Monthly Archives: April 2010

Kudos to Business Expo 2010

It is an annual tradition with a 25 year history of offering businesses an opportunity to showcase their wares to Monroe County.  This year was no exception to the excellent one day, B2B trade show that Business Expo has always been known for.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce vendor booth experienced steady traffic throughout the event.  It was great visiting with current and potential members, plus the general public as they strolled by.  Many attendees were pleased to learn of the new and extensive menu of programs and events The Chamber has scheduled this year.  They also had the opportunity to learn about the augmented benefits Chamber membership has to offer with the new Membership Investment Level model.

The BIRA sponsored Taste of Expo was a good example of “the best in local food”.  Plus it was tasty.  That was obvious with the plates of food being devoured all around.

This is the part of the Expo that really draws a crowd.

I met new contacts, potential business members and was able to re-connect with others that I have not seen in awhile.  That is what the Expo is all about.  Again, kudos to Business Expo 2010 for a job well done.

10 Things You May Not Know About The Chamber

As I approach my ten year anniversary with The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, I find myself reflecting on the last decade of my professional life and the many experiences I’ve had working for a Chamber of Commerce. Heather Robinson One of the most important lessons I’ve learned, is that once you’ve seen one chamber you’ve seen just one chamber.  Chambers are some of the oldest organizations in the world and are connected by the name “Chamber of Commerce”, and are typically an association of business people.  That’s about where the similarities end.  Chambers are a uniquely diverse group of independent, membership organizations that serve their communities in a variety of ways.   I have also learned that such diversity can lead to confusion about what chambers do.   I have often heard the phrase “I’m not sure if you can help me, but I thought to call the chamber first.” Continue reading

What’s Going On With Water?

Last night, the City Council heard the first reading of the proposed water ordinances that would expand the City of Bloomington Utilities water treatment capacity, and install much needed water infrastructure, such as the redundant water line from the treatment plant to the City. As many of you know, this has been an ongoing discussion for several years, and recently two ordinances were brought forward to seek water rate increase approval from the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC), and to obtain bonding authority to fund the $42 million dollar project. Continue reading

Marketing, Advertising, and Measuring Your ROI

Just yesterday, I was emailing a brand new Chamber member of only a few of weeks. I decided to attached their referral report – a handy-dandy report that details how many times their business information was viewed on The Chamber’s on-line directory, how many times their website link was clicked, and how many times people mapped their business location.

As a marketing person, I was really excited by what I saw in their referral report!

This brand new Chamber member’s listing had already been viewed 212 times!  Of those views, 14 people actually clicked the link taking them to the business’s website and 12 people mapped how to get to the location!

Real-numbers, measured in real time.  A marketing person’s dream-come-true, and something that every business should look at.  Thanks to the referral report, this Chamber member can easily quantify the results of their Chamber membership investment in terms of marketing because, “numbers don’t lie.” Continue reading

Volunteers Form the Backbone of the Franklin Initiative

The Franklin Initiative is very lucky to have sponsors and donors that value the role of education in the business community. However, without all the help we receive from community volunteers none of our fantastic programs would be possible.

During this busy time of year, we rely heavily on our dedicated group of volunteers who assist us in implementing our programs and events.  Our volunteers come to us with many areas of expertise and help us provide Monroe County students with a variety of creative educational opportunities that otherwise might not be available to them. Continue reading

Better Schools Mean Better Business and Better Community

This column by Travis Vencel, chairman of the board, and Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO, of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce appeared as a guest column in The Herald Times on April 12, 2010.

“Better Business. Better Community.” A simple statement that reflects The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s belief that a strong business climate leads to a higher quality of life for everyone.

But as we all know, it takes many components to build a “better community.” That is why, through The Chamber’s Franklin Initiative, we work daily in our schools to make a difference in young lives, with particular attention paid to at-risk youth. This is a focus area for The Chamber because we also believe that better education creates better business and a better community. Continue reading