HeartBeat February 2013

101 E. Wisconsin Avenue | Kaukauna, WI 54130 920.766.1616

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

Save Money - Support a Wisconsin Business

6 Weird Habits

What’s Inside

Meet the Board

Focus on Energy Small Business Program

7 Unwritten Rules of Social Media

Member Spotlight –Orthopedic Spine & Therapy

February 2013

Orthopedic & Spine Therapy

Offering Pain Management Solutions

Without Surgery or Pain Medications

Heart Beat | February, 2013 2

Board of Directors February 19, 2013

12 noon Chamber Office

Register for Chamber events

Phone 920-766-1616 Online


& CoffeeConversation

Advocacy Council February 8, 2013 7:30am to 9:00am Chamber Office

Upcoming Events

The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce provides our member companies with tools so that you are not only in the arena but have the bullhorn to address policies and politics that affect your business. We want all of you to be effective advocates for the business community in Wisconsin. Advocating for issues you care about is an important activity to bring about change in public attitudes and policies that impact all of us every day. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, you cannot impact decisions and achieve success if you aren’t in the arena. The Advocacy Council invites you to join their monthly meetings. Each month we will invite to our meetings our Federal and State Legislators, our local elected and appointed leaders and our School Superintendents to engage in dialogue, keeping us informed of the latest issues. These meetings are designed to be a safe, respectful environment for both our business leaders and our legislators. Meetings are not open to the general public. The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce has invited our State Legislators to the monthly “Coffee and Conversation” meeting on Friday, February 1, 2013 from 7:30 to 9:00 AM, at the Village of Little Chute community room. The Legislators have been asked to update us on the state budget process and on the mining legislation. We will also take questions from the floor. If you have an interest in attending this meeting or joining the Advocacy Council call the Chamber office for more information at 766-1616 or visit www.heartofthevalleychamber.com. These monthly meetings are sponsored by AT&T.

Legislative Dialogue Breakfast

February 18, 2013 8:00am

Radisson Paper Valley

Member Resource Council Meeting February 7, 2013 8:00am –9:00am Chamber Office

Leadership Roundtable Group Meeting

February 14, 2013 12 noon

Chamber Office

A.M. Connect Relationship Building

February 5, 2013 7:30am—9:00am Chamber office

Annual Awards Dinner February 20, 2013

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

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Www.WeMakeSoftwareWork.com

www.bouwerprinting.com


www.unisoncu.org


www.tricountyarena.com

Valentine’sDayAroundTown


Have a romantic dinner for two over-looking beautiful High Cliff Golf Course. Larry Trucco and his staff will be sure to have some gourmet specials on Valentine’s Day. www.highcliffrestaurant.com

Say Happy Valentine’s Day with a gift from your kitchen. You can get your heart cut-out cookies to bake and decorate at Baker’s Outlet. www.shopbakersoutlet.com

Don’t forget the roses. Visit one of our local florists for your sweetheart’s bouquet today!www.marshallflorist.net www.reynebeaufloral.com www.robinsonflorists.com

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificates make the perfect gift for everyone. From golf to flowers, cookies to candy, gift certificates can be redeemed at over 100 area business.

Give a gift from Salon Aura of a customized massage with warm stones for deep relaxation of the muscles, and the aromatic power of Aveda Pure Flower and Plant Essences. www.salonaura.com

Healthy and flavorful don’t always go hand in hand. At Cold Stone however, they do. From Sinless Sans Fat™ non-fat, no sugar added ice cream, to frozen yogurt and sorbets chock full of healthy mix-ins, including real fruits and crunchy nuts, Cold Stone Creamery offers a variety of healthy indulgences for you and your sweetheart. www.coldstonecreamery.com

Looking for an iPad for someone special. Stop by Verizon in Appleton for a great selection of Smartphones, Tablets, and accessories. www.verizonwireless.com

Sweet Indulgence. Mouth-watering fudge made from scratch in Simon's kitchen using only the finest ingredients including Wisconsin dairy butter. Simply irresistible!www.simoncheese.com

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Initial Impressions has a large selection of unique gift items for home and family. It is the place to find the perfect gift for any occasion including Valentine’s Day. www.initial-impressions.com


