January 2015
INSIDE
Letter From the Chamber President • Businesses of the Month • Colonial Heights Has Talent Come Explore China With Us • Fort Clifton Arts, Music and Crafts Festival
Letter From the Chamber President Greetings to Our Chamber Members and Friends, The New Year started with a lot of exciting plans for community outreach and support Pam Comstock for our member businesses. We are expecting 2015 to be a productive year, in which the Chamber continues its active participation in both community and regional events. As we continue to offer many benefits to our members; we look forward to growing our membership as well. We will strive to further build our presence in the community by being a meaningful contributor and supporter of all our business and civic organizations. It can and will be a successful year for our Chamber when we all work together in service to others. There are many opportunities for you to be involved in our Chamber. We welcome and desire your involvement in our activities, our planning; and we are always open to your ideas for where we can be helpful to your business and our community. I would like to say thank you to many of you who have already volunteered so generously to help with our programs, serve on committees, and share your time, talent, and resources with our group. Please take time to review our newsletters and our newly updated website at www. colonialheightschamber.com. If you are not on our email list, please contact the chamber office to make sure you are included. We want you to be aware of the opportunities available to you to benefit from the activities of our Chamber members and businesses, and to also allow you the opportunity to share your talents with us. It is an honor for me to serve as your President. I thank you for the opportunity you have Given me and look forward to sharing our continued success. Please contact me or the Chamber office at any time that we can be helpful to you or if you have questions, concerns, or ideas. Together, we will continue to be a relevant force for good in our community. Sincerely, Pam Comstock President
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Fort Clifton Arts, Music and Crafts Festival Shop the Heights May 9 and May 10, 2015
(Sponsored by the Colonial Heights Recreation and Parks Department)
The Fort Clifton Festival began in May of 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration and has become an annual event, held on Mother’s Day weekend. The festival is family-oriented and educational, portraying the historic significance of the fort and its importance in the Civil War to the Petersburg defense line. Arts and crafts persons will be selling a variety of hand made items. Civil War relic exhibits will be on display, along with re-enactors and demonstrations. Children’s rides and concessions will be avail-
able each day of the festival. Local civic groups will be selling hot dogs, sausage and peppers, hamburgers, funnel cakes, pizza, barbecue, french fries, ice cream, baked goods, and more. Door prizes and raffles will be held each day. Admission and parking are free. Free shuttle buses are provided from Colonial Heights High School. Fort Clifton is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the Virginia Research Center for Archaeology in 1981.
Why be a member of the Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn It seems a fundamenRoger Green tal truth that being connected with the right people, in the right way, at the right time, brings success in business and in life. The Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce helps people make those connections. Membership has value because of what the Chamber offers you: The Chamber offers multiple and varied opportunities over the course of the year to meet and network with potential clients or patrons. The Chamber offers multiple and varied opportunities to advertise your business in publications, in eblasts, on our Facebook pages, as a sponsor of our activities, or by sharing your marketing materials at monthly meetings, and other Chamber and partner events. The Chamber offers opportunities to attend business training seminars or to present your skill and expertise to other members. The Chamber offers multiple and varied opportunities for you or your employees to make connections with new business owners, established business leaders, city officials, school system and community leaders. The Chamber can be a real benefit to you and your employees if you take advantage of all we offer. Membership has value because of what you can offer the Chamber: You and your employees have talents and abilities that the Chamber needs to help us continue to be a relevant and meaningful asset to our membership and our business community. You and your employees have expertise in your business, trade, or in the services you offer, that others in our community need. You and your employees, most likely, have leadership traits, decision making skills, and business acumen that, if shared, can be a real asset to others in our membership.
