Recent improvements made to the Paramount Post Office were showcased at a community fair held at the facility, located at 7200 Somerset Blvd., in September.
Among the new features are an expanded parking lot and a remodeled passport office. Instigated by the City, the parking lot project involved a wideranging collaborative effort between the City of Paramount, the U.S. Postal Service, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Southern California Edison and ABC Nursery. Designed to solve long-standing traffic congestion issues, the overflow lot was built by the City on Edison right-of-way land that had been used by ABC Nursery. Numerous agreements were reached by all parties, with Rep. Sánchez and City officials facilitating among the different agencies.
“The new improvements make it a safer, faster, and more pleasant experience doing business at the Paramount Post Office,” remarked Rep. Sánchez, who presented Postmaster Debra Pendleton with an American flag which she noted had flown over the United States Capitol. “I am happy to see the Stars and Stripes fly over a proud local project.”
Paramount Mayor Diane J. Martinez commented on the teamwork that made the improvements possible. “Today we are celebrating a true collaboration between a handful of parties that came together with
a common goal. That goal was to make things more convenient for the many Paramount residents and businesses that use our Post Office.
“Everyone put a lot of work into making these improvements a reality,” Mayor Martinez continued. “In the short time since they have been completed, we have already witnessed the positive difference they have made.”
The City designed, graded, paved and striped the new parking lot. The USPS
replaced existing parking lot concrete for improved handicap access and also painted the Post Office building. The City and USPS worked together to relandscape the property.
The community fair included information on how to utilize usps.com and ClickN-Ship to save time and money. SCE had an energy savings booth, Southeast Area Animal Control Authority discussed responsible pet ownership and how to keep community service workers, such
as letters carriers and meter readers, safe while they perform their duties and the Paramount Chamber of Commerce shared information about the benefits of Chamber membership. The City also provided information on a variety of its programs such as Neighborhood Watch.
The new passport office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to make it easy for residents to apply for a U.S. passport while improving access to the Post Office’s retail lobby.
Chamber President Presents
Recycling Program Check to PEP
Local and federal officials celebrated the recent improvements made at the Paramount Post Office during a community fair event held on September 3.
Halloween Carnival Always A Big Draw
The City’s annual Halloween Carnival will once again provide a fun, safe and spooky good time at Paramount Park on Saturday, October 31, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. For almost 40 years, this free fright-night of fun has offered parents and youngsters a supervised environment full of activities and goodies. We usually get more than 5,000 residents – mostly kids – turning out for the ghoulish gathering.
There will be costume contests by age category, an assortment of carnival games, a pumpkin carving contest, the “goofy graveyard” for preschoolers, a moonbounce, piñatas, face-painting, a photo booth and more. Plus, food booths will have goodies for sale and the City will give away lots and lots of candy.
Paramount Park is located at 14400 Paramount Blvd. For more information, call (562) 220-2121.
Grant Funds Flowing into City
In these distressing economic times, the City of Paramount has redoubled its efforts at searching out and applying for grant monies that are available for municipal uses. Recently, we have been the recipient of several grants that will be put to good use for our residents.
Neighborhood Stabilization Award
For instance, Paramount was the lead agency applying to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grant. It was recently an-
nounced that a multi-city group will receive $2.5 million. Paramount’s allotment is just over $783,000. The money will be used to purchase distressed or blighted homes that are in foreclosure and turn them into open space opportunities in neighborhoods. (This money can only be used for homes that are in foreclosure.)
Books And Literacy
The City’s Recreation Department received two grants for educational programs from retail giant Target.
The Success Through Academics and Recreation (STAR) after school program got $2,000. STAR is a collaboration between the City and the Paramount Unified School District that provides students with academic assistance and recreational activities. STAR operates every day of the week in each PUSD elementary and middle school, with a capacity for 100 students per campus. (The program itself is funded with a grant from the state.)
The Target money will be used to purchase books for a new STAR program that will encourage students to improve their reading skills.
The City’s Little Learners Program – operating out of both Progress and Spane parks for three- and four-year-old Paramount kids – was awarded $1,000. Little Learners teaches education fundamentals such as colors, numbers and patterns. The instructors are Recreation Department staff.
The Target grant money will be used to buy books to enhance the current libraries for both preschools.
For more information about these programs, please call (562) 220-2121.
On September 16, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and I were joined by parents and students at the Paramount Head
Start Pre-school where the Vons Foundation presented a $10,000 grant to the Bring Me A Book Foundation. This latter organization is committed to ensuring that all children are exposed to high-quality children’s literature during the first five years of their lives.
