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Welcome to the 2013-2014 Chamber Year!
The 2014-2015 Chamber Year began July 1, 2014.
The New Chamber President, Phil Tackett selected "Moving
Forward United" as the theme for this year. He announced
the theme at the annual Membership Social. Below is a photo
of the 2014-2015 Chamber Board of Directors showing unity
in moving forward.
Membership Social & Bottle Auction
During the Membership Social the Chamber said farewell to
Board Member Katrina Lynch-Allen and welcomed Shawn Cordry
and Melissa Shelden. Additionally, the Chamber thanked Mike
Dunbar for his time as Chamber President and welcomed the
incoming President Phil Tackett for the 2014-2015 year. This
Social also included the Chamber's Bottle Auction. Chamber
Members donated bottles with unknown contents. The $3,000
raised will fund the Chamber's shop local ad campaign and
Shop Small Business Saturday. The Chamber would like to thank
Hampton Inn for hosting the event, Di Trapani's Italian Bistro
for providing the food, the National Speleological Society,
Citizens Mortgage Company for their sponsorship, and all of
the Chamber businesses that donated a bottle for the auction.
To view pictures and video from the event click here.
At the social the Chamber released a fun video about Chamber
membership click here
to view.
Meet Your Board
President Phil Tackett retired from the Army on February
28, 2009, after 36 years of honorable service and was an Army
Professional Forums Facilitator as a contractor working on
Fort Leonard Wood.
Mr. Tackett has been a member of the Waynesville-St Robert
Chamber of Commerce since his retirement. He serves on the
Government and Military Affairs Committee. Mr. Tackett has
been the Vice President of the Board for the last two years.
Phil and his wife, Paula have chosen to make the Waynesville-St.
Robert area their home.
 Leadership
Pulaski County
The Leadership Pulaski County Program applications
were received and processed. Letters of acceptance were mailed
at the end of June. The 2014-2015 class will begin in September.
If you are interested in contributing to the building of community
leaders by becoming a 2014-2015 Leadership Pulaski County
Supporter contact the Chamber office at 573-336-5121 or email
info@wsrchamber.com.
LPC
Sponsorship Opportunities
 Chamber
Quarterly +1 Luncheon
Once per quarter the Chamber hosts an extended luncheon called
the Quarterly +1. These luncheons will begin at 11:30 a.m.
and end at 1:00 p.m., and will have an extended agenda which
includes special updates and announcements.
The remaining two Quarterly luncheons for 2014 will take
place on August 13th, and November 12th. If you know a current
Chamber member who has not been to a luncheon in a while or
if you are speaking to someone about possibly joining the
Chamber, please invite them to attend the luncheon with you.
Any perspective member must attend with a currently active
member as their guest.
There are no seating limits for the Quarterly +1 Luncheons
so it is a great opportunity to get involved and updated on
the community and network with fellow Chamber members. RSVPs
are due the Tuesday before the luncheon by 9:00 a.m. Guests
of Chamber members must also have an RSVP to attend. Cost
is $10 per person. All regular Chamber luncheon policies apply.
For more information on the Quarterly +1 Luncheon or to RSVP
contact the Chamber office by calling 573-336-5121 or email
chamber@wsrchamber.com.
Now Accepting Veteran of the
Year Award Nominations
The Waynesville - St. Robert Area Chamber of
Commerce is preparing for its annual Veterans' Day Ceremony
& Parade. From now until August 29, 2014 the Chamber
of Commerce will be accepting nominations from Chamber members.
A one-page letter outlining the candidate's qualifications
and experience will comprise the formal nomination form along
with a brief bio summary of the nominee and a digital photo.
The Veteran of the Year Award is meant to recognize
a veteran from any rank from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard,
Marines and Navy with an honorable discharge. The individual
must be a Pulaski County resident and has agreed to accept
the award and be the Veterans' Day Ceremony & Parade Marshall
on November 11, 2014.
Nomination forms are available at the Chamber
office or can be downloaded by clicking here.
If you have any questions contact the Chamber office at 573-336-5121,
or e-mail chamber@wsrchamber.com.
Operation Workforce
Job Fair
Looking for Employees? Then plan to attend.
The Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce presents the
10th Annual Operation Workforce Job Fair. Operation Workforce
is a workforce recruitment program promoting the connection
between employees seeking part-time/full-time positions with
employers providing those employment opportunities. Interviewing
booths will be available for on-site employee/employer interviews.
