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The July 2012 edition of the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce newsletter
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Volume 7, Issue 7
Your July 2012 Monthly Chamber Newsletter
Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce600 E. DepotPO Box 880Brownwood, TX 76804
InsIde ThIs Issue
Brownwood AreaChamber of CommercePhone: (325) 646-9535Fax (325) [email protected]
CheCk out our
up CoMiNg eveNts oN
page 6
Page 2 •SmallBusiness Development •WritingWorkshop Page 3 •CouncilFinance •SupportSmallBusiness
Page 4 •StrategicPlan
Page 5 •RibbonCuttins •ThankYou!
Page 6 •IndustrialFoundation
Page 7 •CommonGrounds
Page 8 •BrownwoodStore
Asthefirstdayofschoolfastapproach-es,familieswillsoonbevisitingstorestopurchasealloftheessen-tialsforback-to-schooltime.TheBrownwoodandEarlyChambersofCom-mercewanttoremindarearesidentshowimportantshoppingatlocalretailerscanbebylaunchingashoplocalcampaignforback-to-school.Thecampaignisdesignedtoraiseawarenessoftheimportanceinkeepinglocaldollarslocalandhowitaffectspublicservices,localbusiness,jobsandcommunityactivities. “Eachtimeyoumakealocalpurchase,yousupportlocaljobs,”saidLauraTerhune,DirectorfortheBrownwoodChamber.“Duringtoughertimeslikethese,spendingthosedollarsathomemakesanevengreaterimpactonthelocaleconomy.” Terhunesaidsalestaxthatisgeneratedbylocalpurchasesgoestofundimpor-tantcitydepartmentssuchasfire,police,parks,library,andseniorservices.Busi-nessesalsosupportandsponsorlocaleventsandactivitiesthatmakeBrownCountyagreatplacetolive. “WerealizedthatnoteverythingisavailableinBrownCountystores,butwewanttoencouragelocalshopperstolookherefirstbeforemakingatripoutoftown,”saidEarlyChamberDirector
WandaFurgason.“Shopperswilloftensavetimeandmoneybyshoppinglocally
insteadoftakingalongtrip.” Residentscanexpecttoseeandhearlocaladvertis-inginthecomingweeksthroughavarietyofsourcestoheightenawarenessoftheimportanceofshoppinglo-cally. ChamberofCommerceofficialsalsoreleasedtheir
topreasonstoshoplocal.
Why Buying Local Benefits You 1.Moremoneyisputintoour localeconomy 2.Jobsarecreated&saved 3.Localbusinessessupport communityactivities 4.Bettercustomerservice& convenience 5.Taxdollarsfundourlocalfire,police, &parksdepartments
The2012ShopLocalcampaignissponsoredbyHeartlandMall,WendleeBroadcasting,Mid-TexCellular,Ser-viceMasterClean,Weakley-WatsonTrueValueHardware,theBrownwoodAreaChamberofCommerce,andtheEarlyChamberofCommerce. Formoreinformationaboutshoppinglocalortofindalocalbusiness,visitBrownwoodChamber.orgorEarlyTx.com.
Shop Local for Back-to-School
TheTSUSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenter(SBDC)ispartofanationwidesystemdesignedtoassistsmallbusinessesthrive.TheSBDCpartnerswithFederal,state,localgovernment,theeducationalcommunityandtheprivatesectortooffer“one-stopservices”tobothpresentandprospectivebusinessowners.StatisticsshowanewjobiscreatednationwidebyaSBDCclientevery9minutesandanewbusinessopenedevery45minutes.ThenationwideSBDCprogramservesmorethanonemillionsmallbusinessesayear.ThelocalSBDCofficeissponsoredbyapart-nershipbetweenTarletonStateUniversityandtheU.S.SmallBusinessAdministration(SBA).TheTSUSBDC’sgoalistohelpentrepreneursrealizethedreamofbusinessownershipandgivethemtheknowledgeandtoolstoenablethemtocompeteintoday’sever-changingglobaleconomy. TheTSUSBDCisstaffedwithquali-fiedprofessionalsthatprovideconfidentialone-on-onebusinesscounseling.ServicesareofferedatNOCHARGEthankstothegrantsfromtheFederalSmallBusinessAdministration(SBA),TarletonandtheStateofTexas.“Entrepreneurshavenumer-ousquestionsandconcernswhenstartingasmallbusiness”,saysRandyThomasoftheTSUSBDC.“Weareabletoassisttheminavarietyoftopicsrelatedtotheirparticularneedsandinterests.” TheSBDCoffersawiderangeofser-vicestohelppersonsconsideringstartingorexpandingasmallbusiness.Inadditionto
businesscounseling,developingabusinessplanandloanadvice,theSBDCalsooffersotherservicesatnochargetoexistingbusi-nesses.Forexample,abusinessinterestedinbiddingonGovernmentcontractingorimport/exportingproductscantakeadvan-
tageoftheresourcepartnershipsofferedthroughtheTSUSBDC. TarletonSBDCpart-nerswiththeBusinessIndustryDataCenterandNationalClearing-housetoprovidearangeoftimelyandrelevantstatistics,demographic,andinformationtoem-powertheentrepreneur.TheGeographicInfor-mationSystem(GIS)
