News From Harrisonville Area Chamber of Commerce - July 1, 2009

No First Friday Coffee in July

Next Coffee
August 7
95.3 KDKD Radio
at Price Chopper

Golf Tournament

Harrisonville's 9th Annual Golf Tournament was held June 18 on the Hoot's Hollow course at Country Creek Golf Club.  The winning team was  Harrisonville RIX School District with Doug VanZyl, Scott Ricker, Ron Cummings and Scott Welhoff who also shot a hole-in-one on #6.

Kurzweil's Country Meats donated the smoked porkchop lunch held in the clubhouse just before the tournament's noon shotgun start.  Dozens of golf carts (shown below) are lined up and waiting to take teams to their designated starting tee.

Many thanks to Allen Bank and Trust Company (team shown above) for being this year's Diamond Sponsor once again.  Your generosity and support are greatly appreciated.  

Thanks to the hard working Golf Committee:  Shannon Wymore, Carole Arnold, Meghan Moore, David Christian and Chris Kurzweil.  And thanks to volunteers Ginny Kalmar and April McGurgan for braving the elements for the benefit of the tournament.

New Member Profile:  Fastenal

Fastenal has opened a new store in Harrisonville, offering industrial and construction supplies, specialized hardware and bulk quantities.

Growth Through Customer Service is the motto that's grown Fastenal from a single location in Minnesota in 1967 to 2,300 stores nationwide today.  Each store has a tailored inventory geared toward their local clientele.

Brooke Brooks, General Manager of the Harrisonville location, previously worked at the Lee's Summit store.

"I've worked in Harrisonville through the Lee's Summit store for several years," Brooks says.  "I came out to Harrisonville every Wednesday, and it became my favorite day of the week."

"People here are friendly, easy to work with, and they appreciate our level of service."

Business in Harrisonville has been strong, Brooks relates.  So the company decided to open a store here. "So far we've exceeded the company's expectations," she says.

According to Brooks, 80 percent of Fastenal's business comes from going out to client's and customer's locations.  Customers place orders directly with the local Fastenal representative, and parts are shipped directly to them using Fastenal's own fleet of trucks.

With deliveries three days a week, customers orders are filled in only one or two days.

Only 20 percent of the business comes from storefront sales.  Even so, the shelves are packed with merchandise, hardware, fasteners and home improvement supplies.  And the store is open from 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Clint Martinez is the Harrisonville Fastenal's outside sales representative and David Olson is the District Manager who oversees 16 metro area stores.

As the country's largest industrial supply store network, Fastenal provides customers with local service and  immediate product availability.  The company created an in-house manufacturing division to quickly make unavailable parts available.  A sign on the wall says, "If it's not on our shelf, we will make it."

Employees are trained with product knowledge and skills to provide solutions in the field.  Fastenal aggressively invests in an inventory and distribution system that puts more products closer to more customers than any other distributor in North America.  The company uses hundreds of semi trailers and sprinter vans, as well as their trademarked pickups to make up a fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles.

Typical customers are industrial, such as automotive and machine shops, as well as manufacturing plants.

In addition to selling supplies, Fastenal provides services such as tool and hoist repair, bandsaw blade welding, chain and cable cutting and hose assemblies.

Brooks says it's the company's customer service that keeps clients coming back.  "We go the extra mile to make sure they are happy."

Business of the Month: Ritter Appraisals

Nestled behind a bank on 291 Highway, Ritter appraisals may look small and quiet, but the company's growth and specialized services are creating a regional and national presence.

Owner and founder, Larry Ritter, started the appraisal company back in 1980  in Adrian, moving it to Harrisonville in 1992.  Hanging on his office wall is the framed first dollar presented to him by the Chamber from when he first opened his office here.

Now the company employs five full time appraisers and two full time administrative assistants.  Larry's wife Linda does the company's bookkeeping.  Not only does the company handle area residential appraisals, but Larry's son, Steven, and three other appraisers are doing more and more rural agricultural, recreational and state projects, as well as commercial properties.

