Ncccc july2013 business matters layout 1

w w w . N C C C C . c o mA Publication of New Castle County Chamber of Commerce

July 2013

This Edition

2 I Chamber Events Matter

3 I As a Matter of FactAn Economic and Social Powerhouse: The Nonprofit Industry

4 I Legislative ConnectionThe First Session of the 147th General Assembly Comes to a Close

5 I Economic DevelopmentGovernor Markell Talks Entrepreneurship, Education at June 18th Breakfast

New Castle County is Open for Business

6 I Calendar of Events - JulyNetworking, Business Education,Legislative Events & More

7 I Membership MattersNew Member Listing

Save the Dates - August

8 I Restaurant ProfileEverything is Big in Delaware’s Texas Roadhouse

9 I EEC ProfileIAM Consulting and the EEC:Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders

Be a Hero! It’s a WIN-WIN!

10 I Communities Matter - BearJust Where is Bear?

11 I Ribbon Cuttings

12 I Chamber Charity Challenge

In the early morning hours of July1, the first session of the 147thGeneral Assembly came to a close.The freshmen lawmakers in thisclass were initiated in a year domi-nated by major issues and challeng-ing decisions. Following a runningstart in January which featured acontentious debate over legislationgoverning the General Assembly’srole in a potential deal at the Portof Wilmington, marriage equality,death penalty repeal, a gun controlpackage, rent justification and transgenderantidiscrimination all came before the leg-islature. Taken alone, each issue could setthe tone for a session; taken together theymade for the most challenging and dynamiccombination of bills in recent memory. Asis always the case though, the session endedwith the General Assembly accomplishingits constitutional obligation to pass a bal-anced budget.

New LeadershipNew leadership at the helm in both

houses deftly navigated their chambersand caucuses through the session. SenatorPatricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) took over asthe president pro tem of the State Senatein January. A consensus building leaderwith two decades of experience as a legis-lator – as well as experience in leadershipas a whip and majority leader, SenatorBlevins’ received compliments from col-leagues and observers alike for her open-door leadership style. Another legislativeveteran, Senator David McBride (D-Hawk’sNest) served as majority leader. A highlyorganized and efficient floor manager, Sen-ator McBride was key to handling the vol-ume of complex and controversial issues

that came before the Senate this year whilestill engaging in more routine legislativebusiness. Senator Margaret Rose Henry(D-Wilmington) once again served as whip.In the House, former majority leader Rep-resentative Pete Schwartzkopf (D-Re-hoboth Beach) was elected speaker, re-placing Robert F. Gilligan (D-SherwoodPark) who retired from public office atthe end of last session.

A retired Delaware State Police Captainand troop commander, SpeakerSchwartzkopf ably guided the Housethrough a turbulent year. Affable and ap-proachable, there was still no doubt thatthe speaker was in charge. Former whip,Representative Valerie Longhurst (D-Delaware City) was elected majority leader.Her leadership garnered favorable reviewsfrom colleagues and observers alike. Shemanaged one of the most challenging agen-das confronting a first year majority leadervery well by all accounts. The House ma-jority leadership team is completed byRepresentative John Viola (D-Bear).

Leadership in the minority includes Rep-resentative Daniel Short (R-Seaford) asHouse minority leader, RepresentativeDeborah Hudson (R-Fairthorne) as House

minority whip, Senator Gary Simpson(R-Millsboro) as Senate minority leaderand Senator Greg Lavelle (formerHouse minority leader, R-Sharpley) asSenate minority whip

The Budget and RevenuesThe Budget

In keeping with their constitutionalobligation to pass a balanced budget,the General Assembly approved a $3.7billion operating budget for FY 2014(which began July 1). Budget growth

was somewhat constrained at 3.7 percent.The administration’s budget proposal, in-troduced in January, called for a 3.5 percentincrease in spending. The capital budget(bond bill) comes to $477.8 million. Thisyear’s grant-in-aid totals $44.7 million. Thegrant-in-aid budget is the budgetary mech-anism by which the State of Delaware pro-vides funding to fire companies and othercommunity non-profit organizations.

Due to fiscal concerns for the comingfiscal year and outlying years, the MarkellAdministration pressed for a revenue pack-age mid-session. A number of tax increasesand extensions were enacted in March.

Tax Increases

In an unusual move, revenue bills weredealt with in March rather than later in thesession. In 2009, in order to stem a greaterthan $800 million structural budget deficit,the General Assembly and the Markell Ad-ministration raised taxes by some $150 mil-lion. The New Castle County Chamber ofCommerce led an effort to place sunset pro-visions on those tax increases. The rateswere scheduled to sunset at the beginning ofFY 2014 (July 1, 2013).

The First Session of the 147th General AssemblyComes to a Close

Continued on page 4.

