Archive for December, 2011
New Year’s Delight: Bustin’ out the best
Beverly’s has won the Best of North Idaho for best fine dining and best dining with a view with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene or, as Allen Shriver and his date Gabi Groth-Marnat found out, a great vantage point to see the holiday lights.
COEUR d’ALENE — At precisely one second after midnight on Jan. 1, something momentous will happen, and millions of people everywhere will celebrate.
Voting will begin for Best of North Idaho.
Sandra King of the North Idaho Business Journal will kiss husband Michael and flip the figurative switch to let the balloting begin. Anyone with access to a computer can vote: Starting Jan. 1, simply go to nibusinessjournal.com, pick any of 120 or so categories and start naming your favorite places to eat, drink and buy furniture.
“This is a pure ‘people’s choice’ program,” said King, who oversees Best of North Idaho for the North Idaho Business Journal.
“Pure” might be in the eye of the beholder. For the vast majority of businesses that get their ballot butts bruised, the veracity of the contest might be questionable. But not to the winners, or to King.
“All of the categories are wide open,” she said. “We don’t narrow anything down. Voters have to think of the companies themselves. We don’t give them multiple choice.”
For instance, in the category Best Sporting Goods Store, a voter would have to type in Black Sheep for the vote to count. Matter of fact, a heck of a lot of people have done just that. Black Sheep has won Best Sporting Goods Store all four years of Best of North Idaho.
Last year, King said, 20,000 electronic votes were cast. The contest runs the entire month of January, and King and her team devote the first two weeks of February to counting every single vote and determining the authenticity of each ballot. She checks the electronic signature of every one and tosses out any duplicates.
“With over 120 categories it can take two weeks,” she said, “but it’s worth it because we want to ensure the truest response possible.”
The truest response possible is critical, King said, because the businesses who stand at the end in the winners’ column can really make some noise — and money.
Sandra King - NIBJ
“When your business is recognized as Best of North Idaho, some people will go in and try them for the first time just because of that,” said King, who has the pleasure of calling all 120-plus winners each year. “It also helps with existing clients — it affirms that customer’s choice.”
NIBJ checked in with several Best of North Idaho four-peaters to find out how the heck they keep winning. Here are brief synopses that we promised to share with readers, but not their competitors.
FRED’S APPLIANCE
(Best Appliance Store)
Four reasons Fred’s management believes they’re unbeaten:
• Carry more brands and selection of appliance than anyone else
• Working relationship with manufacturers allows low pricing on product; great selection and competitive prices; lower than at department stores and hardware stores
• Local service department
• Warehouse is 33,000 square feet; always stocked with appliances that can be delivered when a customer needs it
TIME WARNER CABLE
(Best Internet Service Provider)
Continued success comes from Time Warner’s network and infrastructure. The company provides reliable, high speed product offerings at a reasonable price. A comprehensive marketing and communications plan ensures the company’s products are made available to both new and existing customers. Time Warner’s main goal is to continue to add features to its products and services, enhancing their product’s quality at no additional cost.
CAPONE’S
(Best Sports Bar)
Tom Capone, owner of Capone’s Sports Bar, attributes customer patronage to the combination of food, atmosphere, and service offered at the bar. Customers return to Capone’s because they’re able to enjoy a large variety of sports packages alongside quality food and drink.
Capone’s is committed to local service. They continually provide sponsorship for local sports teams, and recently donated $7,000 for the Field House at Coeur d’Alene High School. Each year, Capone’s does a fundraiser for the firemen of Post Falls.
LES SCHWAB
(Best Tire Store)
Les Schwab has remained popular because of customer satisfaction. The company emphasizes service, providing quality products at quality prices.
Les Schwab employees meet customers at their car or in the parking lot, and maintain speedy service by practicing the company policy of “sudden service.” This consistent customer service is encouraged by the company’s business model, which makes employees partners in the company, providing an incentive for employees to take care of customers and grow business at the same time.
Promotions within the national company are taking the focus off of pricing and products, and are instead emphasizing customer service. The company’s motto is “Doing the right thing since 1952.”
