PAGE 6A • MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016 • LONGMONT TIMES-CALL
MAY 2016
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR—COFFEE WITH THE CHAIR Kyle Snyder Land Title Guarantee Company
2016 Chamber Chair
As Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, I’m faced with a number of decisions on a weekly basis. As you can imagine, some decisions are much tougher than others. One of the easiest was to start a monthly program we call Coffee with the Chair. Not only was this designed as a membership outreach program, it’s also a great way to introduce our new CEO, Bruce Partain, to a lot of the membership quickly. Our invitations to coffee go out to somewhat-related industry segments found in our membership. We figured
that within each segment there may be similar concerns regarding business. We’ve held three coffee meetings so far and each has hit on a completely different set of topics, but within each segment, there were similarities that were discussed among friendly competitors. It’s been truly amazing to see new and established businesses come together to help each other with contacts, resources and advice. All the while we listen, observe and interact with potential solutions the Chamber can offer. Our first meeting with Realtors focused on the topic of downtown parking. The next meeting with bankers spoke mainly about finding and hiring good employees. And our third meeting with retailers revealed how much time, money and energy they spend on marketing their large and small shops effectively. If I would have had to guess what we would end up talking about in these free-form discussions, there is no way I
would have guessed these would be the topics on peoples’ minds. The coffee meeting is set up as an outreach to listen to our membership - to meet those who can’t attend our other events and to offer our assistance in any way. So far, so good. Over the course of this year, we will have invited every single member to Coffee with the Chair. Not all will be able to make it, but hopefully all will benefit from what we learn. This program goes hand in hand with the invitation for anyone to send me an email at laccprojects@gmail.com, to tell me what your ideas, concerns or solutions are to issues throughout Longmont. This invitation is open to anyone, not just members. Let me know what’s on your mind so we might be able to focus on items we don’t even know are of a concern to you. As the Voice of Business in Longmont, the Chamber needs to take an active role in shaping our future. It only makes
“This invitation is open to anyone, not just members. Let me know what’s on your mind.” sense that we have open discussions with our members and non-members to listen to what is working and especially the things that aren’t. We can’t advocate for a member or an issue if we don’t know an issue exists. We can lead by listening, creating relationships and formulating plans together. Many of the businesses in town are small and they simply don’t have the resources to overcome some of their hurdles. The large and small companies in town have similar issues but it’s hard to know these things until everyone sits down in a room together. If you get an invitation to join us at Coffee with the Chair, I would be honored if you would attend.
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neXt Young Professionals at Tasty Weasel
Julie Jones, Brittany Bussert and Neka Hafezzadeh: Sight Eyecare
Kelly Hander: Be Well Bodyworks, Michelle Brietzke: La Momo Maes Bakery
Kyle Snyder: Land Title Guarantee Company, Brian Berry: Meritcard Solutions, Josh Hunter: Metro Brokers
Welcome New Members ABLE to Sail 720-233-8969 Longmont, CO 80501 Youth Organizations Diane McKinney A 501c3 Youth Empowerment camp, teaching life skills through sailing metaphors to change young lives!
Boulder Pride dba Out Boulder County 303-499-5777 463 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501 Nonprofit Mardi Moore Boulder County’s LGBTQ Community Center. Thank you Marcelo Fernandez, High Plains Bank, for your referral!
BBVA Compass 720-526-5602 1849 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501
Financial Services Jason Barnes BVVA Compass is a top 25 financial institution offering commercial, retail, and wealth management services.
Club Pilates 720-442-8385 700 Ken Pratt Blvd., Ste. 101 Longmont, CO 80501 Fitness Kelly Hendricks
Colorado Superior Roofing & Construction 303-238-1002 357 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501 Roofing Contractors Jeff Brown We’re your complete storm damage experts specializing in gutters, painting, siding, and windows.
Glenn Shepard Seminars, Inc. 615-353-7125 Nashville, TN 37221 Consultants Glenn Shepard Management and HR Seminars.
Lost Marbles Toy Store 720-204-6055 435 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501 Retail Darren Moon Carefully curated toys from the roots of a mom and pop shop.
Russell L. Game, ChFC Personal Wealth Advisor 810-620-0169 225 East 8th Ave Unit D-14 Longmont, CO 80504 Financial Services Russell L. Game Our specialty is creating a Personal
Financial GAME plan with ongoing professional advice to diversify & manage risk and analyze available resources for long-term retirement income strategies.
Shelter Insurance 303-772-1609 420 21st Ave., Ste. 109A Longmont, CO 80501 Insurance Daniel Brewington Protect what matters most. Let us give you a hand with your insurance needs!
Spavia Longmont 1242 S. Hover St. Suite B-300 Longmont, CO 80501 Day Spa Genevieve Dubuc
Stephen C. Morgan, Esq. PLLC 720-899-2065
803 Timothy Dr. Longmont, CO 80503 Attorneys Legal Services Stephen C. Morgan Business, real estate and consumer financial services. Compliance lawyer. Thank you Kyle Snyder, Land Title Guarantee Company, for your referral!
Yore 720-340-3381 381 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501 Retail Ryan Johnson Yore’s mission is to provide customers with quality made, well designed, responsibly manufactured goods that are practical for everyday use.
s& m o M r o f s r Flowe day! o T r e d r O Grads TWO CONVENIENT LOCATION
614 Coffman St., 303-776-2804 - & - 650 20th Ave., 303-776-4077
Order Online at
www.longmontflorist.com INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER? Contact The Chamber at 303-776-5295 or register today at longmontchamber.org