The funds from the grocery chain will provide these books, and other early educational resources, to Head Start preschools and will support parenting workshops and teacher trainings throughout the South Bay.
In Paramount, we will use our share of the funds to help start an early literacy and reading program. The Paramount Head Start Preschool is located at 6719 Somerset Blvd.
Art Treatments
The City has an ongoing program that provides public art touches throughout town to brighten the landscape. Sometimes these jobs can be very simple yet completely transform a dull or even blighted spot.
Over the last few years, for instance, we have had a mural artist painting scenes on utility boxes, turning those rather drab necessities into attractive, playful landmarks. The latest is at the Post Office on Somerset Blvd., which was done as part of a larger renovation there that saw the City partner with the Postal Service.
Another type of artwork involves painting ugly walls to look like decorative stone. One of these was completed last month on Indiana Avenue south of Somerset. This completed the painting of a wall adjacent on Adams Street done last year. These projects are paid for by the Art in Public Places fund, which gets its financing from private companies who build real estate developments in town. Next time you’re in one of these vicinities, take a look at the work.
Mayor, Diane Martinez
On Patrol
Truancy and Curfew – The Rules And The Consequences
The Sheriff’s Department periodically conducts both daytime truancy and nighttime curfew enforcement in Paramount. Now that school is back in session, these operations are increased.
Daytime enforcement focuses on curtailing the activities of minors who are not on campus during regular school hours. According to Paramount’s Municipal Code, regular school hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Nighttime curfew enforcement deals with those minors who are out without adult supervision from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
In recent curfew checks, for instance, 25 citations were issued throughout the City. Having patrol deputies issuing these citations on a regular basis sends a message to juveniles and assists in proactive efforts to curtail crime.
It is very important for parents and guardians to know about the potential legal consequences for any minor who is found to be truant from school or out past curfew.
Minors who are cited for truancy or curfew violation may face the following consequences:
* A fine of up to $495.
* Community service hours.
* Suspension from school.
In addition to these penalties, the parents/guardians of the cited minor may be required to accompany the minor to court and may be required to successfully com-
plete parenting classes.
For more information, please call (562) 220-2002.
Fire Prevention Tips for the Home
As the weather starts turning cooler this time of year, it’s important to remember that thousands of people are injured and die annually as a result of fire. And while the recent forest fires were, of course, on the news every day, more than 80 percent of these fire deaths actually occur in homes. The following tips are offered to help your family prevent a residential fire.
• Install a smoke alarm on every floor of your home. Check the batteries once a month, and change the batteries at least once a year.
• Prepare and practice an escape plan with your family, and find two ways to escape from each room, including bedrooms.
• Keep space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn.
• Never leave food unattended on the stove, and turn pot handles inward so they cannot be accidentally knocked over.
• Teach children how to call for emergency assistance.
• Keep fire extinguishers where they are most likely to be needed and keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
• If an appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately and have it repaired or replaced.
VOLUNTEER
Mid-Cities Financial Credit Union Awards Scholarships
Winners of the 2008/2009 MCFCU Scholarships are joined by Board and Committee Members.
Mid-Cities Financial Credit Union awarded thirteen $500 scholarships to high school and college students within their field of membership. The Scholarships are based upon academic achievement and represent the Credit Union’s commitment to community involvement. Founded in 1937, Mid-Cities Financial Credit Union serves the education community, and anyone who works, lives, worships, or attends school within the cities of Paramount, Compton, Carson, Norwalk, Bellflower, or Lynwood.
State Farm Galli Agency Grand Opening
As a not-for-profit financial cooperative they are committed to enriching their member’s financial well-being through the utilization of products and services offered by Credit Union. For more information, please visit www.mcscu.org.
Ask The Expert
Shopping For Auto Insurance
By Maria F. Galli
Whether you’re a first time buyer of auto insurance or already have it but are looking for a better deal, you should be asking several questions.
First, is the person from whom you’re buying (your agent) a visible, established member of your community – someone you know and trust? Second, is the company from whom you’re buying well known? What is its reputation? What about price? Because there are hundreds of companies competing for your business, prices vary – sometimes a lot. It may pay you to shop. Be sure the premiums you’re quoted are for equal amounts of coverage.
How about service? Price is important but saving money won’t mean much unless you get the service you need – when you need it. If possible, ask other clients of your prospective agent how they’ve been treated, especially when they’ve had a claim. Find out how the company handles claims. Is the method convenient for you, no matter where you have an accident?
