Alice Night at the Hooks set for July 26th in CC

Summer is here and with it comes hot dogs and baseball, Hooks baseball that is. The Alice Chamber of Commerce is once again sponsoring Alice Night at the Hooks in Corpus Christi at Whataburger Field on Sunday, July 26th at 6:05 p.m..

“We would love to see as many Alice residents show up for a great night of baseball,” Matt Rogers, Hooks Director of Communications said. “We all ready had other towns come out for their nights and have been quite successful.” Reserve seats are available at the Alice Chamber of Commerce until Noon, Tues-day, July 24h at $7. “In years past, we have had a great Al-ice crowd there,” Chamber Director Juan Navejar said. Tickets for Hooks vs. Frisco Rough Riders are in sections 110, 111, 112 and 113. In 2003, Reid Ryan, CEO and President of the Round Rock Express and son of baseball legend Nolan Ryan, announced plans for bringing a Texas League, Hous-ton Astros Double-A franchise to Corpus Christi. An agreement by the Express to purchase the Edmonton Trappers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and reloca-tion of that franchise to Round Rock in 2005, allowed for the relocation of Ryan’s Double-A franchise to Corpus Christi the same year.

business tradition service community agriculture oil & gas growth

Official Publication of the Alice Chamber of Commerce

Chamber golf tourney a hit

SEE GOLF, Page 10

Corpus Christi Hooks

vs. Frisco

RoughRiders Sunday, July 26th

Oscar Rodriguez almost drove away with a new vehicle at the Alice Chamber of Commerce Summer Golf Classic with his drive on the 18th hole. Players in the tourney had the chance to win a vehicle sponsored Love Chrys-ler with a hole-in-one shot on the 190-yard hole. “I’ve hit four holes-in-one before on this course and I thought this one was going in or at least leaning on the flag,” Rodriguez said. “When we got their it was less than an inch away from the cup.” Some 18 teams played in this year’s

Lee Roy Forester takes a put during the Chamber’s Summer Golf Classic held at the Alice Municipal Golf Course.

BB U S I N E S SU S I N E S S

Chamber’s golf tourney which was held at the Alice Municipal Golf Course. “I am very pleased with the turnout,” Board president and event chairperson Gap Alaniz said. “We had some great players participate.” Winning the tourney was the group of Kevin Downes, Mark Dominguez and Jose Perez. Taking second place were George Fuentes Jr., Ricky Fuentes and Roland Munoz. Third place were Mel Carrillo, Robert Hinojosa and Rene Cantu. Fourth place were Mark Salazar

JULY 2009

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

From the Chamber The Alice Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone who sponsored, supported or played in our Summer Golf Classic. We had a great turnout and a great time. We had over 50 players participate and one participant almost make the hole-in-one on the 18th hole. A spe-cial thanks goes to Love Chrysler and Andrews for their added support in the tourney.

I’d like to thank Yollie and Keith and their staff from the Holiday Inn Express for hosting our June Mixer. We had over 50 people attend the event. Our next mixer will be in August. We hope to see more of you out there as this is a great way to network and promote your business. Congratulations to our Chamber member of the Month, Alice Echo-News Journal for our small company and Halliburton for the larger size. The summer heat is upon us and if you are looking to save on your electric bill con-tact Juan to find out how you can save through the Chamber’s Electric coalition avail-able only to our members.

Agapito “Gap” Alaniz Jr., Chamber Board President

2009 Chamber Leadership

Executive Committee

Gap Alaniz President First Community Bank

Yvette Johnson Immediate Past President/VP-CVB Individual Member

Virginia Garcia V.P. AJWC-EDC President Elect WorkForce Solutions of the Coastal Bend

Nena Pitts V.P. - Membership CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice

Rito Silva V.P. - Civic Coastal Bend College

Hector Hinojosa Treasurer City of Alice Board of Directors

Mark Alaniz Love Chrysler Jeep of Alice

Dee Dee Arismendez Home Interior Ind. Contractor

Mark Casanova CHRISTUS Spohn Alice

Lawrence Cornelius Century 21

Michael Day Individual Member

Servando Garza Coym, Rhemet & Associates

J.R. Gonzalez Wells Fargo Bank

R. David Guerrero JWC Dist. Clerk

Robert Molina State Farm Insurance - Robert Molina

Mirka Pena Dixie Iron Works/MSI

Ex-Officio Ray De Los Santos City of Alice

Staff

Juan A. Navejar Jr. Chamber Manager

Page 2

Fish N Net held a Grand Opening on Friday, June 12th. The new restaurant is located on South Wright Street on block from Highway 44.

GRAND OPENING

Leadership Jim Wells County Class of 2010 applications now available at the Chamber

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Page 3

Your First Step to Success

Coastal Bend College Alice Center

704 Coyote Trail - Alice, Texas 78332 (361) 664-2981 - Toll Free 1-866-891-2981 - www.coastalbend.edu

Customized Training Available for the South Texas Workforce

Shocked by rising commercial electricity bills? We can help. Wish you could get better rates without having to spend a lot of time dealing with a bunch of salespeople and worrying about the contract terms? Take advantage of the Chamber’s Electric Coalition. There is no fee to have a professional find out how much your business, church or organization can save. And you are not obligated to accept an offer if you don’t want to. It’s exclusive to Chamber members, and it’s quick, easy and safe! Contact the Chamber at 361-664-3454.

“Is Your Money Safe?!” This has been the title for CNBC’s primetime segment for the past few months. Every-where you turn, the economy and its struggles are hot topics. You have heard how the economic downturn will affect credit card limits, applications for loans and mortgage rates, but what about the effects on one of the largest business expenses, your utility bills?