C H A M B E R E V E N T S M A T T E R

2 I July 2013 I www.ncccc.com New Castle County Chamber of Commerce

Visit

www.NCCCC.com

& click Events C

alendar

Summerfest Tabletop & Networking Expo

Policy Makers, Mover’s & Shakers

Nearly 150 attendees enjoyed a beautifulsummer day of exhibiting and networking at the lovely Newark Country Club at the Quarterly Table Top event called “SummerFest.” A special thank you toMichael Waite and Lisa Gravely of the BloodBank of Delmarva for co-hosting with us.Don’t forget to make an appointment for theSummer Blood Challenge too and fill out the Chambers name on the Hero Card…lets help save a few lives this summer!

Mid Day Mixerat Woodside Farm Creamery

80 attendees had fun atWoodside Farm Creamerymixer and enjoyed icecream tastings as well asItalian treats from BellaVista Trattoria and amazingfish and cornbread fromFarmers Famous Fish!

Governor Jack Markellspoke to a sold out crowd of 100 at the SheratonWilmington South for the Policy Makers, Mover’s& Shakers Breakfast Series.

Finding Your Next Customer

On June 25th, over 30 Chamber members joined panelists Angie Herscher,Mark Doughty, and others to talk about the Perfect Sales Pitch!

A S A M A T T E R O F F A C T

www.ncccc.com I July 2013 I 3

By Mark A. KleinschmidtPresidentNew Castle County Chamber of Commerce

As we work our way through ourcurrent economic challenges, there

has been a lot of focus on jobs and jobcreation. We have heard a lot aboutmanufacturing, financial services, construction and medical care but thereis one important industry that we havenot heard a lot about and that is thenonprofit industry.

Did you know 14% of all the jobs inDelaware are in the nonprofit sector?In fact, they employ over 60,000 people,have a total payroll of $1.8 billion andgenerate about $5.3 billion in annualrevenue. This is quite a significant economic contribution, but the contri-bution of the nonprofit industry is muchmore than financial as they provide avast array of programs and services thatbenefit almost all Delawareans. Thereare thousands of nonprofit organizationsin Delaware that work on a daily basisto improve our quality of life by promoting the arts, supporting educationfor all age groups, helping senior citizens,building affordable housing, providingmedical services, and assisting the lessfortunate.The nonprofit industry has an-other vital asset and that is the volunteersupport of thousands of people through-out the community.

The operation of a nonprofit organi-zation is not that different than the op-eration of a for-profit business. A non-profit must generate adequate revenuethrough fundraising and program revenueto cover their personnel, occupancy, pro-gram and other administrative costs. Thishas been no easy task in light of the eco-nomic slowdown and the cut back incharitable giving at all levels. The Cham-ber has over 80 nonprofit organizationsas members and we know that operatinga nonprofit organization in today’s chal-lenging economic climate requires a num-ber of special talents and a solid connec-

tion with the business community.

The executives and managers of non-profit organizations are a dedicated groupof people who have found ways to meetexpenses while not drastically reducingprograms or services. The Chamber hassupported our nonprofit members byhelping to raise money, hosting network-ing events, offering educational seminarsand helping them build relationships withthe business community. Each year theChamber selects one nonprofit memberto be the recipient of partial proceedsfrom our fall golf outing and other activ-ities throughout the year. So far wehave contributed to the Bear Babe RuthLeague, Delaware Breast Cancer Coali-tion, Delaware Kids Fund, Boots on theGround, Alzheimer’s Association, Habitatfor Humanity and Delaware OvarianCancer Foundation. To date, the Chamberhas been able to contribute over $15,000to our nonprofit members through the golf outing.

To help our nonprofit members im-prove their business skills and seek outnew ways to generate revenue, the Cham-ber offers the Nonprofit Forum. TheForum consists of two educational semi-nars and one networking event. Theseminars provide an opportunity for ournonprofit members to come together toobtain valuable information while theAnnual Luau and Networking Mixer al-lows them the chance to meet new people,promote the mission of their organizationand seek out new volunteers and boardmembers.

The collective efforts of all thenonprofit organizations in our communityhave made Delaware and New CastleCounty a better place to live. The Chamber is proud to have many nonprofitorganizations as members and we lookforward to a continued partnership withthem.

u Each year the Chamber selects one nonprofit member to be the recipient of partial proceeds from our fall golf outing and other activities throughout the year.

