Business After Hours - A Taste of the Region - March 31
Come and experience a taste of the region as local caterers and restaurants 202 Market, Blue Ridge Catering and Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy show why eating in the Roanoke Region is where it's at!  Guests will also have the opportunity to network, have fun, and grow your business with 350+ attendees. Wednesday, March 31, Vinton War Memorial, 814 Washington Ave., Vinton. Cost:$5/members, $15/non-members. Admission includes one beverage ticket, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and the chance to win great door prizes. Sponsorships and exhibit spaces are now available! Sponsored by: BB&T, Vinton War Memorial, Blue Ridge Catering, Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy,  202 Market, and WFIR AM960.  For more information or to reserve your sponsorship or exhibit space, contact Courtney at 540.983.0700 x231 or chungate@roanokechamber.org.

Are You Taking Advantage of Member-to-Member Discounts?
Planning special sales or promotions this year? Have services or hot deals you would like to offer to Roanoke Regional Chamber members only? Looking for ways to get the word out? Roanoke Regional Chamber members can quickly and easily post sales, deals and members-only promotions on the Chamber's Web site at www.roanokechamber.org. This month member-to-member discounts are being offered for Harlem Globetrotter tickets, Valentine's Day special celebration packages, and much more. For instructions on how to use this new members-only benefit, contact Pennie at 983.0700 x227 or communications@roanokechamber.org.

Blue Ridge PBS to Air "JobQuest"  -  February 16
Looking for a job? Need to find qualified employees? Watch Blue Ridge PBS's award-winning television program "JobQuest" to address the employment challenges in our region. The monthly show is a live, call-in program that will help people find employment by highlighting new job listings and offering job hunting insights. The next show will be aired on Tuesday, February 16, at 7 PM on Blue Ridge PBS. The show will be repeated at the same time on Tuesday, February 23. For more information and program schedules, visit www.blueridgepbs.org.

Join a Committee and Share Your Ideas on State and Local Issues
Interested in learning more about or contributing your thoughts on local and state issues? Consider joining one of the Chamber's Advocacy Committees: Transportation Advocacy - meets the first Thursday of the month at noon; Legislative Advocacy - meets the third Friday of the month at noon; and Workforce Education Advocacy - meets at 8 AM once a month (floating date). Meetings last no more than one hour. For more information or to join a committee, contact Tori at 983.0700 x229 or twilliams@roanokechamber.org.

Business and Technology Expo with Special VIP Night - April 20
SAVE THE DATE! Promote your company and services to the Roanoke Region, including more than 3,500 Chamber contacts and 1,000 potential customers.  The theme of the 2010 Business and Technology Expo is "How Do I..?" Learn how to use social media, put together a successful business loan package, and network effectively to grow your business and contacts. Three "how to" seminars will be held during the Expo. Tuesday, April 20, noon - 4 PM with VIP Night following at 5 to 7 PM, Roanoke Civic Center's Special Events Center. Sponsorships and exhibit spaces are now available! Register to exhibit before March 1 and save $50. Sponsored by: Roanoke Civic Center, Encore Catering by Ovations Food Services, FastTraining.org, WFIR AM 960, Photoworks Creative Group, Walters Printing & Manufacturing Co., Cox Business, The Homestead, and The Pepsi Bottling Group.   For more information or to register, contact Courtney at 983.0700 x231 or chungate@roanokechamber.org.

It's All About Connections - Connect For Lunch
Are you looking for a new way to meet people and grow your business? What if you could get to know between three to six new people each month? Really get to know them over lunch, not just a quick hand shake and exchange of business cards. Would you be interested? If you are, Connect For Lunch may be just what you're looking for. Connect For Lunch is one of the Roanoke Regional Chamber's most popular networking programs. Each week, you'll have the opportunity to go to lunch in a small group with other Chamber members at local restaurants. For more information or to register, visit www.connectforlunch.com/roanokechamber or www.roanokechamber.org and check out Connect For Lunch.

