Great New Local Restaurant - Aberdines

My husband, Tom and I recently had the pleasure of attending the VIP event at the new Aberdines restaurant, located cooperatively with El Camino just off Henry Street on Broadway in Muskegon. Keep in mind...it was game #2 of the Red Wings playoff series and although an AVID hockey fan, Tom did not hesitate missing the first period and a half of the game in order to check out a new restaurant. This lack of hesitation was further confirmed by the excellent quality of the food we received. And I quote: "this is the most tender prime rib I have ever had" I heard him say. At any rate, I encourage everyone to check it out. Great atmosphere, great food and a very friendly staff. Another top quality locally-owned restaurant in Muskegon...YEA!!!

Support another new member of the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce by attending their official ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26th.

Pat

Annual Jubilee

I hope everyone reading this has already heard about the upcoming Annual Jubilee the Chamber has planned for Thursday, June 4th from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. The event committee has done a great job planning this event…you won’t want to miss it! In addition to a variety of fun activities and cold beverages, members of the Lakeshore Restaurant Originals will be showing off their cuisine skills by offering the following hor d’oeurves: Mini Frenchbread Sandwiches, Asiago Cheese Spread, BLT Canapes, Goat Cheese/Asparagus Tartine, Sushi with Wasabi Dijon Ailoli, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Thai Chicken Skewers and Crab Cakes. Now doesn’t that sound tasty!!!! If you need more information or to make a reservation just call us at the Chamber, 231-722-3751.

LAKESHORE BUSINESS EXPO

Thank you to the 70 vendors and nearly 500 attendees at last week’s Lakeshore Business Expo, held at the Trillium Banquet & Conference Center! This event, in partnership with The Chamber- Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, proved to be an excellent opportunity for networking and learning about new products and services available on the Lakeshore. Based on our exit survey, vendors overwhelmingly ranked the networking opportunity at this event to be excellent. Be sure to put a reminder in your 2010 tickler file to watch for inforamtion on next year’s Lakeshore Business Expo.

MUSKEGON MICHIGAN'S HOTTEST TOURISM DESTINATION!!!

Did you know over 1.5 million visitors came to Muskegon in 2008? And, did you know Muskegon is the most requested city in Michigan for travel information on the nation's most popular state website for tourism, Travel Michigan?

Whether you're a first time visitor or a Muskegon "regular", we're delighted to share our 26 miles of world-class sugar sand beaches, beautiful Lake Michigan waterfront, and more than 11,000 acres of inland lakes for boating, swimming, fishing nor just relaxing. Muskegon's Pere Marquette Beach has received the Certified Blue Wave Clean Beach Award - the only beach in Michigan to receive this award.

Muskegon is also the home of Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park the largest theme park in Michigan and enjoy the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, where Muskegon's luge is one of four luge tracks in the United States and is considered the most publicly accessible.

So come out and enjoy all the year around fun that the Muskegon community has to offer! For more information, visit www.muskegon.org

Chamber Ambassadors prepare Muskegon for visitors

In preparation for the over 1 million visitors that come to the Muskegon area every summer, 14 Muskegon Chamber Ambassadors and staff joined forces to deliver the new 2009 Visitors Pocket Guide to Muskegon area retailers, restaurants, and area atractions. They spent a beautiful sunny afternoon visiting over 125 businesses and delivered over 4,800 Muskegon Visitors Guides.

The 2009 Visitors Pocket Guide is designed to showcase the wide variety of things to do and places to see for visitors as well as locals. It provides information for the many area events, attractions, places to stay, unique shopping, fabulous ding and more. Make sure you get one at a local Chamber member or at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce so you can be prepared to answer some of the many questions tourists have.

Partnered with the Visitor Guide, the Ambassadors delivered a poster with the Buy Local. Think Global... message, encouraging Muskegonites to spend their dollars at local businesses. Help your local community....Buy Local. Think Global.

Tales in Retail

Maggie’s Gourmet Foods and Gifts LLC
4851 – C Harvey, Muskegon

Owner: Maggie Vincent

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10:00am – 6:00pm
Phone: 231-799-9333

Products and Services:
Maggie’s is known for Michigan made products from fudge and toffee to cherry salsa and chips, from soups to soaps and candles and chips. Maggie’s also carries gluten free and organic items.

Maggie’s specializes in made to order gift baskets for all occasions that can be shipped or delivered. Corporate orders are welcome and can be customized with business logos.

Maggie’s has been in business for over ten years and is excited to have loyal customers that keep coming back year after year, whether it be a local customer or someone who visits from another state. Stop in to see the map where she has shipped gift baskets around the U.S. and the globe.

