Seeking businessman and businesswoman nominations

The Chamber is currently accepting nominations for the 2016 Businessman and Businesswoman of the Year awards. The Businessman and Businesswoman of the Year are individuals who exemplify the spirit of the Chamber of Commerce through community involvement and innovation in their respective fields. To nominate an individual for this award, please email coc@watertownsd.com.

A Family Business of the Year presentation will also be made at the Annual Celebration. We encourage your nominations for this annual award.

Nominations sought for Chamber Board

We’re looking for some movers and shakers to serve on the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Board. What better way could there be to make positive changes in the Watertown area?

Call the Chamber at 605.886.5814 or email your nominations to coc@watertownsd.com.

THECHAMBERADVANTAGE

VOLUME 34 l SEPTEMBER 2016 l NUMBER 9

Join us Downtown September 15 for Reds, Whites, Brews & BluesEnjoy an evening in Downtown Watertown with your neighbors, friends and family on Thursday, September 15, as The Chamber hosts Reds, Whites, Brews & Blues!From 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., select Chamber member businesses will be sampling a variety of what’s new in the world of wine and craft beer.

Advance tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce, 1 East Kemp, in Downtown Watertown. Tickets will

be limited to the first 300 participants – so remember to get yours early!

During Reds, Whites, Brews & Blues you can also experience Watertown’s Art Walk and enjoy music by Neon Gypsy.

Downtown restaurants will be open and offer-ing delicious appetizers and entrees. We hope to see you September 15, for Reds, Whites, Brews & Blues in Downtown Watertown!

Chamber's Annual Celebration & Dessert Auction is October 18

Decadent desserts have become a highly anticipated tradition during the Cham-ber's Annual Celebration and Dessert Auction – and it's time to start planning your entry!

In addition to the delicious sweets, we are also looking for your nominations for this year's Chamber Business of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Spirit of Water-town, Family Business and Businessman/Businesswoman of the Year awards.

Social hour will begin at 5:00 p.m., allowing time to view the amazing desserts. The dessert auction will begin at 6:00 p.m., with dinner to follow at 6:45 p.m. at 2nd Street Station. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 18, and join the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce as we celebrate 101 years of excellence at the An-nual Celebration and Dessert Auction.

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

As summer gives way to fall and we all resume our routines, we thought it would be the perfect time to review some of the opportunities available to members through The Chamber! While we may be most frequently identified as “that organization that holds ribbon cuttings,” we really offer a great deal more for our members.

Allow us to highlight several important benefits:

Networking – We work with you to build and strengthen your business network with well over 700 members. Many great partnerships have resulted from introductions at chamber events and socials.

Visibility – The Chamber will help you stand out and get noticed as an active member of the community. Throughout the year, The Chamber organizes several community events that give your business and employees (and their families) additional opportunities to be involved. The Watertown Winter Farm Show, St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Cookin’ on Kampeska are three great examples!

Credibility – Now in our 101st year, a Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce membership brings credibility to your business. Chamber membership is respected by the community at large.

Referrals – It’s not an exaggeration to say that our phone rings all day long with people looking for a variety of merchandise and services in the area. We are always pleased to direct these inquiries to members who can fulfill their needs.

Social Media – We love featuring our members in every way possible! Our Shop Watertown Facebook page allows us to share Chamber Members' latest arrivals and deals. Our Watertown Jobs Facebook page gives Chamber members another avenue to connect with job seekers.

Voice – We’ll continue to inform, educate and advocate on your behalf. You’ll gain a say in what happens through our advocacy efforts.

Learning – Chamber members receive a competitive edge over non-members through exclusive training opportunities. Our Leadership Watertown program, for example, continues to offer hands-on learning at sites throughout the community.

Community – We constantly strive to create a local, strong economy which in turn creates a quality of life that will help attract new businesses to the area. We strongly believe that our community is a desirable place to live, play and work.

There are ever-increasing ways to become involved in The Chamber. We hope you’ll accept our invitation to learn even more about your membership benefits. Give us a call or chat with us at the next Chamber function. Your success is our business!

MeganMegan R. Gruman, IOM

Changing to Fall ActivitiesThe Chamber has been out and about in the community for several events during the past month! We served ice cream treats at National Night Out and helped serve up delicious food and beverages during the Codington County 4-H BBQ! We also helped organize the LATI Street Fair to welcome new and returning students to Lake Area Technical Institute and hosted a New Teachers' Luncheon at County Fair Banquet Hall. Upper left: Ag Committee volunteers and Chamber staff helped serve nearly 600 folks who attended the 4-H BBQ on August 3.