GREAT FLOORS
(Best Flooring)
Great Floors’ business is unique in that to complete the sale they enter the customer’s home, impact their lives while removing the existing flooring, prep the floor and install the new carpet or hardwood, so it is very meaningful when customers consistently select Great Floor as the best flooring store.
From knowledgeable sales associates who listen to the homeowner needs to warehouse associates and certified installers who get the product in the home, the Great Floors team gets credit for “Best of” awards. There are many places to buy flooring, but the service provided by this crew is what elevates Great Floors to the top of the category.
BLACK SHEEP
(Best Sporting Goods Store)
Locally owned business that takes pride in price and home of the lowest prices. Black Sheep’s inventory, focused on hunting and fishing in the Northwest, is stuff that works well. Superior customer service; Black Sheep prides itself in its staff’s knowledge of products and places.
Black Sheep also keeps winning because, managers say, they promote heavily through the Coeur d’Alene Press. They also rely on word of mouth and always have; people telling friends it’s the best place. In business for 36 years, Black Sheep says its employees work harder every year as the marketplace continues to evolve.
Brooke Berger contributed to this story. Brooke is a Coeur d’Alene native now in her junior year at Georgetown University. She is studying English with a journalism emphasis.
STOMACHS RULE
Top 5 categories (most voted on) in 2011:
1. Grocery Store
2. Burger
3. Breakfast
4. Pizza
5. Salon (distant 5th)
NOT SO SERIOUS
2011 funniest votes:
Best Toy Store – Adam & Eve (received multiple votes)
Best Place to Meet Singles – Kootenai County Jail
Best Place to Make Yourself Look Younger – Fairwinds Retirement Home
UNDEFEATED
These businesses have been voted Best of North Idaho all four years of the readers’ choice contest. Who will make it five?
Accounting firm: Magnuson McHugh
Antique store: Wiggett’s
Appliance store: Fred’s Appliance
Auto dealer – new car: Parker Toyota
Bookstore: Borders (no longer in business)
Casino: Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort
Cell phone provider: Verizon Wireless
Child care: ABCD Daycare
Coffee house: Java on Sherman
Dessert: Dockside
Flooring store: Great Floors
Golf course – most challenging hole: #14 The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course
Hiking trail: Tubbs Hill
Hotel resort: The Coeur d’Alene Resort
Internet service: Time Warner
Local artist: Stephen Shortridge
Restaurant – Asian: Bonsai Bistro
Restaurant – fine dining: Beverly’s
Restaurant – Italian: Tomato Street
Restaurant – Steak: Wolf Lodge
Restaurant – Sushi: Syringa
Romantic weekend: The Coeur d’Alene Resort
Ski resort: Schweitzer
Snowmobile: Priest Lake
Sporting goods: Black Sheep
Sports bar: Capone’s
Tanning salon: Hawaiian Sun
Tire store: Les Schwab
Toy store: Figpickels
Vet clinic: Prairie Animal Hospital
View dining: Beverly’s
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 1
Peak Health & Wellness Center aims for ‘best’ title
Gary Retter, Lindsay Cantrell, center, and Tallie Althen have big plans in 2012 for members at Peak Health & Wellness Center.
COEUR d’ALENE — From the pinnacle of popularity, Peak Health & Wellness Center was knocked from its Best of North Idaho perch.
And the folks at Peak didn’t like it a bit.
After being voted Best of North Idaho the first two years of the competition, Peak relinquished the title in 2010 to the new Kroc Center, a recreation and worship facility owned by the Salvation Army that had hoped to attract a couple thousand members and rapidly grew to more than 20,000.
Forgive Gary Retter, Tallie Althen and Lindsay Cantrell, then, if they engaged in a little chest-thumping after reclaiming the Best of North Idaho title in 2011 — and aim at capturing it again.
“We feel like we’ve been the community center for 30 years. We’ve done a lot, and the community’s done a lot for us, too,” said Retter, managing partner and an owner of the facility that opened on Ironwood Drive in February 1982. “In the private sector, this is what we do for a living.”
