Newsletter - Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce

May 2015
Newsletter
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Greater Tehachapi
Chamber Of Commerce
209 E Tehachapi Blvd
P.O. Box 401
Tehachapi, CA 93581
661 822-4180
Fax 661 822-9036
www.tehachapi.com
Your Chamber Working For You
We'd like to share some ways we have promoted your business last month…
Phone
Calls
Office
Visitors
292
223
Referrals Directories
1720
129
Information
Maps
Packets
2
48
May Chamber Network Luncheon
George Runner, Vice Chair
State Board of Equalization
Please join the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of
Commerce at our May Chamber Network
Luncheon, Tuesday, May 19, 2015, 12:00
p.m. at Pacino's Pizzeria - Pastaria 1100
Tehachapi Blvd, #A. Our guest speaker will be
State Board of Equalization Vice Chair George
Runner.
Mr. Runner's presentation topic will be “Government Has More
Than Enough of Your Dollars.”
After years of debt, deficits and budget cuts, it may come as a
surprise to learn that our state government is flush with cash. But
you wouldn’t know it by the talk of tax increases coming out of
Sacramento.
In California, facts never get between liberal politicians and their
appetite for more taxes. Already this year they’ve introduced a
number of schemes to get more of your dollars.
Lawmakers are quick to propose new taxes and fees, but they’re
slow to eliminate old taxes—including those that are proven failures
or no longer needed.
Elected in November 2010 and re-elected in 2014, George Runner
represents the State Board of Equalization's First District and serves
as the Board’s Vice Chair. He is a leading advocate for California
taxpayers.
During his time on the Board, Runner has worked to improve
California’s tax policies and practices and to create and retain more
private sector jobs in our state.
Prior to his election to the Board, Runner served twelve years in the
State Legislature, authoring the well-known California Amber Alert
and California's Blue Alert.
Runner and his wife, Senator Sharon Runner, are the first husband
and wife in California history to have served concurrently in
the Legislature. They authored Jessica's Law, a ballot initiative
approved by more than 70 percent of California voters in November
2006.
Runner served on the Lancaster City Council, including two years
as mayor. In 1976 the Runners founded Desert Christian Schools,
which is now one of the largest private schools in California.
The cost is $15 for Chamber Members, $20 for Non-Chamber
members, which includes lunch.
Reservations are required. Please make your reservation by
calling the Chamber at 661-822-4180. Reservation deadline is
Friday, May 15, 2015.
2015
Board of Directors
C hairperson
Marty Pay
Farmers Insurance
C hair Elect
Jim Wallace
Tehachapi Cancer Foundation
Treasurer
Kathy Carey
BVS Properties
• Directors •
Susan Abrego
Tehachapi Cleaning ProZ
Lorraine Berry
Individual
Carl Gehricke
TBB
Carolyn Wiles
Terra-Gen Power, LLC
Staff
Ida Perkins
President
Heather Pardus
Receptionist
tehachapi.com working
for our members
We'd like to share with you a summary
of our website business directory
activity last month
Main Directory Search Page Visits
494
Alphabetical Listing Search
194
Categorical Listing Search
Search For
New Member Listing
Referred to Member Website
3,443
57
13
1,859
26
Emails Sent to Members
Member Map Views
1,369
Calls Placed to Members
Category Sponsor Ad
3,275
32
2
Luncheon Sponsored by
As with any business, it’s people who make the Tehachapi
News possible and I’d like to take this opportunity to share
information about our staff.
Many businesspeople will already be familiar with Suzanne
Costanzo, outside advertising representative, as she visits
your shops and offices.
Office Manager Stephanie Ursua and Customer Services
Specialist Shannon Husband work with many businesspeople
in our office, handling advertising orders over the phone or
in person. We will be filling an additional Customer Services
Specialist position in early May.
Charlie Walz works for our sister newspaper, The Bakersfield
Californian, but sometimes helps us out with advertising,
too.
On the news side of our operation, Reporter Darla Baker
primarily handles our “Connection” section, meaning
features, arts & entertainment and community contributions.
The newest members of our staff are Jill Barnes Nelson,
Reporter, and John Nelson, Sports Reporter. Jill will primarily cover local government and will also bring her popular
horse column back to the News. John will share his insights
about sports in a column, as well, in addition to covering
Tehachapi High sports.
All of these staff members work hard to bring the Tehachapi
News to life every week. They’re all residents of Tehachapi
and several are life-long residents.
