http://www.hotspringschamber.comNews related to The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce(c) 2009, The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce All Rights Reserved.5Scheduled Air Service Returns to Hot Springs SeaPort Airlines will serve the community from a Memphis hub Open house set for October 27 to celebrate, enter to win a Grizzlies package Beginning October 26, Oregon-based SeaPort Airlines will serve Hot Springs from a private terminal at Memphis International Airport. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded SeaPort Airlines the Essential Air Service (EAS) contract to operate flights to Hot Springs, El Dorado, Harrison and Jonesboro—all cities which have not received scheduled air service in over a year. “SeaPort was proud to have been chosen by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to serve these communities,” said Kent Craford, CEO of SeaPort. “We have received a very warm welcome and look forward to rebuilding the air service that has been lost in these four communities.” The EAS program has a goal of guaranteeing that small communities served by scheduled commercial air service before deregulation maintain such service. SeaPort will fly out of Memphis International Airport to each of these Arkansas communities three times a day every day except for Saturday. SeaPort is offering an introductory offer of $49 each way to Hot Springs, Harrison and El Dorado and $29 each way to Jonesboro with three-week advance purchase. An open house is set for Tuesday, October 27 from 1:45 to 4 p.m. inside the main terminal of the Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport located at 525 Airport Road. Scheduled to speak at the open house will be Hot Springs Mayor Mike Bush, Airport Manager, George Downie and SeaPort CEO, Kent Craford. There will be refreshments available and parking is located at the main terminal. For more information about the event, call Jackie with the Chamber of Commerce at 501-321-1700. Enter for your chance to win a one night Memphis getaway brought to you by SeaPort Airlines. Fly to Memphis in style on SeaPort Airlines to catch a Grizzlies game, stay overnight in a downtown hotel and return home the very next day. In order to participate in this promotion, participants may either fly SeaPort’s Open House departing flight leaving Hot Springs at 3:45 pm on October 27, 2009 or may fill out an online entry form found at www.seaportair.com/contest. The winners will be contacted no later than November 6, 2009. This promotion is a giveaway to promote new air transportation offered by SeaPort Airlines. The selling of an airline ticket for the purpose of providing air transportation is separate and distinct from “the selling of tickets to win a prize.” SeaPort launched in June of 2008 operating daily scheduled flights between Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wash. out of its private terminal at Portland International Airport and Seattle’s Boeing Field. Since then, SeaPort has expanded its routes to three other Oregon destinations: Pendleton, Newport and Astoria. SeaPort allows customers to arrive just 15 minutes before their flight, park on-site for free and avoid the hassles of TSA. SeaPort Airlines operates Swiss-built Pilatus PC-12s, a pressurized, fast and comfortable turbo-prop aircraft. SeaPort Airlines is a dba of Alaska Juneau Aeronautics, an FAA Part 135 Certified scheduled air carrier founded in 1983. SeaPort’s sister airline, Wings of Alaska, operates daily scheduled service between Juneau, Alaska and six outlying communities. Information can be found at www.wingsofalaska.com. For reservations or more details about SeaPort Airlines, visit www.SeaPortAir.com or call 888-573-2767. HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=198Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMTBucking recent industry trends, Oaklawn will offer a record of nearly $4.8 in stakes purses in 2010, officials announced Wednesday. "We had a great live racing season, both on-track and off-track, and our Instant Racing division has performed better than ever," David Longinotti, the assistant general manager of racing, said. "We opened the first phase of our expanding gaming facility in May and are on schedule to complete the second phase before Opening Day of the 2010 Live Season." In all, Oaklawn will offer 30 stakes races with total purses of $4.775 million. A total of 10 of the 30 events will offer a higher purse than in previous years. "Rather than increase the number of stakes races, we thought it more prudent to increase the purses on as many of the events as possible," Pat Pope, racing cecretary, said. Oaklawn's 2010 season opens Friday, Jan. 15, and runs through Saturday, April 10, with the traditional season-ending $1 million Arkansas Derby, the anchor event of the Racing Festival of the South. The Arkansas Derby has been perhaps the most important Triple Crown prep race of the decade, producing champions Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Lawyer Ron, two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, and this year's Belmont