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
You and your employees can be a real benefit, in service to others, through your participation and involvement. Please contact me at the Chamber office 804 526 5872 or email Roger.Green@colonialheightschamber.com if we can be helpful to you in any way. Best Regards,
Roger Green, Executive Director
Buy Local In Colonial Heights For every $100 spent in Colonial Heights, around $2 comes back to our city and our schools to assist with programs and services for all our citizens and our students. If you can buy it here, why not? When you buy local, you will be helping fund our city, you will be helping support the businesses of our neighbors, and you will save the money and time needed to drive way out there – somewhere. Anything you need, you can find right here in Colonial Heights, VA – so Shop the Heights.
Mission Statement The mission of the Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce is to unite business and professional individuals to enhance, promote, serve, and strengthen the business and educational environment. The Chamber strives to advance the Colonial Heights region by educating, energizing, and connecting a diverse group of leaders to serve the community.
The Perfect Loan File
Is the “Perfect” loan file in existence? The media has it all wrong – securing mortgage approval and satisfying credit underwriting guidelines are not the difficulties plaguing Rita C. Feasenmyer mortgage consumers. It’s in meeting the rigorous documentation requirements that most people fall flat. The good news is, the fix is simple. Just scan, photocopy, fax, and deliver every aspect of your financial life. Then, shortly before closing, check everything again. Mortgage consumers who enter the mortgage approval process ready to battle their chosen mortgage lender will come out with a nightmare story to tell. As the process, requirements, and guidelines are the same for everybody, your mindset is the gamechanger. Accepting the redundant documentation necessary for lender approval will make everyone’s life easier. When I was a kid, my father occasionally issued directives that I naturally thought were superfluous, and when asked why I needed to do whatever it was he wanted me to do, his answer was often: “Because I said so.” This never seemed to address my query but always left me without a retort, and I would usually comply. This is exactly what consumers should do during the mortgage approval process. When your lender requests what seems to be over-documentation and you wonder why you need it, accept the simple edict – “because I said so.” You will find the mortgage approval process much less frustrating. So, what’s the perfect loan? Well, it’s one that (a) pays back the lender and (b) pays back the lender on time. Underwriting the perfect loan is not the goal that mortgage lenders aspire to today. It’s no longer necessary to have excellent credit, a big down payment and stable employment with income sufficient to support your debt service to guarantee your loan approval. However, you must have a borrower profile that meets the credit underwriting guidelines for the loan you are requesting. And, more importantly, you have to be able to hard-copy-guideline-document your profile!!! Every nook and cranny of your financial life has to be corroborated, double- and triple-checked, and reviewed again before closing. This way, if the originating lender has created a loan file that is exactly consistent with published underwriting guidelines
and has documented while adhering to those guidelines, the chances are that your loan will not be subject to repurchase. Borrowers also need to prepare for processing and underwriting. Processors and underwriters are the people trained and charged with gathering (processors), all of your required-for-approval financial documents, and then approving (underwriters), your loan. You can assume these people are well trained and very experienced, as they are tasked with assembling and approving a high-quality-these-people-will-pay-us-back loan file. But just how do they go about that? The process begins with the filter – the loan originator (a.k.a loan officer, mortgage consultant, mortgage adviser, etc.) – tasked to match the qualifications of a particular mortgage deal to the appropriate underwriting guidelines. It is the filter’s job to determine if a loan scenario is approvable and to gather the documentation to support that determination. It is here, at the beginning of the approval process, where the deal is made or broken. The rest of the approval process is just papering the file. The filter determines whether the information provided by the borrower can be validated and documented. This is simple, since most mortgages are approved by automated underwriting engines such as Desktop Underwriter, and the automated approval generates a list of the documents needed to paper the loan file. An underwriter can, at this stage, request additional supporting documentation evidence at their discretion, as not all circumstances neatly fit into the prescribed underwriting box. If the filter creates a loan file with accurate information, then secures the documentation resulting from the automated underwriting findings, the loan will close uneventfully. Let’s talk about the pre-qualification. There will be lots of questions as this critical phase of the process is akin to the discovery period in a trial – you’ll need to disclose everything. Expect to answer queries on what you do for a living, how long you’ve been employed in your current field, and what your salary is. If there is a co-borrower, they will have to answer the same questions. Every dollar in checking, savings, investments and retirement accounts, also known as assets to close, as well as gifts from relatives and non-profit grants, has to be accounted for. Essentially everything appearing on a borrower’s asset-radar-screen has to be documented and explained. It all comes down to your proof. If the lender asks for a specific document, give
them exactly what they are asking for, not what “should be OK,” – because it won’t be. This is where the approval process tends to go off the rails, when the lender asks for specific documentation and the borrower supplies something else. Here, too, is where both sides get frustrated. So if the lender asks for a bank statement and there are 5 pages for that bank statement, send them all 5 pages, and not just the summary. If you send them the summary page and they ask again, don’t complain that the lender keeps asking for the same thing when you never sent it in the first place. This may sound elementary, but the vast majority of mortgage approval process woes stem from scenarios just like this. The reason the mortgage approval process is now so rigorous is simple. So when your lender requests specific documents from you, give it them just “because they said so.”
