Who is the Sarpy Chamber? If you’re a member you’d be likely to answer saying the Sarpy Chamber of Commerce helps you grow your business by growing your network. If you’re not a member, you may not know what a chamber of commerce is, let alone who the Sarpy Chamber is. Who is the Sarpy Chamber? It’s one small question with a lot of answers. There are sides to the chamber you might not know about, even the most engaged chamber members, and if you don’t know about them, you’re missing out! Continued inside on page 2
FROM THE PRESIDENT We’re just one quarter into 2020
unprecedented changes in the rest
and we’re all dealing with some
of 2020, I want you to know that
very unexpected circumstances.
your team at the Sarpy Chamber
A lot of this issue gives you a closer
will be here for you. That’s the most
look at who the Sarpy Chamber
important part of who we are. We’re
is. You may learn new things
here for you.
about who we serve and how we serve, but as we face a series of
Karen Gibler
WHAT’S INSIDE
THE CHAMBER’S HIDDEN DEPTHS.........1
GROUP DISCUSSION
STUDENT LIFE
Learn about the ways Sarpy
How the Sarpy Chamber works
Chamber groups are evolving to
with local high school students
meet new needs
in Business Education
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MEET THE NEW STAFF............................4 BOWLING FOR BUCKS..........................7 2020 PARTNERS....................................8
402.339.3050 WWW.SARPYCHAMBER.ORG 1243 GOLDEN GATE DRIVE
Do You Know the Sarpy Chamber? You know...
You may not know...
You may not know...
You know...
We connect businesses to other businesses. If you’ve ever been to one of our networking events or visited a group like T.I.P.S. or Executive Dialogue, you’ve seen how important it is for the Sarpy Chamber to help you build relationships with your business peers. We’ve developed a culture that ensures being active in the chamber means you’re connected in the chamber. We connect businesses to their representatives. Groups like Government Affairs and events like State of the County are designed to keep you updated with state and local issues that are relevant to the business community, as well as give you the opportunity for direct conversation with your elected representatives. This has always been an important part of our business advocacy and these resources have only become more necessary.
You know...
We offer marketing opportunities. There are a wide variety of marketing opportunities exclusive to Sarpy Chamber members. You can place print ads in our quarterly publication or annual magazine and directory. You can build an online presence through Website Banner Ads or Enhanced Listings. Send a message to thousands of emails with an E-Blast.
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We offer marketing content creation. Having a space to place your marketing doesn’t do much good if you don’t have the ability to develop the content. We can help! We offer ad design services for any of our printed or digital advertising. We can even help you with a mail campaign, from designing the mailer to providing the list. Contact marketing@ sarpychamber.org to learn more. There is an annual membership fee. Dues for Sarpy Chamber membership are determined by your number of full-time employees and business type.
You may not know...
This fee covers a lot! We want members to get the most out of their membership, so it’s important to make sure you know the resources you have available to you the moment you join. On top of gaining access to multiple monthly networking events, it’s free to host one of our popular monthly networking events, post promotional info and news to our website through News and Hot Deals, hold a ribbon cutting ceremony. You can also visit paid groups like T.I.P.S. and Executive Dialogue up to three times to see if they’re right for you!
2020 Community Action Grants Recipients Bellevue Public Schools Bellevue West High School Gifford Farm Education Center – ESU #3 Gretna Public Schools The Facebook Papillion Data Center is proud to congratulate the 2020 Community Action Grants recipients. Through our Community Action Grants program, we fund projects that put the power of technology to use for community benefit, connect people online or off, and improve STEM education.
Papillion La Vista Community Schools Papillion La Vista Community Theatre Sarpy County Historical Society
Nebraskans for Solar
Springfield Platteview Community Schools
Papillion Area Historical Society
Springfield Memorial Library
Papillion Community Foundation
YMCA of Greater Omaha
facebook.com/PapillionDataCenter
Ribbon Cuttings NORTH RISK PARTNERS
The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce is always thrilled to celebrate a business’ opening, new location, remodel, anniversary, or groundbreaking. We celebrated those accomplishments with these businesses last quarter. We wish them success and can’t wait to see the ways they enhanced the Sarpy County business community.
Viva Suites February 4th Papillion Mathnasium February 5th Papillion
North Risk Partners January 15th La Vista
Real Deals on Home Décor February 12th Papillion
Pinnacle Bank School Location at Trumble Park Elementary School January 28th Papillion
Spotlight Formal Wear February 19th Omaha
Multicare Medical January 30th Papillion
Omaha Marine center March 6th Omaha
New Staff Members The Sarpy Chamber is pleased to introduce two new staff members, Lacie Vacanti and Kelly Whitaker. They’ve been getting familiar with Sarpy Chamber work by shadowing the entire staff. Read below to learn more about them and their memorable experiences getting to know the Sarpy Chamber community. Kelly can be reached at development@ sarpychamber.org Lacie can be reached at office@sarpychamber.org
Kelly Whitaker is originally from Chicago but moved to Papillion at a young age. She has worked as a waitress, banquet server, and bartender. She has also worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She looks forward to engaging with the community through her work at the chamber. “I really enjoyed visiting Oxbow Animal Health and learning about their story and how they grew as a business and continue to uphold the highest standard in animal nutrition.” Lacie Vacanti was born and raised in Papillion and is currently enrolled as a student at UNO and is studying Psychology and Business. “My favorite community experience would be visiting Heartland Family Services during a member visit and learning more about what they do. I am extremely passionate about helping people in general, but mostly helping those that struggle with addiction or mental health issues.”