The appraisal business has changed over the years, and Larry recognized the need for professional education.  He joined the Appraisal Institute in 1990 and began four years of advanced training to earn his SRA,  Senior Residential Appraiser, designation.  The Institute offers training, continuing education, peer review and a code of ethics.

Steven, Larry's son, helped out during summers while he was in college and made the decision to become an appraiser.  After finishing his bachelor's degree, he joined another firm for two years, and then started working with his father.  He earned his MAI certification to do commercial appraisals, and then got his ARA from the American Society of Rural Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.  Steven is unaware of anyone else in the KC Metro area who is double accredited.

Now the company has developed a national reputation for farm and commercial appraisals.  They are familiar with Federal Appraisal standards and have done large projects over an 11-state area.

Ritter appraisals handles between 300 and 400 projects of varying sizes every year.  They are a mix of standard housing appraisals and large, unusual projects that take a lot longer.  They worked on one big project in another state recently for more than two months.

According to Larry and Steven, the appraisal business has not slowed down.  The company is diversified in the property types it can handle, and the staff is staying busy.

MO Chamber Partners With Company For Unemployment Cost Management

Unemployment insurance tax is one of the few controllable business taxes employers must pay. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has partnered with TALX, the industry leader in the unemployment cost management field, to offer our members their latest self-service offering called UC Direct.

UC Direct is a Web-based unemployment claim processing service that can help organizations save money by effectively managing their claims and potentially lowering their unemployment tax rate. This user-friendly tool prompts users with questions about an employee’s separation, leading to the most complete and effective claim response possible, resulting in fewer calls from the state agencies and better win ratios.

To learn more about how this solution can help your organization control its unemployment costs, you’re invited to attend a Free Webinar for Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry members

Wednesday, July 15 at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.

To register for UC Direct webinar, click below:

http://mochamber.com/mx/hm.asp?id=events

Chamber Gets Rebate From Recycle Rewards

HACC just received a little over $225 in rebates from Recycle Rewards for recycling printer cartridges and used cell phones.

This check represents scores of printer cartridges and 3 cell phones that are being refurbished and reused, keeping toxic trash out of landfills.

The cartridges and phones come from several member businesses including BC National Bank, Eagle Elevator, CASCO and TC Heating and Cooling.  The funds will be used for programs and benefits for all Chamber members.

If you have any used printer cartridges or cell phones, bring them by the Chamber office and we will send them in for recycling.  Office hours are 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

June Board Meeting Minutes

The board of directors of the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce met Thursday, June 11, 2009, at the Chamber offices, 2819 Cantrell Road. Board President Danny Powell called the meeting to order. In attendance were: Directors, Doug Van Zyl,  Larry Chaney, Chris Benjamin, Kelly Powell, Tracy Goff, Gabe Sweitzer; ex-officio board member Keith Moody and Staff, Ann Britt and Judy McKim.

- Two guests were introduced: Helen Friedrich, community volunteer, and Bob May, KDKD Radio.

- Minutes and financial reports were reviewed and approved.

- Accounts payable were reviewed.

Committee Updates:

Ambassadors – Stacy Davis, chair; Danny Powell, board liaison. The Ambassadors presented Business of the Month award to Applebee’s on June 5 and had a ribbon cutting ceremony for new member Fastenal on June 9.

Business Services & Promotion – Tracy Goff, committee chair. No report.

Economic Development – Larry Chaney, board liaison. Committee members presented lots of good ideas for positive projects and initiatives to pursue at an earlier meeting. Two projects were selected for implementation: 1. To develop the Historic Square area, and 2. To develop the Harrisonville airport. Both projects are designed to help make our city a “destination” location. The committee is developing an action plan for the next meeting.

Legislative/Government Affairs –Rick Grabill & Daryl Veatch, co-chairs; Chris Benjamin, board liaison. The legislative update breakfast was successful thanks to Rep. Scavuzzo and Sen. Pearce who reported on this year’s legislative session. On September 17 a luncheon is planned for Major Kevin Wood and Cass County Commissioner Gary Mallory to present the city and county update.

