South Fairfax, Occoquan businesses network in a new way

By KIPP HANLEY

Published: January 21, 2009

For many years, South Fairfax County — especially Lorton and Fort Belvoir — conjured up images of industry, military security gates and prison fences.

But a more diverse commercial base sprouting up among these relatively new neighborhoods has created a need to represent those businesses. To address that need, a trio of businessmen recently created the South Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.

The SFCC was born last September, representing Lorton, Laurel Hill, Newington, Fort Belvoir, South Springfield, Burke, Fairfax Station, Clifton, Occoquan and Woodbridge.The emphasis of the SFCC is utilizing the Internet to create and maintain relationships with other businesses instead of paying a hefty fee at a larger chamber where meetings are many and sometimes difficult to attend.

The SFCC was a perfect fit for Patrick Barney, co-owner of 4 More Travel and Tastefully Yours in Occoquan.

Barney used to belong to the Prince William Regional, Fairfax City and Springfield chambers before moving from his Springfield location to Occoquan in 2006. But the lower membership costs with SFCC and his desire to both keep his former contacts and establish new ones in South Fairfax led him to drop his two county chamber memberships.

“It’s one more way of reaching out,” said Barney, who estimates his customer base is an even split between Fairfax and Prince William residents. “It also gets you involved in not only the social but the community activities where you do your most networking. Anything that saves you the time of going over and knocking on every door. Somebody puts all the doors together, hey, that’s makes it a lot easier.”

For approximately $125, each company can join for two years and will be provided a Web site maintained by a chamber contractor. Various advertising opportunities are also available on the chamber’s home page as well as services like calendar item placements.

The first chamber meeting will be held at Pane e Vino in Lorton on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. According to chamber vice-president Peter Weyland, there will only be a handful of meetings each year.

Weyland said one of the biggest expenses for chambers outside of rent and staffing is the printing of a membership directory. With everything online and a plan to only have one part-time administrative assistant working in the new chamber office, Weyland said the overhead will be greatly reduced.

“We can take that money and put it into programs for local civic groups,” said Weyland, who cited a recent donation of $800 to go toward the formation of a community farmers market.

NetStrategies president Rodney Loges wanted to have a greater voice in the southern Fairfax area when he moved his office from Alexandria to his current northern Woodbridge location next to the Prince William Marina on the Occoquan River.

A resident of Mason Neck, Loges was growing tired of commuting north to Alexandria. Eventually he found the marina site and now kayaks to work some days.

“South County is changing very fast and I wanted to step up and have a voice,” Loges said.“Not having a bunch of cocktail hours is absolutely fine with me as long as we are doing what is good for South County and building that common agenda.”

A SFCC member, Woodbridge-based Jewelry By Design owner Jennifer Caro moved her business from Lorton 10 years ago and managed to hold onto about 20 percent of her clientele from Fairfax County.

But more important than tapping more traffic from South Fairfax was re-establishing contacts with a community that has grown by leaps and bounds since departing her original location at Gunston Plaza.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.

http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/south_fairfax_occoquan_businesses_network_in_a_new_way/28376/

New Chamber a boon for southern Fairfax County
Fairfax County
By Gregg MacDonald
Source: Fairfax County Times
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 2009

There's a new Chamber of Commerce in town, and it just might be the wave of the future.

The South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce (SFCC) has announced its launch as a new voice for the southern part of Fairfax County and southeastern Prince William County.

The SFCC is already comprised of nearly 100 members from Lorton, Laurel Hill, Newington, Ft. Belvoir, South Springfield, Burke, Fairfax Station, Clifton, Occoquan and Woodbridge.

According to Vice Chairman Peter Weyland, local business and community leaders have worked together for several months to create a Chamber of Commerce exclusively for businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals who find it cumbersome and time-consuming to attend meetings that are often held in the northern parts of Fairfax County.

In addition, the SFCC is introducing a new low-cost, time -saving technological concept in Chamber membership.

“SFCC is striking a new and different course as a Chamber by utilizing Internet based mediums and tools to keep membership costs low, minimize meetings, and maximize membership benefits via Internet based communication, networking, and advertising.” said SFCC Board Chairman Tim Rizer.

