June Vista '12

Volume 2012, Issue 6

The Chamber Vista A monthly publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber June 2012

Volume 2012, Issue #6

“We Mean Business”

Candidate Meet and Greet

With the election season

now in full swing, the Sierra

Vista Area Chamber is

ramping up its efforts to en-

sure the business community

is represented in the political

arena.

Last month, the Chamber’s

Legislative Affairs

Committee agreed

to start meeting

twice a month dur-

ing the summer

and fall to accom-

modate the extra

workload.

This will include

inviting the candi-

dates running for

City Council to

meet with the committee and

Board of Directors to discuss

their campaigns, as well as

how they will work on be-

half of the business commu-

nity if elected.

The committee also felt it

was important to take the

opportunity to get to know

the candidates a little better

and learn about their con-

cerns and priorities.

The Chamber will also be

sending a business issues

focused questionnaire to

each of the City Council

candidates and we will be

publishing their responses on

our website next month.

On Tuesday, July 17, the

Chamber will host a City

Council candidate forum at

Buena High School from 6

p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and we

hope many of you will at-

tend this important event.

This will be your chance to

hear what the candidates

have to say about a number

of community issues, includ-

ing the City’s budget, water,

and economic development.

The following week, on

Thursday, July 26, there will

be a great opportunity for the

public to meet face to face

with candidates running for

a wide variety of seats across

Cochise County and beyond.

We are inviting all election

candidates, from local to

State and Federal races, to

attend a Meet & Greet at

Pueblo Del Sol Country

Club from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sponsored by E. F. Edwards

Financial, Office Smart and

Above Board, this event will

feature no formal speeches

from any candidates, but will

offer time to mix and mingle

and ask questions.

Information about both of

these events can be found on

our website, www.sierravistachamber.org

The Chamber is also keeping

a close eye on other

issues facing our com-

munity, including the

future of the Castle &

Cooke Tribute devel-

opment, and the Sierra

Vista Public Schools

bid to become part of a

Joint Technology Edu-

cation District.

We will be hearing

from the key players in-

volved in the coming

months.

In late September, the

Chamber is planning to host

a Congressional District 2

forum featuring the candi-

dates who emerge from the

primaries in August. More

on that event to follow.

Finally, the Legislative Af-

fairs Committee is working

on a candidate endorsement

policy that will spell out the

guidelines and criteria which

need to be followed, should

the Chamber choose to en-

dorse a pro-business candi-

date. We will keep our mem-

bers updated on this process.

An Update From

Executive Director

Amanda Baillie

2

6 Ways to Help Maintain Your

Business Margins

2

Member Spotlight

on PuroClean

3

Staff Spotlight on

David Elkins

3

Chamber Calendar

of Events

4

Events at a Glance 5

7 Ways to Use Facebook to Grow

Your Email Mar-

keting List

6

Member Page 7

Board of Directors/

Chamber Staff

8

Throughout the year, the Cham-

ber hosts a number of events that

help our members to network

and promote their businesses.

We want our members to be able

to market their products and ser-

vices to as many people as possi-

ble.

Simply by becoming a Chamber

member, you are exposing your

company or organization to a

potential new customer base

through resources such as our

online business directory, our

annual Community Profile and

the free webpage each or our

members receives.

Last year we also put together a

marketing and sponsorship brochure

which laid out the range of

promotional opportunities available

through the Chamber to businesses

of all sizes and budgets.

We have now updated that informa-

tion to include some new opportuni-

ties, as well as existing events and

programs, coming up in the next 12

months.

It can be hard for a business to

choose where to spend its marketing

dollars. What will bring you the best

return on your investment? What

marketing medium will best reach

your target audience? What will

gain you the most exposure?

Sometimes it comes down to how

much is in the budget, or whether you

feel strongly about a particular cause

or event.

Our new brochure spells out each

event/program, talks about who at-

tends and participates, and what your

sponsorship money will bring you.

It also includes information on a new

advertisement program, which offers

Chamber members the chance to place

a very affordable ad on our

increasingly popular website.

Whether you are a home based busi-

ness, or a large corporation, there are a

number of opportunities available.

Just call the Chamber at 458-6940 for

more details.

Chamber Update by Executive Director Amanda Baillie

“new advertisement

program, which

offers Chamber

members the chance

to place a very

affordable ad on our

increasingly popular

website”

Page 2 The Chamber Vista

Is the marketplace squeezing your margins?

