The Longview Chamber of Commerce annual community magazine, Uniquely Longview has a new trick up its sleeve this year. In addition to all of the good information on community events, services and features of interest, this year’s focus has been on the popular activity, Geocache hunting or “Geocaching.” Tying the fun of hunting for hidden caches, some as small or smaller than a pill box, into the many treasures Longview has for visitors and residents, an official hunt has been planned that invites all comers far and near. Who will win the grand prize, a fabulous “Staycation.” Staycation is a term coined to described the activity of taking a break and doing vacation activities without leaving your home town or at least not going very far. Staycationers often leave their home and stay for a weekend in a local hotel, eat in restaurants and take in some of the many attractions that too often are overlooked in a regular daily routine. One Grand Prize for being first to solve all the designated hidden caches is a Stacation, with hotel stay at Longview’s Homewood Suites by Hilton plus tickets to local events and dinner for two at Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard and Winery. After the Grand Prize is claimed there remain 100 attractive and Official Commemorative Coins from the hunt. The collecting of coins is a very popular activity among the avid geocachers. The contest will continue until all coins have been claimed. To help get the work out, a QR code has been placed in Uniquely Longview and on a flyer that will help smart phone users connect to the website that also has the rules and information about the Uniquely Longview Geocache Hunt. The Longview Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau is managing the hunt and they hope to spread the work out far and wide to pull visitors into Longview.
Posts Tagged ‘Business Builder
Promoting our members is one of the core competencies of the Longview Chamber of Commerce. Recently, we kicked off a new strategy called Longview’s Business Chronicles to help promote Shop & Dine in Longview.
This week we are featuring Blue Jean Baby, Longview’s newest children’s boutique, offering a variety of boys and girls clothing lines as well as custom embroidery. Blue Jean Baby also makes hospital door wreaths, bows, tutu sets, burp cloths and much more. As an added customer benefit they offer FREE hospital delivery on gifts as well as baby registry services.
Sierra Ray, owner, of Blue Jean Baby understands that customer service is key to any successful business model. Businesses that are willing to go the extra mile are noticed and talked about! Customer loyalty is built on consistency and genuine appreciation. At Blue Jean Baby we are committed to providing that service. Also, finding our niche’ in the market place has helped set us apart from others. For Blue Jean Baby that niche is free hospital deliveries.
When the Chamber staff visited with Sierra about what advice she would give to someone starting a new business, it was to have an accountant help you walk through the process. Do your research, except the unexpected and be protective of your business plan. Sierra believes joining the Chamber will open new doors through the networking opportunities. Being involved in the community is also important to me, she explained. As a member of the Longview Chamber I can accomplish both goals; meeting new people and become engaged.
Blue Jean Baby is conveniently located at 1017 N. 4th Street, in Longview, Texas just one block north of the Mud Hut. Hours: Monday-Friday 9a-5p & Saturday 10a-2p.
Promoting our members is one of the core competencies of the Longview Chamber of Commerce. Recently, we kicked off a new strategy called Longview’s Business Chronicles to help promote Shop & Dine in Longview.
This week’s business feature is on Sweet Treats and Gifts. They offer a variety of sweet goods. As the only candy store in our community, they are the only store that offers 24 flavors of Jelly Belly’s, 18 flavors of saltwater taffy, a Pucker Powder Machine with 12 flavors, novelty candies, Zots, 6 flavors of Pop Rocks, 11 flavors of caramel/chocolate apples that be dipped into just about any candy, and a line of gourmet chocolates.
Owners Belinda Freeman and Teresa Boyce credit the Small Business Development Center, research and finding a preceptor for their success. “The SBDC can guide you in the right direction. They have a wealth of knowledge and know where to guide you in the community.” Teresa stated.
Belinda and Teresa said that they joined the Chamber because the Chamber’s vision reiterates their own values, “To be recognized as an effective resource, provide relevant, innovative and impactful programming that ensures a healthy business climate and an enhanced quality of life for Longview.” They cannot wait to jump into the knowledge and experience the Chamber has to offer because they see that one day they can give those experiences back to others.
If you are looking for shop that offers an array of sweets and exceptional treats, stop by Sweet Treats and Gifts. They are located in the French Quarter shopping center beside Starbucks.
Sweet Treats and Gifts is open Tuesday – Thursday: 10:00am to 6:00pm and Friday – Saturday: 10:00am to 7:00pm.