Want your business featured here? Email [email protected]

Remember even your smallest sweetheart on Valentine’s Day with a balloon bouquet from King’s Variety. They have the largest balloon selection in the valley. www.kingsvarietystore.com

Don’t feel like baking your own cookies? You can buy your cookies baked and decorated at Hilltop Bakery. For over 80 years they have proudly served the Fox River Valley. www.hilltopbakers.com

May be unconventional but a new front load washer would make a great Valentine's Day gift for Mom. Check out a wide range of new appliances at Premier Appliance. www.premierapplianceinc.com

Remember your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day with diamonds from Richard’s. Diamonds are a girls best friend!! Richard's offers a wide selection of jewelry, loose stones, engagement and wedding rings, and watches. Richard’s Diamonds, 124 W Wisconsin Ave, Kaukauna, WI 54130. (920) 766-1012

Do you have plans to cook your sweetheart a fabulous meal. Begin by stopping at Cedar Creek Meats for your USDA choice rib-eye, porterhouse, T-bone or tenderloin steaks. www.cedarcreekmarketplace.com

IsWorthRepeatingSusan Hennes, Branch Manager for Citizens Bank in Kaukauna has received the company’s prestigious “Business Banking Certificate.” The certificate, which takes up to a year to earn, requires successful completion of a series of educational classes combined with hands on training while working with business owners. Merchants’ Choice Card Service LLC hired Mike Schmidt as a representative in the Oshkosh and Fond du Lac areas. Schmidt has nearly 20 years of banking experience. The UW-Fox Valley in Menasha hired Megan Mudge as events coordinator for its Communication Arts Center. Mudge previously served as a cruise director for the Carnival Cruise Lines, as well as an assistant director of the youth staff for Royal Caribbean. Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin in Menasha hired Kristy Schafer as a talent development specialist and Jaclyn Banda as a financial wellness coach. Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, is pleased to announce the promotion of Abby Liebergen. Abby, a member of the Retail Services team, has been promoted to Senior Accountant. She has been with the firm since 2008 and specializes in tax preparation and planning. Cellcom has launched an application to track Wisconsin high school sports’ teams. The Varsity by Cellcom app allows users to track their favorite varsity teams and get scores, statistics, schedules, standings, roster information and news. High school sports that can currently be followed with the app are baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, track, volleyball and softball. The Varsity by Cellcom app is available

for free for Cellcom customers from the Google Play store. Visit www.cellcom.com for additional availability. This year Best Friends of Neenah-Menasha is celebrating forty years of helping children and families in our community. In 1973, the organization was founded by a group of women who truly understood the meaning of mentoring. They believed that friendship was one of life’s most precious gifts…an experience each of us needed as much as food and drink. Today, they feel the same way. Their programs may be expanding and names are ever changing, but their mission remains constant. Helping young people thrive through the power of mentoring friendships and supportive family networks. Network Health named Penny Ransom as chief administrative office. Ransom joined Network Health two years ago as vice president of marketing. TIDI Products, a manufacturer of single-use infection prevention products for medical and dental markets, named Brian Wilt vice president of innovation and product development and William Sever vice president and general manager of the medical alternate site and business units. Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin announced these new hires and promotions: Jessica Fleck, leader of the prosperity center; Kristi Clover, pro-gram coordinator at Almost Home; Shannon Glasgow, production and sales floor leader for Outlet Store in Apple-ton; Nicole Ihlenfeldt, operations sup-port assistant for Goodwill’s Shiner Center; Yer Lor, area team leader for the programs and new goods team at the Menasha Goodwill.

Kelly Cherne has joined Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah as a physi-cians assistant specializing in gastroen-terology. Badger Sports Park recently installed a new “Mission Impossible” laser maze that offers angular laser beams shooting through a 12 x 12 room. See lazer maze video at www.badgersportspark.com The Main Event Steakhouse recently changed ownership. The new owner Matt Fronsee has worked at the Main Event since he was 15, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up. “Bargains by the pound” is how people will shop in the new Outlet Store that Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (NCW) is opening in Apple-ton. The new Outlet Store is located within Goodwill’s Shiner Center at 1341 W. Spencer St. Its regular hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Satur-day, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Schenck has acquired a majority of the practice of Bonfield & Company S.C., a long-standing Milwaukee based CPA firm. Steve O’Brien, a former Bonfield partner, will be working with Schenck personnel to serve clients from Schenck’s Milwaukee office located at 11414 W. Park Place. Mike Whittle, the other former Bonfield partner, will con-tinue to serve a small group of select clients independently. Any change or update within your busi-ness such as a promotion, new addition, award won, etc. can be included in this section. News must be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following month’s publication. Send to [email protected].


