Valparaiso Notecards and Postcards exclusively at Valpo Chamber!

Recently, my friend Susie told me that one of her friends was moving from Valpo and she wanted to get her a going away gift and asked me if I had any gift ideas. I told her I knew the perfect gift – Valparaiso Note cards offered exclusively by the Valpo Chamber. These note cards are sold as a set of six cards each with a lovely – and different – photo of Valparaiso on the front. The inside of the note card is blank to allow for the recipient to add whatever greeting they’d like. In addition, the set of cards come packaged in a beautiful blue ribbon making it perfect to give as-is. Susie took advantage of my idea and was so happy with the gift cards she bought for her friend, that she bought a set for herself!

These note cards are perfect as thank you cards, invitations, professional notes, personal stationary, and hostess gifts. And thinking way ahead, they even make a perfect stocking stuffer! An additional benefit to purchasing these note cards (with envelopes) is they are very reasonably priced – a set of six for only $7.00! The note cards can also be sold separately.

In addition to note cards, the Valpo Chamber is also now selling postcards. Choose from one of the six available postcards, each featuring the same photo displayed on the note cards. The back includes information about the photo and a space for the recipient’s address. Postcards are $1.00 each.

If you would like to purchase either the note cards, postcards, or both, please contact the Valpo Chamber office at 219-462-1105 or e-mail us at info@valparaisochamber.org.

Julie Gaskell
Vice President, Operations
gaskell@valparaisochamber.org

Promote Your Business to the Community!

Try these easy, quick, and fun ways to get your business more business!

EASY - Has your business taken advantage of the free brochure rack in the Valpo Chamber lobby? Our high-traffic lobby has an area for your marketing information to be displayed - and it is for Chamber members only!

Do you have news you want to share? Send in your information for our monthly “Members in Motion” e-Blast (1,300 recipients) or to our quarterly “Around Town” feature in Valparaiso Magazine (17,000 readers) Submit your business articles in paragraph form - i.e. awards, new additions to staff or promotions of title, change of business location, events - that are 130 words or less. Articles are subject to approval and may be edited. Due to space constraints, articles will be accepted on a first-come/first-serve basis.

QUICK - Want to network with other businesses affiliated with the Valpo Chamber? Promotional items representing your business may be placed in the new member tote bags. These tote bags are distributed at the New Member Welcome – about 100 each year. You never know what connections could be made!

FUN - As a chamber member you have the opportunity to host a Business After Hours at your place of business and showcase your services to all the members of the Valpo Chamber! Is your business new to the greater Valparaiso area? Why not schedule a ribbon cutting to introduce your business to the community!

For more information on any of these ways to gain exposure for your business, contact the Valpo Chamber at (219) 462-1105 today!

Susan Antoszewski

Marketing & Communications Specialist

santoszewski@valparaisochamber.org

Get the most out of your membership!

New members often have the same question. “If I were to devote my resources to one event during the year, which one would you suggest?”

Mike and Rob Moreth, Simko Signs

I always encourage every member to be involved in as many events and programs as possible, but if I had to choose the most important of the year, it would be Chamber Network Night. Many members view this event as the Valpo Chamber’s premiere event.

On the fourth Thursday of October of each year, over 1000 business professionals invade the Porter County Expo Center for the largest business-to-business networking events in Northwest Indiana. Over 170 booths showcase some of the best businesses in the region with their new products, services or just a healthy reminder that they are ready to do business with you.

Unique to many of the other business expos in the region is the fact that we market this event as business-to-business networking. We don’t restrict the attendance to only business professionals, but we don’t advertise to the general public either. This event is to help you build relationships with other businesses in the area and grow through those relationships.
Please consider reserving your booth for Chamber Network Night this year on Thursday, October 27. Every year the booth space sells out and there is a waiting list. Booth prices vary, so make sure you check out the reservation form on our website and call me if you have any questions.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE ONLINE!

Chamber Network Night
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Porter County Expo Center
215 E Division Rd
Valparaiso, IN 46383

Must be 21 to attend.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Booth-to-Booth Networking
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Doors Open
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Special Business After Hours featuring 12 restaurants from Porter County

Kurt Gillins
Programs Director
kgillins@valparaisochamber.org

Continuing the Education of Employees

This month I had the great fortune of attending my third year at the Institute for Organization Management. This program is held across the country at various sites throughout the year and is hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I am thrilled each year to be able to participate in this class where I can learn the “ins and outs” of organizations like chambers and associations and I can bring back to Valparaiso some best practices and trends from around the country.

The Valpo Chamber has a long-standing tradition of continuing the education of its employees and I would encourage you to look into opportunities for you and your employees to continue down the road of education.

As I am sure you have heard already, the Valpo Chamber is hosting the Disney Institute on Tuesday, August 16. What you may not have heard is that if you are in a profession where you need to obtain continuing education credits, this event may get you closer to your quota. Disney Institute will give you the necessary paperwork to file with your organization for credit once you have received authorization from your association or professional group and completed the course.

As of today there are less than 30 spaces remaining for this event. That may sound like a lot of space, but just last week we had a company call with 26 reservations. That is a company that sees the value in continuing the education of their employees, as well as the value in this wonderful Disney Institute event.

If you are interested in attending Disney Institute or sending your employees, give me a call at the Chamber and we can get the registration completed. Don’t delay!

Kurt Gillins
Programs Director
kgillins@valparaisochamber.org

Valpo Chamber Gift Certificates! Great Gift! Great Marketing Tool!

