Heart Beat Newsletter July2013

Annual Golf Outing Photos

July 2013

Millennials at Work

Where your Wisconsin Tax Dollars Go

Outdoor Advertising

Summer Around Town

101 E. Wisconsin Avenue | Kaukauna, WI 54130 920.766.1616

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

What’s Inside

Annual Chamber Golf Outing

The 24th annual Golf Outing was a huge success, thanks to our generous sponsors, wonderful volunteers and eager partici-pants! It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine and anticipation as 40 teams tee’d off at 10am. The event, held on June 19 at Royal St. Patrick's Golf Links, raises money to support the Chamber membership programs, business and community activities and events, as well as funds for grants and scholarships. Each team had the opportunity to com-pete for hole prizes, which were given for the longest drive on the fairway, closest to the pin, long-est putt, closest to the port-a-potty, closest to the creek and hole-in-one.

The teams that placed first, tenth, twentieth and thirtieth re-ceived prizes. The Chamber of Commerce would like to express sincere gratitude to all of our partners, to those businesses who donated door prizes, raffle or auction items, to our many vol-unteers, and to Royal St. Pat-rick's Golf Links for once again providing top-notch service. - Continued on page 10

To see more photos of our outing, visit our Facebook Page!

Heart Beat | July 2013 2

Business after Hours

Thursday, July 18 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Sherwood Forest Golf Club N580 Robinhood Dr. | Sherwood

No cost for Members

Wednesday, August 14

5:00pm - 7:00pm High Cliff Restaurant

W5095 Golf Course Rd. | Sherwood

To register, visit www.heartoftehvalleychamber.com

Lunch & Learn

Wednesday, July 24 11:30am - 1:00pm

11:30am Registration & Lunch

#Hashtags to

Grow Your Business Does your company have a #hashtag strategy? And in partic-ular, have you taken advantage of the opportunity to leverage Facebook's #hashtag capabilities yet?

Presented by: Chris Froze from

Stellar Blue Web Design. Stellar Blue specializes in everything from website design and mobile apps to email mar-

keting and ecommerce as well as search engine optimization.

Sponsored by: Rasmussen College.

Rasmussen College 3500 E. Destination Dr.| Appleton

Cost: Members $10 Non-Members $20

Business over Breakfast

Tuesday, August 13 8:00am - 9:00am

7:30am Registration & Networking

LinkedIn: Turning

Connections into Leads LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media tools out there. Often when people use LinkedIn they have no goal or strategy for making the most of their connections. This seminar will help you understand how you can turn your LinkedIn connections into real life connections, generate leads for your business and make the most of this powerful professional social media tool! Presented by: Greg Linnemanstons, Weidert Group-a full-service marketing agency with valuable and very powerful Inbound Marketing expertise.

Chamber Office

Cost: Members $5 Non-members $10

Thursday, October 17, 2013 Van Abel’s of Hollandtown

Early Bird Pricing! $30.00 per person before September 15, 2013

Last Year’s Participants: Arla Foods, Bakers Outlet, Cinder's Charcoal Grill, Cold Stone Creamery, Culver’s of Darboy, Darboy Club, Dunkin Donuts, GameDay Sports Bar, Grand Meridian, Granary Supper Club, High Cliff Restaurant, Hilltop Bakery, Landreman's Restaurant, Larry's Markets, Little Chicago, Mader's Catering, Mark's East Side, Mom & Pop's, Ponzies, Prime Steer Supper Club, Simon's Specialty Cheese, UNO Chicago Grill, Van Abel's of Hollandtown

Power Connect Join us at 4:30pm for

Power Connect before each Business after Hours!

Networking events can be very intimidating for some people - during this business card exchange attendees

give their “2-minute commercial” and have the opportunity to meet

potential customers in a structured environment.

To register, visit www.heartoftehvalleychamber.com

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events!

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com 3

“Where Business and Government Meet” GovernmentRelationsRoundtableGroup

The Government Relations Roundtable Group invites you to join their monthly group meetings. Each month we may invite to our meetings our Federal and State Legislators, our local elected and appointed leaders and our School Superintendents to engage in dialogue, keeping us informed of the latest issues. These meetings are designed to be a safe, respectful environment for both our business leaders and our legislators. Meetings are not open to the general public. The next monthly meeting is Friday, July 12th 2013 from 8:00 to 9:00 AM, at the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce. Our State Legislators have been invited in for a discussion about the State budget. If you have an interest in joining the Government Relations Roundtable Group call the Chamber office for more information at 766-1616 or visit www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

These monthly meetings are sponsored by AT&T.


