MC Chamber - January 2021

CHAMBER newsletter January 2021

Inside: Rockin' into the New Year!

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

PLATINUM MEMBERS

2021 Executive

2021 Board

Board of Directors

of Directors

Danette Doyle

Connie Koepke

President The Pioneer Group

GOLD MEMBERS

Mecosta County Area

SILVER MEMBERS

Convention & Visitors Josh Eling Treasurer Isabella Bank

Bureau Jim Sandy Mecosta County

Jeff Godfrey Secretary Spectrum Health Heather Bowman

Development Corporation Pat Currie

Downtown Business Association

Stay connected by reading the Chamber’s blog! My Chamber Connect is updated frequently with helpful articles, information about the county, video tutorials and commentary!

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce 127 South State Street, Big Rapids Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-7649 • Fax: (231) 796-1625 mecostacounty.com

SOCIAL NETWORKING facebook.com/mcacc

City of Big Rapids

Member At Large

For information on becoming a member of the Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce, please contact us.

Currie's BP Amoco

Member At Large

Josh Pyles

LEADING BUSINESSES, LEADING COMMUNITIES

twitter.com/mcacc2017

STAFF

Allison Heinrich

Events Coordinator & Administrative Assistant events@mecostacounty.com

instagram.com/mecostacountychamber

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

CHAMBER NEWS AND INFO

NOTICE: THE CHAMBER OFFICE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. OUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT IS WORKING REMOTELY, SO PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT VIA EMAIL EVENTS@MECOSTACOUNTY.COM OR BY CALLING THE OFFICE PHONE AT 231-796-7649 AND LEAVING A MESSAGE.

Special Thank You to all of our Ambassador Club Volunteers!

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JR CUSTOMS AND COLLISION ACHIEVES I-CAR GOLD CLASS STANDARDS

This achievement is earned by completing training courses that keep their employees trained on all the current tools and procedures in body work, painting skills and innovation used in the Auto Body environment. Jason Rehkopf, Owner of JR Customs and Collision started this business in June of 2016 in his garage. In December 2017 he started operating out of the 19100 Northland address, formerly Big Rapids Collision Center. When he first started it was just him and Taylor Morgan who is now an estimator in training.

Since opening JR Customs and Collision he has added 7 employees. In 2018 Larry Buffin started doing the painting for JR Customs and Collision, Larry is a huge asset as he has been painting vehicles since 1978 while still in high school, following in his father’s footsteps.

Larry now has an apprentice to help with the workload. Steve Stilson is also a seasoned body technician who is trained in aluminum repair, a new skill needed to repair the newer vehicles. Steve also has an apprentice to assist and hopefully obtain the skills needed to carry on the business when Steve retires someday. Roger Martin, a previous Body Shop Owner of Moley Collision, retired, then returned to the industry as the Shop Manager for Jason. Billy Lawler is the Assistant to the shop manager wearing many hats helping-out with check ins, to final inspection of the vehicles.

The most recent addition to the team is Tammy Weaver, previous owner of the Sears Hardware Store in Big Rapids. Tammy is the Office Manager maintaining the financials, payroll, purchasing and accounts payables and receivables.

Over the last year, even with COVID-19 they have continued business as normal. “It has been a busy year, as people still have to get from point A to point B and accidents happen.

With this being deer season, this is our busiest time of year. We have obtained a lot of new equipment this year to assist in the aluminum repairs like specialty welders and rivet guns.

We never expected the business to grow this fast. The community has been very helpful in spreading the word that we are here and we appreciate all of the referrals, states Jason.”

They offer free estimates, just stop by, no appointment needed, their address is 19100 Northland Dr. Big Rapids, or call 231-598-9444

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GFWC BIG RAPIDS SHARES FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS

Pictured left to right: Guest Christa Eling and GFWC members Carrie Franklund, President Ann Stellard, Joyce Iltis, Sue Johnson and Linda Telfer

As a way to bring a little cheer and brightness to homebound and nursing home residents, five members of GFWC Big Rapids along with a guest prepared floral arrangements.