An Economic and Social Powerhouse: The Nonprofit Industry

At the outset of this session the Admin-istration determined that they could notafford to allow the FY 2010 (July 1, 2009)tax rates to sunset and return to their pre-vious levels. As a result, as of July 1, therate on personal income will fall slightlyfrom 6.75% to 6.6% as opposed to returningto the 2009 rate of 5.9%. Gross receiptstax rates will fall by 1% with additionalcarve-outs for manufacturers. The monthlyrevenue exemption for a number of smallbusinesses will be increased. Corporate

income tax and franchise tax rateswill not go down. The sunset onthe estate tax, at the state level,was repealed. The estate tax islevied against estates that arevalued at $1 million or more.The three counties of Delawarecharge different estate tax per-

centages; however, all three countieskeep them around a general range. If

the property is assessed below $3.5 million,the estate tax hovers around 7 percent. Forproperties of greater value than $3.5 million,the estate tax is around 10.4 percent. Effortsby the New Castle County Chamber ofCommerce to attach new sunsets to the gov-ernor’s revenue package did not garner suf-ficient legislative support.

Proposed Additional Tax and Fee Increases

In early June, a tentative revenuepackage was floated at Legislative Hall de-signed to direct about $80 million in addi-tional revenue toward infrastructure projects.While formal legislation was not drafted,ideas discussed included a 5-cent per gallonincrease in the gas tax, higher motor vehicledocument fees, increases in tolls and a taxon vacation rentals in Delaware’s resortcommunities. Insufficient support in theGeneral Assembly and concerns on thepart of elements of the business communityultimately forestalled these proposals.

Bottom Line Business Issues Minimum Wage

Early this session, Senate Bill 6, legislationwhich would have increased Delaware’sminimum wage to $8.00 per hour effective

L E G I S L A T I V E C O N N E C T I O N


The First Session of the 147th General Assembly Comes to a Close

January 1, 2013 and to $8.75 per hour onJuly 1, 2014. The original legislation alsowould have indexed Delaware’s minimumwage to the cost of living adjustment(COLA) under the Social Security Act andwould have required that Delaware’s min-imum wage be at least $1.00 higher thanthe federal minimum wage prospectively.The New Castle County Chamber of Com-merce opposed this legislation vigorouslyin the Senate. In March, the Chamber’slobbyist, Joe Fitzgerald, testified before theSenate Labor and Industrial RelationsCommittee in opposition and before thefull Senate the following week. The Cham-ber opposed the legislation based on thefact that employers in Delaware are alreadyfacing significant cost pressures due toworkers compensation increases, risinghealth care costs and the pending unem-ployment insurance surcharge. The Cham-ber found the indexing language and therequirement that Delaware’s minimum behigher than the federal level particularlyobjectionable.

In response to the concerns expressedby the Chamber and other business groups,the bill’s sponsor, Senator Bob Marshall(D-Wilmington), amended the legislationto reduce the amount of the increase to$7.75 on January 1, 2014 and $8.25 on Jan-uary 1, 2015. The legislation passed theSenate by a vote of 11-9.

In the House of Representatives, JoeFitzgerald testified before the House Eco-nomic Development, Banking, Insuranceand Commerce Committee on behalf ofthe Chamber. The bill was tabled (defeated)in committee by a vote of 7-3.

Unemployment Insurance

Another cost increase Delaware busi-nesses will be facing in the coming year is asurcharge to be paid with their unemploy-ment tax in order to repay the remaining$71 million balance on a $78.5 millionfederal loan that Delaware was forced totake in order to shore up the State Unem-ployment Insurance fund in the wake ofthe economic crisis of 2009. To implementthe plan agreed by the Unemployment

Compensation Advisory Council, House Bill 168was passed.

The legislation increases the taxablewage base from its current level of $10,500

to $18,500, effective January 1, 2014and links the taxable wagebase to a trigger mecha-nism based on the bal-ance of the Unem-ployment InsuranceTrust Fund as of Sep-tember 30 of the year

prior based on a sliding scale. The higherthe fund balance, the lower the taxablewage base.

Based on administration projections,this legislation could pay off the loan by2015 – the deadline at which higher federaltaxes would be assessed in order to recoupthe money. Given the current conditionof Delaware’s UI Trust Fund, the near-term effect of this legislation will be to in-crease the taxable wage base to $18,500 onJanuary 1. That will mean an additionalcost (surcharge) of $24 per employee onthe existing $42 per employee tax (for atotal of $66). Another key provision is aone week waiting period for the receipt ofbenefits to begin January 1, 2014 and sunset(end) January 1, 2017. The waiting periodis expected to net approximately $2.3 millionin savings per year – a figure that wouldjust cover the current amount in interestdue to the federal government this year.

This legislation will avoid an eventualcost of about $350 per employee in 2017should this loan remain outstanding.