GOODNEWS


www.capitalcu.com

www.ostpt.com

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Member

Heart Beat | February, 2013 Our next spotlight can be about your business. Call 920-766-1616 if interested.

Spotlight

Orthopedic & Spine Therapy Orthopedic & Spine Therapy (OST) was established 22 years ago with the company mission “We will be partners with you to enhance our patient’s quality of life.” The founder of OST, Steve Barnett, PT, had a vision for physical therapy healthcare that included extensively training physical therapists in the practice of manual physical therapy, educating patients, and giving those patients empowerment over their own health. Back then, he answered his own phone, did all the cleaning, and filed all the insurance claims in addition to treating patients. Steve established the company’s foundations with personalized one-on-one care in a private setting, treating the whole body and not just the symptoms, and compassionate care. The OST family promotes by the OST Purpose, “To touch people’s lives in a positive way.” OST treats all musculo-skeletal injuries, meaning aches and pains from the head-to-toe. Through the exten-sive training and continuing education that each therapist attends on an annual basis, many tools in our treat-ment toolbox are available to the therapists to help the patients alleviate their pains. Such treatment tech-niques include myofascial release, mobilization, exercise prescription, and dry needling to name a few.


While most of the patients that are seen at the OST clinics are referred by doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and dentists, many patients come without a referral. Insurance companies recognize that OST physical therapists are experts in evaluating and treating musculo-skeletal pain, and therefore allow direct access (patients coming to physical therapists without a referral from a medical practitioner). And at OST we accept all insurance types.

OST’s first office was located in Green Bay and they now have 80 employees in 15 different clinics which include Kaukauna, Appleton, and Menasha in the Fox Valley and Green Bay, Shawano, Clintonville, New London, Waupaca, Oshkosh, Brillion, Lakewood, Ladysmith, Poplar, Iron River, and Ashland. “It is always in our mind to open another clinic if we feel a community will benefit from our services.” Four divisions were born from the philosophy of being leaders with the approach to patient care: Swing Solutions, Massage Therapy, Women’s Health, and WorkPlace Solutions. Call 920-257-2000 or visit www.ostpt.com to find your tailored physical therapy solution. Steve participates in the Tough Mudder and other various 5K, 10K & ½ marathons and is an active in the Boy Scouts. Steve and his wife Diane have raised two grown children in Appleton.

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Mark Abel Owner Abel Insurance and Associates www.abelins.com Year established - 1967

Give us a brief description/history of your business…. A: We are a locally owned and family operated Independent Property Casualty Insurance Agency. Q: How did you get started in your field? A: Our father began in insurance back in 1967. I found what he did and how he helped people in their time of need to be very rewarding and joined him in 1980. Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? A: I would have to say it was my father and his positive attitude and great work ethic. Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? A: It’s the people and the fact that we have a number of small communities that really work together as one to create a great place to live and work. Q: What do you hope to accomplish during your term with the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce? A: I would really like for us as a team to find/create another great benefit that not only benefits our members but creates a cash flow that helps support the chamber for the future. Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had. A: No comment!

Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? A: Spend time at our 40 acre ranch in NW Wisconsin relaxing, kayaking the river, ATV/snowmobiling adventures and cross country skiing. Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? A: I don’t watch many but if I had to pick one I would say it’s Dark Night for its action and over all quality of produc-

tion. Q: Is your desk messy or organized? A: It is organized to me! I know where it is—but it is common to have a num-ber of files on it and being worked on. Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? A: Is there another team? Q: Where was your best vacation and why? A: Jamaica! We frequent Negril and the 7 mile walkable beach for its pristine sand/water and the Jamaican relaxed hospitality. Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list?

A: To see our two beautiful daughters successful and hap-py; to see more of this beautiful world; a western states snowmobiling excursion.