How about solvency? Is the company you’re considering still going to be in business when you file your claim? Your state
department of insurance has financial rating information on all of the companies that do business in its state.
Once you’ve decided on a company and an agent, there are more questions to ask. How much coverage do you need? The required minimum amounts of liability coverage may not be enough for you. Consider your needs in light of your assets and income. How much can you afford to pay if there’s a big judgment against you because of an accident? What about deductibles? Deductibles lower your premiums – most commonly for collision and comprehensive coverage – but increase the amount of loss that comes out of your pocket.
How much additional risk are you willing to take in order to save? Should you carry collision and comprehensive coverage? As your car’s value decreases, you might consider dropping this coverage and pocketing the savings on premiums. But consider if the savings are enough to offset the risk of footing the entire cost of repairing or replacing your car.
Auto insurance is not a generic commodity. It is a product that should be personalized to each individual and your local agent can help you answer these questions and help you tailor your auto insurance to your specific and unique needs.
Maria Galli successfully cuts the ribbon for the State Farm Galli Agency grand opening. Maria is joined by local officials, chamber members and agency staff.
Chamber President Martin Johnson presents Maria Galli with a certificate of congratulations at the grand opening.
Paramount City Council Honors Exceptional Community Members
To celebrate September as Education Month in Paramount, members of the City Council and the Paramount Unified School District Board of Education recognized all of the Teachers of the Year from each campus in PUSD.
The Council and Board introduced Paramount High School’s Class of 2009 Co-Valedictorians Gabriela Robles and Jessica Hernandez (who was unable to attend) and Salutatorian Victor Salcedo. From left: Jesse Cheng (representing Congresswoman Linda Sanchez), PUSD Superintendent Dr. David Verdugo, Boardmember Vivian Hansen, Boardmember Linda Garcia, Vice Mayor Tom Hansen, Salcedo, Mayor Diane J. Martinez, Board Vice President Alicia Anderson, Board President Sonya Cuellar, Robles, Councilmember Peggy Lemons, Councilmember Daryl Hofmeyer and Councilmember Gene Daniels and Maritza Romero (also representing Congresswoman Sanchez).
In June, the City’s annual track meet was held at Paramount High. More than 600 students took part, a new record. The overall winner for the 3rd year in a row was Paramount Park School, with runner-up Los Cerritos School. Along with students from both schools, attending the meeting from Los Cerritos (left) was teacher April O’Connor and from Paramount Park (right) were principal Topekia Jones and teacher Adam Springston.
Some presentations were made in relation to the Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) at the meeting. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe presented a generous contribution to PEP’s Scholarship Fund for $25,000. From left: PUSD Superintendent Dr. David Verdugo, Boardmember Linda Garcia, Boardmember Vivian Hansen, Vice Mayor Tom Hansen, Mayor Diane J. Martinez, Supervisor Knabe, Board Vice President Alicia Anderson, Board President Sonya Cuellar, Councilmember Peggy Lemons, Councilmember Daryl Hofmeyer and Councilmember Gene Daniels.
This year’s recipients of the Paramount Achievement Student Scholarships from PEP were recognized by the Council and Board.
Carlton Forge Works received a Good Corporate Citizen Award from the Industrial Waste Section of the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County this year. The award goes to companies that properly discharge their industrial wastewater. Martin Johnson from Carlton Forge accepted a proclamation from the Council.
The Council marked September as National Preparedness Month and gave a proclamation to Margaret Arbini Madonna from the American Red Cross, Long Beach Chapter.
Water Express
Re-Opening
Seniors
Pala Casino
October 27, 2009
$2 per person
(Registration begins Sept 24 @ 10am)
Depart: 9:00 am
Return: 6:00 pm
The Arboretum
October 20, 2009 Free
(Registration begins September 17 @ 10am)
Depart: 9:00 am
Return: 4:30 pm
Catalina Island
If interested in taking an excursion to Catalina Island, please visit the front desk or call (562) 220-2090 to begin an interest list.
HELP WANTED
OUTSIDE SALES AND BODY & PAINT TECHNICIAN WITH TOOL EXPERIENCE. Trouble-shooting. Apply at Herald’s Garage, 8124 E. Alondra Blvd, Paramount. 562-633-2136, Ask for Joe.
INSURANCE SALES – Growing company seeking hard working, energetic, bilingual (Spanish/English) and sales oriented individuals with a strong interest in educating the community about Insurance and Financial Products. A positive attitude and commitment to providing exceptional customer service are required. Insurance experience is a bonus but not a necessity. More importantly, we are looking for ambitious quick learners who are excited about determining their own salary and want to be an integral part of a growing company. Email resume to maria@galliagency. com or fax resume to 562-817-5621.
