The Chamber Vista

Volume 2012, Issue 8

The Chamber Vista A monthly publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber August 2012

Volume 2012, Issue #8

“We Mean Business”

Have you signed up for the Home & Business Expo yet?

More than half of the

available booth spaces

have already been sold

for this premier event,

which is ahead of our

usual schedule, so we

encourage our mem-

bers to register as soon

as possible to avoid

disappointment.

Now in its 16th year, the

Expo is attracting a lot of

attention since we decided

to move to a new location.

The Mall at Sierra Vista

will be our host this year

and we believe this high

traffic site will help boost

attendance numbers and

exposure for the vendors.

The Chamber is also ex-

cited to announce a new

addition to this event – a

food and wine tasting sec-

tion called Forks & Corks.

You can read more about

this below.

So why participate?

We can’t think of a better

way to reach thousands of

potential customers in just

seven hours.

In today’s tough econ-

omy, promoting your

business is extremely

important and choosing

where to spend your

precious marketing dol-

lars can be a hard deci-

sion to make.

For less than $28 an

hour (if you purchase

one 8 x 5 space), you get

the opportunity to not only

promote your products

and services, but talk face

to face with both existing

and prospective clients.

This price also includes,

for the first time, pipe and

draping which

See EXPO, Page 6

An Update From

Executive

Director Amanda

Baillie

2

Women in

Business

Conference

2

Member Spotlight

on Cherry Creek

Radio

3

Arizona Town

Hall

3

Calendar of

Events

4

Events at a

Glance

5

Website

Improvements

Increase Member

Exposure

6

Member Page 7

Board of

Directors/

Chamber Staff

8

For the first time in its his-tory, the Home & Business

Expo will feature local food

and wine tastings.

Forks & Corks will be a

separate event in a 3,700 sq.

ft. empty store space at the

Mall at Sierra Vista, running

from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The Chamber is inviting its

member restaurants to par-ticipant in this exciting new

addition to the show, which

we anticipate will bring in extra traffic to the Expo also,

and will feature wines sup-

plied by Sonoita Winery.

Space is limited to just 10 food providers, who

will offer the public a

small taste of what can

be found on their menus.

Those restaurants taking

part will not only gain

valuable exposure for their business, they will

also earn revenue through

the ticket sales for this event.

Forks & Corks and its par-

ticipants will receive public-

ity through the Sierra Vista Herald advertising, as well

as other marketing tools util-

ized by the Chamber, includ-

ing its increasingly popular

website.

There are just a handful of

spaces left, so call the Chamber today at 458-6940

to find out how your

restaurant can participate.

Forks & Corks

One of the articles in this

month’s newsletter explains

how members can take advan-

tage of free benefits relating

to our website.

Please take a couple of min-

utes to review this informa-

tion and find out how you can

increase exposure to your

business.

Since the start of the year we

have been tracking the num-

ber of visitors to our website.

The reports we receive not

only tell us what pages people

visited, and for how long, but

what part of the country, or

even the world, they were in

when they jumped on to the

site.

The statistics tell us that there are

many people interested in learn-

ing more about our community,

as well as the businesses we have

here.

We receive calls virtually on a

daily basis from people who are

thinking about relocating to Si-

erra Vista. They want to know

about the weather, about em-

ployment opportunities, educa-

tion, healthcare and housing, to

name just a few.

Chambers of Commerce are usu-

ally the first place people think

of when they are considering a

move, as they know we will pro-

vide reliable and knowledgeable

information.

Surveys have also shown that

consumers are more likely to think

favorably of a business if they are

a member of their local Chamber,

which is why we have our member

search directory on our home page.

If you have not visited our website

recently, then we invite you take a

look. You may be surprised at the

wealth of information you will

find.

Thanks to our talented Communi-

cations Director David Elkins, our

website is regularly updated, is

relevant and interactive.

There is always room for improve-

ment, however, so please give us

your feedback if you think there is

something new we can add. Our

website is

www.sierravistachamber.org

Chamber Update by Executive Director Amanda Baillie

“We receive calls

virtually on a daily

basis from people

who are thinking

about relocating…

employment

opportunities,

education, healthcare

and housing, to name

just a few”

The Chamber Vista

Please join the Cochise College Small Busi-

ness Development Center, the Sierra Vista

Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra

Vista Herald for our annual Women in

Business Conference!

