A message from Susan Munroe, Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO… This is one of the things we do best and certainly one of the most satisfy-ing… support our small businesses in the greater Van Wert area. Following are highlights of the significant benefits for our smaller members, though many large employers benefit from the list be-low. See the Benefit Box for specific Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce ben-efits. Together we build success. You might have seen information about chambers of commerce and wondered if it was worth it for your business to become a member. Joining a chamber of commerce can be a great decision. Below are some of the cham-ber of commerce membership benefits, along with ways you can get the most out of your membership.

What is a chamber of commerce? A chamber of commerce is an or-ganization that looks out for business interests in a particular area. There are national, state, and local chambers of commerce. According to Jeri Vespoli, chamber and business development consultant at Collaborative Marketing Services, “Local chambers of commerce are busi-nesses joined together to improve their value, visibility, and credibility; share news, ideas, and best practices; qualify for higher negotiated group savings on the products and services they use; and become better connected with the markets they serve and the resources they need to serve them.” To become a member of a chamber, you must register and pay dues.

Chamber of commerce membership benefits Being a chamber of commerce mem-ber comes with many benefits that can boost your business. “Whether you are a business with no employees or have employees in the thousands, you can enjoy an excep-tional return on investment by leverag-ing your chamber’s marketing, savings, advocacy, and networking benefits,” Vespoli said.

Discounts By joining a chamber of commerce, you can gain discounts on many of your business needs. You can get dis-counts on insurances, office supplies, marketing, and workers’ compensation and more. Chamber members will often offer discounts to one another. Is your busi-ness having a lunch meeting? Check for discounts with restaurants who are members of your chamber. Need spe-cial fliers for an event or sale? A print shop that is a chamber member might offer you a reduced rate. “Group savings add up—sometimes to thousands or more—and chamber members and vendor partners are al-ways adding and improving benefits,” Vespoli said.

Credibility Being a chamber of commerce mem-ber makes your business more desirable to customers. When a small business is

a chamber of commerce member, consum-ers are 80% more likely to purchase goods or services from the business in the future (The Schapiro Group, 2012). A chamber membership can increase your profits because customers view your business more favorably.

Marketing The chamber of commerce might promote your business, especially when you first become a member. Chambers have many marketing venues, including their website, social media, community events, and print advertising. The chamber of commerce likely has a larger following than your business, so any exposure the chamber gives to your business can be beneficial.

Advocacy A chamber of commerce supports mem-ber businesses. It acts as a voice for the common interests of members. “If you have a need, problem, or sug-gestion, put your group to work on it,” Vespoli said. You also have the opportunity to get involved in your chamber. You could have the chance to influence your local, state or national government on issues that impact small businesses.

Networking When you join a chamber, you can network with other member businesses. By networking, you get to know others in your community, develop partnerships, and support other businesses. If your busi-ness is ever in need, you’ll have a commu-nity of business owners to turn to for help.

Professional development Your chamber of commerce might host professional development events. These events might include training or meeting opportunities. These opportunities help you learn or improve upon skills that are essential to running your business. You can use the professional development events to better your company without breaking your budget for business.How to get the most out of your invest-mentChamber of commerce membership comes with a price, but there are ways you can maximize your return on investment.

Compare costs Membership costs vary between cham-bers. The cost is typically based on the size of your business. Some chambers will have multiple pricing levels.

Get involved When you get involved with your chamber of commerce, you will become better connected to your community. You will become more aware of community and business issues. You can help solve

problems, and members can help you solve your problems. “The more you engage, the more you get to know the other community and business leaders that can advocate for your interests too,” Vespoli said.

Earn marketing You can obtain marketing through your chamber. Free marketing will

expose customers to your business with no extra cost to you. “Take advantage of free positive brand recognition and exposure on the cham-ber’s website and larger social networks, and the many cost effective advertising and sponsorship opportunities offered by chamber newsletters, digital marketing campaigns, and events to reach more of your market for less,” Vespoli said.

Take deductions You might be able to deduct member-ship fees as allowable business expenses. This helps counteract the cost of the mem-bership. To learn more, see “Club dues and membership fees” under “Miscellaneous Expenses” in IRS Publication 535.

Your takeaway While chamber of commerce member-ship has a price, there are many benefits to joining. Chambers provide you with opportunities to get involved in your com-munity and to better your business. And, there are ways to make the membership cost more manageable for your small busi-ness budget. “In addition to the direct savings and growth benefits, membership also sup-ports community and non-profit projects that keep the local market strong and growing (and able to buy!), and supports efforts that provide a top-of-the-line work-force,” Vespoli said. Joining a chamber of commerce could be a smart business decision for you.For more information about being part of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce, visit vanwertchamber.com, email us at chamber@vanwertchamber.com or call us at (419)238-4390. Find us also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

April 2017www.vanwertchamber.com

The Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce appreciates the

generous support of these Chamber members:

Elite SponsorsApex Clean Energy

Central Insurance CompaniesFederal Mogul Corp.

Home Health Care SolutionsVan Wert County Hospital

Executive LevelAlexander & Bebout, Inc.