Do your customers have less disposable

income to spend? Are market forces making

it harder for you to stay profitable?

Making money is a perennial challenge for

small business owners, and simply increas-

ing your prices or selling more products or services – often at compromised margins –

isn’t always the answer.

So, what sustainable strategies can you use

to maintain and grow your margins?

There’s no one-size-fits-all silver bullet, but

here are some suggestions that might pay

off, with your hard work and creativity.

1. Focus on Revenues

Look for ways to ensure predictable reve-

nues. Set targets and ensure the business as

a whole is held accountable, including your

employees. Look for ways to lock clients

into longer-term contracts. This might mean

cutting your rates, but the long-term predict-

able volume will pay off.

Drop clients who aren’t key to your busi-

ness or are simply unprofitable. Instead,

refocus on building relationships with your

existing clients, and invest in marketing to keep your revenues growing. This will help

you plan for variables, such as losing clients

or market changes.

2. Don’t Cut Your Marketing – Do More

While customer service is a huge differenti-

ator for small businesses, customers can

only experience that service if they use your

business. So once you’ve got them through

the door, do everything you can to keep

them coming back. This means making sure you stay top of mind with compelling mar-

keting tactics. See page 6 for one marketing

tactic.

3. Re-Engineer Your Business Processes

Look for ways to do business differently. Is

there a way to use technology to streamline

processes? Would an investment in how

your products are delivered pay off over the

long term? How are your quality controls?

Many businesses lose time and money fix-

ing products or services that are delivered

subpar.

4. Pay Attention to the Details

Money is in the details. Pay attention to

them. For example, cross-check any inven-

tory or deliveries from wholesalers so that

you are 100-percent sure you are getting

everything you paid for. If you operate a

food service business, make sure your staff is properly trained to serve the right size

portions or that food isn’t perishing because

it’s not stored properly. What about your

expenses? Small yet recurring charges and

costs can quickly add over time.

5. Consider Hiring a Business Develop-

ment Professional

Hiring might not seem like a good idea

when margins are tight, but if your current

business strategy is eroding your margins,

making an investment in someone who can

help steer your business down a more prof-itable course might make good business

sense. If you simply don’t have the capital

resources to do this, get advice from an or-

ganization like SCORE. SCORE has a huge

network of small business mentors who

have walked in your shoes and will consult

for free.

6. Align Your Operations Around Cus-

tomer Service

Is everyone on your team singing from the

same hymnal? Consistently, good service is

a huge differentiator in a tough economy

and any setbacks can quickly impact your

margins. From your phone lines to your

website, front of house to the point of sale, do you have a good view of the customer

service experience? Is every staff member

doing what they need to be doing, without

being asked?

6 Ways to Help Maintain Your Business Margins courtesy of SBA.gov

Page 3 Volume 2012, Issue 6

Member Spotlight on PuroClean: by Executive Director Amanda Baillie

Starting a home based business can

take a large leap of faith, and natu-

rally everyone who does it hopes

for much success.

For Lorena Tiburcio the last five

years have seen her business grow

from a home based, husband and

wife endeavor, to a store front op-

eration providing seven full-time

and six part-time jobs.

In 2007, PuroClean was launched

in Sierra Vista following Lorena’s

search for an opportunity to re-enter

the workforce after having brought

four children into the world.

She had no idea what she wanted to

do, but after some research she dis-

covered PuroClean and took the

plunge by investing in a franchise.

“I thought about it for a while and

what I really liked was the chance

to start a franchise from home,” she

said.

So she took off to Florida to partici-

pate in a month-long training

school to learn how to become a

water, mold, fire and trauma spe-

cialist.

Since then, PuroClean has been

helping area residents and business

owners to clean up their properties

after disaster strikes.

“We got our first job in Sierra Vista

within days of opening the busi-

ness,” said Lorena. “And in the last

two years, we literally have not

stopped working.”

The company was kept particularly

busy after the Monument Fire a

year ago, and is currently coming to

the aid of Chamber members, fol-

lowing a fire that damaged several

business locations on Fry Blvd.

PuroClean, which describes itself as

the “Paramedics of Property Dam-

age” is helping those businesses to

get back up and running as soon as

possible.

For further information about

PuroClean call 378-9454 or visit

www.purocleansv.com

Would you like your business to

be featured in the Member

Spotlight? Join us at our next

Business at Twilight for your

chance to win this free benefit.