As with just about every business today, our staff is being
asked to do more with less and working harder than ever. We
could not do what we do without the support of advertisers
and those who contribute articles and photos to the newspaper.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about our staff.
Claudia Elliott, Editor and General Manager, Tehachapi
News
MusicMX Entertainment has brought music and sound
to local communities since November 2000. Owners Bill
and Michelle Bettis purchased a second home in Tehachapi
in 2002 and moved here full time in January 2015. They
were longtime residents of Simi Valley in Ventura County
for nearly 50 years. Michelle was an Actress and writer.
Bill is a retired Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy. Bill has
owned four businesses in Simi Valley.
The idea for MusicMX began in 2000 when Bill
volunteered to host a Holiday Karaoke show for
Countrywide Home Loans. When asked to DJ the last hour,
Bill grabbed some CD’s out of his car and everyone had
a blast. Soon after, we began Deejaying local events and
soon weddings. In addition to numerous other community
events and fundraiser, Bill chaired the Simi Valley 4th of
July Fireworks show four times. This event attracts more
than 30,000 attendees.
MusicMX can now support up to four separate sound
systems for bands, or a 30-piece orchestra including,
microphones and stands. All equipment is professional
grade. We have digital and analog sound mixers, over
30 microphones, stands, vocal monitors, digital lighting
controllers and more than 25 active and passive speakers
capable of generating more than 30,000 watts. We recently
added two 12’ projector screens and two 4500 lumens
projectors.
We’ve performed at various venues throughout the Los
Angeles and Ventura area. In 2013 we provided sound
for the annual Balboa Island parade featuring nearly
one half mile of speakers and four separate performance
areas. Other noteworthy venues include, the Disney
Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim
Hilton Convention Center, Huntington Park Community
Fireworks Show, Simi Valley Days Fair, Simi Valley Cajun
Festival, Simi Valley Street Fair, Simi Valley Fireworks
Extravaganza, Simi Valley Town Center and the Air Force
One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Past events in Tehachapi includes Tehachapi High School
and the Horse Thief Country Club.
In the past two years we established and managed a
Friday evening and Saturday farmers market at the Simi
Valley Town Center. Each week during the market, we
brought in local talent to perform free of charge for the
community.
We look forward to building MusicMX in Tehachapi
and utilizing some of our skills and knowledge in
organizing community events for the community.
3
May Membership Anniversaries
26 Years
5 Years
Oak Valley, Inc.
AFLAC Insurance/Catherine Estes
Bill Wright Toyota
21 Years
Lehigh Southwest Cement Co
Tehachapi Heritage League
17 Years
4 Years
Pirate Insurance
Tehachapi Manor
2 Years
Henry's Home For Less
12 Years
Moats & Hebebrand CPA's
11 Years
Best Western Country Park Hotel
10 Years
Family Life Pregnancy Center
6 Years
Rivera's Lath and Plaster
Zombie Games
1 Year
Cesar E. Chavez National Monument
Go Green Bunny Healthy Lifestyle Shop
Tehachapi Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Tehachapi Valley United Methodist Church
The Woods Pavilion
Mike & Duana Pera
SAVE THE DATES!
"Business After Hours "
Chamber Mixer Schedule
HOSTED BY
May 13th
Charlotte L. Ruse, Legal
Document Service
June 10th
The Woods Pavilion
July 8th
J. Williams Personal
Financial Planning, Inc.
September 9th
RST Cranes, Inc.
October 14th
The Dog House Saloon
Mixers are a great opportunity to meet your
business neighbors and community members in
an informal setting. These events are a great
way to share information about your business
and learn about other members.
If interested in hosting a 2016 Chamber Mixer, please
contact us at 661-822-4180.
Welcome Our Newest
Members
Big Papa’s Steakhouse & Saloon
Sonya Torres
1001 W. Tehachapi Blvd., C200
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661) 822-PAPA (7272)
Chaingang Outlaws Apparel
Cliff Sauzo
777 W. Tehachapi Blvd
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661) 822-2800
The Dog House Saloon
Cliff Suazo
777 W. Tehachapi Blvd
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661) 822-4200
MusicMX Entertainment
Bill Bettis
14556 Tehachapi Blvd, #122
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(805) 368-1185
Lil’ Ntertainment
Andrew Ledesma
401 Jonathan Place
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661) 972-8578
This space could be yours!