Upper right: National Night Out drew a large crowd on August 2.

Right: Multiple levels of the LATI Student Center were buzzing with activity on August 17 as Chamber members introduced their businesses and welcomed students to Watertown.

Below: Thirty-five new teachers were welcomed to Watertown during the annual New Teachers' Luncheon held August 19 at County Fair Banquet Hall.

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Working for Our Members

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

PAGE 3

Coco & Finn

The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Committee honored Coco & Finn with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, July 29, 2016 to celebrate the grand opening of Coco & Finn in Watertown, SD.

Pictured (left to right): Jonda Stofferahn, Minority Owner, holding the rib-bon; Jaci Stofferahn, Owner, cutting the ribbon; Kolt Ruesink, Jaci’s fiancé, holding the ribbon.

Located at 208 9th Avenue SE, Coco & Finn is a carefully curated women’s boutique specializing in women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories at af-fordable prices.

Business hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Please contact Coco & Finnn at (605) 878-0128 for more information.

Sears Hometown Store

The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Committee honored Sears Hometown Store with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Fri-day, August 12, 2016 to celebrate new ownership of Sears Hometown Store in Watertown, SD.

Pictured (left to right): Dennis Nelson, Sales Manager, holding the rib-bon; Ava Heaton, granddaughter, holding the congratulations card; Connie and Danny Heaton, Owners, cutting the ribbon; Melinda Hill, Office Manager, holding the ribbon; and Earnie Milliron, Delivery/Sales, holding the congratulations plaque.

Located at 1101 Jenson Avenue, Sears Hometown Store is locally owned and operated and carries the area’s largest selection of appliances, lawn & garden equipment, and Craftsman power and hand tools. Business hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, Sat-urday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please contact Sears Hometown Store at (605) 886-6916 for more information.

Cattail Crossing Golf Course Almost a year’s wait ended on Sunday, July 31, 2016 when the Yellow Course was reopened at Cattail Crossing Golf Course with a ribbon cut-ting ceremony. Nine greens were reconstructed, including eight on the Yellow Course.

Pictured (left to right): Jay DeLange, Watertown Parks and Recreation Director, holding the ribbon; Todd Walker, course superintendent, cut-ting the ribbon; Levi Pearson, golf operations manager, holding the con-gratulations plaque; and Mayor Steve Thorson, holding the ribbon.

Located at 351 S. Lake Drive, Cattail Crossing Golf Course is a recently renovated 27-hole, family-friendly facility adjacent to beautiful Lake Kampeska. Architectural updates have provided new tees, greens and complete holes to accommodate all ages and skill levels. A new fairway-sized driving range and practice green, with full flight range balls, is perfect for practice or to schedule lessons.

Please contact Cattail Crossing Golf Course at (605) 882-6262 for more information.

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

PAGE 4

Great Lakes Jet Express Operated by Aerodynamics, Inc.

The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Committee hon-ored Great Lakes Jet Express Operated by Aerodynamics, Inc. (ADI) with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, August 15, 2016 to celebrate the grand opening of ADI air service in Watertown, SD.

Pictured (left to right): Ray Baybrook, Director of Operations, ADI, Inc., hold-ing the ribbon and congratulations plaque; Todd Syhre, Watertown Regional Airport Manager, cutting the ribbon; and Mayor Steve Thorson, holding the ribbon.

Located at the Watertown Regional Airport, Great Lakes Jet Express Operated by Aerodynamics, Inc. (ADI) provides daily air service from Watertown, SD to Pierre, SD and Denver, CO.

Flight information is available at flyadi.com or by calling 1-800-554-5111.

Merchants Carnival

The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Commit-tee honored Merchants Carnival with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 to celebrate the grand opening of Mer-chants Carnival.

Pictured (left to right): Donald Palmer, Owner, holding the ribbon; Lashawn Farthing, sister-in-law, holding the congratulations plaque; Shelly Palmer, Owner, cutting the ribbon; and Elin Gossen, duster & granddaughter, holding the ribbon.

Located at 108 East Kemp, Merchants Carnival specializes in repurposed, recycled, one-of-a-kind items. We feature furniture, antiques, signs and a little bit of new merchandise.

Business hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please contact Merchants Carni-val at (605) 880-0823 for more information.

