The Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce is going through a lot of changes throught this year. We have moved to our new office - located on the third floor of 115 West Huron - and we are in the process of changing the way we work with our members.

For the past year, the staff and Board have analyzed the needs of our current members and the reasons certain businesses do not belong to the Chamber. We also studied how similar Chambers across the country approached their relationships with their members. The result of this research is a new Membership Structure that clearly aligns the value of Chamber membership with each member's annual investment. The new structure focuses on increasing member's revenue, promoting employee retention, advocating for business in government and reducing our member's day-to-day business expenses.

New members are signing up under the new structure right now. Members of the Ann Arbor Chamber renewing their membership as of October 1st, will be transferred to the new structure at that time.

We will highlight the new Membership Structure in the September issue of the B2B. If you would like more details on what the new Membership Structure looks like before the September issue of the B2B, please log onto

Questions? Please contact

We have moved to our new office! We are now located at 115 West Huron Street in Ann Arbor, just west of Main Street on Huron. Our offices are located on the 3rd floor.

Our new location has a fresh look and feel and we hope all of our members will visit us over the coming weeks and months to see what our new space can do for you.

We now have the space to accommodate members who need a quiet place to work, away from the office. Members can also use our conference rooms to give a presentation to or have a meeting with a client.

We encourage all of our members to visit us in our new location. We hope to see you soon!

Together We Profit

At 7:35am every Monday morning on the Lucy Ann Lance in the Morning Show, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce takes time to update the community on what is going on at the Chamber as well as in the business community. The Chamber's Business Buzz can be heard on Talk Radio 1600 WAAM.

On Monday, August 20th, Lindsay McCarthy will be discussing the upcoming IMPACT event. IMPACT will be held on September 12 this year. So, listen in to find out what is on the roster for this year.

Already in the office at 7:35 in the morning? The Business Buzz is also streamed live on the web at www.talkradio1600.com. We hope you join us!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 30th. Jesse Bernstein, President & CEO, will be talking to business owners and community members about their issues at Zingerman's Upstairs from 7am- 9am.

Joining Jesse at Even Thursdays is a great way to have your voice heard in all types of business concerns. He has created an informal environment to find solutions to problems that may be affecting your business.

Ever wondered how other companies seem to get and retain some of the best talent? Want to be one of them? Here are a few tips to make your recruiting efforts more powerful.

1. Base your recruiting strategy on the principle that all recruiting activity should have a demonstrable dollar impact on your business. Recruiting should be a revenue-generating activity.
2. Get everyone on-board when it comes to recruiting. Let your staff know what you are looking for in regards to talent and rather than relying on advertising alone, ask your employees to recruit for you. Consider it "trolling for talent".
3. Consider yourself in a war - a war for talent. You must be aggressive and have an attractive package that is better than your competition. Know how many of your employees are being taken away from your competitors vs. who is leaving your company to go work for your competitor.
4. Recruit before you have an open position. Continually be on the outlook for talent, don't wait until you find out you are in need of a new person. Keep these people in mind for potential openings and keep in contact with them on a regular basis. These candidates can be people you would like to work for you, but are not currently looking for a position.
5. Recruit top management positions from within. They already know your culture, your product/service and will have more of a reason to continue employment with you.

We are here to help our members find top talent in our area and beyond. If you have an open position or if you know you will be expanding soon, we would be happy to post your positions on our website for free.

Check out the current postings. If you are interested in posting a position on our site, please contact Megan Turnbow, Marketing Director, at 734.214.0108.

Check the Chamber 1st to:

• Increase Sales
• Save Money
• Retain Employees
• Access Business Education
• Gain a Voice in Public Policy Issues

We have programs with many businesses that will help you reduce your overhead, save you time and energy and increase your bottom line.

Questions? Contact Sara Tucker, Member Benefits Coordinator, at 734.214.0106.

The Arts Alliance asked candidates running for seats on the Ann Arbor City Council for their views on arts and culture prior to the August 7th Democratic Primary. Six of the seven candidates responded and their comments can be obtained by contacting Tamara Real, Director of the Arts Alliance, at 734.214.0112.

