Big Changes for the Chamber Over 20 years ago, the city chambers of Sarpy County discussed the concept of one chamber of commerce that served the entire county. Those conversations lead to the Papillion Chamber of Commerce becoming the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce in 1996. The Sarpy Chamber was created from a community spirit and that same spirit has made it possible for the chamber to purchase our own building at 1243 Golden Gate Drive in Papillion. Continued inside on page 2
FROM THE PRESIDENT This publication only launched last
Sarpy Chamber events come in all
quarter and we’re thrilled to already
shapes and forms. Some raise funds,
see it growing! We’ve added more
many are educational, and some are
pages and they are filled with all
designed to build connections. As
the incredible work our active and
you’re reading through, though, you’ll
supportive membership helps us
find that all of them have spirit of fun
accomplish.
that is unique to our Sarpy Chamber
We had plenty of second quarter
community.
events to fill those extra pages.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Karen Gibler MEMBERSHIP BLITZ.............................1 UPCOMING EVENTS...........................4
MEET THE NEW MEMBERS!
FREE MARKETING RESOURCES
See who is expanding your
Learn more about all the different
Sarpy Chamber network!
ways you can market your business
PAGE 5
with Sarpy Chamber benefits. PAGE 9
STATE OF THE COUNTY........................7 BREAKING RECORDS........................10
402.339.3050 WWW.SARPYCHAMBER.ORG 7775 OLSON DRIVE
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Mardi Gras Membership Blitz
Meaningful growth comes from new ideas and a willingness to evolve. However, growth must be tempered with responsible practices if it is to be sustained. The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce has always worked to strike this balance when it comes to growing the chamber. Hosting some form of a membership drive has long been on the table for the Sarpy Chamber. It was imperative, however, to make sure such an event would not be about capturing as many new members as possible without securing the resources required to maintain the chamber’s ability to support its members. For the Sarpy Chamber, a campaign to gain new members needed to be about manageable growth.
When the membership grows, your connections, network, resources, and services through the Sarpy Chamber grow too. With the chamber having its largest ever staff, it was the perfect time to develop a campaign to drive up membership. The Sarpy Chamber is thrilled with the results of its Mardi Gras themed Membership Blitz.
Membership Blitz by the Numbers
2 10 700+ 1,000+
The Sarpy Chamber hosted the Mardi Gras Membership Blitz on May 17th and 18th at The Beardmore Event Center in Bellevue.
DAYS
TEAM CO- CAPTAINS
Captains lead teams of volunteers in calling local businesses that would be a great fit for the Sarpy Chamber and strong additions to your network. The chamber met its membership number goal for the blitz, pushing its total membership well over the 700 mark.
CHAMBER MEMBERS
BEADS
The chamber hosted an exclusive Mardi Gras party for the blitz volunteers filled with beads, masks, food and prizes.
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Top Left: Team planning session for the Membership Blitz. Bottom Left: President Karen Gibler adds to Blitz Measuring Board as teams makes calls. Right: Lisa White with Gateway Mortgage and Thom Hazell with Inter-Tech Collision Centers are awarded seats on the Mardi Gras Royal Court for their outstanding campagin work. (Not pictured, Karissa Williams with Offutt Collision Repair also earned a seat on the Mardi Gras Royal Court)
New Building Continued The office building at 1243 Golden Gate Drive is officially the future home of the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. The purchase of these new offices is both an investment in the organization’s future, as well as its community. The hard work and commitment of the Sarpy Chamber’s president, staff, board of directors, and members allowed the organization to make this purchase from a position of financial strength.
In addition to being home to the work of the Sarpy Chamber, this 4,880-square foot building will have additional office space available to small businesses, giving them the opportunity lay down roots for success in the community.
Through building ownership, the Sarpy Chamber will have the unique opportunity of saving The acquisition of the Papillion office building on costs for its members while being able to officially closed on Tuesday, May 22nd. The expand its services and outreach at the same chamber is projected to move into their new time. office building in late summer/early fall.