State Farm Galli Agency presents checks for $500 to outstanding students from Paramount High at the annual Safe & Smart Fair. Pictured from left: James Benson, Tatiana Ramirez, State Farm Consultant Matthew Li and Joselyn Pinto.
Jesse Cheng representing Congresswoman Linda Sanchez presents Marty Phillips with a certificate to commemorate the grand re-opening of Water Express.
Local officials join Water Express owner Marty Phillips at his grand re-opening ceremony. The business recently underwent an exterior remodel and Marty has expanded the product line to include the sell of Kangen Water, skateboards, party supplies and various novelty items.
“The Coolest Place to Be”
On the second hottest day of the year there was something cool happening in the City of Paramount. The Lifegate Foursquare Church held an event like no other before in our city. The Event was called COOL JAM. COOL stands for Community Outreach Offering Love, and that’s exactly what took place on a Saturday in August.
Pastors Larry and Deborah Jameson have served this community for 23 years and are passionate about Paramount and the people that live in the community. Wanting to reach out in a fresh way, Ruben Mangiaterra, Director of Outreach Ministries at Lifegate along with the Jameson’s coordinated the event and volunteers.
Cool Jam began at 4:00 pm with 100 volunteers from the church, a few invited friends and guests. When visitors entered the church parking lot they were given a Cool Jam bracelet and ticket to enter free drawings which took place throughout the event. Once inside you could get a haircut, have your shoes shined, get your face painted, have a manicure or take a family photo. There were barbequed cheeseburgers, chips, cookies and bottled water. There was even a Cool Zone where a giant squirt gun helped people beat the heat.
The health care booth offered blood pressure and diabetes testing. Later in the afternoon there were pie eating and hula hoop contests followed by the Hip Hop group, Priesthood, whose powerful words and music captivated the audience.
What made this event unique? Everything including the food was FREE! According to Pastor Larry, “It was a great day to see people loving and caring for each other. We have great people in our city and those at Lifegate wanted to serve them with the best they could offer. I believe that all who came were blessed in many ways. It was the coolest place to be!”
Special thanks to the following people who helped make this event possible: Bertha Jimenez of Creative Face Painting, Dr. William Fobi and his staff from Fobi Pharmacy in Paramount, Paramount Petroleum, Dr. Max Martinez, ABC School District. Munoz & Associates, Valerios Fashion of Paramount, West Coast Mart Outlet, McDonald’s, the Paramount Chamber of Commerce, City of Paramount, ASAP Signs & Banners and Rogelio Lopez and Ramon Ramirez who designed and painted the backdrop used for the Cool Jam stage. Pictures can be seen at www.lifegatefc.org.
How to Discover Signs of Staff Dishonesty
Running a business, doing proper pricing and giving fine service is not enough these days. To stay in business, the shop, store or company must cut losses by reducing shoplifting and staff dishonesty. A store or company manager hires what he/she thinks are honest staff members and sadly, some of them do everything they know how to steal from the same people who are paying their salaries. The management and other staff of the organization must do what they can to stop thievery and staff loafing. All of these cut into profits and must be stopped.
• Check any discrepancies in daily counts. Most retail operations check cash register receipts against inventory at least every week, sometimes each day. If discrepancies are found, the employee responsible for the transaction can be located and disciplined or fired.
1. Step 2
Watch for missing paperwork, such as receipts, return slips or voids. Of course, some errors are legitimate and can be found eventually, but if paperwork disappears consistently, there is some employee dishonesty to be found.
2. Step 3
Notice any change in employee attitude or personality. Often when thievery is involved, the heretofore honest employee may be involved with drugs that are personality changing. Maybe the employee is having problems at home, is in trouble with the law or feels the employer has in some way cheated or disappointed him. If you notice a personality
change, find out what has happened. Maybe an employee can be salvaged.
3. Step 4
See if an employee is constantly borrowing money from you or co-workers. Find out what the problem is and see if it can be fixed.
4. Step 5
Keep an eye on gift card use. If employees are using gift cards, where did they get them? Is there paperwork to back up the sale of the gift card? Is there a legitimate sale for the gift card?
5. Step 6
Does the employee get frequent unexplained personal phone calls or visitors, during or after hours. Merchandise could be leaving through the back door with those visitors.