Get access to coupons, events, announcements and more!

Who should be the next face etched into Mt. Rushmore? That was the question posed in a fictitious advertising campaign sponsored by the Outdoor Advertising Associ-ation of America to test the value of out-of-home (OOH) advertisements in driving social and mobile activi-ty. The RushmoreVote campaign placed 164 ads on billboards and bus shelters in Cincin-nati, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Sacramen-to, California, and asked consumers to go online to vote for the president they thought should be the face add-ed to Mt. Rushmore. They were given the choice of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, or no one — Mt. Rushmore should remain the same. The four-week campaign, which ran in March 2013, generated 17,681 online user sessions, 15,679 of which were unique. Two-thirds of online voters came from out-side the four metro areas where the ads were posted, and 75 percent said they saw the ad on a billboard or bus shelter. “This relatively small OOH campaign drove online traffic from across the country,” OAAA President and CEO

Nancy Fletchersaid in a statement. “Even those who learned about the campaign online were aware it originated on OOH ads, painting a clear picture of the medium’s role in today’s evolving interactive landscape.”

In case you’re wonder-ing, a majority of vot-ers—69% said no one should be added to Mt. Rushmore, while 11% voted to add George W. Bush and 20% voted to add Barack Obama. Why a fake campaign around Mt. Rushmore? Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer at OAAA, said the associa-tion wanted something

attention grabbing that also wouldn’t cause confusion around a product due to its fictitious nature, and coming off the presidential election last fall, Mt. Rushmore seemed relevant. OAAA also decided to keep its name out of the cam-paign, Freitas said. “We just wanted these mysterious messages going up to sort of attract people’s attention and see how they respond.” Ultimately, “we wanted to test and prove that out-of-home advertising can be a central, integral part of a so-cial advertising program,” he added.

OUTDOORADVERTISING:CHARTINGAFAKECAMPAIGN'SVIRALBOOST

SummerAroundTown


Is your grill ready for Summer? Cedar Creek Marketplace has provided quality meats and service to Northeastern Wisconsin for over 50 years. Creek offers superior products, the freshest of meats, www.cedarcreekmarketplace.com/

Did your Senior get their portraits yet? From maternity to family portraits and every moment in between, Jackie Boyd Photography LLC offers personal attention and professional expertise that will capture your essence for all time. www.jackieboyd.com/

Every Friday afternoon beginning at 2:00pm, Royal St. Patrick's offers this special promotion. For $28 per person, receive 9 Holes of Golf, Cart, and a Fish Fry Dinner at Crosswind Pub & Grille. If you would like to play 18 Holes, this version will cost $46.50. Enjoy a beautiful day on the Links followed by dinner on our veranda deck.

Save money on quality discount groceries found only at your Save-A-Lot grocery store. http://save-a-lot.com/

Cinder's Charcoal Grill is a family-owned busi-ness with two convenient locations in the Fox River Valley! For 30 years, they have been cookin' your favorite steak sandwiches, burgers, fish, salads and hearty grilled sandwiches. They cut their meat fresh daily then grill it to perfec-tion over a real charcoal fire. www.cinderscharcoalgrill.com/

Your full service florist providing flowers, plants and custom arrangements for the special occasions in your life. marshallflorist.net/

For over 120 years, the YMCA of the Fox

Cities has been a unifying force in the Fox Valley. The YMCA links individu-als from diverse social and economic back-grounds with an inclusive, collaborative spirit.. The YMCA positively impacts the quality of life for more than 60,000 people each year, giving children skills and values which protect the integrity of family life and neighborhoods. www.ymcafoxcities.org/

Ghost Town Fitness. Your personal health club in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. They invite you to exercise in their clean, comfortable facility and enjoy their friendly and professional ser-vice. There you will find there are no

maddening crowds, long lines, or frustrating searches

for a trainer. www.ghosttownfitness.com/

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Providing you with the highest quality in sales and service of new and pre owned vehicles in the area. www.gustman.com/

Want your business featured here? Email [email protected]

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificates make the perfect gift for everyone. From golf to gas, groceries to lumber, gift certificates can be redeemed at over 100 area busi-ness.

