Letter from the Chairman

Dear Fellow Chamber Members,

As we start 2010 we are proud to welcome Joanne McCool to our Gloucester County Chamber family. Joanne is our new Executive Director. She comes to us with many years of business experience in senior management as well as extensive work in non-profit fund raising arena.

Our number one goal will be to increase our membership and continue to provide value added services that will bring depth to your membership. Other goals will be based on the results of our recent survey.

A total of 66 members responded to the Chamber’s 2009 survey; thank you to all who participated. According to the survey results, the number one benefit that our members seek is referrals followed by our networking events. And, it seems that 60% of those who responded, have received either directly or indirectly a referral from their membership. I think that is pretty amazing and something of which we can all can be proud.

Another important piece of information that we discovered from the survey is that 50% of the respondents use the social networking tool Facebook and 46% use Linked In. With that being said, I asked Joanne to put together a social networking policy for the Chamber so we have some guidelines to follow and the Board approved that policy at their January 2010 meeting. So, the Gloucester County Chamber has come into the tech age. Follow us on twitter. Our ‘handle’ (aka user name) is GCCCNJ. Click here to follow us: http://twitter.com/GCCCNJ. Join us on Facebook. Our fan page is called Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce. Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gloucester-County-Chamber-of-Commerce/262117996722?v=wall. And, coming soon – look for our group on Linked In.

We all know that 2009 was a challenging business year. We are hoping that 2010 will bring a change in the economy and businesses around the nation will thrive. Here at the Gloucester County Chamber we wish all our members the best in 2010 and hope that we can provide you with opportunities and the tools to help make your businesses succeed. Join us for our upcoming Business Card Exchanges listed below.

February 17th - Bogey’s Club & Café
March 3rd - Wedgewood Country Club
March 18th - Auletto Caterers

Sincerely,

Les Vail
Chairman of the Board
Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce

Enable Millions to Cheer for Your Business!

Imagine what it must have been like that chilly Wednesday October evening in 2008 as Harry Kalas made his announcement during the final inning of the 2008 World Series Championship. "One strike away, nothing-and-two to Hinske... Fans on their feet, Brad Lidge stretches... the 0–2 pitch... Swing and a miss; struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! Brad Lidge does it again and stays perfect for the 2008 season, 48-for-48 in save opportunities... And let the city celebrate!" (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_World_Series)

And they did celebrate. Hundreds of thousands of fans celebrated the Phillies' victory! What if you could have thousands of fans celebrating your victories and accomplishments? What if there were a few hundred fans cheering you on, waiting for your next play and telling others about how great you and your business truly are? What if only a handful of your satisfied clients could connect with your business more easily while also connecting your business with new prospective clients?

There is another venue, one much bigger than Citizen's Bank Park, which can offer you an opportunity to connect with the masses and build a large fan base. As you consider your goals and develop your marketing strategies, don’t forget about the 350 million people on Facebook. Specifically, if you have not done so already, consider creating a professional representation of your business on Facebook with a Facebook Page. According to Facebook, the average user spends more than 55 minutes a day using Facebook. Over 700,000 businesses have active pages on Facebook and the average Facebook user becomes a fan of 2 pages a month.

Pages are a great way for businesses or organizations to share their message with fans in a professional manner on Facebook. In ways, Pages are similar to personal profiles that represent actual people but instead Pages are used to represent actual businesses.

Setting up a Facebook Page is simple. You can create a Page through the following URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and enter your business’ basic information. You will be asked to sign in with your account or you may create a business account with which to manage your new Facebook Page if you do not already have a personal account.

Once your Page is created you will have options to upload an image, add a Page description and edit Page information. Be sure to add this content and then publish your Page. You might also want to consider additional functionality using applications or by customizing your Page on Facebook through the use of FBML which is similar to html but specific to the Facebook platform.

