June 2012 newsletter

A publication of the Manhattan Area Chamber of CommerceJune 2012, Volume 8, Issue 6, www.manhattan.org

Contact us:501 Poyntz Avenue

Manhattan,KS,66502-6005

785-776-8829 phone

785-776-0679 fax

[email protected]

www.manhattan.orgTDD

Kansas Relay Center:

800-766-3777

Because your employees, students andcommunity count on you.

Ready Rating:A FREE service fromthe American Red Cross. The programthat helps businesses, schools andorganizations become prepared for dis-asters and other emergencies. All inone place.

Did you know?• 15-40% of businesses fail following a natural or man-made disaster.• 50% of businesses have an emergency evacuation plan.• 20% of businesses have an emergency response plan.

Why Prepare?Disasters happen. At home, at work,even at school. With a preparednessplan in place, your business, o rg a n i z at i o nor school can:

Minimize losses during an emergencyHaving an emergency plan in placeallows you to respond more quicklyand efficiently to contain costly situations.

Enhance productivityThe Ready Rating Program offers toolsand re s o u rces to help employe e s ;f a c u l tyand staff become prepared at home,enabling them to return to work faster.

Gain trust By being proactive about emergencyp re p a re d n e s s,your business,o rg a n i z at i o nor school demonstrates a commitmentto not only your employees and students but also the community as a whole.

The Red Cross Ready Rating Programcan guide a business, organization orschool with simple, measurable stepsto become better prepared for emergencies. The Red Cross has information, tools and resources toassist in improving disaster readiness.For more information,visit readyrat-ing.org or call (877) 715-0123.

Disaster Planning - Why Be Prepared?

Chamber Facts - Did You Know?Did You Know? On average, members post 100 jobs/

month with Nationjob.com. From Sept.2010 to Sept.2011,via NationJob, our member’s posted 3,062

position openings and received 15,637 resumes.

Call the Chamber today and learn more about how

Nationjob.com can help your business.

Did You Know? The Manhattan Area Chamber of

Commerce includes 856 members, representing 16,568

employees. 92% have fewer than 50 employees;85%

have fewer than 25 employees and 70% have fewer

than 10 employees.

Did You Know? In 2011,627 members volunteered their

time & energy on behalf of Manhattan Area Chamber of

Commerce committees. Become a volunteer.

Becoming an active member maximizes your investment in the Chamber of Commerce and increases your

leadership skills. Your volunteer involvement assures

you a role in the future of Ma n h attan and the surro u n d i n g

region.

Governor Sam Brownbacksigned HB 2117 into law ata statehouse ceremony onMay 22, 2012. This bill,which includes one of thelargest income tax cuts inour state’s history, was metwith criticism by some legislators and praise byothers.

According to GovernorBrownback’s office,projections show the newlaw will result in 22,900new jobs, give $2 billionmore in disposable incometo Kansans and increasepopulation by 35,740,all inaddition to the normalgrowth rate of the state.Opponents are concernedthe tax cuts could cause abudget deficit of over $2.5billion by 2018.

The bill’s main componentsare:• Individual Income TaxReduction – collapses thecurrent three-bracket structure for individualincome taxes (3.5,6.25 and6.45% respectively) into atwo-bracket system usingrates of 3.0 and 4.9%.

• Business IncomeExemption – eliminatescertain non-wage businessincome for over 190,000small business owners(income reported by LLC’s,Subchapter-S Corporationsand sole proprietorships).

• Standard Deductions –increases the standarddeduction for single head-of-household filers from$4,500 to $9,000; and for

married taxpayers filingjointly from $6,000 to$9,000.

There are additional piecesto this legislation such asrepeal of certain tax credits,Homestead Property TaxRefund eligibility, and otherincome tax provisions.More information can befound on the KansasDepartment of Revenue’swebsite,www.ksrevenue.org.

The bill, Senate Substitutefor House Bill 2117,passedthe Senate by a vote of 29-11 and the House by avote of 64-59.

Governor Signs Major Tax Cuts into Law

A record number ofCh a m ber members at te n d e dthe May Business AfterHours hosted by theManhattan Convention &Visitors Bureau and WIBW-TV. Over 415 peopleenjoyed networking withothers and exploring thenewly opened Flint HillsDiscovery Center. Gueststoured the interactiveexhibits, relaxed on the outdoor terrace andwatched the multi-media“Immersive Experience” film.