Retter was politely referring to the fact that for all the good Kroc does in the community, improving members’ health is Peak’s focus. It’s not subsidized by the city or a large church that doesn’t pay property taxes; Peak is a group of three health clubs in Kootenai County financially fueled by some 7,500 members who want a great workout in their busy schedules, wish to take advantage of any of the 160 or so classes offered every week, engage a professional personal trainer and perhaps enjoy the camaraderie that a long-time small business affords.
“The experience here is just better,” said Althen, one of Peak’s founders, owners and its marketing director. “It’s personalized. The programming here is cutting edge, the trainers are fantastic, and what we have, really, is a family. Not to take anything away from Kroc, but it’s just too big. Here, they understand the quality of the experience is important.”
Cantrell, the club’s general manager and sales director, said she deals directly with members who left Peak for the Kroc Center, only to return and willingly pay a little more at Peak.
“The reason they come back is they realize the value of their membership,” she said. “They now realize they don’t mind paying slightly more a month because they don’t want to wait 20 minutes for a machine or walk a long way to park.”
Cantrell said Peak has become increasingly popular — and successful — because of its expertise in helping members attain real health.
“What we do here is say, ‘This is a lifestyle’ — it’s not just what you do in the club with exercise and diet,” she said. “It tells you about what to do with nutrition and all the other things on the outside. It becomes a part of your life.”
Retter said the initial idea of a Kroc community center helping underprivileged youth and habitual non-exercisers on tight budgets get into the health swing was a good one. But he also said that’s not exactly what’s happened, and instead, some 30 private clubs must compete not just with each other, but with a heavily subsidized competitor that just built a $36 million facility.
“They wanted to build the Taj Majal,” Retter said. “The private sector can only afford to build what it can financially support. But to be the Best of North Idaho going on our 30th year, that’s quite an honor to say that, to stay in business through all the thick and thin. I’m really proud of that.”
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Kootenai County year in review
Alivia Body
After two years of lingering in the dark shadows of the Great Recession, Kootenai County started seeing year-over-year gains in November 2010 — shortly before the same turning point occurred statewide.
Kootenai County recorded 350 more jobs in the first half of 2011 than in the first half of 2010. The county’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 10.5 percent, down nearly a full percentage point from the benchmarked rate of 11.4 percent in October 2010. According to the October estimate, there are nearly 800 fewer people unemployed compared to the same time last year. However, about 800 workers also dropped out of the labor force during those 12 months.
Job openings registered with the Kootenai County Department of Labor office through the third quarter were up slightly compared to the first three quarters of 2010. Most of the increase occurred in the first quarter as listings slowed by third quarter. There were more than 700 job openings county-wide throughout November.
Administrative and support services led the way in number of job openings with 1,000 in the first three quarters — most resulting from turnover in telemarketing operations. There were more than 500 job openings in health care through the third quarter excluding Kootenai Health, and health care continues to be the fastest growing industry in the county. With 22 percent of the workforce over age 55, even more opportunities will arise.
Manufacturing ramped up in 2011 to handle backlogs, and the sector added 100 more jobs during the spring than it had for all of 2010. The year ended celebrating new jobs with the groundbreaking of Underground Force.
Favorable exchange rates — the most favorable for Canadians in nearly 35 years — drove more Canadians across the border this summer. During the height of tourist season, Kootenai County added $5 million in taxable sales year-over-year.
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe spent $75 million on a major upgrade on its resort and casino, creating 150 new jobs. Attendance at Silverwood Theme Park was up 6 percent from 2010’s record 628,000. The addition of Walmart and its 300 employees has stimulated employment growth within the retail sector.
Job growth will continue into 2012 but at a slow place. While growth should stabilize the unemployment rate and keep it from rising, the Idaho Department of Labor projects job growth to hover around 1 percent in the coming year.
Other projections are slightly more optimistic. Moody’s Analytics forecasts growth in 2012 most likely in leisure and hospitality, education and health services and wholesale trade.
Stronger employment growth in the second quarter of 2011 coupled with increasing activity across Kootenai County has blunted the fallout from the recession, and momentum recently built up in manufacturing and health care coupled with rising consumer confidence heading into the holiday shopping season could carry the region through the winter.