Each Chamber member is provided a free member Internet page that enables flexibility for that member to advertise and interact with the general public. The Chamber’s Internet service also provides members with access to an Internet search engine tool to attract interest to themselves.

SFCC’s charter members represent a broad spectrum of business and community leaders who reside both in and outside SFCC’s service area but all of whom have an interest in the local community, according to Weyland. "We're the model for the future," he said.

SFCC concentrates on both members’ interests and the general interests of the community at large, involving itself in relevant business, community and political issues. All interested parties are invited to consider membership.

SFCC will hold a kick-off meeting Thursday, Feb. 19, at Pane e` Vino restaurant, 9020 Lorton Station Blvd, Suite E, in Lorton.
To learn more about the SFCC, go to www.SouthFairfaxChamber.org

http://fairfaxtimes.com/news/2009/jan/28/new-chamber-boon-southern-fairfax-county/

EcTownUSA (to) Chamber Nation News Update
New Branding, New System and Dealing with Member Retention

July 2008

I hope all of you are having a good summer and still managing to keep membership up during this economic bump.

Recently we've seen a major upswing in membership usage of the system. We feel that the economy is triggering members to use all of the tools they can find to help them succeed.

We know that keeping members is tough right now, so we're hopefully doing our part to help by providing a longer list of tangible member benefits and outstanding support. We're working with a record number of members who are seeking help in promoting their businesses online. The measurable results are impressive and getting much stronger every month.

On that note... I am pleased to announce some soon to be released enhancements to help your members promote their businesses like never before. But unlike our normal release of additional technology (yes that is coming too), we're now launching an educational system that will help your members define their business messaging and manage the process of growing their businesses. (see below)

Announcing the Mark LeBlanc Edition
"Growing Your Business"

I was a guest speaker of the SmallBusinessChamber.Com in Memphis Tennessee several months back. After I spoke to an audience at the small business expo, Mr. LeBlanc suggested that he and I should talk.

Over dinner I learned about Mark and his commitment to Chambers over the years to assist them in growing their members businesses.

Fortunately this relationship has blossomed into a rather exciting program that will be launched in August. This new program will be called Chamber Nation - Mark LeBlanc edition.

The entire program will absolutely help your members grow their businesses.

Mark is the President of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and author of the book "Growing Your Business" that we've transformed into a digital system soon to be available to thousands of members nationwide.

We invite you to read all about Mark LeBlanc and his long list of accomplishments by CLICKING HERE.

This new edition will provide a MAJOR upgrade to the member area, incorporates a FULL WEBSITE that replaces the current TCS pages (but no data is lost and automatically converted into the new system). Members will be able to do a whole lot more and includes a new SEO model that we believe will dramatically improve search results for members.

Although the TCS wizard will remain in tact, the system will offer a new area that includes an interactive business coach, developed using the proven Mark LeBlanc principals, downloadable eBook "growing your business" and a resource area that promotes some of your existing member businesses that can provide tools to help other members grow in your area (pretty unique in our opinion).

Once the member completes the interactive business coach, it produces a fantastic website that communicates their business better than ever online. With the new SUPER search engine optimization features, they will be promoted extensively online with the results to prove it.

A small license fee must be charged for this new service, but it will be quickly justified when you see what's included and able to demonstrate to prospective and current members. We believe that this new edition will truly help retain members during this rough economic period.

I invite you to contact me (Richard Scully) directly to discuss this program. Please feel free to call me at any time on my cell phone at: (925) 699-9997 as I look forward to showing this to you.

EcTownUSA is the Support Company, but Chamber Nation is our NEW BRAND

New Brand, Website and Services



EcTownUSA stood for "E-Chamber Town" and the "USA" was added to be patriotic just like Chambers of Commerce. Over time we've discovered that this name to most Chamber Executives meant we sold "E Commerce" services. Nothing is wrong with that, but it was limiting our ability to present what we're really up to... helping develop state-of-the-art programs designed to help Chambers grow and manage membership.

So this month, we voted as a company to change our branding to "Chamber Nation" which implies what we do much better... educate the entire country that Chamber of Commerce membership is one of the most important investments you can make to help grow your business.

With the edition of Mark LeBlanc we believe participating customers will have just what they need to improve membership sales, retention and most importantly a program that will positively help grow commerce in your area. After all you are a "Chamber of Commerce" !

