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Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Publication October 2014 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT JIM DOBINSKI DUSTIN WHITE AMANDA BETTS GREG WATERS IN THIS ISSUE: UPCOMING EVENTS MEET THE MEMBERS

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Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce monthly newsletter

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Page 1: October2014

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Publication October 2014

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

JIM DOBINSKI DUSTIN WHITE AMANDA BETTS GREG WATERS

IN THIS ISSUE:

UPCOMING EVENTS

MEET THE MEMBERS

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Member Spotlight: Stellar Blue Technologies

Meet the Members: Aaron Baer & Adam Lange

Business After Hours: Abel Insurance

2 Heart Beat | October 2014

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5 4 Heart Beat | October 2014

Mark your calendar for these

upcoming events!

EMERGING LEADERS:

THE ART OF PERSONAL BRANDING

Tuesday, October 07, 2014 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

Little Chicago Dining & Spirits N9650 Friendship Road | Kaukauna, WI 54130

Join Marketing Director of Stellar Blue Technologies, Amanda Betts as she explains the importance of taking control of your

personal brand from making a good first impression, to maintaining quality business relationships, to enhancing

and showcasing your star qualities.

Register online at: www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

BUSINESS BEFORE HOURS:

BEST PRACTICES IN HIRING/FIRING

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce 101 E. Wisconsin Avenue | Kaukauna, WI 54130

Panel Discussion:

Register at:

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS:

THE AMBASSADOR BAR

Thursday, October 09, 2014 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The Ambassador

117 S Appleton St. | Appleton, WI 54911

Attend our monthly networking event at the Ambassador Bar. Meet fellow members and exchange business cards! There will be some great appetizers and drink specials.

Register at:

www.heartofthevalleychamber.com

BUSINESS BETWEEN HOURS:

BUSINESS CARD EXCHANGE

Wednesday, October 15, 2014 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce

101 E. Wisconsin Avenue | Kaukauna, WI 54130

Bring your 2-minute commercial, business cards, brochures, samples, etc. Limited to 1 person per industry.

Contact Kelli: [email protected].

Valerie J. Revnew, Esq. Epiphany Law

Attorney at Law

Julie Russell Diversified Investigations

VP of Operations

Julie Vanvonderen Prospera Credit Union

Vice President of Human Resources and

Operations

Chip Gabbey Pro Staff

Vice President

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ROUNDTABLE GROUP MEETING

To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, you cannot impact decisions and achieve success if you aren’t in the arena. The Heart of

the Valley Chamber of Commerce provides our member companies with tools so that you are not only in the arena but have the bullhorn to address policies and politics that affect your business. We want all of you to be effective advocates for the business community in Wisconsin. Advocating for issues you care about is an important activity to bring about change in

public attitudes and policies that impact all of us every day.

Each month we bring our members face to face with our Federal and State Legislators, our local elected and appointed leaders and our School Superintendents to engage in dialogue, keeping us informed of the latest issues. These forums are

designed to be a safe, respectful environment for both citizens and our legislators. Our next meeting will be:

Sponsored by: Friday, October 10, 2014

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce 101 E. Wisconsin Avenue | Kaukauna, WI 54130

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6 Heart Beat | October 2014

Jennifer Popek, Appleton, Wisconsin, a Modern Woodmen of America representative, has attained the Fraternal Insurance Counselor (FIC) designation. Team Industries, Inc. has announced a three phase expansion at its Kaukauna, WI corporate facility. This is the largest and most aggressive expansion project in the company’s 27-year history. Goodwill NCW’s Vocational Support Services (VSS) program, based at the Goodwill Community Center, has promoted Kalli Nee to the position of VSS Vocational Coordinator. Goodwill NCW adds Dennis Zemialkowski and David Lippert as logistics and information technology team members. Michael Lutz, vice president of sales and marketing of Bassett Mechanical, has joined the Goodwill NCW board of directors also a seasoned member of nonprofit organizations, Tania Spofford, has joined Goodwill’s NCW’s NeighborCARE program as the Regional Community Organizer. Fox Communities Credit Union has welcomed Jon Benson to its staff as a consumer loan officer. Anyone can join Fox Communities Credit Union if they live or work in the counties of Brown, Calumet, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca or Winnebago County. Fox Communities Credit Union has been serving the community for 76 years, employs 300 people and has an asset size of over $1 billion. ThedaCare promoted Pam Malkowski as the new vice president of clinical/nursing operations at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah and Mike Radtke as the new vice president of perioperative