FastTrack is an exciting annual program sponsored by Ann Arbor SPARK recognizing companies in Washtenaw County for outstanding business success.

The 2007 FastTrack Awards ceremony will be featured within Ann Arbor Business Review's annual Deals of the Year Gala, on November 9, 2007. In addition to the award and publicity, each winning company will receive two complimentary tickets to attend the event.

The application deadline is Friday, September 7, 2007.

Partners include Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Business Review and Weidmayer, Schneider, Raham and Bennett.

Blue Care Network is an attractive insurance option for medical coverage available to Chamber members. BCN is the only HMO in Michigan backed by the reputation and security of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. BCN offers a strong provider network of physicians and hospitals across the state and coverage that travels with you.

For current M-Care subscribers, BCN and BCBS are committed to helping you make a smooth transition to Blues coverage. With BCN plans available through the Chamber, you will continue to receive affordable, quality health care you are used to.

Questions? Please contact Sara Tucker, Member Benefits Coordinator, at (734) 214-0106.

Join the Ann Arbor Area Chamber and other businesses for the concerts in Liberty Plaza. Concerts will start up again in September. Concerts will be held every Thursday in September from noon to 2pm.

Take your lunch, bring a friend, enjoy the warm weather and dance to some of the best Ann Arbor musicians right in the heart of downtown.

This September you can listen to The Paul Vornhagen Quartet on September 6th, John E. Lawrence on September 13th, HiDef on September 20th and for our last concert of the year enjoy the tunes of the Terraplanes on September 27th.

Keep checking the Chamber's website to find out more about our upcoming concerts and rain dates throughout September.

Do you want to make business connections in our community? Have you ever wanted to get firsthand knowledge of economic development downtown? Ever been on a ride-along with an Ann Arbor police officer or gotten a tour of the city's recycling center?

If you are looking for a way to connect with other leaders in Ann Arbor, enrolling in the Leadership Ann Arbor program is worth considering. There are still a few slots in the 2007-2008 class for those of you who have been procrastinating on completing your application! So now is the time! Get your completed applications submitted today.

We are gearing up for the printing of the 2008 Ann Arbor Business Directory. In doing so, we are working toward updating our membership database as well as selling advertising space.

Advertising in the Ann Arbor Business Directory is a great way to reach community leaders, business owners, residents and visitors. Each member of the Chamber receives a free copy of the Business Directory and community members and visitors can purchase them here in our office.

If you are interested in advertising in the 2008 Business Directory or would like pricing information, please contact

We encourage you to shop and support your fellow Chamber members. Click here to browse fellow members by category, name or by special offers on products and services that Ann Arbor Area Chamber members offer their fellow Chamber members.

Bus riders who now travel on the Route 2 - Plymouth buses will soon have a faster, more direct option to get to University of Michigan's Central Campus and downtown when the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) begins operation of its new Route 2X - Downtown-Campus Shuttle on Monday, August 27.

The new shuttle will serve selected stops along the Plymouth Road corridor and take passengers to and from Central Campus and downtown on a limited number of peak hour trips.

Complete route and schedule information is available on the AATA web site or by calling 734.996.0400.

Do your employees love working downtown but hate trying to find a place to park? Do you wish there were more downtown spaces for your customers to use?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, don't pass up this opportunity to purchase go!passes for your employees! A go!pass is a low cost bus pass that allows employees working in the DDA district to ride all AATA buses for free, and use all AATA park and ride lots for free. Your business can offer this great benefit for just $5 a year for each full time employee. Compare that cost to $37.50 a month for a bus pass and $125 a month for a parking pass and the numbers really start to add up.

go!passes are good for your employees, good for the environment, and good for your bottom line. To learn more about go!passes, please visit the getDowntown website or contact Nancy Shore, getDowntown Director, at 734.214.0100.

Please note: 2007-2008 go!pass orders must be placed by September 15, 2007 to ensure delivery of go! passes before the 2006-2007 go!passes expire.