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A V a l l e y C i t y A r e a C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e P u b l i c a t i o n

Chamber Advantage

DECEMBER 2017

www.valleycitychamber.com 701-845-1891

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A Message From Your President Paul Behle

As we hurry about this December buying gifts, planning schedules, and closing out the old year, please remember the magic you felt as a child, and take time to enjoy this wonderful time of the year. The best gifts are those that can’t be repaid… Gifts like visiting a shut-in, helping those in need, and spending quality time with family and friends. Those are gifts that make us better people and make the world around us better. And don’t forget yourself! Take time to enjoy the season and take in the celebrations around town that help to make this such a magical time. Our churches, schools, businesses, organizations, and Chamber of Commerce welcome you for events! For a list of things to do, see the calendar at www.valleycitychamber.com Looking forward to 2018, we are planning your Chamber annual meeting in January. The date will be announced later, when we find the best day to avoid times of other events. Your participation is key to the Chamber’s success, so please be involved and attend! Looking further ahead, 2018 will be a year of construction and improvement! The Streetscape and DOT projects promise to revitalize downtown. The flood protection project is continuing, designed to save the city from catastrophic flooding. The challenge is getting through the construction period! Your Chamber of Commerce is taking a lead role in turning this negative (construction) into a positive for promoting downtown business. For instance, how about a Rally in the Alley in Valley City? There are so many fun things we can do if we work together, share ideas, and roll with the flow of what has to be done. From our house to yours… Have a Merry Christmas and

a Wonderful New Year!

Valley Lumber

Tri WG

High Plains Water

RJ’s Plumbing & Heating Inc.

Bank Forward

Thrifty White Pharmacy

Grotberg Electric Inc.

Bob’s Excavating

Isensee Printing

Miller Motors

Henry Bruns

Central Avenue Health Mart

Pharmacy

LouVay White

Bridges Car Wash

Barnes County Wildlife

Federation

VCSU Bookstore

Alliance Pipeline

Dacotah Bank

Valley Officeworks

Valley City Education

Association

Moritz Excavating

Chinese Palace

Aflac- Amber Muske

Heritage Insurance

Valley City Times Record

Nearly Nu

Gereld Gerntholz

AmericInn

GrandStay Hotel & Suites

ARC Thrift E Shop

Cornerstone Rental

Management

Valley City Park District

KOVC 1490 AM

Bong’s Bootery

First Community Credit Union

Ag Country Farm Credit

Services

Looysen I Care

Eagles Club

Bakkegard & Schell Inc.

Cass County Electric

Cooperative

Northwestern Industries

Valley Realty

Central Business Systems Inc.

Pizza Corner

Valley Plains Equipment

Sanford Health

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Miller Motors

Stoudt-Ross Ford

EconoLodge

Cable Services Inc.

RE/MAX Lawn Realty

Handy Hardware & Rental

Shopko

St. Catherine School

Reign Realty

Valley City Public Schools

John Deere Seeding Group

The Tax Team

B-fit 24/7

Central Avenue Chiropractic

Prairie Frame Shop

Eagle Creek

Valley Flooring by Home

Design Center

Century Link

Empire Home Furnishings

Sheyenne Care Center

Valley City State University

L&H Shoe Shop

Thank you Renewing Members:

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It has been great to get to see so many of you enjoying our Christmas in the Valley events including Ladies Day, Holiday Jumpstart, the Tour of Snowmen and the Holiday Lights Parade! It is our hope that these events and all the events we do throughout the year provide fun and great memories for you, your family and friends. We are very fortunate in this community to be surrounded by wonderful, caring people with a passion for life in this beautiful valley that we get to call home. This Christmas and New Year’s season, let’s be sure to take the time to enjoy and appreciate the many blessings that we surround us, and look for ways to help out those who may be in need this holiday season. Thank you to the many Chamber Members that have renewed their membership during this past month. We appreciate each of our Members and are honored to serve and work with you throughout the year. Merry Christmas!

Kay Vinje, Chamber EVP

Chamber Member Update

The holiday season is in full swing! Lots of parties, Christmas programs, baking, gift shopping and all sorts of other activities to fill our days. The week between Christmas and New Year’s, in my experience, is a hangover of sorts from the buildup to Christmas and the hustle and bustle that goes along with it. I use that week to start my review of the year. Marla Tabaka wrote an article “Here’s Your Guide to a Smart Year-End Business Review” on www.inc.com. Here are the highlights.

· Set your intentions. – Go in to the process with a positive mindset and try to keep the emotions at bay. Look at your business from a bird’s eye view and be objective.

· Make a list of questions. – Examples are: What are the achievements? What did we learn this year and how did it support our growth? What were our biggest disappointments? Did we have unexpected

expenditures and how can we plan better next year? · Create a schedule to sit down and analyze. – You will most likely need more than a couple of hours so

schedule the time to give your business the appropriate review it deserves. · Recognize and celebrate the good stuff. – It’s easy to go down the pessimistic path. Don’t do it! Give

yourself and the staff praise and a high five where it is due. · Identify your metrics. – How will you measure performance? · Review your 2017 goals. · Review your company values and culture. - · Follow up. – schedule regular check ins and make adjustments as needed.

