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Volume 13, Edition 1/2

News & Views

5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce

January/February, 2013

In this Issue:
NEW YEAR, NEW OUTLOOK, NEW PROGRAMS, & SOME NEW IDEAS!
2013 Brings new possibilities and ideas for business in the North Country

Business After Hours at USO on Ft. Drum!

Costume Party, Dress in your 1940s Attire!!!... SEE PAGE 3

Business of the Year Luncheon

Save the Date for the Business of the Year Luncheon, Black River Valley Club, March 6, 11:30-1:00pm

SAVE THE DATE! JOB & CAREER EXPO!

Save the Date for the 2013 Job & Career Expo, April 4, 11:00-5:00pm

Business of the Year Passes are On Sale... Only $80!! Reserve by emailing: events@watertownny.com

Interested in Sponsoring the Newsletter for 2013 ONLY $ 30 per month

Save the Date for the Armed Forces Luncheon May 15, 11:30am-2:30pm

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The Presidents Perspective

to meet the needs of our members and our community. So be watching for our newsletter as we move from digital to print and back again! We will integrate social media with good ole fashion print! We hosted our 2013 Economic Forecast Speaker Series on January 31, 2013 and we hit a record number with attendance with over 100 attendees. This event has been a longstanding partnership with the Watertown Daily Times and NNY Business Magazine. We were fortunate to have Don Alexander, CEO of the JCIDA as moderator and our panelist included: Cyril Mouaikel, Sr. VP Private Client Group and Branch Manager of RBC Wealth Management; Michael Arcuri, Counsel in the Litigation and Corporate Practices at Hancock Estabrook LLP and former US Congressman, 20072010; Nick Verbanic, VP of Nottingham Advisors, a Subsidiary of Community Bank, NA; and Anthony G. Collins, Ph.D. , President of Clarkson University and Co-Chairman North Country Regional Economic Development Council. As always we are looking for ways to improve and welcome any suggestions or input that as organization we can improve upon. On behalf of myself and all the Chamber Staff- May this year be prosperous in so many ways and we look forward to working with our community!

Happy New Year! The Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce is excited to begin the New Year and have so much to look forward to! 2013 will be led by our new Strategic Plan, which will provide many new options to members! One major change is the newsletter we are always looking for new and innovative ways

Lynn M. Pietroski President & CEO

Welcome Tom Brennan, Spring Drive Graphics 2013 Chairman of the Board
and welcome to the 2013 Board of Directors...
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Tom Brennan Spring Drive Graphics 32487 NYS Route 12 Depauville, NY 13632 (315) 686-6110, FAX: (315) 686-4058 tom_brennan@cadfs.com

SECRETARY/TREASURER
Beth Mac Northern Federal Credit Union 120 Factory Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 779-3106, FAX: (315) 779-3383 bmac@northernfcu.com

Class of 2012
David Clark General Dynamics Information Technology Battle Command Training Center/ Bldg 990 22415 Riverbend Drive East Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 772-6325, FAX: (315) 773-2921 david.j.clark@us.army.mil Mike Colello Frontenac Crystal Springs Inc. PO Box 328 37095 County Route 4 Clayton, NY 13624 (315) 686-4142, FAX: (315) 686-2963 mcolello@twcny.rr.com

Class of 2013
Stevie Smith Transitional Living Services of NNY 482 Black River Parkway Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-1777 x 1017 FAX: (315) 785-8628 ssmith@tlsnny.com John Johnson Watertown Daily Times 260 Washington Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 661-2304, FAX: (315) 661-2523 jbj@wdt.net Carole McCoy Jefferson Community College 1220 Coffeen Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 786-2230, FAX: (315) 786-0158 cmccoy@sunyjefferson.edu

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Lynne Ferris Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall LLP 407 Sherman Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 788-5100, FAX: (315) 788-3463 lferris@cmbk.com

1st VICE CHAIR

Jill Parker City Electric 23763 NYS Route 12 Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-0704, FAX: (315) 782-1183 jparker@cityelectricweb.com

2nd VICE CHAIR

Mark Gaines Stephens Media Group 134 Mullin Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 788-0790, FAX: (315) 788-4379 mark.gaines@smgny.com

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New Member Profiles

Better Healthcare Chiropractic of Watertown PLLC Renee Petitto 21101 State Rte 12 F Suite 5 Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-0440 reneepetitto@gmail.com www.drtomm.com Providing evidence-based Chiropractic care. In addition to various chiropractic adjustments, treatments may include techniques to specific soft tissues that will increase joint mobility. Sweet Pea Farm Michelle Stephens 33761 Lamb Rd Carthage, NY 13619 (315) 489-3697 sweetpeafarmny@yahoo.com www.sweetpeafarmny.com We are a small family owned farm with a mission to bring a healthy and fun variety of produce and flowers to our community. We want to encourage people and children especially to eat healthier with fun and colorful varieties of produce, and farm fresh chicken and duck eggs. We also raise Olde English Southdown Babydoll Sheep registered through NABSSAR. Whether you are looking for pets, an organic fertilizer and weeder for your vineyard or garden, or some wool production for spinning or felting these sheep will delight your heart with their smiling faces!

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Off The Beatin Path Gift Shop Christine Ryan Bldg 10502 Heritage Center South Riva Ridge Loop Fort Drum, NY 13602 (315) 774-0253 otbpgiftshop@gmail.com We are a non profit specialty retail shop. We carry many 10th mountain items and unit specific items can be made on request. We also carry a wide variety of welcome, farewell, and coffee items.

