July 2015 - Vol. 46, Issue 7
THANK YOU 2015 Annual Sponsors!
August General Membership Luncheon & Workshop
PLATINUM Sponsor Eden Prairie Village
GOLD Sponsor
WorkingTHEroom Thursday, August 20, 11am - 1 pm LOCATION: Bloomington Sheraton, 5601 West 78th Street, Bloomington COST: $30 members & $50 non-members REGISTER: epchamber.org
NETWORKING FOR PR OFESSIONALS
S SILVER Sponsors
BRONZE Sponsors
ure, at the end of the networking event you got your business card into everyone’s hand, but have they called you yet? Real networking is about making contact, not just getting contacts. Don’t let chance determine the success of the next meeting, practice effective techniques so you are ready for the next opportunity. If you are one of the many who hate networking, this session will help you feel more comfortable and at ease when representing yourself or your organization. Working the Room: Networking for Professionals is an interactive workshop that puts you on your feet and on the spot. You will learn: • How to capture a prospect’s attention • How to break away from the habit of hovering only with people you know • To move smoothly in and out of conversations • To identifying solid prospects • To set goals for networking at professional events or in daily life OUR SPEAKER – STEVIE RAY Stevie is a successful businessman, an accomplished, entertainer, talented writer, lucky husband, and worn-out stepdad. In addition to his executive director role at the improv company, he is a corporate trainer for Fortune 500 companies, has been a keynote speaker for conferences and events nationwide, is an executive coach in leadership and communication, and is a real estate owner and investor.
Thank You B.E.E.R. Sponsors:
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LEADERSHIP
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Message from the Chair Summertime By Carrie Dolinar, Chair Talencio Summertime is a time to spend days camping, boating, barbecuing, and spending time outside with friends and family. I hope all of you are taking the opportunity to do so. It is so important for people to rejuvenate to keep themselves sharp while they are at work. It has been proven that employees who take their vacation time are more productive while they are at work. The Eden Prairie Chamber has been able to enjoy some of the sunshine! Thank you to all who came out for our annual golf tournament. Once again, it was a huge success and we enjoyed seeing all of you. This is an event that many look forward to each year and we look forward to even more participation in summers to come. Thank you to those who donated or sponsored! We couldn’t do it without you! Although it is summertime, the Eden Prairie Chamber does not slow down. We are embarking on an exciting adventure of strategic planning with Dowell Management. Dowell Management is going to be working with the Board of Director’s and Chamber staff over the course of the next 3 years to help take the Eden Prairie Chamber to the next level. We have done so many great things leading up to this endeavor; we are excited about where this is going to take us. Please stay turned! Lastly, please be sure to take a look at the EPC’s calendar as there is still a FULL schedule in store. July’s Women’s Networking will be an After Hours instead of a luncheon. You will get to enjoy the beautiful patio at Champps. This is going to be a fun evening of networking and enjoying the sunshine. Be sure to BRING A GUEST! There will be complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. I hope everyone is able to fine time to re-energize this summer! Enjoy the sunshine!
Women’s Networking After Hours ~ thursday, july 16 This month, we will be having a Women’s Networking After Hours in place of our monthly luncheon sponsored by Prosperwell Financial. This is going to be a great event of fun and networking! Be sure to BRING A GUEST! There will be complimentary appetizers and cash bar! We will be enjoying the beautiful patio at Champps in Eden Prairie. A Special Thank You to Champps for hosting this event and Prosperwell for Sponsoring! DATE/TIME: July 16, 2015 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM LOCATION: Champps, 8010 Glen Lane, Eden Prairie COST: $10 for Members and Non-Members “Connections” (USPS 729770) is published 12 times per calendar year by the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Periodicals postage paid at Prior Lake, MN - POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “Connections,” 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
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LEADERSHIP Message from the President
Legislative Recap, Student Career Fair, Trip to Cuba & MORE! By Pat MulQueeny Chamber President
STRATEGIC PLANNING – CHAMBER HIRES DOWELL MANAGEMENT The Eden Prairie Chamber has hired Dowell Management to work with our Board of Directors, staff and members in developing our three year strategic plan. Dowell Management provides professional services and resources to chambers of commerce throughout our region and beyond. They have a wealth of knowledge of the industry, work with individual chambers as well as regional chamber groups representing multistate associations and their President – Larry Dowell – has over 35 years of experience including ten years as President of the St. Paul Area Chamber. As part of this process, we will be surveying our members, holding focus group discussions and gathering other input from members. We will be presenting the results and key focus areas that come from this work later this year. For any questions on this, please contact Pat MulQueeny at the Chamber.