Membership Development Committee – Chris Kurzweil is chairman and board liaison. The golf tournament is scheduled for June 18. The committee is signing up sponsors and teams. Kurzweil’s Country Meats will provide the pork chop luncheon again this year. Because of the economic times, sponsorship is down half, although we have the same number of teams as last year.

Education Committee – Kristie Fisher, chair; Marcie Milner, board liaison.  Nicole Marshall, Education Sub-Committee Chair for Harrisonville Next Steps, discussed the importance of early childhood education. At the upcoming July meeting, the committee will begin planning the Personal Finance classes for the next school year.

Tourism Committee—Kelly Powell, board liaison. No report.

Cass County Coalition of Chambers – Ann Britt, board liaison. Unable to attend the May meeting. The June 11 meeting is at the Chamber offices in Belton.

Cass County Corporation for Economic Development – Gabe Sweitzer, board liaison.  No report.

Chamber Foundation: Received IRS approval as a 501 c 3 organization. The Foundation Board will discuss possible projects at the July meeting.    

Staff Report: No word from the State on the License Fee Office. Judy is working on the Golf Tournament. Ann is researching how other chambers use social media services, as well as looking into different membership recruitment and retention ideas. One of our goals is to increase the email blast contact list to 1,000 recipients. We are now over 500 which resulted in a huge fee increase with Constant Contact. We recently changed providers to RatePoint which provides better services, more program flexibility and a $500 savings per year.

Unfinished Business:

- Health insurance for the Chamber staff was reviewed by the Executive Committee. They recommend offering salary increases to help staff pay for part of their individual coverage rather than offer company health insurance this year. It was moved and approved to accept this recommendation.

- The Executive Committee reviewed a wage increase for the Secretary/Bookkeeper.  It was moved and approved.

- Ann opened discussion and review of this year’s Program of Work. Goals were discussed, action taken and recommendations were offered by board members.

New Business:

- Membership report includes one new member and five resignations.

- Keith Moody gave the City/Economic Development report. The 291 Transportation and Development District has selected an engineer. The project is moving forward with 50% of funds coming from DOT. Meetings with property owners in the District will be conducted regarding the First Phase of the plan to build a new bridge over 71 that will comply with Interstate classification to I-49 from the southern Missouri state line to I-435. In other city news, sales taxes continue to be 2 percent below last year. Water and electricity usage is down as people are being more conservative. The city will receive more than $3 million in stimulus funds for the new wastewater treatment facility. This is the largest grant Harrisonville has ever received and will pay up to 50 percent of the project’s cost. It could result in lower sewer rates for residents. The Parks and Recreation Department is planning a July 4 celebration with the largest fireworks exhibition ever. There are lots of activities planned for the holiday and information is available through the city and parks departments’ emails.

It was moved and approved to adjourn.

July Upcoming Meetings and Events

July 3 - No First Friday Coffee
July 4 - Happy Independence Day!
July 8 - Economic Development Committee, 10:30 am, CCR
July 9 - Chamber Board Meeting, 8:30 am, CCR
July 9 - Cass County Coalition of Chambers, 11:45 am, Butcher Block Grille.
July 17 - Ribbon Cutting for Comfort Inn, 9 am.
July 17 - Education Committee, 10 am, CCR
Aug. 7 - 95.3 KDKD First Friday Coffee at Price Chopper, 7:30 - 9 am.

New Members

Fastenal Company
301 Plaza Drive
Harrisonville
Brooke Brooks
884-3229
Mokc7@stores.fastenal.com

Milestones

25 Years - Golden Classics Jewelry
1 Year - Comfort Inn & Suites

Renewals
Absolute Health
Anders Air
Casey's General Store
Crop Production Services
Elements Studio
Grider & Toth Orthodontics D.D.S.
Charles Hight, Attorney
Ed Long, D.D.S.
Morgan-Anne
Oaks Mobile Home Park & Rent-A-Space
Royal Chevrolet
Southland Coin Laundry
State Farm Insurance - Daryl Bohannon
Super Auto Sales