Welcome to our E-Newsletter!

If you would like to feature an article in our next issue or share information

about your business, email us at info@ramarachamber.com, and add

“Newsletter” in the subject line.

2014 “Mingle All the Way!”

Another year of hard work has gone

by! We hope you had a good year

and a fantastic Holiday! Our “Mingle

All the Way” Holiday Networking

event was an opportunity we offered

for businesses and Chamber mem-

bers to get to know one another

and….well...mingle all the way! We

didn’t plan on too many activities this

year, to give you all a chance to talk

to one another, get partnerships go-

ing, cards and ideas exchanged. It

was an informal, fun event, on a cold

cold night. Everyone seemed to be

having a good time. The Knights Inn

Resort kept our “tummies” happy !

Our special thanks goes out to them

for their generosity in sponsoring this

event, and to our members who kindly

brought in donations to our local

Food Bank.

We look forward to seeing what 2015

brings us — we are growing each and

every year and we hope you are too!

Thank you all who attended our

Holiday event and…

Happy 2015!

EE--NewsletterNewsletter Winter 2014/15

Image: The Farmgate www.facebook.com/harringtonfarmgate

www.facebook.com/harringtonfarmgate

New OpportunitiesNew OpportunitiesNew Opportunities

Our Ramara Endowment Fund has

been established to benefit projects and events in Ramara for Ramarans. Ramara individuals and organizations will be able to apply for grant money from the fund to aid in the creation or continuity of events in Ramara that benefit the people of

Ramara. The next granting will be Spring 2015. Applications will require that the individual or organization partner with a charitable organization as lead agency, or be their own charitable organization, in order to apply. Further information can be found on the foundation’s

website at www.communityfoundationorillia.ca

or by phone at 705-259-1163

Ready to reach foreign markets?

The Ontario Exporters Fund has been established to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become export ready and help them gain/increase access to international export markets by understanding their export capacity improving their ability to access foreign markets, encourage SMEs to develop access strategies, and realize their export sales objectives. Find out more:

www.ontarioexporters.ca

Welcome New

Member!

What is the best retirement planning option for your business: Pension Plan or Payroll Savings Plan?

As a business owner, you understand the

importance of attracting and retaining

valuable employees. Knowing your employees are your key com-petitive advantage, a group retire-

ment savings plan helps businesses like yours be competitive and take care of your employees’ future financial needs.

Under the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, employers have access to FutureStep™, a group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) provided by Manulife, specifically designed to provide employers choice and flexibility in a plan, while being easy to set up and manage. FutureStep™ includes fast and easy online enrolment and ongoing online administrative support, including live support from a customer service centre and licensed financial specialists.

For even greater flexibility, FutureStep™ is also available with a De-ferred Profit Sharing Plan DPSP) option, allowing you, the employer, to contribute to the plan based upon the profitability of your business. To find out more, call your local Benefit Plan Advisor at 1 888-942-2396.

The 2015 Membership Directory is coming soon! Get your business seen by thousands of potential new customers!

Reserve your advertising space now! Deadline for artwork submission is

FEBRUARY 20th

Business card size ad B&W- $25.00

1/2 page ad B&W- $45.00 Full page ad

B&W- $85.00 Full inside front or

back cover ad Color - $200.00

NEW! Full Page ad insert page (center of the book) Color - $125

Welcome new Chamber members!

The Ramara Chamber of Commerce

newsletter is published quarterly. If

you would like to submit an article or

make a comment and/or suggestion,

email us at

info@ramarachamber.com

facebook.com/ramarachamber

Refer a new member today

and get a $20 discount

credit towards your Ramara

Chamber membership!

