WEEKLY NEWS - NOVEMBER 2016
November 22, 2016   


UPCOMING EVENTS

Be a mentor today!
There is an amazing opportunity for our members to mentor future business owners.  Parkland Village School Micro Village Citizenship Ceremony is on Thursday at 9 AM;
RSVP to Leslie today!   If you are unavailable to attend the ceremony, this is still a great opportunity to inspire our youth and support some of the great businesses and services in this Micro Society.  Be a mentor today...the ROI on giving back is truly the most valuable .  Email Lesley to be involved!
 


Nov 24  
  4:30pm Doors
  6:00pm Interview
Join us for our monthly business mixer and informal chat on the last Thursday of the month.  

We are thrilled to announce our guest, Peter Matheos, who you'll all remember from Peter's Pizza!  He will be interviewed in a very casual & conversational format by our sponsor Dean Chapman of Frontline Financial.

Nov 25  -27

A FUNdraiser for the WestView Health Centre and community wellness programs!

Heritage Pavilion 
5100 - 41 Ave.
Stony Plain

General Admission
  • Adults $5
  • Children $3
  • 3 and under FREE

E-MARKETING MINUTE
Have you updated your online Chamber PROFILE?

DON'T FORGET, Your Chamber Membership Includes Searchable Visibility Through Our Online Business Directory.

Thousands of people visit the Spruce Grove Chamber website's Online Business Directory each month looking to support local business. As a member, you have a listing in this online directory.

Make sure your information is complete, accurate and searchable - a very high number of listings require updates. To drive consumers to your listing, or directly to your website, complete your online information by logging in here, or to quickly check how you look to potential clients, search your business right here.

Take a few minutes to update your information (including social media you're using) and take advantage of the listing potential! If you'd like to see your listing display additional information, please contact Dianne to upgrade to an enhanced version.

 GET NOTICED. SAVE MONEY.

Nov 29 th, 2016
 Venue TBA
8:30 am - 11:30 am
Continental Breakfast (Coffee and muffins)

Workshop Description
The 10 biggest HR mistakes all growing companies make (and how to fix them).
 
Your company is growing, ... is your Human Resources (HR) program? In this half-day workshop you'll learn how a custom HR program can help you grow and sustain your business, and prevent many of the day to day hassles of managing people.

Learn Strategies, Tips, and Tricks:
  • Recruitment & Retention
  • Health & Safety 
  • Learning & Development 
  • Performance Management 
  • Employee Transition
... and much more!   

Sara Tharakan is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), speaker, executive coach, and certified master trainer. She pulls from over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector, and excels at helping organizations achieve results by getting the most out of their human capital. Each engagement is fully customized to match the goals and objectives of the organization.
The  Spruce Grove & District Chamber of Commerce
  supports our local Kinettes Christmas Hamper Program.
Let us know what your business and employees are doing to support the efforts of filling the 900 hampers needed this year, and enter to win free banner advertising from December 15th until January 30th. To increase your recognition, we will also include an advertorial in our newsletter and social media recognition showcasing your commitment to our community. 

Value of the draw- $200. Value to our community - Priceless
To have a collection bin placed in your workplace,  or for more inquiries, please contact Carolyn  
For More information on Kinnette's Christmas Hamper Program:
First Data Merchant Processing Services
Chamber merchants can enjoy discount rates of 1.49 % on Visa, 1.49% on Mastercard and only $0.05 for Interact Debit. To learn more about this program
NEWS WE ARE FOLLOWING   Oct 28, 2016 by Kyle B. Murray
How small retailers can succeed in today's competitive market
Independent retailers have an opportunity to succeed, but the path to success is not what it used to be

When I ask retail CEOs what differentiates their stores from the competition, they inevitably talk about customer service and the in-store experience. Yet, when I speak to consumers about their shopping experiences, I commonly hear about disinterested employees, out-of-stock products, awkward return processes, restocking fees, messy shelves and a general struggle to find the products that they want.

Clearly, there is a gap between what retailers would like to offer to every customer every day and what they are actually able to provide. That is probably not surprising. If you are Walmart or Starbucks or Zara, you have tens of thousands of employees working in thousands of stores, serving millions of customers, all around the world. Canadian retail giants from Loblaws to Indigo Books to Canadian Tire face a similar problem of scale and scope. The advantage of being big can easily become a liability. Ensuring that every employee in each of those stores is passionate about customer service and the products they sell may be an impossible task. At the same time, corporate giants are under constant pressure to grow their revenue and increase their profitability, which is not always consistent with a good customer experience.

As a result, small independent retailers have a tremendous opportunity to succeed.... read more
Social Media for Business: 2016 Marketer's Guide
   January 29, 2016,   By Brittney Helmrich, Business News Daily Staff Writer 











Social media networks are fantastic resources for businesses of all sizes looking to promote their brands online. The platforms themselves are free to use, and they also have paid advertising options specifically for brands that want to reach even more new audiences. But just because your business should be on social media, that doesn't mean your business should be on every network. It's important that you choose and nurture the social platforms that work best for your business so that you don't spread yourself too thin.