This will be a FREE event and the topic this

year will be "Business Planning". It will take place on Saturday, 8/25/12, from

8:30am-3:00pm on the Sierra Vista campus

of Cochise College. The day will start out

with presenters going over each section of a

business plan and what it should contain.

We will then break for lunch (not provided,

however the cafeteria will be open) and then

come back for a fashion show. We will

finish the day with a panel discussion with

successful women from our area.

Here is a tentative agenda for the day:

8:30am-11:30am: The Business Plan. Li-

brary Commons. Each presenter will dis-

cuss a key element of the business plan.

This quick review will cover valuable infor-mation whether you are creating your plan

for a new business or reviewing your plan

for an existing business. Speakers will be:

1. Table of Contents: Mark Schmitt,

Director, Cochise College Small Business

Development Center

2. Executive Summary: Cecilia Rivas

Schurmann, International Trade Specialist,

Cochise College Small Business Develop-

ment Center

3. Business Description & Vision:

Eric Witt, Financial Advisor and Portfolio

Manager, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

4. Definition of the Market: Marga-

rita Fate, Faculty member, Cochise College

5. Description for Products & Ser-

vices: Mark Schmitt

6. Organization & Management:

Robert Mucci, Business Analyst, Cochise

College Small Business Development Cen-

ter

7. Marketing & Sales Strategy: Becky Bjork, Advertising Director, Sierra Vista

Herald

8. Financial Management: Kathleen

Wise, Assistant Vice President and Rela-

tionship Manager, National Bank of Ari-

zona

9. Appendices: Mark Schmitt

10. Self Care & Time Management:

Dr. Dorothy Guy Bonvillain and Dr. Maria

Church, Owners of LBL Consultants

11:30am-1:30pm: Vendor Exhibits, Lunch

& Networking. Community Room, Student

Union Building. This is your opportunity to

network with other women in business and

view the vendor exhibits. This part of the

event will be anchored by Dillards' pop-up store exhibit and sales area. The cafeteria

will offer a variety of lunch items for pur-

chase.

1:30pm-2:00pm: Fashion Show. Library

Commons. Presented by Dillard's.

2:00pm-3:00pm: Panel of Successful

Women. Library Commons. A moderated

panel of area women business owners and

managers will give their insight on topics

submitted in advance by attendees. The

panel will include: Amanda Baillie- Execu-

tive Director- Sierra Vista Area Chamber of

Commerce, Joanna Johnson-Store Manager-

Dillard's, Elsie MacMillan-Owner-Sierra

Toyota, and Kathleen Bullock– Above

Board

If you have any questions, concerns or

would like to register over the phone,

please contact Rachel Norton at 520-515-

5478 or [email protected]

Women in Business


Member Spotlight on Cherry Creek Radio : by Executive Director Amanda Baillie

For more than half a century Cherry

Creek Radio and its predecessors have

been filling the airwaves of Cochise

County, keeping its residents well in-

formed and entertained.

It was in 1958 that

KHFH (Historic Fort

Huachuca) began

broadcasting KTAN-

AM to the local popu-

lation from a small

building on Busby

Drive in Sierra Vista.

Fifty four years later and three stations,

including the original KTAN-AM,

transmit from that same location.

“One end of the building was actually

built as a bomb shelter so that we

could continue broadcasting in the

event of a bomb blast,” explains Gen-

eral Manager Randy Sueskind.

Today, Cherry Creek Radio, which

took over the running of the station in

2004, employees 10 people, including

the on air personalities, production

staff, and admin and sales personnel.

According to Randy, who took on his

present role one year ago, Cherry

Creek radio provides two services

through its three stations, KTAN-AM

(news talk), KWCD (country music)

and KZMK (popular music).

“We offer the business community the

ability to get their message in front of

the public and to help them grow.

We’re proving a return on investment,”

said Randy. “For the community, we

are an information source. We were

the go to place during the Monument

Fire last year.”

The station also prides itself on its in-

volvement with the community, which

includes the Bisbee Blues Festival,

Back to School Fair, Sierra Vista Fire

Fighters’ Toy Drive, the Veterans’ Pa-

rade and the Chamber’s Holiday Pa-

rade and Home & Business Expo, to

name a few.