Call the Chamber for
information on putting your
business card and web link ad
here!
Congressman McCarthy, Senator Fuller, and Assemblywoman Grove
Mobile Office Hours at the Chamber
Government Representatives will hold office hours at the Chamber office on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 from 10 to 11 AM.
For appointments, contact the following representatives:
Congressman McCarthy, Representative Keenan Hochschild, 661-327-3611
Senator Fuller, Representative Romeo Agbalog, 661-323-0443
Assemblywoman Grove, Representative Javier Reyes, 661-395-2995
4
Key In On Your Website Keywords to Drive Sales
think your potential customers might use. This includes
your product names, generic names for those products,
locations, specialties, and words that searchers might use
when they need your product (including words about the
problem that it solves).
Author and digital media consultant Mike Moran cautions
that because keywords represent your market segments,
the best matches for your site may not necessarily be the
ones that are the most popular.
SCORE, "Counselors to America's Small Business"
by P. Simon Mahler
April 29, 2015
“Getting information off the internet is like taking a drink
from a fire hydrant, and having your business mentioned
first is the most important in quenching that thirst for
expertise.” –Mitchell Kapor
Over the years, hundreds of small businesses have under
performed or failed entirely because customers didn’t
know about them. The same is true in the online era of
business. Unless your business appears on the first page
or two of Google, Bing, or Yahoo search result, connecting
with prospective customers will be very difficult.
That’s not the fault of the search engines; they simply
respond to whatever search terms the user enters. It’s
up to you to make sure your website content includes
keywords that people in your target markets are most
likely to use, thereby making your website pages more
“visible” to search engines.
According to a recent survey, websites ranked in the top
ten of a Google search result page obtain as much as
91.5% of the search traffic for a keyword or term. Then
4.8% for page 2, 1.1% for page 3. This is why almost all
of companies that own their own website are keen about
being first on Google.
So how do I become a recognizable small business on the
web? Start with these ideas…
A good first step in finding the right combination of
keywords for your content is to brainstorm words that you
“Rather than trying to think of ‘everything’—that is,
words that almost no one uses, look for a middle ground
of words that are at least somewhat popular and are very
strong matches for your site,” Moran explains.
Here are some tips for finding good keywords for
your small business website:
• See what your competitors call the same products.
You may see words on their Web pages that you have not
thought of yet.
• Avoid terms that are too general. Instead of picking
“auto insurance,” for example, use a more qualified term
like “auto insurance Cleveland Ohio.” Brian Halligan,
CEO and Co-Founder, of marketing software company
HubSpot, says that while such long-tail “keywords may
generate fewer searches, they bring in more qualified
visitors who are more likely to become customers.”
• Use keyword tools from the search engines
themselves. For example, Google Adwords will suggest
variations on your selected keywords.
• Look at what words people already use to find your
site. This information is available in most web analytics
packages.
• Incorporate links. Connecting your site with leading
ones in your community or industry is more likely to draw
a search engine’s attention.
Search engines also tend to give low rankings to web
pages that are rarely changed, so be sure to update your
content regularly. “Photos and video can be huge drivers
of search results,” Halligan adds. “Be careful with your
title and tags, and include a link in the caption.”
Get Focused. Get Busy. Get Launched. Sprout & Grow.
This space could be yours! Call
the Chamber for information on
putting your business card and
web link ad here!
5
Chamber Ribbon Cuttings
Chamber Directors Kathy Carey and Jim Wallace; Chamber
President Ida Perkins; Chamber Ambassadors Tina Larson, Pat
Doody and Kathleen Kline; City Manager Greg Garrett and
Community Outreach Coordinator Michelle Vance joined
Bottomline Bookkeeping for their Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, April 8, 2015.
Bottomline Bookkeeping Service is located at 100 S. Robinson
St. For more information call 661-823-4921.
Congratulations Kathryn!!!!!
Scenes from the April Chamber Mixer
Hosted by Bottomline Bookkeeping Service
6
Sneak Peek of New Kasier Permanente
Tehachapi Medical Offices Opening Fall 2015
7
MAY CHAMBER MIXER
MAY 13, 2015
5PM TO 7PM
WHEN: MAY 8, 2015
WHERE: 777 TEHACHAPI BLVD
CHARLOTTE L. RUSE
LEGAL DOCUMENT SERVICE
NOTARY PUBLIC
TIME: 4:00 PM TO 6:00 PM
Food and live music !