Ken's Sports has been a family run business since 1968. Ken's is Wis-consin's largest motorsports dealer selling Boats, Motorcycles, ATVs, Snowmobiles, & Generators. Home of "The Best Names In Fun"

www.kenssports.com/

Appleton's hottest bar & grill will rock your planet! The StoneYard is the perfect destination for great food and drinks, all your favorite sports events and live entertainment - Stop in and get rocked! www.stoneyardbar.com/

Pizza! Salads! Subs! Chicken Wings! Jet’s Pizza has it all ! Order online and have it delivered. http://jetspizza.com/

Get out and dine at this fine establishment where you will be served the largest portions for a great price! Sizzling large cut steaks and a variety of delicious seafood. A tremendous salad bar is available to you at lunch and din-ner.

www.outotownclub.com/index.htm

Joanne Moehr joined Calumet County Bank as a mortgage lender. She will work at both the Brillion and Sherwood offic-es. Moehr has more than 13 years experience in the banking industry. Chip Coenen was named director of business development at Capital Credit Union. Coenen has 23 years of marketing, sales and business development experience, most recently serving as vice president business development at Lakeview Credit Union. Public accounting firm Wipfli LLP is the recipient of the WICPA Firm Public Service Award. The Firm Public Service Award is given to a WICPA member firm which has distin-guished itself in public service activities at the local, regional and state levels. Center for Suicide Awareness receives grant for DVD pro-ject . The Center for Suicide Awareness in Kaukauna has received a $10,000 grant to create and produce a new educa-tional documentary, “If You Only Knew What You Left Be-hind.” 91.1 The Avenue grants to non-profits exceed $200,000. Non-profit radio station, 91.1 The Avenue has announced the third quarter Community Partner Grant awards. Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (NCW) pro-moted two employees and hired another in the Menasha/Appleton area. Brian Manowski was promoted from network engineer to network-technology leader/engineer with Good-will’s information technology team in Menasha. Adam Krusz was promoted to logistics-flow planner with the logistics oper-ations team at Goodwill’s Shiner Center in Appleton. Kris Kutschera joined Goodwill’s early-intervention services team in Menasha as a service coordinator/interventionist. She pre-viously worked at Family Services in Menasha when she was a family-support specialist. Kaukauna Board of Education hires three administrators. Matt Smith has accepted the director of secondary education position. Kim Benson accepted the district’s part-time posi-tion of principal at New Directions Learning Community Char-ter School. Jim McClowry, CMAA, was hired as the activi-ties director. McClowry will take over for Corey Baumgart-ner, who has accepted a position with the Kiel School District as principal of Kiel High School.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry has named Welhouse Construction Services, LLC, in Kaukau-na, the 2013 Region Contractor of the Year in the Residential Kitchen Under $40,000 category at its annual awards compe-tition. Charles Schmalz, president/CEO of East Wisconsin Savings Bank, will serve a three-year term on the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA) Board of Directors. Capital Credit Union and Pioneer Credit Union will be merging operations in 2014. This partnership will create a credit union with assets of more than $1 billion serving nearly 90,000 members through a network of 25 offices. Chris Hanson, owner of Hanson Benefits, has been ap-pointed to the Health Insurance Sharing Plan Authority Board. Hanson, brings over 25 years of health care and insurance experience. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Wis-consin Employee Benefits Advisors (WEBA). Chadd Scott was named director of sales for the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau. He has worked in hospitali-ty sales and management for 16 years. Schenck SC is pleased to announce Corey Vanderpoel, MBA, has joined the firm as Managing Director of Schenck M&A Solutions. Ann Hanna continues to lead Schenck M&A Solutions. Corey Vanderpoel has joined the M&A Solutions team which also includes Ann, Brad Kussow, LeRoy Matuszak, Karin Gale and Tyler Carlson. Schenck is pleased to announce that Vault, a publisher of career guides and employer rankings, has ranked Schenck 23rd on its Vault Accounting 50, an annual ranking of the best accounting employers to work for in North America. Rachel Barta, Jodi Hanagan, Corey Swanningson, Jere-miah Wickersheim, and Damian Wille of the Dar-boy Culver’s will receive a scholarship from Culver’s VIP Scholarship Fund to pursue their educational goals. Fox Communities Credit Union is pleased to announce the names of six outstanding college-bound high school seniors, who were each recently awarded a $750 scholarship. The recipients are: Natalya Mudry, Matthew Mazier, Heather Bartelt, Angela Kessler, Connor Gehrke, and Hattie Wells.