New Muskegon Chamber Member Benefit!

The Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce a new benefit for members, the Chamber Members Only portal. This area of the website offers members the opportunity to easily access and update business information at anytime, ensuring the most up to date information is listed on our website. Other features of the Members Only portal include:

• Exclusive business news, updates, and articles
• Add additional representatives and descriptions to business listings
• Pay for membership investments and events with online bill pay feature
• Review referrals received from the Chamber
• Offer and receive member to member coupons and discounts

The Chamber has provided the main contact of each member business with a company log in and password. Click here to enter the Members Only portal.

We are updating our database records for the 2009 Living on the Lakeshore Community Profile. We are encouraging members to take a few moments to verify business information. Deadline for all changes to company profiles must be made by Wednesday, April 15 to ensure accurate information in this year’s publication.

We encourage members to visit the Members Only portal on the Chamber website regularly to stay connected. Simply go to www.muskegon.org: under "members only", click on "enter". Feel free to contact the Chamber for questions or concerns at macc@muskegon.org

A Message from Muskegon Chamber President, Cindy Larsen

Every day a member asks me, "How is my chamber doing?" I am happy to report your Chamber is holding steady with finances. Activities and requests for services is at a record pace. We have lost some important larger members due to the economy but we have picked up a lot of small business members interested in free referrals from our website. Chamber event attendance has been outstanding as people begin to understand events and programming are inexpensive ways to meet prospects or renew old acquaintances.

The other question I often hear is..."How is business in Muskegon?" The answer is the same. Steady as she goes! Some businesses are in a day by day, hour by hour, survival mode while others are reporting an increase in sales. One small business changed locations and increased profits by 100%. We suggest being creative every step of the way. Muskegon is still a low cost place to do business where workers are skilled and you have abundant transportation and technology access. If you need someone to brainstorm with about your ideas, consider making an appointment with our business counselors. We are also looking at setting up a mentor program with senior business veterans. Stay tuned for more. For more information about small business assistance, check out our website at www.muskegon.org

CHAMBER FINDS CERTIFICHECK/MUSKEGON MONEY SOLUTION WITH PARTNERS!

The Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the rollout of the CertifiChecks/Muskegon Money redemption program. Muskegon Money holders can redeem their CertifiChecks at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce office for a voucher, dollar for dollar, in trade for a menu of four options.

Working in partnership with the Muskegon Summer Celebration, Cinema Carousel, Harbor Theater and the Chamber’s Muskegon travel book, the devalued CertifiChecks will be honored up to the amount presented for these exciting gift and entertainment items.

CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders are offered the following options to use their vouchers:

• CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders may redeem their gift certificates for a voucher, up to $20, toward the purchase of a Muskegon Summer Celebration 2009 Season Pass. Vouchers can be picked up now for the passes going on sale May 15th at the Muskegon Summer Celebration Pass Party or at the Muskegon Summer Celebration office. The office is located at 587 West Western Avenue.
  


• CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders may redeem their gift certificates for a $15 Muskegon 365 travel guide book. The guide book is a 200 page, soft cover, beautifully illustrated book.
  


• CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders may redeem their gift certificates for a voucher for a medium popcorn, until May 1, 2009 at the Cinema Carousel located at 4289 Grand Haven Road. Vouchers can be redeemed at the concession stand.
  


• CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders may redeem their gift certificates for a voucher toward movie admission at the Harbor Theater located at 1937 Lakeshore Drive.

CertifiChecks must be redeemed for vouchers at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce office located at 380 W. Western, Suite 202, downtown Muskegon and are valid until December 31, 2009 unless otherwise noted. Vouchers are not redeemable for cash.

Since the announcement that the Ohio-based company, Certifichecks, abruptly ceased operations at the end of February, Chamber staff and leadership have been working feverishly with the State Attorney General’s office to resolve the situation and provide consolation for impacted CertifiCheck/Muskegon Money holders.

The Chamber continues to be apologetic for this significant inconvenience and shares in the disappointment that the program was ended without notice and is very appreciative of the patience and support of members and the community.

AMBASSADORS CELEBRATE!!!

The Muskegon Chamber Ambassadors celebrated thier 2008 accomplishments at their 6 annual FUN event at Sherman Bowling Center. The ambassadors are a group of outgoing individuals that volunteer thier time to support the Muskegon Chamber. They and are considered to be the eyes and the ears for the Chamber. The Ambassadors not only work at the events, welcome new chamber members, visit current chamber members but they also help educate the community about the benefits and resources available at Muskegon Chamber of Commerce.

