It doesn’t always have to be a big project, and it doesn’t have to be something that you do every day or week or month, just giving something back to your community is a great feeling.  We have volunteers that come in every month and help us with our newsletter.  They always seem to have a good time, and we enjoy having them for the afternoon.  It’s only once a month, but we all look forward to having them.

I think of the Memorial Day Parade that is coming up, and the time it takes the folks at the VFW and the American Legion to put this parade together.  They always do an outstanding job, and again they have to have a lot of pride when that parade starts at the end of Main Street.

I think of the Festa Italiana, and all the volunteers that work so hard to bring this great event to our community.  The results are outstanding, with thousands of people coming to Bradford for the festival.  It has to be so rewarding to all the volunteers to see the happiness they bring every year.

I think of the Library Derby Gala for the Library Endowment, and how hard the volunteers have worked for the last several years to increase the endowment, so that someday, the Library will be able to operate with the income from that endowment.

I think of the philanthropy of so many of our industries and individuals, who give back so much to our community.  We would never survive without all their help.

There are so many more examples that I could give, and I’m sure you all can think of many more.

So, here is my challenge to those who say they would like to do something, but haven’t done it yet, just jump in and the next time you see something going on, or you read about it in the paper, pick up the phone and call that organization and be part of that event,  I can guarantee that you will feel great for giving back to your community.

Finally, when I was with Walmart, I taught a class for new managers, and I always started out with a story about Alfred Nobel.  Here is that story:

A pacifist at heart and an inventor by nature, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. However, the invention that he thought would end all wars was seen by many others as an extremely deadly product. In 1888, when Alfred’s brother Ludvig died, a French newspaper mistakenly ran an obituary for Alfred which called him the “merchant of death.”

Not wanting to go down in history with such a horrible epitaph, Nobel created a will that soon shocked his relatives and established the now famous Nobel Prizes.

So here is your chance, to leave a legacy in your community by giving the best of yourself!

We have a Brown Bag Luncheon coming up on March 28th, with Kara Kennedy and myself having a class on the basics of Facebook and Ebay.  It’s free to all our members, and if you would like to attend contact me at ron@bradfordchamber.com

We have had a few request to leave the lights on in Veteran’s Square, so for the time being we are going to honor that request.  They are beautiful, and they will look great on those warm spring and summer evenings.

In my last BLOG I talked about our Facebook, and I am happy to report that it continues to grow, and we are very excited about the new timeline format.  We enjoy sharing our pictures with our fans, and we seem to get the most response from those pictures.

Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather!!    Ron

Facebook has been such a great asset to our Chamber, and we are always ready to share information with our members.  On March 28,2012 we will be having a brown bag series seminar on Facebook and Ebay.  But until then, I wanted to share some information that I have received from Frank Kenny of Lewisburg, Washington, who is a consultant on the Social Media.  Probably the biggest mistake that businesses make, is that they create a profile page versue a fan page.  The reason you will want a fan page, is that you will receive from Facebook, information on how your page is doing.  It is a great way to track your activity.  One of things that the Chamber is very proud of, is that we have 2250 fans, which is way above the average of 675.   I am including a chart to show you what other Chambers are doing, click on the chart to see a bigger version:

So this is the benchmark for your organization.  If you want to attend our Brown Bag Series at the Chamber Office, please email kara.kennedy@bradfordchamber.com, we are limited for space, so contact us as soon as possible.

Visit Frank’s Website at:  http://frankjkenny.com/how-did-they-get-so-many-chamber-facebook-fans/

Frank talks in his book about giving back to your community.    Here is an part of what Frank is saying:

As a business owner or executive:

1. You will attract more customers.

2. You will have more fun. Give Gifts. Be Generous.™

     It is a nice way to spend your time.

3. You will have more friends.

4. Your standing in the community will rise and you

     will have more influence.

5. Opportunities will come to you out of the blue.

6. Your stress level will go down because your business

      is doing better and your life feels more complete.

By doing all these things Frank is saying that good things will come back to you for your business.  I truly believe this!  I remember when I worked for Walmart, the founder Sam Walton, encouraged his management team to get involved in the community.  Now Sam just didn’t want us to join the Chamber or Rotary, he wanted us to get involved on committees and see if we could make a difference. 

Now I know your all saying that you are too busy to do this, but I’m telling you this is the way everyone should run their lives, help your community, and it doesn’t have to be the Chamber of Commerce.  Many of you already do it, rather it is your Church, Little League, Food Kitchens or whatever you are doing ,  Frank is saying to do more, and good things will come back to you.  Please give me feedback on this, and if these results have happen to you. 

So stop on down to our Main Street location at 121 Main Street and have a cup of coffee, and give us your ideas.  Please pass the Blog on to your friends.

Since I came on board in July 2010, our goal has been to continue to update ourWebsite.  Thanks to our friends at Protocol 80, we launched a new look yesterday that I hope you all find pleasing.  We have more bells and whistles planned for the website this year, and  we are always looking for better ways to improve our website, which in turn helps our membership. So if you have any suggestions please send me your suggestions. Check out our website at www.bradfordchamber.com

Our Search engine optimization has increased our traffic, and we hope with all these improvements that that traffic will continue to grow.  We also continue to see growth on our Facebook with 2217 friends. 

We also have moved our advertising banner to the top of the page, and have lowered our price to attract more business. 

Congratulations to our Board Member, Colette Roessler for being named the Main Street Manager.  Colette will do an outstanding job for Main Street!

Also, Congratulations to Zippo and W.R. Case CEO Greg Booth on his appointment to the Committee on Manufacturing by Pennsylvania.  We know that Greg will do an outstanding job!

Finally, don’t forget our first Business After Hours is Wednesday, January 25th at 5 pm at the New Main Street Mercantile.

See you on Main Street.  Ron

We are very excited at the Chamber with a new year starting and new events planned for 2012.  Starting in February we are having Kim Benjamin, Executive Director of the Bradford Water Authority speak on the Bradford Water System.  This will be held at the Chamber office and a lite brown bag lunch will be provided. 

Also in February we will be having a VIP breakfast and lunch for prospective members, with testimonials from some of our current members, and also to use as an opportunity to network with other businesses.

Business After Hours will start this year at the new Mercantile on Main Street on January 25th.  If you haven’t seen the Mercantile, this is your chance to network and see all the new products that they now have at one of Bradford’s landmark buildings.

We are also planning a Chamber Expo an a Non-Profit Summit/Fair in March.  Keep checking our website and facebook for more upcoming events!  www.bradfordchamber.com

Watch last years fireworks of First Night!

We also want to wish you all a wonderful holiday and a very prosperous New Years.  We really are looking forward to 2012, with lots of events and excitement.

If you are downtown stop in at 121 Main Street, in the Theatre District and have a cup of coffee with us, but please bring your ideas!!