October, 2011 October, 2011 Walk – ins: 968 Phone calls: 533 Mail outs: 11 Visits to member web pages: 6,355 Chamber: (970) 824-5689 Sportsman information: (970) 824-3046 Visitor center: 1-800-864-4405 Board of directors: Visit www.craig-chamber.com and click “about the Chamber” for a listing of the current board of directors. Your Chamber at work In this issue: Contact us: Connection Chamber Your guide to the business community & the Craig Chamber Of Commerce Crabfest . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4 Enterprise Zone tax credit lunch and learn . . . . . . . .4 New members, member spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Economic indicators . . . . .6 CNCC upcoming classes . .7 11 E. Victory Way, Craig, CO (970) 824-7000 See all listings at www.remax.com THE DATE Save Nov. 12 • Community Con- cert: Trio Vornezh Nov. 10 • Small business class Nov. 15 • Enterprise Tax Zone updates for business Nov. 17-19 • “Footloose” the musical Nov. 17 • Business After- hours Mixer at Mathers Bar See pages 2 - 4 for more event information. MJK Sales & Feed chosen as Chamber Select business The Craig Chamber of Commerce board of directors recognized MJK Sales & Feed for its outstanding service, ongoing community support and for having a well-orga- nized, aesthetically appealing store by making the retail outlet the second recipient of the Chamber Select award. “We wanted a mechanism for recognizing our local Continued on Page 5. Chamber photo Chamber of Commerce board and staff members presented MJK Sales and Feed owners Lorraine and Lonnie Kawcak and staff members with Chamber Select business award.
Transcript
October, 2011
OOccttoobbeerr,, 22001111Walk – ins: 968Phone calls: 533Mail outs: 11Visits to member web pages: 6,355
Chamber: (970) 824-5689Sportsman information:(970) 824-3046Visitor center:1-800-864-4405Board of directors: Visitwww.craig-chamber.com andclick “about the Chamber” for alisting of the current board ofdirectors.
Your Chamber at work
In this issue:
Contact us:
ConnectionChamberYour guide to the business community & the Craig Chamber Of Commerce
Crabfest . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Enterprise Zone tax creditlunch and learn . . . . . . . .4
Nov. 12 • Community Con-cert: Trio VornezhNov. 10 • Small businessclassNov. 15 • Enterprise Tax Zoneupdates for businessNov. 17-19 • “Footloose” themusicalNov. 17 • Business After-hours Mixer at Mathers Bar
See pages 2 - 4 for more event information. MJK Sales & Feed
chosen as ChamberSelect business
The Craig Chamber of Commerce board of directorsrecognized MJK Sales & Feed for its outstanding service,ongoing community support and for having a well-orga-nized, aesthetically appealing store by making the retailoutlet the second recipient of the Chamber Select award. “We wanted a mechanism for recognizing our local
Continued on Page 5.
Chamber photoChamber of Commerce board and staff members presentedMJK Sales and Feed owners Lorraine and Lonnie Kawcak andstaff members with Chamber Select business award.
NovemberEVENTSNov. 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24,29 • Soup Kitchen at St.Michael’s ChurchThe soup kitchen is open to any-one at no charge twice a week.Groups of community membersserve and prepare the meals.
Location: St. Michael’s CatholicChurch, 678 School St. Contact: (970) 824-5330 Date/Time Details: Tuesdays11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. andThursdays 4 - 6 p.m. Fees/Admission: Free
Nov. 5 • Yampa Valley Re-gional Airport Christmas Art &Craft FairYampa Valley Regional Airport ishosting an art and craft fair to getready for the holiday season.
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.Location: Yampa Valley Re-gional Airport, 11005 RCR 51A,Hayden Contact: Doris Mayhan or Ann(970) 276-5001 Fees/Admission: Admissionand parking are free. Vendorfees are $25 for approximately a10’ x 10’ spot. A limited amountof electricity is available.
Nov. 5 • American Legion Post#62 Bingo American Legion Post #62 hasbingo every other Saturdayevening. All are welcome to attend.