Alivia Body is the regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor. Caryl Johnston from United Way of Kootenai County contributed to this report.
Kootenai County year in review
By ALIVIA BODY
After two years of lingering in the dark shadows of the Great Recession, Kootenai County started seeing year-over-year gains in November 2010 — shortly before the same turning point occurred statewide. Kootenai County recorded 350 more jobs in the first half of 2011 than in the first half of 2010. The county’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 10.5 percent, down nearly a full percentage point from the benchmarked rate of 11.4 percent in October 2010. According to the October estimate, there are nearly 800 fewer people unemployed compared to the same time last year. However, about 800 workers also dropped out of the labor force during those 12 months.Job openings registered with the Kootenai County Department of Labor office through the third quarter were up slightly compared to the first three quarters of 2010. Most of the increase occurred in the first quarter as listings slowed by third quarter. There were more than 700 job openings county-wide throughout November. Administrative and support services led the way in number of job openings with 1,000 in the first three quarters — most resulting from turnover in telemarketing operations. There were more than 500 job openings in health care through the third quarter excluding Kootenai Health, and health care continues to be the fastest growing industry in the county. With 22 percent of the workforce over age 55, even more opportunities will arise. Manufacturing ramped up in 2011 to handle backlogs, and the sector added 100 more jobs during the spring than it had for all of 2010. The year ended celebrating new jobs with the groundbreaking of Underground Force.Favorable exchange rates — the most favorable for Canadians in nearly 35 years — drove more Canadians across the border this summer. During the height of tourist season, Kootenai County added $5 million in taxable sales year-over-year.The Coeur d’Alene Tribe spent $75 million on a major upgrade on its resort and casino, creating 150 new jobs. Attendance at Silverwood Theme Park was up 6 percent from 2010’s record 628,000. The addition of Walmart and its 300 employees has stimulated employment growth within the retail sector.Job growth will continue into 2012 but at a slow place. While growth should stabilize the unemployment rate and keep it from rising, the Idaho Department of Labor projects job growth to hover around 1 percent in the coming year.Other projections are slightly more optimistic. Moody’s Analytics forecasts growth in 2012 most likely in leisure and hospitality, education and health services and wholesale trade.Stronger employment growth in the second quarter of 2011 coupled with increasing activity across Kootenai County has blunted the fallout from the recession, and momentum recently built up in manufacturing and health care coupled with rising consumer confidence heading into the holiday shopping season could carry the region through the winter.
Alivia Body is the regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor. Caryl Johnston from United Way of Kootenai County contributed to this report.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Survival tips in a slow economy
Sholeh Patrick
So economic recovery is going more slowly than expected; that’s not necessarily cause for small business pessimism. Some advisers consider this an opportunity for evaluation and improvement, even a golden chance to best the competition. Necessity is an effective motivator not only for surviving lean times, but for the long-term health of a business.
Culled from a combination of tips and generalized advice offered by advisers for industries ranging from high-tech to retail to food service, here are the common themes for operating a small- to medium-sized business during a sluggish economy:
• Customer service. Many businesses seem to have caught on to this one already. When competition is tighter, customer service can be the deciding factor. Customers appreciate — even expect — great attitudes, the extra mile, follow-up, free maintenance and other “extras.”
• Manage cash flow. Review accounts for the last year and look at cash positions. Make sure reserves stay healthy; now is not a good time to bet payroll on an investment. A bridge of at least 60 to 90 days is advisable now that credit is harder to obtain.
• Minimize accounts receivable. Keep on top of them, and act quickly according to agreed terms. The debtor’s business may be suffering and opportunity soon lost. Basically this puts a creditor business in the role of an unsecured banker, not a desirable position these days.
• Launch a new product. Naturally, the advice is not for the high-cost variety, but new ideas. Testing the market with a new product or service, when so many competitors are being conservative, can set a business apart and attract curious customers. Financial advisers often preach diversification for long-term survival. Why not apply this to products/services?
