June 2017 Newsletter

CONNECTIONS A PUBLICATION BY THE EDEN PRAIRIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

THANK YOU 2017 ANNUAL SPONSORS!

Vol. 48, Issue 6 | June 2017

BUSINESS INVESTOR

JUNE LUNCHEON AT WINTER PARK Join the Eden Prairie Chamber for one of the last looks inside Winter Park before the Vikings head to their new facility in Eagan!

SILVER SPONSORS

We will hear from a featured presenter with the Minnesota Vikings (to be announced! Check back on the Chamber site for the announcement) on their strong relationship with the Eden Prairie Chamber, the city of Eden Prairie, and their exciting plans for the future including the Eagan-based Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center. You will enjoy a catered lunch as well as the opportunity to mingle and take photos with members of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders.

Following lunch, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the inner-workings of Winter Park, including the player locker room. Plus, many attendees will walk away with some great door prizes. And as always, mingle and network with fellow business leaders in the area to grow your network and make new connections with your fellow Chamber members. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to see a behind-the-scenes view of the Viking’s historic practice facility.

This event will sell out - don’t hesitate to register!

BRONZE SPONSOR

DATE: Friday, June 30, 11:30 AM - 1 PM LOCATION: Winter Park (9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie) COST: $35 for members, $70 for nonmembers

Zane Birky

Connect with the Chamber

“Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce”

@EPChamber

“Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce”

YOUR CONNECTION TO THE BUSINESS & COMMUNITY SINCE 1969

@EPChamber

LEADERSHIP

epchamber.org

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS By: Alan Wallner President, W Creative In this crazy world of business, we need to take time for us.

Given that we are halfway through 2017, I thought it would be appropriate to stop and take a breath to align ourselves for the second half of the year. We have been feverishly working to accomplish goals and to hit numbers for our businesses. Often, we drive so hard we run our lives on the edge of exhaustion. I have been reading a book titled Silence — The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, by Thich Nhat Hanh. The first chapter is appropriately named “A steady diet of noise.” Even if no one is speaking to us, we have a steady inflow of noise and information all day — radio, billboards, phone, text messages, computer, flyers, and bills, just to name a few. It starts the moment we get up. Many of us check our email before we are even out of bed.

The book lists four kinds of “food” we consume: edible, sense of impressions, volition and consciousness. The first is the food we consume each day. The second is the sensory experiences we receive through our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind — what we read, the sound of a car, a text message, what we choose to watch on television, etc. The third is our will, our concern and our desire — our purpose and our intentions. The fourth is our individual consciousness — our thoughts and actions — as well as our collective consciousness — a social group, family or friends.

Interestingly enough, all four of these “food” groups provide both positive and negative stimuli for each of us every day, every hour and every minute.

Here is the crazy part: we choose the stimuli for how we want to drive or impact our day, week, year and lives.

Many of us get caught up in the rat race to achieve and drive for bigger and better; we forget our true purpose and we do not always act with intention. Before we know it, the year has gone by. When we look back and wonder how that happened and try to remember what

we accomplished, it all seems like a big blur. So, with all the noise, we choose either focus on the negative or positive.

Positive focus and intention Take a moment to notice the positive things that are happening in your day and focus on them instead of the negative. I keep a gratitude journal in which I write down things I am grateful for each day, even the little things if I have no big things. By doing this, I see more of the good things that are happening instead of all the negative things – we have even turned it into part of our company culture. As a result, we have slowly started seeing more of the positive things that influence our day, week and year; and the negative things do not impact the business as much as before.

We are achieving and growing our business with intention each day.

To help position our business for success the second half of the year, we take a day at the end of May and use half the day to focus on our personal growth and the other half to focus on the business. We list all the things we have proudly accomplished the past 180 days — significant or otherwise. We then highlight the top five and discuss insights and learnings.

Next, we do a type of “Groundhog Day.” We take the same 180 days and list all the things that worked and what didn’t work. Then we list what we would do differently. Finally, we create non-negotiable new standards and procedures to implement moving forward with the business.

Lastly, we take time to celebrate, even the little successes.

To wrap all this up, even though we have so many things vying for our attention every moment of every day, we can take control of each day. We can take a moment for ourselves, to center each day with a positive focus and gratitude. Your thoughts and the things you notice create and attract your next thought, next action or next whatever. They also provide the basis of your alignment with yourself.