Watetown's Great Escape

The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Committee honored Watertown’s Great Escape with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 17, 2106 to celebrate the Grand Opening of Water-town’s Great Escape.

Pictured (left to right): Laurie Conley, front desk assistant, holding the ribbon; Shayne Gallardo, Sayler’s niece, holding the congratulations card; Sayler Hoffman, Manager, cutting the ribbon; Tanner Siegling, Owner, holding the congratulations plaque; and Bruce Siegling, Owner, holding the ribbon.

Located at 26 2nd Street NW, Watertown’s Great Escape specializes in creating an adventurous and thrilling way of building team work, family fun and excitement through clues and codes. Business hours are Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8:00 p.m. Please contact Watertown’s Great Escape at (605) 237-3232 for more information and to book a time for your adventure.

BUSINESSES OF THE WEEK

The Weigh Back provides a medically developed weight loss program to fit your lifestyle, along with your budget. With the support of trained professionals we will help you lose the weight and maintain your new healthy lifestyle. Our program is easy to follow, affordable, has no sign up fees and offers an FDA certified scale to track your progress. Stop in and find out why we were rated the #1 diet in 2015 dietsinreview.com.

We clean interior and exterior residential and commercial windows, up to 4 stories high! We also offer screen washing. Hard to reach windows or skylights? Sparkling Windows can clean those for you as well. Call us for an estimate at (605) 882-8436.

Dr. Roger Albertson and his staff offer “Personal Service with Individual Care.” We have convenient appointments to fit you and your family’s needs. Oral cancer screening is part of every exam. New patients and insurance are welcome, with insurance claims submitted in-office by experienced staff.

Pictured (left to right): Missy List, Jan Albertson, Dr. Roger Albertson, Melissa Becker, and Brooke Arbach

Slumberland originally started as a mattress and La-Z-Boy specialty shop. Making people comfortable, with our products and our prices, has been our first priority, right from the beginning. We take pride in providing a focused selection of mattresses and home furnishings that understand the way you really live. The Watertown Slumberland has been owned by Brad and Heather Carter since 1998, with most employees with us from the beginning or earlier.

Slumberland Furniture 19 S Maple • (605) 882-3032

Family Dental Care324 4th St. NE • (605) 886-8866

Sparking WindowsP.O. Box 524 • (605) 882-8436

The Weigh Back215 9th Ave • (605) 878-1133

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PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

BUSINESSES OF THE WEEK

Committee Reports

Ambassadors: September ribbon cutting ceremonies include: Expansion Ribbon Cutting at The Good Buy Gals at 4:00 p.m. on September 7; New Owner Ribbon Cutting at Dempsey's Brewery, Restaurant & Pub at 3:00 p.m. on September 9; 30th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting at Professional Hearing Services at 2:00 p.m. on September 14, Relocation Ribbon Cutting at Express Employment Professionals at 10:30 a.m. on September 16 and Grand Re-Opening Ribbon Cutting at Crestone Builders at 10:00 a.m. on September 29.

Any member business that has recently opened, relocated, renovated, or changed ownership is welcome to call 605.886.5814 to schedule a ribbon cutting. We look forward to helping you celebrate!

Arts & Culture: If you have an item for the October 2016 Arts & Culture calendar, please email coc@watertownsd.com no later than September 15.

Agriculture: The next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 7:00 a.m. at the Commerce Center.

Government Affairs: The next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 a.m. at the Commerce Center.

Renewing Members

A sincere thank you to all of our members who renewed this month!

Chamber AnnualCelebration & Dessert

Auction

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

5:00 p.m. - Social Begins6:00 p.m. - Dessert First!

6:45 p.m. - Dinner7:15 p.m. - Program

Please RSVP no later than

October 4, 2016

WelcomeNew Members

Great Lakes Jet Express Operated by Aerodynamics, Inc

2416 Boeing Ave, Watertown, SD 57201 (404) 410-7612

Downtown Sushi Rachel Chen & Jack Lin, Owners

18 N. Broadway , Watertown, SD 57201(605) 753-8666

LulaRoe with Missy and MichelleMissy List & Michelle Wadsworth, Owners

Watertown, SD (605) 520-0517 (Michelle)

The LoungeShannon & Kim Moes, Owners

21 N Maple, Watertown, SD 57201 (605) 886-2699

Faber's Farm Equipment Inc. Wilmer Faber, Owner

443 Pheasant Ridge Dr. , Watertown, SD 57201 (605) 753-8650

We are pleased to welcome these new membersto our Chamber! Please visit watertownsd.com

to find out more about these new membersand the products and services they offer.