services and acute interventions. ThedaCare named Dr. Mark Hallet as chief clinical officer. Daniellle Vanevenhoven will join ThedaCare Physicians - Darboy as nurse practitioner specializing in family medicine. ThedaCare hired Dr. Joshua Block at ThedaCare Physicains - Darboy. Hometown Bank announced two promotions: James Livieri to assistant vice president, responsible for originating mortgage loans and managing a portfolio of retail banking customers’ loans and deposit accounts; and Pamela Buttles to vice president, responsible for managing the bank’s compliance. Schenck announced the addition of new employees: Maria Frigo, staff accountant; James Goldmann, staff accountant; Joshua Pearce, staff accountant; Heather Carstens, associate accountant; Patrick Malloy, staff accountant; Elizabeth Slovensky, staff account; Brady Bemis, staff accountant; Tara Guell, staff accountant; Mitchell Pezanoski, staff accountant; and Jamie Hoffmann, staff accountant. K.R. West Company was able to aid in the repair Milwaukees’ Wells Street Bridge. The bridge was unable to be lower for traffic, but with the use of K.R. West supplied Wandfluh hydraulic valves, the bridge is fully functioning again. K.R. West Company has recently name Taryn West as Vice President. Taryn is the third generation and has been with the company for eight years. She currently holds a business degree from UW Fox Valley and Electro-Mechanical certificates from Fox Valley Tech. Culver’s is breaking ground on new restaurant located at 11820 Velp Ave, Suamico, WI. The new 4,000 sq ft. building is scheduled for construction to be completed later this year.

Good News Is Worth Repeating

Any change or update within your business such as a promotion, new addition, award won, etc. can be included in this section. News must be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following month’s publication.

Send to: [email protected]

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Oftentimes, the difference in people's lives is the difference in the standards to which they hold themselves accountable. As Newton's Third Law of Motion dictates: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." It's that obvious and, equally, that simple, albeit often requiring a herculean effort to achieve herculean results.

People who achieve the unachievable are, by definition, naturally unreasonable. It seems as if they make the conscious decision to replace their desires with unreasonable needs. Everything they partake in seemingly requires relentless determination, intensity, and a consistent element of risk to make sure they are constantly operating at a peak performance mode. A quest for a life of uncertainty, combined with a positive belief system is what they excitedly wake up for each day. A "seize the day" mentality, versus "Oh crap, it's morning already".

In one sentence--the only thing that creates an extraordinary life is an extraordinary mindset. People who have that mindset often are viewed as a little "out-of-balance" by many in their lives.

What differentiates the top 1 percent of the population from the remaining 99 percent is the simple dichotomy of thought process. Those that chose mediocrity do so due to lack of self-belief, or simply a lack of desire to even begin to contemplate their end goals.

One of the most powerful traits of the 1 percent is their acute ability to seek opportunities in and out of every negative situation.

"I took the road less travelled by and that has made all the difference--Robert Frost

Most people think this poem is about taking the underutilized road. However, if you read the poem, in-depth, the chosen road is moot. It is entirely about the choice of making that first step on whichever road you choose.

Master the trait of taking the first step, and anything is possible. Unreasonable people dominate their future by taking calculated

risks and reveling in their own moxie. They live up to their own hype and believe their own vision. They must--otherwise, who will? In short, unreasonableness is defined by taking steps nobody else bothers taking.