Utilizing recycled cups, vases, bottles and flowers, they prepared 17 Thanksgiving arrangements and 40 Christmas arrangements. The Thanksgiving arrangements were delivered to individuals at their homes and the Christmas arrangements will be delivered to three local nursing homes giving time for them to set in quarantine prior to being given to the residents. This is GFWC’s way of recycling items into something beautiful to brighten someone’s day.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

I CLOSE MY EYES TO OLD ENDS. AND OPEN MY HEART TO NEW BEGINNINGS. - Nick Frederickson Leadership Mecosta is a dynamic 9 month program for people who wish to connect with other leaders in the Mecosta County community. Members have the opportunity to learn leadership skills and principles, grow in serving the community, and lead into the future of Mecosta County. For more information on the 2020-2021 class, please visit www.leadershipmecosta.com

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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THREE WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2021 – AND BEYOND

By Scott Cullather & Kristina McCoobery Forbes.com This year has been one of immense change.

Amid COVID-19, the restrictions on in-person contact have meant consumers’ viewing and purchasing habits have undergone a major shift, and digital acceleration has occurred at a more rapid pace than ever before.

Now as you approach a fresh new year, it’s time to reflect on what you’ve learned—uncertainty breeds innovation after all—and prepare your business for 2021 and beyond. Here are three strategies to consider for maximizing success.

TAP INTO SHARED EXPERIENCES TO CAPTURE MILLENNIALS AND GEN ZS With the demographics that are famously known for favoring physical experiences over material products unable to engage in-person, it’s important to facilitate virtual experiences for them to connect and interact.

We’re seeing artists and brands tapping into esports and games like Epic Games’ Fortnite (the Travis Scott gig in April, for example, saw 12.3M participants), and festival experiences where players enjoy top DJs alongside avatars of their friends. There’s immense opportunity for brands to get involved in these experiences, through sponsorship and brand activations within these environments, or by immersing audiences in their own 360° branded worlds. By 2030— when experience economy spending is expected to reach $8 trillion— millennials and Gen Zs will have the biggest spending power by far, so as you prepare your business for what comes next, it pays to engage them in as many ways as possible, right now.

PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2021 WITH MONETIZED HYBRID: THE FUTURE OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT From music festivals and brand activations, to internal sales meetings and awards shows, when in-person events are able to return, hybrid experiences will be widely adopted.

Not only do they represent a safe return to our ‘new normal,’ they are more sustainable as less travel is required, and they open themselves up to a much wider audience. We could eventually see 2,000 in-person attendees at an event, meanwhile 50 million people tune in virtually, resulting in far greater brand awareness, leads and ultimately, sales.

Brands’ approach to the in-person/ hybrid split will, however, vary. Some will treat virtual like the cherry on top of the cake—the nice added extra that

they lean on sometimes—while the in-person element will be the cake for others. This will mostly come down to the monetary value the events bring to the company; and there’s an untapped opportunity with virtual to consider here: scalability, share-ability, inclusion to allow for an increase in ticket sales, wider VIP packages, exclusive content offerings to unlock, one-off talent experiences, and more.

CONSIDER A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY, INDIE AGENCY In the COVID era where the world around us is in a constant state of flux, preparing your business for 2021 means we often need things fast. It pays to work with an agency partner that offers synergistic, specialist services all in one place, and at the same time, operates independently – we’ve seen a number of brands add indie agencies to their roster of late.

Done properly, you get what you need without the unneeded expense and bureaucracy, which means products and services are delivered in smarter, better, more efficient ways. Teams are on the same page, and even though their skillsets may vary, they are all working towards a common goal. It’s one of the reasons we formed [INVNT GROUP] – we offer four disciplines that clients can work with depending on the brief and their overarching objectives, and we curate teams accordingly.