Electricity Costs /Effects with Retailers

During spring 2008 the Texas market experienced the highest energy rates in history. Due to unseasonably warm tem-peratures, increased usage, higher fuel prices, and scheduled generation mainte-nance, prices spiked while a global eco-nomic crisis was brewing. Then, in September, Hurricane Ike forced outages for over 90 percent of consumers in the CenterPoint and TNMP service regions in East Texas. Due to these two forces and inadequate financial hedging, some Retail Electric Providers (REPs) were forced to go out of busi-ness, leaving their customers to default to a Provider of Last Resort (POLAR)

Electricity help during economic crisis

rate 150 percent higher than the competi-tive market! Today, providers are scrambling to find suitable credit lines after the fallout from Lehman Brothers and other finan-cial institutions. There is a much larger risk of REPs going out of business, or if lucky enough, selling to others to keep their books afloat. The next few months could see continued changes in the REP marketplace.

What it Means to You Now it is more important than ever to have a professional oversee your elec-tricity account. If your provider is going to experience a change and/or defaults from the market, having a third party to turn to can save you both time and money. With the current market situation, price should no longer be the only factor

in making your decision to choose a pro-vider in the deregulated electricity mar-ket. It is always important to shop and find competitive bids in an open market, but contract terms, billing, and customer service produce more of a true competi-tive advantage today.

How to Ensure You Are Safe We have created the Chamber Electric Coalition to provide members with ac-cess to energy professionals who can help shop the competitive market, assist with contract negotiations, represent members at the Public Utility Commis-sion in Austin and, most importantly, provide the customer services that are becoming more and more necessary in this evolving marketplace. For more information and to get a no cost, no obligation savings comparison to your current commercial electricity rate, contact our exclusive electricity broker, Jason O’Krent at Fox, Smolen & Associates, 888-822-9090 x104 or the Alice Chamber of Commerce at 361-664-3454. This is only exclusive to members of the Alice Chamber of Commerce.

Current rates are at a 5 year low,

contact the Alice Chamber of Commerce for more info.

Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day

Did you know the Chamber/CVB has…Maps, brochures, phone books, info on attractions and other cities.

Page 4 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

Alice Ambassadors

Melva Alegria

Dee Dee Arismendez

Nettie Cornelius

Michael De Leon

Manuel Galindo (Life Member)

Albert Gonzales

Cynthia Hinojosa

Melissa Jaramillo

Debbie Micallef

Bruce Menking

Tem Miller

Rachel Munoz

Dene Murphey

Delma Palacios

Nena Pitts (Life Member)

David Silva

Margaret Smith (Life Member)

Ellen Startz

Jack Walker

Clare Wonders

Emeritus

Joe Ash

Ralph Gomez

Pedro Jasso

Johnny Rivera

• P r o d u c tio n T e s t in g• O ffsh o r e S e r v ic e s• B r a id e d a n d S lic k l in e S e r v ic e s• F r a c F lo w b a c k s• H y d r a u lic C h o k e M a n ifo ld s• F r a c V a lv e s• P ip e l in e “ P ig g in g ” S e p a r a to r s• C a p illa r y T u b in g S e r v ic e s• P -V -T L a b o r a to r y• P -V -T S im u la t io n s• H y d r o c a r b o n L a b o r a to r y• R e s e r v o ir F lu id S a m p lin g• P r e s s u r e T r a n s ie n t A n a ly s e s

C o r p o r a t e H e a d q u a r t e r s1 0 0 0 F E S C O A v e n u e

A l i c e , T e x a s 7 8 3 3 23 6 1 -6 6 4 -3 4 7 9

w w w .fe s c o in c .c o m

ALICE AMBASSADORS Summer is here and the weather is not getting cooler anytime soon. Now is the time to start checking on your home insurance as Hurricane Season is here. It won’t be long before the tropics become active and threaten the Gulf Coast. Home insurance is only one thing, you can plan ahead by stocking your pantry as well and don’t forget batteries because once we have a threat of a storm, stores may run out of needed items. Our Alice stores will help you get prepared. The Chamber has Hurricane maps in the lobby as well. If your missed the Chamber Mixer in June, you missed a nice one. We had over 50 people attend this one hosted by the Holiday Inn Express. The next Chamber Mixer will be in August at Del Cielo Home Health followed by the October one at LoneStar Motors. The Chamber’s golf tourney was a huge success and my hats off to Gap Alaniz and the entire board for putting on a great tourney. We still have some spots available in the Ambassadors. If you are a Chamber mem-ber and would like to be represented contact one of the Ambassadors for more informa-tion. We would love to have you be a part of this active group. Happy Fourth of July!

Rachel Munoz 2008 Alice Ambassador President

Our Mission The mission of the Alice Chamber of Commerce

is to promote the economic and community development in Alice, Jim Wells County

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Page 5

Guests can win $5,000 for tuition when booking a stay at Hampton The excitement of visiting college and university campuses just got a boost with Hampton Hotels’ “Cash for Colleges” contest to award families with funds for their college-bound children’s tuition. With tuition costs of four year private universities up 5.9 percent from last year to $25, 143 and at four-year public uni-versities up 6.4 percent to $6,585*, Hampton Inn – Alice, located at 3135 East Main Street in Alice, can be a valu-able resource for parents and students visiting college and university campuses, either to select a school or visit their children after they’ve already chosen. Now through December 7, 2009, while on the road picking the perfect university, parents that book a stay online at a Hampton hotel at www.hampton.com/collegetours auto-matically will be entered into the “Hampton’s Cash for College Sweep-stakes” to win one of two, $5,000 grand prizes, which can be applied to the rising costs of college tuition. “We know selecting a university is a very thrilling time for the family, and that the looming costs of higher educa-tion can be daunting to parents,” Vishal Bhakta, general manager of Hampton Inn – Alice said. “As your ‘friend in town,’ Hampton Hotels wants to help ease the financial worry for parents with our value-bundled amenities and the chance to win $5,000 towards their child’s education.” To be entered automatically into “Hampton’s Cash for College Sweep-stakes,” parents simply need to book a stay at www.hampton.com/collegetours and enter promo code “CAMPUS” now through December 7, 2009. Two lucky winners will receive $5,000 each, which can be used for college tuition, books, room and board and, of course, the school cafeteria. The first grand prize winner will be announced in September, and the second grand prize winner in December. With nearly 1,700 locations through-out the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe Hampton Hotels offer guests a value-driven experience in or near almost every major university in

