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 www.annarborchamber.org.

Questions? Please contact Cheryl O'Brien, Membership Director, at 734.214.0107.

Together We Profit

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.

Due to the Labor Day Holiday, we will not be on the air on Monday, September 3rd. We will return on Monday, September 10th with Lindsay McCarthy and some of the IMPACT committee members who will discuss the upcoming IMPACT event on September 12th. So, listen in to find out what is on the roster for this year. On Monday, September 17th, Barbara Davenport will discuss the start of the fall Morning Edition season.

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 and Thursday, September 6th. 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.

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.

Effective September, 1, 2007, Chamber members who sign up for the Office Depot Discount Program will need to submit a minimum order size of $50 to qualify for free next day shipping. Any business signing up for the program before September 1st, 2007, will still qualify for the terms of the current discount program - free next day shipping with no minimum order size. The last days of August are slipping by quickly so contact Sara Tucker, Member Benefits Coordinator at 734.214.0106 if you are interested in taking advantage of this great deal!

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 has been extended through Monday, October 1st, 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.

We would like to thank all of our donors for a most spectacular blood drive last week. Our goal was 35 donors and we had 49 presenting donors and 46 units collected. This is 12 more than our last drive; we even had 10 first time donors!

We would also like to thank Chase Bank for all their hard work in volunteering and sponsoring our August Blood Drive.

If you've recently been thinking about walking, biking, or busing to work, you're not alone. Commuter Choice is becoming a hot topic these days, both locally and nationally. Take a look at some of the current trends and resources for the savvy commuter.

We have decided to personally contact every member instead of sending out letters and postcards to have members update their membership information for the 2008 Ann Arbor Business Directory. This project will assure that all membership information is up-to- date and correct.

We will be contacting the main contact on file for this update information. We simply ask each member take the time to make sure that all their information is current while we are on the phone. We will ask you for all the information we need, all you have to do is provide us with the information.

Join the Ann Arbor Area Chamber and other businesses for the concerts in Liberty Plaza. Concerts will start up again on September 6th and run 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.

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.

Questions? Contact Lindsay McCarthy, Director of Programs and Events, at 734.214.0109.

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

Advertising in the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce 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

Mark your calendars for the largest networking event of the year - The Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce Year Ender presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The Year Ender will be held at the Kensington Court - Ann Arbor from 4:30 - 7:00 pm on Thursday, December 6th. Sponsorships are still needed to help keep this event free to all Chamber members.

We again invite Chamber members with a food or beverage specialty to participate. For further information please contact Barbara Davenport at 734.214.0104.

Don't forget your non-perishable food donation for Food Gatherers. With the help of community donations, Food Gatherers provides enough food for more than 5,500 meals a day through more than 150 community programs each year.

We encourage you to shop and support your fellow Chamber members.

Tuesday, September 25th, 8:30am - 1pm
Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce
115 W. Huron, 3rd Floor, Ann Arbor
Presented by David G. Johnson, Senior Trainer, Training and Certification, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Registration begins at 8:30am
Course runs from 9am to 12pm
Complimentary lunch to follow, hosted by the Ann Arbor Area Chamber.

Free to Chamber members / $20 others

This course addresses Federal and State legislation that impacts the health insurance industry and provides an overview of the State's regulatory agency, the Office of Financial and Insurance Services (OFIS). It also discusses unfair trade practices as well as the roles and responsibilities of an ethical health insurance professional.

This course has been approved by the State of Michigan for 3 Continuing Education credits. Space is limited.

Questions? Please contact Sara Tucker, Member Benefits Coordinator, at 734.214.0106.

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.