Ribbon Cuttings The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce is always thrilled to celebrate a business’ opening, new location, remodel, 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.
Massage Envy
June 7th, Mama Winky’s Papillion June 11th, First National Bank La Vista June 13th, Washington Street Pedestrian Bridge Papillion
April 10th, Code Ninja Papillion
June 19th, Green Street Cycles Papillion
April 24th, CMG Financial Inc Omaha
June 21st, Midwest Medical Billing & Stem Cell Research Omaha
May 9th, First Watch Papillion May 10th, Going Vertical & ATI Gretna
Your neighborhood mortgage experts.
May 14th, MultiCare Medical Group Papillion May 14th, Cold Stone Creamery La Vista May 14th Massage Envy La Vista May 14th, Playmakers Pizzeria & Sports Grill La Vista
With great rates and low processing fees, buy your first or next home or refinance with confidence. Centris mortgage loans are underwritten and serviced locally, and we take pride in ensuring all home loans close on time, every time. Talk to our Sarpy mortgage service reps: n Janette R. Calabro • NMLS 400320 8250 S. 99th St., La Vista • (402) 697-6748 jcalabro@centrisfcu.org n Dan Harris • NMLS 663506 2207 Pratt Ave., Bellevue • (402) 758-6515 dharris@centrisfcu.org Federally insured by NCUA www.centrisfcu.org • Corporate NMLS 490617
Chamber Group Events Major 3rd Quarter SCYP Pop-Up SCYP vs. Ambassadors Date: Thursday, Office Olympics Events September 6th Date: Wednesday, Location: Liquid Sunshine Taproom at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
September 12th Location: Sarpy Community YMCA
22nd Annual Golf Tournament Date: Thursday, July 26th Location: Tiburon Golf Club
SC WOW Event Financial Guide Date: Tuesday, September 25th Location: Eagle Hills
Government Affairs Date: First Wednesday of each month Location: SCCC Office
Economic Outlook Date: Thursday, August 23rd Location: Trinity Church Ladies’ Event Date: Thursday, September 13th Location: Tiburon Golf Club Guys’ Event Date: Tuesday, September 25th Location: Oak Creek Sporting Club
August 2018 - Leadership Sarpy program begins Please visit www.sarpychamber.org/events to check on updated event details and to learn more about our many other networking events.
Sarpy County Young Professionals The Sarpy Chamber Young Professionals (SCYP) aims to attract and retain young talent to the Sarpy County area while developing the next generation of leaders. The SCYP offers a wealth of opportunities for young professionals to network, give back to the community and grow both personally and professionally. To learn more about joining email membership@sarpychamber.org
Be a leader in any industry with the Master of Arts in Management and the Master of Business Administration from Doane University. doane.edu/sccc
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Welcome New Members! The Sarpy Chamber is thrilled to introduce you to our new members in the 2nd quarter. We look forward to all of the unique and wonderful ways they will add to our chamber community. 365 Daily Hustle ACCESSbank - 143rd Plaza America Glass Ameritas Financial Rep Amtech Autocare AT&T Mobility LLC B Douglas Construction Solutions BHHS - Cha-Naise Mack Bianchi Candle Co Boots & Suits United, Inc. Brasch Heating & Cooling LLC Bravium Human Development Brooke Ayoub - Norwex Builders Title Company C & S Roofing Inc. Candice Peterson with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chaos Productions DJ and Photo Booth Service Citizens State Bank Clark Drywall Inc Clarkson Electric Collaboration of Oily People Cornhusker Auto Wash, Inc. Corporate Creations Edward Jones - Jeff Berandt
Electric Express Events All Music LLC Fancy Plants Flowers & Design Farm Bureau Financial Services Joe Rickley Farmers Insurance Weston Agency Farris Engineering Fit In The City Foresters Financial Services, Inc. Fox Custom Cabinets Frankers Lawn & Landscape Gold Coast Square Apartments Green Street Cycles Gretna Plumbing Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA) Heartland Payment Systems Houston Home Services Infinite 8 Institute, LLC Integrity Merchant Solutions Kajoma’s Boutique Kingdom Insurance Group, Inc. Klayton M. Young, DC LightEdge Max Muscle Meridian Roofing Solutions Midwest Medical Billing Modern Medicine /Any Lab Test Now Natural Life Chiropractic Nebraska Brewing Company
