November 2011 Newsletter

It’s been several years since we experienced a fall like this one. Spectacular seems overdone at times, but are there any words for the days we’ve seen in the past several weeks? Seems like I’ve heard more folks than usual express how fortunate they are to live here. We are truly blessed. Now we need to put our energies into praying for snow.
Enjoy the great weather and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

John Engelbrecht
Executive Director
Salida Chamber

Here are a couple of items to consider.

Nominate Someone Special

It is time once again for Salida to honor those who make our town the place we want to live. Nominations are being accepted for the Salida Chamber of Commerce Community Awards. Each year, Salida celebrates the achievements of folks who have given of their time and talent for the betterment of our community.

Nominations will be accepted from anyone in the community. The deadline is the first week of November, so please get your nominations in as soon as possible. Ballots are available at the Chamber and can be printed from our web site at www.salidachamber.org. The Man and Woman of the Year, From the Heart, and The Cornerstone Award will be announced at the Chamber’s Community Awards Ceremony on January 14th, 2011 at the Salida SteamPlant. This year’s presentations will be held at the SteamPlant Theatre with a catered reception to follow. Food, drink and fellowship to honor the recipients, promises to create a special evening for all who attend. For further information or questions, please call 539-2068 or email john@salidachamber.org.

Chamber Seeks Directors

The Salida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is seeking nominations for Board members to be elected in December. The three year term will begin in January of 2012. Please give serious consideration to this great opportunity to serve your community. We are confident you would enjoy the experience and the Board would be strengthened by you involvement.

Please feel free to contact one of the committee members directly with specific questions concerning Board member duties. All applications for the Board positions must be submitted to the Chamber by November 10, 2011.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. We are excited to hear from you and hope you can become a part of our team. For complete details, please call one of our Board Nominating Committee members: Lisa Rankin 221-1493, Martha Dyer 221-2007 or Maureen Schultz 239-0868.

Word Play

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.
The batteries were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.
A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Acupuncture: a jab well done.

Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center Soaking Pools

Business After Hours

Business After Hours for November - Wednesday - 9th

Join us for BAH at Salida Community Center - 305 F St. Hosted by CenturyLink & Salida Community Center

Network, Socialize and have a bite to eat ~

5-7 pm., $7 food & drinks

Hope to see you there!

Salida Chamber Health Plan: Affordable coverage for local businesses

The Salida Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce an affordable health benefit option to its Chamber members and their employees whose businesses are located in Chaffee, Saguache or Fremont Counties.  Your Chamber membership is the key in providing your employees with access to affordable health care at a cost your employees and your business can afford.

Through collaboration with Colorado Choice Health Plans, a non-profit carrier, the Salida Chamber of Commerce brings you a product to meet your health care needs and provide local business owners and their employees’ access to choices in quality health coverage at an affordable price.  Clearly demonstrating the Chamber’s commitment to it’s members.

Salida Chamber Health Plan Highlights - Benefit features include:

• Exclusive rates with customized plan options
• 4 different plan designs to mix and match
• Separate dependent coverage option
• Different levels of deductibles available
• More lenient participation and contribution level requirements
• Access to a broad network of providers throughout Chaffee County and across the Front Range

Who Can Enroll In The Salida Chamber Health Plan

The Chamber Health Plan is available to Salida Chamber members that have a business located in Chaffee, Fremont or Saguache Counties.  Though geared to small businesses to offer solutions to the problem of escalating health care costs without having to sacrifice employee benefits, any size employer located in these counties that is a member of the Chamber can choose to enroll in the Chamber Health Plan.

How Do I Find Out More
To find out more about the Salida Chamber Health Plan, call us at the Chamber at 539-2068.

October Business of the Month - Beeyond the Hive

Beeyond the Hive was honored as September Business of the Month by vaqueros with Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce, who presented the award to the family-owned honey business Sept. 29.

Owner Jamie Johnston has maintained a retail location in Salida and membership with the chamber for three years while keeping 1,000 beehives throughout southern Colorado.

She said for much of the year she keeps 500 hives in Salida located next to mostly clover and alfalfa fields and another 500 in the Alamosa area.

During the California pollination season, which usually begins in January, Johnston said she transports the bees by flatbed truck to aid in pollinating commercial crops like almonds.

She generally brings the bees back to Colorado in May and said, “The bees love it in Salida with all of the pesticide free crops.”

Johnston’s family has a 103-year history of beekeeping started by her great-grandfather Walter Leckenby, a beekeeper from Fort Lupton who sold honey across the state.

Johnston and her sister, Jacy, started Beeyond The Hive in 2005 as a partner company with family-owned Johnston Honey Farms and The Colorado Honey Company.

The Salida retail location offers beauty supplies, wax products and gifts in addition to raw edible honey. Currently on U.S. 50 Johnston said she hopes to move to a downtown location in the near future.

“Four generations of honey experience makes the Johnston family good business people. A big heart makes them perfect for Salida.

“Beeing successful comes from hard work, dedication and giving back to the community. The Johnston family excels on all levels. Congratulations and please continue to make Salida the sweetest place to live,” Chamber Director John Engelbrecht said.

