Produced by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce

Connection
Chamber
Business OppOrtunity COmmunity Heritage
has rolled up his sleeves and physically worked with organizations to produce results in efficiency, productivity, profit, leadership and service. He will speak about guaranteed ways to create a culture of excellence in both your personal and professional life. We will recognize outgoing Chair, Michelle Bennett (SME CPAs) and welcome our incoming Chairman, Jon Dawkins (Chickfil-A North Augusta). The anticipated and honored 2012 Citizen of the Year Award will be revealed as well as the 2012 Ambassador of the Year Award, recognizing the hard work and dedication of one of the chambers greatest assets, our volunteers. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Individual member tickets are $45 and $400 for a corporate table of eight (8). Non-member tickets are $65. Reservations may be made by calling the Chamber at 803-279-2323 or Rick Grandinetti registering online under events at www. northaugustachamber.org.

February 2013

The Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce advocates for the business community and provides opportunities for business engagements and growth.

Our missiOn

annual Meeting & banquet Coming up

Creating a Culture of excellence
The Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce will hold its Annual Meeting & Banquet on Thursday, February 7, at 6pm at the North Augusta Community Center. The keynote speaker will be Rick Grandinetti. Grandinetti is a national speaker, consultant and author of Succeed Inside the Box. Since 1989 Rick

BOard Of direCtOrs
EXECuTIVE COMMITTEE
Jon Dawkins Chair Chick-fil-a Michelle Bennett Past Chair Serotta Maddocks Evans & Co. CPAs Rodney Ingle Treasurer Southern Bank & Trust

annual Meeting Sponsors: Presenting: Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Signature: Cytec Industries, SRP Federal Credit Union Premier: Bridgestone Firestone, Georgia Regents University, Savannah River Remediation Wall of Fame: AT&T, Security Federal Bank, The Star/Aiken Standard, WFXG-TV Fox 54 Small business: Chick-fil-A North Augusta, SME CPAs

DIRECTORS
Paul Brewer Past Chair WFXG-TV Bernard Kitchens Bridgestone Firestone Bill Hixon Hixon Realty & Ins. Co. Rechelle Dallas The Star Susan Everitt Goodwill Industries Brett Turner Rhodes Financial Michelle Jones Ga-Lina Physical Therapy Patricia Allen Savannah River Remediation, LLC Kevin Toole First Citizens Don Goggans Austin Industrial Shelley Craft Mens Refinery Barberspa Ken Kehr The Growth Coach

Oh, the things you need to know...

Credit Union and their President of 25 years, Mr. Ed Templeton. Mr. Templeton shared the complexities of the financial system and things you need to be aware of when utilizing your credit cards and banking information in this growing cyber world. Mr. Templeton encouraged everyone to pay closer attention to their accounts and not get too relaxed with the passage of time. He said that often times those individuals who unlawfully collect account information will hold on to the

Ed Templeton

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Todd Glover City of North Augusta Ray Fleming Aiken Co. School Board Will Williams Economic Development Partnership

Networking at its best

UniHealth PostAcute Care hosted the Business After Hours at their facility located at 1200 Talisman Drive in North Augusta on January 17. The air was filled with great tunes by Bill Karp Jazz and savory smells of the amazing food prepared by UniHealths dietician. Members had an opportunity to engage and build promising relationships. Thank you so much to Heather Summers and the entire team at UniHealth for a great event.
Brett Turner and Terra Carroll pause for a picture Thursday during the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours gathering, at UniHealth PostAcute Care. Photo by Bill Bengtson

If you attended the January A.M. Connection you surely heard about Things You Need to Know, but Probably Never Think About. That was the platform for the breakfast presentation given by presenting sponsor SRP Federal

information for a year or more before attempting to use. SRP Federal Credit Union takes great pride in the security measures that are in place to protect their members. When information is compromised, SRP takes on the cost and reissues credit/bank cards to members to close the gap on illegal activity to their accounts. Good Things Happen at SRP. For more information about protecting your assets, visit their website at Pictured from L to R: Rev. Nancy Kenney, Wardens Bill Bargeloh and Bill Means, and Rev. Rob Hartley (Senior www.srpfcu.org.
Pastor)

Congratulations to the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity on their January 10th Dedication and Ribbon

riBBOn Cutting

Cutting Ceremony. The church is located in the Sweetwater Center at 160 Merovan Drive, North Augusta.