Any change or update within your business such as a promotion, new addition, award won, etc. can be included in this section. News must be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following month’s publication. Send to

[email protected]

GOOD NEWS Is Worth Repeating

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Summertime, and the living is easy, right? After all, you have your laptop, your tablet, and your smart phone. You’re on your way to the beach, in the hotel lobby. You could jump onto the hotel network and do your email and webinars, but that little coffee shop across the street looks so much more inviting. So you head over, and voila! You’re in business. You connect to the “secure” network by typing in the password the barista gives you…the password that hasn’t changed in five years. The next thing you notice, you’re receiving emails from your professional contacts asking if your email has been hacked. Embarrass-ing, no? But it’s a true story that’s repeated every single day. When you take your laptop, tablet or even your smart phone into the real world, you put your device, your data, and all of your relationships at risk. How does it happen? One of the most common ways that hackers gain access to your systems is by using a man-in-the-middle attack. The basic idea behind a man-in-the-middle attack is that malicious code or compromised devices are placed between a sender (you) and a receiver (the website you want to visit). From this middle vantage point, hackers or bots can collect or intercept all of the messages and data that travels between the sender and the receiver. Now imagine what a hacker can do with your login information, account numbers and passwords. The damage can be immediate and real. Another version of the man-in-the-middle attack is the man-in-the-browser attack. In this case, malicious code is planted on a victim’s machine that runs inside the browser and silently records any data sent between the browser and various target sites, such as Gmail, Amazon, or other commonly accessed sites where login credentials or financial information may be

shared. It’s this man-in-the-browser attack that commonly causes spam to be sent from your Gmail or webmail account. Hackers like this type of attack because they can quickly and easily access a wider number of potential victims by mailing malware links to your entire email address book. How do you protect yourself from these kinds of situations? Well, there are a number of things you can do to ensure safe browsing when you're on-the-go. First, make sure that the

websites you're visiting are protected and the connection is encrypted end-to-end (the address should start with "https", not "http"). If you must use an untrusted network, then employ a browser plug-in such as HTTPS Eve-rywhere or ForceTLS that uses a secure communication connection, if possible. You should also make sure that you have strong log-in pass-words and if you have a Windows PC, make sure you enable Windows

Firewall. Though these suggestions greatly increase your level of security when using unfamiliar networks, they are no substitute for a controlled, secured personal network. If you are going to be traveling a lot, you might find it worthwhile to purchase your own Wi-Fi hot spot from a telecommunications vendor. Bear in mind that even some hotspots connected to your smart phone can be hacked, as was the case with the T-Mobile Android phone in March of 2013. Your best option? Talk to your CMIT trusted advisor, and find out what works best for your situation. Protecting your data and your relationships is worth the phone call. Plan ahead and enjoy your summer travel. www.cmitsolutions.com

TIME TO HIT THE BEACH

10 Heart Beat | July 2013 Our next spotlight can be about your business. Call 920-766-1616 if interested.

2013 Annual Golf Outing

Major- Network Health Plan Golf Carts- Pilgrim Recycling Lunch- Community First Credit Union, Eagle Graphics, Network Health Plan Hole In One Sponsors- Bergstrom Automotive of Kaukauna Golf Towels- Virtual Tech Website Design Beverage Cart- Rasmussen College, BLC Community Bank, Baker Tilly Goodie Bags- Premier Promotions Cheat Sheet- Pinnacle Title Driving Range- Buffalo Wild Wings Putting Green- Schenck, SC Photos- Fox Communities Credit Union, Culvers of Darboy Photographer- Jackie Boyd Photography Donuts & Coffee- First National Bank, Larry’s Markets Major Prizes- Weyers Equipment, Thilmany LLC, Dental Associate, Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Course