As a long time Chamber Ambassador –

he was the 2011 Ambassador of the

Year – and a current

board member,

Randy is a strong

supporter of this or-

ganization and its

efforts.

“Cherry Creek radio

is a business to business organization

and the Chamber is a very valuable

tool, not only to help the business com-

munity, but to get the message out,” he

said.

For further information about Cherry

Creek Radio and its advertising oppor-

tunities, call 458-4313.

Would you like your business to be

featured in the Member Spotlight? Join

us at our next Business at Twilight for

your chance to win this free benefit

Schedule of Upcoming Community Outreach Programs

How can we:

• strengthen our communi-

ties?

• improve civic education?

• increase voter engagement?

• improve the way we discuss

difficult topics?

engage our youth?

Learn how the participants of the 100th

Arizona Town Hall on Civic Engage-

ment answered these questions by at-tending one of the outreach programs

scheduled in Southern Arizona.

You will also receive helpful resources

on the topic, and have an opportunity to share your ideas. Visit our website for

more information www.aztownhall.org

Sierra Vista

Thursday, August 16, 2012

7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

901 N. Columbo Ave

Cochise College’s Student Union

Building

Community Room

Cost: $15 for breakfast

PRESENTERS:

Amanda Baillie, Executive Director,

Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce

Judy Gignac, Independent consult-

ant; Chair, University Medical Cen-

ter Board; Fmr. President of Arizona Board of Regents; Fmr. Chair, Arizona

Town Hall

Tara Jackson, President, Arizona Town

Hall

Patrick McWhortor, President and

CEO, Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits

Carol Sanger, Southeast Region Direc-

tor, Arizona Community Foundation

Bob Strain, Fmr. Mayor of Sierra Vista;

Colonel (Ret.), USAF

The Chamber Vista

Schedule of Events

7 August - Legislative Affairs Committee

Meeting, 8 am - 9 am, Sierra Vista Chamber

9 August - Buffalo Wild Wings’ Business at

Twilight, 5 pm - 7 pm, 205 S. Hwy 92

16 August - Arizona Town Hall, 7:30 - 9:00

a.m., 901 N. Columbo, Cochise College,

Student Union Building, Community Room

17 August - Deadline to Submit Applica-

tions for Leadership Sierra Vista, Sierra

Vista Chamber

17 August - Habitat for Humanity Restore

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, 11:30 am, 205

S. Hwy 92

24 August - Chamber101, 11:30 am 1 pm,

Sierra Vista Chamber

25 August - Women in Business, 8:30 am -

3 pm, Cochise College

27 August - Flyers are due for September’s

Vista.

31 August - Last Day to Register for the

Home & Business Expo

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

LAC

8 9

BAT

10 11

12 13 14 15

Exec. Club

Dinner

16

ATH

17 Deadline

for Leadership

/RC

18

19 20 21

22 23 24

Chamber101

25

WIB

26 27

Flyer

28 29 30 31

Last Day to

Register

August 2012

Business at Twilight

Hosted by:

Buffalo Wild Wings

August 9th

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

205 S. Hwy 92

Come out for great networking opportunities, prizes,

50/50 raffles, $.49 wings, and $3 Budweiser.

Leadership Sierra Vista

“Shaping the Sierra Vista Area

One Leader at a Time”

LAST DAY TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS IS

AUGUST 17th.

The Leadership Program is limited to 20 participants and

anyone can apply. The Leadership Program benefits the in-

dividual participant, their employer and the community as a

whole.

Contact us at 520-458-6940 for more information


Did you know that you can place your

business card size ad in the Vista for

only $50 per issue or your logo

for $25!!!

Sign up for 12 issues and save

$100 on a business card ad and $50 on a

logo placement.

Events at A Glance

For upcoming events please visit us at www.sierravistachamber.org/events

Clockwise from Top Left: Ambassadors enjoy-

ing lunch at Landmark Café during their monthly

meeting. Rachel Gray speaking to the Legislative

Affairs Committee. Kira, from Mountain Vista

Apartments, and John entertaining everyone at

the Mountain Vista Apartments Business at Twi-

light. Business at Twilight attendees cheering for

raffle winners. Fred Stickler speaking to the

Legislative Affairs Committee. City Council

Forum at Buena High School. The Community

interacting with Political Candidates at the

Candidate Meet & Greet E.F. Edwards Financial,

Office Smart, and Above Board

The Chamber Vista

Following the re-launch of our web-site late last year, the Chamber has

been tracking the number of visi-

tors to gain a more accurate picture

regarding the kind of information people are looking for about our

community and its businesses.