Panel Members at the Legislative Recap in June: Rep. Selcer, Rep. Jenifer Loon and Senator Franzen
GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE AND PROCESS CHANGES The Chamber’s Board of Directors adopted a new process for the Chamber to use in adopting positions on issues and how the Government Committee will handle requests from businesses on issues. As part of this process we ask Chamber members to be sure to participate in the Chamber’s annual survey and other policy surveys/discussions to provide us the best feedback from our members. Recommendations from the committee will be forwarded to our Board of Directors for adoption and then positions will be shared with LEGISLATIVE SESSION RECAP members as well as our elected officials, plus letting The Minnesota Legislature’s session went into extra innings with the Special Session being called by Gover- our members know when their voice needs to be heard nor Dayton. The Chamber brought together Represen- with elected officials. tative Jenifer Loon (Chamber member), Representative CUBA TRIP – 2016 Selcer and Senator Franzen to recap the session and You probably have seen articles and news stories of give our members a snapshot of what to expect in the Special Session. Each highlighted bills they worked on, groups traveling to Cuba and having the opportunity to experience the culture accomplishments from the session and key issues that of Cuba as the United played out in the session. States discusses normalEducation was a major discussion item with both E-12 izing relationships with the country. The Eden and higher ed being highlighted. Discussion targeted Prairie Chamber is offunding and specifically putting dollars to students fering an amazing and who had the biggest need rather than a blanketed unique chance to travel approach. Additional discussion hit on tuition costs to Cuba and see the for higher ed and how to match businesses needs of country, its people and workers and skills to current school offerings. Other experience its culture. The trip is set to depart on April items included passing a lights on transportation bill 13, 2016 and will take travelers to numerous locations instead of a more comprehensive approach to funding our transportation needs and discussion on Health and including Havana and Varadero. Highlights include staying at the Melia Varadero, an all-inclusive beach Human Service funds and healthcare items.
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LEADERSHIP
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resort, Old Havana walking tour, home and studio of artist Jose Fuster, classic car discussion, tobacco farm and farmhouse tour and a visit to the Francisco Donatien Cigar Factory. For more information and to receive the complete trip brochure, please e-mail pat. mulqueeny@epchamber.org or go epchamber.org – click on “Networking & News” and then on “International Trips”. Other trip getaways include this falls trip to Germany and Oktoberfest and a winter getaway cruise to Tahiti! This cruise departs in January of 2016 and is a true “bucket list” trip – especially for those looking for a unique winter getaway. More information on all trips is on the Chamber website – we hope you can join our group! EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS With the school year coming to a close, we want to highlight impacts that the Chamber and business community had in helping students identify future career paths and educational opportunities that will help them in the future. This past year we managed a Career Fair at the Eden Prairie High School with 35 businesses exhibiting and over 650 students turning out. Our main focus was to connect local manufacturers and technology companies to students – especially students who are unsure of their career path after they graduate. We expanded to add other business types and were extremely pleased with the participation and interaction at this event. We are planning our second Career Fair set for Octo-
ber 13th. If your business wants to participate, please call the Chamber office at 952-944-2830 for details! Additionally, we helped recruit numerous business members to speak to students at the school about their careers. These opportunities are great ways to help students understand the opportunities, additional training/school they may need and be able to ask questions of professionals in that field. Lastly – we wrapped up our 9th year of our Student Membership program. This program selects 20 seniors that are required to participate in our programs, committees, projects and job shadows/mentorships. This year we are very proud to say that two of our Student Members spoke at the graduation ceremony! Here are some comments from the students that reflect the value of this program: “The connections I have made and the things I have learned will not only help me in the business world, but also in life itself ”. “Going into the next chapter of my life, I would like to thank you for the various business skills I have learned through the Chamber this past year.” In September we will be kicking off our tenth year of the Student Membership program and hope that you will help the new students when you meet them at our events. The students will be looking for job shadows and the opportunity to learn from our members.