Workers’ Compensation

In response to the astronomical 2013rate increases sought by the DelawareCompensation Rating Bureau in their sum-mer of 2012 rate filing with the InsuranceDepartment and the lowered, but still sub-stantial increase approved by the Depart-ment, the Workers’ Compensation TaskForce was formed by House Joint Resolution3 in January. This body, chaired by Lt.Governor Matt Denn, included represen-tatives from business groups, organizedlabor, the plaintiffs and defense bars and

other key constituencies. House EconomicDevelopment, Banking, Insurance andCommerce chairman Byron Short (D-Brandywine Hundred) and Senate PresidentPro Tem Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) alsoparticipated. The group met weekly betweenJanuary and May and came to agreementswhich resulted in House Bill 175, legislationdesigned to curb rate increases by imple-menting four key recommendations of theTask Force:

1. Place tighter controls on workerscompensation medical costs. These recom-mendations include a two-year inflationfreeze on the fee schedule for medicaltreatment of workers compensation recip-ients, a permanent reduction in the inflationrate allowed for hospital treatment of work-ers compensation recipients, and reductionsin allowed reimbursements in a variety ofmedical categories.

2. Ensure that insurance carriers’requests for rate increases receive a highlevel of scrutiny. These recommendationsinclude the retention of a part-time attorneyto represent businesses during the workerscompensation rate-setting process, and asystem to ensure that insurers are diligentlyenforcing the state’s medical cost controls.

3. Make the state’s laws encouraginginjured workers to return to work moreeffective; and

4. Improve the state’s workplace safetyprogram to both increase its usage andensure that it accurately determines whichworkplaces are using appropriate safetypractices.

The Path Forward

Now that the Capitol is quiet and policy-makers and observers alike are busy assessingthe full import and impact of what occurredthis session, we at the Chamber will continueour commitment to work to bring focus inDover and in Washington to the issues thateffect businesses’ bottom lines.

For the Chamber’s complete “End ofSession Legislative Update” visitwww.ncccc.com. It will be posted in thecoming week.

Visit

www.NCCCC.com

& click

‘Governem

ent Affairs’

Continued from page 1.


E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N T C O U N C I LGovernor Markell Talks Entrepreneurship,

Education at June 18th Breakfast

At the Chamber’s Breakfast with theGovernor on June 18th at the Sher-

aton Wilmington South, Governor JackMarkell opted to forgo a formal speechin favor of taking questions from thecrowd, which allowed Chamber membersthe chance to interact with the Governorand hear about the topics most importantto them.

Not surprisingly, the focus of the daywas the state’s present and future businessclimate – questioners asked about theeffects of the Affordable Care Act inour state, Delaware’s educational systemand our students’ preparedness to com-pete for jobs globally, the role state gov-ernment can or should play in supportingentrepreneurship, and recent news itemsinvolving Fisker and Delaware’s casinos.

The Governor was particularlypleased to address education issues.“What do you see in the future forpublic education in Delaware?” askedone attendee. Governor Markell tookthe opportunity to share that Delawarehad recently received an annual awardfor innovation in education, and sharedhis administration’s priorities for im-proving the state’s public schools. “Raisingthe standards and raising the rigor” ofstandardized tests remains his numberone priority. “We need to give a morerealistic sense to our kids and to theirparents about what it means to be pro-ficient,” explained the Governor, becausewhen Delawarean students graduatehigh school, they need to be able tocompete against the rest of the country

(and even globally)for college admis-sions and jobs.

In response toKen Grant of Analtech’s questionon how governmentcan promote entre-preneurship, the

Governor said: “We love large employ-ers,” including JP Morgan Chase, Bankof America, and AstraZeneca – “but wealso love the companies going from twopeople to four people.” He spoke aboutthe state’s Start It Up Delaware program,and shared that while he does not believethe role of the government is “trying tosay this is going to be the winning industryor that’s going to be the winning industry,”he is excited about developments in thebio-based products field that are takingplace right here in Delaware.

The breakfast was well-attended,with over 100 business leaders turningout to engage with the Governor. TheNew Castle County Economic Development Council, a public-privatepartnership of the NCC Chamber ofCommerce and the New Castle CountyGovernment, was heavily represented;its members focus on economic development issues in and around New Castle County.

To learn more about the Policy MakersMovers and Shakers series or the NewCastle County Economic DevelopmentCouncil, contact Bob Chadwick at (302) 294-2058.

“Open for business is a monthly collaborative outreach event sponsored by several New CastleCounty small business organizations and agencies.It’s designed to help any individual that is thinkingabout starting or growing a business by providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ introduction to all the programs

and services available to them in the county.

At the monthly event an Individual will have the opportunity to:

• Meet the organizations and agencies that provide resources to small business

• Learn about the programs and services that are available to start-ups and existing businesses

• Develop key relationships within the small business community

• Network with other small businessesWhen:

Open for Business events will be held the 4th Thursday of Every Month at 9-11 am.