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Tee Box Partner: Arla Foods Dental Associates Unison Credit Union ThedaCare At Work Ansay & Associates WE Energies

Capital Credit Union Network Health Plan Bank of Kaukauna Abel Insurance & Associates Lamers bus Lines Nicolet Bank Weyers Equipment

Kobussen Buses Cellcom Professional Financial Manage-ment The Business Bank Wipfli, LLP Anchor Bank

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Christine Shaefer Executive Vice President Valley Home Builders Association www.vhba.com Year established - 1958

Give us a brief description/history of your business…. Valley Home Builders Association (VHBA), a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization, represents the land develop-ment, home building, remodeling and housing-related in-dustries, as well as homeowners, in the greater Fox Cities area. Q: How did you get started in your field? As the Communications Director for the Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA), I discovered that association manage-ment held challenges for me and provided me opportunities to make a difference for association members. I enrolled in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management, earning my IOM designation, and I’ve earned my Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives. The more I learn, the more I know this is the field for me. Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? I’ve been fortunate to have a number of role models in my life, and I believe that I’ve been shaped by all who’ve crossed my path – as well as those who’ve walked we me on that path for short or long periods of time. Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? I moved to this area to take my current job, and I was immediately impressed with the welcoming na-ture of the people here. In the nearly eight years I’ve been here, I continually find that it is the people who have con-cern for their communities, take pride in their work, and believe in making the world – at least this corner of it – a better place that makes this area so wonderful. Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had? In junior high school, I tried my hand at cleaning houses. The one and only client I had was my French teacher who had three long-haired dogs and a desire for an impeccably clean home…I’m an organized and I believe tidy person,

but apparently not a good housekeeper. After just a few months, I was fired – the first and last time that has hap-pened to me. Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my four step children and three grandchildren, and when we travel, my husband and I make it a point to eat at places featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? Pay It Forward – because it demonstrates how the small kindnesses in life that can have big impacts. Q: Is your desk messy or organized? Messy in an orga-nized way. Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? Well, it’s been made clear to me that I can’t live here with-out being a Packers fan, which I enjoy, but growing up in Western NY, I’ll always be a Buffalo Bills girl at heart. Q: Where was your best vacation and why? When my stepchildren were young, we took them to visit one of my brothers, stationed at Langley Air Force Base in VA – not only were the kids amazed by all the planes and the politeness of the soldiers, but also it was the first time they saw the ocean. I’ll never forget the sense of wonder they had throughout that trip. It reminds me to find mo-ments of awe every chance I get. Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list? Complete my PhD (I’m currently enrolled in the Leadership Studies program at Marian University; I expect to graduate in 2015), travel overseas, get a bigger bucket!

Heart Beat | July 2013

Meet The Members

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Give us a brief description/history of your business…. Chic to Chic is a Women's Consignment Boutique in Appleton and Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We carry only designer brand/mall brand clothing that is currently in style, such as J. Jill, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Chicos, Limited, Express, and Coach. We also carry high quality shoes, purses, and jewelry all on consignment. Q: How did you get started in your field? After being a stay at home mom for 14 years, it was time to look at career options once the kids were all in school. My best friend , Tammy Eiting and myself wanted to do something togeth-er, be our own boss and have the flexibility with sched-ules. Consignment was a great fit because there is no overhead- so a very small initial investment. I also wanted a career that I enjoyed and looked forward to going to work everyday. Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? Of course, my business partner, Tammy Eiting, who challenges me constantly to be more creative/problem solver and after 7 years in business together is still my best friend. Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? The HOTV area has such a different feel to it. When I helped a customer find a dress for her trip to Mexi-co and she comes back in after the vacation and shows me pictures of the vacation and her in her dress. The "boutique" feel is something we strive for all of our loca-tions, but the HOTV really is that "small town" atmosphere. Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had? Well, it was good and bad. I worked for 4 summers during college at Fort Howard (Georgia Pacific). I made enough to pay for college, but I worked southern swing shift and I didn't know what day it was or when to eat!! The Mill was super hot and 12 hours on your feet. I learned alot about myself those 4 summers!

Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? I love to watch my kids participate in their sporting events, I teach kickboxing at Appleton Alliance and have recently started running. I go to weekly farmers markets and of course, shopping ! Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? I love to watch movies; everything from Gone with the Wind to Wizard of Oz for entertainment, but, I would have to say the Clint Eastwood movie Grand Torino. I watched that movie and it brought up so many emotions. It was a movie that I couldn't stop thinking about and still do! Q: Is your desk messy or organized? Well, it depends who you ask :) I have come a long way in my organizational skills. Kids will do that to you. One time I took one of my kids for an ortho appointment just to find out I had the wrong child with me so I just said" as long as I'm here, can you just look at his teeth? That was a turning point for me. I still use a calendar for my life and everything is color coded- blue/work, orange/kids and green/ my time. There is very little green :) Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? Packers . Bas-ketball- Miami Heat. I took my son to see them when they played the Bucks and sat on the floor 2nd row. They are amazing!!! Q: Where was your best vacation and why? We've taken the kids on 2 family vacations. Those were the best be-cause they HAD to eat /play/spend the whole day with us. No friends, just family Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list? Running, so I can cross that off....... Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge (next year) and get onstage with Bon Jovi. That one might be a bit tricky ...... but a girl can dream, can't she??

Jill Nelson Owner Chic to Chic Consignment Boutique www.chictochicconsignment.com Year established - 2006

14 Heart Beat | July 2013

WisconsinTaxDollars

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AreSaying

WhatourMembers

www.kobussen.com "The Chamber is the place for businesses to learn and connect with other businesses. Through events and seminars there is always a learning experience. Now through the Leadership Roundtable group I have a resource for all of our ques ons and the ability to help other businesses. We also have met and retained new and valuable customers at Chamber events and seminars.”

Joe Kobussen, Kobussen Buses. Kobussen has over 650 dedicated team members who operate and maintain a fleet of Luxury Motorcoaches, School Buses and special needs equipped Transit vehicles from seven loca ons.

GOOD NEWS

16 Heart Beat | July 2013

A new study of millennial job seekers and HR professionals illustrates some of the stereotypes facing generation Y as it works to make a name for itself in the workplace. Millennials are known for many things, at least stereotypically. They are often considered one of the most tech-savvy generations and are also commonly identified as spoiled, entitled, and self-centered. Adding fodder to these perceptions is a new study of 6,000 millennial job seekers and HR professionals conducted by Beyond.com that found a serious disconnect between how gen Y-ers view themselves and how others in the workplace view them. Nowhere in the study was this more evident than with the issue of employer loyalty. While 82% of millennials rated themselves as loyal to employers, only 1% of HR professionals believed this generation has long-term staying power with one organiza-tion. 86% of millennials also rated themselves as hard workers. A much higher proportion than the 11% of HR professionals who thought this generation works hard. Good leadership skills? 40% of millennials think they have what it takes to lead, but only 9% of HR professionals agreed. “Until millennials are able to overcome existing stereotypes, they’ll have to work extra hard just to get noticed,” Beyond.com Founder and CEO Rich Milgram said in a statement. “Younger job seekers don’t have it easy in the current economy, and they’ve been put in a hole by the generations that have gone before them.” Generation Y also lags in interpersonal skills, according to the surveyed HR professionals—14% of whom thought millennials had good communication skills (compared to 65% of millennials who

reported they relate well to others). Only 22% of HR professionals believe millennials make good team

players, compared to 60% of millennials who thought they work well in teams. While most of the study’s findings suggest millennials have significant stereotypes to overcome in the workplace, there were

some glimmers of hope for gen Y. 86% of HR professionals believed millennials are tech savvy, for example—a higher proportion than the 35% of millennials who reported that they are skilled in this area. And more than 84% of millennial job seekers are optimistic about finding employment, suggesting an underlying motivation and drive to succeed, despite stereotypes.

“Until Millennials are able to overcome existing

stereotypes, they’ll have to work extra hard just to

get noticed.”