Meet the Staff: Quinn Cooper
Quinn Cooper began at the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce in 2019 and works as the Membership Manager. Quinn helps chamber members connect to each other and their resources at the Sarpy Chamber. With over 15 years of sales and marketing experience, he brings an impassioned approach to understanding diverse needs. He greatly values his role as a family man and father. He volunteers his time coaching youth sports and recreation activities. Quinn also enjoys getting creative in the kitchen and even made it far into the audition process for Food Network’s competition series, Chopped. Perhaps one day we’ll see him take on the show’s infamous basket of mystery ingredients.
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Sarpy Chamber Group Growth sales professionals need to keep track of new trends, techniques, and understand the psychology of selling. Doing all of this while maintaining a sales quota can be a challenge. A reliable source of information and support can make a big difference.
The general goal and purpose of the Sarpy Chamber is to support and grow businesses and the business community. Groups allow the chamber to provide specialized resources for a more specific purpose. The different needs across the demographics that make up with Sarpy Chamber membership are reflected in what groups are offered. As a community grows their needs will inevitably expand and the groups offered by the Sarpy Chamber are evolving to meet demand. The Sarpy Chamber has developed the B.U.Y.S. Group, which stands for “Beef Up Your Sales.” To stay on top of their game,
The B.U.Y.S. Group is designed to be that reliable source by focusing on refining sales skills and training. This group will provide opportunities for sales professionals to share best practices, techniques, and strategies. Guest Speakers will present expert insights into sales tactics and business development at monthly events. B.U.Y.S. Group membership is exclusive to members of the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. The group’s inaugural event was held on March 9th at CHI Health Midlands. Guest Speaker Bill Ely presented on “Rejections, Objections and Stalls.” Ely has over 30 years of sales experience. The talk examined different sales processes, effective ways to identify and connect with decision-makers, and even how
B.U.Y.S. Group and W.O.M.E.N.
(Bill Ely presents to the B.U.Y.S. Group conference rooms)
at one of CHI Midlands’
something as small as verb tense can be a game-changer. “That’s pretty cool! I’ve never even thought about that in my approach before,” one attendee said. The Q&A portion invited guests to open up about their specific challenges. The conversation was diverse with perspectives from both business-to-business and businessto-consumer sales professionals. The event ended with guests breaking into smaller groups to better facilitate meaningful connections and the exchange of ideas. Future topics will focus on crafting an effective elevator pitch, overcoming high prices, selling like a doctor, and more. Brian White, the B.U.Y.S. Group facilitator, is also eager to work with chamber members on the programming for this group. “If there’s information you’d like to present, this is the perfect opportunity to engage and give back,” he said. Ensuring that Sarpy Chamber groups are relevant to the membership’s needs means refreshing existing groups as well as creating new ones. This rebranding process has given the chamber the Modern Professional Group and now it has been applied to the women’s group. The group formerly known as the W.O.W. group is now Sarpy Chamber W.O.M.E.N.
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The new name, new look, and expanded outlook gives this group a stronger definition in its purpose. “We Optimize, Mentor, Elevate, Network” Sarpy Chamber W.O.M.E.N. is a resource for everyone interested in supporting women navigate the unique challenges and opportunities in the work world. Monthly events will range in topic with the ultimate goal of promoting advocacy, education, leadership, and connection for working women. “One of the biggest goals in this rebranding is to make sure people know that this group is open for everyone to attend,” said Sarpy Chamber president, Karen Gibler. “While the group focuses on issues specific to professional women, we need everyone to be a part of the conversation if we want this group to achieve a broad and ongoing impact.” Plans for future events for the B.U.Y.S. Group and Sarpy Chamber W.O.M.E.N. are in process. The most up-to-date event details can be found at www.sarpychamber.org/events. For more information on joining either group, contact Brian White at grow@sarpychamber. org . or call 402-339-3050.
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Bowling for Bucks Fundraiser sponsor support, and a Split-the-Pot raffle brought the event’s fundraising total to $1,136.50. The total was split evenly between the two non-profits.
The Sarpy Chamber Modern Professionals group recently hosted their first Bowling for Bucks event on Friday, January 31st. Thirteen teams of area business professionals bowled to raise funds for the Sarpy Chamber’s 2019 Non-Profit of the Year winners, Moving Veterans Forward and Midlands Community Foundation. Moving Veterans Forward helps homeless veterans in Nebraska and Iowa find housing as well as essentials like furniture, clothing, and other household items. Midlands Community Foundation assists with community development by improving and enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Sarpy and Cass counties.