• Manage inventory carefully. Most importantly for retailers who must order months in advance, now may not be the best time to overdo the risk. Sticking with more proven products and styles so you don’t get stuck with overstocks is advised, as is a preference for high-value, rather than high-priced, selections. Expensive items aren’t selling well. A 10 percent cut in inventory can also aid cash flow.
• Avoid a slow death of discretionary spending. Sometimes it’s the little ones that get you. Fifty dollars here, a hundred there — to a business that’s not much, but inattention adds it up fast. Small changes can sometimes lead to year-end big savings and a better cash position, so a careful spending review is a smart exercise. Some “business expenses” aren’t as necessary or excusable as they once seemed.
• Marketing mania. It seems so counterintuitive to stop advertising in a slow economy, when you need the customers more than before. Yet that’s what some businesses have done with resulting sluggish sales. The experts say that’s absolutely the wrong move and recommend the opposite — market the heck out of your business and be loud about it. Advertise specials and regular coupons; it’s psychological if nothing else. When people see they can clip a coupon and get a better deal, they associate saving money with your business. To you the price may be minimally different compared to the ad expense, but if it brings in more customers who feel their budget is less taxed by (repeatedly) choosing your business, the net sales and goodwill experience more than pay for the marketing cost.
Sholeh Patrick is an NIBJ correspondent.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Idaho forecasters’ advice: Patience
In aviation they call it a holding pattern. That’s the best way to describe the economic forecast for Idaho next year — more hang-gliding than jet-setting. The state economic experts in the Division of Financial Management aren’t exactly optimistic about 2012, but neither are they pessimistic. It all depends on perspective.
Getting the bad news out of the way first, between July and October of 2011 the U.S. Department of Labor lowered the odds of avoiding an official recession — from 3 to 1 down to 1.5 to 1. In July Idaho’s job growth was projected to be 2.2 percent annually; the latest figure from Idaho’s Division of Financial Management is 1.9 percent. It also depends on which industry. Construction remained stagnant in 2011 according to DFM, but manufacturing grew slightly in North Idaho and Boise, although it fell slightly in the rest of the state.
At least things aren’t dropping like they were a year or two ago. The economy is growing; it’s just growing more slowly than projected so the state and national forecasters have modified their projections. As the Idaho Department of Labor’s Alivia Body outlines in her column in this issue of North Idaho Business Journal, Kootenai County still shows at least some net job growth, even with the national average 9 percent unemployment rate. We’ve turned a corner, but we may just have to hang out here with close to the status quo through most of 2012.
That’s not doom and gloom; it’s an exercise in patience. In each individual life there are times to slow down, evaluate and take stock, perhaps even appreciate the half-full portion of the glass. This can be very healthy, especially in the 90-mile-a-minute lifestyle which defines modern American society. Why not see 2012 as the year of the tortoise? It was he, not the impatient and overconfident hare, who won the race.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce – Looking ahead to 2012
Steve Wilson
2012 will be a big year for the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce. One hundred years and still growing and prospering. We will start this year of celebration with the chamber’s third 100-Minute Wine and Cheese Reception to be held the first Thursday of each month. The Jan. 5 reception will be hosted by Avista.
January 2012 will also be the first month that all chamber members can take advantage of their “new” enhanced listing on the chamber’s website. Normally this benefit would require an additional $100 investment, however, in celebration of our 100th birthday we are offering this free to all members until December 2012. There is no better value than to market your business through the chamber’s enhanced website tool.
2012 will be a year of celebration, not only for the chamber’s birth date, but also a celebration of all that is positive and bright in Coeur d’Alene. The chamber’s Business Development Committee is creating a “Shining Star “program to recognize each month a business that is growing and expanding, as well as providing employment and income opportunities. Last month we touched on this topic by linking past companies (1912) with today, and I promised to touch on the mining industry’s impact for this month. As our economy evolved through the 1920s, the role that gold and silver production in the Silver Valley played was enormous. As important as this industry was to Coeur d’Alene’s development, all major mining companies were in Wallace, and not in Coeur d’Alene until the 1980s.