6. Step 7
Watch who rings employee transactions. If employees ring their own transactions at the cash register, who checks to see if they are being rung properly?
7. Step 8
Look for unexplained cash shortages or overages. An overage would signify a fraudulent refund, but the employee has not yet removed the money. All or any of the above can alert you to possible employee or staff dishonesty. Loss prevention is a major part of running a business. The more you can prevent, the more successful your company will be.
Paramount Group, John Nicholson (310) 425-8646
Protecting your life’s investments
California is one of the most desirable places in the world to retire and spend the “golden years”. Thanks to our great climate and lifestyle, Southern California in particular is home to millions of residents aged 55 and older. In fact, there were more than 1.1 million people over 55 in Los Angeles and Orange counties alone in 2000. That number has likely increased dramatically as more and more “baby boomers” reach retirement age.
The increase couldn’t come at a more difficult time. We’re mired in a terrible recession, one that has seen stock market values slashed, jobless rates plummeting to levels not seen in decades, and personal wealth being wiped out for millions of Americans.
With seniors facing hardship with the poor economy coupled with rising overall health care costs, many actually face the dreadful possibility of losing their homes and their assets entirely. Seniors also are targeted by unscrupulous characters promising things like unusually high returns on shady investment schemes and questionable, even illegal, “help” with refinancing home mortgages. Worse still, many seniors are subjected to abuse or neglect because family members simply cannot provide proper care. The elderly deserve strong and knowledgeable advocates to protect their assets and their access to long-term health care. That is exactly what the California Elder Law Center is all about.
Based in Lakewood, the California Elder Law Center has specialized in creating successful strategies to protect seniors, their homes and finances, as well as their long-
Paramount Fiesta
Sponsored by: Clinica Medica Hispana
More than 7,000 people attended the Paramount Chamber annual Fiesta. The three day event featured carnival rides and community booths. The Chamber would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Modern Development Company for allowing the event to take place on their property and to Clinica Medica Hispana major sponsor for the event.
term health care needs. For more than 20 years, we have been tackling a wide range of critical issues affecting Southern California seniors, including financial strategies, home and mortgage protection, long-term health care, Medicaid and Medi-Cal, accessing relevant government benefits, estate planning, guardianship, and advanced directives and other end-of-life decisions. Our unique Road Map of Care is a revolutionary strategy that protects seniors, their families and other caregivers, starting with safeguarding their most precious possessions: their homes and assets.
California Elder Law Center also is a strong defender of our honorable military veterans and their families. We guide our clients through the complicated Veterans Administration benefits process, saving them time, money and a lot of frustration. We give people the power to create viable long-term care plans that meet their unique needs and really work. Our team of professionals is dedicated to protecting seniors and their families by getting them the quality of medical care and financial planning they require. We host a fun and informative Senior Financial Strategy Seminar every Wednesday at the Lakewood office. The seminars are absolutely free; we encourage seniors and their families to call (800) 288-7190 to RSVP and learn more about ways California Elder Law Center can protect their life’s investments.
Bob Patton is the Director of Business Development for California Elder Law Center. (562) 627-9600
Women’s
Club Installs New Officers
Modern Developments security personnel did a great job with crowd control and keeping Fiesta visitors safe, from left: Andrew Morales, Aldo Treviso, Mayra Amezcua and Ahyson Padilla.
Paramount Chamber Board Member, Brenda Olmos was one of many volunteers who worked at the Chamber booth during the three day event. The Chamber booth featured a spinning wheel with the company names of Chamber members who donated prizes to be given away during the Fiesta.
Employees of Clinica Medica Hispana spent three days and nights giving away raffle prizes and sharing information about services provided at the clinic. From left: Guille Smith, Teresa Alberty, Nabila Alberty, Denisse Medina and Elva Preciado.
At a recent meeting of the Paramount Women’s Club Suzanne Seagar, Vice President of Los Cerritos District, assisted by her sister Judith, installed the following women to serve as officers for the coming year: Ella Marie Bailey, Gerda Trutzl, Helen Melton, Dorothy King, Betty Walter, Cleone Hatwan, Betty Harkema, Laura Oropeza, Shirley Elliott and Ethel Hillyard.
Should Your Business Use Twitter?
Should a small business use Twitter? Ellen and Britney Spears say yes! Isn’t that enough? It was for the masses, but you’re a busy, small business owner who’s a little anxious about spending the few precious minutes you have “tweeting” everyday thoughts and activities to the Web via browsers, cell phones, or instant messaging (IM). Well, I have the answer for you...Yes! Businesses all over the world are using Twitter to market their company; from the hot dog stand vendor down the street, to the landscape architect that works from home, to large companies such as Dell, JetBlue, and Microsoft.