MillenialsRateThemselvesAsBetterEmployeesThanOthersDo

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You may have heard that #hashtags are a pretty big deal these days. They show up everywhere – from TV shows, the news, to print ads. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+ have had them for a while, and now Facebook is getting into the game. Here’s why. What the heck is a hashtag? Good question! Let’s start with the basics. Hashtags originally came about on Twitter by users looking for a better way to find similar conversations happening on the platform. Here’s an example: I can’t believe @NikWallenda walked across the Grand Canyon! Wow. #skywire Let’s decode it. NikWallenda = Nik Wallenda’s username on Twitter. We’re “mentioning” him in this tweet so that he gets notified. #skywire = The hashtag used to talk about Nik’s tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. We knew to use it since it was on the live TV broadcast in the corner of the screen. Using the hashtag in our tweet en-sures that it shows up when people search for and follow the conversations happening about Nik’s #skywire walk. OK. Now that we have a slightly better understanding of why hashtags are used, let’s apply it to Facebook. Let’s say you’re a high-end retailer interested in connecting with brand enthusiasts in your area. With Facebook’s recent support of hashtags, you can now search for local people talking about a specific brand. How? In Facebook’s search box, enter #SamEdelman (or whatever brand or topic you want to search). You’ll then see a list of the re-sults. Simple as that. You can also write a post and become part of the conversa-tion. For example, you might share something like, “Anyone see the new #SamEdelman sandals that just came out?” Then, when others search for #SamEdelman, your post will appear. This is a great way to create exposure for your company, which can then lead to relationships and business with your target audience. Why did Facebook make the move? Hashtags work. That’s why users created them on Twitter years ago. With so many people using them across different platforms, Facebook was the odd man out. And, since a lot of people “cross post” the same message (including hashtags) across a bunch of social platforms, it only made sense for Facebook to leverage that trend and

make them searchable within their platform. In addition, Facebook has been losing its “cool” for a little while now. They can thank Twitter, Instagram and the other newer social platforms for that. Plus, people (us included!) are seeing a lot of ads on Facebook making it less about us and more about revenue for Facebook. Adding hashtag support likely won’t change any of that, but at least Facebook is keeping up with social trends. It’s amazing how quickly all of this moves, isn’t it? 6 tips for using Facebook hashtags

Interact with fans and non-fans alike by clicking a hashtag to display conversations with posts using that hashtag. Gain deeper insight into how you are perceived by monitoring live conversations about your brand and “listening” using specific hashtags. Research your competitors by identifying their hashtags and checking them regularly to see what they are up to and how you may be able to adapt some of

their more successful strategies. Meet key influencers in your industry by following

popular hashtags and starting a conversation by commenting on their posts.

Track promotions, campaigns and events by creat-ing unique hashtags for your promotion, campaign or event and monitoring the activity.

Connect with your target audience across multiple social networks by identifying popular hashtags in your industry and linking your brand with the most recently trending topics for great exposure.

What do you think? Will you be using hashtags on Facebook?

You can learn more on hashtags at our July 24th

Lunch and Learn pro-gram. Register today at

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

#Hashtags Facebook

Heart Beat | June 2013 18

It's easy for bosses to get close to their employees, especially at a small company. But, no matter how friendly or comfortable you are with your team, there are certain things you should never tell you employees. Here are the top five: What not to tell: Confidential information. – Never share anything told to you in confidence by one employee with any others. To do so destroys trust , is disrespectful of that trust, and ruins your ability to mentor and coach your staff. What not to tell: How wonderful you are. - Telling your employees how smart you are needs to stop. Employees view bosses who exhibit this behavior as arrogant and condescending. It undermines motivation, engagement and productivity. What not to tell: Disagreements with your superior. – A leader should never tell employees about any disagreements or personal issues amongst the management team. To undermine one's teammates or your leader is political suicide. Once the management team agrees in a certain direction, then everyone on the management team must be united in moving the vision forward. What not to tell: Do what I say because I am in charge. – This is taking advantage of your title and level in the company. You can’t get your employees to do what you want just because of your title. What not to tell: Your personal ups and downs. — To be an effective leader, you need to be able to put aside your moods, your doubts and the morning's argument with your spouse in order to focus yourself and your team on reaching the company's goals.

5thingsABossShouldNeverSay

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Heart Beat | June 2013 20

5WaysYouCanBeFamousByMorning

Whether you want to become famous, promote yourself, build a business or just be an object of attention, access to mass media in the form of online video can be your greatest asset. But you still need a hook...an angle that will get the viewing public interested in what you have to say or do.