Since January, we have received

more than 44,000 page views, with the most popular areas being our

home and member search pages.

The current totals have surpassed

our previously expected numbers.

Our visitors include transferring

military personnel, relocating

families, vacationers and our local

community.

We are cognizant that people are more

likely to conduct business with Cham-

ber members and we have made a con-scious effort to promote our members

to the thousands of people visiting our

website.

We have done this by placing new members, member events, hot deals (a

free coupon and specials section avail-

able to members only), and member banner advertisements on our home

page, where visitors can also search a

directory of all Chamber members.

We are encouraging our members to fully take advantage of three free areas

to help increase their business pres-

ence. These include their Chamber

web page, the events page and hot

deals.

With your annual membership you are

given a webpage that is a part of the

Chamber’s website. This gives you the opportunity to promote your business

through a site that search engines view

as a reliable source for information

You can view this webpage as your own personal billboard where you can

edit your business information, add

pictures and video, along with using keywords that increase your chances of

being found by potential customers.

This page can also be used to link to your main website and social media

pages.

Members can also use our events page

to broadcast and market their special events. Whether it is a grand opening

or a holiday sale, members have the ability to utilize this system to promote

their event.

Another free benefit is the hot

deals section of our website. Prior to revamping our website, this sec-

tion was hard to find and had few

visitors.

However, after the revitalization of our website this area is one the

easiest to find and one of the most

traveled to sections.

Members are able to place a vari-ety of printable coupons on this

section that are available to anyone

who visits the site. Links to the hot deals sections will begin showing up

on all of our major publications. All

you have to do is follow the directions

in the members hot deal page to create

your coupon.

Pairing all three of these free member

benefits together will give your busi-

ness added exposure on our growing website and ensures that on our top

viewed pages your business is repre-

sented.

To take advantage of these benefits just give us a call and we will give you

your login information. If you need

assistance with any of these benefits

call David or John at 520-458-6940.

Website Improvements Increase Member Exposure by Communications Director David Elkins

Expo from pg. 1

we have added to give the Expo a more professional and cohesive appearance. It will also give vendors the ability to

hang banners and other items within their booth space and

create an eye catching display.

The Expo is a member only benefit that also gains your organization valuable exposure in the run up to the event

via the ongoing advertising in the Sierra Herald, so the ear-

lier you sign up the more publicity you receive.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to grow your busi-

ness. Register online today at www.sierravistachamber.org

The Home and Business Expo will take place on Saturday,

September 8, at the Mall at Sierra Vista between 10:00 a.m.

– 5:00 p.m.

Booths are available on a first come, first served basis.

A special thank you to our sponsors:

Diamond Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Sierra

Vista Herald, Cherry Creek Radio and Cox.

Silver Southwest Gas and Rosemont Copper Company

Bronze Clark Information Systems, Grasshopper Landscaping

& Maintenance, KKYZ Radio and

Mr Fix It of Sierra Vista


Thank You to These Members for Renewing Their Commitment to The Business Community:

A Special Welcome to Our New Members! 1-2-3 Credit Card Processing - (800) 668-

1293

ACN Independent Business Owner-

Melissa Spica - (520) 235-0460

American Family Insurance - Carey Mor-

ris - (520) 459-9981

AZ New Beginnings, LLC - 520-678-1938

Daniels Jeweler - (520) 459-3436

Desert Vista Orthodontics - (520) 732-

8631

Dusk till Dawn - (520) 456-9806

Ernie's Auto Service - (520) 459-3091

Lucky Dog Grooming - (520) 458-1814

Mountain View Koi Fish & Nursery,

L.L.C./DBA Pioneer Firewood - 520-378-

3710

Mr. Shed Inc. - (520) 255-0901

Phil McNulty Wealth Management, LP -

(520) 732-0941

Sicilian Pizza and Subs - (563) 299-0721

Sierra Housing Resource Partner - (520)

458-1666

Trail Boss Outfitters, Guns, & Gear -

(520) 515-0048

Accent Care

American Southwest

Credit Union

Arizona Water Company

Banner Printing Center

Better Business Bureau of

Southern Arizona

Beverage Warehouse

Big Nose Kate’s Saloon

Coca-Cola Refreshments

USA, Inc.