softwarehascapabilitiesformappingandgraphicalrepresentationofdata.Inaddi-tion,Dr.AdolfoBenavides,DeanofTarletonCollegeofBusiness,allowstopbusinessstudentstogainrealworldexperiencebyworkingwiththeSBDC.BystudentsandtheSBDCworkingtogetheritisabletoof-ferextensiveresearchandfeasibilityproj-ectsforbusinesses. TheSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenteriscelebrating25yearsofassistingsmallbusinessownersintheir10countyservicearea.AlargepartofitssuccessisthroughitscohesiverelationshipswithBrownwoodandEarlyChambersorCommerce,theBrown-woodEconomicDevelopmentCorporationanditsotherpartnersinBrownCounty.InBrownCounty,theSBDCmeetswithclientsattheBrownwoodChamberofCommerceandtheEarlyEconomicDevelopmentCenter.TocontacttheSBDCforaprivatecounselingsessioncall817.573.7681orvisittheirwebsiteatwww.tsusbdc.org.
TheBrownwoodandEarlyChambersofCommerce,EarlyEconomicDevelopmentCorporationandTarletonSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenterwillholdafree“Writ-ingaSuccessfulBusinessPlanWorkshop”onAugust8th. Theone-hourworkshopwillbepre-sentedbyRandyThomasoftheSmallBusiness DevelopmentCenterandwillpro-videthetoolsforwritingasuccessfulbusinessplan. Thomassaid“Ratherthanattempt-ingtoteacheverythingthereistoknowaboutbusinessplanninginanhour,we’lltakeourallottedtimetodeliverthemostimportantfacetsofthebusinessplanningprocess,howtocreateasuccessfulbusinessplanandmaximizeyourfundingsuccess,whetherstarting-up,expandingorneed-ingfunding.” Anopportunityfornetworkingwillbeginat11:30amandlunchcanbepurchasedduringtheworkshopfor$8.Theworkshopwilltakeplacefromnoonuntil1:00pmintheChamberConferenceRoomattheEarlyChamberCommerceBuildingat104EIndustrialDrive.Spaceislimitedsopre-registrationisrequired.Call325-646-9533or325-649-9317toregister.
Page 2 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / July 2012
Small Business Development Center Helping
Local Small Business
Writing a Successful Business Plan
Workshop – August 8th
Randy Thomas of the SBDC conducts a recent workshop on how to start a business.
Intheuncertaineconomy,smallbusinessownersstruggletofindaffordableresourcesandtimetosustainandultimatelygrowtheirbusiness.TheBrownwoodAreaChamberofCommerceisamem-bershiporganizationthatiscommit-tedtonurturingthesuccessofourmembersbyofferingavarietyofbenefitsandservicestohelpinsuresuccess.Whetherthebusinessisanestablishedsmallbusinesslookingforwaystobemoreprofitableoranewanddevelopingbusinesslook-ingforassistancetogetstarted,thechamberoffersprogramstomeetmostbusinessneeds. AsamemberoftheBrownwoodAreaChamberofCommerce,abusinessbecomesapartofaninno-vative,dynamicorganizationwhosesolepurposeistoimprovetheeconomyoftheBrownwoodArea
andtherebyimprovethequalityoflifeforitscitizens.Ourmember-shipbusinesscommunityconsistsofover500businessesfromsmallindependentbusinessestolargeglobalcor-porations,withsmallbusinessesmakingupover90%ofthemembership!Smallbusi-nessesarevitaltothiscom-munity,andtheBrownwoodAreaChamberofCommercerecognizesthatprovidingaf-fordableresourcesandprogramsforlocalbusinessesiskeytobuildingastrongereconomyandastrong,healthycommunity.Membersoftheorganizationhaveaccessto
onlineresourcessuchastheHotDealsandJobListingsfeatureonthechamber’swebsite.Thesepor-talsgivebusinessestheopportunity
tosharespecials,couponsandlistjobopeningsonthechamberwebsitethatreceives45,000pageviewseachmonth.Smallbusinessesmayalsotakead-vantageofthe
quarterlywork-shop/seminarseries,
aneducationaltoolthatisfreeformembersoffering
informationonavarietyoftop-icspertainingtobusinessgrowth,developmentandoverallbusinesssuccess. Anotherresourceavailableto
localbusinessesisnetworkingthroughannualchamberevents.Eachyear,thechamberhoststwobusinessexpos,theSpringBusi-nessShowcaseheldinAprilandtheFallBusinessShowcaseinSeptember.Eachexpogivesbusi-nessestheopportunitytonetworkandgainexposurethroughoneononecommunicationwiththousandsofpotentialclientsinonelocation.Theseeventsareanaffordablewayforsmallbusinessestoconnectwithclientsandthecommunitywhileexpandingtheirbottomline.Formoreinformationonhowtopartici-pateinoneoftheseeventsoranyoftheprogramsofferedbytheBrown-woodAreaChamberofCommerce,callMissiMaloneDirectorofMem-berServicesat(325)[email protected].