Door prize winners includedKaren Armbrust withMosier & Mosier FamilyPhysicians, RobertDieringer with BuildCraft,Inc., Karen Franz with USD383, Samantha Hurlockwith Hayden Orthodontics,Frankie Hutchinson withManhattan FamilyChiropractic, Beth Jensenwith LSB Bank, CameronOlson with Hy-Vee and

Alice Roepke with the KSUFoundation.

Sam Malinowsky withCook, Flatt & StrobelEngineers received a $50Little Apple Dollar andSharon Tally with the KawValley Rodeo Associationwon a year pass to BusinessAfter Hours.

Please join us for Business After Hours

in June!Wednesday, June 13

5:30 – 7:00 pmRC McGraw’s

2317 Tuttle Creek Blvd.

Reservations can be made atonline at www.manhattan-chamber.org, by [email protected] or call 776-8829.

Kaw Valley Rodeo - 37YEARS OF PROFESSIONALRODEO IN MANHATTAN…the Kaw Valley PRCA Rodeowill be held July 26,27 & 28in Wells Arena in CiCo Park.The rodeo is held in conjunction with the RileyCounty Fair and presentedby Briggauto.com.Performances begin at 8:00each night featuring top-notch cowboys and cowgirlsin seven action-packedrodeo events.

Thursday’s performancewelcomes military familiesto the 5th Annual MilitaryFamily Appreciation Night atthe fair and rodeo. Thursdayis also Kid’s Night featuring afood roundup to benefit theFlint Hills Breadbasket.Tough Enough To Wear Pink is Friday night raisingawareness of breast cancerand other cancers withfunds raised benefitting K-State’s Johnson CancerResearch Center. Also onFriday night area children

with special needs part i c i p atein their own rodeo events atthe Kaw Valley SpecialRodeo.

Visit www.kawvalley-rodeo.com to get details ofrodeo events and activities.

B104.7 - Hot Country B104.7is your top rated countrystation in Manhattan ands u rrounding are a s. By offe ri n ga unique mix of today’shottest country music andbiggest country stars, HotCountry B104.7 maintains a unique format that isenjoyable to listeners and a proven success for advertisers. B104.7 combinesnot only the best countrymusic but stri ves to maint a i ncommunity leadershipthrough participation inmajor promotions, give-aways, and charity events.For the latest loca lco m m u n i ty i n fo rm a-t i o n , mixed withnews, sports, and thehottest countrymusic, stay tuned toHot Country B104.7,your station “First”for New Country!

RC McGraw’s -Opened in 2000, RCMcGraw’s offers ava ri e ty of new and oldco u nt ry and red dirtbands. In July thislocation will host theannual Kaw Valley

Rodeo Steak Fry and theofficial rodeo dance eachnightfollowing the rodeo. Homeof the “big burger”, lunch isserved from 11-2 Mondaythrough Friday and dinner is served from 5-10 Wed.-Sat.

The Blue Hills Room is anadjoining rental facility thatcan host weddings, businessm e e t i n g s, and pri vate part i e s.The June Chamber AfterHours will be held in theBlue Hills Room and cateredby RC McGraw’s affiliatecompany, RamblersSteakhouse.

Page 2 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review June 2012

Hosted by:

June 2012 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review Page 3

Upcoming Chamber Events

To make a reservation for an upcoming event,please call the Chamber at776-8829. Please join us as your time allows.

June 5 Ribbon Cutting – LOCAL food & friends11:00 am3011 Anderson Avenue, Suite A

June 13 Business After Hours5:30 – 7:00pmHost: Kaw Valley Rodeo Association, RC McGraws& B104.7

June 15 Ground breaking – Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency10:00amMarlatt Avenue & Tuttle Creek Boulevard

June 21 Good Morning Manhattan7:15 – 8:30amLocation: Manhattan Country Club

June 26 Manhattan Young Professionals11:30amProgram: Speed of Technology by Nex-Tech

July 11 Business After Hours5:30 – 7:00pmHost: Bellus Academy

July 12 Emergency Readiness & Management9:30amLocation: Chamber Boardroom

July 13 Chamber 10111:30 am – 1:00 pmLocation: Chamber BoardroomReservations required

July 25 Morning Mingle7:45 – 9:00 amLocation: Chamber Boardroom

*All dates and times are subject to change.

Thursday, June 217:15 – 8:30am

at the Manhattan Country Club

Start your day off with breakfast and some early morning networking. Coffee and networking will begin at 7:15am followed by a breakfast buffet and four speakers that will share information about local topics of interests to the community.

