A Monthly Publication of the JANUARY 2017 Volume 57, Number 1
AT A GLANCE... Business After Hours . . . . . January 12 Flipping Fabulous 104 S. Santa Fe, Suite 4; 5-7pm Business After Hours . . . . . January 26 Bennett Buick GMC 651 S. Ohio, 5-7pm Details inside!
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2016 IN REVIEW — A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHAMBER
PASS IT ON! See page 4
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Human Resources Communications Sales Staff Break Area
SDI AND CHAMBER
Downtown News By Penny Bettles, Salina Downtown, Inc. pbettles@salinadowntown.com • 825-0535
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Connection (USPS 478-100) is published monthly by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, 120 W. Ash, Salina, Kansas 67401. Periodical Postage paid at Salina, Kansas. Subscription rate to members is $1.25 per year. Sylvia A. Rice, Editor. Consolidated Printing, layout and design. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Chamber Connection, PO Box 586, Salina, KS 67402-0586.
A look back to some of Salina Downtown’s greatest moments in 2016! Friday Night Live and First Friday Night Live #artwalkedition was rolled out in May of 2016 and was meet with a huge success! For 22 weeks, downtown Salina went live with artists and musicians every Friday night in many of downtown’s local establishments!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Guy Walker Blue Beacon International VICE CHAIRMAN Dr. Matt Thompson Kansas Wesleyan University CHAIR-ELECT Mark Ritter Crown Distributors, LLC TREASURER Joyce Volk Joyce Volk Insurance Agency, Inc. PAST CHAIRMAN Brian Richardson Occupational Performance Corporation PRESIDENT/CEO Don L. Weiser Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Debra Blomquist Accessible Home Care, LLC Brandon Ebert Waddell & Reed, Ebert-Stein Group Scott Eck Philips Lighting Dr. Verna Fitzsimmons Kansas State University Polytechnic M. Olaf Frandsen Salina Journal Julie Goetz Salina Regional Health Center Dave Hiechel Eagle Technologies Brandon Hughes Harbin Construction Peter Johnston Clark, Mize & Linville, Chtd. Tina Lewis Salina Housing Authority Dahx Marrs Marymount Properties, Techniqol Consulting, Kansas Bankers Technologies LuAnn Puvogel Salina Surgical Hospital Michael Spicer Salina Community Theatre Ron Stratman Accurate Electric, Inc. Barb Young Triad Manufacturing Mark Zimmerman Salina Supply Company
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Construction on The Salina Fieldhouse is underway with a projected opening in late spring/early summer!
Kizer and Bender led downtown merchants through an exciting seminar: “The Crackle Effect: Taking your Store off Auto-Pilot” during the 2016 Annual Meeting!
Twenty eight bike racks were installed downtown in the spring of 2016. The bicycle advocates were very excited to see downtown become a more pedestrian/cyclist friendly community!
With the efforts of downtown business owners, local artists, SDI board members and staff; downtown went bright this holiday season! Fundraising efforts are still underway to make 2017 even brighter!
CHAMBER NEWS
Four Directors Elected and Two Directors Appointed to Board Four persons were recently elected by the membership to serve four-year terms on the Chamber’s Board of Directors: Scott Eck, Philips Lighting; Dahx Marrs, Marymount Scott Eck Dahx Marrs LuAnn Puvogel Properties, Techniqol Consulting, Kansas Bankers Technologies; LuAnn Puvogel, Salina Surgical Hospital; Barb Young, Triad Manufacturing. Two persons were appointed by the Barb Young Dave Hiechel Brandon Hughes incoming 2017 Chair: Dave Hiechel, Eagle Technologies; Brandon Hughes, Harbin Construction. All new directors will take office January, 2017.
Follow the Salina Chamber and Visit Salina on Facebook.
The new directors will join these returning directors to form the 2017 Board: Dr. Verna Fitzsimmons, Olaf Frandsen, Michael Spicer, Ron Stratman, Brian Richardson, Debra Blomquist and Tina Lewis (2017); Julie Goetz, Dr. Matt Thompson, Guy Walker, Mark Zimmerman (2018); Brandon Ebert, Peter Johnston, Mark Ritter, Joyce Volk (2019).
Officers Elected for Chamber Board 2017
Guy Walker
Guy Walker, Blue Beacon International, has been elected 2017 Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Walker has been employed by Blue Beacon since 2006. His history with the company includes working as General Manager of several Green Lantern Car Wash locations in the Kansas City area, before returning to Salina in 2012. He currently serves as Vice President of Real Estate, which includes acquisition, construction, and environmental compliance for the truck wash, car wash, and hotel divisions of the company.