VIKINGS TICKETS – RESERVE YOURS NOW!
SKOL VIKINGS!
September 20 – Detroit Lions September 27 – San Diego Chargers October 18 – Kansas City Chiefs November 8 – St. Louis Rams December 6 – Seattle Seahawks December 27 – New York Giants
Please note – the Packers tickets will be on the live auction at the Chamber’s Gala and the Bear’s tickets will be raffled off at the Gala!
The Chamber has purchased a block of seats on the Budweiser Deck for the August 13th Twins vs. Rangers, 12:10 pm game. Plan for great fun and networking! Only a handful of tickets are left, so call our office for availability: 952-944-2830
GO TWINS!
Join all the action and fun as the Minnesota Vikings 2015 season gets underway! The Chamber has season tickets available for purchase – lower level section 123, Row 31, seats 14-17. To purchase these four tickets for any of the games listed below, please call Lori Brown at the Chamber Offices at 952-944-2830.
TWINS TICKETS – GOING FAST!
LEGISLATION
www.epchamber.org By Senate Republican Leader David Hann Representing Eden Prairie and Minnetonka
The Chamber will be including guest articles from our elected officials in this month’s and future newsletters to help our businesses stay connected on issues. This year’s legislative session began with promise. After two years of complete Democrat control, Senate Republicans and the new House Republican majority offered new ideas and initiated a spirited debate about Minnesota’s priorities. Unlike previous years, hopes ran high that the nearly $2 billion budget surplus would allow for a drama-free compromise. Moreover, all parties agreed on the need for new investments in roads and bridges, and the voices of the people were heard when House Republicans won a majority in the legislature on the promise of tax cuts and eliminating wasteful spending. When the session ended with a bipartisan budget compromise, it seemed Minnesotans could rest easy without the threat of a government shutdown. Certainly, there were disappointments: no tax reductions, no real education reform to solve the state’s persistent achievement gap, and a lack of investment in roads and bridges. But one billion dollars was left on the bottom line to address those needs in the next session. Then, without warning, Governor Dayton vetoed three budget bills, leading to weeks of uncertainty. During the special session, a splintered Senate Democrat caucus failed to pass their own negotiated deal, and a shutdown loomed even closer. Seeing an opportunity to lead where Democrats could not, Senate Republicans were able to negotiate an agreement to pass significant tax cuts in the 2016 session, and it was enough to earn support on the final budget bill. Thus, a shutdown was narrowly evaded. Job creators did come out ahead on a few issues in the end. The legislature worked to stimulate job growth with grants for job training, workforce housing, and
workforce development. To build tomorrow’s strong workforce, higher education funding was refocused on vocational programs and STEM scholarships for indemand occupations. However, a lot of the big “wins” for job creators were defensive wins. For example, the proposal to increase the gas tax by 50% would have led to higher prices for any product transported by truck. Even defensive wins look positively triumphant after so much antibusiness legislation passed in the 2013-14 budget year: B2B sales taxes, 4th tier income tax, WESA, minimum wage increase, childcare unionization, etc. As the Star Tribune recently quoted one business lobbyist, “At least nothing bad happened” this session. Next year, Senate Republicans are looking forward to fighting for several tax relief proposals, including an income tax reduction for all working families, a tax exemption for seniors’ Social Security benefits, and a tax exemption for veterans’ retirement benefits. We’d also like to see education reform that prioritizes students and parents and begins to close the achievement gap, and an investment in roads and bridges that doesn’t include a new gas tax. Public policy is often painted by politicians and the media as either pro-business or pro-worker, as if those two goals inherently conflict. Republicans, however, know high-paying, stable jobs are created when the state makes it easier and more lucrative for businesses to compete in the global marketplace. Minnesotans can count on Senate Republicans to support workers and job creators with policies that will build a stronger economy for us all.
