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A monthly publication by the Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce.
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Volume 2012, Issue 11
The Chamber Vista A monthly publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber November 2012
Volume 2012, Issue #11
“We Mean Business”
4th Annual Mini Expo—Reach new customers this holiday season
The 4th Annual Mini Expo will
take place at the Mall at Sierra
Vista on November 10th from10
a.m. – 4 p.m. This event features
home based businesses and non-profit organizations and there is
still time to sign up and market
your products and services at a
high traffic location.
Vendors will showcase a variety
of good and services, from gift
baskets and lock smiths to carpet
cleaners and clothing and acces-
sories. Come and support our
small businesses community and
get a head start on your holiday
season shopping.
This event is another great exam-
ple of all the shopping and ser-
vices available throughout
Cochise County, helping the
community make the easy choice
of shopping local. If you would
like to participate, please stop by
the Sierra Vista Area Chamber at
21 E. Wilcox or register online at
www.sierravistachamber.org.
This event is open to Chamber
and Non-Chamber members.
An Update From
Executive
Director Amanda
Baillie
2
Member Spotlight
on Tumbleweed
Auction
3
Peacock has a
New Location,
Rendezvous has a
New Name
3
Calendar of
Events
4
Events at a
Glance
5
7 Tips for Dealing
With Criticism of
Your Business on
Social Media
6
Member Page 7
Board of
Directors/
Chamber Staff
8
The Chamber will present the
annual Christmas Parade on De-
cember 1, and there are a number
of changes this year.
Following a request from the City of Sierra Vista, we have
changed the route
to allow Buffalo
Soldier Trail to
remain open so
that traffic may
continue to circu-
late the city.
This means we
will be staging
along 7th Street and Busby
Drive. The parade will then start at 5:30
p.m. at 7th Street and Fry Blvd.,
and will make its way along E.
Fry Blvd., ending at Avenida
Escuela.
This route was chosen because it
offered the best parking and drop
-off and pick-up opportunities at
the beginning and end of the pa-
rade—safety of our participants,
especially children’s groups, is our number one priority.
Organizing a parade of this size
and scale is no easy task, but this
new arrangement will help show-
case those businesses that were
not along the previous route.
It will also provide some great
viewing areas in Veterans’ Me-
morial Park, which the parade
will pass this year, as well as
better lighting along this stretch of Fry Blvd.
There are two things we will not
be changing, however. The entry prices will remain the same as in
previous years, so we encourage
all Chamber members to take this
opportunity to be a part of a great
Sierra Vista tradition, while mar-
keting their businesses to the
thousands of people lining the
route.
Secondly, the parade will remain
as an evening event.
As a business organization, we want to ensure area businesses
are caused minimal disruption by
the street closures on one of the
busiest retail days of the year.
We will not have to close down
Fry Blvd. until around 5 p.m.,
when most businesses are clos-
ing, compared to 10 a.m. if we
held it during the day.
The Chamber will also hold its
Santa Fly-In on the morning of the parade, when we will fly the
big man himself into
the Ace Hardware
parking lot, before
taking him to Buffalo
Corral BBQ in the
West End.
Our goal here, is to
encourage families to
come out before the
parade, visit with Santa and start
their Christmas shopping at area businesses, or have lunch at a
local restaurant.
The theme for this year’s parade
is Celebrate With Music and we
are asking all of our participants
to fill the air with festive tunes as
they travel along the route.
And, in keeping with that theme,
we will have the Sierra Vista
Symphony Orchestra as our
grand marshal.
This is a fun event to be a part of,
so sign up before November 16
to get the early bird entry fee.
Visit
www.sierravistachamber.org
54th Annual Christmas Parade Will Bring Music to the Desert Night
Just a few days to go and it will all be over. Is it me, or
has it felt like the campaign-
ing for this election has been
longer than usual?
While I have no doubt the
business community will be
relieved to see November 7 arrive, it is vitally important
that our members get out and
vote on November 6, if you have not already done so via
an early ballot.
With more than 630 mem-
bers, the Sierra Vista Area Chamber is the largest busi-
ness organization in Cochise
County.
Together, we can make a dif-ference in this election – but
only if you vote. And if you
actively encourage your em-
ployees to do the same, imag-ine what an impact that will
have.
As a reminder, here are the
ballot initiatives and proposi-
tions that the Chamber has cho-
sen to endorse or oppose:
Joint Technical Education Dis-
trict (JTED) – Vote YES
JTED will allow Buena High School to leverage additional
state funds – around $600,000
annually – to improve and ex-pand vocational programs. The
small increase in property tax,
which will average no more than
$10 to $20 per year for most people, is a vital investment in
Sierra Vista’s future workforce.