David is a Texas transplant who

has been with the Chamber for a little

over 7 months. While attending col-

lege, David began working with a For-

tune 500 Company, Altria, as a Mar-

keting Coordinator. During his 5 year

employment, he conducted events,

promotional, product, and brand mar-

keting in major markets including Texas, New Mex-

ico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Nevada.

After his experience in the corporate world, he

changed his focus to helping small businesses in their

marketing efforts and served as the Marketing and

Sales Manager for Peerless Enterprises. While at Peer-

less Enterprises, he received his Bachelors Degree in

Business Management with a concentration in Market-

ing.

He then joined the Chamber as the Communica-

tions Director. David is responsible for creating, writ-

ing and designing all Chamber publications, flyers,

marketing tools, Chamber Vista newsletter, and the

editorial of the Membership Directory and map. Addi-

tionally he is responsible for all social media, smart

phone apps, website, email blasts, photography, event

and program promotions, audio and video of event;

and he also acts as the staff liaison to the Military Af-

fairs Committee.

If you have any questions or comments concerning

integrating your business into different forms of social

media or other mediums he would love to hear from

you.

You can contact David at

[email protected] or on our Facebook

and Twitter pages. Stop by for a visit and either

“follow” or “like us”!

Chamber Staff Spotlight - David Elkins

Page 4 The Chamber Vista

Schedule of Events

June 14 - Business at Twilight -

Better Business Bureau, 100

North Highway 90 (Lawley Kia),

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

June 16 - Frye’s Ultimate’s Rib-

bon Cutting, 11:30 am, 1618 E.

Fry Blvd.

June 19 - Legislative Affairs

Committee Meeting, Sierra Vista

Chamber, 8:00 am - 9:00 am

June 22 - Bag It Up DJ Ribbon

Cutting, 4:30 pm, 1120 Calle

Estudiante, Sierra Vista

June 23 - Art Show 2012, Mall at

Sierra Vista, 10:00 am.- 5:00 pm

June 29-Chamber101, Sierra

Vista Chamber, 11:30am -1:00

pm.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3 4 5

6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

BAT

15 16

Ribbon

Cutting

17 18 19

LAC

20 21 22

Ribbon

Cutting

23

Art

24 25 26 27 28 29

Cham-

ber101

30

June 2012

Business at Twilight

Hosted by:

Better Business Bureau

100 North Highway 90 (Lawley Kia)

June 14

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Catered by MIA’s Mexican Grille

Come out for great networking opportunities, prizes

and 50/50 raffles.

Leadership Sierra Vista

“Shaping the Sierra Vista Area

One Leader at a Time”

Leadership Sierra Vista is a community leadership

development program of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber. The Leadership Program is limited to 20 participants and

anyone can apply. The Leadership Program benefits the in-

dividual participant, their employer and the community as a

whole.

For more information see the included

Leadership Brochure

Page 5 Volume 2012, Issue 6

Did you know that you can place your

business card size ad in the Vista for

only $50 per issue or your logo

for $25!!!

Sign up for 12 issues and save

$100 on a business card ad and $50 on a

logo placement.

Events at A Glance

For upcoming events please visit us at www.sierravistachamber.org/events

Clockwise from Top Left: M.A.C. Co-Chairs Elsie

MacMillan & Wallace Ricks & Executive Director

Amanda Baillie present Garrison Commander Col.

Faulkner with a departing gift for his support of the

Chamber., The Chamber Staff celebrating Cinco De

Mayo at the West End Fair., John Hargraves

“pumps” the B.A.T. attendees up before the trip

down to Bisbee., Bisbee After 5 B.A.T. attendees

enjoying their first stop., Carolyn McLain browses

through different types of teas at Divine Teas &

Novelties during the Bisbee After 5 B.A.T., Gradu-

ates of Leadership Sierra Vista pose with their

plaques after the graduation ceremony. Ribbon Cut-

ting for our new chocolate fondue member Velata.,

Ribbon cutting attendees enjoying Velata’s products.

Page 6 The Chamber Vista

Do you have a great e-newsletter program?

Looking to build your list of email sub-

scribers while you offer more valuable con-

tent to your Facebook fans?

Facebook and other social media are great

tools for building connections and commu-

nity for your business and its customers. But Facebook isn’t always the best outlet

for communicating your most important

updates. Newsfeeds are busy places, and it

can be hard to get the attention of fans as

easily as a newsletter or email update can.

But how can you convert your fans to email

subscribers and get them onto a list you can

segment, target and own?