Today, two of Coeur d’Alene’s “Shining Star” companies are Coeur d’Alene Mines and Hecla Mining. Coeur d’Alene Mines, which is the largest U.S.-based silver producer, indicated in its third quarter an all-time high quarterly sales and propelled YTD sales to 150 percent greater than last year. Over this same period, Hecla’s CEO, Phillip Baker, stated “Hecla’s financial position and asset base is the strongest it’s been in its history. We are poised to grow production 50 percent over the next five years.” These are two great companies and two great chamber members who are very important to the Coeur d’Alene area’s bright and shining future.
2012 will be a year of engagement and member service. Your Coeur d’Alene Chamber Team is committed to engaging your business, being responsive to your needs, and providing additional networking opportunities. Watch for a new Centennial golf-tournament and other events coming your way.
2012 will also be a year to provide financial growth. We have created a New Centennial Legacy Club where Members have the opportunity to help pay down the debt on our beautiful building, thus helping to preserve the Legacy of our chamber into the next 100 years. Acknowledgment for a $100 investment will be on our new Centennial Web page as well as permanent recognition in the chamber building.
2012 will be a year to focus on our triathlons. We have the opportunity to grow our August Coeur d’Alene Triathlon by 10-15 percent. Let’s make this happen! Get involved, help recruit and let’s build a fun event. We also have to negotiate five more years of Ironman contracts. We need to find ways to help pay for the $75,000 annual sponsorship fees. All ideas are welcome. This is a great event, but we must be able to fund the event for it to continue.
2012 will be a great celebratory year for your Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce.
Get involved and start the party!
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Post Falls Chamber – Participate with passion
Pam Houser
The final week of December seems to be a time of rest, reflection and planning for a new year. I have never been one to make New Year resolutions, but I have always been very goal oriented and am a big fan of putting those goals in writing.
There is no doubt that times are tough, the economic climate is not where it was five years ago, but there are positive things going on in our community and we need to celebrate those.
• We will open a technical high school in 2012. Incredible.
• The Post Falls Chamber has seen a significant increase in membership. Yeah.
• The Department of Labor is reporting a drop in unemployment and the community has come through keeping food banks stocked and warming centers open. We have much to be thankful for.
Our board of directors holds an annual retreat in December where we set goals for the coming year and discover ways to improve our existing programs, support community leaders and focus on business development. Ron Nilson of Ground Force Mfg. will serve as our Chairman of the Board. His vision is for business leaders to get engaged in our community, participate with passion and support each other with your talents, time and treasures. Our challenge to YOU is to find a way to make a difference, write it down, post it where you’ll see it every day and then share your success with a friend.
Our Local Issues Committee will begin work on a 20-year vision plan in January while our Governmental Affairs Committee will meet weekly to work with legislators on ways to improve economic development in Post Falls and all of Kootenai County. Our Business/Education Committee continues to find ways to partner educators with business owners in order to assist students with continued education and career goals.
Tourism partners such as Cabela’s, Center Target Sports and Silverwood are reporting growing numbers of guests to our state and that is a win/win for ALL business owners. When folks visit North Idaho for a weekend or a full week, they spend money in our grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and hotels along with attractions or events. The owners and employees of those establishments turn around and provide paychecks that are spent in retail shops, salons, car lots and rent… it all trickles down.
We will celebrate our success on Thursday, Jan. 26, at Red Lion Templin’s with a lovely dinner and an awards ceremony recognizing those who go above and beyond. We encourage people to come out for a night of fun and fellowship. Our 2012 theme is “TEAM WORK Makes the DREAM WORK, Catch the Spirit.” Please take the time to nominate one of our local citizens or businesses for extraordinary contributions to Post Falls. Forms can be found on our website or at the chamber office and are due in by Jan. 12.
Speaking of celebrations, The Post Falls Chamber and Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center will host an EAST COAST TOAST New Years Eve Party Dec. 31… on east coast time, when the New Yorkers celebrate at midnight; we’ll celebrate at 9 p.m. here! Details are on our website, www.postfallschamber.com. Tickets can be purchased at the chamber.
