Happy Thanksgiving!

We’ll be shutting down for a good four days for my favorite holiday -  Thanksgiving.  The Chamber offices will be closed Friday, November 27th and we’ll be back at it Monday the 30th.

To you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

And GO BIG RED!!!

Ribbon Cutting: US Cellular

We’d like to welcome US Cellular to the Ord Area Chamber of Commerce.  You can check them out at the Ord Executive Plaza or 308.728. 9911. Welcome aboard!

Economic Development Board Meeting

The Valley County Economic Development Board will be holding their monthly meeting this Wednesday at noon, at the Chamber office.  You can download an agenda here.

A couple items that may be of interest:  the end-of-year sales tax program report, 2010 strategic planning efforts, conversation about potential new promotional tools, and lots of odds and ends.  Hope to see you there!

CCC Update

I’m going to repost our CCC survey as it’ll be a topic of conversation for PartyLine Part II on KNLV radio today (1:30 on 1060 AM)

We need to hear from you:  what classes would you like to see Central Community College offer?  Take the survey here.

Living by small town rules

Gary Vaynerchuk, a wine and social media guru, has an interesting post about what social media is doing to global business:  forcing us to behave as if we live in a small town.  Give the video a look here because it’s well worth your time.  Whoodah thunk treating strangers like a neighbor results in financial gain?  Remember that post on Seth Godin a couple of days ago?  Godin talks at length on the importance of sincere customer service – and we Nebraskans might have a sizable leg up on the competition.

Enjoy the weekend!

Breakdown of the budget cuts

Governor Heineman signed the budget bill provided by the Nebraska legislature today.  Budget cuts across the board are in store for state agencies.  The Unicameral Update has the skinny here and the LJS has a good read here on the news.  A quick breakdown:

LB1, LB2, LB3 and LB4, introduced by Sen. Mike Flood at the request of the governor, were all passed on 47-0 votes. LB5, introduced by the Education Committee, passed 40-7.

• LB1 makes changes to the state’s mainline budget bill by reducing and eliminating various appropriations, reappropriating unexpended funds, increasing and creating certain transfers to the general fund and making across-the-board reductions in agency appropriations of 2.5 percent in fiscal year 2009-10 and 5 percent in FY2010-11;
• LB2 provides for and eliminates certain fund transfers;
• LB3 authorizes transfers outlined in LB1 by inserting language into the statues governing each fund authorizing transfers to the general fund at the direction of the Legislature;
• LB4 appropriates funds to pay for the special session; and
• LB5 adjusts the state aid to schools formula.

From what I’ve read, all the juicy details have yet to be released: where the cuts will take place and how deep. State aid to school formulas have been adjusted, and you can read a bit o’ the details here.

Stay tuned!

Economic Development Board Meeting Minutes

Behold open and transparent government!  Ah, just joshing – we’ve lapsed in our posting of the meeting minutes and rectifying our mistake.  If you like the nitty gritty of organizational business (like I do), then check out our last meeting minutes here.

Customer Service

Seth Godin has a great read on the lifetime value of customers:

Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth. Add to this the additional profit you get from a delighted customer spreading the word–it can easily double or triple the lifetime value.

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Write it down. Post it on the wall. What would happen if you spent 100% of that amount on each of your next ten new customers? That’s more money than you have to spend right now, I know that, but what would happen? Imagine how fast you would grow, how quickly the word would spread.

Chamber Events

All through today, both Cheveux Salon and Professional Eyecare will be hosting open houses for their awesome customers.  Professional Eyecare will be open 8:00 am to 8:00 pm for a patient appreciation open house, with all kinds of refreshments, drawings, special savings and more.

Cheveux will be open from 8:30 – 7:00 pm with refreshments, drawings and free paraffin hand treatments.  Don’t miss out on the hand treatments.

See you out there!

CCC Update

Class time is upon us!  Well, actually not yet, but soon.  We need to hear from you:  what classes would you like to see Central Community College offer?  Take the survey here.

Results will be posted soon!