CulliganVan Wert Manor

Purmort Brothers InsuranceQuick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Statewide Ford LincolnVantage Career Center

K&L Ready Mix

Van Wert AreaChamber of CommerceBoard of Directors 2016

Executive CommitteeJon Stoller, Chair

BRSW, Inc.Dave Thompson, Past Chair

Bashore Reineck Stoller & Waterman Inc.Matt Miller, TreasurerCentral Mutual Insurance

Leah Treece, Chair ElectPurmort Brothers InsuranceMark Verville, Vice Chair

Westwood Behavioral Health Center, Inc.

Board MembersPete Prichard

Vantage Career Center 

Nick BoleyCooper Farms 

Shaun PutmanPutman Law Offices, LLC 

Rebecca StepletonFirst Bank of Berne 

Dr. Rebecca AdamsVan Wert Family Physicians 

Brad CustisAdvanced Biological Marketing 

Michelle GunterSchrader Realty 

Debby ComptonVan Wert County Hospital 

Kurt SchaloisStatewide Ford Lincoln 

Chris FaderNiswonger Performing Arts Center 

Dave RoachWERT/WKSD

Ex-Officio MembersAdam Ries

Main Street Van WertLarry Lee

Van Wert County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Stacy AdamVan Wert Area Economic Development

Chamber StaffSusan Munroe

President/CEOErika Wise

Office Manager

Mission Statement:To aggressively promote the interests

of the business community.

VieWpointThe Perks of Chamber of Commerce

Membership Benefits for Small Businesses

Limited Tickets Remain for Leadercast! Hear epic, world-renowned leaders

speak at Leadercast Ohio West broadcast live from Atlanta, May 5 right here in Van Wert County at the new LifeHouse Church.

Announcing Leadercast CEUs!

• 4 hrs of general CEU credits• 4.50 hrs professional development

cred its toward SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM

• 4 hr (General)) recertification credit hours toward California, GPHR, PHRi, SPHRi, PHR and SPHR recertification through the HRCI

• 4 hours of CNE credit by the Ameri-can Nurses Credentialing Center’s Com-

mission on AccreditationBring your team to the impressive,

newly constructed LifeHouse Church at 719 Fox Rd, Van Wert- conveniently locat-ed in the heart of Northwest, West Central Ohio as well as minutes from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

You’ll experience gourmet coffee, a light breakfast, lunch catered by Willow Bend Country Club, free professional head/shoulder photo session, free chair massages, plus compete with colleagues at our enormous obstacle course.

Registration available through Mon-day, May 1 or until sold out on the web at vanwertchamber.com or contact the Chamber at (419)238-4390.

There have been many changes in services and facili-ties for Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio, which was established in February 2004. At that time, a Nurse Practitio-ner who worked in the emer-gency room saw first-hand the need for primary care services to the underserved population of our community. Before the Family Health Care was established, the local emergency room was the only source of care for many of their patients. Community Health Professionals and the Van Wert County Hospital assisted with getting Family Health Care on their feet when they were first established. Family Health Care provides primary care services and just recently added dental Services. In 2016 Family Health Care saw 3019 patients and provided 8853 visits to those patients. Family Health Care of North-west Ohio provides care to people of all ages and financial

situations including low-cost, sliding-fee scale basis (based on household income), almost all types of insurance, Medi-care, Medicaid and self-pay. In-dividuals come in at the mini-mum of $20.00 an office visit for primary care and $35.00 for dental. The health center pro-vides a means for families with limited resources to obtain ba-sic health care. Family Health Care is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Family Health Care receive enhanced reimbursement to see Medcaid and Medicare patients. Family Health Care is ran by a board of directors being an FQHC 51% of their board is consum-ers of the Health Center.Meeting Your Health NeedsFamily Health Care of North-west Ohio, Inc. provides ser-vices including:• OBTAIN medical histories and perform physical exami-nations• TREAT stable, chronic dis-eases and acute illnesses and

minor injuries• DIAGNOSE and MANAGE chronic diseases such as dia-betes and high blood pressure• ORDER, perform and inter-pret diagnostic studies such as lab work and x-rays• PRESCRIBE medications and treatments• PROVIDE health mainte-nance for adults, including an-nual physical exams and fam-ily planning• PROMOTE positive health behaviors and self-care skills through EDUCATION and COUNSELING• RECOGNIZE complicated medical conditions that re-quire referral to a doctor or hospital• COLLABORATE with physi-cians and community agencies as needed, increasing access to care and servicesServing the CommunityFamily Health Care of North-west Ohio, Inc. is not only for the under-insured. Patients of all ages and economic condi-

tions are accepted including those with:• Medicare• Medicaid• Health Insurance• Self-Pay: on a sliding scale depending on financial situa-tion (documentation required)Fees for services to the under-insured are based on federal poverty guidelines.Being a family health care pro-vider is important to us as we seek to provide care that will make a positive impact in our clients’ lives.