New Chamber Member - Chipita Counseling Services

Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce welcomed Chipita Counseling Services and the private practice of MaryAnn Longwell, LCSW, to its membership.

Therapy is centered on clients’ needs and goals and is strength-based, meaning the focus is on what is already working in each client’s life. Longwell works with adults, children, teens and families, and sessions can be in English or Spanish.

“I value diversity in all its forms, including ethnic, socio-economic, spiritual, gender and orientation,” Longwell said. “My office is located in La Placita de Salida Commercial Center, has ample parking and is handicap accessible”.

The address is 1548 G St., Suite 2A, near Simple Foods. There is a comfortable waiting room in the suite, lots of sunlight and plants, and a handicap accessible bathroom.

“It takes courage to address life issues and make changes in one’s life. You are not alone; you can improve your life,” Longwell said.

Longwell’s practice accepts a variety of insurance options, including Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, Coffinity, TriCare, Life Synch, United Behavioral, CHP+, Medicaid, Medicare and others.

Longwell defines herself as a person who senses the innate value, beauty and inner light of the individuals with whom she works:

“I work in collaboration with clients, defining goals and reaching new levels of growth. I use interventions such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in my practice. I also utilize the Meadows Developmental Model.

“My original career was in education, teaching science and Spanish. Mid-life, I realized the value of having a counselor, a person who could hold a space of positive unconditional regard and assist in personal growth and development.

“That is when I decided to become a psychotherapist. I graduated from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work in 2006 and became a licensed clinical social worker in 2008.

“I moved to the Salida area from Denver, where I was a bilingual child and family counselor at the Mental Health Center of Denver for three years.

“Once here, I started a private practice in December 2009. I am a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the EMDR International Association.”

Longwell can be contacted by phone at 329-4810, and her website is www.chipitacounselingservices.com

Welcoming Chipita Counseling Services to chamber membership are, from left front, Karin Naccarato, Dave Chelf, Mary Ann Longwell, Raedell Trueblood, Lisa Rankin, Donna Coupland. Back: Art Gentile, Ken Leisher, Charley Alexander, Walt Harder, Dave Potts and Sandy Rhoades.

Upper Arkansas Area Development Corporation

New Chamber Member - Medicare Consultants

Ward, Neuschaefer, Kautz and Hornback - Medicare Consultants, were recently welcomed to membership in Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce.

Dave Ward, Kate Neuschaefer, Alden Kautz and Michael Hornback are agents with innovative approaches to issues of health care, senior Medicare, retirement income and supplemental benefits.

They work with the newest products in Medicare supplements and prescription plans. They offer indexed life policies and annuities enabling someone to align their personal financial goals with retirement needs.

The firm offers supplemental benefits for small and medium-size companies. They provide expertise, consultations and ongoing care for their clients.

For information people may contact Dave Ward: dward@americanbrokeragecorp.com or call toll free (866) 453-6872 ext. 202 or cell phone (303) 807-1138

Kate Neuschaefer: kateneuschaefer@mac.com, (303) 810-8469 or toll free (855) 271-5533.

Alden Kautz: aldenk2@juno.com, (303) 972-2477 or toll free (855) 271-5533.
Michael Hornback: mahornback@medicarespecialist.net, (970) 468-7884 or toll free (855) 271-5533.

Leading Edge Entrepreneurs Course

Supporting Entrepreneurs in Growing Your Business!

Join us for the newest businesswomen’s marketing & networking group!

Monday, November 14th at Salida River Front Condos
Judy Shuford - Headwaters Real Estate Company & Maureen Schultz-The Gore Range Group Staying Positive in a Negative Economy
Salida River Front Condos: 536 E 1st Street Unit L

The Real Estate Marketing Pro’s Agenda:

6:00 Wine and light dinner
6:15 Introduce yourself and your business
6:30 Maureen and Judy – How We Stay Positive
as we Market in This Negative Economy
8:00 Adjourn

Don’t miss this fun evening of networking,
collaborating, healthy food and wine…

$10.00 PLEASE RSVP TO SANDY AT KVRH RADIO 221-1765 SO WE CAN PLAN A HEALTHY MENU. Need a scholarship to attend? Just ask Sandy.

December – no meeting during the holidays – there are plenty of other events and parties to participate in!

Watch for our exciting surprise in January! Getting Your Voice to your Future Customers

Pass this on to other entrepreneurs who are focused on growing their business!

CWI - Kitchen Showroom

Inner Wisdom Coaching

Middleton Photography - People, Places and Things.

TLC Pet Supplies & Services

TLC Pet Supplies & Services Is having a Thanksgiving special! On November 23rd, we are closing at noon to celebrate the holidays! From 7am-noon, 15% off all our supplies. Hurry in supplies is limited! Nov 24th we will be closed.

We now sell Bird, Ferret and Fish Supplies. If we don’t have it in stock for you, we can special order it just for you!
Please make an appointment for grooming, pet washes, pet sitting and doggie daycare.