Thursday, July 25, 2013 Delaware Technical Community College

Wilmington Campus333.N. Shipley Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

Registration Not Required, Walk-ins Welcome

For More Information, contact Frank DeSantis at [email protected]

Economic Development Council Member ListAloysius Butler & Clark � Astra Zeneca � Bancroft ConstructionBernardon Haber Holloway � Christiana Care � City of NewarkCity of Wilmington � Commercial Industrial Realty CouncilCommittee of 100 � Delaware BioScience Association

Delaware Contractors Association � Delaware Economic Development OfficeDelaware Park � Delaware River & Bay Authority � DelDotDelmarva Power � DiSabatino Construction � DuPontEmory Hill Real Estate Services � Facility Services Group

Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors BureauHarvey, Hanna & Associates � Info Solutions LLC

Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay � M&T BankNew Castle County Government � New Castle County Board of RealtorsPNC Bank � Saul Ewing LLP � Setting Properties, Inc. � TD Bank

The Byrd Group � The Commonwealth GroupThe Garland Company � W.L. Gore � Wilampco � Whiting Turner

Wilmington University � World Trade Center Delaware

Mid Day Mixerat Texas Roadhouse

250 Buckley Blvd.Bear, DE 19701

July 31, 20133:00 – 5:00 PM

Jul 2013 (Eastern Time)[email protected]

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7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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28 29 30 31 1 2 3

1 p m - NCC

Sun M o n T u e W e d Thu Fr i S a t

J U L Y E V E N T S C A L E N D A R


SAVE

THE DATE!

Chesap

eake Inn Mixer

August 29th

To register for events, visit www.NCCCC.com and click ‘Calendar’

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTEDAll events are held at the New Castle County Chamber,12 Penns Way. Call (302) 737-4343 for details.

9:00 – 11:00 AMOpen for Businessevent at Delaware

Technical CommunityCollege- Wilmington

Campus

5:00 - 8:00 PMPhilly Soul TownTakeover at

Rodney Square,Wilmington

3:00 - 5:00 PMMid Day

UnWINEd Mixer at Texas Roadhouse

5:30 - 8:00 PMYPN Networking &

Golf Clinicat Deerfield

5:00 – 8:00 PMPutt-n-Pinot Clinic & Networking withW.I.N. & EWGA at

Newark Country Club

CHAMBER CLOSEDIndependence Day

8:30 - 10:00 AMChamber Orientation

a free event

8:30 - 10:30 AMBusiness

Fundamentals

Putt-N-Pinot Clinic & Networking

Newark Country ClubJuly 9, 2013

5:00 – 8:00 PM

Fourth Annual Business andNonprofits Together Luau

Sheraton Wilmington SouthJuly 17, 2013 5:30 – 8:00 PM

Speed Networking

NCC Chamber

July 24, 2013 11:30 – 2:00 PM

5:30 - 8:00 PM4th Annual NCCCC & DANA Luau

atSheraton WilmingtonSouth, Airport Rd.

11:30 - 2:00 PMSpeed Networking


A to Z Bookkeeping, LLC

Bookkeepingwww.atozbookkeeping1.com(302) 757-2045

Accurate Air Mechanical

Services, Inc.

Plumbing/HVACwww.accurateairms.com(410) 939-1731

All About Smiles, P.A.

Dentists/Orthondonticswww.allaboutsmilesde.com(302) 239-1641

Bonbids

Advertising/Marketingwww.bonbids.com(610) 444-4731

Cigarette City

(College Sq)

Retail/Wholesale(302) 369-8203

Cigarette City (Hockessin)


Cigarette City

(Peoples Plaza)


Compassionate Care

Hospice Foundation

Healthcarewww.cchfoundation.net(302) 368-8944

Delaware Cigarette

& Tobacco Outlet (Bear)


Delaware Cigarette

& Tobacco Outlet (New Castle)


Delaware Cigarette

& Tobacco Outlet (Wilm)


Delmarva Community Wellnet /

EDEN Delmarva

Environmental Serviceswww.edendelmarva.org(302) 542-3400

DuPont Story - A Family A Company

Entertainmentwww.greerfirestone.com(302) 494-3133

EI Associates

Architecturewww.eiassociates.com(302) 733-7555

Gibbons Innovations, Inc.

Manufacturing(302) 222-1914

Goodfellas Steaks and Subs

Restaurant(302) 998-4446

Harvest Community Bank

Bankwww.harvestcommunitybank.com(856) 678-4555

LanStar Systems

Telecommunications(302) 235-1220

Lingua Franca Business

Spanish and English

Translators(610) 203-0049

Masley Enterprises, Inc.