Stakes winner, Summer Bird. Oaklawn will kick off its 2010 season with a four-day holiday weekend, highlighted by the $100,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday, Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Day. The Smarty Jones, which offered a $50,000 purse in its first two runnings, is one of the 10 stakes races that offer an increased 2010 purse. A one-mile event for 3-year-olds, the Smarty Jones also kicks off Oaklawn's important series of Triple Crown prep races. Culminating with the Arkansas Derby, the series continues with the $250,000 Southwest Stakes, Monday, Feb. 15, and the $300,000 Rebel Stakes, Saturday, March 13. Heading the list of stakes races with increased purses in 2010 is the $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes, increased from $50,000; the $125,000 Honeybee, increased from $100,000; and the $300,000 Fantasy Stakes, increased from $250,000, all for three-year-old fillies. "With the success of recent graduates of these races, including Rachel Alexandra, Eight Belles and Pure Clan, we felt that the series of races we offer for 3-year-old fillies deserved a bit of a bump, too." Pope said. "Our goal is to be the best track in the nation to prepare 3-year-olds of both sexes for the spring classics." Other stakes races that will offer more money in 2010 include the $75,000 Pippin Stakes (up from $50,000); the $60,000 Spring Fever, the $60,000 Mountain Valley, the $60,000 Hot Springs, the $60,000 Prima Donna and the $60,000 Carousel - all up from $50,000. The 2010 Racing Festival of the South, considered by many the most prestigious week of racing in North America, will open Saturday, April 4, and continue through Saturday, April 10. Climaxing with the $1 million Arkansas Derby, the Racing Festival showcases at least one stakes race per day with a minimum purse of $100,000. In 2010, the Racing Festival opens Friday, April 2, with the Fantasy Stakes and continues Saturday, April 3, with the $500,000 Apple Blossom and $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap. In addition to the increase in stakes purses, Oaklawn will also increase overnight purses for 2010. The minimum purse for 2010 will be $15,000, compared with $13,000 in 2009, and maiden allowance races will begin at $36,000, compared with $34,000 in 2009. Stall applications for the 2010 Live Season are now available on Oaklawn's web site and must be turned in to the racing office by Thursday, Oct. 29. The Oaklawn stable area will open Monday, Nov. 16, and the track will open for training Monday, Nov. 23. By Oaklawn.comHTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=191Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTJohn Selig awarded by Arkansas Economic Developers Commission for his 20 Years of Service Hot Springs’ John Selig was chosen as the Arkansas Economic Developers Association’s (AED) Volunteer of the Year on August 25 at a luncheon in Rogers, Ark. This honor was awarded to him for the 20 years he has dedicated to the economic development of the State of Arkansas and the Hot Springs Metro area. Selig has served on the board of the Garland County Economic Development Corporation for more than 20 years, serving as chairman of the board twice during that time. He was instrumental in many projects during his tenure including the initiative to build the first speculative building, which now houses Stanley Associates, Inc. one of Hot Springs’ top 20 employers. “We are delighted to have John on our team. He has a wealth of knowledge and insight and brings thoughts and ideas to the forefront and provides sound advice to GCEDC,” said Dave Byerly, President/CEO of the GCEDC and The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. AED considers anyone who is not employed as a full-time economic developer as an eligible nominee for the Volunteer of the Year award and it is necessary that nominees have a history of playing a significant role in the economic development efforts of a community. “As far as we know John is the first Hot Springs resident to win the Volunteer of the Year,” said Byerly. Projects with which he has been associated include the organization of the Metro Little Rock Alliance, of which he was a founding board member, and the efforts to secure a stable public-private funding base for GCEDC’s economic development efforts. Selig understands the hand-in-hand relationship between community development and economic development, and has worked to upgrade the quality of place in Hot Springs in the areas of housing and health care. He founded Garland County Habitat for Humanity in 1996; to date, that organization has constructed 80 new homes for deserving families in the community, a record for a Habitat operation in a community of comparable size. The local Habitat organization also operates the “re-Store,” an outlet that sells donated building supplies that are not used in the construction projects, and turns the proceeds back into the organization. He has also served on the board of the Sisters of Mercy Health System for 18 years, as well as the board of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Currently, he