Time: 5:30 - 10 p.m. Location: Elks Lodge, 43 W. Vic-tory Contact: Frank Sadvar at (970)620-0874 or the Post (970) 824-3625 Fees: Minimum $20 for the fullevent
withclass
Hair, nails,esthetics535 Yampa Ave.970.824.0341
www.stylz5thavenue.com
Crabfest 2011Page 2 November 2011
The Craig Chamber of Commerce9th annual Crabfest drew nearly170 people for a crab dinner andgreat entertainment. Above, ???,disposes of a pile of crab shells.Left, Craig City Councilor Joe Birdtalks with Linda Knocke as she fillsher plate. Below, audience mem-bers slip into a deeply relaxed stateas they are hypnotized for theevenings comedy performance.See more photos on page 3.
NovemberEVENTSNov. 7-10, 14-17 or 21-23 •Learn to SkateSign up for Learn to Skate forages 13 and under at www.craigy-outhhockey.com
Time: 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. Website:www.leaguelineup.comLocation: Moffat County IceRink, 900 S. Ranney St. Email: [email protected] Date/Time Details: Nov. 7, 8,10; Nov. 14, 15, 17; Nov. 21,22, 23 Fees/Admission: $10 for 9hours of ice. Equipment rental:$50 deposit, will receive $40back when equipment is re-turned. Skate rental not in-cluded.
Nov. 10 • How to Start a Busi-ness 101: Will My Idea Workand Will It Make Any Money? A guide for first time entrepre-neurs
Website: www.cmedp.com Location: Moffat County Court-house, 2nd Floor ConferenceRoom. Please use North door. Contact: Darcy Owens-Trask(970) 826-2039 Email: [email protected]: 6:30 - 9 p.m. Fees/Admission: Free - spon-sored by CMEDP
Nov. 11 - 13 • National ParksFee-Free DaysEnjoy visiting a National Park forfree in 2011.
Website: www.nps.gov
Nov. 11 - 12 • Holiday CraftShowThe holiday craft show featuresvendors with various arts, craftsand food from more than 80 ven-dors. Stop by to do some holidayshopping.
Website:www.centennialmall.com Location: Centennial Mall,1111 W. Victory Way Contact: Vicki Hall (970) 824-7011 Email:[email protected] Time: Noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Get therecognitionyoureventdeserves. Postit on the CraigChamber of Com-merce calendar ofevents - our sec-ond most viewedpage getting46,983 views ayear. Adding yourevent is easy!Log on to www.craig-chamber.com andclick the “events” but-ton. Choose “submityour own event.”
GRAND JUNCTION 200 Grand Avenue2903 ‘F’ Road, 970.245.1600
bankofcolorado.com
*Annual Percentage Rate(A.P.R.) is effective as of the date of this advertisement. Loans to qualifying applicants on purchase of vehicle, not refinance. Ex: $25,000 vehicle with a $20,000 loan for 36 months @ 2.65% interest rate (A.P.R. 2.988%), pmt $578.61. Loans subject to underwriting. Other restrictions may apply. Please contact your local branch for details. Expires: 10.15.11
GREAT COMMERCIAL ANDCONSUMER LOAN RATES
AS LOW AS:
.65%INTEREST RATEFOR 36 MONTHS
988%A.P.R.*FOR 36 MONTHS
CRAIG 250 West Victory Way 970.824.9421
November 2011 Page 3
At the Chamber’s 9th annualCrabfest, comedy hypnotist RustyZ had audience members MikeArmstrong, Julie Baker, Wade Ger-ber and Steve Martinson starring intheir own “butt bongo” band.Above, volunteers Adrianna Rob-bins and Karen Vassek serve cornand potatoes.
Nov. 12 • Trio VornezhCraig Concert Association perform-ance
Time: 7 - 10 p.m. Website: www.craigconcerts.org Location: Journey at First BaptistChurchAdmission: Membership prices forthe 2010-2011 season are: Adult: $35, Student: $10, Family:$80 season membership providestickets to five concerts in Craig aswell as surrounding areas.
Nov. 15 • Enterprise Zone TaxCreditsInformation on changes to the 2012enterprise zone tax credits.
Nov. 17 - 19 • Footloose the mu-sical Moffat County High School theaterdepartment presents “Footloose” themusical.