Speakers for the event will include:• John Currie, K-State Athletic Director• Susanne Kufahl, Riley County Health Department Director • Anne Smith, Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency Director• Tom Weigand, Junction City Chamber President

Register online at www.manhattanchamber.org or by calling 776-8829.The cost is $15 per member or $30 for non-members.

Sponsored by:

Since our May newsletter,these businesses have rein-vested their investments inthe Chamber. The Board ofDirectors and staff thankthese businesses for theircontinuing support of theChamber.

Over 15 YearsComplete MusicCountry StampedeFlint Hills Job Corps CenterFraternal Order of PoliceRiley Co. Lodge #17,Inc.Ron Fowles Construction,

Inc.Strecker-Nelson GalleryV&V Electric Co.,Inc.Wildcat Creek Golf & Fitness

10 to 14 YearsATA Black Belt AcademyChipotleExpress EmploymentProfessionalsGastro-Intestinal Consultantsof Manhattan, P.A.Michael B. KearnsRambler’s Steakhouse &

SaloonR.C. McGraw’s

5 to 9 YearsAdvanced Dental ArtsDixie RobertsFirst Command Financial

ServicesJade TravelK+STAT Urgent CareManhattan Area Habitat for

Humanity

Midland ExteriorsNetwork Computer

SolutionsPheasant Hill ApartmentsScenic Valley Inn and the

Wooden Nickel EventCenter

1 to 4 YearsBarton Community College

@ Fort RileyCary Company, Inc.Clark & Kellstrom, Chtd.Daughters House InnK-State Challenge CourseManhattan Dental,LLCNavy Federal Credit UnionOld ChicagoOlive GardenReal Estate ShowcaseStewart Advisory Services,

LLCUnited Service Organization

(U.S.O.)U.S. Foodservice

Kansas STARBASEJeff Gabriel, State ProgramDirector 721 Levee DrivePh (785) 861-4709Fx (785) 861-4127www.kansasstarbase.orgDoD STARBASE - Kansas is a premier educational program,sponsored by theOffice of the AssistantSecretary of Defense forReserve Affairs. At DoDSTARBASE - Kansas students

participate in challenging"hands-on,mind-on" activities in Science,Technology, Engineering,and Math (STEM). Theyinteract with militarypersonnel to explore careersand observe STEM applications in the "realworld." The program provides students with 20-25 hours of stimulatingexperiences at NationalGuard, Navy, Marine, AirForce Reserve and Air Forcebases across the nation.

Riley's Conference Centerand Catering Chris Downs, Manager 446 Seitz Drive, Fort RileyPh (785) 784-1000http://rileymwr.com/rileys/ Riley's Conference Center isthe premiere hospitalityfacility servicing the surrounding areas. Riley’sConference Center is anideal location to host yournext meeting, luncheon,dinner, wedding reception,holiday party and muchmore. Riley's facility isequipped with top of theline audiovisual equipment.Whether your group is 10people or 600 people wecan accomodate you. Riley'salso offers high end on andoff-site catering. Think Riley'sConference Center for yournext event!

SyscoGary Kaus, District SalesManagerPh (785) 565-4075www.sysco.comThe nation’s leader in foodsales & distribution.

Air Force RecruitingServices Terence Franklin, StaffSergeant100 Manhattan TownCenter,Suite 545Ph (785) 539-9558Fx (785) 539-4253The mission of the UnitedStates Air Force is to fly, fightand win…in air, space andcyberspace.To achieve thatmission,the Air Force has avision of Global Vigilance,Reach and Power. That visionorbits around three corecompetencies:developingAirmen, technology to warfighting and integratingoperations.These corecompetencies make our six distinctive capabilitiespossible. For moreinformation contactSSGT Terrance Franklin at785-764-9585.

Tommy Lee Holder3018 Tumbleweed TerracePh (785) 537-7853

Prepay for Business AfterHours and save $$$

These laminated passports are great for businesses thatregularly send representatives to Business After Hours.Monthly checks or expense reimbursements are eliminat-ed. And, best of all, at $48 each you save up to $72 annuallyover the usual $5-10 donation.

Passports are not specific to one person,so multiple peo-ple may enter on one passport. An RSVP is still requested.Interested? Please contact Kristin Holt at [email protected] or call the Chamber office at776-8829.

Page 4 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review June 2012

The mission of theMa n h attan Area Ch a m be rof Co m m e rce is to fo s ter achanging e nv i ro n m e nt fo rb u s i n e s s s u c cess thate n h a n ces the quality of lifein our re g i o n .We marke tthe re g i o n ,a dvocate fo rb u s i n e s s, and provide serv-i ces to our members andc u s to m e r s.