We thought the world passed us by quickly pre-pandemic… Now it’s essential we look forward, plan, re-assess, and adjust our business strategies on the daily. Don’t get left behind; and be sure to innovate – a little risk during times of uncertainty can pay off for your clients and your agency, trust me.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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GFWC BIG RAPIDS SHARES WITH WOMEN VETERANS

Shown making delivery are Pat Rossi and Melanie Henry, GFWC Members

Christmas is a wonderful time to share with others, including veterans who have served our country. Members of GFWC Big Rapids decided to share the holiday spirit with the 12 women veterans residing at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans (MI). Individual decorative bags of various personal care items were provided to each woman. In all, individually and as a group, the women received hair accessories, clips, bobby pins, chap stick, hand lotion, long handled shoe horns, note pads, stationary, magnifying glasses, repair kits for glasses, hand sanitizer, nail polish and nail polish remover and word search books and pens. Community members are encouraged to share with the veterans at the Home, remembering that some residents are women who may need items that are a bit different than for the large number of males.

Your Lakefront expert!

Head to www.mecostacounty.com to the events tab for dates & to join the Chamber Connect group!

8520 100th Ave. Canadian Lakes, MI 49346

KATHY ADAMS

www.canadianlakeshomes.com

kadamscblakes@gmail.com

231.972.8300

231• 250 • 3197

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

Sources: SCORE/SBA; Fundera

Visit ThePioneerDirectory.com to see what's open and support our community!

Know a business that would like a free listing on ThePioneerDirectory.com?

Find out how at BigRapidsNews.com/listOFB

“Helping Buyers & Sellers for over 50 years”

SILVERNAIL REALTY

Call Today!

231-796-6329

Sue Glatz

www.silvernailrealty.com Sue Glatz, GRI, CRB, ABR, Broker/Owner

Salespersons: Terry Weaver, Katy VanCuren

Property Management • Land Contracts

Katy VanCuren

We sell all types of real estate and offer property management.

We work for buyers AND sellers!

17810 205th Ave., Suite #1, Big Rapids, MI 49307

JANUARY 2021

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We are proud to announce that two of our financial advisors, Brian Stearns and Janae Wolfe, have obtained the coveted CFP® designation. Both are graduates of Central Michigan University’s Personal Financial Planning program.

The Certified Financial Planner™ certification is one of the most prestigious designations in the financial planning industry.

Becoming a CFP® professional is a rigorous endeavor. It requires intensive study, 3 years of working experience in the industry and an all-encompassing exam.

The curriculum is an in-depth study of financial planning topics including investments, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance, taxation and education planning. A Certified Financial Planner™ professional is held to a Fiduciary Standard of ethics, meaning they are required to put their clients’ needs above their own.

To learn more about Brian and Janae and how they can help you with your planning please visit www.lernerfinancial.com.

“We Can Get You There!”

15505 Waldron Way • Big Rapids, Michigan 49307 www.lernerfinancial.com

231-796-8621

Serving our clients needs since 1969 Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Lerner Csernai and Fath Financial Group and Cambridge are not affiliated. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

Experience a different type of flight

Explore Michigan's best breweries at MiBrewTrail.com

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

Sue Johnson, Jewelry Designer Sue has been a part of the Artworks family for more than 10 years. She not only creates beautiful high quality jewelry, but she also provides artist demos showing us how she works, serves on the Jury Committee, and volunteers her time for gala! Here are some very random questions that allow us all to know her more.

What role does the artist have in society? There are "roles" of artists in society, especially if you include artistic crafters and designers in the category. We can be persuaders, pleasure providers, provocateurs. It all depends on where you look and what you're able to really see.

What art do you most identify with? I identify mostly with realism. Nature, of course, my best inspiration when it comes to different types of rocks, stones if you will. Color, shape, feeling I get when I hold the stones and wonder what I'll do with it or them.

What’s your strongest childhood memory? There are too many childhood memories that stand out and trying to list them would be futile. My Dad was a police officer who designed badges, and my Mom was a pencil and watercolor artist who worked as a stenographer.

What are some small things that make your day better? Again, so many small things make my day. Waking up to sunshine, great. Rain, great. Early morning coffee or tea on the porch with the cat purring on my lap, listening to the sounds in the woods. Talking with our kids and grandkids. Walking in our woods and kicking up deer. The quiet of our place. Too many more to list and in no particular order.

What brought you to Artworks? My neighbor, Mary Kay, told me of Artworks and said I should look into bringing some my jewelry there. So I did. That was in ’07 or ’08. Been here ever since.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives? Everyone, if possible, should have a pet once in their life. Or a garden. Something alive – to care for.