Business Resource Center Have tips and tricks you’d like to share with fellow Chamber Members? Submit them to our online Business Resource Center: find the link on our homepage
NETWORKING
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Great Attendance at our June Events - More to Come in July! We had a number of well-attended networking events during the month of June. Along with the three event shown here, we also had a successful After Hours at the new WELLS FARGO Eden Prairie Village location and a great luncheon with the Vikings.
June 11 After Hours hosted by Furniture Source in Eden Prairie.
Annual Golf Tournament at Bearpath Golf & Country Club on June 1.
Legislative Recap Luncheon on June 11.
July is packed with more great opportunities to network with other EP Chamber members. Check the list below for our upcoming summer events and mark your calendars!
epchamber.org Visit our website for full details and to register for these great summer networking events!
July 9: After Hours @ Sharper Management July 14: Brown Bag Lunch – Human Rx July 16: Women’s Networking After Hours at Champps July 21: Chamber 202 – Maximize your Membership July 23: After Hours @ MartinBlu July 28: Brown Bag Lunch – Community Engagement July 29: Business @ Breakfast GUEST DAY
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MEMBERSHIP
Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce welcomes you! New Members
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
Champps Americana 8010 Glen Lane Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 942-3331 www.champps.com Cutco at Home 7627 Eileen Street Eden Prairie, MN 55346 (612) 749-4403 www.cutcoathome.com Ernest Kay Consulting 8725 Columbine Street #46012 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (612) 210-6079 www.ernestkay.com
TAP Resource Center 12970 Rutledge Circle Minnetonka, MN 55305 (651) 398-5148
Farmers Insurance District Office 7500 Flying Cloud Drive #120 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 698-0725 Inspire Remarkable Achievement Eden Prairie, MN (651) 261-0077 www.inspireremarkableachievement.com Oasis Outsourcing 860 Blue Gentian Rd. #200 Eagan, MN 55121 (651) 256-4181 www.oasisadvantage.com People Centered Marketing Eden Prairie (952) 393-7350 www.peoplecenteredmarketing.org Stratasys, Inc. 7665 Commerce Way Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 937-3000 www.stratasys.com
Comcast Business Center 10400 Viking Dr., Suite 550 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 855-7214 www.business.comcast.com
Congratulations to Ambassador of the Month! Laura Meister SaFire Nutrition
PERIODICALS US POSTAGE PAID PRIOR LAKE MN USPS#729770
Eden Prairie Gala Sponsored by
WELLS FARGO Eden Prairie Village Location
july 2015 - EPC Calendar of Events Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday 1
Thursday 2
NO BUSINESS@BREAKFAST
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Friday 3 Chamber Office CLOSED
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Business@Breakfast by WELLS FARGO 7:30 - 8:30 AM
After Hours @ Sharper Management 4:30 - 6:00 PM
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Brown Bag Lunch: Human Rx 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Chamber Office
Business@Breakfast by WELLS FARGO 7:30 - 8:30 AM
Women’s Networking After Hours @ Champps 3:30 - 5:00 PM
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Chamber 202: Maximize Your Membership 8:00 - 9:00 AM Chamber Office
Business@Breakfast by WELLS FARGO 7:30 - 8:30 AM
After Hours @ MartinBlu 4:30 - 6:00 PM
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Brown Bag Lunch: Community Engagement 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Chamber Office
Business@Breakfast GUEST DAY by WELLS FARGO 7:30 - 8:30 AM
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17
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PLEASE RSVP/Cancel FOR ALL EVENTS BY 12 PM THE DAY PRIOR! Visit epchamber.org to view details, pricing or to RSVP today!