Other officers elected for 2017 are: Dr. Matt Thompson, Kansas Wesleyan University, Vice Chairman; Mark Ritter, Crown Distributors LLC, Chair-Elect; Joyce Volk, Joyce Volk Insurance Agency, Treasurer; and Brian Richardson, Occupational Performance Corp., Immediate Past Chairman and Don Weiser, President/CEO.
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CHAMBER NEWS
2016 in Review… A Year in the Life of Your Chamber Your Chamber Board of Directors, volunteers and staff work hard in many areas, and are proud to report a successful year in 2016! We thought this would be the perfect time to share some of the accomplishments of the year, plus some insight into the programs and projects we have been involved with. In some ways, 2016 was a time of change which included additions to our staff. Two new associates joined us with the arrival of Hayley Morrical as Membership and Community Relations on the Chamber side (January 2016) and Kyle Weiser in the Visit Salina Sports and Events department (July 2016). Led by President/CEO Don Weiser, we experienced some great wins and some important firsts in 2016. While we may not have won every challenge, we gave it our best, with results that we are proud of, that we believe benefit the membership and the entire community.
On the Chamber side of things: • 22 Business After Hours were hosted; • Attendance at BAH events increased by 1,500 people; • 27 Ribbon Cuttings celebrated member milestones; • The 31st Class of Leadership Salina graduated; • The 29th Class of Junior Leadership Salina graduated; • The 11th Business Hall of Fame Class was inducted. • 72 students placed in School to Career internships; • Five 12@12 member lunches were hosted; • SAYP presented the first Food Truck Festival • SAYP was involved in 70 events; • SAYP membership hit 115, plus KWU students; • Created Salina Chamber App; • One of the largest Mid America Farm Expos in its 50-year history was presented; • More than $105,000 in Smoky Hill Silver was sold, to be used at member businesses.
Visit Salina staff was kept running between pitching and bidding on potential events, and providing excellent support and service to those we were honored to host in 2016. Throughout the year we: • Worked with sports/events that generated $4.2+ million in Direct Estimated Visitor Spending (DEVS) ; • Engaged face-to-face with 62 sports/events rights holder organizations at three marketplaces; • Recruited 1,600+ hours of volunteer labor to assist sports and special events; that brought a significant number of visitors to Salina; • Partnered to present the sixth SculptureTour Salina exhibition; • Met with 76 meeting planners in face-to-face appointments at three marketplaces; • Conducted 18 site visits with meeting planners; Resulted in 8 confirmed bookings; • Won May 2018 Nat’l Individual Events and Tournament of Champions: 750 people, 3 days, $373,000 DEVS • Won Little Big Horn Association Summer 2017 Convention: 100 people, 4 days, DEVS $90,700 • Won January 2017 UMC Great Plains Conference ONE EVENT: 900 people, 2 days, $160,600 DEVS; • Extended Dexter Cattle Association Show to second year; • Conducted a Secret Shop of Salina as a visitor destination; • FYI: A convention or meeting with 150 Kansas delegates for 2 nights and 3 days on average will infuse $80,000 in DEVS into the Salina/Saline County economy. In our Economic Development/Workforce Development division, while the emphasis was on existing business and industry and developing the workforce, Chamber staff also interacted with companies considering Salina as a new location. By the numbers, these were the primary projects for the division: • 89 Students participated in YEC event; (see article) • 35 Business Development Training Classes presented; • 21 Project Open Intake Applications considered; • 15 Entrepreneurs received training; • 1 Project Open project funded; • 62 Economic Development projects registered in 2016; • 10 Workforce Development projects underway in 2016. While certainly not a comprehensive accounting, we hope this gives you, as a member, some insight into the diverse areas the Chamber addresses as we work toward our mission “…*to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Salina area so that its citizens and all areas of its business community shall prosper…”. If you have questions about the Chamber, or would like to become more involved in our programming, contact us at the Chamber office, (785) 827-9301. Now, let’s all concentrate on a GREAT 2017!
