St. Bridget’s Social Hall - 13060 Lake Blvd., Lindstrom

John Pechman - City Administrator, Chisago City

Reminder:  Cost for the monthly luncheon is $8.00. Each month we draw two names from the attendees, and those two persons have an opportunity to schedule lunch together and do some one-to-one networking.  The November luncheon winners were Renee Dabill and Tim Ryan. They will have lunch at Break on 8. 

In December, everyone in attendance received a gift bag, in celebration of the holidays. As an added surprise from Santa, some of the gift bags included gift certificates to Joe’s Pizza, Trapper’s Restaurant, Pizza Man, Cottage Gifts and Wood’s Interior Design Studios. Thank you to Cottage Gifts, Michael O’Malley/State Farm Insurance, Security State Bank of Marine, Lindgren & Associates, Wood’s Interior Design Studio, Joe’s Pizza, Elda Hansen/Tupperware, Bachman’s Photography, Lindstrom Hardware and Nabpco Auto Parts for donating gift certificates and/or items for the gift bags!

Our community has so much to offer!  We have lawyers, antique shops, chiropractors, an appliance store, hardware stores, clothing stores,  auto parts stores, gas stations, gift shops, marine stores, beauty shops, realtors, banks, car repair shops, grocery stores, a bowling alley, bed and breakfasts, hotels and motels.  We have bait stores, bakeries, investment businesses, restaurants, medical services, fitness centers, great schools, florists, furniture stores, video stores, recreation and parks, lakes and so much more! 

You as a business owner need to find your niche, if you haven’t already, and get the word out about your business.  The Chamber puts together a county- wide tourism publication, in addition to the community guides – you should consider using this method to advertise your business or some of the many other ways there are to advertise. 

We need to work together to get the word out about our community, and the Chamber is a great tool for helping to do that.  Please get involved in this upcoming year with your Chamber.  There are many opportunities such as the Celebration of the Lakes, the Home, Garden and Business Show, the community golf tournament and others. Or, come to the monthly meetings and social events and share your ideas, or get to know other business owners.

Together, we can show tourists our community is worth visiting, or coming back to.  The growth of housing developments in our area is a clear indication that our area has the quality of life that people find desirable.  There is so much more that we can do, together,  to demonstrate to the residents of our community that most things they shop for elsewhere can be found right here, in their own back yard. 

I have enjoyed being a member of the Board of Directors, and serving as Board President in 2005.  Being involved with the Chamber has helped me personally and has helped Joe’s Pizza and Deli.  So please get involved, to help yourself and others in our community!

Financial Statement:  The Chamber’s Balance Sheet as of 12/7/05 indicates total liabilities and equity of $60,891.45, compared to $33,934.66 at the end of October.  The increase is primarily due to the Accounts Receivable balance that resulted from invoicing 2006 membership renewals. 

Membership Drive:  Membership renewal packets and about 270 additional new member marketing packets were mailed the first week in November.  About 40% of 2006 membership dues for renewals were received as of December 7th.  To be included in the 2006 community guides, members were asked to renew their membership by January 16, 2006.  Two new members joined in November – Dairy Queen (Ron & Kay Hofmann) and Balanced Body Balanced Life (LaRae   Fjellman). 

Executive Director’s Report:  A total of 531 contacts were handled in October.  A 90-day performance review was completed for Kelly Wood, temporary part-time office manager.   The Half Iron Man Triathlon is moving forward.  Representatives from Midwest Sports Events met with Brenda Palmquist, John Pechman and Doris Zacho from Chisago City, Lakes Area Police Chief Kevin Stenson, and Chisago County Sheriff Todd Rivard on November 18. Gloria West from Midwest Sports Events explained how the event is administered.  The group reviewed proposed routes and staging areas and discussed safety issues.   Plans will evolve in the next few months for the first Triathlon event in Minenesota, set for Sunday, July 31st!

Area Promotions:  The Village Profile map project is in theproduction phase. Text content for the open space is currently being edited, and the map is being customized for local businesses, residents and tourists.  The Countywide Tourismcommittee met in November  to continue planning for the 2006 publication.  Ad sales are underway for the countywide magazine and for the 2006 Community Guides.  A great promotional article for the area appeared in the Pioneer Press during November, and the article was picked up by the Des Moines Register.  A writer for the Des Moines Register contacted the Chamber office to request additional information and photographs.

Chamber Office Relocation:   Bids for floor coverings and signage have been received and signage will be ordered in mid-December.  Scott Berry of Berry Law Offices has offered to draft a lease agreement, which will be provided to the attorney for the City of Lindstrom in early December.  Brenda attended Center City and Shafer City Council meetings in November to gain their support for the renovation project.  Chisago City will be providing financial support, and a Service Agreement has been drafted to secure upfront funding and funding during the term of the agreement.  Fundraising efforts are continuing, and some members are contributing products and services to the renovation effort.   At the December 7th Board meeting it was agreed that the Chamber would provide $17,000 in funding, including funds that were budgeted in 2005 that will be carried over into 2006.   With the Chamber commitment, the total upfront funding currently available is $22,610.  Additional pledges have been made for future years.