LEADERSHIP

epchamber.org

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAMBER PRESIDENT By: Pat MulQueeny President, Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce Tomorrow’s Leaders One of our strategic goals in our strategic plan is to “Ensure the future prosperity of the Eden Prairie marketplace.” One of the keys to this will be helping our businesses find and develop future leaders. The Chamber just wrapped up two of its efforts on helping build future leaders for our area businesses—our Twin Cities Young Professionals Summit and the Chamber’s Student Membership Program.

Twin Cities Young Professionals Summit The Chamber held its second annual summit on Friday, May 19th at the Radisson Blu Mall of America.

We had over 200 people register for this annual event that featured two keynote speakers, six break-out sessions, a panel discussion and a concluding happy hour event for networking. The purpose of this event is to provide our future business leaders an event that helps them build their skills, learn from experienced business people and gain knowledge to be tomorrow’s business leaders. Our Chamber also offered 12 other local Chambers of Commerce the chance to partner by having their members attend the event as well.

The speaker I enjoyed the most and gained some great takeaways from was Greg Cunningham. Greg is the Vice President of Global Inclusion & Diversity with U.S. Bank. He shared stories from his personal and professional background that were pertinent to our topics, but also helped us understand his point of view. Some key insights for me were: • Diversity and Inclusion – we need to leverage the many dimensions of differences as a strength • We should seek to understand and be understood • Let your values be your GPS • Be self-aware – what are you doing when you are at your very best?

• Finally, courage—the most important virtue.

Without it, it would be impossible to demonstrate any of the other virtues with consistency

Student Membership Program We just wrapped up our 2016-2017 Student Membership program, in which we had 20 high school DECA students participate as members of the Chamber—attend programs, committee meetings, find job shadows and gain skills and understanding of what future opportunities are available for them. We have now helped over 200 high school students since the inception of this program and know it is making a difference. Some of the comments/feedback we receive include: • “It has been a phenomenal experience this past year being a student member… Thank you for partnering with our program and helping develop students like myself.”

• “Throughout the various events I enhanced my networking and public speaking abilities.”

• “I have become a better communicator, young business professional, and have created several lasting connections in various careers and industries.”

The Chamber will be hosting its 4th annual Career Fair in October. This event brings together area businesses and high school students to help determine the future career path they want to take. Originally started to help manufacturing and technology companies reach students to help them understand the opportunities available to them, the Career Fair quickly expanded to include all types of business and industry. The 2016 Career Fair featured 55 area businesses and over 500 students attended to engage with these businesses. To learn more about this year’s event, please contact Lori Brown at lori.brown@epchamber.org or (952) 944-2830.

“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

NETWORKING

www.epchamber.org

LOOKINGBACK: BACK: EVENTS EVENTS IN LOOKING INDECEMBER DECEMBER

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JUNE?

To register for these events and more, log on to epchamber.org/events.asp

Business@Breakfast Business@Breakfast is a great program for companies that depend on one-on-one interactions or referrals. Attendees get the opportunity to present a 30-45 second commercial about their business and all attendees enjoy a 15-20 minute presentation by a featured presenter. Plus, there’s plenty of time for networking before and after the program, so be sure to arrive by 7:15 a.m. with a stack of business cards.

June 14: At Brain Balance, we address the root cause for students between the age of 4 – 17 who struggle with ADHD, Academic, Social or Behavioral Issues like lack of focus, impulsiveness, learning disabilities and the list goes on. World-wide, Brain Balance is the only center where they address the root cause. Join Leann Sallstrom to find out more about this exciting opportunity for our precious kids at the June 28th B @ B. Bring a guest – especially someone you know who has a family member struggling with these issues!

DATE: Wednesday, June 14, 7:30 - 8:30 AM - Steven Tassler Wednesday, June 28, 7:30 - 8:30 AM - Leann Sallstrom LOCATION: Hellmuth & Johnson, PLLC (8050 W 78th St) COST: $12 for members, $17 for non-members

Thank you to our 2017 Business@Breakfast sponsor:

Chamber 202: Maximize your Membership Join us for an informational meeting and learn how to Maximize your Chamber Membership! Whether you are relatively new to the Chamber or just haven’t been engaged in Chamber activities, come hear about the benefits and opportunities that are open to you and your staff. We will offer you step-by-step instructions of how to get involved, define the programs and benefits and show you how to navigate our website. Coffee and light breakfast will be served.