406 West Avenue PO Box 6246 North Augusta, S.C. 29861 VOICE: 803.279.2323 FAX: 803.279.0003 E-MAIL/WEBSITE: northaugustachamber.org
Terra Carroll, President Terra@northaugustachamber.org Lee Perry, GRU Augusta Intern Admin@northaugustachamber.org

COntaCt infOrmatiOn

Talking shop (with some help from a cell phone) are Bronwyn Young, left, and Sean Murphy, during the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours gathering, at UniHealth Post-Acute Care. Photo by Bill Bengtson

Pictured together during the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, sponsored by UniHealth Post-Acute Care are Nancy Karp, left, Bill Karp, Lee Perry and Rechelle Dallas. Photo by Bill Bengtson

Page 2 February 2013

North Augusta Chamber of Commerce

EVENTS
February 7 Annual Meeting, 6pm Creating a Culture of Excellence Speaker: Rick Grandinetti, Succeed Inside the Box March 14 Women in Business Luncheon, 1130am Finding Financial Balance March 27 AM Connection, 715am FBLA: Partnership with Business Project April 16 Health Fair 11am 2pm April 24 AM Connection, 715am Leadership North Augusta

Upcoming

News from Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina

With the economy down, small employers are looking for ways to save money. The last thing you should squeeze is your employee benefits. Thats why BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has flexibility and more affordability in its line of health plans for businesses and individuals. True Blue is a team effort between the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce and BlueCross that is only available to Chamber members. True Blue offers several options, including Business True BlueSM for the most choice and flexibility; Business True BlueSM Value Plans, which are priced 1530 percent below our standard plans; and Personal True BlueSM, an individual plan exclusively for Chamber members. Here are three great reasons why you could benefit by choosing True Blue: Around the corner and around the world, BlueCross is recognized as the very best in health care coverage. BlueCross members have the peace of mind knowing that no matter where they are, BlueCross is there, too. Theres more to a health plan than a schedule of benefits. Theres the cost savings you get from BlueCross negotiated discounts whether its paying lower coinsurance amounts when you visit network doctors, or enjoying value-added programs and services not covered under your regular health plan. Additionally, the True Blue Value Plans offer lower premiums and are only available to Chamber members. Providers, plans even premiums those are just a few of the choices you have with True Blue. BlueCross Preferred Blue network is the largest in the state, and BlueCard offers access to providers around the country. True Blue offers several plan designs including high deductible health plans (HDHP) with health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement account (HRA) funding arrangements, or even a dual option, which lets your employees choose between any two Business True Blue plans. And you can practically design your premium by selecting the deductible, coinsurance and copayment structure thats right for your business and your bottom line. Offering a complete benefits package like Business True Blue can help you attract quality employees and keep the employees you already have. Plus, when employees have access to health care coverage, they may stay healthier and stay on the job instead of staying at home sick. And Personal True Blue is perfect for a sole proprietor or any individual who does not qualify for a group health plan. For more information about Business True Blue or Personal True Blue, visit www.SouthCarolinaBlues. com/ineedinsurance, call 1-800-641-2977, or email chamber.response@bcbssc. com. Adapting to todays financial pressures can be tough but with True Blue, adapting your health coverage is not only easy its affordable.

News from SCORE

reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once a year. Review your personal credit report and score to ensure you are in good credit standing, Fingersh says. Until a solid business credit profile is established, lenders may ask you to provide a personal guarantee on the loan. And just because youve had credit problems in the past doesnt mean your small business loan is doomed. Veteran entrepreneur and SCORE counselor Steve Boom recommends explaining the problem and how you resolved it in your business plan, then being prepared to answer any questions the lender may have. Working to correct the problem may well work in your favor, Bloom adds. Its also important to remember that while an existing small business may have a good history of paying its bills, the owner must still present a solid case when applying for a new loan or line of credit to support growth or expansion. Potential red flags that might influence how a loan application is evaluated include: The presence of derogatory public records, such as collections, liens, judgments and bankruptcies. An increased trend in slow payment of obligations. An increase in the number of business credit inquiries or applications generated by the business or the owner. Need more help about credit and other small business issues? Contact

New Members
Dale G. Slack Duraclean Systems of North Augusta Tom Young State Senate Universal Plumbing, Inc.

Renewing Members
A.B. Beverage Co. Inc. Aiken County Government Aiken County Public Schools Aiken Technical College AT&T Cranston Engineering Group, P.C. Donsbach & King, LLC Edward Jones Investments Briton Williams Hixon Insurance & Realty Company J.M. Jones Construction, LLC Keeper of the Ark Home and Pet Sitting Matt Nieman Insurance Agency, Inc. NHC HealthCare, North Augusta Drs. Owings, Sam, & Owings, Dentistry Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC The Star TTX Company SRD-Hamburg WRDW-TV News 12 Zier Law Firm

Good credit has always has been important for entrepreneurs. But in todays economy, building and maintaining a strong business credit score is essential for accessing both start-up and growth capital. What should an aspiring entrepreneur do to establish small business credit during the planning and start-up process? Adam Fingersh, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Experian, one of the worlds leading consumer and business credit reporting services, offers these tips: Make sure you can meet your current credit obligations prior to taking on more debt. One of the biggest factors in maintaining a healthy credit profile is paying bills on time, Fingersh says. Maintain low balances on personal credit cards and other revolving credit programs, particularly if your proposed business will be a sole proprietorship. Look for smallbusiness lenders or vendors that report small-business payment history information to the major business credit reporting agencies. Because personal credit history will figure prominently in the loan evaluation process, its important to first know your own credit score. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can request a free copy of your credit report from the nationwide consumer

Make Sure Your Credit Measures Up

SCORE at the Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce at 279-2323 or the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce at 641-1111

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