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.