Facebook is ever-evolving, and the intro-

duction of the new Timeline in March this

year has changed the way page managers

and brands use Facebook. Here are seven

ways you can use your page to grow your

email list.

1) Find a Home for Your E-Newsletter

Content

Before you do anything to your page, make sure you have a home for your e-newsletter

archives and a clear sign-up page (both

hosted on your website). This gives you

both the opportunity to extend the life of

your content, and a URL you can share via

social media, and clearly shows fans what

they can expect if they sign up.

2) Consult Your Email Marketing Tool/

Software

Chances are that you are sending your e-

newsletters out with the help of an industry

email marketing tool or software. Check

what features your provider offers. Many

include apps you can customize and add to

your Facebook page to help you drive email

sign-ups. They show up as boxes under-

neath your main cover photo. Plus, they

automatically integrate new opt-ins to your

subscription database.

Many email marketing providers also let

you build custom email sign-up forms or

pages within Facebook.

3) Add a Sign-Up App

Before you embark on any DIY app build-

ing, consult the tools you may already have

in your armory. If you don’t have access to custom apps or you just want to build your

own, the good news is that the Facebook

Timeline offers many more options for

building apps (such as an email sign-up box

and page) than the old format did. The op-

tions for incorporating your brand look and

feel are also limitless.

Once you’ve added your email sign-up app

or box, be sure to make it more prominent.

Just hover over the “Edit” button and select

the tab you want to swap it with from the

drop-down menu.

Tip: A very important point to note about

calls to action in the new Timeline is that

you can’t add any promotional language or

graphics to the main cover image (this in-

cludes email sign-ups).

4) Optimize Your “About” Description

You probably noticed that the new Time-

line page lets you add a 150-character de-

scription of your business underneath your

profile picture. Use this real estate to add a

link to an email sign-up page, or if you

have a sign-up box or app, post a link to it

here.

5) Highlight or Pin Updates About your

E-Newsletter

It’s always been a good strategy to remind your Facebook fans about your e-newsletter

and encourage sign-ups using regular page

updates. But now you can get more expo-

sure for these posts by pinning them to the

top of your update feed for seven days. Al-

ternatively, you can showcase them using

the highlight tool (where the post expands

to the full width of the page).

6) Offer Incentives

Ideally, your newsletter content should be

compelling enough to sell itself, but why

not run an occasional contest to encourage

sign-ups via Facebook?

7) Be Proactive About New Sign-Ups and

Make Your Content the Best it Can Be

Now that you’ve got the attention of your

Facebook fans, make them feel welcome

and keep them interested with great con-

tent.

Set up automatic welcome emails to new

subscribers with a link to your latest news-letter, your blog, and so on. Add social

sharing features to your newsletter so your

content is constantly being spread virally.

Don’t forget: if your content isn’t valuable

or worth looking forward to, your time is

better served investing in other outreach

strategies.

7 Ways to Use Facebook to Grow Your Email Marketing List Courtesy of SBA.gov

Get a grant to save money on water costs! Your business can improve its

cash flow while supporting the econ-

omy, Ft. Huachuca, and the San Pedro

River. Who's eligible? Any business in the

Sierra Vista Subwatershed (including

Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Tombstone, Naco, Huachuca City and the unincorporated

areas).

How do you get started? It is as easy as 1-2-3!

1) Call a friendly Water Wise Specialist at 458-8278 x 2150 and make an ap-

pointment for a complimentary on-site

visit.

2) Decide what you want to replace or install. With your input, the Water Wise

Specialist will offer recommendations

and together you will figure out how you can save water and money.

3) Fill out an easy, one-page applica-

tion.

Grants help you: Replace older toilets with newer ones.

Install waterless urinals.

Replace outdated commercial washing

machines with water efficient ones. Install cartridge filters for swimming

pools instead of sand filters.

Remove costly turf or install an easy Xeriscape or RainScape.

There are many more options to choose

from. Call a Water Wise Specialist today!

Upper San Pedro Partnership Water Conservation Grant Program - up to $2,000 in 45 days!

Page 7 Volume 2012, Issue 6

Thank You to These Members for Renewing Their Commitment to The Business Community:

A Special Welcome to Our New Members!