serves as chairman of the Hot Springs/Garland County YMCA’s Active America campaign, a movement spearheaded by YMCAs nationally to help youth control obesity and to promote physical fitness in youth. Fitness is a personal passion of Selig’s, as he has completed three marathons, including the New York and Marine Corps Marathons, and three triathlons. “John’s leadership records in both the business sector and the civic sector are exemplary, and his dedication to his community makes him a worthwhile candidate for the AED’s Volunteer of the Year award,” said Byerly. HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=193Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTSeventeen K-12 public school districts in Arkansas earned the top grade (A or A-minus) in the Policy Foundation's fourth annual School District Rankings study. Fourteen districts received a D-minus grade and nine districts received a failing F grade in the report, which relies on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10) to issue a letter grade to every Arkansas district. Grades of B-plus, B or B-minus were given to 72 districts, and 117 districts earned grades of C-plus, C or C-minus. D-plus grades were assigned to 7 districts, and 8 districts received D grades in the study. The report identifies best practices to assist students, parents, teachers, and administrators in Arkansas. The Foundation maintains that students in failing districts should be able to benefit from education reforms including administrative restructuring, charter schools and school choice. Methodology Dr. Michael Scoles, a 1982 graduate of Northern Illinois University used SAT-10 scores administered in 2008 to rank 244 districts. The SAT-10 tests math and reading skills. The method used to assign letter grades to districts in the report is as follows: First and ninth-grade national percentile ranks on SAT-10 math and reading were converted to state-normed T-scores. Math and reading letter grades were assigned based on state T-scores at the ninth-grade level. "Adjustment" letter grades were assigned based on the discrepancy between actual ninth-grade scores and what would be predicted given external characteristics measured by first-grade scores. Overall district letter grades were based on the average of ninth-grade math, ninth-grade reading, and adjustment letter grades. Arkansas districts earning A and A-minus grades are performing at a level significantly higher than average. Districts receiving B-plus, B or B-minus grades are performing somewhat above average. Districts assigned C-plus, C or C-minus grades are performing at an average level. Districts with grades of D-plus, D or D-minus have significant room for improvement and are not adequately preparing their students. Districts receiving F grades are considered failing. The methods and factors used for determining the break scores separating A, B, C, D and F grades for each district are explained in detail in appendices to the report. Top Districts (A Grade) Districts receiving top grades (A or A-minus) in the study are Lake Hamilton, Bentonville, Pottsville, Fayetteville, Conway, Lakeside (Garland County), Mena, Bryant, Searcy, Scranton, Valley View, Salem, Greenwood, Mountainburg, Dardanelle, Bismarck, and Parkers Chapel. Some of these districts including Valley View, Bentonville, Lakeside (Garland County), Fayetteville and Greenwood also earned top grades in the 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Policy Foundation studies. Failing Districts (F Grade) Districts receiving failing (F) grades are Forrest City, Dermott, Augusta, Helena-West Helena, Turrell, Earle, Hughes, Dollarway, and Hermitage. Forrest City, Earle and Dermott received similar grades in the 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007 Foundation studies. Education Reform Proposals The Policy Foundation recommended letter grades for K-12 districts in 1998, and is issuing another annual report because Arkansas officials have failed to act on the recommendation. PA 35 of 2003 (Second Extraordinary Session) did create numerical rankings, but not letter grades for districts. The Act's accountability provisions will not become fully operational until the 2009-2010 school year "unless an annual performance category level is requested by the school." The Policy Foundation is recommending administrative restructuring and expanded charter school and choice options in districts that received D or F grades. Choice options should include tax credits for students in failing districts. Students and parents in failing districts deserve additional options including charters, choice and tax credits. One way to address this need is to encourage institutions of higher learning (college and universities) to operate charter and receive per-pupil funding currently distributed to failing districts. Another solution is to give tax credits to individuals, corporations or other voluntary enterprises sponsoring students in failing districts. From Arkansas Policy Foundation HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=192Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTFor a third year in a row, The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce has chosen EXIT Marketing of Little Rock to develop and design the Official Hot Springs Relocation Guide and corresponding print campaign. “EXIT Marketing is a great agency to work with and we are very excited to work with them on the 2010 Relocation Guide,” said Amanda Bryant, Communications Director for The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. “The 2008 Relocation Guide was the first Guide we did with EXIT and next week in Raleigh, NC The Chamber will be recognized for the Merit Award that Guide recently won in a national communications competition. Each Guide gets better so we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the 2010 Hot Springs Relocation Guide.” “Our team is thrilled to have been selected once again. This is a premier project that any agency in the state would be proud to work on. We look forward to again putting our creative talents to work to showcase the great city of Hot Springs,” said Shawn Solloway, President of EXIT. EXIT Marketing is a team of creative-driven professionals committed to ending bad advertising. Its client list includes: Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Delta Trust & Bank, QualChoice Health Insurance, WER Architects/Planners, National Park Medical Center, American Cancer Society, BCC Construction and the Arkansas Hospital Association. You can view EXIT’s work at exitideas.com. HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=188Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMTAll-American Returns to Hot Springs in 2010 for Fifth Time in 11 Years FLW Outdoors and the Hot Springs Convention and Visitor’s Bureau announced today that the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy will return to Hot Springs and DeGray Lake. The prestigious championship, which annually shines an international media spotlight on the nation’s best weekend anglers, will be held May 27-29, 2010, making its fifth return to Hot Springs since 2000. Lake Ouachita will host a Walmart FLW Tour event the same weekend, marking the first time the BFL All-American and a tour event will coincide with one another. The tour event will be held Thursday, May 27 to Sunday, May 30, 2010. Hot Springs has hosted a number of record-setting FLW Outdoors tournaments, including the historic 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where Team Folgers pro Scott Suggs of Bryant, Ark., became the sport’s first $1 million winner. The event drew a then-record crowd of more than 60,000 fans to Summit Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center over the course of four days. Hot Springs also hosted the 2005 Forrest Wood Cup and the 2008, 2004, 2001 and 2000 All-American championships, each of which set fan attendance records. “We have a superb track record of successful events with FLW Outdoors and we look forward to having another one in 2010,” said Steve Arrison, chief executive officer for the Hot Springs Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “This is a bass-fishing town, and we are honored to once again play host to one of the sport’s premier events. Based on the high-quality, family-friendly events that FLW Outdoors always provides, and the tremendous response we’ve seen in the past, the 2010 All-American should be another record breaker.” The All-American, in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour qualifying event, will feature its traditional Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show at the Hot Springs Convention Center with daily giveaways for children and adults alike. The Family Fun Zone will be open Thursday through Sunday and the daily weigh-ins will be held in Summit Arena for each tournament. Admission and all activities are free. “We are thrilled to be returning to Hot Springs,” said Charlie Evans, FLW Outdoors president and CEO. “The record attendance we’ve had during previous tournaments in the city speaks volumes about the enthusiasm for bass fishing that fans have throughout the entire state of Arkansas.” Coverage of the All-American will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Because BFL competitors are weekend anglers, the All-American and its lucrative cash awards and international media exposure present a unique opportunity for qualifiers who will be fishing for top awards of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Additionally, the winning boater and winning co-angler will advance to the $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in Atlanta Aug. 5-8, 2010, where pros will compete for as much as $1 million and co-anglers will fish for as much as $100,000 – the sport’s largest awards. Each year more than 33,000 BFL anglers and 20,000 TBF anglers nationwide compete in the hope of becoming one of just 54 boaters and 54 co-anglers who qualify for the All-American and fish for a share of $1 million. As the nation’s leading weekend tournament circuit, the Walmart Bass Fishing League and its 28 divisions nationwide are widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. The