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CHAMBER MAY E-NEWSLETTER
Get your tickets for the hottest event in town--the Chamber of Commerce Watermelon Festival Kick-off Dinner, June 8 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm! The menu includes Gordon Dean's famous Chicken Purlieu. Adults: $10; Children 12 and under: $4. At the Kick-off Dinner you will meet the Pageant Contestants; find out which adorable babies won the Baby Photo Contest; and meet the Essay Scholarship winners. The 2012 Watermelon Festival programs and tshirts will also be available. After the Kick-off Dinner, it's time for the famous Altrusa Bed Race. There's nothing like it in the world! Tickets for the Kick-off Dinner are available at the Chamber of Commerce and from Chamber of Commerce Board members. Don't wait till the last minute to get your tickets. It's a great time for all! Just a reminder that the forms for Watermelon Events are online! Sign up for the Watermelon Festival Parade, Baby Photo Contest, Altrusa Bed Race, Pageants, Kiwanis 5K Melon Run, and Essay Writing Scholarship Contest. Also, Arts & Crafts vendors can sign up and pay online! We are no longer accepting Food Vendor Applications and the Program Cover Contest is complete. We are no longer accepting ads for the Watermelon Program. The Watermelon Festival schedule is posted here. The theme for the Parade is "Bling That Thing". So, get glitzy! Click here... The Chamber of Commerce will no longer ask for your RSVP for the general membership luncheon meetings. We weren't getting enough of a response from members. Thank you to those who did consistently RSVP. We will order 25 lunches for all meetings from now on. Lunch will be on a first come, first served basis. If the attendance at meetings increases (as it naturally seems to do in the fall and winter months, we will increase the number of lunches to 30. Jefferson County, in partnership with the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) and the City of Monticello, is developing a bicycle and pedestrian master plan. This plan will create a vision and framework for areas in Jefferson County and within the City of Monticello to bike and walk. The master plan will identify safe and efficient locations to connect bicyclists and walkers to key destinations such as historic downtown Monticello, parks, schools, natural and historical sites, and more. Come to the public workshop to learn more about the plan and to provide input – see attached flyer for more details. Public Workshop: Tuesday, May 15, 2012; 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm; Jefferson County R.J. Bailar Public Library Community Room, 375 South Water Street, Monticello, FL. Please forward this information to anyone you know who may be interested or post on your group’s Facebook page. Please visit the CRTPA web site at: http://www.crtpa.org/Jefferson_County_Bike_Ped.html to participate in a short questionnaire. For more information contact Lynn Barr, CRTPA, (850) 891-6801 or lynn.barr@talgov.com or Jennifer Carver, Renaissance Planning Group, (850) 270-1926 x 402 or jcarver@citesthatwork.com. Or visit the web site at www.crtpa.org. Free Workshop! “How to Write a Fundable Business Plan” Presented by Jefferson County Small Business Program Director: Dallas Garrett, PhD. Friday May 18th from 9 am-12 noon at the Court House Annex. 435 W. Walnut St., Monticello, Florida 32344. This event is sponsored by the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners. To reserve a space please call: 850-997-2185 or email dgarrett@jeffersoncountyfl.gov I-10 Master Plan Meetings Scheduled for Gadsden, Jefferson and Leon Counties The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is hosting three public meetings concerning the proposed update to the I-10 Master Plan for Gadsden, Jefferson and Leon counties. The meetings will be held in three different locations and dates for convenience. Three public meetings will be held in the three affected counties from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. (EDT) where the same materials will be presented. The first meeting is Thursday, May 17, 2012 at the Gadsden County Commission Chambers, Commission Meeting Room, 7 West Jefferson Street, Quincy. The Jefferson County meeting is Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the First United Methodist Church of Monticello, 425 Walnut Street, Monticello and the final meeting is Thursday, May 24, 2012 in Leon County at the Tallahassee City Hall Commission Chambers Room, 300 South Adams Street, Tallahassee. The project extends from the Gadsden County line east through Leon County to the Jefferson County line. The purpose of the meeting is to present existing and future conditions and present potential alternatives to meet future needs. After a brief presentation, FDOT and project staff will be available to discuss the project, answer questions, and address any concerns presented. The primary goal of the Interstate Master Plan is to develop an integrated transportation system that is economically efficient, environmentally sound, and moves people and goods in an energy-efficient manner. Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Ray Kirkland, FDOT Project Manager toll-free at (888) 638-0250, extension 590 at least seven days prior to the meeting. Additional project information can be found at www.I-10masterplannwflorida.com. For more Florida Department of Transportation District Three information follow them on twitter @myfdot_nwfl. TLC is now casting for a new documentary series featuring extreme savers! Are you extraordinarily thrifty? Do you take pride in your ability to spend as little money as possible? Have friends and family referred to you as cheap? Do you refuse or alter social situations based on your need to save? We are looking for those whose frugality is their way of life. If you or someone you know is extremely inventive in stretching a dollar, they would love to hear from you! Email TLCcastingshow@gmail.com detailing your most extraordinary money-saving techniques. The April/May issue of 850 magazine has a wonderful article called Git Along Little Doggie, featuring Monticello rancher Junior Tuten of Tuten and Tuten Farms. We have a copy here at the Chamber of Commerce if you're interested! Or, click here to see the online issue and article. Junior is on page 20. If you're not familiar with 850, it's a business magazine that covers articles of interest in the 850 area code! Check it out today! Thanks to Nan Baughman for spotting the article for all of our members to enjoy! Strategies to Attract and Keep Customers Keeping Customers Satisfied: Customers are the lifeblood of any business, so it is crucial to maximize customer satisfaction. Some degree of customer turnover is inevitable, but successful businesses will retain repeat customers. Is customer turnover at a minimum? Below are questions to help evaluate your success in keeping customers satisfied. 1. Do you realize the value of your current customers? These are your best customers. They are quicker to buy and require fewer “special deals.” Never take your customers for granted! 2. Do you communicate to all your customers that they are important? 3. Do you encourage customers to return to your business? 4. Do you tailor your services to your customers’ particular needs? 5. Do your customers call you when they have a tough problem? 6. Do you provide unique services that your customers would find difficult to duplicate somewhere else? 7. Do your customers feel that you are concerned about their interests and welfare? 8. Do you attempt to learn as much about each customer as possible? 9. Do you follow up to make sure orders are filled quickly and accurately? 10. Do you follow up on complaints to make sure the resolution was satisfactory to the customer? If you answered “yes” to nine or more questions, you are a better-than-average business operator. Below six is poor; between six and nine is mediocre. A dissatisfied customer used to tell seven people, but with social media, they now can tell 7 million people. Building a successful, positive image with your customers enhances your overall credibility. Living up to that image creates valuable word-of-mouth publicity. Customers most often base purchasing decisions on the advice of people they know and what they read. Barbara Wold International Speaker, Author and Business Strategist Global Retail, Consumer and Tourism Expert  CHAMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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