LC of Watertown - DBA Little Caesars Pizza Richard Jacobsen 426 State Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 317-0487 mantova13041@yahoo.com Little Caesars.com Little Caesars proudly serves delicious products and we only use the finest ingredients. Our dough is made fresh everyday and our cheese is freshly shredded never frozen. Hot-N-Ready - no waiting.

Step One Creative Shane Stepien Stevedore Lofts 317 West First Street, Suite 101 Oswego, NY 13126 (315) 342-2554 shane@steponecreative.com www.steponecreative.com We offer a full-service advertising design, brand development, public relations, copywriting, web design, and media planning/placement to organizations and businesses throughout Central and Upstate New York.

Case Supply, Inc. Ramon Rivera 601 W. Fayette Street Syracuse, NY 13204 (315) 486-1489 ramon.casesupply@gmail. com casesupplyinc.com We are a kitchen and bath wholesale distributer. Featuring: Medallion Kitchens and Kohler Baths. Please be our guest and visit our 25,000 sq ft showroom for all your design wants and desires.

Continued on Page 13

Member Milestones for January & February

55 Years The Coughlin Printing Group 40 Years Coldwell Banker Rimada Realty 30 Years AJ Missert 30 Years Purcell Construction Corp. 30 Years Rent-A-Wreck, New & Used Car Rental 20 Years Red Lobster 15 Years Cavallarios Cucina 15 Years Sheldon Residential Construction 10 Years Century 21 Millennium Realty 5 Years Black River Vending Services, Inc. 5 Years Fort Drum Vehicle Storage 5 Years Plan and Print Systems, Inc. 5 Years Watertown Firefighters Benevolent Assoc. 5 Years Jodis Dairy Bar 5 Years The Ledges Apartments 5 Years Pro-Build, Inc. 5 Years Lewis County Opportunities/ Housing Asst.

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Don Alexander Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency 800 Starbuck Avenue, Suite 800 Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-5865, FAX: (315) 7827915 dcalexander@jcida.com

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New Member Profiles, Cont.

Jakes WayBack Burgers Erin Knowlton 21182 Salmon Run Mall Loop W Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 681-4328 jbiccum@jakeshamburgers. com www.waybackburgers.com WayBack Burgers began in 1991 as Jakes Hamburgers with a single restaurant in Newark, DE which still occupies its original location on Route 273. Jakes Hamburgers had always served big, juicy hand-made burgers and real milkshakes, crafted to order by a friendly staff. Delivering the freshest, most delicious food possible was Jakes only philosophy. Merrill Lynch, The Towers/Capron Group Jason Caprone 205 South Salina Street Syracuse, NY 13202 (315) 424-0416 jason.capron@ml.com www.fa.ml.com/tcg The Towers/Capron Group specializes in assisting business owners, corporate executives, and high net worth individuals with their wealth management needs. The Towers/Capron Group welcomes new opportunities to assist in providing wealth management solution to individuals and businesses. Pain Solutions of Northern NY Dr. Bhupinder Bolla Top of the Square 107 Court Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-7246 bbolla@painsolutions.net painsolutions.net/NNY.com Bhupinder S. Bolla, MD, the founder of Pain Solutions of Northern New York, is a highly regarded chronic pain management specialist with longstanding ties in the Northern New York medical community. Harbor Paws Pet Grooming and Boutique Kate Johnson 208 West Main Street Sackets Harbor, NY 13685 (315) 646-7068 harbowpaws@gmail.com HarborPaws.com Our facility offers an all natural stress free pet grooming, we offer a clean, quiet, comfortable environment. The salon is family owned and operated by Kate Johnson. She is a certified Pet Groomer, with almost 10 years of grooming experience. She has years of experience with many breeds and personalities of dogs. Having patience with shy or scared dogs is very important, and that is something she can handle no problem. LegalShield Emmalee Jantzi 6067 Number Four Road Lowville, NY 13367 (315) 771-6226 emmaleejantzi@legalshield.com www.emmaleejantzi.legalshield.com LegalShield has been providing legal service plans to North American families for nearly 40 years. Customers can access legal counsel and advice from qualified lawyers with local assistance. LegalShield can assist with a number of protection services including, protecting families, small businesses, insurance professionals, identity theft counseling.

Class of 2014
Rande Richardson NNY Community Foundation 120 Washington Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-7110, FAX: (315) 782-0047 rande@nnycf.org

Class of 2015

Dwight Davidson Davidson Automotive Group 18579 Washington Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 836-2400, FAX: (315) 836-2401 dwightd@davidsonautonet.com Jeany Danielsen Rose & Kiernan Insurance 418 Washington Street Watertown, New York 13601 (315) 782-1300, FAX: (315) 788-7230 jdanielsen@rkinsurance.com Megan Klosner Fort Drum Community Mountain Homes PO Box 146 Black River, NY 13612 (315) 955-6810, FAX: (315) 773-8594 megan.klosner@fdmch.com James Leven Community Broadcasters, LLC 199 Wealtha Avenue Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-1240, FAX: (315) 782-0312 jim_leven@commbroadcasters.com Carl McLaughlin FDRLO 200 Washington Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 836-1533, FAX: (315) 836-1532 cmclaughlin@fdrlo.org Ron Quartulli Westelcom, Inc. 130 Park Avenue Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 785-3926, FAX: (315) 779-9404 rquartulli@westelcom.com

Storino Geomatics, Land Surveying Services & Consulting, PLLC Thomas Storino 179 Conger Avenue Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 788-0287 info@storinogeomatics. com www.storinogeomatics. com Storino Geomatics, PLLC is a locally owned firm providing land surveying services and consulting throughout New York State. The companys vision is to provide all services in a professional and timely manner with a total emphasis on quality and client satisfaction.