Heart Beat | February, 2013

Meet The Board

Abel Insurance & Associates, Ltd. is a locally owned Independent Insurance

Agency representing many outstanding insurance

companies. They have been serving the Fox Valley and

surrounding areas (Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, Wrightstown, Appleton,

Sherwood, Neenah, Menasha, and Combined Locks.) since

1967. The key to their success is the personal commitment given to

each customer.


Mike Waters Fox Cities Market Executive, Senior Vice President Nicolet Bank www.nicoletbank.com Year Established - 2000

Give us a brief description/history of your business…. Nicolet National Bank is a community bank founded by Bob Atwell and Mike Daniels in 2000 in Green Bay. After significant initial growth in and around Green Bay, the bank continued to expand adding locations in Menomonee, Marinette, and Crivitz. In 2007 the bank added a location in Appleton and expanded in 2011 to the most recent location on Kensington Drive. Q: How did you get started in your field? A: I was an intern at Associated Bank my final year of College. I really enjoyed getting to know the business people in the community and playing a part in the economic development of the community.

Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? A: Miles Strasser was a high school English teacher and also my track and football coach. He instilled in me the importance of hard work and self-belief. Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? A: People in our area have a genuine sense of ‘community’ and truly place value in relationships.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish during your term with the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce? A: I hope to help the Chamber develop their strategic and plan and execute the next step.

Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had? A: I worked at Hardees in high school and we actually had some fun but cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the parking lot, and working the fry vats were aspects that were not

particularly enjoyable.

Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? A: Work out, golf, travel, water sports, watch movies, play poker, go to concerts. Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? A: The Godfather. It has all of the ele-ments and covers all of the emotions a great film should. The acting is incredible and the film is a great story of relation-ships, family and power. The Shawshank Redemption, Rounders and Saving Private Ryan are also favorites. Q: Is your desk messy or organized?

A: Fairly organized most of the time. I always know where things are at least. Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? A: Packers for sure! Q: Where was your best vacation and why? A: Manhattan Beach, CA. It was the first vacation with my wife and we spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach and eating at some great restaurants in LA. Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list? A: Vacation in Europe; Complete a Tough Mudder; Compete in a World Series of Poker event.

In November of 2012 Nicolet Bank made an offer to purchase Mid Wisconsin Bank which was accepted. When the transaction closes in April of 2013 Nicolet

Bank will have a total of 22 locations throughout Northeast and central Wisconsin and have

an asset base of $1.1 Billion Though we continue to grow ‘the customer’ remains the focus of all we do and we continue to

believe in the importance of real conversations and real community banking.

16 Heart Beat | February, 2013

6WeirdHabits

We call people weird because they do things differently than we would. Seth Godin wears those brightly colored but mismatched socks. Steve Jobs’ work uniform was a black turtleneck and jeans. Look around and you can see the obvious differences in a lot of successful people. What most business owners don’t see when they look at successful people are the habits they’ve developed. Leonard DaVinci slept two hours at a time in four-hour intervals. Charles Dickens would only write and sleep facing north. Some of their weirdness was superstition, but a lot of it wasn’t. Here are six weird habits of successful people. 1. They think backward. Successful people start at the finish. Most of us have been taught to take one step, then the next, and the next until we arrive at our destination or goal. But successful people, like rocket scientists, actually clearly define the outcome they want first, and then reverse engineer the steps they need to take to get there. 2. They like to repeat them-selves, a lot. They repeat themselves a lot. If you’re pre-vinyl and never heard a broken record, think “repeat” or “loop.” Successful people don’t stop when they have a success. When they succeed, they try to figure out ways to repeat that success. 3. They cut corners. Once successful people figure out how to repeat success, then they figure out how to get the same result faster, easier and cheaper. There’s a fine line between cutting corners and cutting quality, though. Make sure you recognize the difference. 4. They are quitters. You know the saying “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Not so much. In fact, that’s wrong. Winners quit a lot. They have a keen eye for what is not working and not supporting the finish line (check rule one again for that). Once they identify the thing sucking energy, money and resources from their business, they cut it out fast.