BFL also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series™, Walmart™ FLW® Series and ultimately the FLW Tour. FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com. HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=187Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMTThe Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce is a recipient of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives’ (ACCE) Award for Communications Excellence (ACE). The chamber’s entry, 2008 Official Hot Springs Relocation Guide, received an award of merit. Entries receiving the ACE Merit Award meet the fundamental standards and criteria for communications excellence. The Awards for Communication Excellence is a competition to recognize excellence in all areas of communication. The ACE program has been designed to honor, reward and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communication programs, campaigns and projects, and to comprehensively encompass all areas of “communication excellence." “We are very honored to be included in this esteemed group of Chambers of Commerce, each year the Chamber strives to produce a Relocation Guide that is worthy of national attention. Last year we won an ACE Honorable Mention Award for the 2007 Relocation Guide and now won a higher award for the 2008 Relocation Guide. We are on a mission to each year make a better more productive Guide and eventually win an ACE Grand Award, which is the industry’s ‘Best in Show,’” said Amanda Bryant, the Communications Director for The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. More than sixty judges spent 200 hours judging entries, and provided comprehensive feedback for each participant. Judges’ backgrounds included experience in the fields of public relations, printing and design, special events planning, fundraising, journalism, economic development, web design, and public policy. “It is nice to be recognized by your peers for a product that truly facilitates part of your mission,” said Bryant. “Hot Springs offers a unique balance of small town charm and big city attractions. Bringing the best of both worlds together in one special place. Being able to use our creative talents to help promote this great city has been a privilege for our team at EXIT,” said EXIT President, Shawn Solloway, who the Chamber worked with Chamber member, Exit Marketing to produce the Guide. “Working with good people to promote a great product; this project offers us the perfect formula for success. Our team is proud to have played a role in earning this recognition for the Chamber and the city of Hot Springs.” Winners will be recognized on July 31 at the annual ACCE Convention, in Raleigh, N.C.HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=181Thu, 28 May 2009 04:00:00 GMTGarland County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) is pleased to announce the addition of Kay Brockwell to the economic development staff. Brockwell will function in the newly created position, Director of Business Retention and Recruitment for Garland County Economic Development Corporation. “Kay has been a respected, outstanding leader in economic development to not only Eastern Arkansas, but the entire State and the Garland County Metro area is lucky to have an additional source who will bring knowledge and professionalism to our already strong economic development strategy,” said Dave Byerly, CEO and President of the Garland County Economic Development Corporation. Brockwell is a 12-year veteran in economic development, leading Marion, Ark. in the development of Arkansas’ first certified mega-site and successfully recruiting Hino Motors Manufacturing USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Toyota and one of the largest commercial truck manufacturers in Japan. In Marion, Ark., Hino employs 500 and produces automotive parts for the Toyota’s Tundra and Sequoia. “GCEDC has been diligently working toward the creation of this position for several years. In 2007 we were finally able to develop a sound strategy that would allow the position to be realized in 2009,” said Byerly. “The board and I are pleased with how the plan has come to fruition.” Local business retention and expansion is the cornerstone of any economic development program, which will be Brockwell’s focus, according to Byerly. The primary functions of the Director of Business Retention and Recruitment are to accomplish a proactive existing business retention and expansion program and to generate and nurture job creation prospects for the Greater Hot Springs Metro area. Byerly states that he has desired to create a position largely dedicated to the local business and expansion need since his 2005 arrival. “One of the things I have been tasked with is developing a business retention and support program for existing industry,” said Brockwell. “I feel strongly that the existing business have to be taken care of first and foremost.” In addition to local business assistance, Brockwell will also implement and direct the GCEDC’s job recruitment strategy. This will include managing the community’s local asset