I hope you have a productive year-end review! Merry Christmas! Until next time…

Stacey Lilja, Chamber Board Director

From Your Chamber

Board Directors & Staff

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BeMobile

635 Main St W. Valley City, ND

701-845-6812

Ambassadors pictured with Store Leader, Daniel Hepner

M-F 10am – 7pm Sat. 10am-6pm Sun. 12pm-5pm

Ambassadors visited BeMobile in November to meet current manager, Daniel Hepner. They just so happened to be remodeling their store while we were there. The Verizon corporation remodeled their location to be a “smart” store. The remodel only took about 1 week from start to finish. Daniel started working at BeMobile in January 2017. In May he was promoted to Store Leader and was gone for his train-

ing the entire month of June. Daniel is originally from Alaska and moved to Valley City to attend VCSU where he graduated

with a teaching degree. After teaching for a few years, he was looking to try something new, and is really enjoying his time as

the lead at BeMobile here in Valley City. They currently have 3 full time staff.

BeMobile had their big Friends & Family Event in November and have also started offering the Wireless Workshops again

on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm.

Ambassador Visits

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Valley Lumber started construction on their new facility in October of 2016. They doubled the size of the original build-ing which opened in 1974. Manager, Duane Schaefer, has been with Valley Lumber for nearly 40 years. Alongside him are Mason Nelson who takes care of the drafting & measuring & Mike Schwehr who helps wherever needed. Valley Lumber has almost all of your home improvement materials, with the exception of electrical & plumbing. There is much more room for hands-on displays in the showroom now, which they feel is beneficial to the customer. They can help you with measurements, estimates, and house plans and have a great group of contractors that they can suggest. Watch for their Grand Opening, which will occur at a later date.

Valley Lumber

1417 E. Main St. Valley City, ND

701-845-0656

Ambassadors pictured with (L to R):

Mason Nelson, Duane Schaefer, Mike Schwehr

M-F 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM Sat. 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Welcome new Ambassador,

Amanda Komrosky!

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· GRAND PRIZE: “Night Out on the Town” -Donated by: Woodland Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Sabir's Dining & Lounge, Bridges Bar & Grill & AmericInn · $200 Chamber Bucks donated by Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce

· Family Portrait Session & 24"x30" Print donated by Dutton's Valley Gallery

· 5’ x 8’ Area Rug & Wall Decor donated by Valley Flooring By Home Design Center

· Cashmere Shawl (value of $150) donated by Noos Shop

· Amazon Fire Tablet donated by Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce

· Sonicare Electric Toothbrush donated by Bridge City Dentistry

· $50 Gift Card for IBAC Gear donated by Affordable Promo

· Valley City Sweatshirt donated by Barnes County Museum

· $25 Gift Card donated by Brothers III

· $25 Gift Card donated by Blush Boutique

· 2- $25 Gift Cards donated by Bong’s Bootery

· Two-tier tray decor donated by Central Avenue Health Mart Pharmacy

· Winter Accessories donated by Central Hair Studio

· Color Changing Mug donated by Eagles' Nest Bookstore

· 128 piece tool set donated by Handy Hardware & Rental

· Oil Change donated by Miller Motors

· $15 Gift Card donated by NuCara

· Candle & Diffuser donated by Ole's Attic

· 2-$25 Gift Cards donated by Prairie Frame Shop

· 2-$25 Gift Cards donated by Riverside Gardens

· $25 Gift Card donated by Smith Lumber Company

· $25 Gift Card donated by Unique Antiques

· $25 Gift Card donated by Urban Couture

· $50 Gift Basket donated by Valley Officeworks ***Turkey-a-Day donated by Leevers Foods & Marketplace Foods

Christmas in the Valley Button Drawing Prizes

Thank you Christmas in the Valley Sponsors

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Business After Hours Thank you to GrandStay Hotel & Suites for hosting Business After Hours in November. At their event, they had a silent auction to raise funds for Give Kids the World. They reached their goal of raising $500 for the organization and are very thankful for the attendance and support of the community.

If your business would like to host Business After Hours, give us a call at 845-1891.

271 Winter Show Rd SW Valley City, ND

701-490-3500

www.grandstayhospitality.com

Thank you to all who participated in the Parade of Lights

& Downtown “Frostival” Event as well as the

Tour of Snowmen!

Parade of Lights - “Best Float 2017” RKS Sales & Service

Tour of Snowmen

“Best Snowman

2017”

Dacotah Bank

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Chamber Committee Meeting Dates (dates subject to change)

Ag Committee

Meeting in January

Ambassador Meeting:

December 6th & 8th

Commerce Meeting:

Meeting in January

CVB:

December 12th @ 11:00 AM

Chamber Board Meeting:

December 20th @ 6:00 PM

Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce

250 West Main St PO Box 724

Valley City, ND 58072

(701) 845-1891

www.valleycitychamber.com

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUIRED

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Permit No. 2

Valley City, ND 58072

City Sales Tax Collections:

Sept. 2017: $220,464.72

Sept. 2016: $216,319.14

August 2017: $134,161.84

August 2016: $164,390.67