Art from Tehacahapi Treasure Trove!
NO HOST BAR
GRAND OPENING!
102 So. Robinson St.
(across from the Chevron)
MAY 9TH, 2015
10:00 AM TO 8:00 PM
661-699-7025
CHOPPER RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE
Kern County LDA #95 exp 10/1/2015
I am not an attorney.
I can only provide self-help services at your specific direction.
GRAND OPENING AFTER SHOW @
– LIVE BAND & CHOPPER RAFFLE
Ribbon Cutting!
Come join us to celebrate the ribbon
cutting of our new restaurant:
When:
Friday, May 15, 2015
Where:
1001 W Tehachapi Blvd, Suite C200
Tehachapi, CA
What Time: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres
&
Prizes!
Grand Opening!
Come join us to celebrate the grand
opening of our new restaurant:
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Drink Specials during
Happy Hour
Where: 1001 W Tehachapi Blvd, Suite C200
Tehachapi, CA
Door Prizes!
When:
Time:
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
DJ Celebration at Night!
8
Chamber Services
For Members Only
2015 California Employment Poster Set
Available Now!!!
Mailing Labels
$35.00
Electronic (Excel)
Mailing List
$50.00
Make sure your business is
in compliance. Even if you
only have one employee, you
can be fined $17,000 for not
posting required notices. Our
poster includes all notices in
one convenient poster.
Pick yours up Today!!!
Employment Posters 2015
Members
Non-Members
$55.00
$74.00
Directory of Members
Available to all at No Charge
Website Advertising - Members Only
Contact Chamber Office for pricing
and options
Free to Members Only
Display of Cards & Brochures in the
Chamber Office
Referrals From:
Phone Calls Walk-In's Internet
First Hotspot in Newsletter (first 90
days of membership)
The 2015 California and Federal Employment Poster Set is now available
at the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce. The price is $55.00 for
members and $74.00 for non-members, which includes Poster Protect.
Pick yours up Today!!!!
Advertising - Members Only
Newsletter Hotspot
Newsletter Card
per month
per year
Relocation Packet
Insert/per year
$ 35.00
$ 25.00
$200.00
$125.00
shop
local
!
Support your local business community
www.tehachapi.com
SUN
4
MON
TUE
WED
THU
Calendar of Events May 2015
FRI
For detailed information on events, visit our Community Calendar at www.tehachapi.com
3
10
17
Celebrity Bartender for
Charity Souza Family
Vineyard 2-5 PM
661-822-9233
24
31
4
City Council Mtg 6 PM
Claude L Wells
Education Center
11
18
5
Board of Directors Mtg
Chamber Office 5:30 PM
12
19
Government Reps
See page 4 for appt info
26
Memorial Day Ceremony
11 AM Central Park
661-822-3228
Chamber Office Closed
GTEDC Mtg
7:30 AM The Shed
13
Chamber Mixer Hosted by
Charlotte L. Ruse.
5-7 PM 102 S Robinson St
TUSD Board Meeting 6 PM
661-699-7025
CHAMBER LUNCHEON
Pacino's 12:00 PM
City Council Mtg 6 PM
Claude L Wells
TVRPD Board Mtg 5:30 PM
Education Center
490 West D St
25
6
TUSD Board Meeting 6 PM
20
27
7
14
First Friday Art
Reception 5-8 PM
1
8
28
2
Rotary "Cowboy Saturday
Night" 5 PM 818-519-7144
9
Chaingang Outlaws Apparel
Ribbon Cutting
Chaingang Outlaws Apparel
Celebration 4 - 6 PM
Grand Opening
Ribbon Cutting 4:30 PM
10 AM - 8 PM
777 W Tehachapi Blvd
777 W Tehachapi Blvd
661-822-2800
661-822-2800
15
Big Papa's Steakhouse &
21
SAT
Saloon Ribbon Cutting
Celebration 3 - 5 PM
Ribbon Cutting 3:30 PM
1001 W Tehachapi Blvd,
C200 661-822-PAPA
22
Dog Days of Summer
Souza Family Vineyard
3-7 PM 661-822-9233
29
16
Big Papa's Steakhouse &
Saloon Grand Opening
11 AM - 11 PM
1001 W Tehachapi Blvd,
C200 661-822-PAPA
23
30
TVRPD Run With the
Wind 5K and Duathlon
8 AM 661-822-3228
9