During this annual celebration, two awards are given based on the number of Chamber activities the ambassadors participate in and how many new members they help the chamber recruit.
The first award is the Team of the Year-awarded to the MC's Team, lead by Jessica Sowles of Independent Bank. The second award is the Ambassador of the Year- awarded to Kim Mulder of ServPro Muskegon.

Congratulations to all the Ambassadors for all thier success and a big THANK YOU from the chamber board members and staff for all your support of the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and helping to make Muskegon a better place to live, work and play

The teams

Muskegon Chamber Working Through Proper Channels

Muskegon Chamber leadership and staff are doing everything in our power to work through the proper channels to resolve the CertifiCheck situation as quickly as possible.

Hundreds of chambers across the nation and over 80,000 retailers are being impacted by a company named Certifichecks Inc., who filed Chapter 7 liquidation, this weekend. The Ohio-based CertifiChecks Inc. offered technology solutions to local chambers to manage their gift certificate programs.

Like most chambers, we are working with our state Chamber and the Attorney General to identify the course of action to rectify this situation. We have put together an online communications network which includes chambers thought out the nation. We are currently in a holding pattern until we receive additional information from the State Attorney Generals office.

We are asking people not to panic until legal counsel can advise us on all of our options. A few chambers have already decided to stand behind the purchased CertifiChecks. The Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce sold nearly $275,000 in CertifiChecks since January 1, 2008, many of which have been redeemed. There is no way to tell for certain how many are potentially circulating.

"We cannot do that until we understand how much money is out there. We cannot promise to reimburse people unless we know we are good for it”, says Cindy Larsen, Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce president.

The Chamber Board of Directors is following the advice of our legal council, determining our potential liability and making decisions based on concrete information to best protect our Chamber members and the community. We will evaluate and reevaluate what is best for our membership as new information becomes available.

We thank everyone for their patience. Please be assured, the Chamber will keep the public informed as the situation progresses at www.muskegon.org.

ATTENTION MUSKEGON MONEY PARTICIPATING MERCHANTS!

URGENT NOTICE TO PARTICIPATING MUSKEGON MONEY PROGRAM MERCHANTS!!

DO NOT ACCEPT, DEPOSIT OR GIVE ANY MUSKEGON MONEY GIFT CERTIFICATES

Due to circumstances beyond control of the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce, Muskegon Money can no longer be redeemed. The provider of Muskegon Money Gift Certificates, Certifichecks, Inc. has abruptly ceased operations.

DO NOT ACCEPT, DEPOSIT OR GIVE ANY MUSKEGON MONEY CERTIFICATES!
* Notify your staff
* Remove all window & door decals
* Place a sign up at your business notifying customers you can no longer accept these certificates.

The Chamber will be contacting participating merchants with more details and information as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.

Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce Member Benefit Pays Out Dividend

Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce Member Benefit Pays Out Dividend

Did You Know?
Chamber membership dues could pay for themselves in group program discounts.The Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that several members have earned over $134,528 in dividends through the Accident Fund Insurance Company of America workers compensation group program. Congratulations to our chamber members who participate in the program!

Since the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce is a designated group, our members receive 5 percent up-front savings on Accident Fund workers compensation insurance rates. Plus, when the group performs well, participating chamber members are eligible for dividends.

In January 2009, our chamber’s group program was reviewed and it was determined that we earned a 11.0 percent dividend for members that participated in the October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007 program. The $134,528 in dividends is being paid to nearly 100 participants, so the average dividend to participating members is over $2,280. The group will be reviewed again this same time next year for another possible dividend distribution. Since 2004 Accident Fund Insurance Company of America has paid participating Muskegon Area Chamber members dividends in excess of $681 thousand dollars.

To join the Accident Fund groups program through our chamber, contact the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce for an Accident Fund Insurance Company of America agent in your area, or find an agent at http://www.accidentfund.com/public/find_agent/.

Retailers Roundtable

On Thursday, February 5, the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce hosted 11 local business owners for a “Retailers Roundtable” discussion. The purpose of the meeting was to have an informal conversation about our member retailer’s struggles and to share unique business issues with the Chamber and each other. Most importantly, the group met to determine how the Chamber can serve our retailer business members better during this economic transition.

Business owners asked for the Chamber to continue promoting small business and a buy local message, implement Muskegon map enhancements to help tourists find their shops, and start an ongoing “retailers alliance” meeting. We look forward to working on these great ideas both short term and long term.

This meeting proved to be very helpful in receiving constructive feedback on how the Chamber can be of assistance. Just like our largest investors, small business is very important to the Chamber and we rely on their continued success and support. Currently, 80% of the Chamber’s membership is small business employing 25 individuals or less.