Change is not a question of ability; it is a question of will.

The "out-of-balance" people, who take the road less traveled are those who simply make a cognitive decision and then execute with little caution.

The more you demand out of yourself and the world you wish to create, the higher your standards become. The rare few who have a clear, compelling, avid understanding about why, will inevitably make their move and leave the rest behind.

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how" ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Those who succeed have a laser focus on their end goals. Our mind reacts to images, snapshots and short films that we create and file in our memory bank. When envisaging the end goal, those of us with total determination have a tendency to magnify this image, add vibrant color and even animation. Those who never commit are focused solely on the anticipated turbulence of their journey.

Our animated mental pictures 'salivate' our soul. The soul is only 'satisfied' once the end result is achieved. Thirst...quenched!

"Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, pounds, or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking." ~ David Schwartz

In order to ultimately bridge the gap between today and your desired future, you must focus on what you want versus what you don't want.

When you change, the world around you changes.

When You Change, the World Around you Changes

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8 Heart Beat | October 2014

Kaukauna Family Dentistry is a preventive-oriented, family dental practice that is dedicated to providing the

highest quality dental care in the gentlest manner possible. Preventing dental disease is their goal and they work very hard with each person to develop an individual

method of controlling and preventing dental problems. http://www.kaukaunafamdentistry.com/

Whether you are looking for a place to host your next party, are in need of a great venue for your wedding reception or

are just craving some award-winning food for Sunday brunch, The Darboy Club is happy to host you! They also

offer catering and are happy to help you provide food at your next event!

http://www.darboyclub.com/

Health and wellness go beyond stress relief. Having a Massage Envy Spa membership means having easy access to

massages, spa facials, Murad® products and more at hundreds of locations nationwide. Now you can enjoy less stress, more energy and

improved wellness on your schedule. Best of all, the benefits of spa facial treatments and massages are cumulative. So the more you go, the

healthier you feel. http://www.massageenvy.com/

Al Huss Auto is a family owned and operated full service auto repair shop which has been serving the

community of Kaukauna, WI since 1995. At Al Huss Auto, we have your best interest at heart! You can rely on them to

keep your vehicles in peak performance condition. They don't want to be the biggest auto repair shop in the Fox

Cities, just the best. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority and they want you to feel confident that you have made a smart decision to trust their highly qualified

technicians. They will take care of your car just like they take care of their mom's car.

http://www.alhussauto.com/

SCM Marketing Solutions prides itself on being able to offer its clients a wide variety of

options that can be combined to create a custom marketing strategy. What can SCM do for you?

http://scmmarkets.com/

The Kaukauna Area School District is an excellent school system. The system includes early childhood through 12th grade. They have

approximately 4,100 students and approximately 500 staff members. http://www.kaukauna.k12.wi.us/

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Want your business featured here? Email [email protected]

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificates

make the perfect gift for every one. From golf to gas, groceries to lumber, gift

certificates can be redeemed at over 100 area business.

At The Recyclist, their mission is to serve your bicycle needs whether you require a new bicycle, a bicycle fitting,

or a simple tune-up. Our Shop is easily located off the Kaukauna CE Trail and is stocked with a wide selection

of new bikes by: Specialized, Giant, Raleigh, Electra, Diamondback, Haro, Sun and Rans.

http://www.recyclist.com/

Complete refinishing, collision repair and custom painting. Stop in at Dreher Collision Center to get your vehicle back on the road

looking its best, no matter what the accident. We aim to give each of our customers the best auto service out there, while keeping

your budget and schedule in mind. http://www.drehercollision.com/

Hilltop Bakery is Kaukauna's neighborhood bakery and more! For over 80 years they have proudly served the Fox River Valley. They are a full retail and wholesale family scratch bakery, using only the finest ingredients and giving every

product tender loving care. They bake fresh daily and use no preservatives. They feature old fashioned recipes and well

known Hill Top classics such as Peanut Squares and Coconut Sticks.

http://www.hilltopbakers.com/

Marshall Florist is your full service florist providing flowers, plants and custom arrangements for the special

occasions in your life. Local delivery available throughout the Fox Cities as well as delivery nationwide.

http://marshallflorist.net/

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10 Heart Beat | October 2014

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Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear trousers.

Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% Percentage of

North America that is wilderness: 38%.

Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.

Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."

During the chariot scene in 'Ben Hur' a small red car can be seen in the distance.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone

A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee.

The US Interstate road system was designed so that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.

The Bible, the world’s best-selling book, is also the world’s most shoplifted book.

The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

You can tell from the statue of a mounted horseman how the rider died. If all four of the horse's feet are on the ground, he died of natural causes. One foot raised means he died from wounds suffered in battle. Two legs raised means he died in action.

First novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

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12 Heart Beat | October 2014

Cellcom Cellcom to Offer iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus: September 26 Cellcom announced it will offer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest advancements in iPhone history, beginning on Friday, September 26 at its retail locations throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. iPhone 6 will be available starting at $199.95 for the 16GB model and iPhone 6 Plus will be available starting at $299.95 for the 16GB model with a two-year agreement. Cellcom will allow iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers to connect to its 4G LTE network which covers small cities and rural towns throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancements in iPhone history, featuring two new models with stunning 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays, and packed with innovative technologies in an all-new dramatically thin and seamless design that is still comfortable to hold and easy to use. Both models are better in every way and include: the Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight and FaceTime HD cameras; and ultrafast wireless technologies.

The new iPhones include iOS 8, the biggest release since the App Store, featuring a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard and Family Sharing. iOS 8 also includes the new Health app, giving you a clear overview of your health and fitness data and iCloud Drive, so you can store files and access them from anywhere. "There is always great anticipation for the innovation that Apple brings with a new device," said Pat Riordan, president and CEO of Cellcom. “Paired with Cellcom's leading network, our customers in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan are going to love experiencing the new features of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus." In addition, iPhone 5s will be available starting at $99.95 and iPhone 5c will be available starting at $0.95 with a two-year agreement. For more information on iPhone and pricing please visit www.cellcom.com.

Ribbon Cutting at Habitat ReStore in Appleton

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Aaron Baer Performance President Baer Performance Marketing http://www.baerpm.com/

Q: Give us a brief description/history of your business…. Baer Performance Marketing (BPM) is a full service marketing agency featuring a collaboration of marketing minds that provide businesses a comprehensive variety of services in the areas of marketing, advertising, public relations, digital and online resources, graphic design, photography and social media to name a few. At BPM, we work with businesses to determine the proper strategy for growth and work alongside them on execution. Every recommendation is carefully researched and each strategy is specifically designed for each business. We work with businesses in a wide variety of industries including banking, retail, fitness, dental, technology and much more. BPM celebrated its 6 - year anniversary this past month. Q: How did you get started in your field? I graduated from UW-LA Crosse with a major in public relations and organization communication with a minor in professional writing. From there, I lived in Minneapolis and moved to Hawaii doing time share marketing on Waikiki Beach. I then moved back to Green Bay and started my career in media with cumulus radio. I then took a position with a company that designed and manufactured high-end vehicle components as the public relations and marketing director. Once the owner of that business Changed his business focus, I decided to go out on my own and try and improve upon the experiences I’ve had with marketing agencies in my career. Thus, Baer Performance Marketing was started. The reason I added “Performance” to the title is because, in my experience, there was a good amount of “marketing people” who were concerned with awards, recognition and over-the-top creativity and our focus at BPM is to “perform” for our clients. Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? On a professional level, I would say my old boss, Greg Jessen. He always pushed me to be better and live up to my potential and taught me a lot about media, marketing and business in general. Due to him, I’m a big advocate of work hard and play hard. Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? I love the diversity of businesses. Whether a business is big or small, most people in this area are down to earth and it makes doing business much more enjoyable.

Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had? My first job after college, corporate collections - I had to sit in a small cubicle and make a mandatory minimum of 120 phone calls a day and try to get businesses to pay their past-due bills. Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? I’m a sports fanatic; I love to golf, play football, softball and basketball. When not involved in sports, I love to do fun stuff with my wife and 2 little boys. Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? I’m a huge fan of any and all James Bond movies, the awesome gadgets, non-stop action and beautiful ladies. What more could a guy want? Q: Is your desk messy or organized? My desk is somewhere in between. I find myself condensing and filing my desk to some extent daily due to the constant changing needs of our clients. Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? Green and gold without a doubt, the best franchise in professional sports! Q: Where was your best vacation and why? My wife and I took a “make it or break it” cruise when we were dating to determine if we were meant to be. It was a cruise in the Caribbean and went to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico and we also enjoyed some bonus days in South Beach. We made it through the 12 days and still liked each other so we decided to get married and now have two boys - best vacation of my life hands down! Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list? Go to the Super Bowl when the Packers are in it, go to the Rose Bowl when the Badgers are in it and attend the World Series when the Brewers are in it.

14 Heart Beat | October 2014

Meet The Members

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Give us a brief description/history of your business…. I am a commercial lender at BLC Community Bank. BLC is a strong community bank that has served the needs of its clients in the Fox Valley since 1906. We focus on our founding principles of offering our clients competitive products, quick response times, and most importantly, unmatched customer service.

Q: How did you get started in your field? I started my career in banking when I graduated from UW-Madison in 2003. I’ve been involved in many facets of banking: consumer lending, retail banking, management, business banking & commercial lending. 11 years came and went very quickly!

Q: Who is the one person that helped to make you who you are today? I have been fortunate to work with many great people and leaders. I also have great parents that always pushed me to work hard and be the best I could be.

Q: What do you like most about working in the Heart of the Valley area? Having grown up in Little Chute and going to high school in Appleton, I’ve been in the Heart of the Valley area most of my life. Leaving for college in Madison, and then living in Milwaukee for 5 years, it was great to get away and then come back to the valley. It really gave me a great appreciation for the area, and the people that live here. Couldn’t ask for a better place to raise a family. Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had? I’ve been pretty lucky to have jobs I’ve enjoyed. From bagging groceries, to caddying at a golf course, to installing HVAC units, they’ve all benefitted me in different ways.

Q: OK, now the good stuff. What do you like to do for fun? Most of my time is spent with my wife and 2 daughters. We enjoy camping or spending time by lake up north. I also love anything sports related. Whether it’s playing basketball or attending a Packer or Badger game, I’m all in!

Q: What’s your favorite movie and why? I guess I’d say Shawshank Redemption. It’s just a great movie. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off might be a close 2

nd.

Q: Is your desk messy or organized? I guess it depends on the day! Usually I’d say organized, but some times when things get really busy, it can be a challenge to keep clean.

Q: Green Bay Packers or another team? It’s all Wisconsin all the way for me! I’m definitely a die hard fan of the Packers, Badgers & Brewers!

Q: Where was your best vacation and why? Driving around Alaska for 2 weeks in a motorhome was really amazing, but taking the family to Disney last year was probably the best. Watching my oldest daughter’s eyes light up when she met princess after princess was pretty cool!

Q: What are the Top 3 items on your bucket list? Take a vacation in Hawaii, go sky diving and attend a Super Bowl!

Adam Lange Vice President - Loans BLC Community Bank http://www.blccb.com

* If you are a Chamber member and would like to be featured, email Jamie! It’s free! *

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16 Heart Beat | October 2014

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Since 2004, Stellar Blue Technologies’ mission is to be a reputable,

full-service digital marketing agency that provides creative online and

mobile solutions. Specializing in every aspect of internet and mobile

marketing, Stellar Blue continually strives to provide desired outcomes

that lead to clients’ success by saving them time and money.