What is on your bucket list? A permanent studio, with good windows and room to move around without bumping into something is my main bucket list item.

What is the best advice you have been given? The best advice I’ve been given was from my parents. Don’t jump into anything without looking at all the angles. I didn’t follow this all the time.

Road trips planned or just get in the car (or your case maybe motorcycle) and go where the road takes you? My best road trips are with my husband Mike, on Agyness the trike. Riding weather will be ending soon, so we are trying to get in the color day trips as much as possible. We’re really not good about staying away from home so we don’t do anything major.

Who inspires you to be better? Besides my family inspiring me to do better, Bette Hartig is my best inspiration.

“Forward. Always forward.”

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021

7 TIPS TO PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2021

By Darya Jandossova Troncoso Business.yocale.com How volatile is our epoch?

any device across the entire world is becoming expected at work.

We’ve seen newcomers into this market as well, especially with the focus on mobile apps. Although people are not heading to the office as much, that doesn’t mean they’re at home on laptops. Many users prefer to work on their mobile devices, and companies that develop apps or transition to productivity on mobile devices are experiencing increased demand

Across the entire world, businesses are closing daily, and it doesn’t matter whether it has been around for 20 years or opened up in 2018. No one is safe, including major companies that are filing for bankruptcy. The question that comes to anyone’s mind quite readily is: how do I keep my business afloat?

It is not an easy question, and the answer is a somewhat difficult one as well.

The sad reality is that there are practically no guarantees that your business will survive in 2020 and come out swinging in 2021.

3. CHECK YOUR COMPANY’S PULSE If your company has been operating for a few months in 2021, you can begin to evaluate how companies can use the majority of the company’s employees working remotely. Several large businesses in 2020 have been conducting studies on the productivity of their employees working remotely. Now we’re halfway through the year; the results are materializing.

1. ANY RE-OPENING IS A GOOD REOPENING. There is good news, though. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, small business owners are opening back up, with 86% of small businesses surveyed report they are either fully (52%) or partially (34%) open. These figures are much better than they were in May of this year.

Business owners are cautiously optimistic – they’re not ignoring the second coronavirus wave’s threat, but some believe they can prepare better the second time around. As of today, quite a few small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S and other parts of the world are open. They have to follow specific mandated guidelines to stay open, but this is a welcome change from what it was back in Spring for many owners.

Still, 2021 is only five months away from now, and there are some things you can do as a business to prepare yourself and your company for the year ahead.

2. LESS IS MORE WITH AUTOMATION Although today’s learning management systems are as advanced as they have ever been, solutions may still be required for positions that cannot be trained remotely. If the company is stuck on lockdown, there might be nothing that you can do to prepare a new employee.

In this case, companies turn to automation to fill in these positions that are no longer possible to train in today’s climate. Although automation doesn’t fill a real person’s duties, it can still be a compelling solution for some specific tasks. For example, by using automated email marketing solutions, you’ll be saving both time and money when it comes to how your business handles its email marketing.

management companies are doing well.

A significant uptick in the second quarter of 2020 can be seen with all document management system companies. For example, Google Docs and its businessoriented platform G Suite have seen a marked increase of users in 2020.

Companies that were mildly interested in switching to a cloud-based document management system have now fully converted to using cloud-based systems.

In today’s unique climate, more companies turning to automation means more companies providing automation solutions. With an increase in competition and demand, we are seeing an inevitable rise in quality and solutions providers coming to the market.

Many companies that would never have previously thought about using cloudbased document management systems are now adopting them for their daily workflows. Small businesses and startups embrace the references of their young founders’ preferences, who grew up using cloud-based services for personal use, allowing for a well-functioning paperless office.

Whether you need to automate your email marketing or outbound calling effort, your company can operate as if it is a much larger entity. Even at the same time, companies can be cutting employees by reducing the hours available to projects.

If you look at the stock market, it’s very apparent that online document

For several months now, one of the top apps on the Windows and Apple app stores is the Microsoft Office 365 Suite.

Any statistical reference tells you that people are interested in productivity.