Manufacturingwww.militarygloves.com(302) 427-9885

Mebu Design & Marketing

Advertising/Marketingwww.mebumarketing.com(302) 660-2147

Natural Dairy Products Corp.

Food Distributors/Markets/Serviceswww.natural-by-nature.com(610) 268-6962

Navigate Corporation

Consultants/Consultingwww.navigatecorp.com(484) 383-0606

N E W M E M B E R S M E M B E R S H I P M A T T E R S

Save the Date - August Events Aug 8, 7:30 - 9:00 AM

Policy Makers Movers & Shakers Forum

Aug 15, 5:30 - 8:00 PMW.I.N. Women Into Networking & Cigar Connections

Courtyard Newark at the University of DE

Aug 19, 5:00 - 7:30 PM UD Football Pre-Season Pep Rally

Aug 22, 8:00 - 10:00 AMBusiness Issues Roundtable

Aug 29, 3:00 - 5:00 PMAnnual Mid-day Mixer with Cecil County Chamber

at Chesapeake Inn

Oak Systems, Inc

Mailing Systemswww.osi360.com(215) 364-7555

Orth & Associates-

Ameriprise Financial

Financial Serviceswww.kimberleeorth.com(302) 475-5105

Professional Parties

and Promotions LLC

Entertainmentwww.proparties.net(410) 463-2064

SchagrinGAS Company

Utilitieswww.schagringas.com(302) 239-9665

SMP Enterprises


Tastefully Simple - Reamer

Food Distributors/Markets/Serviceswww.tastefullysimple.com/web/creamer(302) 378-7928

Tobacco Express


Tracey Hausel, Education Consultant

Educational Services(302) 750-7906

Union City Grille

Restaurantwww.UnionCityGrille.com(302) 654-9780

Wellwood Yacht Club, Inc.

Restaurantwww.wellwoodclub.com(410) 287-6666

Western Pest Services

Environmental Serviceswww.westernpest.com(302) 478-2555

Williams Law Firm P.A.

Legal Serviceshttp://www.trustwilliams.com(302) 575-0873

ZZ House, Inc.

Graphic Art/Designww.zzhousedesign.com(302) 453-1180


R E S T A U R A N T P R O F I L E

Each day, over 800 people enjoy ameal at the Texas Roadhouse just

off Route 40 in Bear, Delaware. Andthose are only the dinner patrons! “Wearen’t open for lunch because we have agreat deal of work preparing for dinner,”says managing partner Joe Russo. “Every-thing comes in fresh; vegetables, meats,spices… and everything needs to bechopped, diced, sliced, trimmed and cut.”All of the side dishes at Texas Roadhouseare prepared from scratch each day. “It’ssimple food but it is very good becauseit’s fresh and well-prepared,” says Russo.

Even the bread is homemade andbaked fresh each day.

Texas Roadhouse wasfounded in Indiana by ownerswho had the goal of openingten restaurants in ten years.Instead, over the last 20 yearsthe company has opened over

400 restaurants all over the globe.Known for hand-cut steaks, the Roadhouse offers ten cuts to choosefrom, with toppings like sautéed mush-rooms, onions, jack cheese, and gravy.There are five chicken dishes on themenu as well as a selection of “country

dinners” like grilled pork chopsand a pulled pork dinner.“Dockside Favorites” aresalmon, catfish and shrimp.Every entrée at Texas Road-house comes with two of thosehomemade sides—butteredcorn, chili, greenbeans, sweetpotatoes, and others.

For lighter eaters, TexasRoadhouse offers six salad entrees, andall dressings are made from scratch. Afine example of home cooking may betheir fall-off-the-bone ribs. “It is a three-

day process of spices, rubs andsmoking that creates a greatflavor,” says Russo.

“We also offer great valueto our diners with our earlydine,” says Joe. Texas Road-house offers 11 entrees foronly $8.99 Monday throughThursday until 6 pm. The

restaurant opens weekdays at 4 pm., andSaturdays and Sundays at noon. “Weare busy every day,” says Russo. “Ourcall ahead seating program works very

well for our guests. Just call and we willhave a table ready when you arrive,”says Russo. Diners and fans can alsojoin the Texas Roadie VIP Club forspecial offers and all of the latest news.

The Texas Roadhouse is “upbeat andexciting,” says Russo. “It is a place tocome to escape for a while and get a leg-endary meal.” Natural wood shinesthroughout one of the biggest restaurantsin New Castle County. An actualNASCAR car hangs from the ceilingabove the bar. The bar is more of thatnatural wood and each day Happy Houris available. Currently a 10 oz margaritais only $3 during happy hour.

Joe Russo has been with Texas Road-house for 11 years with the last year atthe Bear location, and brought with hima community spirit. “We have been reallyfocusing on being part of our communitywith school programs, community eventsand fundraisers. Just call us for more de-tails.” Texas Roadhouse also has giftcards available for any occasion.