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New Member Profiles, Cont.

Ablans Business Center, Inc & AT&T Julie Ablan-Woodrow 264 State Street Carthage, NY 13619 (315) 519-1533 juliescomputers@nnymail. com www.juliescomputers.com Ablans Business Center specializes in providing quality office supplies necessary for running a small business. Ablans is also an exclusive agent of AT&T and can provide customers an extensive line of cell phones. A complete line of technology products, from custom built Computer Systems, Laptops, computer components, and accessories are available for any gaming or business needs. Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill Frank Giuffrida 1290 Arsenal Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 779-9464 163@buffalowildwings.com www.buffalowildwings.com Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar is a casual dining restaurant and sports bar. This restaurant offers a full menu as well as approximately 20 domestic and imported beers on tap, including several local or regional microbrews and a wide selection of bottled beers, wines, and liquor. Decked out in sports memorabilia, dozens of televisions and projection screens, Buffalo Wild Wings offers a great place to watch the game, have a cold beer and eat some great food. Crystal Rock Andy Comstock 2801 Court Street Syracuse, NY 13208 (315) 391-9865 fstrange@cystalrock.com www.crystalrock.com Offering water, coffee and office supplies since 1914, Crystal Rock is a family owned and operated business now servicing the Greater Watertown Area. Crystal Rock continues to set high standards in the bottled water industry through technical innovation, commitment to the environment and by integrating family roots into relationships with employees and customers. North Country Lock and Key Christopher Wells 2517 Alexandria Meadows PO Box 30 Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 786-7233 ebwells99@gmail.com North Country Lock and Key is a fast, friendly and professional mobile locksmith serving the Greater Watertown area. With 25 years experience in the lock industry, this Insured & Bonded locksmith offers a number of services including deadbolt installation, installing new locks, designing and maintaining master key systems among many others for residential and commercial customers. Maggies on the River Bernie Bernherdt 500 Newell Street Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 405-4239 maggiesontheriver@gmail. com www.makeitmaggies.com Maggies on the River is situated in a completely remodeled former warehouse. The interior boasts original brick walls, exposed ceiling beams and pipes with an urban hip look and feel. Enjoy great views of the Black River and kayakers from any of the 3 floors or the attached river view deck. The 1st floor boasts over 20 flat screen tvs, 35 beers on tap and over 100 different bottles. The 2nd floor is a relaxed casual dining atmosphere with live music Friday and Saturday nights.

Check Out the NEW Printed Newsletter!

Coming to a Mailbox near you beginning in March!!!

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Insurance In New York

By: Dennis Baeslack, Greater Watertown-North Country Insurance Agency

The anticipated impact of Exchanges: We have all heard about Health Care Reform / the Affordable Care Act / Obamacare; call it what you want. Progress continues as the 2014 deadline approaches. So where does New York stand on this complex issue? Actually, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order last year establishing Healthcare Exchanges and work continues in the development of the overall program. Unlike some states who have taken a wait and see attitude, New York is full speed ahead. Initially the Executive Order establishes Health Insurance Exchanges under the Department of Health. Exchanges will be required to: Facilitate enrollment of qualified health plans and small businesses Enable individuals and small businesses to receive federal tax credits Convene regional advisory committees One million people secure insurance Exchanges will handle 1.1 million; 615,000 individuals and 450,00 in Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Exchange The Affordable Care Act spells out Essential Health Benefits that these plans must include: Ambulatory patient services Emergency services Hospitalization Maternity and newborn care Mental health and substance use disorders Prescription drugs Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices Laboratory services Preventive and wellness

services and chronic disease management Pediatric services Tax credits will be available through the Exchange for qualifying small businesses. Credits based on number of employees, wages, and percentage of employees health insurance paid by employer. Many questions remain on these Exchanges. We will keep you abreast of developments. Any questions or looking for more information, contact me at the Chamber. HSAs and HDHPs Over the past few months I have been getting a number of inquiries regarding HSA plans. These plans are actually High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP). They have lower monthly premiums coupled with higher deductibles for the insured. The HSA refers to a Health Savings Account that can be set up with many banks and credit unions, at no charge at several institutions. The HSA gives you flexibility while helping you manage

rising health care costs. This account gives you the ability to make tax-free withdrawals to pay for medical related expenses. To see which medical expenses qualify, check out IRS Publication 502. You can access this from their website, http://www.irs.gov/ pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf . Dont hesitate to contact me for additional information or to answer any questions Now that the year end rush is over, you might want to take a few minutes to review your current health benefits or consider looking at some insurance options. We have plans for any size company; from sole proprietors to large employers. For a one on one review contact me at the chamber 315-788-4400 or insurance@watertownny. com. Dennis Baeslack VP, Member Benefits GWNC Insurance Agency