5. They say “no” way more than they say “yes.” You’d think the best way to success is to get involved with a lot of great opportunities. You’d think wrong. Successful people know the greatest opportunity is the one that is selected, catered to and protected from other great opportunities. They constantly say “no” to anything and everything that is not in support of the one great opportunity they’re focused on. If your goal is to grow giant pumpkins, growing giant melons as well will distract you. 6. They don’t look the part. I learned a great lesson playing Texas Hold ‘Em. The person with the weak hand acts the strongest (hoping others will fold so he gets the money). The person with the strongest hand acts the weakest (hoping others stay in the game and keep filling

up the pot so he gets the money). This is true in life too. That flashy, “look at me” guy is inevitably the one struggling. Successful people don’t look for others’ approval for their success and therefore don’t need to show it off. I’m not saying successful people are meek. I’m just saying they have inner confidence and rarely feel a need to show off the glitz and dazzle. Learning to look at what people

do more than what they say they’re doing is the best way I know of to spot the true habits of successful people. If they’re telling you that you have to work 100 hours a week, but they’re going home at 6 p.m. every night and taking weekends off, chances are they know something you don’t. Figure it out and start building your own list of habits. Those successful habits will ultimately become the system that makes you famous. Mike Michalowicz is the co-founder of Provendus Group, a business growth consulting group that helps companies whose growth has plateaued to grow again (and fast). Michalowicz is the author of The Pumpkin Plan and the business cult classic, The Toilet Paper En-trepreneur.

OfSuccessfulPeople


www.McCartyLaw.com

ManufacturersTaxCreditBeginsFirstYear

Wisconsin manufacturers will be able to claim a new tax credit this year that will help offset their state tax liability. The manufacturers tax credit was adopted as part of Governor Walker’s 2011-13 budget and provides a 1.875% credit based on production activity income derived from manufacturing or agricultural property in Wisconsin. C corporations and pass-through entities like S corpo-rations and LLCs are eligible to claim the credit. Unused credits may be carried forward up to 15 years. To claim the credit, you should begin speaking with your accountant to maintain appropriate records on direct and indirect costs as well as determining the factor for what multi-state companies can claim. The credit is scheduled to increase in each of the next three years until reaching 7.5% in 2016. Related Material: Wisconsin Department of Revenue Fact Sheet

Tammy Schultz Virtualtech Website Design and Promotion, Inc. www.virtualtech.com Since 1997, Virtualtech has been designing and marketing websites. Over the years they have added email marketing, SEO, and social media marketing to their menu of services. Their customer service and fair prices make Virtualtech a great choice for small and medium size businesses looking to promote their products and services online.

“The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce is the only local chamber we belong to. Why? Because they treat their members equally - whether you are a business of one or 5,000, each member receives the same opportunities and exposure. The chamber office staff has always been helpful and answered my questions quickly. They have also helped to promote my business through word of mouth and in offering affordable marketing opportunities to chamber members. If your budget only allows you to join one chamber, The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce is your BEST choice. “

WhatourMembersAreSaying

20 Heart Beat | February, 2013

Focus on Energy

Call today to schedule

your FREE assessm

ent


Social media seems easy especially because the barrier to entry is low. You can be up and running on any social media platform in minutes, and usually for free. In reality, social media is hard for exactly the same reason. When the barrier to entry is low, the barrier to attention is high. The fundamental path to succeeding with social media is to consistently contribute meaningfully—engaging with you should make the lives of those engaging more meaningful. The bonus would be to achieve this without adding costs to the others. As you think through your social media strategy, here are seven unwritten rules of social media. 1. Connection does not imply permission Many social networks make it easy for you to connect with anyone. You can follow someone on Twitter, Quora or Google Plus without needing their permission to do that. A small percentage of them might follow you back. If they do, you have a two-way connection. Don’t confuse the two-way connection as permission to interrupt them. You need to build a relationship and there is no shortcut for that. 2. Access does not imply entitlement When you connect with some-one on a social network and start engaging with them, you have access. Don’t assume that they owe you something because you are now engaging them on social media. 3. Activity is not productivity The barrier to create content on a social network is virtually non-existent. This means that you can write whatever you want irrespective of whether it makes sense or not. You can get extremely busy with social media— trying to post anything and everything. In your enthusiasm to share, you might drop the quality of what you share and that’s when the problem starts—people will silently start to ignore you. (To read more, please see 9 ways people respond to your content online.) 4. More is not better When what you write about is a hit for some reason, you tend to end up doing more of it on social media forgetting that everything has a lifecycle of its own. What’s hot today