Family Health CareMember Spotlight

Business Name:Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio1191 Westwood Dr.Van Wert, OH 45891

Phone: (419) 238-6747

Fax: (419) 238-3721

Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio will be hosting an

Open House for the community to celebrate our new location:

1191 Westwood Dr., Van Wert, OhioHelp us celebrate on Wednesday, May 3rd from 4-7 P.M.

Why does one person rejoice and another one feel dread when change is afoot? Why does a leader drag his heels while the staff is pushing for change? Why does a team stage a revolt when a new leader comes on board? Why do some people just sit back and hope to wait out the latest initiative?

Few things will evoke more “stupid human tricks” than responding to change efforts. Most of us are wired to feel cozy with homeostasis; it mirrors our biological imperative.

Our companies, however, have a knack for upsetting that balance. That sets off our own id-iosyncratic reactions. Understanding some typi-cal patterns in ourselves and those we lead can help us figure out how to interpret and manage the dynamics.

Which category do you fit in? What about your staff?

• “The CEO just doesn’t un-derstand.” These people have usually been around for awhile and have done a thorough fac-tor analysis to point out that a) this is not cost effective or b) it will damage the business or c) people will get hurt or confused or disengaged or a whole host of other terrible things. If only the leader had consulted more people (sic. ME) then s/he would clearly understand that this is a very bad idea.

• “I respectfully disagree.” A variation on the first group, these are objective thinkers with low ego needs. They have studied the situation and simply have a different opinion about the best course forward. They may actu-ally welcome some parts of the change but their

problem solving brains lead down different tribu-taries and they believe their analysis is a stronger one.

• “We’re fine as we are.” Lead-ers and/or staff exclaim that there is nothing to see here, everything is going fantastically well and no change is necessary. These are people who struggle to absorb the facts on the ground; poor earnings, market loss, dissatisfied custom-ers and other relevant metrics. Like an ostrich, they prefer their heads in the sand.

• “You’ve got to be friggin’ kidding!!” Open hostility with a tinge of self righteousness and arrogance; always a fun crowd to deal with. This is not the same as push back, which is more polite and rational. These folks get nasty and make this personal although it is often hard to know exactly why that is. Where does that rage come from?

• “Yippee! This will be so fun.” Thank the heavens for those who truly en-joy changing things up. They often see the ben-efit of doing things differently, like learning new stuff and have a view that if you aren’t changing then you aren’t keeping ahead of the pack. They are not just early adopters; they are flexible, open minded and adventurous.

• “My mouth says yes but the rest of me says no way.” Most people fit into this category. They want to be good sports and have some appreciation for the rationale for change but they struggle mightily to get comfortable with it. They would rather stay in their comfort zones and don’t like the unsteadiness that comes with doing new things. They take one step for-ward and two steps back as they slowly inch

themselves towards inevitable disruption. • “Please leave me alone.” If I

just ignore this, maybe it will go away. These are often more introverted folks who focus on self mastery. Imposed changes upset their ecosys-tems and they can become semi-paralyzed. They keep doing their work but resist the change until they realize there is no choice.

As you can see, some people are more cau-tious or uncomfortable with change. Others can’t get enough of it while some prefer to ignore it altogether. Some people have a different rational opinion while others are just emotional spew-ers. As leaders, we are quick to lump everyone together and label it resistance but that isn’t ac-curate. Simpler, yes, but not correct.

If we see everyone as resistant, we will just use the hammer. But we can’t take out 20 dif-ferent tools so we don’t just see all those nails. I suggest that leaders do three things across the board that will address the needs of this cast of characters.

• Acknowledge differences right up front. You are launching a new organi-zation structure. In your initial communications (and for the first few months of implementation) speak about the range of reactions you expect from enthusiasm to skepticism to complete dis-agreement. Tell the staff there is room for all these emotions because each person has a unique way of integrating new behaviors and arrange-ments. That’s okay. You want people to remain professional and civil so any venting or feedback needs to be delivered with positive intentions of supporting the movement forward. We humans want to know that we are not invisible; that our

thoughts or feelings are heard. Signal that you do and you will hear them.

• Explain the Why repeat-edly. Most leaders breeze over this in favor of getting into the What details. Sure, each of us wants to know What is changing for me. But we are more likely to withstand the discomfort of change if we have a clear understanding about Why we are being asked to do this. (“Because I said so” does not work well with adults.) If the leader lays out what threats or challenges or opportunities are at the door and Why we need to act now, most people will agree even if they might disagree on this specific plan.

• Don’t tolerate sabo-teurs. There will always be a small group of peo-ple who will act badly to undermine the success of the change effort. It might look passive aggres-sive or overt. It might be an individual or an an-gry cabal. We all know who those folks are and we have difficulty gauging how much real power they have to tear things apart. But we know we can’t stand being in the same room with them. As leaders, we must cut these people off. They need to know they must play nice or else. And you need to follow through on the “or else”. This is when a hammer is appropriate.

We can’t be all things to all people in our or-ganizations. But we can give voice to the normal, human responses to change. It doesn’t matter if I’m slow as molasses and grumpy and you are quick and happy about it. In the end, the change will take place. It’s just that some of us will get there sooner and with less commotion than the rest of us.

Is It Caution, Resistance or Differences? Reactions to Change by Nicki Roth

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