Hampton Inn supports parents with “Cash for College”

the U.S. at a price that is sure to fit in every college-student’s budget. In each Hampton Hotel, guests will receive a free On the House hot breakfast, free high-speed internet access in the rooms and lobbies and the exclusive “100% Hamp-ton Satisfaction Guarantee.” For more information, please contact Vishal Bhakta, general manager of Hamp-ton Inn – Alice at (361)664-1111. *According to the The College Board. Terms and Conditions NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the United States who have reached the age of majority. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law. Starts 6-2-09 at 12am CST and ends 12-7-09 at 11:59 pm CST. Sponsored by Hil-ton Hotels Corporations. Official rules available at www.hampton.com/collegetours. Hampton, which includes Hampton Inn, Hampton by Hilton and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels, is a mid-priced leader in the lodging segment. Hampton is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation. For more information www.hampton.com Hilton Hotels Corporation is the lead-ing global hospitality company, with more that 3,300 hotels and 550,000 rooms in 77 countries and more that 130,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages or franchises some of the

best known and highly regarded hotel brands including Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria and the Waldorf Astoria Collection, as well as the re-cently launched Home2 Suites by Hil-ton. The company also manages the world class guest reward program Hilton HHonors. Hilton Hotels Corporation is an Offi-cial Sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team, which will extend through the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, the 2010/2012 U.S. Paralympic Team and the 2011 U.S. Pan American Team. The Hilton Family of Hotels adheres to founder Conrad Hilton’s philosophy that, “It has been, and continues to be, our responsibility to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.” The company put a name to its unique brand of service that has made it the best known and most highly regarded hotel company: be hospitable. The philoso-phy is shared by all brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels, and is the inspiration for its overarching message of kindness and generosity.

The Hampton Inn - Alice opened its doors in the Hub City in December 2008.

The 2008 Farm Bill authorized the Section 9007 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to make loan guaran-tees and grants to agriculture producers and rural small businesses. Renewable energy systems utilizing wind, solar, renewable biomass, geothermal, ocean, small hydropower or hydrogen sources may be purchased. Energy efficiency improvements may include retrofitting lighting or insulation, irrigation systems, grain dryers, or pur-chasing or replacing equipment with more efficient units in existing or new replacement facilities. Grants to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy are also available. Some key provisions of the program are: Applicants may qualify for a competitive grant, a guaranteed loan, or a combina-tion of both. Grant request must not exceed 25 per-cent of the eligible project costs. Re-newable energy grants can range from $2,500 to $500,000. Energy efficiency grants can range from $1,500 to $250,000. Loan guarantees can be for up to 75 percent of total eligible project costs. Maximum guaranteed loans are $25 mil-lion per project. Projects can qualify for combined grant and loan guarantee, but the grant portion is still subject to the above limits and combined funding assistance cannot exceed 75 percent of total eligible pro-ject costs. Projects under $200,000 total project costs qualify for a simplified application process. No renewable energy system or en-ergy efficiency improvement, or portion thereof, can be used for any residential purpose. “American agriculture is going through a time of enormous transforma-tion,” said Scooter Brockette, Acting State Director, USDA Rural Develop-ment. “We need to be bold in recogniz-ing and capitalizing on new opportuni-ties. Energy is unquestionably one of those areas that present tremendous op-portunities for economic gains and ulti-mately an improved quality of life for rural Texans.”

Cornerstone Member 2004

www.prosperitybanktx.com

1200 E. Main Alice 664-5446

361-661-1580 (24-Hour Fast Line Free, Secure Internet Banking

R

R

Page 4 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Page 6

This program can assist agriculture producers and small rural businesses de-velop renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements to reduce energy costs and consumption. Agriculture producers must be directly engaged in the production of agricultural products and obtain at least 50 percent of their gross income from their agriculture business. Complete applications must be received by the Texas USDA Rural De-

velopment Office, 101 South Main, Suite 102, Temple, Texas 76501 no later than 4:30 p.m. CST July 31, 2009. Neither complete nor incomplete applications received after this date and time will be considered, regardless of the postmark on the application. For further informa-tion regarding USDA Rural Develop-ment Programs, contact us at (254) 742-9780 or visit our website at http://w w w . r u r d e v . u s d a . g o v / t x /

The Summer Lunch N Learn series have begun each Tuesday at noon at the Chamber of Commerce. Everyone is invited to bring their brown bag lunch and join us in the series of free informational sessions.

LUNCH N LEARN USDA accepting aps for renewable energy systems

Byron W. Blair, P.C.