Sweet Treats
409 W Loop 281, Suite 102
Longview, TX 75605
Sweettreatsgifts.com
Promoting our members is one of the core competencies of the Longview Chamber of Commerce. Recently, we are kicked off a new strategy called Longview’s Business Chronicles to help promote Shop & Dine in Longview.
This week’s business feature is on Cheeburger Cheeburger with owners Cammy Altmen and Jada Beaver owners. Cheeburger Cheeburger opened in 2011. One of their first objectives was to join the Chamber so they could be part of the community.
We want to be a GREAT corporate citizen by giving back to the community. One of the ways we plan to do that is by helping non-profits fundraise. We will donate 15% of our sales to your cause. We are hoping more non-profits will contact us at 903-663-8600 to get more information.
Altem and Beaver’s explained they had wanting to open a family type restaurant for Longview for some time. They explored franchise’s that met their personal vision of what they wanted to see in Longview. When they discovered CCB the corporate values is what ultimately drove the decision. Again one of the key factors for choosing CCB was because they encourage franchises to be part of the community.
Diana Northcutt asked Altmen and Beaver’s what advice they have for entrepreneurs looking to start a business. Good solid planning is important. Become informed about the franchise choices. Write a business plan. Take advantage of the services with Small Business Development’s Center. They also stated, do not give up and do your business locally.
What Makes Cheeburger Cheeburger Different? Each one sets us apart and optimizes each of our core products. Which are, and always will be, burgers, fries, rings, and shakes, the casual “comfort” food America loves. We are unwavering in our insistence on the highest quality ingredients and raw products. Our beef is always fresh, never frozen, direct from the processor, not a middle man. It’s lean all-natural Angus beef with nothing added. Nothing artificial. No chemicals. We buy, use and serve brand names. Even down to the smallest individual serving packs for Take-out.
Quality is one cornerstone of our success. No one ever leaves one of our restaurants hungry. Everything is bigger than expected. Our pounder is actually a huge 20 ounces before cooking. Take a look at the weight before cooking on each of our burgers (it’s right on our menu). And you’ll find that our “Big is Better” motto holds true for our portions of fries, rings, shakes, salads…everything we serve. Our serving sizes and quality add up to value that is unmatched. We cook everything to order. It takes a few extra minutes, but we would rather have a customer wait for great food than have great food waiting around for a customer. There is no central commissary or kitchen. Virtually everything we offer is made from scratch, daily, right in each of our restaurants. Our famous fries are cut from huge Idaho potatoes, cured, adhering to an exacting process, and at the right time, cooked in cholesterol-free peanut oil. Our rings are cut from colossal onions, dipped in our special batter and also cooked in tasty, cholesterol-free peanut oil.
At Cheeburger Cheeburger, a customer can invent his or her own taste. Their very own “Signature” Cheeburger. They can select from Jalapeno peppers, chopped garlic, guacamole, roasted red peppers…and, of course, typical toppings too, like tomato, and onion plus at least six quality cheeses. And they can get these free toppings on grilled chicken, grilled cheese, or on their salads.
If you have not been to Cheeburger Cheeburger you and your family need to stop in and give it a try. You can find them in the strip center by Lowe’s on Fourth St.
Cheeburger Cheeburger
3407 N Fourth St Ste 101
Longview, TX 75605 (903) 663-8600
Chamber Leaders Attend Training
The US Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 2011 Regional Conference in Chicago beginning today, October 5 through the 7th. President, Kelly Hall and Board Member, Tim Vaughn will be representing the Longview Chamber. The US Chamber has put together an action packed agenda while securing top notch speakers such as Andy Card, former Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, who will discuss the need to reduce regulations that are crushing job growth.
This year’s conference also features a half-day track dedicated to communications and messaging. Vaughn and Hall will be taking courses on traditional policy/grassroots and communications/messaging where they will focus on communications resources to broaden awareness about the issues impacting the economy, business, and job creation. The communications track will also provide hands-on training on how to more powerfully and effectively deliver your chamber’s message. This type of training is invaluable explained Hall. This is a terrific opportunity for us to expand our skills and improve our effectiveness through local outreach.