The Chamber will host the next Retailers Alliance Roundtable on Monday, March 2 at 6:00pm. All Chamber member retailers are welcome.

Muskegon Chamber Partners Business Leaders With Students

The Michigan Scholars Program had yet another successful year! This three year partnership with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce & Muskegon Public Schools has brought business professionals into the eighth grade classrooms at Bunker and Steele Middle Schools to talk to the students about their future. The business professionals encouraged students to challenge themselves by taking more rigorous courses in high school to better prepare them for the global economy they will have to face. If students continue with the required Michigan Scholars Course of Study and if eligible they could qualify up to $6000. Once again, thanks to all our business professionals who volunteered their time to this very rewarding initiative.

If you are interested in getting involved in an education initiative, contact Linda Ray at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce.

Refreshed & Relevant

2009 will usher in exciting changes to Chamber programming and events in 2009. The name of the Early Bird Breakfast is officially changed to Business for Breakfast. As the most popular ongoing Chamber event, we are introducing healthier options with a breakfast bar, extended networking time with a later starting time, pre-printed nametags for faster check-in and corporate table options available for purchase.

We will present forward thinking, relevant topics of interest to businesses today. In the coming months we will hear from Jim Dunlap, Regional Group President for Huntington Bank about the “Four months that Redefined the Financial Services Industry and the Impact on Main Street, USA.

Rich Studley, President of the Michigan Chamber; Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid; and Mark Griffin, President of the Michigan Petroleum Association, will join us in March to discuss Michigan’s transportation issues at the breakfast entitled; Michigan Transportation: Tragedy or Triumph.

Areas of future focus to include ecotourism and “green collar jobs”, a “State of the Cities” report from our mayors, local leadership in higher education, and energy independence.

We look forward to a great season at the Business for Breakfast events!

Muskegon Chamber Annual Survey Spurs Changes!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the annual Chamber wide membership survey. The results proved to be very helpful. The Chamber is taking advantage of your feedback by changing the way we deliver value to better serve our members. Here’s how:

You asked for more low cost trainings…You got it!
The Entrepreneur Committee has added seven additional Business Briefings to the training lineup this year. At $20 per training, you won’t find a better deal in town for the array of topics offered and the high quality programming.

You asked for easier registration…We can do that!
The Chamber’s online registration feature will make signing up and paying for events faster and easier. Prepaid individuals will be able to bypass the lines at the actual event to spend more time networking.

You want an electronic email newsletter with the option to print…Absolutely!
The first issue of the ECoastline Newsletter was released in January. We look forward to delivering Chamber and business information every month. As you read through the information, handy links are available for you to access the entire story. If you like having a hardcopy or want to read on the run, feel free to print the stories

You said the Chamber should be more involved around Muskegon County…Will do!
The Government Affairs Committee is working on and advocating for a number of County-wide issues. Issues such as the Sternberg/31 interchange, signage directing tourists to northern Muskegon and the Seaway Drive Enhancement Corridor just to name a few.

You want an opportunity to promote products and services to other Chamber members…Coming Soon!
In the near future, the Chamber will roll-out access to a member’s only portal on www.muskegon.org. One benefit of the members only portal will be the opportunity to exclusively share discounted products and services with other Chamber members.

Again, thank you for your input and recommendations. We understand the challenges you are experiencing in your organization. We will continue to bring our members tangible benefits, with low-cost marketing and training opportunities. We promote the community and your business through our website and media activities. And we will advocate for your business at every opportunity.

Chamber’s Muskegon Money Keeps $225,000 in Consumer Spending Local!

Shopping locally creates jobs for your friends and neighbors! The difference between supporting locally-owned businesses and non locally-owned businesses in West Michigan, is the amount of money reinvested into the area. It results in business growth, essential services, and additional employee wages.

In 2008, the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce sold $300,000 in Muskegon Money, a gift certificate program for local Chamber members. Over 120 merchant participants accept Muskegon Money giving consumers a wide range of choices with one certificate. By using these certificates you can guarantee local dollars are spent at home verses online or in other parts of the state.

A report by Civic Economics, a leader in analyzing the economics of regional retail and service activities, states that $73 out of every $100 spent locally is retained and pumped back into the West Michigan economy.

“Considering the impact of local consumerism, over $225,000 was circulated locally and supported our Chamber member businesses. This is great news for Muskegon’s economy,” stated Cindy Larsen, President of the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce.

In comparison to the $75 kept local, only $43 out of every $100 spent in the non-local economy is retained. Nearly 58% more money is kept local when consumers choose to spend their money at locally-owned businesses.

For a complete listing of Muskegon Money participants and purchasing information, visit: http://www.muskegon.org/?page=muskegonmoney.