Certified Public Accountant

1315 E. Main, Suite 101 P. O. Box 211

Alice, Texas 78332

Office 664-6541 Fax 664-6544

Residence 664-4685

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Page 7

Wells Fargo is a proud Cornerstone Member of the

Alice Chamber of Commerce

Alice Main Alice Medical 601 E. Main Street 1910 E. Main Street 361-668-2400 3 6 1 -668-1000

WELLS FARGO

Cornerstone Member 2004

What’s hot is a new trend in the way we do business. The outsourc-ing of non-core human resource duties, such as; payroll administration (including tax payments), workers’ compensation (including professional claims management), risk management, unem-ployment claims man-agement, and last but not

least a safety program. Companies in this industry are called Professional Employer Organizations, or PEO’s. They are affordable and a highly effective solution. Not only is outsourcing HR HOT now, studies by JP Morgan and others expect significant growth ahead. It’s like the forefront of wireless or the PC revo-lution in the early 80’s. Before long, we should see it as a common business prac-tice. This new revolution in business is not really so new, the business has just pro-gressed to be so much more solution based than it was in the old staff leasing days. How would a business leader know if they’re selecting the right company to partner with? Carefully examine the PEO’s financial standings – this is ex-tremely important as the PEO is en-trusted to handle your payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and unemploy-

ment taxes. Does the Professional Em-ployer Organization exceed industry standards by obtaining industry certifica-tions as set by the industry organization NAPEO (National Association of Pro-fessional Employer Organization)? Ver-ify certifications and licensing’s.

Industry practices to look for when selecting a PEO

Ask specifics! Where is their headquar-ters? It can be very frustrating to work with representatives that you’ve never met in person that are located across the state or country. Is paperless payroll available (online reporting, direct deposit, and pay cards for employees without bank accounts)? What kind of payroll solutions are they willing to provide as you grow your company or how can they help stream-line your present means of reporting payroll. Risk Management - a highly qualified PEO has strategies in place to minimize your company’s exposure to loss through work-site injury or employment litiga-tion. You should find a PEO with a light-duty program in place that reduces the cost of claims. Which insurance carrier provides the PEO’s workers’ compensation insurance or better yet is the PEO certified self-insured? Find out the amount of cover-age provided through the policy. A PEO that is certified self-insured could pro-vide the best solution and stronger more efficient claims management, again re-

ducing the cost of claims. And what about benefits? What are the group health plan options, how are they funded, and how are the monthly premi-ums paid (in advance or pay-as-you-go)? Superior human resource service is another strong point. Will the PEO pro-vide employee handbooks based on your company’s policies? Will there be HR training for employees and managers? Do they provide advice and assistance with issues such as; hiring, terminations, discipline, grievance, and a host of other things? Look for safety directors certified as a National Safety and Health Officer and the PEO’s safety team should be actual employees of the PEO, not third party employees. Their safety program should consist of on-site inspections, training, manuals, and practice audits, accident reporting, and scheduled safety training. Look for a PEO with management staffs of experienced, educated, and cer-tified professionals. Is the PEO active in influencing legislation important to Texas employers? Is the PEO Texas based and well versed in Texas employ-ment and payday laws? Is the company too big, too small, or just the right size to provide superior customer service? For a closer look at the PEO industry and to see if it’s right for you and your business call or email Connie Jackson for more information. Connie can be reached at (800) 824-8367 or at con-niej@uniquehr.com.

Hot, hot hot!

Connie Jackson Unique HR

Business Consultant

There are some up-coming college af-fordability benefits that every borrower should know about. The cost of paying for college is becoming even more burden-some for Americans in this economy. While families are losing in-come, benefits and

jobs, college tuition prices continue to rise. The average student now graduates with over $22,000 in total student debt, including federal and private student loans. Furthermore, this year’s class of graduating college seniors enters one of the toughest jobs markets in decades for recent graduates. Their wages may also suffer: Economists have found that workers who graduated during reces-sions typically earn less over a lifetime than workers who graduate in better eco-nomic times. Given these challenges, it’s critical for current college students, new or soon-to-be graduates, and workers to know about new benefits going into effect July 1 that will make student loan payments manageable for mil-l i o n s o f A m e r i c a n s . (These benefits were signed into law in 2007 as part of the College Cost Reduc-tion and Access Act.) The new benefits going into effect on July 1 include: Cheaper interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans. On July 1, the interest rates on subsidized federal student loans will decrease from 6 percent to 5.6 percent. This is the second of four annual cuts in this interest rate; it will continue to drop until it reaches 3.4 percent in 2011. Reasonable and affordable monthly col-lege loan payments for borrowers. On July 1, a new Income-Based Repayment program will go into effect that caps borrowers’ monthly loan payments at

Page 8 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

U.S. Congressman

Ruben Hinojosa

ALICE NIGHT at the HOOKS Sunday, July 26th 6:05 p.m. Whataburger Field Corpus Christi Hooks vs. Frisco Rough Riders

$7 Reserve seats on sale at the Chamber beginning July 6th.

just 15 percent of their discretionary income (15 percent of what a borrower earns above 150 percent of the poverty level for their family size). Any current or future borrower whose loan payment exceeds 15 percent of their discretionary income is eligible. After 25 years in the program, borrowers’ debts will be com-pletely forgiven. Higher Pell Grant scholarships that cover the average tui-tion at public universities. Due to fund-ing provided by both the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum Pell Grant scholar-ship for the 2009-2010 school year will be $5,350 – more than $600 above last year’s award. In addition, students and borrowers will be able to continue to take advan-tage of other recent programs enacted under the law. To encourage more stu-dents to become teachers, the law pro-vides up-front tuition assistance, known as TEACH Grants, of $4,000 a year – for a maximum of $16,000 – to students who commit to teaching high need sub-ject areas in high need schools for four years after graduation. Graduates who enter into public service careers, such as teachers, public defenders and prosecu-tors, firefighters, nurses, non-profit workers and more, will be eligible for complete loan forgiveness after 10 years of qualifying public service and loan payments.

