N.A. Chamber urges shopping locally By Terra Carroll, North Augusta Chamber of Commerce President The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce will enter its 65th year in 2016. It started in 1951 with an innovative group of business leaders not only looking for solutions to basic business problems, but also seeking to improve their community. Chambers have always worked from a position grounded in grassroots reality. They help business leaders understand the processes involved on the many levels required for business growth – from city, state and national government to local permitting and building beneficial relationships. They are the collective voice representing business to government and providing the due diligence on legislation pertinent to their business community. They also give businesses an arena to find their niche in corporate social responsibility by consulting with them to find the right alignment between the community and their mission. Many chambers are their community’s primary visitor-serving organizations and many play support roles to destination management entities, but chambers will always be perceived as the one-stop place to call on for all types of business referrals. Communications and business information resources are other benefits of your local chamber. Finding economical educational workshops, seminars and conferences can be challenging for small businesses. In addition to educational events, chambers provide avenues for businesses to network, access influencers and gain critical exposure through sponsorship opportunities and marketing channels. Not only do they produce many of these events, they can tell you where else you can take advantage of similar resources. Influential business leaders know that participating in chamber activities means connecting with local leaders; creating business alliances, affecting public policy, improving local and regional communities, growing the value of your business and being engaged with the organization that is leading business in your community. Today’s chamber industry does a great job with all of the benefits it provides, but faces challenges in communicating exactly what it does, which can give a negative perception of chambers’ relevance. There’s a saying: “Chambers do the things that most people think just happen.” With businesses looking for quick, tangible results – jobs, more customers, and a return on investment in this fast-paced and global media world – it can be difficult to communicate the value of connecting, engaging, marketing, advocacy and sustainability. If the specific issue doesn’t touch a member business directly, they often don’t realize how the benefit that a particular position on legislation or influence at a planning commission meeting can help them. Gone are the days of chamber pancake breakfasts, festivals and parades. Gone is
The North Augusta Chamber urges people to shop local businesses, like Anything Goes on West Street. Photo by Gary Kauffman
the notion that you join the chamber because your grandfather did and it’s the right thing to do. Here are the days of tough economies, global impacts and instant communication. Chambers of commerce are relevant partners. Do your business a favor and talk to your chamber. Your success is your chamber’s business. The North Augusta Chamber invites you to Save the Date on Feb. 12 for our Annual Meeting & Gala 65th Anniversary Diamond Celebration. The North Augusta Chamber reminds you to shop local this holiday season! Along with participating in community traditions and celebrations, holiday shopping can be one of the most joyous parts of the holiday season. Shopping locally from small businesses can bring added joy: from walking along a sidewalk with the streets decorated in their holiday finest, to being greeted by someone likely to be the owner of the store, to finding gifts that are not massproduced. A great way to show holiday spirit is to do a portion of your shopping in some of the area’s locally owned stores. There is just something special about shopping in the heart of a town that is decked out for the season. Small businesses are a big part of any community. Their success depends on the quality of life the town possesses as a whole. Many times a small business owner pays attention to every detail in his or her business in a way that is otherwise unmatched. Small businesses face tough challenges right now. Competition from big box stores and online sellers can make the holidays difficult for those small local retailers. Local families will literally spend millions of
4 Buzz on Biz Dec. 17, 2015–Jan. 20, 2016
dollars to shop and exchange gifts during the next month, spending tens of millions of dol-
lars in a variety of places. Why not spend some of that money in your own community?
THE CSRA’S ONLY MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE The Buzz on Biz mission is to act as an inspirational tool for those in the workplace and those who are entrepreneurs, and to provide useful, practical information to increase their companies’ bottom lines. To order a 12-month subscription mailed to your home or office, please mail a check for $36 to cover postage to the address below. Publisher Neil R. Gordon Editor in Chief Gary Kauffman/803-341-5830
Photography Gary Kauffman, Melissa Gordon Writers Millie Huff, Kelsey Morrow
Sales Manager Neil R. Gordon/706-589-6727 neil.gordon@buzzon.biz
Calendar Coordinator Kelsey Morrow kelsey.morrow@buzzon.biz
Sales Janine Garropy/803-480-2800 janine.garropy@buzzon.biz
Distribution Janine Garropy, Anne Marie Patterson, Samuel Esses
Design Gary Kauffman
Submit Information gkauffman@buzzon.biz thegordongrouppr@comcast.net kelsey.morrow@buzzon.biz
Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and their respective institutions. Neither Buzz on Biz LLC or its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for informational purposes only.
For more information, visit us at buzzon.biz or like us on Facebook
3740 Executive Center Drive, #300, Martinez, GA 30907