Often time’s business leaders and elected officials ask why is the Chamber involved in advocacy … my response is as follows said Hall; the way the world does business is changing – what doesn’t change is the need to represent the interests of business with government. Advocacy was one of the first things the Founding Fathers of our nation sought to protect. The first amendment to the Constitution makes very clear that petitioning the government is an important right that should not be taken away. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Businesses must play to make sure they are in the game and influencing the outcome. With the Longview Chamber’s broad base of members and the resources that we are equipped with, the Longview Chamber is the perfect conduit to serve and represent the Voice of Business to key decision makers.
Connecting leaders and influencing decisions is a natural role for Chambers of Commerce. We are the only entity in our community that represents business of all sizes, industries, and stages. This gives Chambers a unique market niche to be the leading voice on public policy. Chambers are able to harness the collective power or their membership and join them together as one voice to influence outcomes in government. There probably is no more important function for Chambers than to be the voice for business in their community.
The bottom-line is our members want to be profitable and stay competitive. Who better to be on their side than the Chamber? Our organization has the strategic political insight, timely knowledge of business issues, knows all the players, and can we be a positive force to promote business interests with government. Our Chamber’s collective clout helps keep business taxes and regulations in line. When YOUR Chamber focuses on politics and policy, members can take care of running their companies!
Longview’s Elected Officials:
U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Congressman Louie Gohmert
Texas State Senator Kevin Eltife and State Representative David Simpson
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Chamber President Kelly Hall was recently appointed to the U.S Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 by John Ruan III, Chairman of the Board. The Chamber 100 is made up of the country’s leading chamber of commerce chief staff executives. Their primary function is as the advisory body for the U.S. Chamber dealing with matters related to state and local chambers of commerce.
“These experienced leaders provide advice to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce board of directors, enhance Chamber lobbying and coalition work, recommend programming, and strengthen outreach to the business and chamber community, said Ruan. “Having CEO’s like Kelly provides us with the expert help and advice needed to assist the U.S. Chamber to better understand the needs of chambers of commerce and can offer recommendations on programs and services to meet those needs.” Members of the committee attend two meetings each year. These events deliver leadership development through high-impact seminars with business experts and leading authors, discussion on pressing policy issues, and CEO-to-CEO breakout sessions.
Being appointed to the Committee of 100 is a great privilege explained Hall. Being part of such a dynamic group will benefit our members and community. Longview will now have a stronger voice in identifying emerging issues that will impact our chambers members at a national level.
Hall also serves on the Transportation Infrastructure and Logistics Committee for the U.S. Chamber. This committee is comprised of executives representing transportation providers and users, and is the primary policy-originating body for the U.S. Chamber in the area of transportation infrastructure. The committee’s jurisdiction includes policy, regulatory and financing issues related to aviation, surface transportation, and ports, and inland waterways. In addition to setting the policy agenda, the committee serves as an important forum for networking and education for our members. Hall addressed the committee as part of a rail panel on the importance of higher speed rail in 2010.
On February 1, 2009 the Longview Chamber in conjunction with Jackson-Lloyd Insurance Management launched “Sensible Solution”. “Sensible Solution” was designed to protect the business interests of the membership by providing real occupational health insurance protection in an affordable way to any size business. “Sensible Solution” has become one of two GREAT benefits offered to members.
The second insurance plan launched on July 1, 2010, “ChamberChoice Health Savings Plan”. Chamber members with 1-99 employees now has access to several differentUnitedHealthcare health plan options – at prices that fit most budgets. In addition, businesses that enroll withUnitedHealthcare through this partnership will receive a 7 percent discount on select medical plans and have an option for saving 5 percent on their bundled dental and vision plans. Plus, businesses and employees who enroll in the ChamberChoice Health Savings Plan will also have access toUnitedHealthcare’s nationwide health care provider network of more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals, and 5,000 hospitals.
With both insurance plans, businesses have the ability to choose their desired level of coverage. The goal of The Longview Chamber is to provide members with insurance choices that helps their bottom line with lower premium payments as well as a vehicle for controlling claims costs. Most especially, the members have asked for and will now receive a product that will reduce their operating costs while protecting the Longview economic base.
“Sensible Solutions” and “ChamberChoice” are products which provide members with a superior options to protect and retain employees. Plus, these tools keeps our healthcare treatment at home while providing quality care and convenience and keeping our dollars local!
For more information about these programs you can visit http://www.longviewchamber.com or contact Kelly Hall at the Chamber, 903-237-4004 or president@longviewtx.com.