Are you inte re s ted in be i n ga member of the Ma n h at t a nArea Ch a m ber of Co m m e rce ?Gi ve Kim a call at 776-8829for more info rm at i o n .

This is a publication of theManhattan Area Chamberof Co m m e rce – all adve rt i s i n gis the re s po n s i b i l i ty of Th eMa n h attan Me rc u ry. Top l a ce an ad or for morei n fo rm at i o n , call Tra ceyWa rd at 776-2200, or c l a s s d i s p l ay @ t h e m e rc u ry. co m .

Nature Exploration CenterSunset Zoo officially has a shinynew entrance to welcome guests!Dedicated as the NatureExploration Center, the space provides much-needed updates in technology and space, as wellas aggregating resources for zoostaff.

Included in the Nature ExplorationCenter are administrative offices, classrooms, nature-based preschool, distance learning room, animal holding facilities, catering kitchen, meetingspaces, and featuring a beautiful rotunda celebrating the Flint Hills.

Additionally, the zoo features a new ticket booth and gift shop, completewith a bee-hive for close-up viewing. If the zoo is a regular part of your routine, this will be a welcome facelift. If it’s been years since you’ve been?It’s time to go back.

The facility officially opened to the public Sunday, June 3. Have questions,or interest in booking the zoo space? Call Ella Casey at 785-587-2737.

June 2012

Volume 12, Issue 6

A publication of

the Manhattan

Convention &

Visitors Bureau

Artspage 2

Wildlife & Parks Apppage 3

Kansas Samplerpage 4

17 Years of CountryStampedeIt’s time to Stampede! Cowboy boots, hats, shorts and pick-up trucks will be found in plentyJune 21-24 at Tuttle Creek State Park. TheMidwest Country Stampede has become themust-attend summer event for thousands ofcountry music fans. The biggest stars in countrymusic come to Manhattan, KS each year the lastfull weekend in June.

With Toby Keith, The Band Perry, The Zac BrownBand, and Luke Bryan, emphatic fans will haveplenty to cheer about. Campgrounds are openfor this event, or, take advantage of nearly 1,200hotel rooms from our many properties!

Continued on next page

ArtsCreative Expressions

It’s Arts in the Park season! The serieskicked off June 1 with the WhiteGhost Shivers, and the next perform-ance is June 8, Friday at 8:00 pm.

The Ruth Moody Band from Toronto,Ontario will entertain audiences withsongs of hope, longing and love in acountry/bluegrass style.

Juneteenth is June 15-16, Friday and Saturday, with a parade, perform-ances, food, fun and lots of activities for the family.

On Friday the 22, the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band brings the sounds of summer with traditional steel pan music from the island of Trinidad.

The last performance for June will fall on the 29. The Wilders come to TheLittle Apple® from Kansas City, MO. This Bluegrass/roots meet rock and rollgroup begins at 8:00 pm.

Symphony in the Flint Hills

This event has become infamous forFlint Hills residents AND visitors to theFlint Hills region. This year’s event willbe June 9. The Kansas CitySymphony will provide music toguests who travel to the uninterruptedprairie to enjoy camaraderie, food,symphony music, and nature.

There are presentations, guided prairie walks, horse-drawn coveredwagon rides and more available the day of the event. For a weekendguide, and full details on this and future Symphony in the Flint Hills events,please visit symphonyintheflinthills.org.

Taste of the Ville

Tempt your taste buds with 15 different Aggieville restaurants. Tickets forthe event cost $15, can be purchased at Varneys. Attendees will get tosample dishes from the Cozy Inn to Varsity Donuts! June 9, from 4-6 pm.

Missouri Bank TravelExchange

During May, tourismsales manager, MarciaRozell, traveled toMissouri for two daysconvincing Bank TravelPlanner to come west.Many banks offer theircustomers the service of planned group traveltrips. These trips include international travel aswell as one or two day regional trips. Marcia’sshares all Manhattan has to offer in attractions,restaurants and accommodations for groups toschedule a trip to Manhattan.

“Meeting these bank representatives and providinga planned itinerary make it easier for them tocome to Manhattan”, says Marcia. “I know ourcommunity well, how long it takes to get fromone place to another across town and whatappeals to visitors of The Little Apple®.”

Through one-on- one appointments with theplanners, a relationship is developed. These rela-tionships provide the assurance to the plannersthey are getting quality experiences on their trips.Turning their trip into dollars for our community iswhat the Manhattan Convention and VisitorsBureau is all about.