Happy New Year.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Hayden Chamber of Commerce – Goals for 2012
Kory Wilson
2012 marks the beginning of a very exciting period with my involvement in the Hayden Chamber. As Nancy Lowery finishes up her term as president, I feel honored to be selected as the new leader of this chamber. I am confident that the momentum Nancy was able to create will act as a catalyst to the added vision I have for the chamber.
My name is Kory Wilson. I am a Hayden resident and business owner. I am a dentist by trade. My office, Avondale Dental Center, is just off the Avondale Golf Course on Miles Avenue. My wife, Marni Wilson, is a school teacher and mother to our two beautiful girls, Ella and Avery.
I am committed to the Hayden Chamber because I plan on living and working in Hayden for at least the next 30 years. I want my kids and my business to be safe, successful and to thrive in our community. If I do my part and you do yours, we will ensure prosperity for our families and businesses for years to come.
I have several goals for our chamber this year. First and foremost is to serve the businesses that make up the Hayden Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber thrives on involvement of its member businesses. I am writing this after getting home from December’s “After Five” at RDI Heating and Air Conditioning. It was so great to see the wonderful job they did and so many people that stopped by. I have no doubt that this was a worthwhile event for RDI.
A major goal of our board this year will be to recruit new members who will engage and participate with our current involved members. We will also try and increase current member business involvement. To do this we will introduce programs and events that are worth while and of value and improve upon our current programs.
Here are just a few things to look forward to at the Hayden Chamber of Commerce this year: Excellence in Business Seminar Series, “Buy Hayden” Campaign, 1st Annual Bass Tournament, Music Festival and much, much, more.
Upcoming events: Hayden Chamber Membership Breakfast on the fourth Thursday of each month at Daanen’s, Business After Five on the second Thursday of each month.
Find out more on our website: www.haydenchamber.org and follow us on Facebook.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce Calendar
TUESDAY, JAN. 10
Upbeat Breakfast: The chamber is pleased to present the State of the County at January’s Upbeat Breakfast the 10th. Reserve your tickets today for a guaranteed seat. With a reservation, the cost is $14 with a reservation or $19 at the door and includes breakfast and coffee. Reservations must be made by the Friday before the breakfast.
For more information please call Brenda Young at (208) 415-0110 or email her at Brenda@CdAChamber.com.
Chamber offering three awesome trips!
The Coeur d’Alene Chamber, together with Collette Vacations is offering three trips to its Members and Community!
The first trip is entitled “Flavors of Thailand” and will be May 25 to June 7, 2012. The price is $3,549 double occupancy, and includes; round-trip airfare, 14 days, 12 nights hotel accommodations, 24 meals and tours. You will explore Bangkok and Chiang Rai. It also has an optional 2-night Hong Kong Pre Tour Extension.
The second trip is entitled “South Pacific Wonders” and will be Aug. 27 to Sept. 13, 2012. The price is $5,649 double occupancy and includes; round-trip airfare, 18 days, 16 nights accommodations, three nights in Fiji, 24 meals and tours. Highlights include Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, Mount Cook National Park, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Fiji.
The third and last trip is entitled “Discover Tuscany.” The price is $3,049 double occupancy and includes round-trip airfare, 10 days, eight night accommodations, 13 meals and tours. Highlights include; Rome, Assisi, Basilica of St. Francis, Montecatini Terme, Siena, San Gimignano and Florence.
For more information please call Ginger at (208) 415-0108 or email her at Ginger@CdAChamber.com.
Taking reservations for After Hours Business Fair
The After Hours Business Fair is Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, from 5-8 p.m. at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Convention Center. Don’t miss your chance to get in on the biggest marketing opportunity of the year! Build a year’s worth of business in three hours! One booth is $199 or two for $375. You can also promote your business by being a Major Sponsor for $365, or a Corporate Sponsorship for $3,000. Reservations fill up fast and are on a first come, first serve basis, so hurry!
For more information please call Brenda Young at (208) 415-0110 or email her at Brenda@CdAChamber.com.
THURSDAY, JAN. 26
Business After Hours at Coeur d’Alene Pediatrics: Join us for January’s Business After Hours at Coeur d’Alene Pediatrics, located at 700 W. Ironwood Drive No. 102 in Coeur d’Alene from 5-6:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided and there will be a drawing for $500 being awarded to the winner’s favorite charity.