Cautious optimism remains in place for the Longview economy as unemployment numbers continue to be below state and national averages coupled with another strong monthly sales tax report from the State Comptroller’s office. Yesterday, the Texas Labor Market Information services released their latest report for the Longview MSA. Unemployment is at 6.7% compared to the State ’s 7.9% and US’s 8.7%. Mining, Logging and Construction experienced a 9.4% growth rate compared to the same time last year. Manufacturing reflected a 3.8% increase with Professional and Business Services at 3.7%.
The Longview Chamber builds hundreds of relocation packet for member companies to aid in their recruitment process stated Kelly Hall, President/CEO. Over the past 60 days we have seen the volume of relocation packets increase immensely compared to the same time last year. HR teams from several sectors have requested high volumes of relo packets for their recruitment efforts.
Additional good news comes from WIRED Magazine. Adam Davidson did an article recently on “The Emerging Epicenters of High Tech Industry”. He created a map utilizing the Cluster Mapping Project at Harvard Business School. The provides the top 20 job-creating areas for the following fields: Plastics, Chemicals, Automotive, Aerospace vehicles, Information technology, Biopharma, Metal manufacturing, Communication technology, Medical technology, Analytical instruments, and Electrical equipment. Eastman Chemical of Longview Texas is spotlighted at http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/05/ff_jobsclustermap/. Davidson reports Eastman dominates the chemical industry in Longview, an area spread over 3 counties in East Texas. The company produces more than 40 products but ethyl acetate NF – solvent also used in pharmaceutical production and cosmetics – is as Longview specialty (even comes in kosher variety).
Longview Texas economic recovery continues to outpace the state and country. If you would like to share more good news about your companies growth patterns in Longview please contact Kelly Hall at president@longviewtx.com.
Longview chamber given a five-star accreditation – KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |
The United States Chamber of Commerce today awarded the Longview Chamber of Commerce with 5-Star Accreditation for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures, and positive impact on the community.
“Accreditation validates a chamber as having programs that benefit their local economy and for positively influencing action in their community,” said Raymond P. Towle, IOM, CAE, U.S. Chamber Executive Director of Political Affairs and Federation Relations. “We applaud these organizations for advancing the principles of free enterprise.”
Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement. In order to receive Accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs, and technology. This extensive self-review can take 6-9 months to complete.
See KLTV’s Interview on the importance of being an accredited Chamber.
http://www.kltv.com/story/14870228/longview-chamber-given-a-five-star-accreditation
Local chambers are rated Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars, or 5-Stars. State chambers are recognized as either Accredited State Chamber or Accredited State Chamber with Distinction. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
Vision Statement: To be recognized as an effective resource, providing relevant, innovative, and impactful programming that ensures a healthy business climate and an enhanced quality of life for Longview and Gregg County.
Mission Statement: To enhance economic growth of the Longview trade area by focusing on education, promotion, and development of the business community, and those areas of the community affecting business.
CORE VALUES
Strengthening our Local Economy
Promoting the Community
Providing Networking Opportunities
Representing the Interest of Business with Government
Developing Community Leaders
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a final regulation aimed at controlling large health insurance premium increases. The rule, which was issued on May 19, 2011, provides that:
- Rate increases of 10 percent or more by insurers in the small group and individual markets must be reviewed by state or federal officials.
- Insurance companies will be required to justify significant rate increases and provide information to consumers about the reasons for the increases.
- Grandfathered plans and excepted benefits (such as separate dental-only and vision-only plans) do not have to meet these requirements.
This The Ward Agency Legislative Brief provides a summary of the HHS final rule, which is effective Sept. 1, 2011. For a copy of the rule, see www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2011-12631_PI.pdf.
BACKGROUND
Under health care reform, HHS was required to establish a process for the annual review of “unreasonable increases in premiums for health insurance coverage.” The reform statute provides that the process must require health insurance issuers to submit justifications for unreasonable premium increases to HHS and the applicable state prior to the implementation of the increases.
The final rule implements section 2794 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), which was added by section 1003 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
It establishes the requirements for health insurance issuers offering health insurance coverage in the small group or individual markets to report information concerning unreasonable rate increases to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It also sets the process for determining whether the rate increases are unreasonable.
FINAL RULE
Applicability
The final rule regarding rate increases applies to insurers in the small group and individual markets. However, it does not apply to grandfathered health plan coverage or to excepted benefits. Excepted benefits include things like liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, limited scope dental or vision benefits, long-term care or nursing home benefits and hospital indemnity insurance.
Source: The Ward Agency