CommunityShred Event

October 6th

@ Reliabank North Hwy 81 in Watertown

11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

Benefitting Reliabank's community effort to help grant a wish through Make-

A-Wish South Dakota

One man's trash can be another man's identity!

Shredding personal documents is an important step in combating indentity theft. A mobile shredding truck will be onsite at Reliabank's North Highway 81 Watertown location on Thursday, October 6, to provide secure destruction of your confidential documents. Just $5.00 shreds a normal size file box (12"x15") or a grocery sack. All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish South Dakota.

If you need boxes, Reliabank will have some available at their Watertown, Estelline, Hayti and Hazel locations. Watertown Box Corporation is donating the boxes to help with this event! Reliabank will be serving up hot dogs and beverages to all participants during the event. Thanks, Reliabank, for providing this valuable service to the community and for supporting Make-A-Wish South Dakota. A big thank you, also, to Watertown Box Corporation for supplying boxes to the participants.

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

PAGE 6

• A&B Business Solutions• Allure Salon & Menz

Grooming Lounge, LLC• American Family Insurance

- Lynn Jurrens• Architectural Millwork, Ltd.• Arnold Construction• Big Brothers Big Sisters of

the Glacial Lakes• Burchatz Construction• Creative Financial Services• Dakota Data Shred• Dan O's Marine• Data Truck, LLC• Duane's Floor Covering

LLC• Engelstad Electric• Ernie Edwards• Five Loaves Bakery• Flatland Xtreme• Golden Living Center -

Watertown• Great Clips• GSI Thrift• Hanson Furniture & Carpet, Inc.• Holley Graphics Inc.• Hy-Vee Food Stores Inc.• Insight Realty Group• KSFY/KABY• Lake City Cab Company

Inc.• Mac's Inc.• Pearle Vision• Pivotal Health Solutions• Profile by Sanford Health• Redlinger Bros. Plumbing

& Heating Co.• Ron's Specialties• Schulz Law Office• Sheehan Camper & Trailer

Sales• Sherwin Williams

• Starrography, Inc.• Sturdevant's Auto Parts• The Book Zealot• Thompson Mechanical, Inc.• Ultra, INC. dba Connecting

Point• Unclaimed Freight Furni-

ture• VanLaecken Orthodontics• Vast Broadband• Watertown Chiropractic

Clinic• Watertown Community

Recreation Center• Watertown Confectionery• Watertown Dental Care• Wells Fargo• William Neale & Co., PC• Wishard Insurance• Woods Edge Shop

