Ambassador Profile - Meet Tom Higham
February 27th, 2018
Tom Higham of Travel by Tom Higham loves contributing to the business and chamber community
Title on Ambassadors Committee: Member
Name: Tom Higham
Business: Travel by Tom Higham
Job Title: Owner
Contact info: tom-higham@comcast.net (503) 484-8842
Years in current role/with employer or industry: 50 years this year!
How long have you been a Chamber Ambassador? 8 years
What do you like best about being an Ambassador? I like the combination of developing relationships, meeting new people and contributing to the business and chamber community here in Beaverton.
What is an important change that has occurred in your industry in the past year? Yes, my industry constantly changes each week as you come to learn to adapt and that there is “nothing more constant than change itself.”
What is your favorite product or service that your company provides and why? I see a greater emphasis in how people can be more comfortable when they travel and my role is educating travelers how to take advantage of these new opportunities.
If you could own/operate another local business, What would it be? Create a delivery and on-call shuttle service for seniors.
What or who is your “go-to” person or place for business and professional advice? I tend to gain great advice from those older than myself as they seem to have great council. I have followed this principle most of my life.
What’s your favorite sport team or movie? Love the Oregon State Beavers. Thought the movie, “Dunkirk” and “Darkest Hour” (about Churchill) were great. “Sleepless in Seattle”, “Before Midnight” and “Under the Tuscan Sun” are always fun movies.
What is your favorite hobby or what do you do for fun? I am a musician and enjoy playing at almost weekly events. Performing and practicing with The Beat Goes On Marching Band is very enjoyable.
What’s something on your bucket list? To go away for about a month and live in another community either near or far for another perspective on life.
Showcase your business in front of 60+ other businesses
February 26th, 2018
Featured Partner of the Week during the Coffee Connection at ADAPT Training
Jeff Walsh with Meridian Insurance Group, a division of JMI Insurance
How would you like to showcase your business to 60+ other businesses?
You can do just that at our weekly Coffee Connection. This weekly networking event includes a two-two minute opportunity to talk about your business, a new product/feature, or an event your company is involved with to the crowd of attendees. Want to witness this first? Visit our calendar to see who our host is each week and be our guest.
Requirements – You need to be a partner with the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce
Beaverton Chamber of Commerce is Hiring!
February 23rd, 2018
Position: Partnership Support Specialist
Reports To: Director of Partnership & Programs – membership@beaverton.org
Classification : Full Time
Wage: $14 to $16 per hour + Benefits
Commitment: 37.5 to 40 hours per week
The Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking a Support staff for our Membership/Partnership department. This department is responsible for the sales and retention of Members/Partners, networking events, educational events, and 4 large events annually. We are launching a TSA Precheck fingerprinting service which will be a key function of this position. The Partnership department has a 2018 goal to increase sales and retention by 5%.
We are looking for a customer service-oriented person who is energetic. A self-starter who requires minimal supervision, will take ownership of their position, and who can manage many things happening at one time. The Beaverton Chamber changes to meet the needs of our community. Our team is open to change and collaborates together to foresee the change happening and adjust to it to best support our Partners. This person must be very comfortable with Microsoft Office 2016 and can quickly and easily learn new databases. We primarily work in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Publisher, WordPress and Constant Contact along with a customer database.
Primary Duties
- Partnership Sales/Retention/Client Services
- Process new partner applications into multiple databases and extend chamber welcome via email and social media
- Upload new business contact information provided by City of Beaverton into main database and begin contact with the hope to bring them on as a partner of the chamber
- Develop a “two-deep” process for identifying contacts and developing chamber knowledge and loyalty
- Chamber staff liaison for Coffee Connection, Business Before Hours, Ambassador Meetings, procure hosts for Business Before Hours, and assist Coffee Connection Coordinator
- TSA Precheck fingerprinting service – process applications scheduled by IDEMIA
- Run reports including: prospect, communication for new Partners, renewal, event and others as assigned
- Perform past due collection calls
- Assist guests with welcome center inquiries via phone and walk in
- Special Event Support: Help with the marketing and preparation of all Chamber special events, including but not limited to: New Partner Showcase, Beaverton Community Expo, Golf Scramble, Business Summit, Pro*Development Series, 100 Strong in Beaverton and IMPACT Beaverton Business Walks
- This position is primarily an office position. The expected hours are 8:30am to 5pm with a 1 hour lunch
Requirements
- Customer service and customer relation background in multi-tasking environment (minimum of 2 years)
- TSA Precheck Fingerprinting service requires this position to pass a background check and drug test within 30 days of hire date
- TSA Precheck Fingerprinting service requires this person be U.S. citizen only
- Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills with attention to detail and accuracy, ability to multi-task, prioritize and adapt to different situations
- This position requires the ability to thrive in an ever changing environment, constantly striving for ways to improve and simplify policies and procedures to stay ahead of the current trend
Submit your resume and cover letter to: Michelle Mason – membership@beaverton.org
Ambassador Profile - Meet Rene Miller
February 20th, 2018
Rene Miller of Sunny Life Wellness loves giving back to the community
Title on Ambassadors Committee: Chair
Name: Rene Miller
Business: Sunny Life Wellness
Job Title: Nutritionist and Health & Wellness Coach
Contact info: sunnylifewellness@gmail.com (503) 804-4683
Years in current role/with employer or industry: 1.5 years
How long have you been a Chamber Ambassador? 5 years
What do you like best about being an Ambassador? I enjoy connecting with our members, giving back to the community, and the visibility it provides for my business.