17 Years of Country Stampede

Continued from page 1

For fans- access everything you need for thisStampede via their web page, c o u n t r y s t a m-p e d e . c o m. Enter to win a Harley DavidsonMotorcycle from Heart of America, buy your tickets, set up EZ-pay options, rent a locker forvaluables, check out the entire weekend schedule- even rent your own Porta Potty!Manhattan welcomes Country Stampede Fans!

The crowd during a performance at Tuttleville.Photo courtesy of La Brisa Photography, Chris Hsieh

Meet Kendra

Manhattan is a town that I hold very near and dear to myheart, because it is where I was born and raised. After graduating from Manhattan High School, I ventured toHutchinson Community College for two years. It was there Id i s c o v e red my passion for people and the hospitality industry.I transferred to K-State and graduated with a degree inHospitality Management and Dietetics with my focus on

Hotel and Restaurant Management. I am thrilled to begin my journey withthe Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau as the new ServiceCoordinator, and look forward getting to know people who love this townjust as much as I do! Contact Kendra at [email protected]

Welcome to Manhattan!

Expect a few thousand extra people to be running around Manhattan between June 7 and 22. K-State new student orientation andenrollment will be in operation weekdaysbetween these times.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Manhattan is proud to join Lawrence andShawnee as a bronze-level Bicycle FriendlyCommunity! This designation is given by theLeague of American Bicyclists. Manhattan hasbeen gradually building a presence in the bikingcommunity over the last several years.

When was the last time you qualified the phrase,“it’s just like riding a bike?” Time to pull thosebikes out of the garage. Manhattan has multipletrails, including Linear Trail and Fancy Creek StatePark; racing teams; bike clubs; bike shops; andongoing events. Big Poppi’s bike shop leads bikerides nearly every night of the week, with a fullschedule on their web site. Prove the sayingright, and enjoy Manhattan from a different per-spective!

Phone App Designed With OutdoorLovers in Mind

The Kansas Department ofWildlife, Parks and Tourism haslaunched a new app! TheKansas State Parks PocketRanger® app is a free andinteractive mobile guide forKansas State Parks. The appis intended to provideinformation, enhancepark-goers experiences, andadd to safety and enjoyment for outdoor enthusiasts. It covers all 26 state parks.Pocketranger.com, or [email protected]

Upcoming EventsConference to Note

Let’s Make Bread

This time next year- Manhattan will be hosting the NationalFestival of Breads! Sponsored by King Arthur Flour, Fleischmann’sYeast and the Kansas Wheat Commission this premier festivalcelebrates the relationship between farmer and consumer,

highlighting the art of baking bread at home.

On September 1, 2012, amateur bakers will start submitting their own o r i g i n a lrecipes to www.nationalfestivalofbreads.com. This is the only way submis-sions will be accepted, and they must be entered by January 31, 2012.

Finalists will bake their recipes in Manhattan Saturday, June 22, 2013. Priorfestivals have been held in Wichita.

Start Your Engines

The Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau is VERYpleased to announce the 2014 Kansas Motor Carriers Association AnnualConvention will be held in Manhattan!

This annual convention has met in Wichita for the past 55 years. Manhattanwaas chosen to break their meeting streak.

KS Motor Carriers Association has a membership of more than 1,200 companies and work to provide and assist the transportation industry inimproving its services to the public. The annual conference is a time usedto educate its members and their employees about the latest trends,equipment and technology in the Motor Carrier field.

The CVB has worked with the group for months on site visits, bid proposalsand supplementing the board with Manhattan materials.

The Motor Carriers Association will be meeting at the Hilton Garden Innand Manhattan Conference Center, September 2014.

Project Self-Esteem

The Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau welcomes Project Self-Esteem to Manhattan!

This is the 2nd year Project Self-Esteem has held their yearly conference inManhattan, and this year’s attendance will boast more than 100 girls.

Project Self-Esteem is a ministry that seeks to provide a foundation foryoung girls from which they can grow and mature into confident andsecure women who understand that beauty is truly more about inwardbeauty than outward appearance.

This year’s conference is June 29th-30th at the Clarion Hotel.

