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Chamber Connections

April 12, 2019

Operation Thank You

Thank YOU for Your Support!

The purpose of Operation Thank You was to personally celebrate our incredible network of member businesses. Our goal was to reach chamber members by going door-to-door and saying 'Thank You' for supporting local business.

"At first, the idea of physically going to each of our members to thank them for their membership was a bit daunting. I soon realized the Central Maryland Chamber is the sum of its parts. The astounding support from staff, the board and members has been humbling. I would personally like to thank and recognize Nikki Colea ( SERVPRO), Cassie Costin ( SECU), Melanie Graw ( Coldwell Banker), Helaine Guilliams ( M&T Bank), Matt Slovick ( AFLAC), Mary Bello ( Anne Arundel Health System), Kendra Eden ( Sweet Eden Bakeshop LLC), Pranav Pancholi ( The Bank of Glen Burnie), Alex McKeague and Matthew Daniels ( Sunrise Solutions, Inc.), Jeanne Rieken ( Severn Bank) for taking time out of their day(s) to visit other members for Operation Thank You. Collectively, we went to over 200 business members in three days. The members make our chamber the great organization that it is and I am honored to serve you."

Karen Russell

Director of Membership

[Bob's BMW Motorcycles]

[ Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. - Ellicott City ]

[Fidos for Freedom, Inc.]

[Grotto Pizza- Columbia]

[USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore]

[Fort Meade Public Affairs Office]

State Legislative Update

Sine Die

April 8th was Sine Die - the last day of the 2019 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The chamber worked hard on your behalf with several successes, such as the extension of several business tax credits that will help support members of the chamber.

However, after a strong effort by the business community and a veto by Governor Hogan, the $15/hr. minimum wage (HB166/SB280) passed. While this will have an impact on many of our members who opposed this issue, there were amendments that softened the impacts. The final bill will phase in the $15 minimum wage over a 6-year period at $0.75 per year for businesses with 15+ employees. Businesses with less than 15 employees will phase in the wage increase over a nearly 8-year period at $0.60 per year. In addition to amendments extending full implementation, other amendments restored nearly all the existing exemptions taken out by the original bill.

To see all the bills the CMC worked on and the final results please view the Legislative Tracker on the chamber's website.

A special thanks to our Legislative Committee and all the member businesses that helped guide the chamber during session!

Legislative Tracker

Member Spotlight

Fairway Independent Mortgage

We believe that it is our job is to play the role of an educator of the home buying process. We define success not only by providing financing to our clients on the biggest purchase of their lives but more importantly by ensuring that our clients are the most educated, positioned to be the most competitive and that they understand all their benefits. We are passionate about giving back to our military and our community and we use our experience in the mortgage business to do so. Our branch Manager is Military Certified and makes a donation to The American Warrior Initiative for every VA loan we close. We do mortgages, but that’s NOT who we are!

Contact Cassandra Compton, VP Business Development

240-786-2039 or cassandra@fairwaymc.com

Fairway Website

Member Testimonial

"We are rapidly growing in the Mid-Atlantic. As the 5 ^th largest retail lender in the country many haven’t heard of us in this market. We grow organically and humbly through networking and referrals. Our brand is important to us and we make every effort to be part of organizations and people who share our values. Meeting like-minded referral partners, clients and business owners is the main reason we joined the chamber. We appreciate all the relationships we are building."

Women Mean Business

Wednesday, April 24th | 11:30am | Linthicum

Have you ever wondered why some teams out perform others?

High functioning teams don't just happen by accident.

Join us for our Women Mean Business luncheon on April 24th at SECU University in Linthicum.

High functioning teams are comprised of highly functional individuals who are adept at communicating their messages effectively. Communication and team building skills are foundational in today's fast paced ever changing professional landscape. By attending this work shop participants will be exposed to how to create powerful messages that instantly capture the attention of their audience and the principles successful teams employ to address the common plagues that move successful teams towards dysfunction.

Lunch is included. Please register by April 22nd!

$20 Members | $25 Non-Members

Optimizing Employee Performance Workshop

May 15th | 7:30am | Towson

In this interactive free program, C-level executives will learn sophisticated positive coaching and communications styles to encourage optimum performance from employees, and how to handle performance evaluations and discipline (including termination) of employees when it is necessary to protect your company’s legal interests and to avoid potential costly employee claims.

Critical elements of the program will cover:

Caring enough to demand excellent results
Every crisis starts as a conflict
Understanding blame vs accountability
The theory of industrial discipline
Performance Evaluations from a legal perspective
What happens when coaching/discipline fails- the termination process

New and Relocated Business Breakfast

April 23rd | 8:00am | Slayton House

As part of the annual Business Appreciation Week Howard County, the Howard County Economic Development Authority is taking out some time to say thanks to some of Howard County’s newest businesses.

Registration remains limited to only business owners or executives of recently started or relocated businesses.

Federal Reserve Update on State Economy

Recent reports on the Maryland economy were somewhat downbeat. The unemployment rate was unchanged in February, but payroll employment declined slightly and housing market activity softened.

Read Full Report

Boost Business with Maryland Relay Partner

If your business regularly receives phone calls from the public, you could be missing the opportunity to connect with part of your community: Maryland Relay users.

Maryland Relay is the free public service that enables people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, or have difficulty speaking to place and receive telephone calls. Relay service is a great way for users to connect with local businesses, but employees will often hang up these calls, mistaking them for unsolicited sales calls.

Maryland Relay Partner is a free training program to teach your employees how to properly place and receive calls through Maryland Relay, allowing your business to connect with more customers by phone. Plus, Partners receive valuable marketing benefits to let the community know that they are Relay friendly.

MD Relay Website

Membership 101

Thursday, April 18th | 9:00AM - 10:00AM

Jump start your business by attending Membership 101! This free program introduces benefits of membership and gives you ideas that can help you grow your business.

Membership provides a strong network of business contacts throughout Central Maryland, career-enhancing professional training, new business referrals, networking opportunities, pro-business advocacy support and money saving discounts. Belonging to the Central Maryland Chamber can help you grow your business.

This meeting is FREE to current members that want a refresher and future members that want to better understand all of the chamber's resources