3 Kings Automotive - 335 - 8900

American Cancer Society, Relay for Life

of Sierra Vista - 323 - 4209

Belleza Fine Art Gallery - 432-5877

Blue Star Families - 335 - 2593

Contours Spa-Lon - 803 - 0774

Counseling Services - Dr. Nance -

378-1357

Dr. Yvonne D. Lee & Associates, LLC -

417-0100

Elect Rachel Gray for City Council -

477-1144

House of Schade - 459-1377

Hummingbird House - (253) 225-1474

In The Event Of… - 378-9602

Nature’s Healthier Choices - 266-1627

RVRO Temp Housing - (888) 868-1236

The Boeing Company - (210) 859-7277

Velata - 266-5068

1st Dental Care

Bayada Nurses

Berg’s Heating & Air Conditioning

Bowie Power Station

CareNet Pregnancy Center of Cochise

County, Inc

Data Systems & Technology, Inc.

Desert Swing

Freedom Automotive

Jan Pro Cleaning

Lawley Automotive Center

Lawley’s Team Ford

Mountain View Air Conditioning &

Heating

Mountain View Gardens

PanTerra Gallery

Sierra Suites

Sierra Vista Dental

Sierra Vista Symphony Association

Stachel & Associates, P.C.

Tactical Tracking Operations School,

Executive Club Members American Family Insurance

Arizona Water Company

Best Buy

BrightStar

CACI, Inc.

Campstone Transfer, Inc.

Castle & Cooke, Inc.

Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC

CGI

Cherry Creek Radio

City of Sierra Vista

Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc.

Cox

Data Systems & Technology, Inc.

Dental Village

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot

Farmers Insurance - Ginny Francis

Garden Terrace Assisted Living

Home

General Dynamics Information

Technology

Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra

Vista, Inc.

Huachuca Mountain Insurance

Agency

KKYZ Radio

Landmark Café

Lawley Automotive Center

Lawley’s Team Ford

Life Care Center

Long Realty Co.

Longhorn Restaurant

Mall at Sierra Vista

ManTech Telecommunications &

Info Systems

Mobile Marketing Blueprint

Nathan Williams, Law Office

National Bank of Arizona

New Frontier Animal Medical

Center

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Patio Pools & Spas

Pioneer Title Agency

Pueblo del Sol Country Club

Restless Wings Photography

Rosemont Copper Company

Salient Federal Solutions

Sentrillion

Sierra Vista Ace Hardware

Sierra Vista Herald Bisbee Daily

Review

Sierra Vista Regional Health Center

Southeastern Arizona Contractors

Association

Southern Arizona Media

Productions

Southwest Gas Corporation

Southwestern Eye Center

Stachel & Associates, P.C.

STG Inc.

Stilwell’s Learning Center, LLC

Suburban Extended Stay Hotels

Sulpher Springs Valley Electric

Coop.

Sun Canyon Inn

TDY Housing, LLC

TMS - Ty Media Services

TownePlace Suites by Marriott

University of Phoenix -Sierra Vista

Campus

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Waddell & Reed Financial

Advisors, David Burnett

Wayland Baptist University

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Windemere Hotel & Conference

Center

21 E. Wilcox Dr.

Sierra Vista, AZ. 85635

The Chamber Vista is a publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber 21 E. Wilcox Drive, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 (520) 458-6940, Fax: (520) 452-0878

www.sierravistachamber.org Mission Statement The Sierra Vista Area Chamber promotes business and provides leadership for the improvement of the community. 2012-13 Board of Directors Executive Officers Chairwoman - Dee Dee Hoeft, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Past Chairman - Frank Gonzalez, Lawley Automotive Chair Elect - Jean Giuffrida, Long Realty Treasurer - Michael Benson, TDY Housing Secretary - Rick Shelley - Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra Vista Board Members Elsie MacMillan - Sierra Toyota Ken Cecil - Mall at Sierra Vista Phil Vega - Sierra Vista Herald / Bisbee Daily Review Randy Sueskind– Cherry Creek Radio Pamela Anderson - Landmark Café Jack Blair - Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Anita Farrow - National Bank of Arizona Joe Stroud - Edwards Financial, Inc. Nancy Nash - Stuff ‘N Baskets Nathan Williams - Nathan Williams, Law Office

Sierra Vista Area Chamber PRESORTED

STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

HEREFORD, AZ

PERMIT NO. 29

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Chamber Staff Executive Director - Amanda Baillie, [email protected] Membership & Marketing Director- John Hargraves III, [email protected] Communications Director - David Elkins, [email protected] Office Manager - Leah Hastings, [email protected] Events Coordinator - Diane Erwin, [email protected] Administrative Assistant - Leah Barnes, [email protected]