All girls 4th-8th are welcome—register at http://psebeauty.com/

Chuck Scott, ChairmanDottie Burgess, HotelBrad Everett, HotelJennifer Fritchen, HotelGregg Joyal, HotelDave Lewis, Ex-OfficioKelly Loub, RestaurantCurt Loupe, Ex-Officio

Meredith McKee, HotelTeresa Morris, HotelWayne Rouse, EntertainmentEvan Tuttle, AttractionJohn Pence, K-StateBernie Haney, E x - O ff i c i oLynda Spire, Ex-OfficioBob Workman, E x - O ff i c i o

Manhattan CVB Steering Committee

Tuesdays thru July 17Arts in the Park- Manhattan Municipal Band, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park, 7:30

8 Arts in the Park- Ruth Moody Band, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park, 8pm, 785-587-2757

8-9 18th Annual Youth FishingClinic, Anneberg Park, 9am - noon, 785-539-7154

9 Spring Fling, Bling and Sing!, Pottorf Hall, CiCo Park, 1-3 PM, 785-776-0212

9 Symphony in the Flint Hills, Cottonwood Falls, Sunset, 620-342-1803

9-10 15th Annual Flint Hills FolkLife Festival,Cottonwood Falls, All

Day, 320-342-1803

10 Garden Tour, KSU Gardens, 1-5pm, 785-537-6350

15 Poyntz Avenue Mile,Poyntz Ave

15-16 Manhattan Juneteenth Festival, City Park,785-776-0244

15-16 Arts in the Park- Juneteenth, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park

17 140 Years of Soul: African-Americans in Manhattan 1865-2005,Manhattan Public Library,2pm, 785-485-2158

20-July 1 Rock Springs 4-H Center Family Camps,Riley Conference Center,

All Day, 785-257-3221

21 Go See It! Lecture series- Konza Prairie Biological Station, Flint Hills DiscoveryCenter, 7pm, 785-587-2726

21-24 Country Stampede, Tuttle Creek State Park ,12pm-12am, 785-539-2222

22 Arts in the Park- Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park, 8pm, 785-587-2757

29 Arts in the Park- The Wilders, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park, 8pm, 785-587-2757

June 2012

Vision Statement:Destination Manhattan!

Mission Statement:To expand the local area economy by

attracting visitors.

Karen [email protected]

Christy ChaseConvention Sales [email protected]

Marcia RozellTourism Sales [email protected]

Autumn ShoemakerMarketing [email protected]

Kendra DekatAdministrative Assistant/Service [email protected]

501 Poyntz AvenueManhattan, KS 66502

(785) 776-8829(785) 776-0679 fax

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau Staff

Upcoming Conferences and Sportsto be held in The Little Apple®

June Anticipated Attendance Numbers•2 River Miles Kawnivore 100 Kawnivore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150•2 Pilot Club International Austism Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . .150•3 Feast of the Fields at River Creek Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56•3-4 Manhattan Baseball Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300

Tournament of Champions (AKA Summer Slam)•4-7 Kansas State University College of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400

Veterinary Medicine Annual Conference for Veterinarians•7-10 Agricultural History Society Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . .175•8 Burlington Parks and Recreation Depart Group Tour . . . .22•8 McKinzie Tours, Inc. Group Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50•8-11 Mid America Tournaments Baseball Tournaments . . . . .100•10 Manhattan Parks and Recreation Dept . . . . . . . . . . . . .250

USSSA Girls' Fastpitch Softball Tournament•12-17 Adams Golf Pro Tour/ Colbert's Charity Classic . . . . . . . . . .

Golf Pro Tour Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125•13 Kansas Cavalry Encampment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200•13-15 Kansas Association of Realtors Mid-Year Meeting . . . . .200•15-18 Desert of Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150•17-18 Manhattan Marlins Little Apple Swim Meet . . . . . . . . . . .200•18-21 Kansas County Appraisers Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Annual Conference/Educational Seminars•22-25 Country Stampede Annual Music Festival . . . . . . . .156,000•23 Manhattan High School Class of 1962 Reunion . . . . . . .200•29-7/2 Mid America Tournaments - Baseball Tournaments . . . .100•29 National Corvette Convention Tour•30-7/1 Project Self-Esteem Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Kansas Sampler 2012Manhattan attended the KansasSampler Festival in Liberal, KS, inMay. More than 5,000 people inattendance stopped by ourtable! Mark your calendar toattend next year and see whatall of Kansas has to offer! The KSSampler Festival is the first weekin May, and will be in Liberal, KS,for one more year! 2014 KansasSampler will move to the Eastside of Kansasa. Get out &Explore all Kansas to offer.

Manhattan Magazineplaces in Great Plain’sJournalism Awards

Manhattan Magazineplaced as a finalist in thecategory of Magazine ofthe Year in this year’s GreatPlain’s Journalism Award.