2013 Membership Directory & Buyers Guide distributed in March to All Members!

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Setting New Years Resolutions with Your Children

By: Sara Lynch, ACS Outreach Coordinator
New Years resolutions are an excellent opportunity for parents to teach children about the value of goal setting as well as an opportunity to foster self discipline. Fort Drum Army Community Service (ACS) has many programs to help you achieve the goals you set. If you plan on setting goals for yourself or with your children, the process is the same for both. Setting goals can be a daunting task for many adults not to mention children. Following the process to goal setting will increase the likelihood of successfully reaching the goals we set. Here is the process: Determine your goals: One important part of setting goals is determining a goal and deciding whether it is reasonable and achievable. Goals can be short or longterm but either way, goals have the same characteristics in common. Goals are specific. For instance, if your child sets a goal to be a good student, the goal is vague and not easily measured. A better goal to set might be for your child to get an A in all of his or her classes. Goals should have deadlines. If a goal has no deadline, it is easy to ignore and eventually forget your goal. Long term goals may have lengthy deadlines and therefore might be better broken down into small term goals. For instance, if your child sets the goal to be on the cheering team, a short term goal might be to achieve a backhand- spring in three weeks. Good goals are sincere. Your child should set their own goals, not goals you think they should have. If they dont pick their own, they will not be motivated to reach them. Goals should be written down. When your child writes down the goal, they are forced to really think about it and it becomes tangible. Plan the steps to achieve the goal. Listing the steps needed to achieve the goal. This is the planning process. Sometimes with a long term goal it means breaking the goal into short term, middle term and long term goals to make the goal process more manageable. If your child wants to become an actor, start with taking an acting seminar over the summer or signing up for voice lessons. Then perhaps joining drama club or trying out for little theater. Each goal achieved builds toward the long term goal. Monitor Progress. Children might feel like failures if they dont achieve the goal they set before its deadline. It is important to encourage your child and reassure them that the only way to truly fail to reach a realistic and specific goal is to give up on it completely. If your childs goal to make the school play wasnt realized for this years production, encourage him or her to try harder next time and to continue to work toward that goal. Remember, setting and working toward a goal is a positive way to learn self discipline. When you teach your child how to set goals properly, you will be setting them up for success and teaching them a valuable skill that will benefit them throughout their lifetime. Army Community Services Family advocate Program offers diverse programming to support parents and Families in all areas of life. ACS encourages parents to utilize these services to help them achieve the goals they have as a Family. After setting goals together, parents should utilize the resources available when planning the steps or course of action to achieve those goals. For instance, if your childs goal is to earn and save money, Employment Readiness and Financial Readiness have the tools for them to succeed. The Army goal is for Families to have the resources they need to be resilient. Happy healthy Families promote overall Soldier readiness. Many people in the community interact with Fort Drum Families both professionally and socially on a daily basis. They interact through roles such as teachers, doctors, neighbors and friends. As community members who interact with military Families, it is good to know about these resources so you are better able refer the Family who might be unaware of them. If you would like to know more about Army Community Service, contact Sarah Lynch, Outreach Service Program Manager at 772-5374.

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PR and Marketing Resolutions for the New Year

By Anthony Mora
It is a good idea to ask yourself the PR goals you have in mind for your company in 2013. What are some positive changes you can make in how you run your business? Chances are the biggest change you could make when it comes to your marketing outreach, would be to add PR or media relations to your New Years media mix. Im continually surprised at how many business owners or entrepreneurs tend to not even consider public relations when putting together their new year business plan. Some assume its too expensive, others that its not right for their particular type of business and still others shy away because they find the process confusing and intimating. Bottom line is that a targeted public relations campaign can (and should) be an integral part of any companys marketing outreach. So, lets say youve decided that youre going to launch and implement a new PR campaign strategy in 2013... PR & Marketing Strategies for the New Year 1.Work on understanding exactly what PR is and how it can work for you. 2.Figure out if there is some PR outreach you can do on your own or if you need a PR consultant to work with you to launch a campaign. 3.Review your personal business toolbox. What unique skills do you have and what can you offer your clients or customers? 4.Take that one step further, what stories do you have that illustrate how your company or business works and how you help your clients. These are the stories that can turn into your PR gold. 5.Start building a backlog of stories that illustrate how you solved a problem, helped a client, met a need. Your stories are your PR currency. All PR is effective storytelling. 6.Next, start drilling down and learning a bit about how the PR world works. As I mentioned, you dont need to take this PR journey on your own. Particularly if youre new to the world of public relations, youre going to benefit from working with a consultant who can work with you on your media relations campaign. By melding a traditional media relations campaign with a targeted social media outreach you can generate incredibly valuable coverage for you and your business, without spending an arm and a leg. Thats not to say this type of marketing is free. PR is often referred to as free publicity, which is a misnomer. Yes its true that there are times where the media will contact you directly and do a story, but thats generally not the case. And even when that does happen, although its great that the media has reached out to you, keep in mind that one article or TV segment does not make for an effective PR campaign. Whether youre starting from scratch, or youve had some media coverage, it takes time, a plan, contacts, and concentrated outreach to launch an effective media relations campaign. A good PR consultant can help you decide on target publications, develop the various story angles that will work for you and your campaign, write an effective press release, develop a strong media list. With some expert guidance and some work on your part, you can develop an effective and successful public relations campaign. Chances are youll find that one of the best New Years resolutions youve ever made. Article Source: http:// EzineArticles.com/7421057