Cox Communications

Curves of Sierra vista

Desert Star Waste Solu-

tions

Discount Tire

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Farmers Insurance –

Ginny Francis

Garcia Development, LLC

General Dynamics Infor-

mation Technology

Liberty Tax Service

Longhorn Restaurant

Monty’s Motors, Inc.

Overland Financial

Pueblo del Sol Water

Company

Save Our Stairs, Inc.

Sierra Cycles

Sierra Vista Public

Schools

Southwest Association of

Buffalo Soldiers, Inc.

Southwest Coins, LLC

The Place at Savanna

Springs

University Physicians

Healthcare Group

Valero Corner Store #1670

Executive Club Members

A+ Texture

American Family Insurance

American Systems

Arizona Water Company

Best Buy

BrightStar

CACI, Inc.

Campstone Transfer, Inc.

Castle & Cooke Arizona, Inc.

Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC

CGI

Cherry Creek Radio

City of Sierra Vista

Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc.

Cox Communications

Data Systems & Technology, Inc.

Dental Village

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot

Farmers Insurance - Ginny Francis

Garden Terrace Assisted Living Home

General Dynamics Information

Technology

Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra Vista,

Inc.

Huachuca Mountain Insurance Agency

KKYZ Radio

Landmark Café

Lawley Automotive Center

Lawley’s Team Ford

Life Care Center

Long Realty Co.

Longhorn Restaurant

Mall at Sierra Vista

ManTech Telecommunications & Info

Systems

Mr. Fix It of Sierra Vista, LLC

National Bank of Arizona

Netmedix IT Solutions

New Frontier Animal Medical Center

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Patio Pools & Spas

Pioneer Title Agency

Pueblo del Sol Country Club

Restless Wings Photography

Rosemont Copper Company

Salient Federal Solutions

Sentrillion

Sierra Vista Ace Hardware

Sierra Vista Herald Bisbee Daily Review

Sierra Vista Regional Health Center

Southeastern Arizona Contractors

Association

Southern Arizona Media Productions

Southwest Gas Corporation

Southwestern Eye Center

Stachel & Associates, P.C.

STG Inc.

Stilwell’s Learning Center, LLC

Suburban Extended Stay Hotels

Sulpher Springs Valley Electric Coop.

Sun Canyon Inn

The Boeing Company

TMS - Ty Media Services

TownePlace Suites by Marriott

University of Phoenix -Sierra Vista

Campus

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wayland Baptist University

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Windemere Hotel & Conference Center

21 E. Wilcox Dr.

Sierra Vista, AZ. 85635

The Chamber Vista is a publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber 21 E. Wilcox Drive, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 (520) 458-6940, Fax: (520) 452-0878

www.sierravistachamber.org Mission Statement The Sierra Vista Area Chamber promotes business and provides leadership for the improvement of the community. 2012-13 Board of Directors Executive Officers Chairwoman - Dee Dee Hoeft, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Past Chairman - Frank Gonzalez, Lawley Automotive Chair Elect - Jean Giuffrida, Long Realty Treasurer - Michael Benson, TDY Housing Secretary - Rick Shelley - Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra Vista Board Members Elsie MacMillan - Sierra Toyota Ken Cecil - Mall at Sierra Vista Phil Vega - Sierra Vista Herald / Bisbee Daily Review Randy Sueskind– Cherry Creek Radio Pamela Anderson - Landmark Café Jack Blair - Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Anita Farrow - National Bank of Arizona Joe Stroud - Edwards Financial, Inc. Nancy Nash - Stuff ‘N Baskets Nathan Williams - Nathan Williams, Law Office

Sierra Vista Area Chamber PRESORTED

STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

HEREFORD, AZ

PERMIT NO. 29

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Chamber Staff Executive Director - Amanda Baillie, [email protected] Membership & Marketing Director- John Hargraves III, [email protected] Communications Director - David Elkins, [email protected] Office Manager - Toni Rogers, [email protected] Events Coordinator - Diane Erwin, [email protected]

http://www.sierravistachamber.org

The Chamber Vista

Documents

Transcript of The Chamber Vista