may not stay hot tomorrow and what’s hot tomorrow may not stay hot. So trying to do more of what works does not guarantee success—you need to adapt all the time. 5. Reciprocation is optional Don’t do anything with an expectation that someone will reciprocate back. Equal actions don’t create equal impact on social media. Say you have 1,000 followers and you share something from another person who has 10,000 followers. Expecting him to share something from you would mean you are expecting someone to give back ten times of what you gave them. 6. Amplification without accomplishment is futile Social media is a great amplifier. But fundamentals of mathematics are always at play. You can multiply zero with anything and the result will still be zero. You need

relevant accomplishments as the foundation and social media can help amplify them. Sans accom-plishments, it’s hard to amplify. Unless your business is to make money with social media, you have to get out of social media and spend time on building some meaningful accomplishments. Once you have them, you can use those to extend your influence using social media. 7. Engagement without enrich-ment is not effective You are only as rich as the en-richment you bring to the world

around you. When you enrich someone, you make their life more meaningful—at home or at work or in both places. Social media provides an excellent opportunity enrich peo-ple’s lives. Engagement for the sake of engagement can only make you get tired. Engage with an intention to enrich and you will not only win with social media but also makes this world a better place. Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley. He also creates and sells limited-edition prints at Sparktastic. You can follow him on Twitter at @rajsetty.

7UnwrittenRules

OfSocialMedia

Welcome New Members


Clee's, located at 662A Schelfhout Lane in Kimberly, is your one stop gift shop in the Heart of the Val-ley! They sell unique and affordable gifts for all occa-sions - birthday, weddings, hostess, kids, etc. Clee’s features several local (and not so local) artists who sell their items on consignment at the store. New mer-chandise arrives weekly and we always have chocolate chip cookies on hand. Stop by and find that special gift you are looking for...and a gift for yourself! Stop in and see Anne and Peggy today or visit www.facebook.com/cleesgifts.

To contact them, visit www.cahl-wi.org or call (920) 462-4188.

Milbach Construction Services, Co. has provided planning, design and construction services to the Heart of the Valley since 1997. Milbach’s experienced management and field staff together with local architects, engineers and trade contractors have developed strong relationships that assist our clients in developing their project thru vision, technology and innovation. Our commitment to environmental friendly building practices, quality work and safety speaks volumes. Specializing in Energy Efficient building concepts we serve the residential, commercial, institutional and agricultural markets with new construction and renovation. We are excited to be located in a city focused on economic development and growth. Please visit us at our new corporate office at 2651 Northridge Dr. Kaukauna, WI. www.milbachconstruction.com

Community Action For Healthy Living, Inc. was formed in 2000 as a tobacco free coalition in the counties of Calumet and Outagamie to address tobacco control issues. They were successful in bringing about a 100% smoke-free Appleton, and pushed for a statewide policy to eliminate secondhand smoke in all public spaces. In addition to Tobacco Control, this coalition also works on prevention issues including underage drinking, substance abuse, and prescription drug abuse. They are a Non-Profit, 501c3 agency, with a Board of Directors; the staff currently includes an Executive Director; four Health Educators (one of them working specifically with youth); a Special Projects Coordinator; and several college student interns. The coalition covers a five county area in North East Wisconsin. They are currently funded through federal and state grants. The office was recently relocated to the Nicolet School Building in Kaukauna. They work very closely with schools, businesses, and government.