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*Excerpt from Chamber Mission Statement
VISIT SALINA
Good Sports
The annual Kansas Tournament of Champions Wrestling Tournament will be held on January 28, 2017 at the Salina Bicentennial Center. Hosted by the Salina Kids Wrestling Club, this tournament hosts more than 1,400 youth wrestlers and 3,000+ spectators from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado. The Salina Kids Wrestling Club looks to continue hosting one of the premier wrestling tournaments in the state of Kansas this year and continue its streak of record breaking attendance for the eighth year in a row. Participants can weigh-in on January 27, Friday night between 6pm and 8pm. The tournament begins Saturday morning at 8:30am, and admission is free. For more information about the tournament or sponsorship opportunities, contact tournament director Rich Zimmerman at (785) 823-3987. The 6th annual X-Treme Gymnastics Winter Wonderland event will be held January 21-22 at Solomon High School. Organizers expect 325 athletes from outside the area to compete. The tournament is open to all levels, and sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). For more information contact Sheena Torres by e-mail sheenatorres87@hotmail.com.
MarqueeWelcomes January 12-14
KS Society of Land Surveyors
January 14-15
The ONE Event
January 17
UMC Orders and Fellowship
January 23-26
No Till on the Plains
January 27-28
KS Kids Wrestling TOC
Dollars Sense Recent groups Visit Salina worked with and the estimated visitors’ spending they created in the community:
17th & 18th Century Living History Fair $15,145
Chamber Annual Meeting Coming Up! Carly Fiorina
Tickets for the February 8, 2017 Chamber Annual Meeting featuring Carly Fiorina are still available. The event will be held at the Salina Bicentennial Center beginning at 6:30pm. Tickets for Chamber members are $60 per person and for non-members the price is $85 per person, including dinner. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber office ticket hotline at 785-827-9310, ext. 123, stopping by the Chamber office, 120 W. Ash, or by emailing Sandy Cole at scole@salinakansas.org. For more information on the event and Carly Fiorina, go to www.salinakansas.org.
January a BIG month for convention activity in Salina! The Salina Bicentennial Center welcomes THE ONE EVENT January 14 & 15, 2017. Presented by the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC), this youth ministry event brings young people from across Kansas and Nebraska to enjoy speakers, fellowship, music and worship. The UMC estimates that more than 1,000 will be in attendance. Preliminary direct estimated visitor spending (DEVP) is calculated at $260,000. Kansas Society of Land Surveyors return to Webster Conference Center January 12-14, with more than 200 attendees expected to participate in courses in FS/PS Exam Prep. United Methodist Church (UMC) Orders in Fellowship being hosted at the Bicentennial Center is expecting 800 delegates January 17-19. The theme is “Transforming. Entrepreneurial. Discipling.” - focusing on ministry with youth and young adults. Guest speakers, workshops and worship will assist in the focus to reach young adults born between 1977-2006 (Generation Y, echo boomers or millennials). No Till on the Plains will return with over 900 registered delegates plus exhibitors, speakers and sponsors, January 23-26 at the Salina Bicentennial Center. Day One of the event will present No-till 101, specifically for those newer to the concept. The core of the conference is over Days Two and Three, with the Agriculture’s Innovative Minds (AIM) conference on Day Four. Estimated visitor spending through the week is $288,000+. 5
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
In The News
CONSOLIDATED PRINTING, 319 S. Fifth, owned by Don and Robin Vandegrift, has recently purchased Express Print and Signs at 248 S. Santa Fe. Mike Fuller has been appointed General Manager at Express. “The two businesses have a lot of similarities and we’re very happy to be working with the knowledgeable staff at Express. They’ve been in the apparel, screenprinting and promotional business for a long time,” says Don Vandegrift. Services include quality printing and design, signs, banners, embroidered and screenprinted apparel including t-shirts, hats, and a vast array of promotional items. GOT NEWS? Do you have news to share about your business or organization? Email srice@salinakansas.org and we’ll publish it in an upcoming issue of Chamber Connection. Help people get outside to enjoy nature and learn how to care for our future – by sponsoring or donating to the DISCOVER SALINA NATURALLY festival. Held on Sunday, May 7, 2017, 11a-4p, the festival will attract between 2,000 and 4,000 people to Lakewood Park, to learn about Salina’s past, present and resilient future. With over 70 booths, visitors can talk with historical reenactors, see the surface of the sun, learn how worms make soil, discover outdoor activities like hiking, biking and birding, appreciate art, live entertainment, delicious food and so much more. The children’s activity area is always busy! It’s free to enter the festival, and your generous gift helps keep it that way. Give whatever fits your year-end budget, or sponsor a tent for $500. Contact Mark Neubrand at 785-820-1271 or mark@prontoprint.com. Financial-services firm EDWARD JONES was named a 2016 Best Workplace for Parents, ranking No. 2 on the list, based on anonymous associate feedback and on the benefits that help parents participate fully in their organizations, according to Tom Dill, Don Simoneau and Andrea Pedigo. The ranking considered results from more than 120,000 surveys of U.S. employees across a range of industries. Edward Jones excelled in parents’ assessment of their companies’ fairness, camaraderie, professional opportunities and other factors essential to a rewarding career. In 2016, the firm implemented a new policy that offers a 16week paid parental leave for natural and adoptive primary caregivers and two weeks of paid leave for full-time, eligible secondary caregivers. Edward