Proposition 116 (Property Tax
Exemption) – Vote YES
This will allow the state to raise
the tax exemption rate on equip-
ment and machinery used in trade or business from the first
$50,000 to approximately $2.4
million. This will ease the tax burden on businesses, encourag-
ing them to invest and create
new jobs.
Proposition 119 (State Trust
Lands) – Vote YES
This will allow the state to ex-
change state trust land for other
public owned lands to help protect military bases from encroaching
development. It will also help mili-
tary installations to expand if nec-
essary and develop vital missions.
Proposition 204 (Quality Educa-
tion and Jobs Initiative) – Vote
NO
While the Chamber supports edu-
cation, it does not believe a perma-
nent one cent sales tax is the an-
swer. Increasing the sales tax to the second highest in the nation will
deter businesses from investing in
Arizona and will hurt the business community if customers choose
lower or no sales tax options like
the Internet. Raising taxes, and limiting future legislative budget
decisions, will not help economic
development.
Chamber Update by Executive Director Amanda Baillie
“With more than 630
members, the Sierra
Vista Area Chamber is
the largest business
organization in
Cochise County.”
Page 2 The Chamber Vista
Sierra Vista Area Chamber will Publish New Community Guide & Member Directory
The Sierra Vista
Area Chamber of
Commerce is
pleased to an-
nounce that sales for its upcoming
community guide
and membership
directory are now
underway. The
guides are on target
to print next spring, and will be distributed
in and around the Chamber service area.
The forthcoming Sierra Vista community
guide and membership directory will act as
an exceptional Chamber membership re-
cruitment tool, ideal community reference
guide and informational relocation publi-
cation. This customized publication will feature a refreshing writing style, coupled
with eye-popping design and colorful pic-
tures - grasping the distinct character of the
community. The publication will also in-
clude a complete Chamber membership
directory and comprehensive buyer's guide
(categorical listing).
Advertising in the Sierra Vista community guide and membership directory has unri-
valed advantages. The multi-platform ad-
vertising bundle goes beyond the tradi-
tional print publication to include: a com-
munity website and downloadable New-
View eBook®, which converts the publica-
tion's editorial, pictures and design ele-
ments into a digital format; on-the-go
wireless access via various web-enabled
devices; and the searchable vpMobile.us®
Business Directory Portal, featuring the
Chamber's entire membership directory, available wirelessly, 24/7. Since 1996, the
Village Profile® website has seen over
250,000,000 hits from Internet locales
around the world and from all manners of
users, and the vpmobile.us site totaled
more than 8.4 million hits from 2011-2012. This considerable traffic will prove
beneficial to the entire Sierra Vista Area
Chamber of Commerce community. The
Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce
site has registered 209,367 hits.
In addition, a user-friendly Smartphone
app is available, accessible via the iPhone.
This is an extension of Village Profile's
enhanced connectivity, customized specifi-
cally for the Chamber.
For publication and advertising informa-
tion or to reserve ad space now, contact the
Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce
or Sales Representative Alynne Lustig at
520-458-6940.
Page 3 Volume 2012, Issue 11
Member Spotlight on Tumbleweed Auction by Executive Director Amanda Baillie
There are people that just sweep you
along with their enthusiasm when they
talk about their passion in life, and
Kathy Crawford is one of them.
As the owner of Tumbleweed Auc-
tion, Kathy travels across our vast
county helping its residents to sell their
belongings. She loves her job and she
loves helping others.
From estate sales and senior downsizes
to charity and online auctions, Kathy’s
main goal is to get her clients the best
price possible, and to make it enjoy-
able for the buyers.
“The National Auctioneers Association
conducted a survey to find out why
people go to auctions,” said Kathy.
“The number one reason is for fun.
Finding a bargain was four or five on
the list.
“Attending an auction is entertaining,
and if you keep your hands down, it’s
cheap entertainment.”
Since starting Tumbleweed Auction in
January 2000, Kathy has seen her busi-
ness grow. She employs one full-time
staff member and around 14 part-
timers to help manage and run the ap-
proximate 50 auctions she conducts
every year.
One week she may be in Sierra Vista,
and the next in Elfrida, selling every-
thing from antique stoves to classic
cars. Just about the only thing she
won’t sell is animals.
Her 15-year career began in New Jer-
sey, where she worked with several
mentors to learn her trade.