For more information please call Brenda Young at (208) 415-0110 or email her at Brenda@CdAChamber.com.
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0
Could be big year for travel
MINNEAPOLIS — Travel Leaders has unveiled the results of its 2012 Travel Trends Survey. With 11 of the top 20 international destinations in Europe, Asia and Australia — up from just 9 last year — it is clear that Americans are ready to travel farther from home than in recent years. Travelers are also willing to spend what is necessary for their desired vacation — more than 91 percent of Travel Leaders surveyed say clients will spend the same or more on travel in 2012 as compared to last year.Conducted Nov. 21 to Dec. 16, 2011, and based on actual booking data, the 2012 Travel Trends Survey includes responses from 640 Travel Leaders owners, managers and frontline travel experts throughout the United States.
“We are very encouraged to see the rise in popularity of such a diverse group of international destinations. We have come to expect London, Rome and — more recently — European river cruising to be near the top of our survey. However, it is nice to see Americans’ interests are diversifying and in large enough numbers to ‘bump up’ destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing in Asia, and Amsterdam and Barcelona in Europe,” said Roger E. Block, CTC, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group, which includes travel agency locations from coast to coast. “Also, Sydney, Australia, is gaining steam and just missed our Top 15. Because of the growing number of certified Aussie specialists within our Travel Leaders network, we full anticipate delivering on more dreams of a vacation ‘Down Under’ in the coming year.”
“Also, it’s important to point out the data that shows nine out of 10 travel agents say their clients will spend the same or more as last year,” added Block. “Additionally, majorities of our surveyed travel agents indicate there’s an increase in interest and bookings for small ship cruising, off-the-beaten path travel, and international family travel. With these luxury-oriented segments on the rise, it’s no wonder the overall optimism our Travel Leaders have heading into 2012 based on bookings to date for the upcoming year is also very high.”
Below are some of the top findings from this year’s Travel Leaders Travel Trends Survey including: top international and domestic destinations, “up and coming” destinations, niche travel segments gaining interest, travel spending data, and more:
Top “Up and Coming” International Destinations:
When asked for their expert findings, Travel Leaders travel agents nationwide indicate Croatia is the top “up and coming” international destination within Europe, Vietnam is tops within Asia, and Panama narrowly edges out Ecuador and Brazil among destinations within Central/South America.
Increasing Interest:
Majorities of those Travel Leaders travel agents who primarily book leisure travel indicate they are seeing an increase in interest and bookings for small ship cruising, off-the-beaten path travel, and international family travel, all positive indicators for the growing luxury travel segment.
Travel Spending in 2012:
Based on current bookings so far for 2012 and conversations with clients, over 91 percent of Travel Leaders surveyed say clients will spend the same or more on travel in 2012. (That percentage is up over 2011 when 88.3 percent said clients would spend the same or more than in 2010.)
Caribbean Calling:
For those travelers looking to stay closer to home, yet use their passport, the trend for 2012 indicates a greater interest in the Caribbean than in recent years. While Caribbean cruising has been the perennial top international “destination” in this survey, luxury all-inclusives in the Caribbean are also a tremendous draw.
First/Business
Class vs. Coach
When asked to provide the percentage of leisure travel clients who are purchasing tickets at the front of the plane, 30.7 percent of Travel Leaders indicated that 11 percent or more of their bookings are in first or business class. Another 51.9 percent indicated that 1-10 percent of their clientele is flying “up front.”
Travel Spending
Based on current bookings so far for 2012 and conversations with clients about upcoming travel plans, Travel Leaders indicate their clients will be:
• Spending significantly more per trip than in 2011: 3.8 percent
• Spending somewhat more per trip than in 2011: 44.4 percent
• Spending the same per trip as in 2011: 43.1 percent
• Spending somewhat less per trip than in 2011: 8.1 percent
• Spending significantly less per trip than in 2011: 0.6 percent
atangen | Dec 27, 2011 | Comments 0