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Jones also was ranked as a best workplace for women, millennials, Gen Xers, those approaching retirement, camaraderie and flexibility. The firm, which ranks No. 10 overall on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, also was named a best workplace for those in the financial services industry. CENTRAL CARE CANCER CENTER, has received this year’s Champion of Farmworkers Award from KS Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Statewide Farmworker Health Program (KSFHP). KSFHP is a voucher program that helps uninsured and underinsured migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Kansas obtain access to medical care. Central Care has 13 cancer centers in Kansas, including the Salina location at 2337 E. Crawford, and two in Missouri. Six full-time financial counselors support patients throughout the system. To learn more about Central Care Cancer Center, go to www.cccancer.com or call 800-592-5110. SALINA AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE, 2562 Centennial Road, has been approved as an Authorized Testing Center for Pearson VUE, a global online testing and certification company. People in the Salina area working on their personal and professional development can take testing here rather than other sites across the state. Pearson VUE contracts with numerous companies, agencies and organizations, including: Adobe Systems, IBM, Cisco, Kansas Real Estate and Kansas Insurance Commissions, among others. Pearson VUE contracts with numerous companies, government agencies and organizations to provide online testing for people to earn various certifications and licenses. NEX-TECH WIRELESS is helping food pantry shelves throughout January with a canned food drive. Bring three canned food items to any of their retail locations – in Salina at 2525 Marketplace, Suite B and also inside Central Mall - and receive $10 off any Nex-Tech accessory. Donations made in Salina will be given to the Emergency Aid Food Bank.
New Members
Meet Chamber Member Becky Peterson, Owners of Smoky Hill Quilting as you read excerpts from our 5-minute/ 5-question interview. Can you please give us a three sentence summary of your personal background? I have been quilting for over 30 years, doing long arm quilting for four years. I am a retired preschool teacher and director of 2 daycares as well as doing in-home daycare and preschool recently, although retired from all education. My grandmother and my mother both quilted and I think they handed down to me their love of piecing together special and favorite fabrics. What is it about your business that is unique or special? What separates you from your competitors? I am more competitive as far as pricing goes from my competitors. I work out of my home and therefore love to work with clients one on one. I enjoy hearing the background of the quilt they made and any special stories that are attached to it and the fabrics they used. See the entire interview, and others, posted at www.salinakansas.org/ chamber/take_5.aspx Want to be interviewed about your business? Contact info@salinakansas.org!
DUCKS UNLIMITED – SALINA AREA Rich Rice • (785) 826-8950 slayerofgeese@gmail.com
MEAD LUMBER AT SALINA 707 N. Broadway • Daryn Blaha (785) 452-9953 • darynblaha@meadlumber.com
NEXTHOME PRO REALTY 937 Highland • Owen Freiburger (785) 643-7677 • owen@nexthomepro.com
NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS COORDINATED TRANSIT COUNCIL, INC. 340 N. Santa Fe • Michelle Griffin (785) 826-1583 • mgriffin@occk.com
DALLAS DUNN AGENCY 239 N. Santa Fe • Dallas Dunn (785) 825-1559 dallas.dunn@american-national.com
HOME STORE 1001 E. Crawford • James Blackwell (785) 404-1618 • james@bluelinesalina.com
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Ribbon Cuttings
These Chamber member businesses recently celebrated milestones with an official Chamber ribbon cutting!
Pathway Financial Solutions opened their new office downtown at 120 S. Santa Fe.
Legislative Issue Meetings Scheduled In an effort to keep area citizens informed on state legislative activity during the 2017 state legislative session, the Chamber will host a series of Legislative Issue Meetings with our local Saline County Legislative Delegation. The meetings will be held Saturday, February 18, Saturday March 18, and Saturday May 20. They will be held from 8:30-10am at the Chamber’s Visit Salina Annex, 120 W. Ash. Senator Randall Hardy, and Representatives Steven Johnson, Diana Dierks, and J. R. Claeys, have been invited to attend. The format of the meetings will consist of opening remarks from the legislators, written questions from the audience, and closing remarks from the legislators.