The ability to work in real-time across

It turns out that it’s a mixed bag. Remote work benefits some company types, but typically only in the short-term. Over the long-term, it becomes harder to train personnel, pitch ideas for new projects, get and sign contracts and perform tasks that require organic collaboration. At this point, it might make sense to use an assessment tool that can help you figure out what state your business is in and perhaps guide you in the right direction with how to proceed.

4. THE REMOTE WORK INDUSTRY IS BECOMING MAINSTREAM Although working remotely, especially with new employees, is proving to be a more significant challenge than initially expected, new opportunities are growing in the online working space. Learning management systems are becoming mainstream, especially ones which are based online in the cloud. Collaboration software is also as popular as it has ever been, allowing teams to stay on top of their tasks at all times.

Virtual reality is also coming into the mainstream, and the business cases of Continued on page 15

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JANUARY 2021 Continued from page 14 virtual reality are much more apparent than they were just six months ago. If your business has any foothold in the virtual reality or online learning market, it’s probably time to look into pivoting at least partially in that market direction.

quick and easy interface, increasing the perception of availability.

Applications on how to improve your marketing workflows are getting more and more sophisticated as businesses turn to them as less of a preference and more of a requirement. Many companies are experiencing downtimes as they are retail, and in-person revenue streams dry up. They need to recover costs to pivot into online-based products and services successfully.

Businesses use employee tracking systems when located over a large geographic area. With assets in different states or countries, it’s essential to have tools to know where those assets are. But now, with employees optionally located at home or the office, employee tracking systems are increasingly being used with small businesses and companies that only have single-digit offices. Their methods allow companies to track their employees’ productivity, quickly obtain the status of every person and every asset, and record data over time to identify trends.

5. WHERE AND WHEN ARE YOUR PEOPLE AND ASSETS? If your company isn’t using an employee tracking system yet, now is the time to consider collecting at least some data about your employees’ productivity.

By collecting data now, you can assess whether or not your changes are taking effect. Companies that collect data also don’t have to be large Enterprise businesses.

Many cloud-based data collection services exist for companies that need to operate at any scale. Your company can enjoy employee management systems’ benefits even if you have just one person managing resources. Small businesses can access the same tools as large Enterprises on pay-as-you-go plans.

6. TAKE ANOTHER LOOK PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

AT

Training personnel has always been a challenge, especially with complex or critical components of your company.

With the new mandates for remaining open, such as requirements for specific health precautions to be made during any company operations, training is even more critical.

You’re training personnel on new operations programs, and those programs affect your personnel’s health and safety.

In today’s climate, you need to be even more vigilant to make sure that those

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training systems are fully effective.

In the past, learning management systems based on the computer could be augmented with one-on-one interaction.

If you think about it, one on one exchange has been the primary methodology of training new employees going back thousands of years.

Such apprenticeship programs are still in use today to train new employees on a wide variety of tasks, especially job positions, which are difficult to describe on paper. Today, virtual training systems are becoming ready to replace one-onone training. By putting the employees virtually in the environment in which route they would need to make decisions, training can happen remotely and safely.

New systems can record the interaction with the virtual environment and evaluate their performance just like a person over the shoulder. Users can interact with the VR system and identify hazards, walk virtually through a challenging environment, or be exposed to realistic tests and distractions.

A big part of professional training is giving feedback through regular performance reviews. Once you schedule

the review, you might ask your employees to fill out an online self-evaluation form to reflect on their career goals, achievements, and challenges. Later, schedule a personal conversation (in person or via Zoom) to give and receive feedback. Every performance review should end with creating a shared list of action-items, both for an employee and a manager.

7. MULTIPLY YOUR PRESENCE With working at home, users are turning more to 24/7 applications, including automation of communications. If you’ve ever received emails from international or overseas clients, you know what it’s like to always be awake at 3 in the morning with one of your customers. Because of the 24hour cycle of marketing, companies need to find ways to achieve a balance, and that includes some degree of automation.

