Community Partners Soldotna s Community Partners - Developing Soldotna s Future

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1 Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Sterling Hwy, Soldotna, AK (907) Presorted Std. US Postage PAID Soldotna, AK Permit #5 December 2015 Community Partners Soldotna s Community Partners - Developing Soldotna s Future DIAMOND PLATINUM GOLD SILVER Arby s Aspen Hotels Crowley Petroleum First National Bank Alaska Homer Electric Association Kenai River Foundation Lambe, Tuter & Wagner, CPAs Soldotna Professional Pharmacy Sweeney s Clothing Wells Fargo Bank FREE and Open to the Public! Media Partners The views and opinions expressed in the advertisements are not necessarily endorsed or reflective of the views of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce.

2 Save the Date! 57 th Annual Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Awards Celebration Join us in honoring businesses and individuals for their outstanding service to the Soldotna Chamber and our community! Tuesday, January 12 th Noon - 1:30 pm Soldotna Regional Sports Complex (Doors Open at 11:15 am) Each active chamber member will receive two complimentary tickets to attend in the mail in December! RSVP is required by January 8 th to , online or by ! We Need Your Nominations! Please submit a nomination form (enclosed) by December 11 to melodie@soldotnachamber.com! 40 th Annual Peninsula Winter Games January 23, 2016 Soldotna Regional Sports Complex FREE! Family Fun! Games for Kids Face Painting Ice-a-Cookie Kids Monopoly Tournament Bouncy Houses Snowmachine Rides Kick Sleds Scavenger Hunt Free Lunch and Dinner Fireworks...and much more! Peninsula Winter Games Ice Sculptures Be a part of an annual Peninsula Winter Games tradition by reserving an ice sculpture for your business!! Contact Melodie at (907) or melodie@soldotnachamber.com for more information and to reserve your 2016 ice sculpture.

3 Member Insert Board of Directors Ryan Kapp, President Edward Jones Investments, Becky Hutchinson - Secretary/Treasurer Alaska USA FCU, Mary Hart GCI, Esther Chambers Century 21 Freedom Realty, Robert Ruffner Kenai Watershed Forum, Sherri Nyitrai Alaska Family Medical Clinic, Steve Manley Wells Fargo Bank, Becky Foster Foster Construction, Shanon Davis Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council (KPTMC), Laura West First American Title Insurance Company, Mike Sweeney Sweeney s Clothing, Jim Stogsdill - Past President Fish Happens Guide Service, Linda Murphy - City Council Member City of Soldotna Liaison, Chamber Staff Sterling Hwy, Soldotna, AK Ph: (907) Fax: (907) Tami Murray Executive Director tami@soldotnachamber.com Katie Jacobson Member Services Coordinator katie@soldotnachamber.com Melodie Allen Events Coordinator melodie@soldotnachamber.com Sara Hondel Visitor Center Coordinator sara@soldotnachamber.com Bookkeeper bookkeeper@soldotnachamber.com RIVER CITY PULLTABS 131 Warehouse Avenue, Soldotna (907) Permit #485 Rebecca Hanson, Store Manager Tuesday, December 1: Joint Chamber Luncheon - Are you ready for 2016? Attend this Financial Planning luncheon with Ryan Kapp with Edwards Jones Investments. Location: Soldotna Regional Sports Center Tuesday, December 8: Soldotna Chamber Luncheon - Joel Todd, Assistant Parks & Recreation Director, City of Soldotna. Location: Soldotna Regional Sports Center Tuesday, December 15: Alaska State Troopers - Background Checks & Your Business with Lieutenant Dane Gilmore. Location: Froso s Restaurant Tuesday, December 22: No Chamber Luncheon - Join us for the Chamber s Holiday Social & Trivia Night at 5:30 pm. Location: Odie s - Soldotna Tuesday, December 29: No Chamber Luncheon All luncheons and events require an RSVP to attend. Please call (907) or melodie@soldotnachamber.com to reserve your spot. Lunch cost is $15. Meetings are free to attend and open to the public. If you re interested in being a featured speaker for a Soldotna Chamber Luncheon, contact Melodie at or melodie@soldotnachamber.com. Download the luncheon speaker form at visitsoldotna.com Let s Connect! Connect With Us on These Social Media Websites Facebook Pinterest Instagram Google + Foursquare Yelp

4 Member Insert Welcome New Members! Kenai Business Connection Stephanie Davidson - (907) Alaskan Seamless Gutters Andrew & Breann Graves - (907) We appreciate your membership referrals. A strong chamber makes a strong community! Please direct membership referrals and questions to katie@soldotnachamber.com. AS SEEN AT THE CHAMBER MEMBER BREAKFAST! EVENTS! RENT ME! The Soldotna Chamber now offers a 300 survey keypad polling system that integrates with any PowerPoint presentation. You can anonymously survey your audience and see immediate results on screen. Plus, reports can be produced after your presentation! The Soldotna Chamber is bringing this great survey technology to our members for a great price. To learn more and to rent the Audience Response System for your next event, meeting or presentation, contact the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at (907) or katie@soldotnachamber.com. Workforce Needs Assessment Presentation & Survey Your opportunity to help shape workforce development on the Kenai Peninsula Kenai Peninsula College invites you to participate in an opportunity to share your thoughts and vision for the future of workforce development trainings by completing a Needs Assessment to identify targeted business sectors for both employers and employees. Friday, December 4-1:30 pm to 3 pm Ward Building, Room 102 on the campus of Kenai Peninsula College If you have questions or to RSVP, contact Joseph Thornton at

