
Group
Easter Eggstravaganza
www.cornerstonechamber.com.
See more photos FaceBook
5
Easter Sunday
12
19
Benton
BentonHarbor
Harbor
City
CityCouncil
Council77
p.m.
p.m.
St.
Charter
St.Joe
Joseph
Township
TownshipBoard
7meeting
p.m. 7 p.m.
6
13
St. Joseph City
St. Joseph City
Commission 6
Commission 6
p.m.
p.m.
20
Benton Harbor
City Council 7
p.m.
Good Friday
Benton Town-ship
Board
meeting 5:30 pm
Benton Town-ship
Board meeting
7
Networking
Group
4
8
Lunch & Learn Performance
Appraisal
14
Lincoln Charter
Township Board
of Trustees
21
Benton Township Board
meetingTownship
5:30 pm
Benton
15
Ribbon Cutting—Comfort
Suites BH
Seminar—
Save Local
Now
22
9
Ribbon Cutting Animal Care Cen- CEO Council
ter
16
10
17
Ribbon Cutting—Edward
Jones
23
Ribbon CuttingRevive Self Spa
& Tanning
11
Cinderella!
18
The Magical
Music of
Disney
24
25
Wild Kratts
Live
Board meeting
26
Pops on the
Mainstage with
the Southshore
Concert Band
27
St. Joseph City
Commission 6
p.m.
28
Chamber 101
Maximizing Your
Membership
29
30
Business After
Hours Professional Hearing
Services
Win free Celebration! Cinema movie tickets!
Email your Cornerstone Chamber testimonials to Tammie Howard every Friday during
the month of April. The first five people who email a testimonial after the Friday Update is sent out will win a pair of movie tickets. It’s that easy!
Community Events
Member Activities –Find more information on-line.
Chamber Sponsored Events—Register on-line here.
May 2015
During the month of May your can
donate to Berrien County foster children and the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative at
FURNITURE, 756
E Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor.
1
2
8
9
slumberland
3
10
Benton Harbor
City Council 7
p.m.
St. Joe
Charter
Joseph
Township Board
7Meeting
p.m. 7 p.m.
4
11
St. Joseph City
St. Joseph City
Commission
6
Commision
p.m.
6 p.m.
17
18
Benton Harbor
City Council
7 p.m.
24
25
Benton Town-ship
Board
meeting 5:30 pm
5
Benton Township Board meeting 5:30 p.m.
12
6
Seminar Google +
Business Pages
13
CEO Council
National Day
of Prayer
14
15
20
21
Lunch & Learn Social Media
16
2015 BBQ,
Blues and
Bluegrass: A
Taste of
Michigan
Open House United Federal Credit
Union
Lincoln Charter
Township Board of
Trustees
19
7
22
23
2015 Memorial
Day Parade
Benton Township
Board meeting
Benton Twsp Bd
26
Chamber 101 Maximizing Your Membership
27
28
29
30
Business After
Hours - Ray’s on
the Green
Community Events
Member Activities –Find more information on-line.
Chamber Sponsored Events—Register on-line here.
Chamber Insider
Work/Life Balance Good For Business!
We often think of work-life balance as something that we can give employees by offering more flexible work
schedules, or a holistic benefits package. Instinctively, it seems like giving employees time to manage their
lives should help them achieve this elusive balance–which so many experts tell us we need.
But is that enough?
Flexible work schedules and an eye for work-life balance are good for business. A study last June by the
White House Council of economic advisors showed a "significant positive relationship between work-life
balance practices and total factor productivity" and recommended that "wider adoption of such policies and
practices may well benefit more firms and workers, and the U.S. economy as a whole." Read the entire
article here.
March 2015 by Darcy Jacobsen • Article provided by Williamson Employment Services
Competitive Edge Earns
National Recognition
Page 7
Stevensville, Michigan, March 11, 2015) DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural
business website, recently announced their Top
Business List, the 15th annual listing of the nation’s
top 500 diverse-owned businesses. This year’s list
of awardees includes Competitive Edge from Stevensville, recognized as one of the “Top 500 Women-Owned Businesses in the United States”
Competitive Edge “has distinguished [itself] as one
of the leading entrepreneurs in the United States
and are most deserving of this award and recognition” said Kenton Clarke, President & CEO of DiversityBusiness.com. More than 1.3 million businesses
participated in the 15th annual business survey.
“We are honored to be named in the DiversityBusiness.com Top Business Lists again this year,” said
Paula Wygonik, President of Competitive Edge. “At
CE we strive to surpass the expectations of every
customer through exceptional service and top-notch
products. We have phenomenal employees and our
success is truly a team effort based on everyone’s
participation and expertise every day.”
In addition to being named to the national list, Competitive Edge was ranked 20th on the “Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses in Michigan” list. Competitive
Edge also received similar awards in 2011-2014.
Competitive Edge will be honored at a special
awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s “15th
Annual National Entrepreneurship Summit”, taking
place April 30, 2015 at the Harvard Club of NY in
New York City.
Microsoft
Primary Business Address
Address Line 2
Address Line 3
Phone: 555-555-5555
Fax: 555-555-5555
E-mail: [email protected]
Business Tagline or Motto
The Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce wants to recognize movers and shakers in our business community.
Business expansions, professional certifications or
credentials, industry recognition and services donated
are some of the noteworthy achievements we want to
appreciate in our businesses.
Submit your business news to [email protected]
Your Chamber is working for you
When consumers know that a small
business is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are 44%
more likely to think favorably of it
and 63% more likely to purchase
goods or services from the company
in the future. Membership has its
rewards, and more business is one
of the rewards that keeps businesses
connected to their local chamber.
Consumers consistently think more
favorably of companies that are involved in their community, support
local causes and encourage employees to be involved. Chamber membership is the single most effective
way to accomplish all of those favorable attributes. Find out more about
the real value of chamber membership.
To learn more about Cornerstone
Chamber of Commerce, call (269)
757-0216 or click on
www.cornerstonechamber.com.