Please visit Texas Roadhouse at www.texasroadhouse.com or call 302-322-3443.

Everything is Big in Delaware’s Texas Roadhouse

Visit

www.texasroadhouse.com


After a career of commuting fromPrinceton, New Jersey to her job

with the Dow Jones Company in NewYork City, Valerie Brown-Baul settledin Bear, Delaware. Today, she is anadjunct instructor with Wilmington Uni-versity teaching leadership courses inthe school of business, as well as a smallbusiness owner and tenant in the NewCastle County Chamber’s Emerging En-terprise Center. “I really enjoy the workof Stephen Covey and his research intoleadership and creating successful peopleled me to create my own company, IAMConsulting,” says Brown-Baul.

IAM stands for Impact, Action, andMastery. It is part of the IAM WayLeadership Program of personal andprofessional development. “I want peopleto embrace lifelong learning,” says Brown-Baul. “I want to help people becomeexperts and overcome the challengesthat keep them from mastery in what

IAM Consulting and the EEC: Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders

they do for a vocation or avocation.”Brown-Baul’s programs are perfect forcommunity leaders, small business owners,and nonprofit personnel, to name a few.

Brown-Baul is bringing her IAM Wayideas to a group of sixty 4th, 5th, and6th graders this summer. “Leadership inbusiness and in the workplace is impor-tant, and the best way to help teach lead-ership is to start young.” Brown-Baul re-ceived a grant from the 21st CenturyCommunity Center and support fromthe Christina School District to offer asix week summer program at Jones Ele-mentary School aimed at developingyoung leaders. In addition to leadershipcourses, the campers will take part inSTEM (Science, Technology, Engineeringand Math) activities and programs.

Science was the focus of a recentMonday with a visit from Mr. ScienceMan (Dr. Darryl Lee Baynes, presidentof Wheeling, West Virginia-based Minority

Aviation Education Association, Inc.).Dr. Baynes thrilled the crowd with gases,fire, explosions, bringing science to life.The camp also plans to take field trips toregional museums and to Killen’s PondState Park.

“Each day is very busy with learningand fun. The days are very hands-on aswell,” says Brown-Baul. “One thing wealso stress is proper decorum. We arehelping the boys to become fine gentle-man and the girls to be proper ladies.”At the conclusion of the summer camp,the kids will each take home their own“I am a Leader” book with information,notes and more from what they learnedat the camp.

Brown-Baul credits the EmergingEnterprise Center with helping her launchIAM Consulting. “The EEC really helpedme make the transition from consultantto business owner. I am doing what Ilove to do and what I do best. The EEC

helped me to figure it all out, it gave mea great focus,” she says.

The summer camp is full but openingsare available for the after school programscoming this school year. Call Valeriewith any questions at 302-442-7767. Theschool-year program is limited to 100children. Please visit the websitewww.IAMconsulting.com.

E E C P R O F I L E

Be a Hero! It’s a WIN-WIN!

We would like to take this opportunityto reach out to you in an effort to

replenish blood supply in the state ofDelaware and to save lives! These lovelyladies from right here at the Chamber, aswell as many of our other staff and mem-bers have already taken the time to giveblood this summer. There are people outthere every day receiving blood transfu-sions, and perhaps one day WE may needone, too!

It’s a WIN-WIN!

Everyone wins when you donate blood!Not only is someone’s life being saved,but because of your giving, you have achance to win some really great prizes!Please take some time to read the info onthe Summer Blood Challenge and checkyour calendar to see if you can squeeze inan hour or so and a pint or two to save a life!

SUMMER BLOOD CHALLENGE

Join Delmarva Donors and go theextra mile in saving local lives! Blood

Bank of Delmarva’s 11th annual SummerBlood Challenge ends September 14, andyour help is still needed. By becoming aBlood Bank member and giving blood,you’ll give the New Castle County Chamberof Commerce a boost ahead of the competition, as well as earn chances towin exciting prizes:

Grand Prizes

1st Prize: 2014 Mazda 6

Courtesy of Martin Mazda

2nd Prize: $2000 TD Bank VISA Gift Card

3rd Prize: $1000 TD Bank VISA Gift Card

Weekly Prizes

Two - $50 TD Bank VISA Gift Cards Note: Grand Prize is a 2 year lease onMazda 6®. Cash value $7,500.

Lease subject to dealer terms, conditionsand mileage overage fees.

Anyone who gave blood more than56 days ago can donate again and earnmore points for the New Castle CountyChamber of Commerce. When yourfamily and friends donate blood and fillout a Hero Card at a Blood Bank donorlocation, we earn those points too!