DATE: Thursday, June 15, 8 - 9 AM LOCATION: Chamber office (11455 Viking Dr, #270, Eden Prairie) COST: FREE for members

Women’s Networking Breakfast: Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders Join the Women’s Networking Committee for a special breakfast event in June: Inspiring the next generation of leaders to think bigger than big! Mandi Simon, Founder of Simon Says Give will be sharing her story about how at age 13, she serves as the visionary behind a local nonprofit that will impact over 50,000 children this year. She will be joined by her mom, Dina Simon and the two of them will share their story about how little ideas can turn into big ideas with big impact.

We are encouraging you to bring your children to this special event! We recommend bringing children aged 7 and above, but please use your own discretion. There will be games to play and an inspiring message to hear! At this event, we are also inviting attendees to bring donations for Simon Says Give’s upcoming “High Five for Supplies” drive! See the full list of supplies we are collecting on the Chamber website.

Thank you to our 2017 Women’s Networking Annual Sponsor: DATE: Thursday, June 22, 8 - 9:30 AM LOCATION: Pinstripes (3849 Gallagher Dr, Edina) COST: $25 for members, $15 for children, $40 for non-members

www.epchamber.org

NETWORKING

SPECIAL SECTION: IN YOUR WORDS I am amazed when I hear remarks like, “I belonged to the Chamber and I never got anything out of it.” or “I don’t have time to go to all those functions.” or “Chambers are so last year.”

When I relocated my practice to Eden Prairie, becoming active in the Chamber was one of the first things I did, but not for the reasons that you might think. I joined because I believe, as a business owner, that I have the responsibility to support the community that I do business in, and I didn’t know how to do that in any other way.

I’d like to share my reasons for belonging and supporting the Eden Prairie Chamber:

Written by:

Roberta Fernandez

FARE Hypnosis Center • I’ve met great people and been inspired by their passion for what they do • I’ve gained important business advice and have a forum for bouncing ideas off of others who know more or who have had different experiences • I meet people who become good resources for me and for others that I know, making me look like I’m a well-connected genius who knows everyone (lol! - not true, but I don’t mind that reputation!)

• I enjoy the sense of community in working with other local business owners on Chamber projects • I learn things! I wouldn’t otherwise have access to a lot of the information I get at some of the chamber events • It gives my business a voice—and I get to use it as a vehicle for my voice to be heard in the political community • Attending events ‘forces’ me to get out and meet people, even when I don’t have the time (come on, we are ALL too busy - that’s no excuse) • I don’t feel alone as a small business owner - I can pick up the phone and call another member I’ve met or call the chamber and say, “Who do you know that can help me?”

• I can develop relationships with people that I would normally not have access to or the opportunity to otherwise meet • And yes, it brings me business

The reality is that there are very few other avenues to be able to connect with other business people like you can through chamber. There’s plenty more to say about why I love the Eden Prairie Chamber, but this is a newsletter, not a book. So call me or shoot me an email and I’ll fill your ear for at least 30 minutes about why you and every business you know in Eden Prairie (or who takes money in some way from this community) should be a member!

Have a message you’d like to share with your fellow members? Contact Sarah at sarah.ober@epchamber.org to be featured in the next “In Your Words” section.

STOPRE!AD

PLEASE

The Chamber is going GREEN! The Chamber is going green with our monthly newsletters!

We will be transitioning to an electronic version of this monthly newsletter starting in July. The newsletter will come straight to your inbox on the first of every month, and will always be available at epchamber.org. It will, of course, continue to feature the same great Chamber information and announcements that you will need to take full advantage of your membership.

If you would still like to receive a printed copy to your office at the beginning of every month, please email Lori Brown at lori.brown@epchamber.org.

NETWORKING

www.epchamber.org

LOOKING BACK: EVENTS IN MAY LOOKING BACK: EVENTS IN LOOKING BACK: EVENTS INDECEMBER DECEMBER Missed an event?

You can see all of the pictures and additional information on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/EdenPrairieChamber/

Business@Breakfast

After Hours with Tiger Plumbing, Heating & Air

Business@Breakfast in May featured some great featured presenters and plenty of personal connections. The featured presenter on May 10 was Mark Rigby with Cruise Planners who shared information about all of the great vacation service Cruise Planners provides. B@B on May 24 featured Dale Brose and Pat Devine with LTR Digital and something that’s never been done in the history of B@B— a whole presentation done over Facebook live! You can log on to either the Eden Prairie Chamber or LTR Digital Facebook pages to see the videos taken that morning.

