| | November 2007 First News Issue | Chamber Express eNewsletter |
Hello Megan, The purpose of the Chamber Express is to keep members up-to-date on all events, programs and news at the Chamber office.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions, comments or questions relating to this issue of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber Express by emailing Megan Turnbow, Marketing Director, or by calling 734.214.0108.
Thank you for your time,
Megan Turnbow |
| | How Will it Benefit Your Business? Our New Membership Structure  For the past year, our staff and Board have worked on an new Membership Structure that 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 and current members are currently being placed in our new Membership Structure. If you are interested in finding out what the new structure consists of, please visit our website to find out how your business can best benefit from this exciting new look at membership. Questions? Please contact Cheryl O'Brien, Membership Director, at 734.214.0107.
Together We Profit |
Don't Forget to Join Us for the Year Ender! 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 4:30pm - 7pm 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.Current Sponsors:
Bell of the Ball
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Shrimp The Ann Arbor News Ann Arbor Trasportation Authority LaSalle Bank NSK TDS Metrocom
Ann Arbor Commerce Bank Hobbs & Black Architects Plante & Moran, PLLC Weber's Inn want more information? Weidmayer, Schneider, Raham & Bennett Yeo & Yeo Silver Bell
Dykema
Crystal Goblet
Chase Citizens Bank
Ellis, Eby, Conner, Smilie & Bourque, PLLC
FOURSIGHT Creative Group, Inc. Joseph Freed & Associates
Midwestern Consulting, LLC
TeL Systems
Food and Beverage:
Arbor Brewing Company
bd's mongolian barbeque
Bearclaw Coffee Co.
Carlyle Grill
Coffee Connection Conor O'Neill's Emerald City
Gordon Food Service Marketplace
Katherines Catering & Events
Mediterrano
Shalimar Restaurant |
Google Apps with the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce
Speaker Scott Johnston, Project Manager, JotSpot
 When: Thursday, November 29th, 2007 4:30pm - 6:30pm & 6:30pm - 8:30pm Where: Boardwalk Creative Center
2803 Boardwalk St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Want simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools for your organization without the usual hassle and cost? Come learn about Google Apps, a free suite of collaboration tools that gives everyone on your team access to the information they need, when they need it.
Scott Johnston is currently the Product Manager for JotSpot as they work to integrate their products into Google. Scott was the VP of Products for JotSpot when it was acquired by Google in November of 2006. Prior to JotSpot, Scott was the Director of Engineering for Kintana, a start-up in the IT process automation space. Kintana was acquired by Mercury Interactive in 2003. |
Understanding Michigan's Sales and Use Tax  In early October 2007, the Michigan legislature passed an expansion of the state's sales and use tax, extending the imposition of the 6.0% tax to selected "discretionary" services effective December 1, 2007. The law references industry definitions from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) of 2002 as produced by the United States Office of Management and Budget. A service is subject to the new tax based on the description of that service in the applicable NAICS code, not on the classification of the establishment providing the service.
The Michigan Department of Treasury is charged with and is currently working to define what is and what is not taxable. Until this guidance is provided, many questions will remain. In the meantime, a complete listing of the services subject to the new tax can be found by reading the full article or by going to www.michcpa.org. |
Making Hot Career Connections
Join us for the Next Hot Shots Join us on Wednesday, November 28, from 5pm - 7pm at Vinology, 110 South Main Street, downtown Ann Arbor. At the first two Hot Shots' events, employers from across the county came to meet and network with a pool of talented people looking for great jobs in our community. The connections have resulted in companies finding great talent and people finding great jobs!Hot Shots targets mid-career level professionals seeking career opportunities in the Ann Arbor region. To register, as well as to see a complete list of companies and to see targeted job openings, go to www.annarborspark.org. If you have additional questions, please contact Amy Cell at 734.821.0075. Hot Shots and other Career Connections' efforts are offered by the MEGA-Partnership: Ann Arbor SPARK, the Chambers of Commerce of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Chelsea Community Hospital, Concordia University, Eastern Michigan University, MichBio, The University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College and Washtenaw County Michigan Works!/etcs (Department of Employment Training and Community Services). |
Check Out All the Savings! Did you know that by using the Chamber's Member-2-Member Discount program you and all of your employees can take advantage of many great offers? What a great employee retention tool or just a great way to save you some much needed business capital. Here are two current Member-2-Member offers: Accounting Systems Alternatives is offering a 10% discount on QuickBooks seminars. For more information, contact Nancy Bushong at 734.424.1272 or visit www.qbasa.com. Norton's Flowers & Gifts is offering members 3 FREE ROSES with an order of $39.95 or more. Promotion code 3ROSE. For more information, contact Tim Galea at 734.769.9100 for the Jackson Road location or 734.769.2250 for their Plymouth Road location or visit www.nortonsflowers.com. To find out about other great Member-2-Member Discounts and how you can take advantage of them, visit our Member-2-Member Discount web page or you can contact us at 734.665.4433. check out all our Member-2-Member discounts |
Even Thursdays Zingerman's Next Door (Upstairs) Jesse will not be at Even Thursdays on Thursday, November 22nd due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. He will be back at Zingerman's Next Door on Thursday, December 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.
Jesse has created an informal environment to find solutions to problems that may be affecting your business. |
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Chamber Business Buzz On the Lucy Ann Lance in the Morning Show  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. Listen on Monday, November 19th to Kristie Martin discuss public policy issues in the region. On Monday, November 26th, Barbara Davenport will have a guest speaker with her to talk about the upcoming Morning Edition event on Wednesday, November 28th. Already in the office at 7:35am? The Business Buzz is also streamed live on the web at www.talkradio1600.com. We hope you join us! listen live |
| Pen & Ink Montage Poster Project Community Creations Inc. has started a campaign to create a hometown montage poster. This montage will be a pen and ink drawing of historical attractions and businesses in the area. Businesses will be asked to participate by purchasing space on the poster, receiving an artist's rendition of their company. This montage creates a visual time capsule of Ann Arbor's past and present and will be enjoyable by all members of our community for years to come. Individual businesses who choose to participate in this project will receive a signed and numbered print of the montage. Remaining prints will be available for purchase at our office. The proceeds from the sales of the montage prints will be used to enhance the programs and projects sponsored by the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce. If you would like to see a copy of a current montage, please feel free to stop by the Chamber office or call Darla Barnes at 810.265.2444. Darla will also be happy to talk to you about your participation in the montage. |
| | | Megan Turnbow, Marketing Director Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce email: megan@annarborchamber.org phone: 734.665.4433 web: http://www.annarborchamber.org |
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