Joe Vitale, master marketing guru, was asked to come up with a number of ways to promote a business. He came up with seventeen.

Here are the first five:

1. Contests - People love to watch, participate and see the results of contests. If you can come up with a new, unique or different kind of contest you are bound to get noticed or talked about.

2. Awards - Everyone likes to be a part of, win and once again participate in awards of some kind. We like to associate ourselves with winners or be one ourselves. Awards for the worst singer, the messiest room (broadcast on webcam) or most pimped ride are different and once again unique.

3. Surveys - Media loves to quote surveys because they are based on fact. If you can do a survey on an unusual topic like "do you follow the five second rule or the fifteen second rule" (for eating food after being dropped on the floor), that's newsworthy.

4. Trivia - Everybody loves trivia. Once again it's based on fact so it can be newsworthy, but also it can be trivia based on your specific area of interest or business.

5. Tie in with current events - While the public is intrigued with a subject, this is the perfect time to hitch-hike off the publicity. Things like having an election while the presidential race is running or an athletic

competition just prior to the Olympics.

That's just the first five. Enough to get you brainstorming and seeing what angle or twist you can apply to have it work for you. The trick IS to come up with that unusual twist. Meditate on it, ask your kids, think about crazy movies or tv shows, look at headlines in sensational magazines and work from there.

And remember this is just the first five ideas. Joe came up with twelve more which will be explained in further articles.

By thinking outside the box and being different you can get yourself noticed and be famous by morning!

Mark Lewis is the owner of KMS Productions and webmaster at http://www.famousbymorning.com

21

I say for better or worse because you may not like what your brand is. Your brand could be confused. It could be nonexistent. It could be conflicting. Brands are more than a logo. Your brand is the core identity of your business. And if you don't know what your core identity is, or you never took the time to map it out, then you more likely than not have a confused, conflicting or nonexistent brand. So why is this a problem? Well, because without a strong brand, you're going to struggle needlessly trying to grow your business. You see, you may be getting clients and business, but I can guarantee you're working a lot harder then you would be if you had a strong brand. A strong brand attracts your ideal clients to you and repels not-so-ideal ones. This is one of the ways you become a client magnet -- having a strong brand then promoting that brand through a marketing system. Without this, you're out searching for clients, rather than simply responding to clients coming to you. It's a lot more work and a lot more stressful because you're never sure where your next client is coming from. If you have a strong brand, that means you have a strong reputation in the marketplace. So people already know who are you and what you do. They know what problems you solve. So if they have that problem, they come to you. If one of their friends has that problem, they refer their friend to you. See how that works? Now let's look at the flip side. You have a weak, con-fused, conflicting or nonexistent brand. People may have heard of you but they aren't what it is you do. They have no idea what problem you solve, so they don’t know if they need what you sell or not. They don't know how to refer you. And worst of all, they quickly forget your name or your business name because it has no meaning or value for them.

And if you don't figure out what your brand is and then do everything you can to continually emphasize and remind your ideal clients about it, then the marketplace is going to decide what your brand is. And you're probably not going to like what the marketplace decides. (And yes, you need to do both -- figure out what your brand is and then consistently market it. If you only do one and not the other, you're back to the marketplace deciding what your brand is.) So how do you know what's going on with your brand? Ask yourself these questions -- 1. Do YOU know what your brand is? If you don't, then

you most definitely have a branding problem. 2. Do you know what your brand is but you don't have a full pipeline of ideal clients? Then you either have not communicated your brand to your ideal clients or you're missing the marketing piece. (Or your branding is all wrong for who you want to attract so you may need to go back to the branding drawing board.) 3. Do you have a brand but you

keep hearing things like: "Wow, I didn't realize you did THIS." Or "I thought you only did that, not this." Then you have a brand communication and/or marketing problem OR you've gotten away from your brand (more on that next week). 4. And of course if you hear things like" "I'm not sure what it is you do." Or "You're the best-kept secret" you clearly have a brand problem. Remember, it's up to YOU to communicate and market your brand to your ideal clients, it's not their job to re-member you. Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! Marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency.

aBusiness'sSuccess...OrFailure

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Heart Beat Newsletter July2013

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