No Bake Just Fake Omaha Sports Commission Outdoor Living Pool and Spa Papio Roofing Peoples Mortgage Emily Zach Pitch Edison Financial, LLC Popperista Primerica Financial Services Remax Results - Shanon Loontjer Agent Restaurant Depot RV Publishing Inc. Sarpy County Museum Shindigs Siding Done Right Siefken Contracting Inc Sleep Number Bed Southwest YMCA Sport Clips State Farm Insurance Amy Huck Stephanie Clark Commercial Real Estate Takem Catering The Salvation Army Thrivent Financial Title Core Ty’s Outdoor Power & Service Urban Prairie Landesign Verdant Group Wood & Knit Be Nice Music Studio YESCO Zauha Family Garden
A new approach to corporate training Metropolitan Community College’s Workforce Innovation Division offers corporate training on site, online or at the College’s Center for Advanced and Emerging Technology. Training classes can be scheduled for days, nights or weekends. WID offers: • Customized, company-specific employee training • Industry-recognized workshops • Job analysis to create training and proper resources • Post-hire coaching and training to help train and retain new hires To learn more about WID and its offerings, visit mccneb.edu/wid or call 531-MCC-4943.
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SCYP Swept Up the Competition
The Sarpy ChamberYoung Professionals and the Sarpy Chamber Ambassadors faced off in the 2nd Annual Supermarket Sweep on May 3rd at the Papillion Hy-Vee. Each year the event benefits a local non profit and this year The Open Door Mission was selected. Teams raced through the aisles with a clock counting down the seconds as they had to find the correct items on their assigned list. SCYP came out on top for the second year in a row, but when the event is about having fun while supporting a great cause, everyone wins! Thank you to the SCYP Sponsors, American Family Insurance Castle & Associates, Centris, and Rainbow Child Care Center.
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State of the County Takeaways
Representatives of the City of Bellevue, the Sarpy County Board of Commissioners, the Gretna and Papillion La Vista school districts and the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office spoke at the State of the County on Tuesday, May 22nd. The event is designed to give attendees a substantial understanding of upcoming challenges, opportunities, and projects throughout Sarpy County.
Infrastructure
*Sarpy County Commissioner Don Kelly said infrastructure for Sarpy County’s rapid growth needs to include installing a sewer system in the southern 60% of the county, opening the area up to development. *Kelly also outlined a number of needed road projects, including reconstruction of Platteview Road as well as improvements to roads such as 60th, 72nd, 84th, and more.
Growth
*Bellevue focused on developing historic Olde Towne area, followed by development of area south of Offutt Air Force Base with library service improvement and a new aquatics facility. *Kevin Riley, superintendent of Gretna Public Schools spoke on the city’s growth which has necessitated five bond issues, all approved by district voters.
We are here,
School Safety
*The Papillion La Vista school district is focusing on controlling access to school buildings to enhance school security. Given the typically short duration of school shooting incidents, Andy Rikli, superintendent of Papillion La Vista Community Schools, said “If we can slow the shooter even by half a minute, we are probably saving lives.”
Mental Health *Rikli also spoke about the district’s students undergoing periodic evaluations designed to guard against suicide. Rikli states the process can uncover signs of mental instability. *Sarpy Count Sheriff Stg. Rob Hillabrand said the new county jail, currently under consideration by the Sarpy County Board, will likely include a mental health facility. He also spoke of plans for a joint mental health unit with the Bellevue, Papillion and La Vista police departments.