This event will take place Thursday, August
28, 2014 at the St. Robert Community Center from 10:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. with set up from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Participating Businesses are:
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Armed Forces Bank
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Digity Media-KJEL/KBNN/KFBD/KOZQ/KIIK/KJPW
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Life Care Center of Waynesville
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Military Police Regimental Association
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Pulaski County Growth Alliance Entrepreneurs
Club
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Shaklee Independent Distributor
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Thirty-One Gifts Independent Senior
Director
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If you would like to have a booth print out
your form here
and send it to the Chamber office at 137 St. Robert Blvd.
Ste. B, St. Robert, MO 65584. For more information, please
contact the Chamber office at (573) 336-5121 or e-mail info@wsrchamber.com.
CHOICES Program Sponsors Needed
The Chamber, in partnership with the Pulaski
County Rotary Club, will be presenting the Choices Program
to all 8th grade classes in the county. This program is aimed
at challenging students to think about their future career
options based on the level of education they decide to achieve,
as well as, the impact their choices will have on others and
the world around them. The Chamber is currently seeking volunteers
from the business community to help with this program. Class
room sponsorship are also available for $150.
School Districts
Crocker 2 Classes
Dixon 4 Classes
Laquey 4 Classes
Maranatha Baptist Academy 1 Class
Richland 2 Classes
Waynesville 16 Classes
Be a CHOICES Presenter
The CHOICES
Program is a highly participatory classroom seminar, presented
by local volunteers from both the Chamber of Commerce and
Rotary Club. It uses interactive exercises to help students
learn the impact of their choices and how to take control
of their lives through wise decision-making when it comes
to time and money management as well as education.
The success of this project can be summed up best in the
words of a student after completing the CHOICES
presentation, "It (self-discipline) means pushing myself
to do the right thing even if it's hard." By focusing
on real world topics such as time management, job opportunities,
self-discipline, and staying in school CHOICES
drives home the lessons that are so often overlooked.
The Chamber and Rotary Club will present CHOICES
to every school district in Pulaski County during the 2014-2015
school year. If you would like to get involved as either a
presenter or a donor please contact the Chamber office at
573-336-5121.
2014 Community Pride Night
 A
new school year is almost upon us and with that comes another
season of Tiger Football! No other event on the Chamber Calendar
elicits as much excitement and enthusiasm as Community Pride
Night! This year's celebration will be held on October 10th
in conjunction with the homecoming festivities, and like always
hotdogs and sodas are provided free of charge outside the
gate.
The Chamber cannot manage this event without your help! Sponsorships
are available for $50 and include your business name on a
sign at the event and in all press releases. With your
sponsorship you may have a booth at the event to promote your
business. We encourage you to get involved with the Chamber
as we take a night to recognize all the Waynesville Tiger
athletes. For more information contact our office at (573)
336-5121 or click here.
 7th
Annual Frog Race
The Chamber is proud to announce the 7th Annual
Frog Race sponsored by Sonic Drive In on October 4th in the
Waynesville City Park in conjunction with Frogtober Fest.
During this event Chamber frogs will jockey for position as
they race down the Roubidoux all striving to win.
Stop by the Chamber office and either enter
a lone frog for $5 or a team of 3 for $10. The more frogs
you have the better your chances of walking away a winner!
The 1st place prize is a $75 cash, 2nd place prize is a $50
cash and 3rd prize is a $25 cash, all prizes are donated by
First State Bank.
Contact the Chamber office at (573) 336-5121
or e-mail chamber@wsrchamber.com
for more information.
Nominations Open for the 2014 Citizen of
the Year
The Waynesville - St. Robert Area Chamber of
Commerce is preparing for its annual Citizen of the Year Award
to be presented at our Community Leadership Awards Banquet.
From now until November 14, 2014 the Chamber of Commerce will
be accepting nominations from Chamber members. A one page
letter outlining the candidate's qualifications and experience
will comprise the formal nomination form, as well as a cover
sheet including the following information: nominee's name,
home address, office address, home phone number, office phone
number, sponsor, point of contact, day phone number, and a
150 word summary of the nominee with his/her photo.
The Citizen of the Year Award is meant to recognize
a person who has performed outstanding and dedicated service
to the community and/or towards helping others over time not
for a particular year of service. The individual nominated
must have provided such service in the Waynesville-St. Robert
area. Please mail or e-mail your nominations to: Waynesville-St.
Robert Area Chamber of Commerce, 137 St. Robert Boulevard
Ste. B, St. Robert, MO 65584, E-mail: chamber@wsrchamber.com.