As a sales representative at your company, if you’ve ever been tasked with too many clients to email in one day, you may have looked into marketing automation for small businesses. For example, you can save time for essential tasks by sharing your company’s scheduling with your clients with a

Unfortunately, this pivoting cost is not trivial. Companies need to reduce or eliminate positions to survive, yet they need to increase their marketing presence. In comes automation in marketing. Automation in marketing does not have to be a difficult task.

Although automation app-development companies have tailored products for enterprise clients in the past, the market is changing. Developers are increasingly providing smaller, pay-as-you-go type subscriptions because of the influx of new customers at the small business scale.

These subscription-based systems allow small businesses and even individual proprietorships to access the tools which the enterprise has enjoyed for years.

Whether your company is a start-up or an established business is adapting to new trends for next year, your business can prepare for whatever comes next by diversifying into brave new markets.

Remote work is not the silver bullet, and neither is automation, but without them, your company will be at a severe disadvantage coming into 2021.

If you’re looking for the first steps, try small subscription-based services, and expand from there. We all are trying to adapt to changing conditions. By incorporating new products and services into your business, you’re supporting a changing market and modern economy.

Soon, work will look very different for everyone, but it also means that everyone will begin to enjoy the benefits of a more diverse, more robust world of small business.

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Members Bulletin Board

This section is dedicated to Chamber members who are utilizing their marketing opportunities as one of the many values of belonging to the Chamber:

Artworks.

Still Life Sketch

Saturday, Feb. 1, 1-3 PM

Big Rapids Community Library bigrapids.lib.mi.us

Activities & Events have been suspended until further notice.

For more information and updates visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

RECYCLE! Of Mecosta County MONDAY 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SATURDAY 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

424 N. 4th Street Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-9872

JANUARY 2021

Please call ahead or check out an organization's website for up-to-date schedules & information!

Fundamentals of Photography

Tuesdays, Mar. 2-Apr. 6, 5:30-7:30 PM After School Art

Tuesdays, Jan. 5-Feb. 25, 3:45-5:15PM Open Pottery Studio

Jan. 7 & 21, Feb. 4 & 18 5-8 PM Basket Weaving: Victorian Vase

Saturday, Jan. 16, 9 AM-3 PM Clay Birdhouse Workshop

Saturday, Feb. 6, 10 AM-2 PM For class descriptions, fees, and registration visit artworksinbigrapids.org/classes or scan QR code

JANUARY 2021

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GFWC BIG RAPIDS SPECIAL AMBASSADOR

We're looking to add new members to the Board of Directors & the Chamber Ambassador Club!

Interested?

Email us! events@mecostacounty.com

Jennifer Houttiker and Molly

Two years ago, GFWC Big Rapids club member, Jennifer Houttiker decided to train her dog, Molly to be a companion dog. Jennifer volunteered with other GFWC members in the local schools to help children with their reading and decided Molly could be a great assistant. Supported by other members, Molly finished her training and provided a “helping paw” when working with children who struggled emotionally in school. The GFWC Big Rapids Education and Library Community Program Committee declared Molly a GFWC Big Rapids Ambassador of Education and outfitted her with her own GFWC identification – a collar and leash with GFWC printed on them. Though not able to participate this year due to restrictions resulting from COVID, Molly and Jennifer stand ready to work in the schools when they can to help children who need the calmness that Molly brings to them.

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JANUARY 2021

5 THOUGHTS ABOUT PREPARING YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2021

By Jeff Bevis Forbes.com

By now most business owners are already planning for 2021 and beyond. While no one knows what 2021 will look like, most experts agree that COVID-19 will continue to affect our lives well into the first half of the next year. The good news is that the strongest, well-managed businesses will continue to pivot and adapt to remain successful and learn new ways to create even more success.

It starts by looking at your business with a critical eye and evaluating its performance honestly and objectively, with input from your team to be sure you are on the right track for 2021. Here are five ways to help your business prepare for a successful new year: 1. CONDUCT A STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS (SWOT) ANALYSIS. A SWOT business analysis has been used by top companies for years, and is a very basic, but useful tool when developing a business plan. But whatever tool your business uses, it only works if you do it consistently with tactical keys and diligently to create a plan of action.

2.