If you’ve ever been the recipient of a Valpo Chamber Gift Certificate, you already know what a great gift it is. You have a choice of over 100 different venues where to spend it! I don’t know about you but I love to spend “gift” money. Cash disappears on incidentals, but you HAVE to spend the gift certificate before it expires.

I have redeemed my chamber gift certificates to eat out, get my nails done, or simply buy groceries. I have given them as gifts to co-workers, the mailman, or as a birthday gift. I have even donated them to non-profits to use as a silent auction item or inside a gift basket door prize. Everyone loves to receive a gift certificate because it gives the recipient a choice of where to spend, and there are SO many choices.

In 2010, the Valpo Chamber sold approximately $98,000 worth of gift certificates. ANYONE can purchase, so we see businesses buying large quantities to give to employees at holiday time, AND we see folks stopping in to buy one or two … for coaches, schoolteachers, real estate closings, and “thank you for dog sitting” gifts! The marketability is diverse and vast. The number of certificates sold in 2010 was over 5000, in varying increments. Certificates are sold at ANY denomination the buyer stipulates.

So, we know chamber gift certificates have value for the recipient. But, what about the value to our member participants?

The 100+ vendors currently participating on this program pay ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the marketing effect of this program. Every certificate sold includes an alphabetical list of vendors, plus the list is included on our website. Our annual directory defines vendors by including a shopping cart icon next to their name. Moreover, the chamber markets the certificates in email blasts and newspaper advertising, particularly at holiday time. The chamber does its best to bring exposure to all those vendors participating on the program.

Then, if a certificate IS redeemed at the vendor’s business, they simply retain the document, return it to the chamber office, and receive a 95% reimbursement check from the chamber. The top vendor on the program in 2010 received enough reimbursements back from the chamber that their annual membership could have been paid eight times over! The next “top five” vendors where certificates were redeemed include a grocery store, restaurant, automotive shop, butcher, and fueling center. Those five businesses were reimbursed $22,540 collectively…which, again, more than paid for their individual investments with the chamber.

Bottom line. Valpo Chamber Gift Certificates are the perfect gift, AND the perfect opportunity to promote your business to other businesses and to the community at large.

Want to view a complete list of current vendors? Learn more about becoming a vendor? Or, purchase a chamber gift certificate? Click here.

Danielle Oeding
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
oeding@valparaisochamber.org

We've got your number... or do we?

In a few weeks, the Valpo Chamber will start its member verification process to assist us in providing accurate information about your business to your potential customers. The information you provide is also reproduced in our membership directories, on mailing labels, and on our website, http://www.valparaisochamber.org/.

  

The person you’ve designated to be key contact person for your business will receive the verification form in the mail. We hope you will take a few minutes to review the information we have on file, make any necessary corrections and/or additions and return it.

Below are some specifics to assist you in the verification process:  

• Member Information: Primary contact person, phone number, mailing address, including suffixes like Co., Inc., LLC, PC, etc.  
• Preferred communication: email or mail.  
• Representatives: Additional employees/business representatives you would like to receive Chamber information.  
• Business Category: Each Chamber member receives one category at no cost. Additional categories may be purchased and appear in the Chamber directories and on the Chamber web site. 
• Business Description: Help us provide information about your business to potential customers, 40 words max.  

Once the necessary changes have been made on the verification form, please sign, date and return to the Chamber office via fax, mail or email. If you have any questions about the verification process, contact the Chamber at (219) 462-1105.

Wishing you continued business success!

Susan Antoszewski
Marketing & Communications Specialist
santoszewski@valparaisochamber.org 

 

New strategic objectives to carry Chamber to next level

Every successful business has a strategic set of goals that it hopes to achieve which in turn will help that business to be productive and survive in the market place. Recently, Microsoft made one such strategic move by acquiring Skype to further its competitive advantage in its industry.

The Valpo Chamber is no different in that it has a set of strategic objectives and goals to improve its member services. Four years ago, the Valpo Chamber adopted two important strategic objectives to help build a stronger organization.

The first objective was to undertake a major renovation of the second level in the Chamber building creating a first-rate conference facility for use by the Chamber as well as its members. The second objective included upgrading the Chamber web site, www.valparaisochamber.org, to better serve the members, provide a communication tool, to have a dynamic presence on the internet. Both objectives were accomplished.

In May, the Valpo Chamber Executive Committee hammered out a new set of strategic objectives that has since been approved by the Board of Directors. When accomplished, over the next several years, these strategic objectives will make the Valpo Chamber a stronger and more dynamic membership-based business organization.

Valpo Chamber Strategic Objectives:

1. Improve communication by surveying the membership to find out what our members feel is important.
2. Engage the Valparaiso City Council on Chamber programs and initiatives.
3. Advocate priority in spending proceeds of $185 million resulting from the sale of Porter Hospital.
4. Inform the membership of the importance of Porter County Regional Airport and its impact on industrial expansion and job growth.
5. Expand advocacy on state legislative issues impacting Valparaiso businesses.
6. Increase dialogue with federal elected officials for business, city, and regional projects.
7. Use 100-year Chamber Anniversary, in 2012, to build new resources and membership numbers.
8. Engage Valparaiso School system on capital expenditures for needs of K-12 schools. 

Some of these strategic objectives will take more than one year to accomplish. To accomplish these goals, the Chamber will continue to utilize its committed Board of Directors, knowledgeable and professional staff, and dedicated, active members.

Rex G. Richards
President

rrichards@valparaisochamber.org