Tiger Plumbing Heating & Air: Furnace Heat Repair Eden Prairie, Minneapolis hosted a great After Hours event in their brand new showroom on May 16! The new showroom welcomes customers in to see, touch and hear the products before purchasing - an experience most don’t get when purchasing new appliances like air conditioners and furnaces.

There was delicious BBQ provided by Baker’s Ribs, drinks, networking and great prizes won. One lucky winner walked away with a 4k smart TV! You can see Tiger’s new showroom and meet their friendly staff at 12448 Plaza Drive in Eden Prairie.

Twin Cities Young Professionals Summit 2017 The second annual Twin Cities Young Professionals Summit was Friday, May 19 at the Radisson Blu - Mall of America. Nearly 200 attendees enjoyed two keynote speakers, six breakout speakers, a panel discussion and concluding Happy Hour— all centered around the theme “Diversity & Inclusion.” Highlights of the day include a kazoo symphony orchestrated by the morning keynote speaker, Mike McKinley, a wide array of choices for breakout sessions, an inspiring afternoon keynote presentation by Greg Cunningham, Vice President of Global Inclusion & Diversity for U.S. Bank, and a dynamic panel discussion on inspiration and innovation in today’s workplace.

Don’t miss the next great Chamber event! Keep up-to-date on everything coming up at epchamber.org/events.asp

www.epchamber.org

NEW MEMBERS

MEMBERSHIP AMBASSADOR OF THE MONTH

Welcome to the Chamber!

Roberta Fernandez

Suburban Waste Services 12400 Princeton Ave S, Suite F Savage, MN 55378 (952) 956-2667 www.suburbanwastemn.com

Our Ambassador Committee is a group of volunteers who serve as mentors to new members and act as good-will ambassadors on behalf of the Chamber.

Salem Media Group 2110 Cliff Road Eagan, MN 55122 (952) 270-5398 www.salemmedia.com

FARE Hypnosis Center

SAVE THE DATE:

Ladies on the Links 2017

SITE VISITS & RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES

Tiger Plumbing, Heating & Air

Monday, August 28, 2017 Bent Creek Golf Club

The always-popular Ladies on the Links Golf Tournament is back for 2017! This all-female, 9-hole tournament is Monday, August 28 at Bent Creek Golf Club in Eden Prairie. Although the play is only open to women, there are plenty of ways for all members to get involved.

Jeff the Designer

Want to make the biggest impact possible? Be the Presenting Sponsor for just $500 to have the opportunity to speak about your business to all attendees, have a foursome on the course and your company logo represented in all tournament marketing.

Hole sponsorships are just $80 each—but only 9 are available so don’t hesitate! Or, engage with attendees after they finish play by hosting a table at the concluding After Hours event following the tournament.

Women: Sign up early and ensure your spot at this always fun and unique golf tournament!

Chanhassen Chiropractic

Ready to get involved? Contact Sarah at sarah.ober@epchamber.org

This is a publication of the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce

11455 Viking Dr, #270 Eden Prairie, MN 55344

P: (952) 944-2830 F: (952) 944-0229

www.epchamber.org

PERIODICALS US POSTAGE PAID PRIOR LAKE, MN USPS#729770

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - JUNE 2017 Monday 29

Tuesday 30

Wednesday 31

Thursday 1

Friday 2

Public Policy Committee Mtg 7:30 - 9 AM State Legislative Recap Luncheon, 11:30 AM - 1 PM

5

6

7

8

9

14

15

16

Business@Breakfast 7:30 - 8:30 AM Hellmuth & Johnson

Chamber 202: Maximize your Membership 8 - 9 AM Chamber office

21

22

Chamber Golf Tournament: GO BIG or Go Home Bearpath Golf & Country Club

12

19

13

20

23

Women’s Networking Breakfast 8 - 9:30 AM Pinstripes

26

27

28

29

Business@Breakfast 7:30 - 8:30 AM Hellmuth & Johnson

GML: Vikings Luncheon 11:30 AM -1 PM Winter Park

30

PLEASE RSVP/Cancel FOR ALL EVENTS BY 12 PM THE DAY PRIOR! Visit epchamber.org to view details, pricing or to RSVP today!