chamber notes - Alpena Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER NOTES
Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce
235 West Chisholm Street
Alpena, MI 49707
989.354.4181
(f) 989.356.3999
www.alpenachamber.com
By serving its members, the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce actively champions
economic development and the advancement of the community’s quality of life.
July 2013
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 86
Alpena, MI 49707
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Larry’s Collision opened in the 1970’s and was purchased by Joseph Landry in the early 1990’s. After his retirement Todd
Spigelmyre and Russ Brandel purchased the business keeping the name Larry’s Collision, a trusted name in the community. Larry’s
Truck Stuff was added in 2011.
Todd and Russ have worked in the collision field for over 28 years. They offer state of the art auto body and collision repair, a
complete line of vehicle accessories for all cars, SUV’s and trucks, as well as trailer hitches and Reflex spray-on bed liners. Larry’s
Collision and Larry’s Truck Stuff continue to expand their services and as always stay loyal to, and serve the community, to their
fullest.
They are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be reached at 989.354.5577, via email at
[email protected] or you can find them on Facebook.
2013 CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Chad Esch - Bannan Funeral Home; PastPresident: Ben Young - Young Appliance Co.; President
Elect: Luciana King - Zolnierek Insurance; SecretaryTreasurer: Dave Szydlowski - NEMROC; Directors: Brian
Bartosh - Top O’ MI Insurance; Trina Gray - Bay Athletic
Club; Jay Johnston - Walgreens; Bernie Lamp - Straley,
Ilsley and Lamp; Elaine Orr - Alpena Power Company;
Shawn Shankie - Days Inn; Matt Waligora - Panel
Processing
CHAMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
They are motivated by meeting new people every day and seeing the enjoyment on a customer’s face after they complete a body
shop job or install a vehicle accessory on their new car, SUV or pickup. Treating customers like they would want to be treated is
what they always strive to do at Larry’s Collision and Larry’s Truck Stuff.
For ribbon cuttings and event details, contact the Chamber
at 989.354.4181 or visit www.alpenachamber.com.
With recent renovations to both buildings and a new asphalt parking lot, they are proud to be both now and in the future a part
of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce and serving this community.
July 2013
3 - Ambassador meeting, 8:00 a.m., CDB
4 - Lafarge 4th of July parade; fireworks at dusk
9 - Economic Development Board meeting, 7:30 a.m., CDB
16 - Military Support reception 6:00 p.m., Alpena Sanctuary
Inn, $10 per person, RSVP required to the Chamber
19 - Good Morning Alpena event, 7:00 a.m., Brown Trout Big
Tent, $8 per person, RSVP required to the Chamber
23 - Military Support reception, 6:00 p.m., Alpena Sanctuary
Inn, $10 per person, RSVP required to the Chamber
30 - Military Support reception, 6:00 p.m., Alpena Sanctuary
Inn, $10 per person, RSVP required to the Chamber
Zolnierek Insurance Agency started in 1976 by Len Zolnierek at his residence. Many customers have relaxed in the Zolnierek
family room until Len was able to assist them with insurance needs. Len Zolnierek started his career as an Independent Claims
Adjuster and eventually developed the Agency to a full service organization in response to claimants continually asking his advice.
August 2013
1 - Government Relations meeting, 7:30 a.m., CDB
7 - Ambassador meeting, 8:00 a.m., CDB
9 - FLOG Fest
13 - Economic Development Board meeting, 7:30 a.m., CDB
22 - Lt. Gov. event - 5:00 p.m., look for a special invite in
your mail/email
*there is no regular Chamber Board meeting in July; the
August date was conflicting with another meeting and will be
res-scheduled at a later time
As an independent insurance agency, they offer the full services of an insurance agency. They write all lines of personal insurance
needs including auto, home/mobile home, recreational vehicles, motorcycle, boat, life, and annuities. On a commercial basis, they
do businesses, contractors, group health, group life, disability, bonds and commercial auto to name a few. They feel their biggest
service is the service they provide to the community. They are not just an insurance agency, they are an agency that takes the time
to determine what coverage's are best for their customers. Customers are not just a name or policy number at their agency! Len’s
daughter, Luciana King, joined the agency in 1977 and is working to continue the Zolnierek Insurance legacy by providing insurance
services to customers throughout Michigan. They take pride in the fact that every policy is written correctly and within the
appropriate guidelines.
Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with evening and Saturday time available by appointment. Emergency
phone numbers are also available. Find them at www.zolins.com, call them at 989.354.3131 or visit them at 1105 W. Chisholm Street.
A unique fact about the Agency is that they own their own fire truck. In 1994 the Agency purchased a 1942 Mack Fire Truck that
was destined for a collectors warehouse in Bay City. It comes out on sunny days for parades and some funeral processions for local
firefighters. Their small but dedicated staff includes Traci Zolnierek, Office Manager, Theresa Barnard, Personal Lines Agent and
Vicki Piontkowski, Customer Service.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Indian Trails, Inc.
109 East Comstock Street
Owosso, MI 48867
989.725.5105
Greene Financial Inc.
111 E. Chisholm Street
Alpena, MI 49707
989.354.0757
State Wide Real Estate of
Alpena, Inc.
1100 W. Chisholm Street
Alpena, MI 49707
989.356.2142
235 W. CHISHOLM STREET . ALPENA, MI 49707 . PHONE: 989.354.4181 . FAX: 989.356.3999 . WWW.ALPENACHAMBER.COM
IN THIS ISSUE...