Location: Moffat County HighSchool auditorium, 900 Finley Ln. Details: Thursday, Friday and Sat-urday at 7 p.m. and a matinee onSaturday at 2 p.m. Admission: $5 per person
Nov. 17 • Chamber mixer hostedby Mathers Bar The Craig Chamber of CommerceAmbassadors invite you and yourstaff to a Business After-Hours Mixerhosted by Mathers Bar.
Time: 5 - 7 p.m. Location: 420 Yampa Ave. Contact: RSVP by calling (970)824-5689 or email [email protected]
EVENTSNovemberPage 4 November 2011
By Randy RudasicsSCORE volunteer & manager, Bogue
Enterprise Center, Colorado MountainCollege
Do you have a checklist for chores forthe changing seasons? Oil in the snow-plow, stain the deck, clean the garage onemore time? Does your business have sucha checklist? This is a great time to updateyour operation plan for the busy season.Consider an analysis and retooling in thefollowing functional areas of you busi-ness:Inventory, finding the right balance of
product/resources is challenging. Checkout the Yampa Valley Data Partners Re-gional Economic Forecast. Staffing, Do you have your the right
mix of skill and motivation to provideyour customer a “bundle of satisfaction”? Funding, is your lending and line of
credit set in place while you businessgears up?
Are you vehicles tuned and tiresready? Is your software up to date? Is it time to freshen up
the promotion strategy. Will last yearsadvertising achieve this year’s goals? Beconsistent with brand but fresh in ap-proach! This is the right time to personally visit
customers and show your interest andconcern for their needs. Finally, are you ready to go? One last
vacation, a good book to help you getmotivated. You’re the #1 asset.
The Craig/Moffat County Economic Part-nership and Craig Chamber of Commercewill be hosting a representative from Asso-ciated Governments of Northwest Coloradowho will present information on changes tothe 2012 enterprise zone tax credits. Colorado’s Enterprise Zone program pro-
vides tax incentives to encourage businessesto locate and expand in designated economi-cally distressed areas of the state. There are16 Enterprise Zones and 2 sub-zones in Col-orado.Moffat County is an enterprise zone, giv-
ing businesses tax credits on things such as
hiring new employees, renovations and ve-hicle purchases.Learn about changes for 2012 and how
your business can take advantage of thesetax credits from noon to 1 Nov. 15 in thesecond-floor conference room of the MoffatCounty Courthouse. Lunch will be provided. This educational seminar is free. RSVP to Christina Oxley at (970) 824-
5689 or Darcy Trask, (970) 826-2039. Go to:
www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/OEDIT/OEDIT/1167928191402 for more information onEnterprise Zone Tax Credits.
Update your business operation planHow SCORE works
Yampa Valley SCORE is part ofa much larger network of businesscounselors operating throughout theUnited States. We are a subchapterof Denver SCORE, which is thevolunteer arm of the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration. AllSCORE team member are volun-teers who sign a code of conductand agree to provide professionaladvice to individuals confidentiallyand free of charge. SCORE volun-teers may not solicit business fromcounseling clients.
For an appointment, call theCraig/Moffat County Economic De-velopment Partnership at (970) 826-2039. Each of our nine activecounselors have unique skills, inter-ests and availability and we try tomatch your needs with theirs. Itmay take a up to a week to arrangean appointment but we will followthrough. SCORE has a meetingroom in Bogue Hall at CMC on thethird floor.
SCORE counselors will offergreat advice on business planning,marketing, forecasting but we donot write your plan of go with youto the bank. We are here to nurtureyou creative talents and hard work.
Number of employees: 40-50Number of years in business: 30
What is your specialty?We are a full service community cen-ter that provides year-round access toan indoor swimming pool, fitness cen-ter and meeting rooms. Recreationprograms for children, adults and sen-ior citizens provided as well.
What is your business or organi-zation philosophy?Our mission statement is “To createopportunities for recreational, culturaland park activities for the residents ofand visitors to Eastern Rio BlancoCounty.”
