that made it to Super Bowl XII. They are bringing plenty of signed schwag, memorabilia and a trip to Kansas City for 2 to watch the Broncos/Chiefs play in 2017. Walter is a fantastic spokesperson not only for the NFL and Chiefs but frequents Grand Junction as an active alum for CMU.I want to introduce a new member to the FACC team, Mike Durden. Mike will be the Membership Development Director. Mike was formerly with Restoration1, loves Fruita and has a passion to help local businesses succeed. Welcome Mike when he calls or stops by, he wants to help you. Speaking of membership, the Fruita Chamber of Commerce remains the most affordable option on the western slope for bringing credibility to your business, promoting and publicizing your business, making business contacts, networking, being connected to your community and region, increasing your visibility, and having a voice for your business in government. If you are receiving this newsletter, you have already made a very wise business decision by being a partner with the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce. For those members that want to partner at one of the higher levels to receive added benefits, please call soon as it is industry specific and filling fast. We’ve also added an a la carte menu for members that wish to keep their basic partnership level but add member exclusive sponsorship or marketing opportunities to gain visibility, promote and publicize. Regardless of what level of partnership works for you and your business, your decision does not affect how hard we will work for you. Every member/partner is very important to us; we will continue to work towards making your business and our community a success. Thank you for your support! See you at the Awards Banquet! Frank Ladd Executive Director Execuve Director’s Message Business Aſter Hours Recap-City of Fruita January Ribbon Cungs 2017 Chamber Member Opportunies #ihearruita Aucon Preview! Member Spotlight: Chrisan Collage Point Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Newsletter Why we LOVE where we work and play! Issue 02 “#iheartfruita because of the cool local vibe. Fruita is young and cool without being stuffy. Fruita is and will always be a small town at heart, and that is awesome! “ -Jen Keck, Fruita Area Chamber Administrative Assistant “#iheartfruita because of the people! e people in and around Fruita have values very similar to the people in the Midwest I grew up with, honest, straight-forward and hard-working.” -Frank Ladd, Fruita Area Chamber ecutive Director Welcome new Chamber Board Officers; Chairman of the Board, Derek Biddle-Family Health West, Vice-Chair, Andrea Gatley-Alpha Dog Systems, Treasurer, Dustin Wells-Grand Valley Bank, and Secretary, Tyler Dixon. Thank you, Denise Hight for serving as Chamber Board President the past year, job well done! The Board of Directors has worked very hard putting together the plan year for 2017. We have changes to old programs, new programs, and events. We are extremely excited for what is in store for you, our valued members! Let’s start with the Annual Banquet and Awards February 11 th . For the 2 nd consecutive year, we’ll be holding this premier event in Fruita! The Fruita Community Center will host this year’s banquet once again. The Theme for 2017 is “#iheartfruita”, being so close to Valentine’s Day we hope our members and the community will use this as a date night with their sweetie, come out and enjoy a prime rib dinner catered by J Bar D’s catering, and honor THE outstanding businesses, people in Fruita and the Grand Valley. Awards and nominees are as follows: Fruita Chamber Business of the Year; Alpine Bank, Moody Insurance, Robinson & Co. Realty, and Western Rockies Federal Credit Union. Member of the Year; Mike Bennett-City of Fruita, Duane Irwin-Woodland Creations, Tom Oliver-Alpine Bank, and Michael Spradlin-Rib City Grill/Switch Energy. Ambassador of the Year; Carlene Wood-The Nickel. New Horizon Business of the Year; Gears Frozen Yogurt and Smoothies, Happy Trails Colorado, Kannah Creek West, and Pickies Garage. If you see any of the nominees, please congratulate them on a job well done! We will also be awarding a Fruita Chamber of Commerce Community Excellence Award, there are no nominees for this award, this is chosen solely by the Executive Director and given to a business or individual that has gone above and beyond in their work for the community and Fruita Chamber of Commerce. We have a new twist for this year’s banquet, we’re bringing in former Mesa State all-American, retired NFL tight end, and current NFL Ambassador Walter White to speak. Walter is bringing with him retired Bronco Larry Evans. Larry played linebacker and was a member of the “Orange Crush” defense
Transcript
that made it to Super Bowl XII.
