OBPA: Con
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t a time when cities and residents face numerous challenges, every helping hand makes a difference. The good news for Oakdale is that the Oakdale Business and Professional Association, with its members and nearly three decades supporting the community, is planning another active year in 2012.
1453 Helmo Avenue North Oakdale, MN 55128
(651) 290-8102
For general OBPA information info@obpa-mn.com
OBPA Calendar of Events Community Gold Plate Dinner • Feb. 9, 2012 The Community Gold Plate Dinner has become the main fundraising, social and networking event for the Oakdale Business and Professional Association. This evening event includes dinner, entertainment, live and silent auctions, and other games and contests, as well as opportunities to win cash prizes. This event will help raise funds for the association that will enable it to provide support for many community programs including Holiday Helping Hands. The public is invited to attend. The Community Gold Plate Dinner will be held at Oak Marsh Golf Club, 526Inwood Ave, Oakdale, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Feb. 9. For more information, contact Ric Pace at Go East: 651-702-2905 or rpace@goeastdesign.com. To purchase tickets ($100 includes dinner for two and entry in the raffle) contact Nicole Anderson at 651-730-8886 Ext. 6 or om@wpgolf.com.
June Family Picnic • June 14, 2012 This is the one meeting a year in which the OBPA invites everyone in the community to attend. In place of the regular monthly meeting, the OBPA has a picnic-style lunch. For this event, the OBPA fires up a giant charcoal grill and serves nearly 1,000 hot dogs to local business leaders, elected officials, families and residents. The event is free. Limited sponsorships are available annually. This is certainly a “can’t miss” event – held at the Oakdale Fire Station, 5000 Hadley Ave. N., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 14, 2012. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Marc Cove, at Platinum Bank, 651-332-5200 or mcove@platinumbankmn.com.
OBPA Community Golf Tournament • June 8, 2012 Each year in August, the OBPA organizes a day of golf. This year’s event will be held at Oak Marsh Golf Course (526 Inwood Avenue North, Oakdale). Participants enjoy a low key day on the golf course with an emphasis on having fun and networking with other members and golfers. This event is wrapped up with a wonderful dinner, auction and awarding of prizes in the club house. Participation is open to the public. This event will be held with a noon shotgun start. For more information on becoming an event sponsor, or other questions, contact Angie Propp, at Alerus Financial, 651-702-3976 or apropp@alerusmail.com.
Holiday Helping Hands • Early December Each year, several thousand dollars worth of gifts and food are donated to help families in Oakdale. Santa and his elves deliver gifts during early December. Applicants’ names are supplied by school social workers. Here’s your chance to step up and join one of the most rewarding community projects sponsored by the OBPA. Volunteer to sponsor a family and shop and wrap their gifts, or volunteer to help distribute the gifts. For more information contact John Larson at Hope Church, 651-738-9652 ext. 207 or email john.larson@hopechurchoakdale.com.
Oakdale Winter Wonderland • December 15, 2012 This event gives an opportunity for the Oakdale business community to mingle with families of Oakdale while enjoying a giant bonfire, visits with Santa, warm food and drink along with a horse drawn hayride, FREE! The OBPA sponsors this event in conjunction with the City of Oakdale and Maplewood/Oakdale Lions Club. This event is held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Oakdale Discovery Center, (444 Hadley Ave.). For more information contact Marc Cove at Platinum Bank, 651332-5200 or 651-747-3860 or email mcove@platinumbankmn.com. Additional information can be found on the City of Oakdale website, www.ci.oakdale.mn.us.
The OBPA works to make Oakdale a place that is friendly to both businesses and customers. The group was founded by city administration and a handful of eager businesses, and through the years the networking connections and attention to local needs the OBPA provides have contributed to a fertile business environment and a thriving community. For OBPA members, the group gives them the chance to keep their fingers on the pulse of their community. In turn, they bring their unique perspectives to the OBPA, giving the group as a whole better insight into the local business climate. According to Daniel Rude, president of the OBPA and owner of TeqOne, the association will be honing its efforts in the upcoming year in order to provide more business-oriented information for members. “I think there’s a change in the focus happening,” Rude said. As an example, Rude said presenters at OBPA’s monthly meetings this year will provide members indepth insights into areas where their businesses can strengthen and improve. OBPA is assessing the composition of its membership: for instance, the types of businesses its members operate, and is also determining how many members are targeting a national market vs. the number serving the local market. “We’re trying to understand who we are to better serve the public with that information, and each other,” Rude explained.
Alerus Financial All Family Dental, Ltd. American Tire & Auto Anchor Bank Anchors Aweigh Apostolic Bible Institute Bell Mortgage Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal Company Inc. Bighley Auto Body Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle Bridge21 Minnesota, Inc. Buffalo Wild Wings Burke, Wheeler & Assoc., P.A. Canvas Health (formerly HSI) Cardinal Realty|Homebuilders Remodeling|Appraisals Carol Mathey’s Center for Children & Families Carriage Realty, Inc. Cavalier Barber and Beauty Salon Century Floral & Gifts City of Oakdale Clair Wagner & Sons Insurance Agency Coldwell Banker Burnet Realty
Strong businesses, strong community According to Bill Burns, an insurance agent with McNamara Insurance Agency and the OBPA’s membership director, the association is a valuable asset to local businesses. “The OBPA is all about the community and being active in promoting community events and businesses within Oakdale to make them profitable,” he said. “We want to help businesses in any way we can. This allows businesses the opportunity to work with the residents of Oakdale and others in the community to improve their reputation and name recognition around the region.” In addition to community support, the OBPA supports the 3/50 Project. The project urges residents to think about three independently-owned businesses they would miss if the business were closed down, in order to demonstrate how local businesses and customers rely on each other. Residents are then encouraged to make a goal of spending $50 a month at each of their three favorites to provide support. The advantage of making a deliberate effort to support independent business is that more revenue stays in the area. For every $100 spent at a local store, $68 stays in the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. By contrast, only $43 stays local if that same $100 were to be spent at a chain store.
Reaching out In addition to promoting local businesses, the OBPA takes an active role in the community in and around Oakdale. With Holiday Helping Hands, the OBPA and Tartan High School students collect and distribute food and gifts to families in need each December. “We have the resources – both financial and relational – to be able to address the issue without overburdening any particular group of people,” explained John Larson, a pastor at Hope Church who serves on the OBPA board of directors. Larson said that the OBPA is well-positioned to make an impact with programs such as Holiday
Countryside Photographic Inc. CORMARQ Crossroads Properties Dege Garden Center Dunn Bros Oakdale East Suburban Resources Ecumen Lakeview Commons Eye Care Center Finishing Touch Car Care Inc. Floor Coverings International Furlong’s Liquor, Inc. Garry Insurancenter Gebhard & Giguere, Ltd. Go East Greg Foote Jewelers H&R Block Haugland Company Hilton Garden Inn St. Paul/Oakdale Holy Cross Lutheran Church Hope Church I.S.D. #622 North St. Paul Maplewood - Oakdale Jack Buckley Financial Jerry’s Floor Store JW’s Bierstube