What is an important change that has occurred in your industry in the past year? More people becoming aware of what a health & wellness coach can do for them to help them reach their goals.
What is your favorite product or service that your company provides and why? Personalized one-on-one nutritional consulting and coaching. I love working one-on-one with people and seeing positive changes taking place.
If you could own/operate another local business, What would it be? Graphic design. I’ve always enjoyed creating and designing, although I don’t have any education or training in that field.
What or who is your “go-to” person or place for business and professional advice? The Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, of course!
What’s your favorite sport team or movie? Favorite movie of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” We watch it every year over the holidays.
What is your favorite hobby or what do you do for fun? Playing tennis!
What’s something on your bucket list? I’d love to visit Santorini, Greece. It looks spectacular!
Categories
UncategorizedPut Your Mask on First - Performance Leadership
February 19th, 2018
“Leaders should spend half their time growing themselves and half growing their business.” Randy Gravitt
At the WACE conference I heard a talk on Performance Leadership by Randy Gravitt. A few things stood out to me.
-One out of three people are now considered “High Maintenance” – Customer expectations are off the chart, so how will organizations survive?
- Bet on Leadership. Growing leaders grow organizations. You must be growing yourself personally and professionally. There are so many choices today – podcasts, webinars, old fashioned books, conferences and trainings. Just keep learning! Put your mask on first so you can help others.
- Act as One. Align your team. Know what your vision is, what your values are, have a strategy and systems in place combined with a structure that will achieve.
- Engagement will Always Energize Effort. Define your community. Make sure your “place” is a place where people know and are known. Where they serve and are served, love and are loved and celebrate and grieve together. All of these things will create engagement on your team.
- And………Excel at Execution. You are the model. You are the leader.
What can you do to take your organization to a new height this year? I’d love to hear an idea or two.
Ambassador Profile - Meet Tom Peekema
February 12th, 2018
Tom Peekema of SMB Financial Services loves connecting with people from businesses and organizations in the Beaverton area
Title on Ambassadors Committee: Member
Name: Tom Peekema
Business: SMB Financial Services
Job Title: Certified Financial Planner™
Contact info: tom@smbfinancialservices.com (503) 387-3222
Years in current role/with employer or industry: 9 years
How long have you been a Chamber Ambassador? 8 years
What do you like best about being an Ambassador? Connecting with people from businesses and organizations in the Beaverton area.
What is an important change that has occurred in your industry in the past year? Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017.
What is your favorite product or service that your company provides and why? Financial Planning – Helping people envision and improve their financial future.
If you could own/operate another local business, What would it be? A flight charter operation.
What or who is your “go-to” person or place for business and professional advice? Burton Malkiel (Emeritus Professor of Economics at Princeton University).
What’s your favorite sport team or movie? Top Gun
What is your favorite hobby or what do you do for fun? Golf
What’s something on your bucket list? Hiking in Patagonia
10 Reasons Employees are so Stressed Out
February 5th, 2018
10 Reasons Employees are so Stressed Out
By: Barry Moltz, Shafran Moltz Group
Do your workers seem super stressed? Fixing these issues can help reduce their stress and increase productivity.
Small-business owners experience stress every day. It may be about meeting payroll or landing that next big customer. What you may not realize is that many of your employees are stressed too. The American Psychological Association recently released a study that found 36 percent of employees experience stress daily.