Co-founders, Jim Dobinski and Dustin White, paths first crossed while pursuing degrees at Lakeland College where they

later went on to work within the IT and IS departments of a large fortune 500 company here in the valley. But as their

friendship grew, so did their entrepreneurial spirit. After taking the e-Seed program through the Venture Center and

placing in the Northeast Wisconsin Business Plan contest, Stellar Blue began emerging on the scene tackling not for profit

projects. Shortly thereafter, they were assigned a 75-page website and upon completion, realized they still liked one

another and decided to make the company their full-time role.

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Get to know the crew at Stellar Blue!

Location:

Fox Valley, Wisconsin | 16 in-house employees | Size: 350+ clients, internationally

Our Technologies:

Various hosting solutions including Cloud Hosting with Unix and Windows servers; HTML5; CSS3; Cross Platform Application

Development (Android & iOS Platform); Responsive Web Design, Advanced Programming Languages including Javascript, PHP,

Jquery, Coldfusion, XML, XSLT; Database Environments including MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Filemaker

The company now has grown to offer a full-breadth of digital marketing services and specializes in custom design, custom

development and internet marketing. Their advantages include a full-service, in-house team whose only job is yours. The

company also has a strong educational undercurrent that motivates each team member to continually pursue the next best

solution as well as give back to our local business owners, clients and entrepreneurs. This is accomplished through onsite

speaking engagements as well as the company’s educational Training Studio, located in Neenah, WI. At the Training Studio,

their teams’ experts give hands-on courses for WordPress, social media management, content marketing and other

marketing initiatives.

Being a local firm, with all their experts on-hand, they are

able to surround their client’s projects with the

appropriate person. The end result is exceptional

customer service and a timely completion to your project.

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18 Heart Beat | October 2014

Good communication is all about preparing the listener. Few of us have endless time available to listen to endless chatter about nonsensical subjects or to put up with complex details. This is even more true in the office. To communicate more effectively, try using these phrases to prep people. It gives them some notice about when something is important, complex, or just a little more entertaining.

1. We have a green light...

This is one of my favorite expressions, because it's a sign of someone who is a good communicator. It creates a positive feeling in the room--there are no more problems to worry about; the upper management at a company has already approved what you are about to say and listening will be worthwhile. It sets a tone and pushes the topic forward.

2. Let me back up...

A friend of mine uses this expression quite often. It's a great way to reframe your conversation and recapture attention. Essentially, it's like saying you have already spilled all of the juicy details but want to fill in a little more detail and it's worth sticking with the conversation.

3. I have an answer for you...

Here's a direct, no frills-approach to communication. When you let people know you have an answer, they will perk up. Part of the reason is that we all want to get the basic summary on a topic, we want answers to problems, and we want to be part of a solution.

4. The really good thing about that is...

This phrase helps the listeners understand that, whatever is coming next, it will be worth giving it your whole-hearted attention. In the same way as saying "you have a green light" for a project or topic, you are preparing the listener for something positive, encouraging and motivational.

5. Here's my reasoning...

Similar to letting people know you have the answer to a problem, this expression is a smart lead-in because it prepares the listener for a more lengthy explanation. We can settle in a little and wait for you to go into more detail. Plus, we get a clue that things might get a little complex.

6. Let me tell you why that's important...

Here's one that's the same as sticking up a red flag in the middle of a conversation. Maybe the person you are speaking to isn't really listening that carefully. By saying you want to relay something important, you are letting the listener know when to cue in a little more.

7. You will think this is funny...

I like this expression because it creates empathy with the listener. It says, I know you and what you usually want to hear, so listen a bit more attentively. You are preparing the listener to receive information he or she will probably enjoy hearing and admitting that you don't want to waste any time.

8. There's a story behind this...

Most of us don't have time for lengthy conversations at work, but we all love stories. Plus, when you tell someone you have a story, the person can relax a little and not think as much about what to add to the conversation. The person can tune in a little differently.