5 Member Insert << SMART TECH HELP >> For Your Business Katie Jacobson, Member Services Coordinator (907) or Why Offering Free WiFi to Your Customers is Wise The Internet of Things is right upon us. Google is updating the search engine algorithms to favor mobile-friendly websites. Today, people are making more use of the Internet while on the go and thus, they expect to access the WiFi hotspots while they are on the move. The business houses of today are rushing to meet the demand of offering free WiFi to the customers. If you have a physical business space, offering free WiFi to your customers can provide you a series of advantages. More Time Spent on Premises One of the biggest benefits offered by free WiFi is increased time spent on the premises. The customers are bound to stay longer if they can remain connected. As many as 62 percent of businesses pointed out that the customers spend more time in their facility or shop if WiFi access is offered. Around 50 percent of customers spend more money as well. You must be thinking that the customers are simply hanging around, taking up the space but are not spending much. You are wrong. Only a few business owners pointed out that the customers spend less and simply hang around if free WiFi is made available. No doubt, the goal of each business house is different when it comes to offering free WiFi to the customers. While some do it to offer better customer service, others do it to attract more customers. Some also deploy free WiFi to get the customers spend more. The businesses that deployed it to serve customers better reported high success rates, a whopping 79 percent. The businesses that offered this service to increases sales numbers come next with a success rate of 72 percent. Increased Foot Traffic So you have already put up a sign at the corner of the street to gain more traffic. The brick and mortar businesses need much more than a sign spinner to acquire adequate foot traffic. Most people nowadays use GPS and the social mapping services like Google Maps, Yelp and Foursquare to find businesses. At times, they also search for specific amenities like free WiFi. Offering fast and free WiFi at business can put your business on the map for individuals who may not notice you otherwise. Moreover, the customers who are passing by will see your network. This will work in the form of free advertisement on mobile devices. Attracts New Customers WiFi allows businesses like restaurants, cafes, and pubs to attract new customers. Sitting alone in a café or a restaurant is quite awkward. According to a survey, 53 percent of people are happy to sit alone in restaurants and cafes if WiFi is available. Free WiFi access helps to connect with friends removing the stigma of sitting alone. Meets Customer Expectations The consumers are slowly getting accustomed to free WiFi access and this is creating an expectation for free WiFi availability. Free WiFi is presently available on private and public transport, libraries, hotels, city centers, pubs and even churches. The businesses that do not offer free WiFi must embrace this trend, allowing the customers to remain connected to the online world. Failure to do so can prove to be quite damaging for business. One in 10 people leaves the venue in the absence of free WiFi access. Helps Differentiate Business of Competitors Quality and price were two traditional ways that helped businesses to differentiate themselves. Technology is forcing businesses to think again of this approach. We live in the age of smartphones. So providing free WiFi can provide a significant advantage over others. There are people who select venues based upon availability of free WiFi. Thus, your business is bound to have an advantage over your competitors if they do not offer free WiFi. Improved Search Engine Ranking Google is not just favoring the mobile friendly websites, but they are also starting to index content from the ios apps. This means that the Google searches made on iphone and ipad will search not just the internet but the device apps too. If your business is listed on a few apps, the search profile is bound to be raised, making it significantly more likely to show up in the search results and get clicked by the customers. Enhanced Customer Tracking Offering free WiFi does not just benefit the customers. If you can control the network connection, you can set your website as the homepage, accumulate customer data and target ads directly to devices. This will help the customers to be aware of add-ons, specials as well as other services on offer. So judging the benefits, I don t think that you will want to stop offering free WiFi to your customers. The availability of WiFi is no longer an innovation that is limited to the bigger retail chains but today, even the small businesses are offering this service in their establishment, for both the customers as well as employees. Source: - Your Chamber Tech Guru What Classes Should We Offer Members? Take the Survey! ** Watch for #TipTuesday on the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page - Coming Soon!** The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center offers FREE WiFi year round and encourages visitors and members to take advantage of the service anytime! Technology Got You Down? Feeling Confused? I Can Help!! Soldotna Chamber members receive FREE Tech Help with their membership. Get help with your website, , social media and more! If I can t help you, I ll connect you to who can. Give me a call at or katie@ soldotnachamber.com to schedule your FREE consultation.

6 We Need Your Chamber Award Nominations! If you would like to nominate a business or individual for a 2015 Chamber Award, please submit a nomination form by December 11 th to melodie@soldotnachamber.com or call (907)