Our Podcasting strategy is working well as we now have hundreds of Podcast subscribers and fantastic results thus far on iTunes. We thank all of the Chamber Executives who have participated thus far with many more soon to be recorded. If you are still waiting for your Podcast production we did fall a bit behind, but were now back on schedule and will be caught up soon.

You will notice from the new website that our focus is moving towards member education. The website now serves both the Chambers of Commerce and the members who are thinking about joining a Chamber to grow their business. We had to make this change as so many people were coming in from the Podcast and we're sure many of them are prospective members.

I hope you will take a minute to view the new website that can be found at www.ChamberNation.com. We invite any comments and suggestions.
We really appreciate so many of you that have been with us since we started and hope we're delivering outstanding services to each of you.


Sincerely,
Richard Scully, FounderEcTownUSA.Com, LLC.
ChamberNation.Com
Cell: 925-699-9997
Office: 530-283-5553 (Option 2)
Toll Free: 888-EzWay4U
Last Updated on Thursday, 07 August 2008 15:07

Scripps Newspaper Group — Online
© 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co.

CommercialAppeal.Com

Chamber offers 'traffic catcher'
Small-biz members can build free Web pages
By David Flaum (Contact)
Friday, January 11, 2008

The Small Business Chamber has rolled out a new online initiative that gives members their own Web sites and direct links to members' Web addresses.

And members won't have to pay extra for the "traffic catcher Web site" service, said Robert Staub, founder and executive director of the chamber.

"Our organization focuses on the success of our small business members through information, education and business networking," he said.

To that, the Web site adds marketing, Staub said.

"It gives us the opportunity to be a business community within a business community," said Dennis Beatty, chairman of the chamber. "If somebody comes to us looking for goods or services, they're going to be able to find it that much easier."

Each member will be able to set up his or her own Web site. The general format and types of information on it will be the same for each business. If the member has his or her own Web site, the traffic catcher page will provide a link to it.

The Memphis Regional Chamber provides links to members' Web sites, if they have them, but does not have a section on its site for members to set up sites like the Small Business Chamber has.

Regional chamber officials haven't seen the Small Business Chamber pages, so they can't assess the possible value, said Amy Daniels, director of communications.

More than 80 percent of chamber members are small businesses -- ventures with 50 or fewer employees -- she said.

"Anything that helps small business grow is a good thing," Daniels said.

The traffic catcher setup is the creation of Richard Scully, managing partner and founder of EcTownUSA LLC. The Quincy, Calif.-based firm handles 40 systems in 10 states, about 75 percent of them for small business chambers, Scully said.

"About four years ago, we realized there were no programs designed to help chambers grow and retain members," he said. "Members didn't see tangible benefits from their membership."

So he created the Web site plan, which includes ways of tracking visitors down to "actual views" -- what information they look for, such as maps to businesses -- so business owners can judge how effective the Web sites are, Scully said.

The system will also simplify what Beatty called the "maze" facing visitors to the chamber's old Web site.

"We're giving them steps to follow to find what they want," he said.

"It's smart for the small business council to offer a way for members to have an online presence," said Trace Hallowell, managing partner of Tactical Magic, a Memphis brand consulting agency.

He uses his own business as an example. When Tactical Magic went on line, the perceptions of the firm, especially in terms of legitimacy, increased greatly.

"The caveats would be how man people would be going to the Small Business Chamber Web site to search for services and the impact it will have on national search engine traffic," Hallowell said.

Among the services in the new setup, said Staub, will be one to help members get better positions on Internet search engines.

Access to the site is available at smallbusinesschamber,com.

-- David Flaum: 529-2330
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jan/11/chamber-offers-traffic-catcher/

February 7, 2007

CHAMBER SEARCH ENGINE LAUNCHED
Richard Scully, one of the principals in EcTownUSA.Com, LLC, said his Quincy-based company has launched the first system ever created to broadcast a chamber of commerce and its members over WAP-enabled cell phones. The system, called the Chamber Search Engine, will allow people with a cell phone to choose a particular chamber of commerce and select from events, members and contacts. Unlike regular search engines, Richard says this system provides direct results from chambers in a particular town. "When we started in 2002, we noticed that chambers across the country seemed to be struggling to grow. What we've been developing are programs to make it easier for them to grow and operate."