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Low-Cost Business Promotional Efforts for the New Year

By Alex Subotich
Many businesses have a fiscal cycle that follows the calendar year. These companies are currently wrapping up their 2013 budgeting process and preparing to implement strategies to achieve their financial goals. Each year, there seems to be less money and more things to do with it, putting a business in a difficult financial position before the year even begins. Take heart that there are many ways to make 2013 a promotional success without going into the red. Saving Money With Promotions Many entrepreneurs find themselves in a pickle when it comes to marketing. Creative tactics like including advertisements in invoice mailings and putting coupons and flyers in customer bags at the point of purchase reduce postage costs. Neighboring businesses can share costs for advertising in local newspapers and businesses with complementary services may reduce expenses by sharing distribution channels. Going digital with promotional efforts can also save a bundle. It is easy to build an email list of customers and prospects by requesting email addresses from website visitors. Design a monthly or quarterly electronic newsletter filled with useful tips, information about new products or services, and coupons that customers can print and use. Encourage recipients to forward the newsletter or link to it from social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Reward customers for referrals by offering a discount or a free gift. Consider Different Promotional Avenues Television is commonly noted as the most expensive form of advertising. However, local cable channels offer many reasonably-priced advertising time slots during both day and night. These may not be in prime-time but they will reach customers while they are at home and paying attention. Community bulletin boards are also posted on local cable channels and represent free or low-cost ways to advertise a corporate event that is open to the public. There are plenty of special interest groups and finding them is as easy as going online. Corporate representatives should also participate in newsgroups that target their audiences. Many entrepreneurs attest to the power of online newsgroups as marketing tools. These groups are also excellent sources of information about improving business processes. Entrepreneurs can even find inspiration for innovative products or services. Toot Your Own Horn Do not rely on customers, prospects, and the company website alone for promoting the business. Include important contact information on letterhead, business cards, employee uniforms, and within the email signature line. If the company has a fleet of vehicles, make sure the business website and telephone number are included in a prominent location on each one. Personalized corporate gifts can even be imprinted with the company URL and given away at community events and trade shows. Corporate leaders can position themselves as subject matter experts by speaking at community meetings, teaching classes, and writing articles for local newspapers and magazines. Press releases can be published and distributed online through many publication services. Joining associations is another way to make the business more visible to potential customers and it improves relations with fellow business owners in the process.

Upcoming Chamber Events Calendar

Feb 20 February Business After Hours at the USO Fort Drum Mar 6 Business of the Awards and Annual Meeting Mar 20 March Business After Hours at Immaculate Heart Central Apr 4 Job and Career Expo 2013 Apr 17 April Business After Hours at the The Inn at Bonnie Castle May 22 May Business After Hours at The Riveredge Resort Jun 6 JLI Graduation Dinner Class of 2013 Jun 20 June Business After Hours at AT Matthews & Dier

Article Source: http:// EzineArticles.com/7368016

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Are You a Woman Launching a Business or Book?

By Marsha Friedman
Whats your best advice for women in business? Its a question I hear frequently as more and more women strike out on their own, whether its to start their own company, write a book, turn their great idea into a product, or otherwise monetize their talents. The number of women-owned businesses in this country is growing 1.5 times faster than the national average. From 1997 to 2011, they increased by 50 percent. I love seeing this surge of confidence! Putting yourself out there is risky, but its better to try and fail then to spend a lifetime wondering, What if? Yes, I do have a favorite piece of advice for women in business but first, a word about selfemployed women. Did you know that our businesses added 500,000 jobs over 10 years while other privately held firms lost jobs? That in 2007, we accounted for $1.2 trillion in sales receipts? Unfortunately, were also less likely than men to borrow money to expand, so our businesses are smaller. Theyre also more likely to fail and, despite that huge number of sales receipts, we ring up disproportionately less than our male counterparts. That information, by the way, comes from an interesting report produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce -Women-Owned Businesses in the 21st Century. It details the progress weve made and some of the hurdles we still must overcome. The latter include the legacy of a long history of discrimination; our tendency to be risk-adverse; and even some of the ventures that we choose. The report says we can help ourselves by creating more supportive networks, having access to more information, and finding mentors. That last point gave me pause. When I launched my first business, there were comparatively few female CEOs, and certainly no internet to foster communication among them. I learned how to run a business mostly through good old trial and error. Thats also how I figured out how to balance that work with Continued on page 15...