A national survey* of 2,000 adults reveals that being active in a local chamber of commerce is an effective business strategy because two-thirds of consumers believe that such companies use good business practices, are reputable, care about their customers, and are involved in the community. If a company shows that it is highly involved in its local chamber (e.g., is a chamber board member), consumers are 10% more likely to think that its products stack up better against its competition. Major Impact on Small Businesses Small businesses represent the largest segment of most local chamber membership rolls, and the study indicates that chamber membership has consistent and powerful benefits for small business members. If respondents know that a small business is a member of its local chamber, the business enjoys: • a 49% increase in its consumer favorability rating • a 73% increase in consumer awareness a 68% increase in its local reputation • an 80% increase in the likelihood that consumers will patronize the business in the future Restaurant Franchises When consumers know that a national restaurant franchise is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are: • 68% more likely to eat at the franchise in the next few months • 15% more likely to report knowing a lot about the franchise • 58% more likely to eat at the franchise more often • 37% more likely to think favorably of the franchise. Among consumers who do not eat at the franchise so often, those who are aware that the franchise is a member of the chamber are 33% more likely to hold favorable opinions of the franchise. Among consumers who hold less favorable opinions of the restaurant franchise, those who are aware that the franchise is a member of the chamber are 65% more likely to eat there in the coming months.

Insurance Companies When consumers know that an insurance company is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are: • 29% more likely to report knowing a lot about the company • 36% more likely to think favorably of the company • 36% more likely to consider buying insurance from it. Among consumers who hold less favorable opinions of the insurance company, those who are aware that the company

is a member of the chamber are 25% more likely to consider purchasing insurance from it. Among those who have not considered purchasing insurance there in the past, chamber membership increases that likelihood by 37%. Automobile Manufacturers When consumers know that an auto manufacturer is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are: • 21% more likely to have a favorable opinion of that company • 31% more likely to consider purchasing their next car from that company Among those who have ever consid-ered buying a car from a particular auto manufacturer, chamber membership leads to a 44% increase in consumers’ likelihood of purchasing a car there in the future. Chamber Membership Builds Your Reputation Businesses that are members of a local chamber of commerce are automatical-ly considered by consumers to be trustworthy, customer-oriented and involved in their communities. That’s a valuable brand image to have in your community, and it’s yours for the asking. The Chamber logo is available

for use on your website and Facebook page. Just ask for it. * The study was conducted by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based strategic consulting firm. It was commis-sioned by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), in cooperation with the Western Association of Chamber Executives. The study was sponsored by Insperity, a Houston-based company that provides human resources and other business services to more than 100,000 businesses nationwide.

EffectiveBusinessStrategyChamberMembershipis

SaveMoneySupportaWisconsinBusiness


Every business values their Chamber membership in a different way. Some have joined the Chamber for the networking opportunities and others for the Advocacy we do for a healthy business climate. Some members join for discounted health insurance and some just want to be able to accept Chamber Gift Certificates. One of the benefits we offered our members is the ability to purchase discount office supplies, a major expense to many small-business owners. The Chamber’s partnership with Office Supplies 2U, a proud Wisconsin owned company, demonstrates the efforts of the Chamber to stimulate the economy and meet local business needs. Office Supplies 2U is dedicated to work with our members to provide customized solutions that meet their needs from everyday office essentials to furniture and office machines. Streamline your ordering with free next day delivery regardless of the size of your order. When your business participates, you will enjoy significant savings on your office supplies and business products like office supplies, office furniture, facility and maintenance supplies, business machines, and break room supplies. The Chamber of Commerce will benefit from your purchases by receiving a percentage of the purchase price

which offers us the opportunity to enhance member services through the additional funding this program will provide. Our local economy benefits because you purchased what you need from a Wisconsin business. The partnership will provide Members with access to greater value in their office products purchases, regardless of the size of their businesses. The fair,

competitive pricing Office Supplies 2U offers added value for Chamber Members at a time when the bottom-line really counts. Chamber members who currently have an account with Office Sup-plies 2U need do nothing but

continue to order as you do now. You will automatically benefit from the program. However, if you are not an existing Office Supplies 2U customer, we encourage you to call the local Account Executive, Mark Sanders at 920-738-7500 to help you set up an online account to start saving today. It is user friendly and we constantly hear our customers say how much they appreciate using it. Purchases can be made online, by phone, fax or you can give Mark a call. All purchases will be credited to the Chamber Program once your account is open. Office Supplies 2U will help you to increase your bottom line with the best value on items you use every day.

www.kellerbuilds.com

www.stellarworkshops.com


101 E. W

isconsin

Aven

ue | K

auk

aun

a, WI 54130 | 920.766.1616

ww

w.h

eartofthevalleych

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orkhealth.com

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HeartBeat February 2013

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