Back east, the majority of sales were
carried out at auction houses, but that
process was not well suited to the Ari-
zona crowds.
“I started holding auctions at the VFW,
but they were not too successful,” re-
calls Kathy. “Then I was persuaded by
this lady to do one in her garage and
that was so successful. Now I hold
most of them on site.”
Typically, Kathy will hold auctions for
people looking to liquidate estates, for
seniors wanting to downsize their
homes or for those who find them-
selves ex-
periencing
life changes
beyond their
control.
“Each one is
different and
each one has
a different
story,” she said.
Her business now also includes online
auctions for those sales which don’t
always suit an on-site event.
Upcoming auctions can be found on
the website www.tumbleweedauction.com,
through the Sierra Vista Herald or
other localized advertising mediums.
To find out more, contact Kathy at 458
-9333.
Would you like your business to be fea-
tured in the Member Spotlight? Join us
at our next Business at Twilight for your
chance to win this free benefit!
Peacock has a New Location, Rendezvous has a New Name courtesy of Sierra Vista Herald
The Peacock Restaurant and Ren-
dezvous Nightclub expand to be-
come the perfect place to eat, drink,
and play.
The Peacock restaurant, serving
traditional Vietnamese cuisine, has
been a thriving small business in
Sierra Vista for the past 18 years.
For the past six years, Rendezvous
Nightclub has been the place to go
for a night of drinks and dancing.
Recently the Peacock has moved
into the Rendezvous building (40 S.
Avenida Escuela) allowing each
business to expand and grow. The
Peacock will be open seven days a
week, capitalizing on a newer
building, commercial kitchen, ex-
panded bar, large outdoor patio, and
more dining room seating. Rendez-
vous’ name will change to the
ZBar, incorporating their signature
“Z” into the new logo.
They will continue to use the large
dance floor on Friday and Saturday
nights after 10 p.m. ZBar now has a
new and improved game room with
a jukebox, pool tables, dartboards,
foosball table, and a 22-foot tourna-
ment shuffleboard. Together they
will also offer a happy hour with
discounted food and drinks along
with a late night menu.
The Peacock Restaurant is open for
lunch or dinner seven days a week.
The ZBar is open every night with
dancing on the weekends.
Business at Twilight
Hosted by:
Southwest Gas
Outdoor Living with Natural Gas
November 8th
5:00 pm
202 E. Wilcox Dr.
Join us and others around the fire under the
Arizona sky, while we network and enjoy food from
the Social Register. While there, play some net-
working games and enter the raffle for a chance to
win great prizes including custom made wine racks
and gift cards.
Looking to volunteer your time to
your community?
We are currently looking for volunteers to be parade
marshals in the 54th Annual Christmas Parade!
Enjoy access to the hospitality room, experience the
parade from an unforgettable first hand vantage point
and support the more than half a century old
community event.
For more information please contact
Diane at 520-458-6940.
Volunteers will be needed from
2 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on December 1st.
Schedule of Events
Nov. 7th - Bring a Veteran to Lunch,
Thunder Mountain Activity
Center, 11:30 a.m.
Nov. 7th - Ambassador Meeting, Z Bar,
40 Avenida Escuela, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 8th - Business at Twilight
(OUTDOOR), Southwest Gas,
202 E. Wilcox Dr., 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 10th - Mini Expo, Mall at Sierra
Vista, 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Nov. 14 - Leadership, Health Day, Sierra
Vista Area Chamber, 7:30 a.m.
Nov. 16th - Deadline to register to
participate in the Christmas
Parade.
Nov. 21st - Chamber Closed at noon
Nov. 22nd - 23rd - Chamber Closed for the
Holiday.
Nov. 30th - Chamber101, Sierra Vista
Chamber, 21 E. Wilcox Drive,
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Page 4 Newsletter Title
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4 5 6 Election
Day 7 MAC/
Ambassador 8 BAT 9 10
MINI
11 12 13 14 Leadership
15 16 Parade
Deadline 17
18 19 20 21
22 CLOSED
Thanksgiving
23 CLOSED
24
25 26 27 28 29 30 Cham-
ber101
November 2012
Page 5 Volume 2012, Issue 11
Events at A Glance
For upcoming events please visit us at www.sierravistachamber.org/events
Clockwise from Top Left: Martha McSally speak-
ing with the Legislative and Military Affairs Com-
mittee; Jackie Moore and Jenifer Thornton partici-
pating in a True Color’s skit; The Peacock celebrat-
ing their new location; County and City Leaders
speaking to the Leadership Sierra Vista group on
Government day; Leadership Sierra Vista 2012
class finishing up Government day; Michele
McCollum speaking to attendees at the Prestige
Halloween Business at Twilight; John Hargraves
posing with his Star of Fame at Prestige’s Business
at Twilight; Anita Farrow’s costume for Prestige’s
Business at Twilight; Congressional District #2
forum
Page 6 The Chamber Vista
7 Tips for Dealing With Criticism of Your Business on Social Media courtesy of SBA.gov
Not sure how to handle negative com-
ments or criticism of your business on social media? Is the open nature of so-cial media actually stopping you from
jumping on board?