While some stress at the job may be good, too much clearly hurts employee productivity, resulting in days off from work due to depression, heart disease, insomnia and muscle pain.
Here are 10 things that are stressing your employees and how to fix them:
1. Their paychecks. Since many people live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have a cushion in case of layoff, many employees worry if they’ll be paid on time.
How to fix it: Educate your employees quarterly on the financial stability of the company and what they can expect in the coming month. There should never be surprises for employees when it comes to their paychecks.
2. Their jobs. Do they have a future at the company? Will they be promoted and get a raise? Or will they be laid off at the first downturn? It’s difficult, especially for older employees, to get another job during times of high unemployment.
How to fix it: Review employee job performance and career expectations informally on a quarterly basis. Again, there should be no surprises.
3. What the boss thinks. The manager comes into the office one day in a bad mood and every employee wonders if he or she is the cause. This can be especially worrisome if the manager always favors certain employees over others.
How to fix it: As a business owner, you need to assure employees that issues outside the office aren’t a reflection on them. Also, don’t choose favorites—play fair with all your employees.
4. Fulfilling unrealistic expectations. Many employees want to work hard, but worry about their lack of control over how and when the work is performed. They feel pressure from what they believe are unrealistic expectations.
How to fix it: The manager needs to set objectives for the employee, but then let the employee control the manner in which they are achieved. (In other words, stop micromanaging.)
5. Their personal lives. Employees are worried about their families, what others think and what people are saying about them in social media updates.
How to fix it: As long as work is getting done, don’t monitor infrequent use of cell phones and social media at work. Employees will “sneak a peek” anyway.
6. Coworker drama. All employees aren’t going to get along. And some workers believe others are holding them back from getting the job done.
How to fix it: Pay special attention to how the team works together, not just how employees perform as individuals. Identify team leaders who can foster teamwork.
7. They don’t like their physical environment. They have no private space at work. This is becoming increasingly common for open workspace offices.
How to fix it: While it may not always be possible or desirable to give every employee a private workspace, there should be some location at work (like a locker) that only that employee can access.
8. Long commutes. Some employees come to work already stressed because of traffic or other commuting hassles.
How to fix it: If possible, hire people who live closer to work. For people who don’t, try adjusting their schedules so they’re not commuting during rush hour. You can also test to see if working at home, at least part time, would be effective.
9. Their health (or their high insurance deductibles). Employees worry about their weight, appearance and other health issues, as well as the cost of healthcare.
How to fix it: Let employees choose their level of insurance coverage based on what they need and the cost they can afford. Every owner should try to participate in paying for a portion of employees’ healthcare as part of their overall compensation package. (Also, offering a gym perk could go far to help employees feel better and boost their productivity.)
10. Long meetings. Employees think that many meetings are either too long or just pointless. During these meetings, they keep thinking about all the other work they need to get done, and worry about when they’re going to do it.
How to fix it: Set a time limit to every meeting and always adhere to an agenda that’s set upfront. Having attendees stand during meetings will also shorten their length.
Ambassador Spotlight - Meet Denise Stewart
February 5th, 2018
Denise Stewart of Unitus Community Credit Union Loves Meeting People in the Community
Title on Ambassadors Committee: Member
Name: Denise Stewart
Business: Unitus Community Credit Union
Job Title: Business Development Officer
Contact info. Dstewart@Unitusccu.com (503) 516-6864
Years in current role/with employer or industry: 5 1/2 years with Unitus Community Credit Union and 19 in the industry
How long have you been a Chamber Ambassador? 4 years
What do you like best about being an Ambassador? Meeting people in the community.
What is an important change that has occurred in your industry in the past year? People are figuring out Credit Unions are a better place to bank.
What is your favorite product or service that your company provides and why? It’s a toss-up between our platinum rewards Visa balance transfer promo of 2.99% with no transfer fee’s by March 31, 2018 and our Heloc (Home Equity Line of Credit). You can use a portion of the proceeds to lock it into a fixed rate up to five times during the loan period.
If you could own/operate another local business, What would it be? Adding music played in movies! I can always pick the right song for the right scene.
What or who is your “go-to” person or place for business and professional advice? DJ at Firestone for all my auto needs.
What’s your favorite sport team or movie? The Denver Broncos
What is your favorite hobby or what do you do for fun? Golf
What’s something on your bucket list? Playing in the World Series of Poker
February Green Drinks - Wine & Chocolate Night
February 1st, 2018
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