May 2015 Connect the Dots

PO B

ox 2

897

| Cha

pel H

ill, N

C 2

7515

Conn

ect

the

Dot

s M

ay 2

015

May Events

Host Non-Profi t SpotlightCommunity Home Trust

SUSHI BAR & ASIAN RESTAURANT

9

Hats off to the deserving fi nalists of the Business Excellence Awards:

Micro-Enterprise Business of the Year• Balloons & Tunes• Community Empowerment Fund• i9 Sports

Mid-size Business of the Year presented by Bank of North Carolina• Al’s Burger Shack• Yes! Solar Solutions• Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Large Business of the Year presented by SunTrust• The Carolina Inn• PHE, Inc.• Summit Engineering and Design Services

Non-Profi t of the Year presented by Triangle Community Foundation• Compass Center for Women and Families• TABLE NC• The Walking Classroom Institute

Check the Chamber’s website for the fi nalists for the following six categories: • University Born Business of the Year

• New Business of the Year• CHYP Under 40 Young Professional of the Year• Business Woman of the Year• Community Impact Award• Innovation Award

And fi nd out who wins at the Business Excellence Awards celebration! Party with us at PlayMakers Repertory Company on May 28 as we reveal the winners at an Oscars-meets-business red-carpet affair.

Tickets include a cocktail reception, award ceremony with entertainment, plus trans-portation to and entry to the after-party at The Strowd!

Be seen at the BEAs. For tickets and information visit carolinachamber.org/BEAS

Find more info and register for Chamber events at carolinachamber.org/events

Economic Development & Public Policy Committee Meeting8-9:30 a.m. | Thursday, May 7 | Chamber

Non-Profi t Roundtable11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Wednesday, May 13 Chamber

Community Bocce Derby presented by Piedmont Health3:30-8:30 p.m. | Thursday, May 14 The Farm

Retail Roundtable7:30-8:45 a.m. | Tuesday, May 19 | Chamber

Chapel Hill Young Professionals 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Tuesday, May 19 Fitzgerald’s Irish Pub

Business After Hours 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Thursday, May 21 | Spicy 9

Business Excellence Awards (BEAs) presented by University Mall6:30-9:30 p.m. | Thursday, May 28 PlayMakers Repertory Company

What does economic development mean in Orange County?We are continuing economic development programs that have been successful over the past years such as the promotion of tourism through the Visitors Bureau; grant support of local artists through the Arts Commission; increased support for agricul-tural economic development through the hiring of a full time-professional; support for the Launch incubator; in addition to our primary efforts to recruit and retain businesses.

What are your accomplishments and your goals for this year?I’m grateful for Morinaga picking Orange County, as they serve as an example of an attraction of clean light industry that cre-ates job opportunities. But we’re not going to be a one-hit wonder. We’re going to follow up with other projects like Morinaga, and we’ve actually come quite close several times. We have a strong effort with the hir-ing of a business retention specialist, who is

calling on small businesses and building a searchable database. We’re also providing funding to small business through our grant and loan programs.

What economic development challenges does the county face?We have to get beyond the rhetoric of “what is economic development” and en-sure the conversation includes the recruit-ment of larger businesses that create both net new tax base and job opportunities. Supporting the local business economy is super, but that alone will not put everyone to work and fund both our municipal and county revenue requirements.

(Continued on the next page)

Steve Brantley, Orange County Economic Development Director. Photo Credit: Donn Young.

Sitting Down with SteveChamber staff member Kristen Smith sat down with Orange County Economic Developer Steve Brantley recently to talk about what’s going on in his department and the county.

So many Chamber members are finding great savings on credit card processing with Matt from Infintech. Matt is our dedicated representative, and he’s ready to go to work for you. Quite often you can use your existing equipment, and there’s no need to change your bank. Receive payments online? Infintech can do that too.

Getting a quote to find out just how much you could save is so easy. Contact Matt by phone or email and let him know you would like to receive a quote today - (919) 357-9972 or [email protected].

Don’t Overspend on Credit Card Processing!

ConnectDots A publication of the

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce

2015May When will we have Hi-Chew

manufactured in Orange County?Morinaga [the manufacturer of Hi-Chew candy] is planning to produce 7,000 tons of candy per year. They hope to move into their $48 million factory in July or August of this year.

And that is a sweet piece of news. For more information about Orange County Economic Development, visit growinorangenc.com.

Grant & Loan Funding from Orange County Economic Development

• Business Investment Grant: Small (Up to $1.5K) and Large ($1.5K-$10K)

• Agriculture Economic Development Grant: Small (Up to $1K) and Large ($1K-$10K)

• Small Business Loan Fund for small businesses with less than $3 million in revenues annually

To apply, visit growinorangenc.com.

Save More Money Check out all our money-saving benefits online at carolinachamber.org/m2m

• 1407 East Franklin Street Association (704) 295-6407

• Appointment Friend | (919) 451-7444 appointmentfriend.com

• Cedar Grove Maintenance | (919) 644-1590 cgmnc.com

• Krave | (919) 408-9596 | kravekava.com

• Menchie’s - Patterson Place (919) 402-0027 | menchies.com

• North Carolina Theatre | (919) 831-6941 nctheatre.com

Find more members!Visit our business directory of Chamber members at carolinachamber.org!

New Members