Look who recently visited us! (Please enclose the picture) Guess what Chamber Member’s Dog this is. The correct guess will win a free pet wash. We will wash one pet of your choice. Please email us your guess at karen@tlcpetsupplyservices.com and add a phone number so we can call or email you when you win. The first top three guesses win! Good luck! Owner is not eligible. : )

We are located at 8100 W HWY 50 in Salida. 719-539-7777. www.tlcpetsupplyservices.com. We are open from 7am-7pm 7 days a week. We have a great parking in front of the store and a HUGE selection of mesh harnesses, Step In Harnesses, leashes, collars, head collars, treats for dogs and cats, flea control, dog and cat beds, cat litter and pans, Furminator, and toys! Stop in and visit us!

Credit Bureau of the Rockies

ChaffeeConnect

ChaffeeConnect is the initiative of the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation, which is connecting local business and community leaders, and interested citizens to find affordable, local broadband solutions that work for us and our growing needs. One of our goals includes educating other businesses and the general public about why broadband is important.
We’re looking for stories about businesses who use web-enable applications in support of their daily work. These stories should illustrate why high-speed broadband is important now and in the future. They will be potentially posted to the ChaffeeConnect web site, used in a broadband education campaign or used for press releases and other media outlets.
These stories might include your success in providing products or services through a web site, online catalogs, virtual real estate tours, or using online business processes like credit card or payroll processing to save money. Or using social media (eg. blogs, Groupon, Twitter, Facebook) for some marketing or event campaign. Maybe you employ employee collaboration tools (eg. video conferencing, telemedicine, Skype, Google docs).
Any story that might illustrate our growing dependence on broadband for business success would be helpful. And we’d also be interested in any compelling stories of how the lack of high-speed broadband has stood in your way. Send an email to Susan Jesuroga at susanj@chaffeecountyedc.com and we’ll set up a time to talk.

Jugalicious

Attention Business Owners!

It’s that time of year again! Have you started on your Holiday Cards yet? Have you been dreading those hours upon hours of time you spend……..

a. Putting your delivery list together
b. Determining Card Content
c. Card Layout
d. Purchasing Cards
d. Printing
e. Purchasing Postage/Distribution

Our service is all inclusive. All you do is tell us who you want the postcard sent to, content you want in your card, and we do the rest.

a. Professional Designed-- Our art department ensures you and your business will be represented in a classy and professional manner.
b. High Quality, Full Color, Glossy Finish, Double Sided, Cardstock Printed
c. Proof Change Capability-- We make sure you view and make appropriate changes or additions to your card before it goes to print!
d. Customized Lists-- Target the distribution of your card to "your ideal client" From pet owners to skiing enthusiasts we have the customized lists to put your offer in the hands of those most likely to purchase!
e. All Inclusive Service-- No up charges for color, double sides, proof changes, etc.
f. Postage and Delivery Included

Let Yellowbook do the work for you! Set up a free consultation today! Or order online at http://www.yellowbook360dm.com until 12/31/2011 and receive $25 off your total order!

*Good only with self-serve online orders

Contact Your Local Media Consultant Today!

Reed Peuser

(719) 221-9406

william.peuser@yellowbook.com

Salida Elks Charity Ball

Optimum Business

Angel of Shavano Recycling

Colorado Small Business Development Center

TR Custom Builders

Rachael A. Walke CPA., P.C.

LiveWell Chaffee County

LiveWell Chaffee recently received a grant to conduct a Community Food Assessment to understand how we can better support residents to access and consume healthy foods. Please take 5-10 minutes to complete a survey telling us more about how you decide where and what foods to eat, and what changes you would like to see happen in your community to increase access to healthy foods. We need to hear from every household in Chaffee County (or even if you live right outside of the county, but purchase all your food here) to help inform LiveWell Chaffee County's strategies to improve healthy food access in Chaffee County.

You will also be entered into a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate to a local grocery or natural food store of your choice for completing the survey! Four gift cards will be given away.

Please complete the survey no later than December 2, 2011.

Thank you and for more information about LiveWell Chaffee, call 719.530.2569 or visit our website at http://about.livewellcolorado.org/livewell-chaffee.

Click on a SURVEY LINK:

English: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LQGG8H2
Spanish: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FY6SM5J

Our Sponsors light up Tenderfoot Mountain throughout the entire year!

September 1- September 29, 2011 SalidaChamber.org website statistics

Total Unique Visitors - 4,731
Total Pageviews -13,334
Average Pages viewed per Visit - 2.82
Average Time per Visit - 2:13 minutes

Top Traffic Sources
Google.com - 2,986

Direct (bookmarks, typed address) - 483
Bing.com - 179
Salida.com - 147

Yahoo.com - 137

Visitors from:
Colorado - 2,272
Texas - 428

California - 264

Kansas - 97
New Mexico - 111

Thank you to our renewing members!

Past Chamber Newsletters

• October 2011 Salida Chamber Newsletter
• September 2011 Salida Chamber Newsletter
• August 2011 Salida Chamber Newsletter
• July 2011 Salida Chamber Newsletter
• June 2011 Salida Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
• May 2011 Salida Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
• April 2011 Salida Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
• March 2011 Salida Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Browse our complete chamber membership

Join the Salida Chamber of Commerce