Receiving criticism is never easy; it can also damage your business reputation.
However, feedback and criticism in an open and social forum also gives your business an opportunity to deflect nega-
tivity and even earn you respect – if you
handle it right.
Here are some steps you can take to manage criticism of your business, products, or even staff on social media
and online review sites.
1. Get Listening
The first thing is making sure you hear what is being said about you by moni-toring the social media sites where you
have a presence. Check your Facebook page regularly, monitor your Twitter mentions and set up Google Alerts so you can track when your business is
being mentioned online. You may also want to check your Yelp, Google+ Lo-cal, Trip Advisor and other listings for customer comments. Don’t forget in-
dustry, product or even local commu-nity forums. For example, does your neighborhood or home owner’s associa-tion have an online forum? Folks may
be reviewing local businesses there.
2. Should You Respond?
You may feel tempted to respond quickly to a negative comment or even
delete it. But negative reviews aren’t always worth a response. Some posters may be negative just to get attention, or their comments are just so over the top
and rude that responding to them will only draw attention to an issue that clearly is a one-off or that no one else is aware of. Sometimes it’s just best to
ignore these posts.
3. Don’t Let Negative Comments Lin-
ger
Social media doesn’t wait for anyone.
Fans have come to expect a timely re-sponse from brands they follow. By chiming in early you can quickly stop others from jumping in on the topic
while demonstrating that you value
opinion and feedback.
Even if you don’t have an immediate answer, tell the commentator that you hear them, acknowledge their com-
plaint, and promise to investigate fur-
ther. “I’m sorry to hear this…” is a
great softener and shows you care.
4. Always Acknowledge, Never Deny
Accept that the customer is always right and acknowledge it and investigate to get to the root cause of their feedback or criticism. Where did your business go
wrong? Was it a simple misunderstand-ing or do you need to make changes internally? Avoiding feedback or criti-
cism may come back to bite you.
5. How to Apologize
If you find that your business has been in the wrong or you’ve let your custom-ers down, apologize sincerely. Ac-
knowledge that you’ve investigated the complaint. State clearly that you regret the poor service that the customer has received (i.e. you know what a pain it is
when things don’t go as expected), cite it as a lesson learned and let everyone know you will take steps to ensure it
doesn’t happen again.
Above all, avoid formal language. Take
off your sales and marketing hat and be
human. End your posts with your name,
so the complainant knows who they’re dealing with. Be conversational: “I’m so sorry you had this experience. Let me look into it right away and get back to
you – Todd,” instead of: “Your comment has been acknowledged. We will look into this matter further.” You might even own up to the fact that you’ve
been experiencing some hiccups in one particular area – whether it’s a new product line, or shipping times – and that you want to hear more if consumers
have further issues.
Consider offering to make things right. Ask the customer to email you so that you can either reimburse them or per-haps offer a discount on future pur-
chases. Be sure to follow through on this, look out for the email and respond
promptly.
6. Take the Conversation Offline If you need more information or genu-
inely feel that this conversation would be better served offline, ask the com-plainant to contact you directly via
email or phone. Make this the exception rather than the rule – and only do it after you’ve publicly acknowledged or apolo-gized for any issues and restated your
commitment to customer service. The goal here isn’t putting out the fire out by taking it offline but offering an open invite to continue the dialogue further
and address the complainants’ specific
concerns. It’s a strategy that works.
7. The Bottom Line When your business reputation is on the
line, demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction – and backing it up with action – is a must. Ironically, one unhappy customer converted back
into a loyal fan of your business can be far more influential in the word-of-mouth driven world of social media than one happy customer ever can be!
So go ahead, embrace comments nega-tive or otherwise – you might just win
some more fans!