WHO QUALIFIES FOR INCOME-BASED REPAYMENT?

Borrowers who currently are paying back federal student loans and new bor-rowers, whose debt exceeds 15 percent of their discretionary income. The program covers all federal loans – both Direct and Federal Family Educa-tion loans – made to students, including Stafford, Grad PLUS and federal con-solidation loans, but not those made to parents (PLUS loans). Perkins loans are also eligible if a borrower consolidates them into a FFEL or Direct Loan.

A borrower must also have enough debt relative to their income to qualify for a reduced payment. If a borrower earns below 150 percent of their poverty level for their family size, their payment will be $0. If they earn above it, their pay-ment will be capped at 15 percent of whatever their income is over that amount. W H O W I L L B E N E F I T The interest rate cut… Nationwide, about 5.5 million students borrow need-based federal student loans each year. About 38 percent of African-American students take out need-based student loans each year. About 25 percent of Hispanic students take out need-based student loans each year. The Income-Based Repayment pro-gram… While it’s difficult to estimate an ap-proximate number of borrowers who could participate, at the end of 2008, there were almost $556 billion in out-standing federal loans, representing almost 95 million student loans to more than 30 million borrowers. In 2008, about 8.9 million students borrowed federal loans. The Pell Grant scholarship… About 6 million students received the Pell Grant scholarship for the 2007-2008 school year. Of these students, 75 percent had family incomes below $30,000. About 47 percent of all African-American students receive Pell Grant scholarships each year. About 37 percent of Hispanic students receive the Pell Grant scholarship each year. This is great information for our students and student loan borrowers. I encourage you to pass along this infor-mation and take advantage of these new benefits. Should you have any questions, please contact my office and my staff will be glad to serve you.

Some upcoming college savings

Page 11 Page 9

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER MEMBERS OF THE MONTH

Halliburton was the June Large Chamber Member of the Month. Julian Sepulveda accepted the display placard for the business.

The Alice Echo-News Journal was the June Small Chamber Member of the Month. The newspaper is under the leadership of Publisher Tony Morris and General Manager Nicole D. Perez.

GOLF, From Page 1

Cornerstone Member 2004

Auto Home Business Life Health

1810 E. Main Alice 361-664-4348

1-888-664-4349

www.carlisleins.com

Page 10 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

2701 E. Main (361) 668-0441

TOP RIGHT: First place winners Kevin Downes and Jose Perez, Mark Dominguez not pictured. BOTTOM LEFT: Second place winners George Fuentes Jr, Ricky Fuentes and Ro-land Munoz. RIGHT: Third place winners Rene Cantu, Robert Hinojosa and Mel Carrillo. Not pic-tured is Fourth place winners Mark Salazar Jr., Mark Salazar and Pete Gonzalez.

Jr., Mark Salazar and Pete Gonzalez. “We’d like to thank all our hole and ad sponsors for the event. Without their assistance this tourney was not possi-ble,” Chamber Manager Juan Navejar said.

See ELLIS, Page 13

In order to accommodate entrepreneurs busy schedules the Del Mar College SBDC operates a satellite office at Coastal Bend College - Alice. The Alice office services Jim Wells, Duval, Brooks, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen and Kenedy counties. This office run by senior coun-selor Larry Ellis offers business counseling, training and procurement technical assistance to the residents and businesses of South Texas. For more information on the Small Business De-velopment Centers and Procurement Assistance, contact Larry Ellis at 661-1119 or check out our website http://www.delmar.edu/sbdc

Cornerstone Member

1600 E. Main Alice

Attacking business debt

It’s natural to feel a certain measure of despair when your business goes into debt, but if you use it as an opportunity to re-evaluate your core assumptions and strate-gies, then this can also be time to initiate necessary changes and make your business stronger. Not sure where to begin? Consider some of the following recommendations.

Take your business plan out of mothballs

Intractable debt could be the result of a problematic business plan — one that was either too ambitious, no longer applies, or that simply needs to be adjusted at the edges. “This is the number one issue for small businesses,” says Jim Harris, President of Seneca Financial Group, an investment bank that helps small, distressed compa-nies with financial restructuring. Harris’ first piece of advice to debt-riddled busi-nesses is “to take a very hard look at your business plan and develop a set of realistic expectations for the coming twelve months.”

Identify superfluous assets Make a list of your every business asset, including office equipment and supplies. “If you can’t quickly describe what the value of a particular asset is — today — get rid of it,” advises Harris. While this may sound drastic, selling off assets is a great way to increase immediate access to cash. Of course, this doesn't mean that you should discard equipment that you can't sell. If you have an old computer, for in-stance, it will be of more value on a desk-top than in a dumpster. The point is to find expendable assets that can improve your cash flow.

Don’t hold onto inventory out of stubbornness

While enumerating needless assets, you may find you're reluctant to sell inventory.

Since you'll likely get less for inventory than what you paid for it, this is under-standable. Nevertheless, Jim Harris urges busi-nesses to “get rid of it and turn it into cash.” At least, he explains, “that cash can be used to pay down debt which is probably accruing interest at a much higher rate than you’re ever going to get out of inventory.”

Evaluate equipment If, in the process of taking stock of your assets, you decide to keep a piece of equipment, make sure it's in good condition. This way, says Barbara Weltman, author of J.K. Lasser's New Rules for Small Business Taxes, you won't court further debt if you need to replace equipment that's vital to your business. Ultimately, prolonging the life of your office equipment is a good business practice that can help you stave of debt in the future. For instance, you can up-grade your computer’s memory instead of buying a new machine.