They are bringing plenty of signed
schwag, memorabilia and a trip
to Kansas City for 2 to watch the
Broncos/Chiefs play in 2017.
Walter is a fantastic spokesperson
not only for the NFL and Chiefs but
frequents Grand Junction as an active alum for CMU.I want to
introduce a new member to the FACC team, Mike Durden. Mike
will be the Membership Development Director. Mike was
formerly with Restoration1, loves Fruita and has a passion to
help local businesses succeed. Welcome Mike when he calls or
stops by, he wants to help you. Speaking of membership, the
Fruita Chamber of Commerce remains the most affordable
option on the western slope for bringing credibility to your
business, promoting and publicizing your business, making
business contacts, networking, being connected to your
community and region, increasing your visibility, and having a
voice for your business in government. If you are receiving this
newsletter, you have already made a very wise business
decision by being a partner with the Fruita Area Chamber of
Commerce.
For those members that want to partner at one of the higher
levels to receive added benefits, please call soon as it is industry
specific and filling fast. We’ve also added an a la carte menu for
members that wish to keep their basic partnership level but add
member exclusive sponsorship or marketing opportunities to
gain visibility, promote and publicize.
Regardless of what level of partnership works for you and your
business, your decision does not affect how hard we will work for
you. Every member/partner is very important to us; we will
continue to work towards making your business and our
community a success. Thank you for your support!
See you at the Awards Banquet!
Frank Ladd Executive Director
Executive Director’s Message
Business After Hours Recap-City of Fruita
January Ribbon Cuttings
2017 Chamber Member Opportunities
#iheartfruita Auction Preview!
Member Spotlight: Christian Collage
Point Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
Why we LOVE where we work and play!
Issu
e 0
2
“#iheartfruita because of
the cool local vibe. Fruita is
young and cool without
being stuffy. Fruita is and
will always be a small town
at heart, and that is
awesome! “ -Jen Keck, Fruita Area Chamber Administrative Assistant
“#iheartfruita because of the people! The people in and around Fruita have values very similar to the people in the Midwest I grew up with, honest, straight-forward and hard-working.” -Frank Ladd, Fruita Area Chamber Executive Director
Welcome new Chamber Board Officers; Chairman of the
Board, Derek Biddle-Family Health West, Vice-Chair, Andrea
Gatley-Alpha Dog Systems, Treasurer, Dustin Wells-Grand
Valley Bank, and Secretary, Tyler Dixon. Thank you, Denise
Hight for serving as Chamber Board President the past year,
job well done! The Board of Directors has worked very hard
putting together the plan year for 2017. We have changes to
old programs, new programs, and events. We are extremely
excited for what is in store for you, our valued members!
Let’s start with the Annual Banquet and Awards February 11th.
For the 2nd consecutive year, we’ll be holding this premier
event in Fruita! The Fruita Community Center will host this
year’s banquet once again. The Theme for 2017 is
“#iheartfruita”, being so close to Valentine’s Day we hope our
members and the community will use this as a date night with
their sweetie, come out and enjoy a prime rib dinner catered
by J Bar D’s catering, and honor THE outstanding businesses,
people in Fruita and the Grand Valley. Awards and nominees
are as follows: Fruita Chamber Business of the Year; Alpine
Bank, Moody Insurance, Robinson & Co. Realty, and Western
Rockies Federal Credit Union. Member of the Year; Mike
Bennett-City of Fruita, Duane Irwin-Woodland Creations, Tom
Oliver-Alpine Bank, and Michael Spradlin-Rib City Grill/Switch
Energy. Ambassador of the Year; Carlene Wood-The Nickel.