If you want to create a successful social strategy, you need to familiarize yourself with how each network runs, the kinds of audiences you can reach and how your business can best use each platform. We profiled the top social media platforms so you can learn more about them and market your business better.

Facebook

Facebook is the biggest social network on the Web, both in terms of name recognition and the total number of users....read more


A FUNdraiser for the WestView Health Centre
 and community wellness programs! 


  • Free Live Entertainment
  • Kids' Zone
  • Heritage General Store
  • Breakfast with Santa
  • Crystal Ball Dinner
  • Live Auction
  • Silent Auction
  • Raffles
  • Family Dance
Remarks on the AGM - Tuesday, November 15, 2016


Brian Hembling
Rik Kaminsky

Keith Robin
Dianne Pilla
The Spruce Grove & District Chamber of Commerce hosted their Chair's Reception and Annual General Meeting on Tuesday November 15th to review our year in 2016 and to elect our board of directors for 2017.

Rosetta Taylor, Chamber of Commerce Chair remarked, 'We have been active and vocal on the issues that our members have identified as critical to the continued stability and growth of their industry. We have had excellent participation by all members of our board and there is a very good work ethic cooperation and a willingness to express opinions as to our ongoing activities and future directions.

One of the major highlights of the Chamber's year was the creation of our first Municipal Affairs Committee which followed up on the recommendations from the prior year's Governance Committee. The chamber embraces the respectful relationship we have with elected officials in the city and will continue to work cooperatively with the municipalities to ensure we strive to continue to be the best place to do business.

Additional highlights noted included the 2016 Business Awards, the very high energy and well attended Life & Leisure Family Expo, over 100 new members and a highly successful Taste of Spruce Grove, in addition to several policy successes.

CEO Brenda Johnson remarked on the chambers support of a number of events, because they are an activity in which many businesses participate and engage in. Events also generate the non-dues revenue that keeps the membership dues reasonable and allows the chamber behind the scenes to do the immense work on the policies that are formulated to create a successful and sustainable business community. The Chamber has an active policy portfolio and consistently working on each item, with many successes.'

The Chamber of Commercial Annual Report can be viewed at Spruce Grove Chamber.com/Annual Report 2016

Chambers of Commerce, Business Associations,
 and Economic Development Groups

Hello Chamber member,

We want your input. Spruce Grove & District Chamber of Commerce is conducting a survey to gauge the outlook of Spruce Grove area businesses. We'd like to get your thoughts on your company's outlook and your view of our region and Alberta as a place to start and grow a business.  

To thank you for your time, the survey gives you the option to receive a  pre-release of the overall results prior to the official release.

This survey is being conducted in cooperation with the Baker Strategy Group, a consulting firm focused on supporting business startup and growth. If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact me or reach out directly to David Baker.

Sincerely,

Brenda Johnson
President & CEO
Spruce Grove & District Chamber of Commerce
780-962-2561
David Baker
Baker Strategy Group
o: 734-786-3342
c: 734-355-8232
Last chance to benefit from an Enhanced
 listing in your Community Directory.
null

As the face of our Community Directory is changing from print to online, it has never been more important than now to support and advertise with your Chamber.  At the same price as advertising in our directory alone, you will be listed in an *enhanced (see below) format on our website, in our community app which lists businesses, hot deals, local events, and local job postings. 

SUPPORT YOUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE  & don't miss your chance to promote your business as we connect your label with customers through our Directory, our Website and our Community App! *Through your enhanced  business directory listing, you receive :

*  1600 Character Web Description
*  200 Character Search Results Summary
*  100 Character Hours of Operation
*  200 Character Driving Directions
*  5 Additional Bulleted Description
*  20 Keywords
*  Search Results Icon
*  Logo on Member Page
*  Photo Gallery
*  You Tube Video Uploads
*  Map  

Prices start at just $415 but hurry; deadline is Nov 30, 2016! 


Have you Considered Where Your Marketing Dollars will be Spent
this Upcoming Year?
How to Boost Your Small Business Through a Sponsorship
Sponsorship marketing is one of the easiest, most affordable ways for a small business to gain a lot of exposure.
By Drew Hendricks Contributor, Inc.com

Supporting a good cause not only provides businesses with convenient advertising, it also creates positive publicity that encourages potential customers to choose your business over not-so-generous competitors.

The coolest part is that you don't need a big budget to make a big sponsorship splash. Whether you have thousands of dollars to give, or just your time, sponsorship marketing can boost your small business...

Sponsorships are Good Marketing Investments
....Your competitors' products and/or services may be just as great as yours, but if your business shows an ethical commitment to the community as a whole, you can bet potential customers will take that into consideration. Whether or not customers consciously make purchasing decisions based on ethics, people generally gravitate towards companies that care... read more



Della Saunders,  Marketing Coordinator
Spr uce Grove Chamber of Commerce 
Hot Deals Job Postings Update your profile