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Spring is an exciting season at the Continuing Education Division of Jefferson Community College. We launch new and exciting Jefferson Express workshops for the community, and start to plan our Jefferson Express summer kids camps and off-site offerings. We are excited to announce that we are now offering an increasing amount of Jefferson Express workshops off-site, whether at the Fort Drum Education Center Annex, or workshops for businesses through partnerships with the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council (workshops held at the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority), and the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce in Lowville. Reaching out and being present in our communities is a great service we can provide to our community members. Through the Jefferson Express Broadband grant, we found there were many people who, for many different reasons, preferred workshops to be held directly in their community. We brought that concept forward when we renamed our non-credit department Jefferson Express in the fall of 2012. Check out what workshops we are offering in your community, below. We are always open to heading to new locations; if you have an idea of a site or a workshop to be held off-site,

call us at 786-6591. Our Jefferson Express Kids Camps are an always popular event in summer; did you know we also offer them over Spring Break? A new Kids Camp this year includes a STEM (Science, Technology, English and Math) camp. The workshop, titled Easy Green Energy Technologies, and aimed at ages 9 12, features hands on learning. Kids will program a real household thermostat, learn how to read Smart meters, and develop strategies to help their parents save money on electricity. Types of energy (including kinetic, potential, and renewable sources) are explored in simple, practical terms as students discover how Earthfriendly technologies keep us comfortable and save us money while minimizing impact on the environment. The workshop runs April 5 & 6, on Friday from 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Finally, we continue to offer Allied Health programming throughout the year, which keeps our health instructors busy and classrooms constantly full! This spring, we are offering a nine-week Dental Assisting course on Fort Drum at the Education Center Annex, as well as a Clinical Medical Assistant program at Fort Drum. Closer to summer, we are offer-

ing a Phlebotomy Technician program as well as a Pharmacy Technician program. For more information on any of our programs, call the Continuing Education Division of Jefferson Community College at 315-786-2233. Workshops at the Annex: Effective Communication Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Living with Purpose Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Introduction to Excel Tuesdays/Thursdays, February 21 28 2013, 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Intermediate Excel Tuesdays/Thursdays, March 12 14, 2013, 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Adobe Photoshop Basics Thursdays, May 9 16, 2013, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Adobe InDesign Basics Tuesdays/Thursdays, May 21 28, 2013, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Workshops for Businesses at the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority: Excel for Business Monday/ Wednesday, April 8 10,

2013, 5:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Social Media Marketing for Business Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Allied Health Programming Clinical Medical Assistant* Tuesdays/Thursdays, March 19 August 8, 2013, 6:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. Dental Assisting Program Monday/Wednesday, April 15 June 12, 2013, 6:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. Phlebotomy Program** - Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, June 11 August 22, 2013, 6:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. Pharmacy Technician Training Program** - Monday/Wednesday, June 17 August 5, 2013, 6:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. *Clinical Medical Assistant admission is granted based on an application, call 786-2233 for more details and an application. **Phlebotomy and admission is granted based on an application. To get an application, attend the March 20, 2013 information session at Jefferson Community College, in the Jules Center, at 6:00 p.m. in room 6-002.

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6 New Years Resolutions For Your Business

By Kristy M Lopez
If you own your own business, then youll likely want to make some New Years Resolutions to expand your business to make it as successful in 2013 as possible. Now, these arent the type of resolutions that are made to be broken. These are the resolutions that are meant to increase the footprint and revenue of your business. These are necessary resolutions to creating a stronger, more efficient, and all around bigger and better business for you. 1. Build a custom website There are tons of websites out there that allow you to create a simple, yet effective website for your business. I have used a few in the past, such as WordPress, Google, and Blogspot. Some are free and some cost. You can even hire a professional to create a unique website if you dont have the time. 2. Expand visibility online There are tons of great ways to expand your businesses visibility - generally through social media. Some effective (and free) sites I have used in the past include: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. The biggest mistake some business owners do when creating one of these social networking sites for their business is that they dont update it frequently. Frequent updates, getting customers involved in the discussions, and promoting specials online will attract customers to your business. Now, when I say frequent I dont mean that you need to be online 24/7. Just 15-20 minutes a day should be sufficient to set an update, status, etc. Also, when posting on social media sites, make sure your content is relevant, fresh, and interesting. Dont just post promos. Allow your customers to get involved in the discussions. 3. Create mobile apps / access to my business Creating mobile access to your business can, and should, include making sure that your website is mobile-friendly. Meaning, that there is a mobile version of your site that is easy to read and navigate on mobile devices. Creating mobile apps can increase your online presence as well. These apps can include business email, document editing, calendars, etc. that your employees and / or customers can use. 4. Reach more customers Just how do you reach more customers? There are tons of ways, but as we are currently in (and continue to move into) a technology-driven world, we should focus on ensuring customers from all over can access our business. This can be done through the website, mobile apps, and social networking, as described above. But, there are other ways, such as reaching out to your local Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, posting flyers and posters in other businesses, creating ads with special discounts / pricing for your products or services. 5. Create a more productive, family friendly environment in the office / building I have said it a million times before, happy employees will help your business to thrive. Happy employees work harder, do more than expected, and produce more quality work. Since each business is different, youll have to come up with ways to make your happier and more family-friendly. Some things I have done in the past include: Saturday family fun day at the park, after-hour holiday parties where family members are invited, ability (and encouragement) for employees to use their vacation time to spend time with their family, and ensure pay rates are equal (if not slightly higher) than industry standard. 6. Schedule less meetings and get more done How can that be? Less meetings? Yes, its possible. Projects may need to be redistributed / reorganized to include a pointperson that makes the small decisions. Meetings are still a necessity of every business, but if youre sitting in a meeting then you arent focusing on completing other tasks. These are just a few resolutions any business owner can adopt and implement for 2013. Im sure you have tons of other great ideas, so lets go out there and increase our customer base, our accessibility to customers to reach our company online, and ultimately increase our revenue. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7463453

Are You a Woman...