If looking to refinance, first check your credit report

Whenever you apply for a loan, your credit report is evaluated and scored by

the loan provider. If your creditworthi-ness is determined to be low, you're in for an uphill battle so check your credit history.

Refinance Businesses in distress should consider the Small Business Administration (or their Small Business Investment Compa-nies Program) as a refinancing source. According to Jim Harris, their loan rates will very likely be more favorable than what you'll find at a bank. In addition to the 7(a) program, be sure to investigate the SBA's STAR pro-gram. STAR, an acronym for Supple-mental Terrorist Activity Relief, offers reduced 7(a) rates to small businesses that have been affected — both directly and indirectly — by the September 11 attacks. As a general rule, however, Jim Harris reminds businesses to borrow money to grow their business, not to pay off debt.

Master your cash flow An important part of conquering debt is getting a very clear idea of your cash inflows and obligations. Simply put, says Jim Harris, if your sources of cash are less than your expenses, you need to cut

“Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Page 11

The second quarter has come to an end and with it goes half of the first year. Planning a summer trip? The Information Center located

at the Alice Chamber of Commerce has Texas maps or can get you information needed for your trips. We have a great selection of brochures from various sites in Texas. We also have hunter and fish-erman guidebooks as well as some travel magazines in the lobby. The CVB will be looking an admin-istrative assistant that will be employed by the CVB. This will be a 30-hour a week job opportunity. We should have the new assistant in place by the end of the month. We had quite a few appli-cants to chose from. Each month we tabulate the number of sessions received on the pages and you would be amazed as how many and where the hits are coming from. In June the number of hits to our web-page were 14,221 sessions to the site indicating an increase from May with most hits coming from northern Texas.

Page 12 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

CONVENTION AND VISITORS

BUREAU

Convention & Visitors Bureau

1-877-992-5423

Among the targeted webpages was gen-eral information about Alice, accommo-dations and sites. Applications for 2009 project funding are available at the Chamber of Com-merce and are due 60 days prior to event in order to receive board approval for events to be held in Alice. All requests must be presented to the Chamber board for approval before granting assistance from the CVB. Funding will be done a bit different this year. Aside the application,

the CVB will require a business plan and proof of insurance before awarding fund-ing to assure we are using proper docu-mentation of the hotel tax funding. Copies of a business plan can be obtain by con-tacting the Chamber of Commerce. People walking through our doors are asking for information on Alice, the area or asked for phone books and maps of Alice and Texas. Relocation/information packets were smaller with 13 being sent out in June.

Chamber board members were up early for the golf tourney, registering players, selling mulligans and raffle tickets.

GOLF TOURNEY

ELLIS, From Page 11

Has Wall Street hit rock bottom, and is the U.S. economy bound for recovery? Some claim the worst is over, which is of small comfort to American investors, many of whom have seen their retirement

portfolios quickly drop in value during the last 18 months. Just as the stock mar-ket crash and Great Depression of 1929 had a lasting impact on those who lived through it, our current recession could change the way Americans earn, save, invest and spend money. The question is how will we improve our individual and shared financial future? We all make choices. The tanking economy has triggered all kinds of re-sponses. Some investors have simply pulled the plug on their remaining invest-ments however; a mass exodus from the stock market will do more damage to the economy as a whole. The other problem with this approach is that once you sell a stock, you forfeit any opportunity to re-gain the value you lost. Some investors are paralyzed by fear and have not cor-rected or adjusted their financial position in the marketplace. While this is a com-mon and natural response, it’s not neces-sarily in your best interest to stand still. Whether you ultimately move or adjust your stocks, it’s important to take time to evaluate your investment positions and make changes as you see fit, all the while

PAUL RYCROFT on Finance

Page 13 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

Redefining risk in a down market proceeding with due caution. Rebalance your holdings and diversify. The widespread nature of the downturn means almost every sector of the econ-omy has been negatively affected. Those portfolios that were weighted heavily in risky investments generally suffered the largest losses. Many investors re-evaluated their risk tolerance. Low-yielding CDs, money market funds and Treasury Bills grew in popularity since they were considered less risky invest-ments. Unfortunately, these options don’t provide much return. In fact, your assets may remain rather stagnant in these in-vestment vehicles, but some argue that could be better than watching your sav-ings drop in value. Buy low if you can bear the risk. This suggestion may seem counterintuitive, but if you are in a position to accept risk, right now is a great time to invest. The market is full of bargains and there will be people who can profit from the mar-ket’s downfall. As the old adage goes, buy low and sell high. But as recent his-tory shows, investing involves risks — more than many of us bargained for — and there are no guarantees. Recoup some of your losses through tax breaks. With the failure of mortgage companies, banks, development firms, car manufacturers and other businesses, some investors have experienced losses that simply can’t be replaced. If you find yourself at ground zero (or below), keep in mind that you may be able to offset your losses in the form of tax breaks. Talk

to your tax advisor to determine if you can deduct a portion of your losses from your taxable income. Consult with a financial advisor. Now more than ever, investors can benefit from the insights of an experienced fi-nancial advisor who can help you sort through your options. As survivors of the recession, we can potentially work even harder, adjust our expectations and ap-preciate what we have. Much of the suc-cess or failure of the stock market relies on something intangible — buyer confi-dence. If we can find our way back to confident investing, we could be on our way to a stronger economy. This column is for informational pur-poses only. The information may not be suitable for every situation and should not be relied on without the advice of your tax, legal and/or financial advisors. Neither Ameriprise Financial nor its fi-nancial advisors provide tax or legal ad-vice. Consult with qualified tax and legal advisors about your tax and legal situa-tion. This column was prepared by Ameriprise Financial. Diversification helps you spread risk throughout your portfolio, so that invest-ments that do poorly may be balanced by others that do relatively better. Diversifi-cation is not a guarantee of overall port-folio profit or protection against loss. Financial planning services and invest-ments offered through Ameriprise Finan-cial Services, Inc., Member FINRA & SIPC. © 2009 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

801 N. Texas Blvd. Alice, Texas

Cornerstone Member

Member FDIC

“Your Only Locally Owned & Operated Bank In Alice, Texas” Commercial Auto/Boat Checking Consumer CDs Safe Deposit Boxes IRAs Mortgages

24-Hour Banking 664-8789 - 668-8831(24-Hour Customer)

your expenses back or talk to your credi-tors about working out an installment plan.