New Horizon Business of the Year; Gears Frozen Yogurt and
Smoothies, Happy Trails Colorado, Kannah Creek West, and
Pickies Garage. If you see any of the nominees, please
congratulate them on a job well done! We will also be
awarding a Fruita Chamber of Commerce Community
Excellence Award, there are no nominees for this award, this
is chosen solely by the Executive Director and given to a
business or individual that has gone above and beyond in their
work for the community and Fruita Chamber of Commerce. We
have a new twist for this year’s banquet, we’re bringing in
former Mesa State all-American, retired NFL tight end, and
current NFL Ambassador Walter White to speak. Walter is
bringing with him retired Bronco Larry Evans. Larry played
linebacker and was a member of the “Orange Crush” defense
Join us on February 16th, 2017 from
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Lower
Valley Fire District, 168 N Mesa Street,
for our next Business After Hours!
Each month the Fruita Area Chamber of
Commerce offers a Business After Hours (BAH)
event for members and guests. This fun event is
hosted by a different Chamber member each
month. Each BAH features the host member at
their location and offers a valuable networking
opportunity for all who attend.
COST: $5.00 for pre-registered Members
$10.00 for Members at the door
$15.00 per person for Courtesy Clients,
Prospective Members, Member Guests,
and Non-Member Businesses.
Please join us for this fun networking
opportunity! It is fast and easy to register online
at www.fruitachamber.org or responding to the
email invite. Or, you can call the office to register
and pay at 970-858-3894.
The Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our January Business After Hours host: City of Fruita. We appreciate your continued support of the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce!
Colorado National Monument Association (CNMA) is hosting the spring 2017 conference for the Peaks, Plateaus, and Canyons Associations (PPCA) on March 1 and 2 at the Fruita Community Center. The PPCA is a group of the national parks and other public lands partners in the southwest that works together to promote understanding and stewardship of our national parks, monuments, forests, and other public lands. This conference is an opportunity to show off our community to approximately 40 representatives from national parks including Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Mesa Verde, Dinosaur, Capitol Reef, Petrified Forest, Glen Canyon, Colorado National Monument, and many more. If you or your local business has menus, discount cards, rack cards, area information, giveaways, or just well-wishes that we can include in information packets for our participants, please contact Denise Hight at [email protected] or Michael Paxson at [email protected]. We are also looking for gifts to put in a gift basket that will be won by one of our lucky attendees.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced the availability of $27 million in grants to fund innovative projects designed to strengthen market opportunities for local and regional food producers and businesses.
“These grants will continue USDA’s support for the local food sector as an important strategy for keeping wealth in rural communities,” said AMS Administrator Elanor Starmer. “Entrepreneurs around the country are creating jobs and new economic opportunities in response to growing consumer demand for local food. AMS is excited to partner with local food stakeholders to strengthen local economies and improve access to fresh, healthy food for their communities.”
AMS today announced the request for applications for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, which includes Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grants, and the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). These programs and other resources across USDA are helping to revitalize rural America by supporting local and regional food stakeholders.
The FMPP provides funds for direct farmer-to-consumer marketing projects such as farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs, roadside stands, and agritourism. Over the past 10 years, the FMPP has awarded more than 870 grants totaling over $58 million. The successful results of these investments are summarized in the Farmers Market Promotion Program 2016 Report. The LFPP supports projects focused on intermediary supply chain activities for local food businesses. LFPP was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase funding for marketing activities such as aggregation, processing, storage, and distribution of local foods.
The FSMIP provides about $1 million in matching funds to state departments of agriculture, state colleges and universities, and other appropriate state agencies. Funds will support research projects to address challenges and opportunities in marketing, transporting, and distributing U.S. agricultural products domestically and internationally.
AMS will host a webinar for potential FMPP and LFPP grant applicants on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and a teleconference for potential FSMIP grant applicants on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information about FSMIP, FMPP and LFPP, visit: www.ams.usda.gov/AMSgrants. The website also contains a link to a grants decision tree, "What AMS Grant is Right for ME?”, to help applicants determine which AMS grant fits their project best.
The grant applications for FSMIP, FMPP and LFPP must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov/ by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 27, 2017.
AMS will also host a webinar to introduce potential applicants to Grants.gov on Wednesday, February 8, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants are urged to start the Grants.gov registration process as soon as possible to ensure that they meet the deadline and encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the posted due date. Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application, read more on AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).