Page 7 Volume 2012, Issue 11
Thank You to These Members for Renewing Their Commitment to The Business Community:
A Special Welcome to Our New Members! Echoing Hope Ranch – 520-508-2087
HanLing Acupuncture Healing Center, Inc. -
520 – 878-8116
Morning Star Café – 520-366-5666
Sierra Cash Register Systems, LLC – 520-678-0482
Sierra Vista Sunrise Rotary
Systems Integration – 520 - 458 - 8830
Transportation Express – 520-459-7778
Tyler's Yard Tree & Landscaping Services
520- 234-5369
Castle & Cooke Mort-
gage
Center for Academic
Success
Comfort Keepers
Dove Security
Economic Development
Foundation
EKS Group, LLC
Garden Place Suites
Good Neighbor Alliance
Goodwill Industries of
Southern Arizona
HP-AZ.net
Isaacson Homes
Kindred Nursing and
Rehabilitation
Kiwanis Club of Sierra
Vista
La Casita Mexican
Restaurant
Long Realty – Katherine
Zellerbach
ManTech Telecommuni-
cations and Information
Systems
Mr. Fix It of Sierra Vista
MVP Awards
Oasis Apartments
Real Estate Press of
Cochise County
Romisco Sign Systems,
LLC
Southwest Desert Images
The Social Register
Verizon Wireless
Wal-Mart Stores
Wells Fargo,
Safeway Location
Wilson Electric
Executive Club Members
A+ Texture
American Family Insurance American Systems Arizona Water Company Best Buy
BrightStar CACI, Inc. Campstone Transfer, Inc. Castle & Cooke Arizona, Inc.
Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC CGI CerendipiTees Cherry Creek Radio
City of Sierra Vista Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. Cox Communications
Data Systems & Technology, Inc. Dental Village Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot Farmers Insurance - Ginny Francis
Garden Terrace Assisted Living Home General Dynamics Information
Technology Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra
Vista, Inc.
Huachuca Mountain Insurance Agency
KKYZ Radio Landmark Café Lawley Automotive Center Lawler's Team Ford
Life Care Center Long Realty Co. Longhorn Restaurant Mall at Sierra Vista
ManTech Telecommunications & Information Systems
Mobile Marketing Blueprint Mr. Fix It of Sierra Vista, LLC
National Bank of Arizona Navy Federal Credit Union Netmedix IT Solutions
New Frontier Animal Medical Center Northrop Grumman Corporation Patio Pools & Spas Pioneer Title Agency
Pueblo del Sol Country Club Restless Wings Photography Rosemont Copper Company Salient Federal Solutions
Sentrillion
Sierra Vista Ace Hardware
Sierra Vista Herald Bisbee Daily Review
Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Southeastern Arizona Contractors
Association Southwest Gas Corporation Southwestern Eye Center Stachel & Associates, P.C.
STG Inc. Stilwell’s Learning Center, LLC Suburban Extended Stay Hotels Sulpher Springs Valley Electric Coop.
Sun Canyon Inn The Boeing Company TDY Housing
TMS - Ty Media Services TownePlace Suites by Marriott University of Phoenix -
Sierra Vista Campus
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wayland Baptist University Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Windemere Hotel & Conference Center
21 E. Wilcox Dr.
Sierra Vista, AZ. 85635
The Chamber Vista is a publication of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber 21 E. Wilcox Drive, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 (520) 458-6940, Fax: (520) 452-0878
www.sierravistachamber.org Mission Statement The Sierra Vista Area Chamber promotes business and provides leadership for the improvement of the community. 2012-13 Board of Directors Executive Officers Chairwoman - Dee Dee Hoeft, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Past Chairman - Frank Gonzalez, Lawley Automotive Chair Elect - Jean Giuffrida, Long Realty Treasurer - Michael Benson, TDY Housing Secretary - Rick Shelley - Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra Vista Board Members Elsie MacMillan - Sierra Toyota Ken Cecil - Mall at Sierra Vista Phil Vega - Sierra Vista Herald / Bisbee Daily Review Pamela Anderson - Landmark Café Jack Blair - Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Anita Farrow - National Bank of Arizona Joe Stroud - Edwards Financial, Inc. Nancy Nash - Stuff ‘N Baskets Nathan Williams - Nathan Williams, Law Office
Sierra Vista Area Chamber PRESORTED
STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID
HEREFORD, AZ
PERMIT NO. 29
CURRENT RESIDENT OR
Chamber Staff Executive Director - Amanda Baillie, [email protected] Membership & Marketing Director- John Hargraves III, [email protected] Communications Director - David Elkins, [email protected] Office Manager - Toni Rogers, [email protected] Events Coordinator - Diane Erwin, [email protected]