Is there something your businessor organization offers that peopledon’t seem to know about?The Meeker Recreation Center offersbirthday party packages that includeuse indoor pool and party rooms. Per-sonal training packages and fitnessclasses of many kinds are open toeveryone over age 13. The MeekerRecreation Center includes an indoorpool which is open year-round and astate of the art fitness room. Admis-sion to the Center is $5 a day or less,with membership packages available.The ERBM Rec. & Park District spon-sors several free cultural eventsthroughout the year open to all.
Anything else:Meeker Recreation Center staff looksforward to providing many qualityrecreational opportunities to the resi-dents of Craig and the surroundingarea. Complete information in our pro-grams available online at www.Meek-erRecDistrict.com.
Business SPOTLIGHT
ANNIVERSARIESA-1 Laundromat Dry Cleaners 1997Vermillion Ranch Limited Partnership 1997Yampa Valley Regional Airport 1997Moffat County Cattlemen 1997Big Rack Outfitters & Horseback Adventure 1997Northwest Colorado Snowmobile Club 1998Colorado Outfitters Services 1999Copy Shop & Computer Corner 1999Crime Stoppers of Moffat County 2002Mountain West Insurance & Financial 2003
Kidder Floor Covering 2006Jenison Custom Builders 2006Apostolic Lighthouse Church 2008The Journey at First Baptist 2008OP Bar ‘n Grill 2008Triple Track Hunting 2008Avon 2009Total Teamwork Training, LLC 2009Trapper Fitness & Cross Fit Center 2010Advocates - Crisis Support Services 2010Craig Youth Hockey Association 2010
November
WelcomeShell Exploration &Productionwww.shell.comShell seeks to reinforceits position as a leaderin the oil and gas in-dustry to provide acompetitive shareholderreturn while helping tomeet global energy de-mand in a responsibleway. The company’s
focus is on exploring fornew oil and gas re-serves and developingmajor projects whereour technology andknow-how adds valueto the resource holders.
Locksmith of CraigRoy & Yvonne McAnally(970) 824-5772105 E. Victory Way
Cool Water Grille Dennis Otis (970) 824-1756337 W. Victory Way Craig, COHomestyle breakfastserved until 2 p.m. withlunch from 11 a.m. - 2p.m. Don’t miss theBloody Mary bar from 7a.m. to 10 a.m. Satur-days. $3 each.
NEW MEMBERSNovember 2011 Page 5
(970) 824-3445105 E Victory Way,Craig, CO 81625
www.americannorthwestrealty.com
businesses that exemplify those traits thatdemonstrate a commitment to quality,”Chamber Executive Director Christina Oxleysaid. “We have so many businesses that re-ally set a high standard for business practicesand are an example to other businesses in ourcommunity. These are Chamber Select busi-nesses.”Chamber Select businesses must
receive three nominations fromemployees, customers, otherbusinesses or the Chamberboard of directors or can self-nominate if they have in-vested in employee trainingsuch as time management,leadership or customer service. To earn the Chamber Select
designation, the business must:• Demonstrate exemplary customer
service.• Demonstrate a desire to improve or
an adherence to best business practices.• The business must be clean and or-
ganized; both inside and out. • Hours of operation must be customer
friendly, posted and adhered to. • Business must have the ability to
process payments in a customer-friendly way,which includes accepting major credit cardsand providing receipts with purchase.
• Employees greet customers uponentry.
• Service-based businesses keep ap-pointments and stay on time.
• Service-based businessesare willing to provide referencesregarding the quality of theirwork.
• Business demon-strates a strong sense of com-munity involvement, donatingat any level either time ormoney. “The owners and managers at
MJK put a huge emphasis on customerservice and it shows,” Oxley said. “Cus-tomers are greeted by bright, well-organizeddisplays and are always assisted by well-trained and helpful employees. Those arewithout a doubt traits of a Chamber Selectbusiness and this business has more thanearned this designation.”
MJK demonstrates exemplary customer serviceContinued from Page 1.
Page 6 November 2011
In theECONOMY
Courtesy of Yampa Valley PartnersFor more Fast Facts or other economic
indicators, visit www.yampavalleypartners.com
Employment Percentage and Eco-nomic Stress Indicator The overall employment in Northwest
Colorado continues to improve with theSeptember unemployment rate a full per-centage point below the statewide aver-age and 2 percentage points below thenational rate.