Although, after reading this article, you may have concluded that building a Facebook Page is akin to building your own "Field of Dreams" for your business, be forewarned. Just because you build it does not necessarily mean they will come. Getting fans for your new Page involves marketing. Fill your Page with content that represents your business well, that is relevant and engaging to your fans. Make prospective fans aware of your new Facebook Page by adding a link to your Page in your email signature, your website and your email newsletter. Consider using Facebook ads to drive even more traffic to your Facebook Page. Listen to your fans and others speaking about your brand online. Engage with them in meaningful ways. And, constantly be measuring the outcome of your efforts in relationship to your goals.

If you'd like to learn more about Facebook pages check out Facebook's help here: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=175 and the Facebook Guide Book on Mashable here: http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/.

Finally, did you know that the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce now has a Facebook Page? Become a fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gloucester-County-Chamber-of-Commerce/262117996722.

- Submitted by Anthony Ruiz Owner, Samurai Virtual Tours. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Follow me on Twitter. Become a fan of Samurai Virtual Tours on Facebook.

Sign Up for FREE CPR/AED First Aid Training Classes!

The American Red Cross has partnered with the GCCC for the second annual series of CPR/AED and First Aid Training Classes. Class registrations in 2008 and 2009 were very successful and there are still opportunities to sign up for a CPR/AED/First Aid certification class sponsored by and paid for by the Chamber. These classes are free for members of the Chamber and members can call the American Red Cross – Gloucester County Chapter at (856) 256-8300 to register. The course dates and times for 2010 are:

Course C:
Session 1: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Session 2: Thursday, March 25, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Course D:
Session 1: Thursday, May 6, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Session 2: Thursday, May 13, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Course E:
Session 1: Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Session 2: Thrusday, June 10, 2010, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Recertification Class (for those who have had the training previously)

Course R2:
Session 1: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – Noon

Location:
American Red Cross Gloucester County Chapter
3 Parke Place Blvd. Sewell, NJ 08080

Standard First Aid with CPR-Adult, Child and Infant with AED (automated external defibrillator) Adult and Child training course.

- Submitted by Laura Steinmetz, Executive Director,
American Red Cross - Gloucester County Chapter

Selling a Private Mortgage Note
Submitted by Hazel Nurse-Bey, owner of HANB Consulting, a Professional Note Finding company.

As a Professional Note Finder, I work with a group of real estate investors who offer a lump sum of cash to individuals interested in selling a private mortgage note or trust deed for which they are currently receiving monthly payments.

During the sale of a piece of real estate, some individuals may offer seller financing, i.e. a portion of the sales price may be financed-back by the seller, creating a private mortgage note or trust deed. Such private financing can occur during the sale of residential property, commercial buildings and mobile homes.

Especially during this slump in the real estate market, sellers have another option as they attempt to sell their residential homes, commercial buildings or mobile homes. If they offer seller financing but do not want to continue receiving small monthly payments, I can introduce them to a Note buyer (real estate investor) who would offer them a lump sum of money.

If an individual has inherited a mortgage note or trust deed and would prefer to receive a lump sum in lieu of monthly payments, I can introduce him/her to a buyer who can make a cash offer.

Here are the answers to five frequently asked questions:

1. What is a note?
A written document that states a promise to pay, and the terms of payment which include the amount, interest rate
and length of time in which to fulfill this promise.

2. What if I want cash now instead of waiting 30 years to get paid back?
That's where I come in. I work with investors who are interested in purchasing your note from you so you can have the money you need. This way, you don't have to worry about late payments or non-payment any longer!

3. Who buys notes?
Actually, there are thousands of individuals across the country who buy notes. Just like banks buy mortgages, private
buyers buy notes as investments. They collect payments over time for a steady stream of income.

4. How much is this going to cost me?
There is no charge to you, the note holder.

5. How long will it take before I get my money?
All deals vary, but normal closing time is 2 to 3 weeks once we have lined up a buyer.

Visit Hazel’s website at www.hanbconsulting.com and read listed articles for additional details. Contact me via email at info@hanbconsulting.com or via telephone at 1-888-857-5554 if you, your customer or family member would like to sell a private mortgage note.

- Submitted by Carol O'Connor, Time to Design