Cullen McCarty, President of Smithville Digital, will speak at this month’s TEN meeting.  The meeting will be held on Friday, March 14th from 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. at the Visitors Center.

On Friday, April 11th Ron Brumbarger, President and CEO of BitWise Solutions, will speak at The Entrepreneurial Network meeting at the Visitors Center from 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Ron will be presenting on Marketing in the 21st Century and helpful tips to bring your company up to speed. BitWise Solutions is an Indiana Web design and development company with a history of partnering with clients to provide measurable results through Web-based technology.

We all know how important support staff is and we all know they work really hard – so Administrative Professionals Week is set-up to honor and thank the people in those roles. The Chamber would like to help your honor and thank your Administrative Staff with a lunch on Tuesday, April 22nd at 11:30am at the Duke Energy building on Central Avenue.

The Best Companies Join Chambers of Commerce? Chris Mead

The best places to work tend to belong to their local chamber of commerce, according to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). Of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" in the United States and Canada this year, 94 are members of their local chamber, including all of the top 24.

"Why do you do what you do?" Great question!  People buy for emotional reasons, it isn't about products and services or features versus functions. It's about YOU and what keeps you excited about the business you're building. It's your story, your most unique selling position. Like snowflakes each person's story is different and beautiful in its own way.

Calling all Chamber members! Do you offer a member-to-member discount for your company's products or services? If so, we want to hear from you. Did you know that the Chamber website has a Member Market where you can post exclusive member-to-member discounts to better inform Chamber members of the products and services that you offer?
If you would like to offer a member-to-member discount, please contact Valerie Chowning at (812) 379-4457 or vchowning@columbusareachamber.com.

When it comes to business, you have a choice on who you do business with. Do you utilize businesses that give back to the community? Chamber Members distinguish themselves from others by making a commitment to Columbus.  New members who joined last quarter include:

Rebekah Walsh, Vice President and Private Banking Officer at Salin Bank.  When asked why she enjoys being a Chamber volunteer, Rebekah said: 

Good Listening, Good Networking Hazel Walker

Good networking takes good listening.  Unfortunately, most people believe that good networking is telling everyone about himself or herself.  What good is word of mouth if nobody is listening?

How can you market to and network with over 250 professional women in the Columbus area all in one day? Easy, take advantage on the many sponsorship opportunities at the Chamber’s Women’s Professional Development Conference to be held on October 27th.

The keynote speaker will be Patricia Martin, author of Rengen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer - and What It Means to Your Business. Here’s a little about her...

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Edward Jones ranked among the top five companies overall and No. 2 among large companies in FORTUNE magazine's 2008 "100 Best Places to Work For in America" ranking. In its Feb. 4, 2008, edition, FORTUNE cites Edward Jones for having the best benefit options for work-life balance.

April 11