my roles as mother, wife and daughter, and how to fit in time volunteering for the community organizations I valued. But women dont have to go it alone anymore, and nor should we. Which is why I welcome questions like, Whats your best advice for women in business? Id like to see the new generations of self-employed females blow through the hurdles that still remain before us and create even more opportunities for the generations to come. So whats my best advice? Thats impossible to say, but heres one for starters. Know your audience. And guess what? Its you! Women account for 73 percent to 85 percent of all consumer decisions (according to Boston Consulting Group, Competitive Edge Magazine, and TrendSight Group founder Marti Barletta),. From the grocery store to the automobile dealership to the tech industry, women drive purchasing. You need to communicate with that audience in mind. No, you dont want to exclude men, but you also need to be sure your message appeals to women. When Im writing anything, whether its an email or a media pitch, I make a point to read over what Ive written from the perspective of my audience. If Im writing for industry peers, Continued on page 16...

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Are You a Woman...

technical language is probably fine. If my audience is the media, concise and direct is best. If its clients, I want to be sure whatever I write also reflects my appreciation of them. And then theres the feminine factor. As a woman, Im a sucker for honesty and sincerity. Im turned off by condescension. Unless the writer is somebody I already know and respect, I have little tolerance for preaching, judgment, or demands. Any message that takes those things into account will work for men, too. Whether youre writing marketing copy, posting on social media, or working on an article or newsletter, if your goal is to turn your readers into buyers, you need to write with your audience in mind. Thats not so hard if youre a woman Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www. emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSIs PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.

Membership Renewals for December & January

A.T Matthews & Dier ADHD Educational Ser. Amelio Sewing Center Anchor Marina/ River Marine Inc. Anthonys Pools & The General Store Apollo Restaurant Atlas Dental PLLC Bach Environmental, Inc Beam Mack Sales and Services Benefit Specialist of NY Blair Supply Corp. Body Pros Inc. Bowers & Company Car Freshner Corp. Center For Estate & Retirement City of Refuge Christian Church Cleveland Funeral Home, Inc Coldwell Banker Community Action Planning Co. Conleys Rental Man. Cooley Group Cortel Improvement, LLC Country Living Canzonier Disabled Persons Action Organization DocoQuick Print, Inc Dunkin Donuts Eagle Beverage Eiss Brothrs Auto Parts ENV North Agency Fairfield Inn & Suites Farm Credit East, ACA FDRHPO Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes Girl Scouts of NYPENN Path. Red Lobster Gold Cup Farms, Inc Grays Florist Great Northern Construction,LLC Guilfoyle Ambulance Service, Inc Husky Property Management Internal Medicine of NNY Jain Irrigation Inc. Jreck Operating Company Kinney Drugs Lake Ontario Realty LLC Leo Spink Carpentry Lewis County Opportunites, Inc LocustHillFarm McCabes Supply, Inc Midas Netto Welding Supply LLC North Country Key & Lock Northern Computers Northern Employee Assistance Serv. Northern Lights Chiro Northern Logistics, Inc. NYS Small Bus. Devel. Ctr. Ontario Place Hotel Penski, Inc Planned Parenthood of the NC. Proforma Products Quikmed Urgent Care Regional Medical Management Renzi Foodservice Rose & Kiernan, Inc. Roth Industries, Inc. Rudd Spray Service Inc. Sands Brothers Roofing Company,INC Sheldon Res. Contruc South Jeferson Rescue Squad Swish Kenco, Ltd Texas Roadhouse The Inn at 81 The Wladis Law Firm, PC Thousand Islands Winery Travel Wise Tours LLC Tulmar Manufacturing, Inc United Way of NNY WalMart Watertown Pediatric Dent. Watertown Rotary Club Watertown Spring & Alignment Service, Inc

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The North Country PTAC is proud to host the annual Selling to the Government Matchmaker.
The North Country PTAC is proud to host the annual Selling to the Government Matchmaker. The North Country PTAC Matchmaker 2013 will be held on March 26th, at Jefferson Community College in Watertown. What is a matchmaker? This is your opportunity to meet with representatives from the military, federal agencies, state and local governments, universities and large businesses. A matchmaker gives business the opportunity to meet face-to-face with small business specialists from government agencies, as well as with small business liaison officers (SBLOs) from large prime contractors. Both government agencies and prime contractors are looking for qualified firms to buy products and services required to fulfill government procurement needs. What to expect at the North Country PTAC Matchmaker? On the 26th, tables are set up in the Jules Center at Jefferson Community College in Watertown. Each table is assigned to a prime contractor, university, Federal or State agency, and by their small business specialists, SBLOs and other purchasing personnel. The night before, tables are assigned alphabetically, and each table is issued an appointment sign-up sheet, for appointments scheduled every 10 minutes. 8:00am is check-in, then you start to network with our vendors and resources for your business, followed by our welcome, and opening marks at 8:30am. At 8:45am on Matchmaker day, the matchmaking doors are opened in a mass start, and registered small businesses enter and sign up for appointments. Sign-ups are usually completed by 9:10am, and one on one meetings start at 9:10am. Every 10 minutes, the bell signals a new appointment. Matchmaking concludes at 1:30pm where you will be able to network till 2:00pm. Free Online Webinars for Matchmaker Preparation! http://watertownny.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action (please use the link above for registration for the following workshops) Introduction to Government Contracting - February 11th, 10am Doing Business With New York State - February 13th, 10am Introduction to Government Contracting - February 19th, 10am Matchmaker Preparation February 21st, 10am SBA Programs - February 28th, 10am Matchmaker Preparation March 14th, 10am Matchmaker Preparation March 19th, 10am Event Registration and information. All the information needed can be found at www.northcountryptac.com/?q=matchmaker or by calling the PTAC at 315.788.4400. We are still accepting sponsorship for the event as well at prime and government agencies. Registration is open as well (registration links are on the matchmaker website and payment can also be paid online). Please see the program rates below: Prime Contractors and Government Agencies (FREE) Early Bird Registration $20 (Prior to March 8th. 2013) Regular Registration $30 GWNC Chamber of Commerce Member and Watertown SBDC member $10 North Country PTAC members please contact Steve Barr, ptac@watertownny.com, for your discount. * Registration for the event will be confirmed once payment is received. The Matchmaker is currently open for registration at www.northcountryptac. com/?q=matchmaker This event is co-hosted by the Greater Watertown - North Country Chamber of Commerce, and the Watertown Small Business Development Center.