Sleep Number celebrates opening their new store at 3015 S 9th Street, Ste. C.
The meetings are sponsored by AT&T, and are open to the public free of charge.
Project Open hosts Inaugural Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge The Salina E-Community and Project Open, in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, held the 2016 Project Open Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on December 1, 2016 at Great Plains Manufacturing with the goal of exposing local high school students to entrepreneurship. Chamber board member Debra Blomquist, who owns Accessible Home Care and Accessible Home Health, helped judge the competition and said, “Some of them are finding out the challenges it takes when reaching out to investors to support what they’re selling. This was something good for them. We want to see kids prepared for business and looking toward their future.” The competition consisted of students preparing a written executive summary, presenting a business elevator pitch and a formal five minute presentation. 89 students on 62 teams competed against each other and were judged by local entrepreneurs, public sector partners, and teachers. “Students tell us every year how local entrepreneurship competitions open their eyes to new career possibilities, reward innovation and creative problem solving, and give them valuable experience presenting ideas to a panel of judges. It’s a wonderful gift that the community can give their youth,” says Anne Dewvall, Manager of the E-Community Partnership.
The 2016 Project Open YEC winners are as follows: • .1st Place, State Qualifier and $500 awardee was business Ability Apparel by Ethan Brown, Central High School • 2nd Place and $300 awardee was business Magnificent Massaging Mask by Lynn Nguyen, South High School • 3rd Place and $250 awardee was business Guest App by Haylee Householter, South High School • People’s Choice Award was Tele Toaster by Adrian Castro and Dustin Morgan, Central High School
In addition, on March 15, 2017 Kansas State Polytechnic will host the 2017 Project Open YEC. Both the winner of the 2016 and 2017 Salina competitions will represent the community at the annual YEC statewide championship, where the top students from each local competition face off against each other for prize money and other honors. The 2017 statewide championship will be held on April 24th, 2017 at Fort Hays State University.www.salinakansas.org to access an application. 7
BUSINESS HOURS REFRESHMENTS • TOURS • DOOR PRIZES
Flipping Fabulous
PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID SALINA, KS 67401 120 W. Ash, P.O. Box 586 • Salina, KS 67402-0586 785-827-9301 • fx 785-827-9758 • www.salinakansas.org HELP US KEEP YOUR ADDRESS CORRECT If address is wrong in any respect, please correct directly on the label and return to Chamber of Commerce. Thank You!
104 N Santa Fe, Ste A
Thursday, January 12 5-7pm • $5 per person or Fast Pass Flipping Fabulous is all about taking a tired old piece and making it fabulous again. We meet the DIYers’ needs by offering General Finishes, Saltwash, decorative rollers, and a variety of other creative products. A great portion of our business is custom work – our customers bring in a piece from home, and we give it new life for years to come. Our goal is to provide the Salina area with a fresh new look on creative furniture, art, and supplies.
Bennett Buick GMC
651 S Ohio Thursday, January 26 5-7pm • $5 per person or Fast Pass Bennett Buick GMC is inviting everyone out for an evening of fun in their new facility. Don’t miss this one! Come out, network with fellow Chamber members & check out what Flipping Fabulous and Bennett Buick GMC have to offer!
For reservations call 827-9301 or email dsmith@salinakansas.org DOOR PRIZES (MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN) $100 CASH ATTENDANCE DRAWING $500, $500, $1,000 MEMBERSHIP DRAWINGS
2017 “Business After Hours” Fast Pass is on sale now! For $30, the pass will gain you admittance to all Chamber After Hour events throughout the year. To order your 2017 Fast Pass, contact Delta at the Chamber office, 827-9301 or email dbryant@salinakansas.org
Check it out at http://www.salinakansasyp.com SAYP will host their 2017 Launch Party @ Stiefel Theatre, January 19 from 5:30-7:30pm. In the past year, SAYP was involved in 70 events, presenting various speakers in professional development for members. The group launched a very successful event – Salina’s only Food Truck Festival, raising $1,000 for Salina Childcare Association in the process. Attend the launch event to network, have a cocktail, enjoy local band AM, and get a peek at what it’s all about! Get your staff involved! For more information, email yp@salinakansas.org or call Hayley Morrical at 785-827-9301.