WATERTOWN AREA ECONOMIC INDEXFEBRUARY 2016 CURRENT

MONTHSAME

MONTH 2015 % CHANGE 2016YTD 2015 YTD % CHANGE

TAXABLE SALES

CITY SALES TAX RECEIPTS

Watertown 2% $1,008,868 $1,058,968 -4.73% $1,008,868 $2,058,104 -50.98%

Watertown BBB $56,633 $58,693 -3.51% $56,633 $114,404 -50.50%

CITY OF WATERTOWN BUILDING PERMITS

RESIDENTIAL

New 1 & 2 Family - # 0 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%

Dollar Amount $- $- 0.00% $- $- 0.00%

New Multi-Unit - # 0 0 0.00% 2 0 0.00%

Dollar Amount $- $- 0.00% $570,000 $- 0.00%

Remodel - # 11 5 120.00% 22 14 57.14%

Dollar Amount $280,718 $53,756 422.21% $372,086 $267,000 39.36%

COMMERCIAL

New Commercial - # 2 2 0.00% 2 2 0.00%

Dollar Amount $532,000 $1,230,000 -56.75% $532,000 $1,230,000 0.00%

Remodel - # 3 5 -40.00% 6 10 -40.00%

Dollar Amount $33,500 $104,345 -67.89% $62,000 $388,845 -84.06%

TOTAL

Total Permits - # 16 12 33.33% 32 26 23.08%

Dollar Amount $846,218 $1,388,101 -39.04% $1,536,086 $1,885,845 -18.55%

CODINGTON COUNTY BUILDING PERMITS

RESIDENTIAL

House, House/Garage, Mobile Home - # 1 1 0.00% 1 1 0.00%

Dollar Amount $400,000 $9,000 4344.44% $400,000 $9,000 0.00%

Addition/Remodel - # 1 0 0.00% 2 0 0.00%

Dollar Amount $300 $- 0.00% $7,800 $- 0.00%

Other - # 1 0 0.00% 1 1 0.00%

Dollar Amount $- $- 0.00% $- $22,000 0.00%

COMMERCIAL

New Commercial - # 1 0 0.00% 1 0 0.00%

Dollar Amount $6,800,000 $- 0.00% $6,800,000 $- 0.00%

Barn, Shed, Other - # 0 5 -100.00% 2 6 -66.67%

Dollar Amount $- $476,000 -100.00% $19,500 $524,000 -96.28%

TOTAL

Total Permits - # 4 6 -33.33% 7 8 -12.50%

Dollar Amount $7,200,300 $485,000 1384.60% $7,227,300 $555,000 1202.22%

WORK FORCE

WATERTOWN

Total Work Force 11,961 12,005

Total Employed 11,498 11,430

Total Unemployed 463 575

Unemployment Rate 3.9% 4.8%

CODINGTON COUNTY

Total Work Force 15,338 15,380

Total Employed 14,796 14,705

Total Unemployed 542 675

Unemployment Rate 3.5% 4.4%

PAGE 7

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

Thanks to our wonderful sponsors!The Chamber's Annual New Teachers' Luncheon welcomed 35 teachers to Watertown on August 19, 2016. We would like to extended a very special thank you to County Fair Banquet Hall for their sponsorship. Our sincere appreciation also to our members for their donations to the gift bags and door prizes:

ARC 22 Construction, Arrow Education Foundation, Avera Therapy, Barefoot Fitness, Dakota Satellite, Dempsey's Pub, Dockter's Electric,

EAPC Architects, Edward Jones - Tim Sprung, First Bank & Trust, First PREMIER Bank,

Fischer Rounds & Associates, Inc., Gas N Goodies, Healthsource Chiro-

practic and Progressive Rehab, LuLaRoe with Missy & Michelle, Merchants Carnival, Montgom-

ery's, Mount Marty College, Office Peeps, Plains Commerce Bank, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Real Estate Profession-als, Reliabank, Roby Realtors,

Thrivent Financial - David Eick-meyer, Vast Broadband, Watertown

Convention & Visitors Bureau, Water-town Public Opinion, Wheel Inn

Check out the deals @Shop Watertown, SD!

Ag Scholarships Available Fred Morris Memorial - $1,000

LATI - $1,000 Gene & Mary Lois Reichling Memorial - $1,000

Deadline is October 15, 2016

For eligibility and application details, contact The Chamber office at 605.886.5814 or click here.

PO Box 1113 • Watertown, SD 57201 • Ph 605.886.5814 • Fx 605.886.5957 • www.watertownsd.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!If you haven’t already done so, please

“like” us on Facebook. Cruise on over towww.facebook.com/WatertownChamber.

PAGE 8

2016 New Teachers' Luncheon

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman of the Board .............................................................Tim SheehanPast Chairman of the Board ................................................. Tom BeadnellTreasurer .........................................................................................Chris BarteltExecutives at Large.........................................Tim Oviatt, Heidi Schooley Adam Lalim and Tony Rieffenberger

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

Agriculture .....................................................................................Chris BarteltAmbassadors ................................... Andrea Wahl and Brittany SomsenCommunity Appeals ...................................................................Tim WaltersCookin' on Kampeska ...............................................................Tim SheehanGovernment Affairs ...................................................................... Shan KruseLeadership Watertown ...............................................Britney FriedrichsenManufacturing Council ........................................................Robb PetersonMilitary & Veterans Affairs ..........................................Ernie Edwards and Dean GackstetterPast Board Chairman .....................................................................Tim OviattRetail Council ............................................................................... Missy AhlersSociety of Human Resource Management ........................Audra Hunt

AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

4th of July • Watertown Community Foundation

CHAMBER PERSONNEL

President and CEO ...............................................Megan R. Gruman, IOMDirector of Programming ......................................................Caitlin VoecksMember Services Manager ....................................................Dixie ObbinkCommunications/Membership ............................................Twila SchmittOffice Manager ..................................................................... Ashley Johnson

Josh HogueChad HoldenKate JurrensKen Lacher

Jon May

Missy AhlersDan BrendenDavid EickmeyerDr. Dan FlahertyStewart Flanery

Danielle MikkelsonKarrie O'Neill

Robb PetersonDr. Mark Rieb

Dale Schoenefeld