You are able to donate redblood cells every 56 days andplatelets every two weeks. If youdonate red blood cells, you candonate three times during theSummer Blood Challenge if youdonate between May 20 – 25,July 15 – 20 and Sept. 9 – 14.

The Blood Bank has fourdonor centers (Wilmington,

Newark, andDover, DE andSalisbury, MD) andmore than 30 es-tablished blooddrive locations.Check the scheduleat www.Delmarv-aBlood.org. Formore informationon how to get

involved in the Summer Blood Challenge,contact Heather Fisher 302-294-2055 or [email protected].

Valerie Brown-Baul

“Census Designated Place” is the officialterm for Bear, Delaware. Bear is notan incorporated town; it does not have aMain Street or a mayor. According to the government, it is simply a Census DesignatedPlace—which means only that Bear has apost office.

But Bear is much more than that tomany people. Looking deeper into thecensus figures, Bear the CDP is exactly 5.7square miles. For most New Castle Coun-tians, Bear is the shops and neighborhoodsalong Route 40 between Glasgow and NewCastle (founded 1640). Just over 17,000

people live in Bear in more than6,000 homes, many built duringthe Bear building boom of the1980s. There are no bears livingin Bear, nor is there a history ofbear activity. Folklore suggeststhat the area’s name came froma popular tavern that provided a

resting place for travelers betweenWilmington and Dover back in the days

of horse and buggy. That old tavern usedan image of a bear in its sign.

Bear is Fox Run, Eden Square, and Governor’s Square Shopping Centers. It isColonial, Appoquinimink and ChristinaSchool Districts. Bear has plenty of companyin New Castle County when it comes tobeing a Census Designated Place. Hockessin,Pike Creek, Greenville and Brookside arealso among the county’s 11 Census Designated Places.

The Chamber continues our 2013 themeof taking a look at towns in New CastleCounty. This issue we focus on Bear.

Just Where is Bear?

COMMUN I T I E S MATT E R - B E A R


Visit

www.NCCCC.com


R I B B O N C U T T I N G S

Verizon Wireless - Wireless Zone www.wirelesszone.com/newarkde

Brown and Brown of Delaware, Inc.www.bbprivateclient.com

Maria's Pizza & Pastawww.mariasitalianhouse.com

Limestone Nutritionwww.firststatehealth.com

Join Delmarva Donors and go the extra mile in saving local lives!

Give blood from now through September 14th and earn pointsfor the Chamber team. Just fill out your hero card to get thepoints you earn by donating. Be sure to put New CastleCounty Chamber of Commerce as the organization.

To make an appointment today, please call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8, or visit at www.delmarvablood.org.

1st Prize: 2014 Mazda 6Courtesy of Martin Mazda

2nd Prize: $2000 TD Bank Visa® Gift Card

3rd Prize: $1000 TD Bank Visa® Gift Card

GOLF PRICESIncludes: greens fees,

golf cart, gift PAK, lunch,

beverages on the course,

dinner, silent auction and

awards ceremony

Individual: $135

4-some: $500

Awards Dinner & Silent Auction: $40

Super Ticket: $30Super Ticket includes: $50

,000

Shoot Out, $5,000 putting contest,

$2,000 Hole-In-One, & 2 Mulligans

Tuesday, September 24th Deerfield 11:30 a.m. registration/lunchwww.ncccc.com 507 Thompson Station Rd., Newark, DE 1:00 p.m. shotgun start

SPONSORSHIPSEvent Sponsor: $3,500-Your Company’s name/logo will appear on :-All marketing material-All multimedia productions (web, video & print)-All media releases (pre and post event)-Company banner displayed at sign-in & dinner-Two complimentary foursomes-Distribution of your products/literature in “Golfer Giveaway Bags”Tournament Gift PAK Sponsor: $2,500

-Company logo on gifts (if sponsored by 8/1/13)-Gift pak given to all golfers-Lunch, Dinner & Cocktail Reception-Acknowledgement at awards banquet-One complimentary foursomeCart or Dinner Sponsor: $1,500-Ability to hang your company banner at reception (Cocktail Hour Sponsor)-Your company sign on all golf carts -Lunch, dinner & Cocktail Reception Signage

-Acknowledgement at awards banquet-One complimentary foursome-Company listing on tournament websiteSilver Sponsor: $600-One complimentary foursome -One tee sponsor signSpecialty Sponsor: $500 (Lunch,Super Tix, Driving Range orBeverage Carts-Company logo on the golf course -Acknowledgement at awards banquet-Listing on Chamber website-2 tickets to the awards dinner-No golf included

Tee Sponsor: $150

Registration: www.ncccc.com Sponsorships: [email protected]

Sponsored by:

Documents

Ncccc july2013 business matters layout 1