Modern Professional group members as well as Sarpy Chamber President, Karen Gibler, and Vice President of Events & Special Programs, Annisa Visty were on hand to present a check on Monday, February 24th at Midlands Community Foundation’s office in Papillion. Representatives from the two non-profits were thankful for the donation, but Visty remarked she was just as thankful for the opportunity to support the chamber’s non-profit winners throughout the year. The strong turn-out for this event’s first year has Modern Professional members excited to bring Bowling for Bucks back for 2021.
Monetary support from team registrations,
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Thank You to Our 2020 Partners Visionary Partners
Champion Partners
Premier Partners ACCESSbank Adams & Sullivan P.C. All Purpose Construction American National Bank Centris Federal Credit Union CHI Health Midlands Citizens State Bank Cobalt Credit Union Core Bank E & A Consulting Group First National Bank Great Western Bank HDR, Inc.
Hillcrest Health Services Metropolitan Community College Metropolitan Utilities District North Risk Partners Northwest Bank Omaha Storm Chasers Omaha Public Power District Papillion Sanitation Pinnacle Bank Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction Sampson Construction Shadow Lake Town Center
Cornerstone Partners CharterWest Bank ~ CM’s Outdoor Solutions Group ~ Moose Roofing SignIT ~ UNICO ~ US Health Advisors
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Insight into Making your Membership Work for You! Maximize Your Membership In Person
Maximize Your Membership In Print
Joining a Sarpy Chamber group not only gives you the environment to establish relationships with your peers, they provide more specialized resources for different needs. The wide variety of chamber groups makes it easier to find the right fit for you!
Production of the Sarpy Chamber’s Annual Magazine & Member Directory will begin this spring! Think about reserving your ad space now or meet with Celeste Pille to go over ad design options.
Contact grow@sarpychamber.org to learn about joining a Sarpy Chamber group. Ambassadors B.U.Y.S. Group Executive Dialogue Government Affairs SC Modern Professionals T.I.P.S. W.O.M.E.N.
Reach out at marketing@ sarpychamber.org to learn more. Visit www. sarpychamber.org/ publications to view the current Magazine & Member Directory.
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Student Life at the Sarpy Chamber
When you think of who benefits from a chamber of commerce’s educational resources, the picture is professional, working adults, but for the Sarpy Chamber, community work in business education starts young. Nancy Loterbour oversees the Jobs Club at the IDEAL School, Papillion-La Vista School District’s alternative school for students who benefit from a positive, meaningful learning experience outside the traditional high school setting. Jobs Club is a class that provides both in and out of classroom learning. They volunteer at nonprofits and assisted living homes, visit local colleges as well as places like banks and apartments to develop skills for independent living. Students visit the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce for one of the culminating activities, a mock interview. “This is a great experience for our students,” said Loterbour. “They receive great feedback on their interview and really grow from this experience.”
It’s a valuable experience for the Sarpy Chamber as well. “I always have a great time with the mock interviews,” said Celeste Pille, Marketing Manager at the Sarpy Chamber. “The students are so bright and thoughtful, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to boost a young person’s confidence in their abilities and make a connection. They send follow-up thank you notes after the interview and I keep them all. During one interview, the student and I discovered a shared habit of doodling while taking notes. I smiled when I saw a doodle up in the corner of her thank you note.”
The Sarpy Chamber has also taken on a student intern for the 2019-2020 academic year. Phoenix Stanford came to the chamber through Papillion-La Vista Community School’s Career Education program overseen by Missy Jabens. High school students elect to take on this course of study and are screened and interviewed to give them the best learning experience match.
Jaben especially values the opportunity for high school students to explore career options before leaving high school. The Sarpy Chamber’s current student intern agrees. “I was interested in gaining experience with community related outlets and thought working with the chamber of commerce would be just what I needed,” said Stanford. “They have an awesome team that was super welcoming. I got to learn about the large role the chamber plays in keeping the communityconnected and the businesses within them thriving, as well as having a handson experience with that.” She has helped with tasks ranging from clerical work to assistance with rebranding efforts for Sarpy Chamber W.O.M.E. N. Outside of school and interning, Stanford competes in pageants and is Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen 2020.
SARPY CHAMBER STAFF Karen Gibler President Annisa Visty Vice President Celeste Pille Marketing Manager Brian White
OUR MEMBERS PUT THE HEART IN SARPY!
Groups & Engagement Manager Quinn Cooper Membership Manager
“Our membership in the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce gives us the opportunity to work with great people for the betterment of our community. That is a win for us all!”
Gery Whalen Administrative Assistant Lacie Vacanti Kelly Whitaker Jim Masters Leadership Sarpy Facilitator
-Chuck Monico, Sr., CM’S Outdoor Solutions Group
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