Committee Reports/Implementation Plans:  The 2006 Home, Garden & Business Show plans are moving along.  There will be a basketball game scheduled on Friday evening, so alternative plans are being made to accommodate set-up, since the gym will be used for exhibit space this year.  Plans are also underway for the 15th Annual Celebration of the Lakes.  (see separate news article)

Website Proposal:   Three bids were received for updating and enhancing the Chamber website.  The Board voted to have Akayna Studios (Andrew Wanstall) develop the web site.   Work will begin in December, with the initial redesign completed and available in early January, prior to the Celebration of the Lakes.    

2005 Annual Meeting:  The annual meeting was scheduled for 12/8.  At the December 7th Board Meeting, the slate of Board Candidates and the meeting agenda were finalized.  Trappers will be catering the meal.  Meeting notice was provided in the November newsletter and in the Chisago County Press.  Chamber staff have also contacted members by telephone to remind them of the meeting.

2006 Business Plan & Budget: A proposed Business Plan and budget were reviewed at the 11/30 meeting and finalized at the 12/7 meeting.  The Executive Committee conducted the annual performance review for the Executive Director, and then had a discussion about the staff budget requirements for 2006.  The Board decided to increase office support staff from 20-25 hours per week to 35-40 hours per week.  The Executive Director position will continue to be salaried at 20 hours per  week.  In 2006,   the Chamber will sponsor additional  fundraising activities for the library renovation.  The staffing and fundraising decisions are in line with the Board’s plan to continue a business growth strategy with a focus on:

• Opening a new Information Center and relocating the Chamber office.
• Expanding paid resources to staff the Information Center and lead chamber work.
• Engaging volunteers from general membership and from the community to promote tourism and to champion Chamber-sponsored events.
• Placing resources in the area of tourism, promotion and economic development.
• The acquisition, satisfaction, & retention of members.

Mary Cordts, Board Treasurer, and Joe del Villar will provide an overview of the 2006 Business Plan and budget at the Annual Meeting. 

To request a complete copy of Board Meeting minutes, please contact the Chamber office at 651-257-1177.

Fairview Lakes Medical Center, Wyoming, on Nov. 14 was one of the top performing hospitals recognized nationally for clinical outcomes in care of heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Premier Quality Incentive Demonstration project. According to data from a nationwide project involving more than 260 hospitals, Fairview Lakes Medical Center rated in the top 10 percent in two of the three areas that it participated in, and in the top 20 percent in the third. Premier, Inc, which managed the project, reports that the ranking was based on Fairview Lakes’ first-year, overall quality scores in the areas of congestive heart failure, pneumonia and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). 

Medicare is awarding $8.85 million to hospitals that achieved the highest levels of performance at the end of the first year of the project. This is the first time that Medicare has awarded actual monetary bonuses to health care providers in a pay-for-performance demonstration. Based on its overall quality score for the first year of the demonstration, Fairview Lakes Medical Center will receive a bonus payment of $26,000 from CMS.  

Fairview Lakes partners with Fairview Southdale to provide rapid, high quality care to heart attack patients. Southdale scored in the top 10 percent for care of heart attack patients nationally and the top 20 percent for coronary artery bypass grafts surgery to earn a bonus of $162,000 through the CMS project. Other Fairview hospitals receiving cash bonuses in the CMS initiative were Fairview Ridges and the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

“Providing outstanding patient care has always been our primary mission,” said Dan Anderson, president, Fairview Lakes Health Services. “We were pleased to participate in this demonstration and are proud that our performance was rated among the best. I am especially proud of the work done by our staff to achieve these nationally recognized standards of care. We recognize, however, that our efforts in these areas must continue as we work to achieve our vision of leading community health care to the highest standards.” 

For a complete review of the demonstration, the year one results, and to view those hospitals ranking in the top 50 percent in each focus area, visit www.premierinc.com/qualitydemo.com

Fairview Lakes Health Services invites you to join the Fairly Fluent Toastmasters Club which meets on Thursdays at noon at Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming. The next meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 5. Visitors are welcome. For more information call Leilani Freeman, 651-257-8401.

I am in business as an Independent Skin Care Consultant with Kara Vita!   We represent the finest line of anti-aging skin care products available.  All of our products are pharmaceutical grade and were originally created for physicians. Until a couple of years ago, these products were only available through dermatologists and plastic surgeons but now, thanks to Kara Vita they are available to everyone.

I have recently been promoted to a Leader within the company and am on my way to earning many incentive trips!  I can truly tell you that I have never felt so appreciated working with any other company.  I would love to share this experience and ground floor opportunity with you!

