THE ORANGE COUNTY CHAMBER
APRIL/MAY 2 014
A COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
HELPING ORANGE CONNECT
ORANGE PULSE
Buy Orange. Build Orange. Give Orange. Innovate Orange.
YMCA of Middletown
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Get Your App In Gear
BUSINESS INSIDER
By Charlie Graham I’m sure a lot of Hudson Valley business owners are wondering, “What can technology do for me?” How can today’s latest tech help you increase profits, beat the competition or make life easier? If you haven’t really thought about these questions, now is a great time to start. Innovation in the tech scene lends itself to more practical solutions for your business every day and the future is bright. The Future of Technology From 3D printers to smart phones, cars and houses, when we think about technology, we tend to imagine an array of examples that are seemingly unrelated. Depending on our personal interests or expertise, the example of technology can be quite ambiguous, yet at the heart of today's emerging businesses there is one defining constant. That constant is software. More specifically, application software, software designed to perform a specific task. Software you may know best as "Apps.”
Remain Competitive Without Losing Sleep
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EAP Success Story: Rock ‘N Mulch Tree Farm
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Doing More With Less
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Orange Advantage Participating Merchants
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Open Space Protection is Economic Development
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GROW /EXPAND
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Our fabulous new event – “Trivia Networking” -- is set for Wednesday, May 7. Don’t wait to make a reservation for what promises to be an SRO evening at Soho Bar and Grill in Middletown. See page 23 for info on this and other great events.
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The Occupations System of Care
At a recent convention in Paris, George Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, Inc. -- the second largest technology research company -- stated that, "In the future, all companies will be software companies." Whether or not you think this is applicable to you, software is steadily becoming a fundamental aspect of every business. Take for instance the restaurant that trades in its clunky old POS system for the simplicity of a tablet based system, or a manufacturing company that revolutionizes their workflow, by having a web application developed to better service its distributors. No matter the size of your business or the industry you're in, applications can be an ideal solution to the most vexing of problems.
NETWORK IT
High Energy Rates?
MAKING IT IN O.C. Specializing in webinar training, The Productivity Institute can handle a host of digital marketing issues for your business. Read all about this and other local businesses on pages 12 and 13.
Making it in OC
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Awards & Recognition
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Notable People
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New Chamber Members
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TREND/ INNOVATE Harness The Power Of Search Engine Optimization
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INORANGE Small Businesses: Survive AND Thrive!
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Events Calendar
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Business Watch is now on
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