MTG Tips: The Case for Integration
Integration of credit card processing into
your business platform
Home Depot customer service strikes again!
The Amazing Chamber Ambassadors
Additional Chamber Reminders:
FLOG Fest is August 9th
Grub Crawl is September 19th
The Lt. Governor for Michigan will be here for a visit
with Chamber Members on August 22nd
Way to Go Alpena!
Fireworks Grand Total...
The Amazing Chamber Ambassadors
Once again we have exceeded our fireworks goal for a
grand total of $27,500. It was amazing to see so many
involved this year - making donations, hosting a fundraisers, buying buttons, and more. Other communities
ask us how we do it. We tell them we can do anything
with the amazing support we have from the people of
the Alpena area!
Now that you have read
biographies about all of
our Ambassadors (in our
newsletters over the past
several months), here is
a photo of the (almost)
entire group.
Benefits include:
Transactions are handled seamlessly within your
system workflow.
You save time by eliminating the need to switch
between your business and processing systems.
You can eliminate some of the error that inherently
comes with duplicating tasks and having to key things
in more than once.
Reduces cost because there is no need for extra equipment.
Can make it easier for you to access information,
generate reports and manipulate data.
Can streamline the process of training employees.
Donations that come in after this point will be put toward next year’s fireworks. $5,500 of this year’s total
raised will go toward the HOG Rally fireworks on July
27th (shot off from the same location as the 4th of July
fireworks). The 4th of July fireworks will be on the 4th of
July at dusk. Last year we spent $20,500 for the 4th of
July fireworks, this year we will add $1,500 to that.
When considering integrating, be sure you are using an
integrated payments solution from a PA-DSS (Payment
Application Data Security Standard) certified vendor.
This ensures that all exchanges of payment data are secure and PCI compliant with PCI security standards,
which mandate that businesses safely encrypt and store
PIN numbers, CVV2 numbers and magnetic stripe data.
Customer Service Recognition
Pictured starting in the
front row, left: LeAnn
Schultz (Alpena Alcona
Area Credit Union),
Jimmy Dean (MI
Thrifty), Kim LaBrecque
(Thunder Bay Accounting), Chris Coultes
(NEMCSA), Tara O’Donnell (Alpena Agency),
Kerrie Kamyszek
(NEMCSA), Laura
Lancewicz (The Alpena
News), Alisha Bouchard (Alpena Chamber). Second row, left: Arielle Jasmin (BCBS), Ashley DeFisher (Alpena Chamber),
Mari Crow (Century 21 Crow Realty), Jean Bauer (TBNMS), Michelle McEwen (PNC Bank), Laurel Nowak (ARMC), Pam
Richardson (Star Staffing), JoAnn Dehring (First Federal), Carl Hatala (CRTC), Dave Zeller (Alpena Agency), Patrick Heraghty (Midwest Transaction Group), Barb Skaluba (Hometown Realty). Back row, left: Joey Jackson (Industrial Image),
Carolyn Daoust (ACC), Julie Ferguson (Financial Services of N. MI), Kathy Himes (City of Alpena), Nick Wiser (Neiman’s),
Lesslee Dort (Alpena DDA), Jackie Krawczak (Alpena Chamber). Missing from photo: Don Cantle (Family Enterprise Embroidery), Bruce Johnson (WATZ) and Liz Smigelski (AAA).
Integration is a way to incorporate your credit card
processing tools in with your business platform, eliminating the need for two separate procedures on different
equipment. If you are looking to streamline your business
management software, integrating credit card processing
into your existing business workflow can be a time and
money saving option. Integration uses technology to drive
business efficiency.
There are a couple of potential issues with integration:
If your systems are interconnected and something goes
down, so too will your ability to run transactions until
the problem can be resolved
More complicated process for PCI-DSS compliance
than with a traditional terminal.
In the near future, merchants can expect to see enhancements in mobile payment processing and support, enhanced reporting capabilities and marketing and loyalty
tools. Contact our Lansing office with any questions you
may have on how these systems can work for you:
1.888.599.2209.
You should be proud of your work on this. It is a perfect
example of what happens when the entire community
comes together toward a single goal.
EXCEPTIONAL
This month’s exceptional customer service recognition again goes to the team at The Home Depot. A
customer purchased a product that wasn’t working as
expected. This was a large item, and the customer was
pleased to learn that the store was willing to send someone to pick up the old one and drop off a new one.
When the times weren’t working out with the customer’s
schedule, Home Depot staff offered a different solution
instead of asking her to change her schedule to fit theirs.
The customer was very pleased with her experience and
commented, “I really appreciate the great level of customer service they gave me. It is hard to find that these
days.”
Congratulations to the team at Alpena’s Home
Depot for their commitment to providing exceptional
customer service!
If you experience exceptional customer service,
let us know so we can recognize that business and enter
them into the running for our annual Outstanding
Customer Service Award presented at the Chamber dinner held each year.
The Ambassadors do a tremendous amount of work for the Chamber, the business community and the community at large.
They are responsible for Chamber events (FLOG Fest, Annual Dinner, Grub Crawl, ribbon cuttings, and more), they raise the
majority of funds for the fireworks, participate with the Chamber’s entry for the Lafarge 4th of July and Bolenz Jewelry Holiday parades, and much, MUCH more. Just like we couldn’t exist without our members, we couldn’t exist without the
strength and support of our Ambassadors!