Everyone that has tried our products absolutely loves them!  They literally sell themselves!

The products you will experience are unlike anything you have ever tried before. As a matter of fact, no matter what products you are currently using, these products are better! The reason why is because of Kara Vita’s patented LyphaZome Technology.   NO ONE ELSE HAS IT!   Our patented technology, combined with Kara Vita’s high standards for ingredients, makes this product the best on the market today. That’s true whether you are currently purchasing skin care at Wal-Mart, the most expensive skin care counter at any majordepartment store or spa, or from any other direct sales company.   We are the fastest growing skincare company in the U.S. and soon to be the top in sales!

For more information please call (651)465-5751 or email at rapper987@frontiernet.net.

On Monday, November 21st, 2005 the Central Minnesota Professional Photographers Association (CMPPA) held it's annual Print Competition.

 Renee Dabill, of Renee Lynn Photography, entered four 16x20 images and won awards for print excellence for all prints entered, including receiving Honors for top-scoring print!

 Her prints can be viewed, beginning in January, 2006, at her studio in Lindstrom, MN. "The CMPPA is an excellent group of photographers, we are constantly networking and learning from one another, the print competition is just another way to hone our skills," comments Renee.  The full-service portrait studio, located in Lindstrom, specializes in distinctive Wedding, Graduate and Family Portraiture.  Whether you seek a traditional portrait or a creative and unique style, Renee Lynn Photography takes pride in capturing warm, storytelling images.

For more information please call (651) 226-3258.

From Representative Pete Nelson, Minnesota House of Representatives, 651 296-5377

Recent forecasts show a $1 billion state budget surplus, ending the string of deficits faced in the last three years.  Quite a turnaround when you consider that we were $4.5 billion in the hole back in 2003.

The remarkable reversal mirrors the re-growth of our economy since 2001.  Job growth fueled by small businesses has not only put people back to work, it helped create new jobs.  Though it went up slightly in November, our unemployment rate is still well below the national average and the future going forward looks bright as well.

For those of you wondering what happens to an extra billion dollars, about three-quarters of it goes to K-12 education and the rest is intended for tax relief.  We know that keeping taxes low was important fuel to job growth and that rising property taxes threaten the progress we've made, so look to see a loud chorus of legislators, myself included, calling for the remaining surplus to be used for tax relief that preserves the job-friendly environment we've made and keeps the word "deficit" out of our state's vocabulary for years to come.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is your year-round resource for solving everyday business problems. Proof positive is Grow Minnesota!, a business retention and expansion program led by the Minnesota Chamber in partnership with 37 local chambers of commerce.

Consider these examples where the Minnesota Chamber and its Grow Minnesota! local chamber partners cooperated to help businesses:

We linked a company with its local utility program to recoup costs through a rebate program.

We clarified truck route rules for a company, saving the business a couple of thousand dollars per week in fuel.

We organized a group of state and local CEOs to meet with a senior Minnesota official regarding his company’s desire to rebuild and expand its facilities.

The mission of Grow Minnesota! remains to thank businesses for investing in our state, and encourage them to stay and grow in Minnesota. We heard firsthand from hundreds of company CEOs across the state about the challenges they face in keeping their business competitive.

Conversations are at the heart of Grow Minnesota. These visits – 800 this year and a two-year total of 1,300 – provide valuable insight into what businesses are experiencing and thinking. We are confident that these conversations are more revealing and worthwhile than other retention visits because they are conducted by their peers and led by a trusted business organization, the local or state chamber.

The meetings are especially productive on a couple of important fronts.

The top concerns identified among the visits were rising cost of health care, state taxes and transportation infrastructure – all issues which are at the forefront of the Minnesota Chamber’s agenda. Since these visits are with chamber and non-chamber members, the comments underscore that the Minnesota Chamber’s priorities indeed represent the statewide voice of business.

This year’s expanded annual report provides regional as well as statewide data. Each region’s distinctive characteristics – positive and negative –are identified relative to other parts of Minnesota.

Maybe the most important component of Grow Minnesota!, however, is follow-up. One in five of the visits – 140 companies this year – resulted in requests for assistance. Requests ranged from assisting with a local building permit to making a company aware of its ability to apply for sales-tax refunds on recent capital equipment purchases. Some problems were solved by linking one business to another business. Some required working with local or state governments. In all cases, state and local chamber executives and/or volunteers worked to either solve the problem or put businesses in touch with the appropriate individuals.

Overall, 89 percent of the businesses we visited this year said there’s a low probability of leaving their communities. That’s great news. Doing the math, however, means 11 percent – or about 90 companies – could be moving on.

Grow Minnesota! has reinforced our challenges. The Minnesota Chamber and its local chamber Grow Minnesota! partners are resolved to advocate public policy that will strengthen the business environment and help these companies stay and grow in our state. 

For more information, visit the Web at www.mnchamber.com.

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce - The Voice of Business