Manhattan Magazine’sentry consisted of 2011Spring, Summer and Falleditions of the publication.Honored with the awardwas: Editor, Katy Ibsen; ArtDirector, Shelly Bryant; ChiefPhotographer, Jason Daileyand General Manager, BertHull.

The Great Plain’s Journalismaward in an annual awardsponsored by the TulsaPress Club and BenevolentAssociation and dedicated

to promoting the higheststandards of journalism.Competition is open topublications of all sizes inan eight-state region thatincludes: Oklahoma,Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri,Nebraska,Iowa, NorthDakota and South Dakota.The 2012 competition wasthe first year thatManhattan Magazine sub-mitted an entry.

Manhattan Magazine is aquarterly publication,firstreleased in 2008. It is pub-lished by SunflowerPublishing, The WorldCompany’s Lawrence-basedmagazine division thatpartners with writers andphotographers across thestate to create several com-munity-based publications.

Positive Air earns accreditation

Positive Air LLC is a durablemedical equipment compa-ny providing oxygen,CPAP,mobility, aids to daily living,hospital beds, and homemedical supplies, hasachieved the Award ofAccreditation from theHealthcare QualityAssociation onAccreditation (HQAA).

This award was present-ed on March 19,2012and is achieved onlywhen a medical equip-ment provider demon-strates a high level ofquality in all their busi-ness operation. PositiveAir LLC in Manhattan,earned the three-yearaccreditation after com-

pleting a review processthat focuses on meetingstandards and quality oper-ational practices and proce-dures in the areas of finan-cial stability, humanresource training, patientcare, delivery services,billing practices and main-tenance of product.Accreditation by theHealthcare QualityAssociation on

Accreditation assuresMedicare and other healthpayers that the highest lev-els of quality are practiceswithin all areas of the com-pany.

June 2012 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review Page 9

No t e w o rthy Ne w sNo t e w o rthy Ne w s

ACCRA Cost of Living Index2012 First Quarter

National Average = 100Kansas CitiesCity Total Score Grocery Housing Utilities Transportation Health Care Misc. Goods/ServicesDodge City 93.7 88.4 83.2 99.4 92.4 90.5 104.1Topeka 92.3 95.6 87.4 80.6 100.7 91.7 96.5

Manhattan 92.1 93.5 96.4 80.5 91.4 91.0 91.8Hutchinson 91.9 88.0 86.7 85.8 93.0 95.4 99.2Wichita 91.4 90.7 80.9 92.7 96.8 88.9 99.0Salina 90.0 94.9 79.7 86.0 94.9 86.7 97.1

Select College TownsAmes, IA 98.8 93.9 98.7 94.1 99.9 102.9 101.7Austin, TX 95.7 87.3 87.4 92.5 100.4 107.9 104.2Columbia,MO 94.0 95.1 80.0 99.7 93.9 97.8 103.6Lincoln,NE 92.9 92.8 82.5 105.8 98.7 96.6 95.7Fort Worth, TX 92.1 92.4 76.7 113.7 96.5 94.0 96.8College Station, TX 91.8 88.7 92.1 96.2 97.6 92.6 89.4Waco, TX 91.6 81.7 89.2 88.6 102.4 86.0 95.9Stillwater, OK 90.4 95.5 85.2 99.3 87.1 87.7 91.6Norman,OK 88.6 93.6 81.3 88.7 100.7 86.6 89.2Lubbock, TX 88.4 93.1 80.1 72.4 98.7 97.3 94.3

Select Military CommunitiesColorado Springs, CO 95.5 95.1 94.0 93.6 91.4 99.8 98.5El Paso, TX 91.0 95.6 86.6 88.2 90.5 91.7 93.8Killeen, TX 85.7 81.9 71.7 99.9 91.8 93.0 92.1

Page 10 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review June 2012

Summer is well on its way and with thatcomes many military appreciation events!Alison has been an event planner for the

Memorial Day movie premier which occurred on May 23rd at McCain auditorium.

June 21-24 marks the 17th installment of the Country Stampede in Manhattan, Kansas.Stampede graciously invites our military members and their families free of charge totheir Sunday events. Tickets are being distributed via the Chamber, USO, ITR and othervenues to encourage our military community to take advantage of this great event.

Coming at the end of July, on Thursday the 26th is the K aw Valley Rodeo Military FamilyAppreciation Night. A barbeque and free admission to the rodeo are offered to our military families.

Change is coming to some of our meetings, programs and events and we look forwardto presenting those to you in the coming months! Keep an eye out!