8 Expressions Really Good Communicators Use

Want to communicate more effectively? Try using these expressions to prep the

listener.

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There are many tips for delivering a great presentation, and while it is important to grab your audience at the beginning, what you do at the end can make all the difference in your presenta-tion's overall impact and success.

Getting rid of the "questions?" slide.

To start, let's talk about what you shouldn't do. You shouldn't end a presentation with a slide that asks "Questions?" Everyone does and there is nothing memorable about this approach.

Ideally, you should take questions throughout the presentation so that the question asked and the answer given is relevant to the content presented. If you choose to take questions at the end of your presentation, end instead with a strong image that relates to your presentation's content.

Effective endings

To be truly effective, take questions and then finish with a clos-ing that is as powerful as the beginning of your presentation.

Here are three techniques for creating a memorable ending in-clude:

1. A quote

Use a quote that will stay with your audience members long af-ter they leave the room.

I saw a fantastic presentation on what it takes to motivate a staff. The manager had provided a list of tips and techniques that worked for her, but I most strongly remember how she end-ed the presentation.

She listed each of her approaches with this simple quote in white letters on a black background emblazoned on the screen behind her:

"The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity."--Tom Peters

Her entire presentation had been about positive reinforcement and while I can't recall all of her tips, I will always remember the quote.

2. A call to action

Most business presentations' primary purpose is to move the audience to action. Use the last few minutes of the presentation to reinforce the call to action you seek. Examples of strong calls to actions include:

"Join the Fight"

"Begin the Journey"

"Improve the Process"

"Donate Today"

Assume that your presentation has delivered the information needed by the audience members to move them in a direction and make your call to action definitive and instructional.

3. A compelling story

Ending your presentation on a story--especially if that story is personal or illustrates how the content presented affects others--is the best way to conclude.

Many times I see companies defaulting to a case study. While a case study is good, consider how you can turn it into a meaning-ful story--how does or could the work being proposed influence others' lives? Creating empathy with your audience and tying the story back to points made throughout the presentation en-sures your presentation will hit the mark.

The Most Powerful Way to End a Presentation Use one of these approaches to make sure your next presentation achieves the

result you desire.

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20 Heart Beat | October 2014

A northern Idaho woman has been charged with a felony after police say she chewed up the upholstery of a patrol car seat.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports 42-year-old Staci Anne Spence was charged late last week with felony malicious injury to property and misdemeanors including resisting arrest and battery on an officer.

Spence has not yet entered a plea, according to court records, and a phone listing for her could not be found..

Prosecutors say Spence was arrested Thursday morning after deputies came to her home to investigate a battery report. The deputies wrote in a

court statement that when they arrived at the Bonner County Jail, they found that Spence had chewed through the patrol vehicle's upholstery and into the foam cushioning.

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How Well Do You Know Other Chamber Members? 5 Things You didn’t know about NNB2B

1.) NNB2B is a great lead source for YOUR sales and business development professionals. Each month NNB2B lists all new business incorporations in a concentrated segment of northeastern Wisconsin. 2.) NNB2B helps YOUR business reach a targeted audience of business owners and upper level business professionals in an effective and meaningful manner. 3.) NNB2B is available to YOU 24/7 in digital format FREE of charge on our website www.newnorthb2b.com. 4.) NNB2B offers YOUR business a combination of ways to reach your prospects through print and digital display advertising as well as article content. 5.) NNB2B is YOUR “go to” regional news source filled with valuable information on best business practices, local and regional elections, key statistics, and articles focused on issues regional businesses are dealing with daily.

600 S Main St, Oshkosh, WI 54902 | (920) 237-0254

The improving economy means we now have extra cash to spend -- and companies in the arts and leisure industries are reaping the benefits

Good News: Americans Are Spending More on Entertainment

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22 Heart Beat | October 2014

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