Don’t forget working capital If you work out a repayment plan with your lenders, don't forget to factor in your business’ need for working capital. The sooner you bring this up with your lend-ers, the better.

Treat trade suppliers well For Jim Harris, this means not financ-ing your business by inordinately delay-ing payment to suppliers. This is a risky financing method. If you abuse the rela-tionship with your trade suppliers, they may stop doing business with you.

Page 14 “Alice Business Today” published by the Alice Chamber of Commerce

Manufacturing Sales Engineering Service Technical Support Training Repacking Rental

www.endyn.com Cornerstone Member 2004

300 W. First Alice 361-668-8311

LEADERSHIP JIM WELLS COUNTY

Applications for the 2009-10 Leader-ship Jim Wells County class are avail-able at the Alice Chamber of Commerce. LJWC just completed its 14th class this past May. More than 1240 individu-als have completed the nine-month course. The purpose of program is to identify emerging leaders in Jim Wells County in order to motivate and educate them to their potential roles in making the county a better place in which to live. Objectives of the Program ♦ To inform participants of commu-

nity ♦ opportunities, needs and problems,

this ♦ history of this area, the government,

enomic and social issues, in order to make them better prepared for lead-ing Jim Wells County of the future.

♦ To educate participants of the im-portance of open, significant dia-logue among all local and state enti-ties.

♦ To form networks for participation to enable them to work coopera-tively with all members of the com-munity.

♦ To encourage active participation in future activities that contribute to the growth and betterment of Jim Wells County.

♦ To train participants to look beyond the present and become visionary leaders.

Eligibility ♦ Applicants should be individuals who will be expected to make firm com-mitments to help shape the future of Jim Wells County. ♦ No special education credentials are

required of participants and no ex-clusions shall be made on the basis of age.

♦ Participants must be able to commit to attend all of the sessions.

♦ A husband and wife cannot be par-ticipants in the same class.

♦ All participants must live or have their primary place of business in Jim Wells County.

LJWC applications available at Chamber

The Alice Police Chief Danny Bueno addresses the class during their final session.

Selection Criteria The most important consideration in se-lection is identifying those individuals most apt to utilize their leadership skills for the long-term benefits of the region. L-JWC seeks individuals: ♦ Who demonstrate sincere commit-

ment to serve in Jim Wells County. ♦ Who represent a cross section of the

county including business, the pro-fessionals, education, government, arts, clergy, service and community organizations, and various ethnic/

minority, age and gender groups. ♦ With the commitment to complete L-

JWC program with the full support of the corporation or organization he/she represents.

Willingness to serve in leadership roles on boards’ councils, commissions, or non-profit agencies.

Occupational commitment to remain in the Jim Wells County area.

Applications are due back to the Chamber by July 24, 2009. Participants will be se-lected and notified by August 1.

A Rainbow Beginning AT&T A&W Investments Sunset Terrace A-1 Quality Fence Acetylene Oxygen Company Adcock Pipe & Supply AEP Texas Alamo Lumber Company Alamosa Animal Hospital Alice Autoplex, Inc. Alice Board of Realtors Alice Body & Paint Alicecalendar.com Alice Cash & Carry Alice Counseling Center Alice Country Club Alice Echo-News Journal Alice Family Eye Center Alice Fire Fighters Asso. Alice Feeder Supply, Inc. Alice Heart Center Alice Housing Authority Alice Mini Storage Alice Motor Inn *Alice Noon Lions Alice Optimist Club Alice Paint & Decorating Alice Pest Control, Inc. Alice Police Officers Asso. Alice Radiator & Muffler Alice Shoe Shop *Amanda’s Country Classic Amerigroup Community Care Ameriprise Financial *Amy & Me Andrews Distributors Angel Care Ambulance *Armando Marroquin Astromatic Car/Truck Wash Atkinson - Wonders Avon Products B&J Air & Pump Baker Auto Sales Ball-Montez Electric Co. Barker, Paulette Bedgood, R.E. & Sons Best Western Executive Inn Betty Allison Realtors. Inc. Bob Hays Western Store Bordeaux Apartments Bowden Ford BriteStar Brush Country Bank Brush Country Casa Brush Country Claims Buckhorn Mini Storage *Burger Basket Byron W. Blair, P.C. C.A. Jackson, Inc. *CAM Trucking Service C.A.W. Company Inc. Cameron Village Apts. Carlisle Insurance Agency Century 21 Hallmark