Post Your Events Fast and Free on Community Calendar
Planning special events in 2010? Looking for ways to get the word out? Roanoke Regional Chamber members can quickly and easily post events on the Community Calendar at www.roanokechamber.org.  For instructions on how to use this free, members-only benefit, contact Pennie at 983.0700 x227 or communications@roanokechamber.org.

Thousands Benefit from Rapid Referrals
The Chamber provided 15,684 member referrals through its front desk and online membership directory in the month of January. The Chamber is promoting member businesses to more than 150 people per day through the online directory. Are you getting your share of referrals from this no-cost member benefit? Check your listing at www.roanokechamber.org - click on "Find Area Businesses." To add a free 20-word business description to your online listing, call Judy at 983.0700 x221 or send your 20 word (140 characters) profile to business@roanokechamber.org.

What People Are Saying About Your Roanoke Regional Chamber
Your membership in the Roanoke Regional Chamber provides a 24/7 advertisement and referrals for your business! Doug Call, president of Virginia Prosthetics and the 2009 Virginia Small Businessperson of the Year, recently commented on the value of his firm's Chamber membership by saying, "The Roanoke Regional Chamber has helped me get the word out to businesses about what I do. The quality connections I've made by being involved in the Chamber are nothing short of incredible."  Make sure your online business profile is up to date - check your listing at www.roanokechamber.org - click on "Find Area Businesses." For more information on the Membership Directory, contact Judy at 983.0700 x221 or business@roanokechamber.org.

Save the Dates for These Upcoming Chamber Events
Mark your calendar and plan to attend:
April 27: Roanoke Regional Forum, with economist and author Todd Buchholz at the Jefferson Center
June 8: Economic Summit VI at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
August 23-24: Roanoke Regional Chamber Cup Golf Tournament at Hunting Hills Country Club
October 5: 24th Annual Small Business Awards at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
December 2: 121st Annual Meeting of the Membership at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center

Business Basics - February 9
Need some guidance on how to start your own business? Discover business planning, forms of organizations, marketing strategies, and the realities of being a business owner at this quick introduction to owning your own business. Tuesday, February 9, 4 - 6 PM, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Boardroom. Cost: $10/person. Prepayment and preregistration required by Monday, February 8. Sponsored by: Business SEED Capital, Inc., BB&T, Cox Business, and City of Roanoke Economic Development Authority.  For more information or to register, call 983.0717 x239, visit www.roanokesmallbusiness.com, or e-mail sbdc@roanokechamber.org.

Developing a Social Media Strategy for Your Business - February 10
Having a Facebook page is not a social media strategy. Anyone who wants to use social media to promote their business needs to understand it is just one of the tools in your business marketing strategy. Learn how to implement social media to have real impact and save you time in marketing your business. Taught by Ira Kaufman and/or Patsy Stewart of Optimized Strategies. Wednesday, February 10, 8:30 - 10:30 AM, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Boardroom. Cost: $25/person. Prepayment and preregistration required by Tuesday, February 9. Sponsored by: Fasttraining.org and Optimized Strategies. For more information or to register, call 983.0717 x239, visit www.roanokesmallbusiness.com, or e-mail sbdc@roanokechamber.org.

Publications

Get Connected with the Region's Business Leaders
Call today to reserve your advertisement space in the 2010 second quarter issue of Business Connections. Invest your advertising dollars in the only quarterly, full-color magazine targeted specifically at the region's business leaders. Of Business Connection's regular readers, 83 percent are business decision makers and 66 percent are CEOs, executives, or top-level managers. If you market to business, you need to be a part of Business Connections. For ad rates and information, contact Bonnie Brown  at RP Publishing at 772.1868 or bonnie@rppublisher.com.

Membership in Action

BIG Savings from OfficeMax
Tap into the strength of a huge buying group. Our negotiated contract pricing provides savings that are normally reserved for the "big business." Now all members, regardless of size, have access to these remarkable discounts. Additionally, orders are shipped directly to your door, free of charge. And, there's a Retail Connect Card that provides the same contract pricing at your local OfficeMax store. Sign up and start saving today. Contact Loree at 800.924.3543 or e-mail info@chambermemberbenefits.com.

CHAMBER CHAMPION PROFILE


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