When it comes to top business performers in our community, we have the annual Progress-Index Best of the Tri-Cities Awards! Best of all, you can get into the act!
The Best of the Tri-Cities 2015 Nominees. Thiss iis your chance Thi h to n nominate ominate i th the he peo people ple l who h do the best work and recognize the businesses that h practice great customer service. If you like the job they are doing, let them know by nominating them, so they can be included in this years Best of the Tri-Cities Awards! Visit us online today to nominate your favorite businesses. For your participation you will be registered in our drawing for a $100 Grocery Gift Card for completing the survey.
www.progress-index.com
Rita C. Feasenmyer Sr. Loan Officer NMLS# 207305 804-504-7971 Direct 804-337-0905 Mobile
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
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Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce Businesses of the Month October 2014
Pritchett’s Flooring America
November 2014
Sherwood Title Company
December 2014
Tidewater Physical Therapy
January 2015
Reaching New Heights Magazine 4
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
The Colonial Heights Food Pantry and the Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce will present Colonial Heights Has Talent on February 21, 2015. The third annual event this year will be hosted by Colonial Heights Middle School. Colonial Heights Has Talent will feature local and regional talent of all kinds; including singers, dancers, and other acts designed to thoroughly entertain you. Tickets for Colonial Heights Has Talent are a $5 donation. Tickets will be on sale the night of the event. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m.
We are currently securing our final acts for the show, so if you would like to audition or be considered for the show, contact Roger Green at the Chamber office 804 526 5872 (Roger.Green@colonialheightschamber.com) or Lori Mollnow at the Colonial Heights Food Pantry, 804 520 7117 (lorimollnow. chfp@gmail.com). The Colonial Heights Food Pantry serves well over 200 families in our local community each week. For more information about the Colonial Heights Food Pantry, the Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce, or Colonial Heights Has Talent, call either of the numbers above.
