Chamber

Happenings

Blair Area Chamber of Commerce

UPCOMING EVENTS:

February 29: #LeapofKindnessDay

March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Blair Rotary Club Meeting

March 3: Ladies Day Out!

March 3-4: LWC Class VI Opening Retreat

March 8: Blair City Council Mtg.

March 9: Downtown Bus Mtg & Social Media class @BACC

March 9: Gateway Development Board Mtg.

March 10: Chamber Chat on River Country 97.3

March 10: MAPA public meeting @ BACC 5-7pm

March 11: Walk Forever Free– WCHA Fundraiser

March 13: Daylight Savings Time!

March 16: BACC Board Mtg.

March 17: Social Media Lunch & Learn @BACC

March 17: Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 19: Blair Optimist Club Easter Egg Hunt

March 19: 12th Annual WC Pheasants Forever Banquet @South Creek Conference Center

March 19: Blazin’ Pianos @ The Cottonwood Cove & Marina

March 20: First Day of Spring!

March 24: Chamber Chat on 97.3

March 24: Chamber Coffee @ Great Southern Bank in Fort Calhoun

March 26: Spring Fling @Master’s Hand in Tekamah

March 27: Easter

March 29: Carter Place “Grab & GO” Breakfast 7:30-9am

March 31: LWC Legislative Day in Lincoln

Please visit www.Blairchamber.org for more de-tails on each of these events.

What’s new at the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce

Good Afternoon!

Happy Leap Day! (or #LeapofKindnessDay for anyone that

has been following along on Social Media) Shannon and I

ran out to as many Member Businesses as we could hit in a

small amount of time this afternoon to hand out a little

goodie and just let the members know that We Appreciate

You! My hope is that everyone does at least 1 kind deed on

this extra day that we have been given this year.

The Blair Area Chamber has recently had a lot of new “Likes”

on our Facebook page, and we are now on Twitter, follow us @BlairAreaCoC and also on

Instagram at blair_area_coc. The Chamber is hosting two Social Media classes coming

up– see the info on pg.5. Social Media has become a great way to share information

about your business, I encourage you to attend one of the upcoming classes. We are well

on our way to getting our Monthly Lunch & Learn sessions going. If you (your business) is

interested in hosting an informational session for members, please let Shannon or I

know! Watch your email for information about all of our upcoming classes and events.

This week we start our Leadership Washington County class. This is very exciting, and

sure to be a great 9 months. Thank you to all of you that have stepped up to help coordi-

nate different sessions. We will share updates about the businesses we visit, speakers

and Leadership topics in the newsletter and on social media.

Wow, tomorrow (March 1) is my 1 year anniversary as the Executive Director…. Hard to

believe it– this year has flown by! I am thankful everyday for this opportunity to work in

a wonderful community, work with just about every different type of business and work

with lots of amazing people. I am excited about continuing to grow the Chamber by

reaching out to all the communities in Washington County. We (myself, Shannon and our

Ambassadors) have been very busy getting out and meeting with potential member busi-

nesses lately, and also meeting with current members to see how things are going and

what they’d like to see in the way of assistance from the Chamber. Any feedback that is

provided is appreciated. Another big goal of mine is to get more BACC members taking

advantage of your Member Portal on our website- add events, hot deals, Job openings!

Please let me know if we can help you get those up and running!

Through all of the day to day business, we are also preparing for our Annual Golf Outing

and Gateway to the West Days. (Yes– registrations for both events are already coming

in!) Things are definitely busy and that’s the way we like it!

Thank You for supporting the Chamber Member businesses!

~ Jordan Rishel

February 2016

LWC Class VI Participants:

Laura Boone Cargill, Loraine Ellis Enterprise Publishing, Jane Ferneding US Bank, Brent Fullmer Evonik, Angela Livingston MCH & HS,

Mikki Mullally Two Rivers Bank, Justin Novak Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District, Ann O’Riley Cargill, Stefanie Osterhaus Washington County

Bank, Dane Petersen Washington County Bank, Lisa Scheve Gateway Development Corporation, Angie Schrad MCH & HS, Maggie Smith Cargill,

Shannon Smithson BACC, Alicia Stevens City of Fort Calhoun, Chris Wulf Great Plains Communications

The Chairperson’s for this class are Doug Anderson, Washington County Bank and Brian Brown, CFP, PlanVest Thank You!

Opening Retreat March 3 & 4 Tour of Washington County, Overnight retreat at Pheasant Bonanza

Legislative Session March 31

Leadership Discussion & Alumni Social Hour April 21 (2:00-5:00 pm at the Heartland Tasting Room)

Law & Legal Session May 19

Health & Human Services Session June 21

Ag related Business Session July 21

Business & Economic Development Session August 18

Agriculture Session September 15

Education Session October 20

Graduation Lunch with Class & Employers November 17

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."

– Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States -

Northeast Nebraska Chambers Legislative Day in Lincoln

February 1, 2016

Ambassadors Corner Kudos:

Emily Anderson: offering to help deliver the “Thank You”

treats to member businesses!

Shannon Smithson: for writing the spotlight article in this

newsletter!

Jane Ferneding: for taking the time to send updates about her

potential new member visits!

Emily Anderson: because she attends so many events, Lunch

& Learns and is Always willing to volunteer for Chamber

events!

Tara Cowley: for offering to present at our upcoming Social

Media Classes at the BACC!

Over 40 people attended the Washington County Health Needs Focus

Group held at MCHHS on Thursday Feb. 25th. Three Rivers Public Health

Department Facilitated the meeting. Thank you to everyone that partici-

pated, what a great discussion!

Thank You to Dr. Becky Heller with Blair Chiropractic

Centre for the great Lunch N Learn on February 25th.

Another new benefit for our BACC Members! We will be hanging

these business card displays on the wall in the main entry of the

Chamber office. Please bring us a stack of business cards (50-75

cards) to place in there for those that walk in the door. We love

having things on hand to give referrals to our amazing members!

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT : MASTER’S HAND CANDLE COMPANY &

SERENDIPITY CHOCOLATES ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: SHANNON SMITHSON, BLAIR AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

“Every Woman’s Dream Shop!” Years ago Susie Robison would have been described as a single, stay-at-home mother.

She had a case of candle wax and a case jars and decided to “take a chance”. In 2003

she started making candles out of her kitchen, but the success didn’t stop there. Be-

fore she knew it she had outgrown her kitchen, and then her basement and then es-

sentially her home. She never slowed down long enough to give herself any doubt &

that is what she wishes upon other entrepreneurs & friends alike.

In 2008 expansion was found in a 6 acre lot just at the edge of Tekamah. Timing must have been just right for the purchase of this prized space because no more than a week or so after purchasing did the market crash. Had the purchase been postponed any later they may not have been able to get this space. Right off the highway; if peo-ple had not heard of Master’s Hand by now, it would soon become their regular stop when traveling Highway 75.

Susie attributes much of her success

on being surrounded by a wonderful

group of hardworking, supportive

women. Susie has five ‘core’ ladies as

part of her team and ten local high

school gals that help outside of school

hours. Her family, that includes her husband of three years, have been amazing participants

along the way helping from everything involving chocolate to hopping around in an Olaf cos-

tume for hours!

Inside the shop you will find a splash of shabby chic décor around every turn. Susie works

with a local artist that has helped to create the crooked door bathroom, upside down hang-

ing bed and her newly remodeled dining area with multiple teal chandeliers. Another unique

aspect of the new dining area are the antique barn doors. These were sitting in storage for

nearly 40 years and they add so much to the ambiance of this adorable space.

Master’s Hand is an avid participant in many chamber events including Ladies Day Out and Sugarplum. They host several events throughout

the year as well as participate in a number of charity fundraisers. This past November, Shop Small Saturday was a HUGE success for the

store & they are hoping to be selected for a fourth year on the Nebraska Passport Pro-

gram. The BIG Annual event only found at Master’s Hand each year is Spring Fling.

Always the Saturday before Easter (March 26, 2016) Spring Fling brings visitors by the

thousands to participate in the largest egg hunt in the County, pony rides, petting zoo,

face painting, train rides and so much more. Most events are free to the public with a

donation to the local food pantry.

Today, Susie Robison can be described as the Master behind Master’s Hand & Seren-

dipity Chocolate. It is “Every Women’s Dream Shop!” It started as a dream with an

inspiring story and a means to satisfy every sweet tooth. With on the spot chocolate

sampling, lunch specials by reservation, flowers and gifts by design and now chocolate

tours . . . you just cannot go wrong!

3599 County Rd F. Tekamah, NE

(402) 374-2003 mastershandcandles.com

e-mail info@mastershandcandles.com

February 2016

Blair Area Chamber of Commerce

1646 Washington St. Blair, NE 68008 402-533-4455 Jordan@Blairchamber.org Shannon@Blairchamber.org www.BlairChamber.org

Thank you to ALL the Chamber Members that recently renewed their memberships!

Patrick Morris Farmers Agency

Ci Shirts, Screen printing & Embroidery

*Registration forms for golf

and Gateway to the West are

available on our website, and

will get emailed by the end of

the week! *