Oroville Chamber Press Release
Written by Chamber Nation
Thursday, 07 August 2008 13:55


Chamber looks to bring membership powerful, free e-commerce system
By Michael L. Whiteley/Business Editor
Article Launched: 01/11/2007 12:00:00 AM PST


They say nothing is free, however, that is not the case with a powerful new e-commerce system Oroville Chamber of Commerce members will soon benefit from thanks to the insightfulness of Paul MacBeth, the new Chamber executive director.
The mission of the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce is to "work cooperatively with community, civic and governmental organizations to enhance the image of Oroville and to foster a climate in which business can operate profitably." Soon, this mission will be accomplished through a brand new virtual marketplace (www.shopinoroville.com) that will extend to all Chamber members added benefits above and beyond what they already receive from association with the Chamber.

The e-commerce system, designed by EcTownUSA, which is projected to be available to members within the next couple weeks or so, will provide access to local businesses 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. It will work along side of websites businesses already have and will give businesses that don't have a web presence a chance to easily create one, too.

Probably the best part of the new system is that it comes to members free of charge. Added free features and benefits include: domain name, matching e-mail with domain name,

website, online appointment request system, online reservation request system, online point of sale (POS), easy checkout system, community marketplace online with catalog system enabling all members to be doing business perpetually, online map to business location, video commercials and audio "pod" casting distribution, Internet coupon delivery online, e-mail mailing list manager, online employment application and "help wanted" job postings, monthly advertising reports with stats, online support desk (USA-based), and telephone support by calling 1-888-EzWay4U.
All of the above can be created by members within a matter of minutes through the use of intelligent "wizards" that walk the member through the process.

MacBeth, who has seen first-hand how the system works, said the state of Arizona's Chambers have already implemented the system and found it has generated 22-plus million hits since last October alone. The system is also, he added, quickly taking hold in the California marketplace.

"It's quite impressive," said MacBeth, of the new system. "Soon our entire membership can have their own website and it's not just for retailers. If a business offers or performs services they can take appointments online and even reschedule them. Retailers can sell their goods through the e-commerce features, which includes an online catalog with images of products. Hotels and other hospitalities can also take advantage."

"Basically, 'shopinoroville.com' is going to be a huge marketplace for our entire membership. There is no reason why our members could not, should not, capitalize on this. The benefits are huge," he said.

The new system will ultimately address the aspect of leakage of commerce to other regions, such as nearby Chico. "If the membership can benefit from this new system by slowing the leakage then this will play an important role in, as I like to say, 'putting commerce back into the Chamber," MacBeth said.

Moreover, the system will act as a sort of Chamber-sponsored umbrella for commerce that can bring new jobs to area businesses and centralize their efforts to market the greater Oroville area and what it offers. "People can visit the site from out of the area and this can enhance tourism and even inspire people to relocate to Oroville. The five main aspects of the role that a Chamber involves itself with include, tourism, relocation, membership/business development, economic development, and historical and quality of life. All of these are covered through this system," he said.

Ads on the radio and other news media, such as the Oroville Mercury-Register, will feature the site closer to the time it is unleashed to members. And, additional Chamber-sponsored side projects, such as tourism packages to entice people to travel to Oroville and take advantage of local shopping will also bolster the goal of achieving the Chamber's mission.

"Battle for Business" seminars will be held to provide members an introduction to the system, how it works, and how to set their e-commerce sites in motion. "I urge every member to attend these workshops to make the most of this to enhance their sales and services," MacBeth said.

MacBeth comes to the Oroville Chamber with an extensive background in retail sales and has served with other Chambers in northern California. He is familiar with but new to the area. "I love Oroville," he said of his experience here thus far. "I cannot say enough good things about this community and look forward to forming great partnerships here. And, I am really excited to bring this new business opportunity to the membership at no cost."

"For years and years," he added, in closing, "Chambers have built a complete infrastructure based upon the brick and mortar businesses they represent. Now, we can facilitate these businesses in a virtual environment. This will put the local products and services into the arena of the virtual world, which will extend what they offer to people all over the world, not just to those who visit Oroville."

For more information on this new system as well as membership in the local Chamber of Commerce, look to the Internet at: www.orovillechamber.net. Or, call the Chamber of Commerce at: (530) 538-2542.