Your home town, home health care company that is all about the CARE is constantly hiring and taking new patients Virginia – January 12th, 2015 – Care Advantage, Inc has been providing quality and compassionate care around Virginia for over 26 years. Three years after the first Care Advantage office opened Mandy Fowler in Richmond West-End in 1988, the Colonial Heights office opened in 1991 where care and job openings have been thriving ever since. Care Advantage is constantly welcoming new patients to care for and in-turn, hiring kind-hearted nurses and nurse aides. Services: Care Advantage provides companionship, personal care, and skilled nursing services in the comfort of one’s own home where all memories, pets, and belongings remain. The comfort of home is more conducive for healing and recovery. Care Advantage services range from help with meal preparation, personal hygiene, errand running, and laundry/housekeeping to medication management, post-surgical care, disease or condition care, mobility assistance and training, and everything in between. Care Advantage’s sister company, All About Care, is Medicare certified and can offer physical, speech, or occupational therapy in the home. Care Advantage along with All About Care is a one stop shop for all in home health care needs. Care Advantage has launched a new Condition Specific Training Program for all Care Advantage nurse aides. Aides will be trained to recognize signs and symptoms of a certain condition, things they can do to help their patient achieve better outcomes, and who and when to call for help. This will help to reduce hospital admissions and keep patients safe and healthy at home. All Care Advantage nurse aides are in the process of training for these specific conditions. They will be specially trained and required to pass an in-house test. These conditions include: • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) • Diabetes • Alzheimer’s • CVA/Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident) • CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) •Hypertension • Kidney Disease • Arthritis • Cancer • Parkinson’s • UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) Through this training, the nurse aides are able to recognize signs and symptoms, and most importantly, what they can do to help their patient effectively manage the condition. They also know when to seek additional assistance to ensure the best possible outcome. Care Advantage’s unique programs and tailor
made services are perfect for those just needing a little help around the house or those needing 24/7/365 care. Care Advantage’s services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, holidays, or just for a couple of hours after a hospital discharge. Care Advantage customizes a care plan particular to the patient and family needs and there are no minimal requirements or long term contracts. Whether the need is for skilled nursing and medical care services delivered in your home or personal/companion care for a senior or someone in rehabilitation, you’ll get a trained care provider who is genuinely interested in your loved one and who has the compassion to deliver the kind of care you desire. For more information about Care Advantage and All About Care services, visit www.CareAdvantageInc.com, call (804) 520-5454, or visit the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CareAdvantageInc Recruitment: Care Advantage is constantly hiring for compassionate and qualified Certified Nurse Aides (CNA), Personal Care Aides (PCA), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), and more depending on the needs of our patients and clients. Employees are offered a choice between individualized one-on-one care in the homes or staff relief assignments in hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities, doctor’s offices, etc. Employment Opportunities may include: • Flexible scheduling • Variety of assignments and work settings • Christmas & Vacation Savings Club • Buddy Bonuses • Sign-on Bonuses • Weekly Pay • Vacation Bonus Pay • Holiday Pay • Uniform Discounts •C.A.R.E. & HEART Prize Program • Career Advancement • Employee social events & picnics • College Savings Plan • Scholarship • Training and Education • Health Insurance information • Performance Recognition Programs • Credit Union memberships For those looking to join the health care field but do not have a certification, Care Advantage teaches a Personal Care Aide (PCA) class. Care Advantage offers employment to all promising and successful PCAs upon completion and graduation from the class. Visit our PCA Training Class page on our website for more information and to see a schedule of upcoming classes: http://www.careadvantageinc.com/careers/pca-training-class/ Care Advantage actively searches and hires qualified nurse aides every day. Visit our Careers page on our website to learn more and to apply online: http://www.careadvantageinc.com/careers/
The Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its 15th annual Reverse Raffle on Thursday, May 28, 2015. FolFol lowing are the details of the Mechanics of the raffle: TICKET SALES: A maximum of 350 tickets
will be sold at $100 per ticket. Several individuals may combine their resources and purchase a ticket together.
TICKET HOLDERS: Ticket holders and a guest are invited to attend the drawing and party
beginning at 6:30 p.m.
THE DRAWING: The drawing will commence at 7:30 p.m. EVERY 20TH NUMBER DRAWN WINS $100 THIRD PRIZE - $500 SECOND PRIZE - $1,000 LAST NUMBER DRAWN - $10,000 (or half of net ticket sales)
WINNERS NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN! Call the Chamber Office (526-5872) or any of the Chamber’s Officers or Directors for additional information or to purchase your ticket(s).