Interested in Advertising to over 16,000 Visitors for Only $215.00, Check Out Page 19 for Details

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Members in the News

A Jefferson Community College workshop instructor is the latest recipient of the Outstanding Continuing Education Instructor Award. Katherine Doe Johnson, Carthage, was awarded by the Continuing Education Association of New York in early November during an annual conference in Saratoga Springs.The Outstanding Continuing Education Instructor Award is bestowed to an individual who has demonstrated innovation in teaching, student-centered approach to teaching, ability to impact students lives and dedication to lifelong learning, according to a JCC. Tempur-Pedics donated 71 mattress and box spring sets to The North Country. The Watertown Urban Mission, received 40 for its criticalneeds program; 21 to the Victims Assistance Centers new shelter under construction; and 10 went to Army Community Services, Fort Drum, for a total value of about $162,000. Sheila F. Barney-Pullus, owner of Station WBVS, a fundraising store, worked with TempurPedic territory manager Joseph Ginsburgh to get the donation, after sharing the north countrys urgent need for beds for people who have experienced unfortunate circumstances. The Watertown City Council agreed to appropriate $12,000 to support the new Sunday hours at the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library.The money will pay for hiring of two clerks on a permanent basis and for overtime for librarians and maintenance staff. The State University of New York bestowed two Jefferson Community College faculty members with distinguished, Political science professor Raymond E. Petersen earned the Distinguished Service Professorship and English professor Joanna B. Chrzanowski earned the Distinguished Teaching Professorship. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced $52,975 in grants for school-based health centers in Jefferson County. A $39,105 award was given to the North Country Childrens Clinic and a $13,870 award was given to Carthage Area Hospital. The Childrens Clinics award will be used to purchase updated equipment for school-based health centers throughout the Watertown City and South Jefferson Central school districts. Carthage Area Hospitals award will be used to upgrade servers and purchase computers for its school-based health centers dental programs. Northern Federal Credit Union announced plans to open a seventh branch location on Route 11 in front of the Evans Mills Walmart in the town of LeRay in late 2013 or early 2014. Samaritan Medical Center has purchased the Magnetic Imaging Center building, 629 Washington St., for $825,000 to accommodate the revival of its neurosurgery practice. The property will house the neurosurgery practice and be a source of income for Samaritan. The Northern New York Community Foundation Board of Directors recently approved three additional grants, totaling $16,700, as part of its year-end grant cycle. Grants approved included: $1,700 to the North Country Library System, to support the purchase of reusable mailing bags to people in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence counties who would otherwise be unable to access library materials. Afgritech LLC will expand its operations by adding a 4,000-square-foot loading garage at its Watertown plant by the end of the summer, enabling it to increase its customer base across the Northeast. Opening in the fall of 2011 in the former Blue Seal Feeds mill, Afgritech installed new automated equipment from Germany and began producing bypass protein meal for dairy cattle and shipping it to companies across the Northeast. Along with the expanded loading area, Afgritech will add six 100-ton silos so it can distribute its finished product to feed mills more efficiently.The loading area, which will include an 80-foot scale to weigh loads, will provide a larger space needed by tractor-trailers to pick up the product. The current garage has a 60-foot scale and not enough space to weigh todays large trucks. The Northern New York Community Foundation hired Max M. DelSignore as its coordinator of donor services, a newly created position. Mr. DelSignore will be responsible for agency outreach to schools, nonprofit agencies and individual donors. The Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library has a new endowment fund. Friends of the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library and the library board of trustees announced they have established a partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation to create a library legacy fund. It was set up with the help of a bequest from Watertown benefactor Sophia G. Eaton.The foundation will manage and administer the fund while also serving as a place where money can be collected. So far, $175,000 the library received through the bequest from Ms. Eaton, who died in 2008, was transferred to the fund. Big M Supermarkets stores in the city of Watertown, Adams, Sandy Creek and Boonville co-owned by brothers William J. and Gordon T. Bonisteel will be sold to Tops Friendly Markets in late February. The Jefferson County Historical Society ended the year in the black. By focusing on decreasing expenses and increasing revenues combined with community engagement and volunteerism, let the agency go from ending 2011 with a $22,000 loss to making an approximately $14,000 profit in 2012. Information provided by the Watertown Daily Times and Our Members

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