Welcome to 2015! On behalf of the Board Members and staff at the Ramara Chamber of Commerce, I would like to take a moment to thank you all for a successful year. 2014 had it’s challenges

but we remain fully dedicated to promote opportunities for businesses to flourish in Ramara and surrounding areas. With all the challenges presented to us throughout the year, always remember that the Chamber is here to help you prosper! Feel free to connect with us and let us know how we can assist you in your efforts. We would also like to welcome Claudia Tait as our new Office Administrator, Claudia has a B.A. in Architecture, post-graduate studies from The Pennsylvania State Universi-ty and AutoCAD Certificate from St. Claire College in Windsor, Canada. Claudia is Graphic Design and Marketing oriented and is looking forward to meeting the members. Claudia is in the office on Tue/Wed/Fri, from 9:00AM to 3:30PM. Please stop in and say hello! We wish Jenna all the best in pursuing her educational goals. We invite you to explore all the Ramara Chamber and com-munity has to offer you and your business. In addition to the Chamber’s role as an advocate for business, the Chamber is able to influence the decisions made at the local and regional levels that affect businesses in our area. Make sure you track where your leads are coming from. Your participation is not only crucial to the success of our business goals, but neces-sary, an integral part of the plan. Engage, participate, be an active member.

We continue to bring networking opportunities and other benefits to our members. E-Blasts, Newsletter, Facebook, Membership Directory, Guide Map, advertising space, insur-ance / fuel promotions and discounts…..your Chamber exists to enable a strong business community and enhance job creation within our area. We work hard to promote your business in Ramara and we ask you to take the opportunity to get involved in Chamber activities and engage with other businesses. You can participate by introducing new business-es and non-members to Chamber activities, or by offering member to member discounts - everyone benefits! Together we can help the Ramara business community through strategic networking, advocacy and engagement, allowing businesses of every size to visualize a thriving fu-ture.

I’d like to wish you all a very prosperous New Year.

www.facebook.com/ramarachamber

Stay updated on Chamber events and other

local events around our area!

What you get with your 2015 membership:

Business Advocacy: We have representation at the local, regional,

and provincial levels including the Township of Ramara, Ontario's Lake

Country, and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which benefits members

due to the exposure in a wider market.

Website Listing: Complimentary listing on our website

www.ramarachamber.com with your company name & contact information

and direct link to your website. You also get discounted advertising rates

on ramarachamber.com website.

Membership Directory: Your business information is listed for free

in our annual Membership Directory. This is a business publication that

potential customers read, use, refer to, and trust. Distribution is around

Simcoe County, increasing the geographic reach of your business. You

also get a member discount on advertising rates.

Networking: The Ramara Chamber hosts a variety of events through-

out the year for members to attend such as our Annual General Meeting,

Holiday events, Annual Golf Tournament, Business After 5's, and other

exciting opportunities for business owners to network.

Display Space: We offer business card/brochure display space in both

the Ramara Chamber office, as well as our Tourism Information Kiosk. As

a member, you are invited to fill our shelves with promotional information

from your business.

M2M Discounts: Member to Member Discounts increase your visibility

by offering a discount to your fellow Chamber members. Participants are

listed on the Chamber website and are featured in our newsletters.

Esso Fuel Discount: The Ramara Chamber and Imperial Oil are

pleased to offer the Esso Business Card Program to members with dis-

counts on fuel purchase. Contact the office for details.

Alta Vista Insurance Discount: The Chamber Group Insurance

Program was developed for Chamber’s throughout Canada for members

to have the opportunity to offer their employees, and themselves, the ben-

efits of medical, dental, life, long-term disability, and travel insurance at a

reasonable cost. (see next page for details)

CAA Discount: The Canadian Automobile Association is pleased to

offer a corporate discount on new CAA memberships to Chamber mem-

bers.

PUROLATOR Discount: Purolator is pleased to offer volume discounts

to Chamber members starting at 25% on Purolator Express® and Purola-

tor Ground® suite of services, as well as discounts on additional services.

FIRST DATA: All members are provided exclusive low rates on mer-

chant services; low credit and debit card processing costs, ecommerce

tools, mobile payment apps, and a online reporting tool to grow your

business. Contact our office to access these benefits. (see next page for

details)

From our

President

ATTENTION ALL RAMARA RIDERS! WE NEED YOU!!!

Make a big impact in the lives of Canadian

families! Let’s all ride for a good cause!

We need 29 riders! Are you with us?

Wednesday May 13

th at 6:00 pm

Home Hardware Orillia parking lot

Ride is at 6:30pm

Contact :

Laurie Jaworowicz

705-326-8288

Or register at

Bigbike.ca

We would like

to know your

opinion about organizing a

“Career Fair” this Spring. If most

of our members show interest,

we will put the plan into action.

ARE YOU HIRING?

TALK TO US!

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Welcome New

Member!