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
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How to Avoid Your Own Personal Financial Crisis Delivered courtesy of Michael J. Colb, MetLife Premier Client Group of the Mid-Atlatic, 110-C Norfolk Ave Colonial Heights, VA 23834 (O) 804-526-6384 www.colonialheights.metlife.com Michael J. Colb While global financial crises are far beyond our individual control, it’s important to recognize that each of us is empowered to take control of our own personal financial future. One way to begin is by recognizing that there’s a lot of risk and uncertainty out there, and that planning to help mitigate risk and deal with uncertainty can go a long way toward keeping our personal financial goals on track. Despite what seem to be uncontrollable economic forces, there are plenty of actions that can be taken today to incorporate “risk mitigation” into your financial decisions, to avoid having a personal financial meltdown. From a financial perspective, consider some of the more common risks everyone faces: Longevity Risk – Outliving your ability to support yourself and your family financially. Mortality Risk – Dying without properly protecting your family, your business or your assets. Health Risk – Having to pay for a costly long-term illness, whether it’s your own, or the illness of a close family member. Credit Risk – Not being able to borrow to grow your business or facilitate personal capital expenditures. Market Risk – Not being able to sell your business or other important assets for their fair market value. Inflation Risk – Having the cost of goods and services go up, especially after retirement. Creditor Risk – Having lawsuits and/or bankruptcy potentially erode your life savings. Income Tax Rate Risk – The chance that income tax rates will increase, just when you need to draw down income-taxable retirement assets. Obviously, any one of these risks could significantly impact your ability to keep your financial plans on track. However, a combination of these risks can be even more devastating. Imagine the outcome to the owner of a business who is about to retire if the market value of the business were to decline, the income tax cost of taking retirement distributions were to rise and inflation hikes were to make everything more and more expensive. Now is the Time to Consider Taking Action. What combinations of risk keep you up at night? Whatever your answer, now is the time to consider taking protective action to help mitigate the risks that could upset your plans for tomorrow. Let’s look at two hypothetical scenarios:
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Scenario A: If you have pre-tax money invested in tax-qualified retirement savings and believe there’s a strong possibility marginal income tax rates will go up in the future for you, consider one or more of the following: Today: Diversify your retirement savings by using techniques and financial products that provide tax-favored retirement distributions and/or risk mitigation options, such as a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), Life Insurance and Annuities. At Retirement: To the extent possible, match future taxable retirement plan distributions with future personal and/or business income tax deductions to potentially create at least a partial tax offset. If however, tax rates are high today and you believe they will be lower for you at the time retirement income is needed: Maximize contributions to your tax-qualified retirement savings plan, thus creating larger income tax exclusions or deductions for those contributions at the higher tax bracket. Scenario B: If you are a business owner, it’s possible the value of your business will be a significant component of your future retirement income. If you believe it may be difficult for you to sell your business for its fair market value when you retire, consider one or more of the following: • Establish a funded buy-sell arrangement between you and your current business partners, key employees or even competitors. This will allow you to establish a value (by formula or otherwise) and a buyer today for a sale that may occur many years from now. • Create a leveraged Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In addition to providing benefits to eligible participants, this will allow you to sell your stock to your employees on a tax-advantaged basis during your working years and at retirement. • Take on an associate or junior partner to create a natural buyer. You may want to consider your children or other family members, even if they’re not yet ready (or you’re not yet ready to make the transition). With proper planning, family business succession arrangements can work out well for everyone concerned. Conclusion Being aware of the risks that impact you the most is a critical first step to risk mitigation. Next, identify your financial goals and objectives. Without clearly defined financial goals, opportunities you can take advantage of are much more difficult to recognize or implement. Of course, implementing an action plan to counter the risks you uncover is just as important, which is why it’s important to work with financial, tax and legal advisors to help ensure that even in times of economic uncertainty, you’re making certain your financial goals stay on track. About MetLife MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www. metlife.com. The information contained in this document is not intended to (and cannot) be used by anyone to avoid
IRS penalties. This document supports the promotion and marketing of insurance or other financial products and services. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor since any discussion of taxes is for general informational purposes only and does not purport to be complete or cover every situation. MetLife, its agents, and representatives may not give legal, tax or accounting advice and this document should not be construed as such. Clients should confer with their qualified legal, tax and accounting advisors as appropriate.. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY 10166
January is Stalking Awareness Month
“Every breath you take, and every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you.” If you recognize these well-known lyrics, you’re not alone. Kiffy Werkheiser But did you know that this very popular Sting song, often played at weddings, is in fact not a romantic love song, but a song about stalking? Stalking is defined as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear”, and it’s a crime in all 50 states. Stalking behaviors can include seemingly innocuous acts, such as: • Making unwanted phone calls, emails, or letters • Leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers • Tracking the victim’s movement with technology • Showing up without a legitimate reason at the victim’s work • Posting information or spreading rumors about the victim online According to the National Stalking Resource Center, 6.6 million people are stalked each year in the United States. Most of stalking victims
know their stalker. Here’s a story from a stalking victim named *Janice. After dating *George for seven months, Janice broke off the relationship. She moved on with her life and rarely thought about George anymore. Then one day, she came home to find flowers and a note from George on her front porch. When she didn’t respond, George began to call her. At first the calls were an annoyance; however, soon George was calling, emailing, and texting Janice 50 times a day. Although Janice changed her phone number and email address several times, George kept finding her. The more she tried to ignore him, the worse his behavior became. She woke in the morning to find George parked outside her house and when she left work in the evening, he was there in the parking lot. He sent her letters begging her to come back to him and when that didn’t work he began to send threatening letters; telling her, “If I can’t have you, no one will” and “I can make you disappear.” Janice contacted The James House to figure out her options. She obtained a Stalking Protective Order; but even with the order in place, she still lived in fear. Finally, Janice decided that the only way to stay safe was to move out of town. Over time and with support of the local
crisis center in her new location, Janice was able get a new apartment, safely reconnect with her family and friends, find a job, and begin to rebuild her life. Stalking is a crime that is often misunderstood and unreported but can lead to serious injury and even death. According to The National Center for Victims of Crime, 76% of women killed by an intimate partner have been stalked by that intimate partner prior to their death. If you or someone you know has been affected by stalking, there’s help available. The James House provides support, advocacy and education for people in the Tri-Cities area and surrounding counties affected by sexual violence, domestic violence and stalking, to empower them to become healthy, safe and self-sufficient. All of our services are cost-free, confidential, and available in English and in Spanish. To learn more, call 458-2704, visit www. thejameshouse.org; or email helpline@thejameshouse.org. Kiffy Werkheiser, Director of Donor Relations at The James House. Contact Kiffy at Kiffy@thejameshouse.org. *Names have been changed to protect the victim.
Welcome New Members The Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce Welcomes those recently joining our Chamber. Remember – it is Good Business to Do Business with Chamber Members! Chiropractic Centers of Virginia 209 Temple Avenue Colonial Heights, VA 23834 804 523 8023 FAX: 804 523 8013 drkennedy@chirocenters.com www.chirocenters.com
Liberty Tax Service
2219 Boulevard Colonial Heights, VA 804 520 7002 Patricia.griswold@libertytax.com www.libertytax.com
Colonial Heights Civitan Club PO Box 172 Colonial Heights, VA 23834 804 919 4246 morris.hudgins@yahoo.com www.chesapeakedistrict.com
Edward Jones Financial
130 Temple Lake Drive, Suite 1 Colonial Heights, VA 23834 804 526 5155 FAX: 877 571 5972 greg.snowden@edwardjones.com dana.davis@edwardjones.com www.edwardjones.com
Travel with the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and the Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce to China— April 9—17, 2016 Tour price includes 3 meals per day, 5 Star Hotels., Travel from JFK and domestic China flights. An exceptional value at only $2699 all inclusive or $2899 if you care to see the Terra –Cotta Warriors in Xian. Call Roger Green at 804-526 -5872 or Danielle Fitz-Hugh at 804 –733 –8131 for more information or contact us at www.colonialheightschamber.com or www.petersburgvachamber.com
Colonial Heights Health and Rehabilitation
831 Ellerslie Ave. Colonial Heights, VA 23834 804 526 6851 FAX: 804 526 3014 msmith@care-one.com
Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015
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Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce | January 2015