CMBA Meeting Notes
by Karen Peinl
Our first meeting of the new year took place on January 12th at the Grange Hall. There were 25 people in attendance. After networking and free pizza, we got right to work.
The first order of business was to introduce the current slate of candidates for next month’s elections. We will be electing the officers for the upcoming year and board members for two-year terms. If you are interested in throwing your hat into the ring for any positions, attend the next meeting. We would love to have you “on board.”
The slate is: Terry Taylor, Sunset Credit Union, President; Sandy Sahagian, Sandy Sahagian Portraiture, Vice President; Tim Kober, Cedar Advisors, Secretary; Michael McIntyre, US Bank,Treasurer; Becky Jarvis, Electronics Unlimited, Board Member; Lauren McCabe, Cedar Mill Chiropractic, Board Member, Past President; Ryan Egge, Bales/Findley, Board Member; Dean Shade, Dean Shade Law, Board Member.
After that, it was time for each committee head to bring us up-to-date on what their committees have accomplished, and what they will be undertaking in the new year. Each committee is always looking for new members, so if you see something that you would like to get involved in, please let us know!
The Membership Committee will be out in the community this year recruiting new members for the CMBA. They provide the official welcome to new businesses in our area through ribbon cuttings and other special events. It’s a great way to meet other business people and introduce your business to the rest of Cedar Mill. You do not have to have a “bricks and mortar” business to be a member of CMBA. We had 94 members at the end of 2009.
The Downtown Identity Committee is responsible for turning our Town Center area into a vibrant place to do business. Since Cedar Mill is not an incorporated city, we are responsible for the streetscape beautification and landscape maintenance along Cornell Road. This includes placing banners and flower baskets on light poles, and the Cornell Road clean-up parties.
The Community Outreach Committee is all about giving back to the community. Their current projects include the donation of gift and birthday cards to every homeless student at Sunset High School, and collecting donations of food and household items for the Sunshine Pantry.
The Events Committee helps makes it possible for local businesses to participate in three big events in the area every year: Cedar Mill Park Concert in August, the Cedar Mill Cider Festival in October, and the Farmers’ Market.
The Programs Committee is responsible for finding speakers for our monthly meetings, and meets approximately every three months to brainstorm potential future speakers. They are investigating the possibility of holding occasional evening and/or morning networking events since not all business owners can attend lunch time meetings, or holding an occasional meeting at a CMBA member business.
Our Ten Minutes of Fame speaker for January was Sam Bosch from Peregrine Financial Solutions. They provide cash-handling and ATM services to area businesses such as stores and restaurants. They will help you speed up your business transactions, reduce your paper use, reduce errors, and eliminate “float.” They have been in business for 21 years, and were named as one of the Top 100 Oregon companies by Inc. magazine.
The next CMBA meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 9 at the Leedy Grange. See page 1 for details. Our topic will be The UGLY Truth About Merchant Services. Cheri Perry, owner of Total Merchant Concepts, has been in the credit card processing industry for 14 years. Cheri will be sharing some of the pitfalls of her industry. She will also provide some great answers to the following questions: How do I prevent Credit Card Fraud?; Do I really need to accept Credit Cards?; How do I know when I need to accept credit cards?; How do I know if I am getting a good deal?
Delaram Hakiman-Adyani gets her “Ten Minutes of Fame” to tell us about the Virtues Project. Bring your business card and you could be next.
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