Military Update

Hiring Success Story

Myranda met Angel,a veteran, at a job fair on Fort Riley in October. He gave her hisresume and in a few days started receiving emails with jobs openings. He shares, “Iapplied to all the ones she sent. In the month of March,I received a call from Fort Riley toschedule an interview; ten days later I was hired. Without Myranda’s help I would havenever found this job. Myranda’s emails are a life saver. Thanks, Myranda!” Congrats on thejob, Angel and thank you for your service to our country!

CommunicatingBenefits

Last month we discussedthe importance of promot-ing the benefits of yourproduct or service.Remember that benefitssell! Now let’s take a look atsome effective ways tocommunicate those bene-

fits. I’ve found these simpletips to be applicable towebsites, emails, printedmaterials and many othermarketing efforts.

Use High-Quality Pictures– In today’s social mediafueled world you have tograb the attention ofpotential customers andhold it for long enough toshare a message. Don’t beafraid of paying for profes-sional photography.Pictures, especially thoseshowing a lifestyle changeor the benefit of using aproduct, are the quickestway to connect with apotential customer andwill stay with them longerthan text on a page.

Use Bullet Points –Format the written text onyour website and on mar-keting materials so that itis easy to read and notvisually overwhelming.

Utilizing “white space” canbe just as effective at help-ing communicate a mes-sage as the words you use.Single-line, bullet pointeditems not only make youchoose your words wisely,they draw the reader’s eyeand are easy to processand remember.

Back it up with Numbers– It’s OK to back up thosebenefits that you’re sellingto potential customerswith numbers or technicalinformation. Just don’t gooverboard.You’ve soldthem on the benefits, addi-tional info should create asense of comfort in theirdecision,not raise morequestions.

Daryn Soldan

501 Poyntz Avenue

Manhattan, KS 66502

785-587-9917

[email protected]

www.washburn.edu/sbdc

June 2012 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review Page 11

Business BarometerApril 2011 April 2012

BUILDING PERMITS - source: City of Manhattan

Total Issued 36 48

Residential $2,946,850 $6,877,648

Non-Residential $6,185,332 $285,534

Permit Fees Paid $26,514 $44,155

RETAIL SALES (Manhattan) - source: City of Manhattan

Retail Sales $65,967,600 $77,742,300

Sales Tax Collections $659,676 $777,423

MANHATTAN AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC - MHK airport

Enplanement 4,464 5,073

Deplanement 4,528 5,124

Many YP’s enjoyed a tailgate event along with a visit from Willie prior to watching the

K-State baseball team win over KU,

Upcoming event:Tu e s d ay, June 26, 1 1 : 3 0 a m ,“Speed of Te c h n o l ogy” p re s e nted by Nex - Te c h

The mission of the Young Pro fessionals is to identify and satisfy the needs of p ro fessionals ages 21-40 in the Ma n h attan are a . It was deve l o ped to establish soc i a land pro fessional oppo rt u n i t i e s. The org a n i z ation wo rks to provide netwo rki n g,e d u cational prog rams and co m m u n i ty serv i ce, while acting in unity with the goals and philosophies of the Ma n h attan Area Ch a m ber of Co m m e rce. Email Dena for morei n fo :d e n a @ m a n h at t a n . o rg

Make the Most of Your Membership!

Friday, July 13,201211:30 am – 1:00 pmChamber Boardroom

Give us 60 minutes of your time and we’ll provide concise overviews of:• Member networking opportunities • Member exposure / advertising • Getting involved • Many other member benefits

In addition,each business attending is given a 30-second commercial during theChamber 101 program to showcase what they have to offer the Manhattan community.

We won’t guarantee this program will answer all of the questions you may have about the Chamber, but we do promise you’ll take away something new.

No te : If you have attended Ch a m ber 101 in the past, perhaps a new employee or an additionalrepresentative of your business would like to attend to learn more about their ManhattanChamber and how to make the most of your investment.

Chamber 101 is limited to 30 members (one per business please). Both new and renewing are welcome to attend. Reservations are required no later than Friday, July 6.

Sponsored by:

Page 12 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Little Apple® Business Review June 2012

Flint Hills AreaTransportation

Agency115 N.4th Street,

Suite 3 www.rileycountyks.

gov/ata (785) 537-6345

Purple Swirl FrozenYogurt

1346 Westloop Placewww.purpleswirl-manhattan.com (785) 320-2766

Ribbon CuttingsRibbon Cuttings

Scott Rice OfficeWorks

727 Poyntz Avenue,Suite 105

www.scottrice.com (785) 537-0299