The key Economic Stress Indicator,adopted by Yampa Valley Data Partnersthat assess the stress the local economy isexperiencing as a result of the employ-ment situation, is essentially unchangedin Moffat County from the prior year andcontinues to improve slightly in Routt.The indicator measures the comparativebalance between the number of jobs andworkforce. A value that is either positive.2 or negative .2 indicates a stressful situ-ation heading into either a period of highunemployment or a period of labor short-age. As Routt County moves toward a .2positive value, we could see labor short-ages occur in some industry sectors.
Change in Employment The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
has summarized Moffat and Routt countyindustry specific data for the first quarterof 2011. Compared to the first quarter of2010, public sector jobs have contracted4% in Moffat County and 3% in RouttCounty. Private sector employment inRoutt for the 1st quarter of 2011 is essen-tially unchanged from 2010 and is down
2% in Moffat County. This is evidenceagain to support YVDP’s position thatthe employment situation in both coun-ties is stabilizing.
Of interest is the private sector aver-age weekly wage during the first quarter2011 is higher in both counties whencompared to the same period of 2010.Although some of this may be due tohigher wages being paid, the higherweekly wage is most likely due to thecontinued “squeeze” associated with thereduction of part-time jobs. There areslightly fewer jobs in each county; how-ever, the people working those jobs arelikely working longer hours.
Gross Retail Sales Gross Retail Sales had a significant in-
crease in May and the increase has con-tinued into June for both counties. InJune 2011 Moffat County saw an in-crease of 40.1% ($43.7 million) over theprevious year. For the same period RouttCounty saw an increase of 24.3% to$83.6 million.
Construction / Real Estate Construction activity remains at his-
toric lows with 4 new residential buildingpermits being issued in Routt County.Based on the construction predication in-dicator developed by YVDP, any increasein residential construction activity is stillmany years away. In Routt County the number of homes
receiving a foreclosure notice in Septem-ber was 1 in 319. This is about the samerate that was observed the prior monthwhich was 1 in 325. The foreclosure ratein Routt County compares favorably tothe rate being experienced in Eagle andGarfield counties. The foreclosure ratein Moffat County was not reported due to
small numbers.The median listing price for homes in
Moffat County is currently $176,000.This represents a decline of 14.7% com-pared to a year ago and 1.7% comparedto last month. In Routt County, the endof the declining median listing price ob-served during the summer appears to becontinuing into the fall. In September themedian listing price of a home in RouttCounty was $480,000. This representsno decline over the past year and an in-crease of 2.3% over the median listingprices in August.
Energy Oil/Natural GasThe number of producing oil and natu-
ral gas wells in both counties on a com-bined basis was down about 15% in June2011 compared to June 2010. The pro-duction of both oil and natural gas weredown as well.Oil in Barrels = 25,858 (-20%)Natural Gas in MCF = (-9%)Declines or increases in production are
closely tied to the number of producingwells. The number of producing wells isclosely tied to the commodity pricing ofthe resource.CoalThe three mines in Northwest Col-
orado in July of 2011 accounted for 55%of the state’s total coal production. InJuly of 2010 the three mines accountedfor 66% of the reduction. The decline inmarket share was primarily due to twofactors: 1) decline in production from themines in Moffat County and 2) An in-crease in the state’s overall coal produc-tion to meet the power demands of a verywarm July on the Front Range. The 4th quarter economic forecast
newsletter is complete and be found atwww.yampavalleypartners.com.
October Fast Facts - Regional economic indicators
CompetitionA marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses
is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.
For more reasons to shop local, log on to www.craig-chamber.com
LEADING THE WAY ...Hearing the rumor that homesaren’t selling and that it’s not agood time to put your home on themarket? If you’re thinking aboutselling your home, give me a call.We'll put together all the resourcesRE/MAX has to offer along with mypersonal expertise to form a planthat works for you to sell yourhome even in today’s difficultmarket. Knowing how to handlemarket exposure & conditions, buyer expectations &contract options add to the prospect of getting aproperty under contract quickly and aggressivelyworking that contract through to closing. There's areason why RE/MAX sells more real estate than mostother companies combined.Call Steve Herman at 970.629.8600 for a consultation.