inventory, as well as responding to the needs of businesses and site consultants who are looking for future site locations. “I participated in the interview and selection process for the Director of Business Retention and Recruitment and all of the candidates were strong. There was an excellent field of high quality candidates that expressed interest in this opportunity. Ms. Brockwell’s credentials and experience are very impressive. Her extensive expertise and success in Eastern Arkansas made her a perfect match. We feel very fortunate to have her on board and look forward to her addition to this community,” said Mike Ferguson, current GCEDC chairman. Brockwell is native to Eastern Arkansas and a graduate of Memphis State University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism. While in Marion, Ark. her economic development program led to the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs and approximately $300 million in capital investment. Brockwell currently serves as the president of the Arkansas Economic Developers Association. She also serves on the board of the Memphis Regional Economic Development Council, Metro Economic Development Forum and a ten-county regional economic development coalition, named the Crossroads Coalition, where she serves as a past chairwoman. She is a former board member to the Mid-South Community College Foundation and currently sits on the board of the Southern Economic Development Council. “There are very few places I would have left Marion for and Hot Springs is one of them. I have visited several times as a tourist and a conventioneer. Hot Springs has a great atmosphere and I am looking forward to calling it home,” said Brockwell, who will begin her new position with GCEDC in mid-May. According to Byerly, with the position now filled, economic development efforts in the community will be able to expand. “I am looking forward to having the program take the next step forward for the community’ behalf. We remain attentive and committed to preserving and growing local jobs in our community. This is an important step toward that ongoing commitment,” said Byerly. # # # HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=179Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 GMTAfter 18 months of research and work leading up to the creation of the State’s first Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (PAC), The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (PAC) recently held its first organizational meeting. The PAC is a registered, non-profit organization with the State of Arkansas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. As part of its charter, the PAC’s sole member is The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and its purpose is to support issues that advance the mission of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors selected the original nine directors who will serve as the PAC Board and who will lead the PAC’s activities throughout the next 3 years. PAC Board members who will serve are Dan Messersmith, a partner at Duncan, Messersmith and Associates; Helen Selig, a broker at PDC Companies; Sam Stathakis, owner of Merritt Wholesale; Mike Ferguson, Market President for US Bank; Larry Dewitt, General Manager at Comfort Suites and Comfort Hotels; Lorna Nobles, owner of Trademark Real Estate; Larry Stephens, CEO of Mid-South Engineering; Mark Fleischner, owner of Laurey’s-The Diamond Center; Kirby Williams, Chief Retail Officer of Diamond Bank. Ferguson, Dewitt and Nobles each have terms that will expire in December 2009 and the remaining board terms will expire in December, 2011. Dan Messersmith was elected as the PAC’s Board Chairman; Selig was selected as Vice-Chair with Mark Fleischner chosen as Secretary and Stathakis tapped for Treasurer. The Board’s first official act was to ratify and adopt the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws that were pre-approved by the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Arkansas Ethics Commission. The board also adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy which is more comprehensive than spelled out in the By-laws. The organization will officially register with the State as a PAC this month when it files its Political Action Committee Registration Form with the Arkansas Ethics Commission. “The PAC’s primary purpose will be to raise funds to support issues that are important to the Chamber and key to making Hot Springs a better place to live, work and play. An excellent example that is currently facing the community is jail overcrowding and the need for a new jail. The Chamber has been studying and working on this issue for almost 2 years. When the Chamber is ready to bring a reasonable solution to this issue forward to the voters, the PAC will be a useful tool in providing funds to get that message out to Garland County voters,” said PAC Chair, Dan Messersmith. The PAC board will be meeting to develop and implement a fundraising strategy for the organization in the coming weeks. “Our fundraising strategy won’t include any Chamber member dues,” said Messersmith. “We will