FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD...

Call To Action

Congratulations to the team at the Chamber for organizing a terrific Community Awards Dinner on Thursday, March 9th. Over 300 people attended to celebrate the BEST in our community in the areas of business, education, government, and community spirit. The crowning moment was the recognition of Terry and Deborah Tomlinson as Co-Citizens of the Year.

There was a call to action during the event. The challenge to the audience was to identify a need in our community and DO something about it. Many in the audience are already involved in a variety of ways. However, I know many people, businesses, even organizations themselves, which have capacity for more. Are you interested in helping? If so, here is your call to action.

1) Consider joining the Chamber if you are not a member already.

2) Ask businesses that have left the Chamber to consider rejoining.

The “numbers” people reading this column will appreciate these next points. A study by The Schapiro Group conducted in 2007 and a follow up study in 2012 provide measurable evidence in favor of joining your local Chamber of Commerce. The data below comes direct from The Schapiro Group.

When consumers know that a business is a member of the local chamber, there is now a 49% increase in favorability toward that business (up from 44% in the 2007 study).
When consumers perceive that a business is a chamber member, there is a 73% increase in consumer awareness and a 68% increase in local reputation (51% and 57% respectively in 2007).
Consumers are 80% more likely to patronize a business in the future that they believe is a member of the local chamber of commerce (63% in 2007).

Not bad results for a core membership investment of $275! For more benefits, check out the Chamber website under the “Join” section.

On to point 2. If you are a Chamber member, please reach out to organizations that used to be members. Ask them to share their reasons for leaving with me or another member of the Chamber Board of Directors. Encourage them to help us understand why they left. I dare you to make my email inbox full! Please let me know if there a specific business or person that you would like me to call out to. Sometimes the reasons for leaving are obvious. Other times, the reasons will be more subtle. Most importantly, share with them the excitement you feel as a current Chamber member and ask them to rejoin.

Upcoming Event - The Business For Breakfast event will be held at JT’s Restaurant on March 23rd, beginning at 7:30am. Business for Breakfast events feature local guest speakers discussing various topics of interest for the business community.  This event also features networking, breakfast and door prizes. Because of JT’s generous support, this event is free and open to the public!

Russ Hickey is the Chairman of the Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce for 2017. He is also a Customer Service Manager at Infinisource in Coldwater. Russ and his wife, Tasha Hickey, operate Phil’s Driving School, LLC (517.278.8888 – www.philsdrivingschool.net), a long time chamber member that provides driver education to teens and adults in a variety of Michigan locations.


FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD... Call To Action Congratulations to the team at the Chamber for organizing a terrific Community Awards Dinner on Thursday, March 9th. Over 300 people attended to celebrate the BEST in our community in the areas of business, education, government, and community spirit. The crowning moment was the recognition of Terry and Deborah Tomlinson as Co-Citizens of the Year. There was a call to action during the event. The challenge to the audience was to identify a need in our community and DO something about it. Many in the audience are already involved in a variety of ways. However, I know many people, businesses, even organizations themselves, which have capacity for more. Are you interested in helping? If so, here is your call to action. 1) Consider joining the Chamber if you are not a member already. 2) Ask businesses that have left the Chamber to consider rejoining. The “numbers” people reading this column will appreciate these next points. A study by The Schapiro Group conducted in 2007 and a follow up study in 2012 provide measurable evidence in favor of joining your local Chamber of Commerce. The data below comes direct from The Schapiro Group. When consumers know that a business is a member of the local chamber, there is now a 49% increase in favorability toward that business (up from 44% in the 2007 study). When consumers perceive that a business is a chamber member, there is a 73% increase in consumer awareness and a 68% increase in local reputation (51% and 57% respectively in 2007). Consumers are 80% more likely to patronize a business in the future that they believe is a member of the local chamber of commerce (63% in 2007). Not bad results for a core membership investment of $275! For more benefits, check out the Chamber website under the “Join” section. On to point 2. If you are a Chamber member, please reach out to organizations that used to be members. Ask them to share their reasons for leaving with me or another member of the Chamber Board of Directors. Encourage them to help us understand why they left. I dare you to make my email inbox full! Please let me know if there a specific business or person that you would like me to call out to. Sometimes the reasons for leaving are obvious. Other times, the reasons will be more subtle. Most importantly, share with them the excitement you feel as a current Chamber member and ask them to rejoin. Upcoming Event - The Business For Breakfast event will be held at JT’s Restaurant on March 23rd, beginning at 7:30am. Business for Breakfast events feature local guest speakers discussing various topics of interest for the business community.  This event also features networking, breakfast and door prizes. Because of JT’s generous support, this event is free and open to the public! Russ Hickey is the Chairman of the Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce for 2017. He is also a Customer Service Manager at Infinisource in Coldwater. Russ and his wife, Tasha Hickey, operate Phil’s Driving School, LLC (517.278.8888 – www.philsdrivingschool.net), a long time chamber member that provides driver education to teens and adults in a variety of Michigan locations.
Chamber E-News - 03.17.2017