May 2013 150 North Main* Imlay City *MI * 810-724-1361 Upcoming Events Chamber Coffee Chats Wednesday, May 8 8-9am City Offices, 150 North Main Street Join us for the first Chamber Coffee Chat, a quarterly RELAXED gathering where business owners can gather and just chat. The setting will be perfect for you to share ideas that have worked (or not worked) with your business. Hear what fellow business owners have experienced and how they have dealt with the ups and downs of business ownership. Coffee will be served. Lunch N Learn Tuesday, May 14 Noon Frontier Communications 311 South Cedar Street The Chamber will present Marketing, Retailing and Customer Service... on a Shoestring Budget" a program that will explain easy and inexpensive ways to increase a business marketing and improve retailing while offering excellent customer service. The Lunch N Learn will be held at, and is sponsored by, Frontier Communications, 311 South Cedar Street. $5 for members, $7 for nonmembers. Pleaser R.S.V.P. to the Chamber office by Monday, May 13. Entrepreneur Meet Up Tuesday, May 14 5:30pm Countryside Banquet Center The Entrepreneur Meet Up offers a relaxed networking atmosphere that encourages businesses to grow and locate in Imlay City. Our guest speakers will be Chad Myers and Chris Veihl of Mindworks Performance Group. Chad and Chris will introduce ways to make your dreams into business realities. The event is free, appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. Join us and watch your business grow! Please RSVP to the Chamber. Thank you renewing members Dr. Hank Nichols and Dr. Aaron Fisher Country Smoke House North Branch Rent-All Security Credit Union Lapeer County Republican Party Imlay City Manor Imlay City Lions American Legion Post 135 CBC Financial Services Lapeer County Bank & Trust Noffert Dental New Members Ken Hummel Northwestern Mutual 810-790-1363 Somerset Lending Corp. 248-686-3547 O Reilly Auto Parts 810-721-0545 Community Assessment & Town Hall Meeting Thursday, May 15 7:00p.m. City Office, 150 North Main Street With the information gathered from the March Community Assessment seminars, attendees of the May 15 meeting will delve deeper into the new projects and goals discussed at previous meetings. We are looking for community and business members to become involved in the future of Imlay City. If you are interested in attending the event on May 15 please RSVP to the Chamber. In This Newsletter Upcoming Events Page 1 Renewing Members Page 1 New Members Page 1 Blueberry Events Page 2 Chamber Bucks Page 3 Cinco de Mayo Page 4 Member News Page 5
33rd Annual Blueberry Festival, August 2 and 3, 2013 Upcoming Fundraising Events... Little Miss Blueberry May 25, 2013 This beloved event will celebrate its 33rd year in 2013! The Little Miss Pageant showcases young ladies who reside or go to school in Imlay City. The Pageant will be held at the Imlay City High School and begin at 7pm on Saturday, May 25. Tickets are available at the door and are $3. If you are interested in donating a product or gift certificate to the young contestants, please contact the Chamber of Commerce. Golf Outing-4 Person Scramble June 1, 2013 Registration Forms Available by Clicking HERE.
Be Sure to Take Advantage of the Chamber Bucks Program The objective of the Chamber Bucks program is to promote Imlay City Area Chamber of Commerce members and encourage consumers to spend bucks at member businesses. Chamber Bucks is a check that is issued by the Chamber office in any denomination to an individual. The Chamber often gives Chamber Bucks to individuals as prizes; raffles, parade entrees, contest winners, etc. This year alone the Chamber has distributed over $200 in Chamber Bucks. That is $200 back into our member businesses! Chamber Bucks can be redeemed at any participating member s business. A complete and up-to-date listing is available on the Chamber s website, www.imlaycitymich.com, and on a list given to the recipient of the Chamber Bucks. It is easy to participate and there is no charge to a business that accepts Chamber Bucks. A customer may buy or receive as a prize or gift a Chamber Bucks check, which they would then present to a participating chamber member for payment of product or service. Participating member businesses who are presented with a Chamber Bucks check from a customer accept these checks as cash for purchase. Upon receiving a Chamber Bucks check, the business would endorse the check along with the customer signing the back of the check. The business may deposit the check into its bank account like a regular check. The business account will be credited the amount of the Chamber Bucks check just like a regular check. Thank you members who accept Chamber Bucks. Want to join these fellow members and take advantage of this FREE program? Contact the Chamber of Commerce. Creations Floral Country Smoke House The Learning Depot/ Michigan Business Products Champion Entertainments Imlay City Hall (payment of taxes, water bills, etc.) Focus Studio Trendsetters Salon Bee Gee s Family Shoes Nacho s Taco House Imlay City Veterinary Clinic Parsch s Automotive Service PartyLite Candles (located with in Focus Studio) Goodwill Industries of Mid-Michigan, Imlay City location Lapeer County Vision Center Imlay City Lube Center Imlay City Home Goods StudioE Photography Kelly s Pet Salon Pawn King Mortimer Lumber Jet s Pizza Imlay City Florist Tri-City Times Cedar lanes/ Tip-C s
Thank You to All Who Participated in the 2013 Cinco de Mayo Festival on Saturday, May 4. Did you know. 600 people attended the 2nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival Sponsorship for the event was up 40% People travelled from Rochester and Sterling Heights to participate in the Dog Contests sponsored by Kelly s Pet Salon Most of the entertainers who performed during the festival reside in Imlay City. The others live within a 70 mile radius of Imlay City Over 50% of the supplies and services necessary for the festival were purchased from Chamber members Thank you sponsors Hispanic Service Center Nacho s Taco House Trendsetters Salon First Congregational United Church of Christ Jalisco s Brookwood Bakery of Almont Chris Wagner Churchill Insurance Agency Ron Gray Edward Jones Kitty s Place Ruiz Taqueria Ruiz Discoteca Champion Bus
Member News... Spotlight on New Member Ken Hummel Northwestern Mutual 810-790-1363 Northwestern Mutual specializes in holistic planning for personal, small business management and corporate executive benefits. Areas of expertise include persona/business risk management, retirement planning, estate planning, business continuation planning and employee and executive benefit planning. Garage Sale Mania Join in on the fun and look for treasures throughout Imlay City on May 9-11. Maps are now available at the Imlay City branch of Lapeer County Bank & Trust located at 1875 South Cedar Street. For more information, please contact Lapeer County Bank & Trust at 810-586-1965. Happy Hunting! The Imlay City Chamber of Commerce has a Facebook page. Like us on Facebook by searching for Imlay City Area Chamber of Commerce. When member businesses post announcements or information, the Chamber can share it on our profile page so the general public can learn of your business and events.