*Chentes Restaurant Chiles Sales & Service CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice Church’s Fried Chicken Claro Communications CNI Communications Coastal Bend Blood Center Coastal Bend College Coastal Community & Teachers Credit Union Coastal Plains MHMR Center Community Action Corporation Copy Center Cornelius, Nettie Cornerstone Baptist Church *Corpus Christi Hammerheads *Corpus Christi Hooks *Corpus Christi IceRays Covance Research Products Cowley Supply Company Coym, Rehmet & Gutierrez Engs. CVS Dairy Burger Dan’s Processing Center, Inc. Day, Michael & Melanae Days Inn Dean, Homer *Del Cielo Home Health Dee Dee C. Arismendez, Ind. Con-tractor Home Interiors DeLaune Drilling Service Devon Energy Dixie Iron Works MSI, Ltd. Dr. Alejandro Lopez Dr. Bandeira Teixeira Dr. Gary T. Cloud, O.D. Dr. Roel Garza & Assoc. Family Dentistry Dr. William Nisimblat, M.D. Edwards Furniture *Elsa’s Pill Box EnDyn OMS, Inc. *Especially For Me Eye Care Optical *Family Heritage FESCO, Inc. First Community Bank First State Bank of San Diego First United Methodist Church Fleet Pride S.W. Region Flournoy Production Company Flowers Machine & Welding Co. Frank’s Services & Equipment Garza, Joe Frank Richard J. Garza, P.C. Gilbert’s Fine Jewelry Goodwill of South Texas GreyWolf Drilling Guaranty Title & Abstract Gulf Coast Federal Credit Union H&S Constructors, Inc. Half Hour Photo - Jackson Enterprises Halliburton Services *Hampton Inn

Heart to Heart Homecare Hispanic Heritage Committee H.D. Machine & Welding Holiday Inn Express Homecare Dimensions *HomeCare Medical Equip. Humpal Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Hunter Petroleum Hunter-Ash Oil Co. Immanuel Lutheran Church International Bank of Commerce Island Glow Jasso Insurance Jigger JWC Fair Association Joe’s Plumbing Johnny’s Blooming Shop Johnson, Yvette Jolene’s Merle Norman K.C. Hall K&S Thread Services Keetch & Associates LHR Services & Equipment L&F Distributors La Copita Ranch La Hacienda Pharmacy *La Quinta Inn & Suites Lack’s Furniture Store Larry Clack’s Furniture Lawrence B. Cornelius & Co. Lemon & Gonzalez-Lemon Loomis International *Lone Star Motors Lopez Finance Love Chrysler Dodge Jeep Maurices Manpower McCoys McDonalds McNinch, Leon CPA *Mi Familia Adult Day Care Model Key Shop Murdoch Welding NSCL N&S Air Conditioning Neff’s Plumbing Service Nevill Business Machines New York Life Insurance New Sound Hearing Aid Nortex Bakery & Fast Foods North Point Computers Page Water Well Drilling Paladium Bowl Panda Chinese Restaurant Perez, Marisela Phoinix Global LLC Picture Perfect Sanitizing Platinum Slickline Service Plaza Four Popeye’s Port of Corpus Christi PrimeAmerica Financial Srvs Prosperity Bank

Raul Ramirez - State Farm Ray Vess Jewelers *RC Electric *Rialto Jewelry Richardson’s Water Well Drilling Right of Way Service Inc. Rios, Margot Robert Molina - State Farm Insurance Robstown Catering *Rosas Funeral Home, Inc. Rush Truck Center, Alice Rushing & Gonzalez Saldivar Coastal Services, Inc. Sandoval, Ruben Scott Bearing Company Scottish Inn Schlumberger Sears Authorized Dealer Store Seidel, Whittington & Company SERCO of Texas, Inc. Sherwin-Williams Silva, David Small Business Dev. Center SNBL USA, Ltd. South TX Blood & Tissue Center South Texas Museum South Texas Screening - Driving School Stewart Title Company St. Elizabeth Catholic School St. Joseph Catholic School Star Light Limo Service State Rep Yvonne Gonzalez-Toureilles State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa Steamatic of Alice Steve Costley Advertising Tasco Tool Service, Inc. *Tesoro Loan Texas Champion Bank Texas Star *The Menu Gazette The Tint Shop Third Coast Squadron *Tiny Tots Day Care Tractor Supply Company Truckers Equipment *True Elite Fitness & Well Tutti Frutti Delight Tyrone City Barber Shop *Unique Staffing *Universal Mortgage United Medical Services V.F.W. Post 8621 *VillageProfile.com *VTX Communications Walker, Jack Wal-Mart, Inc. Weiben Chiropractic Clinic Wells Fargo Bank Whataburger of Alice WorkSorce Network Inc. *Indicates new 2009 new member

Thank You 2009 Alice Chamber of Commerce Members

Alice Chamber of Commerce 612 East Main P.O. Box 1609 Alice, Texas 78332

Membership Benefits • Two FREE classified listings in the Chamber web-

site: www.alicetx.org • FREE Subscription to Alice Business Today, the

official Chamber monthly newsletter • Annual Membership Directory/Buyer’s Guide

listing all members, including a classified directory for member businesses

• Advertising opportunities in Chamber publications to promote your business

• Membership Services which include FREE Busi-ness Announcement/Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies, Conference Room Rentals and Mailing Lists

• Networking Opportunities through Chamber activi-ties to make valuable contacts and promote your business

• Opportunities to get involved in the Chamber’s volunteer working committees to help build a stronger economy and bright future for our commu-nity

• Access to economic and statistical information through the Chamber office

• Support of a professional staff that works fulltime for you and your fellow members

Objectives The following objectives have been established by the Alice Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors:

• To encourage and advance the growth of existing industries and businesses.

• To provide all proper assistance to any new firms, professional or individuals seeking to locate in the Alice area.

• To serve as liaison with all government, civic and educational entities, and law enforcement agencies in Alice and Jim Wells County.

• To increase our membership and provide quality service for our members.

• To identify and assist in obtaining funding to accomplish the ob-jectives of the Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on how to get involved and benefit as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, call (361) 664-3454, or stop by the of-fice located at 612 E. Main, Alice, Texas.

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Alice, Texas Permit No. 41