ask for contributions from Chamber members, but our plan does not include using any of the membership funds that the Chamber currently collects. We think that is an important point at this stage toward establishing and protecting the integrity of both organizations. Chamber members who wish to contribute to our efforts will have that opportunity, but they will take comfort in knowing that their normal Chamber membership dues are not being used for the PAC.” Although Messersmith states that it is still early in the fundraising discussion, any Chamber member interested in contributing to the PAC can send express that interest and e-Mail their contact information to PAC@hotspringschamber.com. Those members expressing interest will be contacted once the organization finalizes its fundraising strategy and methods of contribution. # # # HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=178Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 GMTThe Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that four members were named to the 12th annual list of the “100 Best Companies To Work For” by FORTUNE magazine. The full list and related stories are available at http://www.fortune.com and recently appeared in FORTUNE. "We are thrilled to have such an amazing group of members who have been recognized by FORTUNE," said Dave Byerly, CEO/President of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Members recognized are No. 2 Edward Jones, No. 24 Starbucks, No. 26 Aflac and No. 70 Stanley. All of these companies were also recognized in 2008 and all were ranked higher in this year’s list. “Being named to this list is an exceptional feat. Our congratulations go to each of these companies and all their employees,” Byerly said. “Hot Springs is proud to be home to companies of this caliber.” FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" To pick the "100 Best Companies to Work For," FORTUNE works with Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. # # # HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=177Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 GMTThe Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce is launching an online version of the 2009 Relocation Guide, which is a replica of the printed Guide. The additional exposure this online Guide will create for its advertisers will increase the value of the Relocation Guide and will make it more readily available. The Chamber distributes approximately 20,000 Relocation Guides each year through direct requests, member businesses, businesses considering a move, in the Chamber’s lobby and the Hot Springs Visitor Centers. “By having the Relocation Guide available on our Web site we will be able to expose a greater audience to Hot Springs and the benefits they will find if they do decide to relocate,” said Amanda Bryant, Communications Director at The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber’s Web site has a wealth of information for residents, prospective residents and visitors. The great wealth of information on our site will dramatically increase by adding the Guide to the Web site’s list of offerings.” The Chamber does provide advertising opportunities to its member’s in the Guide. It is a great way to reach prospective customers before they even come to Hot Springs. The online Guide provides a bigger and better benefit to those advertisers. Each advertiser’s ad is linked back to their listing on the Web site’s Business Directory. Business Directory listings are linked to each advertisers own Web site, where their contact information and a business description is provided. “We are glad to offer this benefit. It increases the value of our member’s advertisement in the Guide. Each year we work on improving all of our offerings for our members and each year we try to implement more value to our members,” said Bryant. “This year, as one of the new implementations, we are driving traffic to our advertiser’s Business Directory listing and ultimately their Web site.” Because the Chamber does report the number of Guides distributed monthly and annually the Chamber will begin to monitor the number of downloaded Guides. In the “Move to Hot Springs” section of the Chamber’s Web site there will be a form to fill out to be able to download and view the Guide. The current method of requesting a copy to be mailed will continue to be available online. Both forms will allow the Chamber to track where the people are from who are interested in the Relocation Guide. “The Guide is a useful tool for current residents and prospective residents; I keep one at my house for reference and know others that do as well. Our goal is to have both current and prospective residents taking advantage of this online Guide,” said Bryant. To view the online Guide go to www.hotspringschamber.com and click on “Move to Hot Springs,” click to view the Guide online and fill out the form and the guide will be made available for you to view. # # # HTTP://HOTSPRINGSARCOC.WEBLINKCONNECT.COM/CWT/EXTERNAL/WCPAGES/WCNEWS/NEWSARTICLEDISPLAY.ASPX?ArticleID=180Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT