Find out what's going on in Abilene Kansas.

1. July 2012 Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce
500 North Buckeye
Abilene, KS 67410
785-263-1770
visitus1@sbcglobal.net
A successful man is
one who can lay a
firm foundation with
the bricks others
Experience Abilene!! have thrown at him!
-David Brinkley
Chamber Update...
Marketing, Advertising, Promoting—all ways to get the word out about your
business! When you stop inviting customers to your business...your business In This Issue:
slows down. One of my old bosses used to say…”back when the deprecia-
Chamber Update- 1
tion hit, two companies looked at it differently. One company pulled the monthly column
budget line for advertising (Montgomery Wards) the other increased their Business After Hours 1
advertising (Sears)” … who survived? He also told me, “if you keep doing Smart Insurance
what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting”. Is it time to take
Market Update 2
a new fresh look at your marketing and advertising? Do you need someone
to brainstorm with to help jumpstart your creativity? Meatloaf Recipe 2
As a chamber member, one of your benefits is to visit with me. I have over Is It Okay To Lie 2
15 years experience with advertising, marketing, promotions, events, copy
What is a Chamber of 3
writing, etc. I really enjoy brainstorming, creating and helping you with new Commerce?
and exciting ways to attract more customers to your door! So, please take
2012 Board of Direc- 4
advantage of my expertise and let’s get fresh ideas flowing! tors
“Capital isn’t so important in business. Experience isn’t so important. You Over Come the 4
can get both these things. What is important is ideas. If you have ideas, you Awkward Silence
have the main asset you need, and there isn’t any limit to
what you can do with your business and your life.”
-Harvey Firestone
Make it a great day-Cindy Issitt, President
Thank you to Smart Insurance for hosting the monthly BAH—7/10/12
We enjoyed touring their new building at 215 NW 15th
in Abilene. Delicious refreshments were enjoyed by all.
Lynn Peterson won the $50 cash attendance prize and
Central Ks Mental Health Center was drawn for the
chamber cash drawing, but no one was present to win!
If you wish to host a BAH, call the Chamber office.
Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce 1

2. July 2012 Experience Abilene!!
Market Update—May 2012 One of MY Favorite Recipes!! Enjoy!
∗ There are currently 132 residential properties Continental Meatloaf
for sale in the Abilene area.
∗ There is 12 month supply of homes on the Mix 1 # ground beef with
market. 3/4 c fine bread crumbs,
∗ Last month 6 properties sold, 11 went under 2/3 c water, 1 T chopped
contract, and 32 were newly listed. parsley, 1/2 c grated par-
∗ Sales volume was down 60% and home mesan cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 1 sm
prices were down 40.6% from the same pe-
riod last year. chopped onion, 1 t salt, 1/4 t pepper. Brush
∗ It took an average of 125 days to list and
baking dish with 2 T Olive Oil; sprinkle with 2
close a property. T bread crumbs. Shape 1/2 meat mixture into
∗ Homes are selling for an average of 92% of loaf and put into dish. Mix 3/4 c small curd
their current list price. cottage cheese with 1 egg, 1/2 T chopped
parsley and 1.2 t salt; spread evenly over top
Market Update is provided to you by Shelly Crane of meat. Cover with remaining meat mixture,
of Cook Real Estate. Please feel free to contact Shel-
ley at 785-263-3111 with your questions or need for pressing edges of meat layers together. Brush
additional information regarding Abilene or Dickin- top with 2 T olive oil; chill 30 minutes. Bake in
son County real estate market.
a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serves 4-6
IS IT OKAY TO LIE ?
Two elderly men were admitted to a long-term care facility and were assigned roommates. One was injured in a car acci-
dent and was not expected to live; the other had advanced heart disease and had just undergone a triple bypass sur-
gery. The car accident victim was now permanently blind and the heart patient was required to get out of bed each day
and walk a little to exercise his heart. Each morning around 10:45 the heart patient would painfully rise from his bed. As
soon the blind roommate heard him up he would ask: "Could you look out our window and tell me what you see".
The heart patient would slowly walk to the window and pull back the blinds. He would gaze out the window then begin to
relate all the sights he saw outside their room window. He would describe the birds and various animals he saw. To the
delight of his roommate he would talk about the people he saw walking down the street as they entered or left the nu-
merous buildings on the street.
On the second day the heart patient noticed the actions of a young man who came outside to eat his lunch in the park.
He sat by a beautiful water fountain not far from an attractive young lady who was also eating her lunch near the foun-
tain. As the days went on it seemed the young man was sitting a little closer to the woman and it was obvious she no-
ticed. They soon were engaging in conversations and often times they'd share bits of their lunches. From what the heart
patient could tell a relationship was beginning to develop between this young couple. Perhaps they might fall in love, get
married and enjoy a wonderful life together said the blind man.
Unexpectedly a few nights later, the heart patient died from complications. His personal possessions were quickly gath-
ered and removed from their room. The next morning a new patient with a broken arm was moved in. As lunch time
neared the blind man asked his new roommate to go the window and describe the events taking place outside - he par-
ticularly wanted to know about the young couple having lunch by the fountain. The new roommate hopped out of bed
and briskly walked over to the window.
He pulled back the blinds starred for several seconds then began to laugh uncontrollably. "Why are you laughing" asked
the blind man? "Because you asked me to tell you what was going on outside our window. Our window faces the back
side of another building and there is nothing but a solid wall of bricks. There is absolutely nothing of interest for you out
our window".
Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce 2
….sometimes yes, its okay to lie. ...

3. July 2012 Experience Abilene!!
What is a Chamber of Commerce?
Definition - A chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to further their collective inter-
ests, while advancing their community. Business owners in towns, cities and other territories voluntarily
form these local societies/networks to advocate on behalf of the community at large, economic prosperity
and business interests.
Chamber missions vary, but they all tend to focus to some degree on five primary goals: Building communi-
ties (regions/states/nations) to which residents, visitors and investors are attracted; Promoting those com-
munities; Striving to ensure future prosperity via a pro-business climate; Representing the unified voice of the
employer community; and Reducing transactional friction through well-functioning networks. Chambers
have other features in common. Most are led by private-sector employers, self-funded, organized around
boards/committees of volunteers and independent. They share a common ambition for sustained prosper-
ity of their community/region, built on thriving employers. Most are ardent proponents of the free market
system, resisting attempts to overly burden private sector enterprise and investment.
Local businesses are voluntary paying members of a chamber (non-profits, quasi-public and even public sec-
tor employers also sometimes pay dues to belong). The membership, acting collectively, elects a board of
directors and/or executive council to set policy for, and guide the workings of, the chamber. The board or
executive committee then hires a chief executive (various titles), plus an appropriate and affordable number
of staff to run the organization.
While most chambers work closely with government, they are not part of government although many con-
sider the process of appropriately influencing elected/appointed officials to be one of their most important
functions.
Membership - under the private, volunteer membership model, which exists in the USA, companies are not
obligated to become chamber members. Businesses and other employers pay dues to belong and expect to
receive the benefits of membership as long as they continue to invest in the organization. They usually ac-
cept any reputable business as a member, though dues investment schedules can sometimes result in in-
tended or unintended exclusivity.
It is important to note that in most cases it is the company that is the member, not an individual. A member
company is then encouraged to involve numerous senior level employees in the work of the chamber.
While five, ten or more individuals from a given company will identify themselves as "members" of the cham-
ber, only the organization they work for is counted when a chamber states its size. A company is free to join
(pay dues to) multiple chambers and many mid-size to large firms do so (especially neighbors), in order to
further advance their companies' market or policy interests.
Dues amounts are typically determined by the size of the member company (employee count or annual
revenue), rather than by the number of people engaged in the chamber form that company. Some cham-
bers have adapted pay-as-you-go or funding models based on specific categories or quantity of service pro-
vided to member companies. … to be continued ...
——-Part 1 in a series to help YOU understand what a Chamber of Commerce is and what it means to you
and the community you live, work and play in.
Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce 3

4. 2012 Board of Directors:
Experience Abilene!
Executive Committee:
Chairman, Sheldon Jones, Copeland Insurance
Vice Chair, Kelly Cooper, Cooper Clean
Treasurer, Sandy Foltz, Pottberg, Gassman &
Hoffman
Board Members:
Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce Kyle Adams, Concordia Tractor Inc.
500 North Buckeye
Abilene, KS 67410 Marc Beswick, Ks Army National Guard
Phone: 785-263-1770
Fax: 785-263-1536
Diane Miller, M & M Tire and Auto
E-mail: visitus1@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.abileneks.net
Mark Miller, Memorial Health System
Follow the Abilene Area Chamber of
Julie Patton, Abilene Reflector-Chronicle
Commerce on Facebook, or follow Cindy
Joleen Rankin, First American Title
Issitt on Twitter...
Becky Schwab, Cook Real Estate
Dr. Tim Shafer, Abilene School District
Linda Smith, Eisenhower Presidential Library,
Museum and Boyhood Home.
---July Tip---
Overcome The Awkward Silence
Discussions during meetings can be feast or famine. Either you can’t get a word in
edgewise or no one speaks up. Next time your meeting falls silent, try these tactics:
1. Let It Be. Wait a moment before breaking the silence and offering a suggestion. The
group may need time to reflect on an idea.
2. Name It. Call out what’s happening, and ask the group about it, “it seems we’ve
gone quiet. Does anyone want to talk about what’s going on?”
3. Take A Break. Sometimes a short break gives people the chance to refocus.
-Adapted from Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter
Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce 4