The Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce is going through a lot of changes in the next year. We are moving to our new office this month - located on the third floor of 115 West Huron - as well as 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 businesses do not belong to the Chamber. We also studied how similar Chambers across the country approached their relationship 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 saving money.

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 our next B2B issue, please log onto www.annarborchamber.org.

Questions? Please contact

The Chamber is moving to a new location in August. We are moving to 115 West Huron Street, Ann Arbor. Our new location will remain in the downtown area, just west of Main Street on Huron.

Our new location will be a great place for members to visit with a new updated look. We will have the space in our new offices to accommodate members who need a place to work, be it for an hour or so or to give a presentation to a client.

We encourage all of our members to visit us in our new location. We will keep you all up to date through our publications, emails and our website on our exact move date. We hope to see you in August!

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, July 30 Jesse Bernstein, President & CEO, will join Michael Finney of Ann Arbor SPARK and Lucy Ann to discuss what is going on with the businesses in our community.

On Monday, August 6 members of the Impact Michigan committee will be discussing the Impact event held on September 12, 2007.

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 2 and Thursday, August 16. 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.

The Chamber wants to help our members get the word out to the community about the positions they have open in their businesses while assisting the community at large; matching them with potential new career opportunities they may not have known of otherwise. Our goal is to connect our members with the intelligent workforce located here in the Ann Arbor region as well as connect with people looking for a career change outside our region.

For those of you who are looking for new employment, new positions are always being posted, so remember to check back regularly to make sure you aren't missing out on any potential opportunities.

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.

We would like all of our members to know about all of our great programs that can save you money.

When you are looking to change your phone service, renew your credit card processing contract, change your healthcare carrier, if you are buying office supplies, looking to change or add workers compensation insurance or if you are scheduling technology courses for your employees, check the Chamber 1st!

We have programs with many businesses throughout Michigan 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.

Why pay $1.89 for a bottle of correction fluid when you can have it for $ .32? Why pay $ 32.45 for 3,000 laser address labels when you can have them for $8.28? These are just a couple of examples of the huge savings you can realize when you participate in the Office Depot discount program! Features of this member benefit include:

• FREE next day delivery
• Discounts averaging 55% off list price for designated items
• Online ordering of supplies
• In-store Purchasing Cards
• Extensive discounts on office furniture & machines

Why wait? Start saving today! 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.

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

In 1994, the average cost of a prescription was $28.67; today this cost has tripled and the cost is $68.26. Prescription drug affordability continues to be a focus at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and is one of the major reasons why they are enhancing their prescription drug plans in 2007 with new pharmacy initiatives.

The goal of these new initiatives is to help members and physicians learn about the wide range of prescription drug alternatives that can help members save on out-of-pocket costs. According to Kevin Seitz, executive vice president of Health Care Value Enhancement for BCBSM, "The Blues are moving in a direction that shows we have prescription benefits that meet our customers' needs without sacrificing their quality of care."

To learn more about BCBSM/BCN health insurance plans offered through the Chamber, contact Sara Tucker at 734.214.0106.

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.

Connecting Startups and Talent
August 21, 5pm- 7pm
SPARK Central, 330 E. Liberty, downtown Ann Arbor

If you are launching a startup, and need people to help you, come to this high energy event where you can have one minute to tell about your business and what kind of help you are seeking such as aquiring an advisory board member, a co-founder, an employee that is willing to work for stock, a consultant, or any other issue you may be experiencing. This session will be followed by a networking session.

To participate, send a one paragraph description of your business concept, along with a description of the talent that you are seeking, to Amy Cell by August 10. Space is limited so please sign up early!

If you are interested in joining a Startup and are looking for excitement now and a paycheck later, join us for this event where you can learn about early stage businesses and have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. You will also have the opportunity to complete an interest form where you can share your contact information with as many startups as you would like. Consider this event to be a speed dating function for startups!

Register for this event today!

Questions? Contact Amy Cell at 734-821-0075.

As an Ann Arbor Chamber member you automatically receive all the following benefits; no effort is required:

a free 30 day web site listing on the Chamber's New Member page ($200), two free business listings in the Chamber's Business Directory, 4,000 copies annually ($300 annual value), free web site listing on the Chamber web site, visited by over 100,000 unique visitors annually ($175 value), free monthly Ann Arbor Chamber B2B publication ($15 value), a listing in the Chamber's New Member section of the B2B ($250 value), a collective voice of business through the Chamber's advocacy program (priceless), a tax deduction for your Chamber membership investment, our exclusive customer referral service (priceless), access to the Chamber's Special Offers program (over $2,000 in savings), a free Ann Arbor Business Directory ($25 value), an annual listing in the B2B for renewing your membership ($50 value), free job postings on the Chamber's web site ($200 value per posting), access to free advertising through testimonials (priceless) and Chamber news and event updates through the Chamber Express.

Your total dollar value for doing nothing is $3,215.

For simply being a Chamber member, your return on investment will astonish you. Remember, this is only the benefits of membership if you do not participate in any programs, events or cost savings. This is what your business can receive for doing absolutely nothing but being a member.