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows you to answer the question, “What are you doing?” by sending short text messages up to 140 characters in length, called “tweets,” to your friends or “followers.” And yes, in order to get your message published on the web, you must stay within the shortform writing of 140 characters. This means you will need to communicate with simplicity, clarity, and humor. Today businesses are using Twitter for personal branding, to get customer feedback, to direct traffic back to a business website or blog, and to notify customers of new products or services. The power of Twitter for small businesses rests on two things: The immediacy and its ability to target people in your geographic location of business. With 27.6 million U.S. registered users on Twitter (most avidly embraced by young adults between the ages of 25 to 34 that live in urban areas), and the number looking to double by the end of this year, it’s becoming the “thing to do!” Joining Twitter is simple and free, all you have to do is sign up for an account and you can take advantage of the benefits that it will bring for you and your business.
It’s easy to sign up for a free Twitter account. First of all, you need to go to Twitter‘s home page account (www.twitter.com) and click on the green button, “Get Started- Join!” You will soon be taken to a page where you will enter in some key information, such as, Full Name, Username, Password, and Email. Twitter will tell you if the username you picked out is available, you may have to include a middle initial if your name is common. The last step in the process is to start networking. Twitter will ask you for your email information, clearly stating that they won’t allow your information to be used anywhere without your
permission. And yes, it’s safe to give your password, this allows for Twitter to go through all your email addresses to see who is already registered with twitter. And believe it or not, that’s it! Once you follow these steps, you are an official Twitter user. Interact with people you already know, click on their username and hit the follow button.
To help you better understand how companies are using Twitter, here are a few examples of various organizations that have used this social media tool to develop and maintain their business.
Is there anything more Los Angeles then a Taco Truck with a Korean twist that cruises the streets delivering high quality fusion cuisine to the city’s taco lifestyle hubs? The Kogi Korean BBQ is a mobile restaurant that travels around Los Angeles announcing their location via @kogibbq on Twitter. Prices are recession-friendly, $2 for each taco, which may account for the hundreds of patrons that are usually lined up night after
night. After celebrating a Nov. 20, 2008 opening, the roving vehicle has emerged as a socialnetworking guru (over 7,000 followers on Twitter), drawing 300 to 800 people each time it parks (often several times in an evening) and creating a movement referred to as “Kogi Kulture.” This is one company that relies entirely on Twitter to market and maintain their business.
The Cupcake Stop is one of the greatest things that Manhattan has to offer these days, as New York’s first mobile cupcake shop that has increased sales by jumping on the social media bandwagon. Anyone could have come up with a cupcake truck and parked it in the middle of Times Square... but, the part of Cupcake Stop that really captivates customers is the fact that it moves from-place-to-place, keeping customer’s engaged and excited via Twitter @CupcakeStop. As well as following the same route daily to establish a presence and regular customers, this company uses Twitter
Helping Widows Find Pathways Through Grief
to tweet its location (“Parked on 47th and 3rd with Red Velvet, Almond Amore, German Chocolate, Oreo Crumb, and Hummingbird”) and offer free samples and menu options to cupcake lovers all over the city! The tweets have generated excitement and buzz, as well as landing 7,600 followers.
Companies are no longer using Twitter just for marketing purposes, but also to enhance their customer service relationships. Starbucks has hired a communications manager that uses Twitter to help solve problems and answer questions that customers might be having. For example, if a customer had a question about a gift card, Starbucks would be able to tweet an answer back to the customer using up to 140 characters. The great thing about Twitter is that it allows Starbucks to find out what a customer’s wants and needs are and with this information they are able to make system wide changes.
There are many keys to success using Twitter, don’t be
afraid to get on and start networking-experiment, be patient and find out what works best for your business.
For more information on using Twitter for your business, visit www.twitter.com or call the Long Beach Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at (562) 570-4574. The SBDC has knowledgeable social media advisors and has helped numerous clients in the greater Long Beach area sustain and grow.
Kimberly Gros the Social Media Advisor at the Long Beach Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Hosted by Long Beach City College, the SBDC is a group of successful small business owners helping fellow entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow their business through low-cost workshops and free one-on-one consulting in business planning, finance, marketing, and various other specialty areas (Spanish speaking consultants available). To make an appointment call: (562) 570-4574, or email: sbdcinfo@lbcc.edu.