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Leadership Sarpy Class of 2018
Participants are also assigned to smaller teams and tasked with creating a Legacy Project. These are community initiatves created by each group with an aim to leave a lasting positive impact on the Sarpy Community. Class of 2018 Legacy Projects:
Congratulations to the recently graduated Leadership Sarpy Class of 2018! Leadership Sarpy is designed to build up leaders and get them engaged in Sarpy County. Over a 9-month course, the class participates in interactive sessions that expose them to the key challenges and opportunities of the county. Diverse topics give them insight to our economic development, quality of life, local and state government and community awareness. Each session encourages and inspires participants to reflect upon and develop their leadership potential in Sarpy County.
Sarpy County Recycling Initiative - Increased recycling bins in public parks throughout Gretna and Papillion by partnering with Second Nature Public Recycling. Free Little Library Sarpy - Established a Free Little Library, a community book exchange, in SID neighborhoods with no free access to public libraries. Book Buddy in Bellevue Public Schools - Worked with Partnership4Kids to bring the Book Buddy program to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students at Birchcrest Elementary. Gretna Parks Sign Revitalization - Secured funding and materials for new park signs to better reflect the dynamic growth of the Gretna community.
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Insight into Making your Membership Work for You! Maximize Your Membership In Person
Maximize Your Membership Online Sarpy Chamber members are able to log into their account and create free listings for specials on services and products called Hot Deals and Member To Member Deals. Hot Deals are community deals, customer discounts or online coupons chamber members can post on our website for general consumers. Member To Member Deals are created the same way as a Hot Deal but they are exclusively available to other chamber members.
Business After Hours and Coffee & Contacts are fun and popular professional networking events. Hosting one of these events is a great way to put your business in the spotlight and unlike other chambers, hosting one of these events if FREE with the Sarpy Chamber. All you need to do is sign up to host and provide light snacks and beverages. When you host a networking event, you’re inviting a strong, local audience to engage directly with you! Your business or organization gets higher visibility within the community and a major boost in brand awareness! Coffee & Contacts events are held on the 2nd Thursday of every month from 7:30 to 8:30am. Business After Hours events are held on the 4th Thursday of every month from 4:00 to 6:00pm. Contact membership@sarpychamber.org to learn more about hosting an event.
In addition to being hosted on the Sarpy Chamber website, these free listings are also pushed out to the chamber’s social media platforms.
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Record-Breaking Grand Giveaway President of Events & Special Programs, counts it as a tremendous success, saying “Last year was a record breaking year for this event and this year we saw a 25% increase in funds raised, so we’re thrilled to see that trajectory continue.” In addition to an increase in attendance and proceeds, this year’s Grand Giveaway also had the most event sponsors it’s ever had with 58. A record number of attendees joined the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce for their annual “Grand Giveaway” on Thursday, March 29th. This year marked the event’s move to the Beardmore Event Center in Bellevue to accommodate a 25% growth in attendance. Guests arrived at a 1950s styled Sock Hop setting for the live and silent auctions, dinner, and drinks.
“We couldn’t have a successful event like this without our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees,” says SCCC President, Karen Gibler, “Not only are they supporting the work we already do, they’re building up the foundation for us to grow and achieve new goals.”
The fundraiser benefitted the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce, who holds over 160 events a year designed to provide business and professional orientated education, advocacy, and leadership in the community. Funds raised at the Grand Giveaway go towards keeping those events free or low-cost. Annisa Visty, Vice
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SARPY CHAMBER STAFF Karen Gibler President Annisa Visty Vice President Candice Jacobs Membership Engagement Manager Celeste Pille Communications & Design Associate Jessica Philippus Membership Specialist Brian White Membership Specialist Brian Kamin Administrative Assistant Adam Vande Ven Event Support Jim Masters Leadership Sarpy Facilitator
OUR MEMBERS PUT THE HEART IN SARPY! "At Offutt Collision Repair we’re all about the networking and the marketing opportunities through the Sarpy Chamber. It’s important to us to build relationships within the community, because at the end of the day I want to do business with people I know, trust, and like. The chamber’s sponsorship and marketing opportunities also help us build a reputation in the community. Even with a small marketing budget you can create strong brand awareness" -Karissa Williams, Offutt Collision Repair
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402.339.3050 WWW.SARPYCHAMBER.ORG 7775 OLSON DRIVE