If you have any questions contact the Chamber
office at 573-336-5121, or e-mail at chamber@wsrchamber.com.
Click here
to download the 2013 Citizen of the Year Nomination Form.
2014 - 2015 Sponsorship Opportunities
Click here
for information on 2014 -2015 Sponsorship Opportunities. For
more information on any Chamber event contact the Chamber
office at 573-336-5121 or email
chamber@wsrchamber.com.
 Chamber
Business Showcase
On August 1st the Chamber Surprise Patrol visited
two Chamber member businesses to recognize them as the Chamber
Business Showcase member recognition program recipients for
August. The August Business Showcase recipients are Wee
Wonders Child Development Center and Secrest Heating &
Air Conditioning. The Surprise Patrol visited both
businesses and dropped off a special sign that will be displayed
throughout the month. Business Showcase recipients are drawn
each month. The Surprise Patrol will be out again in September
to recognize the next recipients.
Offer a discount or special offer to your
business through the Chamber's Shop Local Key Tag.
Anyone with a Shop Local Key Tag can
visit a participating business and receive a discount
or take advantage of a special offer. Key Tags are
FREE and available at all Chamber events as well as
the Chamber office. Key Tags will be available during
regular office hours at the Chamber office.
This program is open to any type of Chamber
business including retail, restaurants, fitness, service
businesses, or any business wishing to give a special
promotion to residents. Your discount or special promotion
needs to be good through December 31, 2014. Please fill
out the form below with your discount or special offer
to indicate that you are interested in participating in
this program.
Shop
Local Participant Form
For more information about the Shop Local Key
Tag Program visit www.keepitlocal.biz.
 Chamber
Membership E-Plaque
The 2014 -2015 Chamber Membership E- Plaque
is now available to members. This plaque may be placed on
your business web site or social media page to increase your
credibility through the recognition of Chamber membership.
E-mail info@wsrchamber.com
for the web site code and instructions to add the new Chamber
Membership E-plaque to your company web site.
Let Us Count the
Ways the Chamber helped YOU this past year!
9,429 Newsletters
Distributed and 2,343 Views Online
40,885
Weekly Updates Distributed and 9,081 Views Online
27,087 Web site Visits*
459 Welcome Packets Distributed**
2,724 Member Referrals
88% Member Retention Rate for 2013-2014
Chamber Represents 6,752 Employees
74% of the Businesses in Waynesville-St. Robert are Chamber
Members
80 New Members
37 Ribbon Cuttings
Chamber held 145 Events with 3,298 in Attendance and 6,209
Pictures Taken
That's a total of over
108,500 ways!
* Web stats are July
2013-June 2014 and represent unique user visits
** 330 distributed at Command Orientation and 129 in office.
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As
we start a new Chamber year I would like to welcome Phil
Tackett as our new Board President. I am looking forward
to the next year and the new ideas he will bring to the
Chamber. I also look back over the last two years and thank
Mike Dunbar for his dedication, advice, service, motivation,
commitment, friendship, caring and time. He has been a blessing
to the Chamber and through his leadership we grew as an
organization. I personally can't thank Mike enough for all
he has done to mentor me. We have a great Board of Directors
that work hard to put the membership first in all we do.
NSS
2015 Convention registration officially opened last week!
Tourism staff; Karen and Laura worked at the 2014 NSS Convention
in Huntsville Alabama promoting the upcoming convention. We
expect upwards of 1,200 people to attend this convention in
Waynesville next July. Watch our social media channels and
help spread the word of this fantastic week-long event. Anyone
with an interest in caves may attend; whether you are a hobbyist,
researcher, student or professor. As a business owner how
can you be involved? Develop specials, (and tell tourism!),
place welcome signs throughout the community and welcome this
fantastic group to Pulaski County. For more information please
visit this 
Pulaski
County has been approved by the Missouri State Investment
Board as a Work Ready Community In Progress. There are now
43 Counties participating in the Work Ready Community In Progress
Certification Program. The Pulaski County steering committee
is chaired by Wayne Morgan Executive Director of the Pulaski
County Growth Alliance. Members of the committee are; Gene
Newkirk, Luge Hardman, James H.Morgan, Cecilia Murray, Gary
Doerhoff, Darrell Vaughan, Rosalind Pride, David Miller, David
Dougan, Cheri Tune, and Geoffrey Bieniek.
From
the Banks of the Roubidoux!