INCLUDE YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM, NOT JUST YOUR TOP EXECUTIVES. To get the most creative input from your team, include those that know how your business is being run from all levels throughout the organization, including senior and

management level staff. You’ll want to make sure there is buy-in from your entire team in order to prepare and implement any business plan.

3. SHARE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN’S TIMELINE WITH YOUR ENTIRE TEAM. To be successful, you will want everyone to be on the same page.

New processes take time to plan and be accepted, and if everyone knows the overall time frame for implementation it will be more successful. Let your team know you value their feedback and ideas, and gather key takeaways from each strategy meeting. When creating the final plan for 2021, make sure the leadership team is fully on board.

4. INCLUDE VARIOUS COVID-19 SCENARIOS IN YOUR 2021 PLAN.

Make COVID-19 health and safety precautions an integral part of any business preparations for next year. There will need to be accommodations for vaccinations and other pandemic considerations baked into any successful plan.

Allow for new COVID-19 precautions and other possible restrictions in the business plan as well.

5.SET REALISTIC GOALS AND TRACK THE METRICS. The best plans don’t mean much without a way to measure if they were successful or not.

While reaching for the stars is great, making sure your senior leadership is being realistic and setting achievable benchmarks in a business plan is crucial. Setting up your team for success when planning goals is key, because goals

that are too far out of reach could reduce morale and set the stage for failure. If your team does not truly believe in your mission—and THEIR mission as part of your overall effort—your potential for success is far, far lower.

Remember to chart your actual performance vs. the plan’s goals at regular intervals (weekly or monthly) and celebrate every success, rather than waiting until end-of-year to praise hard work!

Success breeds more success, so make sure team members know when goals have been met or exceeded. Let the entire team know they contributed to reaching those goals or benchmarks. Your team will appreciate being acknowledged as a vital component in the overall success of the business.

JANUARY 2021

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

*All events are subject to change or cancellation.

MECOSTA COUNTY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JANUARY 2021

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Jan 1

New Year's Day

Jan 3

AMVETS Auxiliary Monthly Breakfast @ Post 1941 from 9-11:30 AM

Jan 10

Mecosta VFW Pancake Breakfast 8:00-11:30AM

Jan 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Jan 21

Foot Care Clinic @ the Mecosta County Senior Center from 10AM-2PM

JANUARY 2021

SPECIAL DAYS GFWC MONTHLY MEETINGS 2ND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, SEPTEMBER THROUGH MAY AT THE BIG RAPIDS PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT. CALL 231-349-7743 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ARTWORKS

OPEN POTTERY STUDIO: JAN. 7 & 21, FEB. 4 & 18, 5-8 PM CLAY BIRDHOUSE WORKSHOP: SATURDAY, FEB. 6, 10 AM-2 PM STILL LIFE SKETCH: SATURDAY, FEB. 1, 1-3 PM FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TUESDAYS, MAR. 2-APR. 6, 5:30-7:30 PM AFTER SCHOOL ART: TUESDAYS, JAN. 5-FEB. 25, 3:45-5:15 PM BASKET WEAVING: VICTORIAN VASE: SATURDAY, JAN. 16, 9 AM-3 PM

QI GONG RED FOX MARKET

TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS BEGINNER: 10-10:30 AM ADVANCED: 10:30-11 AM

BIG RAPIDS COMMUNITY LIBRARY STORY TIME - MONS & WEDS 10:30-11:30A

COMMUNITY PLAYGROUP - TUES 9:30-11:30A KNIT NIGHT - 1ST & 3RD THURS 6:30-8:30P TINY TOTS TINKER LAB - FRIDAYS 10:30-11:30A

BIG RAPIDS ROTARY CLUB MEETS EVERY TUESDAY AT NOON AT FALCON HEAD BIG RAPIDS LIONS CLUB MEETS EVERY SECOND AND FOURTH MONDAYS OF THE MONTH, 6:30 P.M. AT #52 SPORTS BAR AND KITCHEN.

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, CHAPTER 18

A SERVICE OFFICER IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST VETERANS IN RECEIVING BENEFITS. THURSDAYS 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AT THE DAV IN BIG RAPIDS. ALL VETERANS WELCOME