July 2012 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / Page 3
CouncilFinance’sprimaryfinancingtoolistheU.S.SmallBusinessAdministration’s504commercialmortgageprogram.Itisdesignedtogivesmallbusi-nessesaccesstolong-termcapital.The504loancombinesconven-tionalfinancingfromaprivatelenderwithafixed-rateloanfromSBAforthepurposeoffinancingland,commercialbuildings,andlongusefullifeequipment.
LOAN STRUCTURE: TheSBA504programallowsCouncilFinancetostructurealoanpackageconsistingofthreefundingsources.Theborrower’scommerciallendertypicallyprovides50percentofthetotalprojectcost,CouncilFinance’sSBAloanprovidesupto40percentoftheprojectcost,andtheborrowerprovidesaminimum10%equityinjection.Therateissetatthetimetheloanfundsandremainsfixedforthelifeoftheloan.
LOAN QUALIFICATIONS: Abusinessmayqualifytopartici-pateintheSBA504Programifits
tangiblenetworthdoesnotexceed$15millionanditsnetincomeaftertaxesisnotmorethan$5millionfortheprevious2years.Theloanproceedsmustbeusedforfixed-assetfinancingthatincludestheacquisi-tionofland,building,renovation,newconstruction,andlongusefullifeequipment.Theminimumprojectsizeis$125,000,andtheprojectmustcreateorretainonejobforevery$65,000borrowedfromSBA.
Brownwood Area Chamber Supports Small Business
Council Finance Offers SBA Commercial Loans
Contact Information:Daniel Hutson600 E. Depot St. Brownwood, Texas 76801325-518-4942
ADVANTAGES FOR THE BORROWER: • LOW EQUITY INJECTION • FIXED-RATE OF INTEREST • PRESERVATION OF WORKING CAPITAL • FULLY AMORTIZING, LONG • TERM LOAN (10 OR 20 YEARS)
Page 4 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / July 2012
Austin’s Avalanche Consulting Hired to Develop Brownwood
EDC Strategic PlanAvalancheConsult-inghasbeenawardedacontractwiththeBrownwoodEco-nomicDevelopmentCorporationtocreateaneconomicdevel-opmentstrategyforthecommunity.TheconsultingfirmkickedofftheprojectwiththeBrownwoodEDCinApril2012,whichincludesacompre-hensivecompetitiveassessment,targetin-dustryevaluation,andstrategicplan. “WelookforwardtoteamingupwithAvalancheConsult-ingtoidentifytargetindustrysectorsandstrategiesthatwillincreasejobsandinvestmentinourcommunity,”saidEmilyCrawford,ExecutiveDirectoroftheBrownwoodEDC. AvalancheConsulting’sprincipals,AmyHollowayandChrisEngle,haveworkedwithmorethan100economicandworkforcedevelopmentorganiza-tions.SinceAvalanche’sfoundingsixyearsago,thefirm’sclientshavegen-eratedover$3billioninnewcapitalinvestmentandthousandsofjobsforresidents. AvalancheConsultingisaresearchandstrategyconsultingfirmspecializingineconomicandworkforcedevelop-ment,strate-gicplanning,targetindustryanalysis,work-forcedemandassessments,andmarketingplans.Formoreinforma-tionpleasevisit:www.AvalancheCon-
sulting.com BrownwoodEconomicDevelop-mentCorporationistheCityofBrownwood’sofficialeconomicde-velopmententity.Itisanon-profitorganiza-tionthatfocusesonjobcreationandeconomicgrowthbyprovidingassistancetocurrentandprospectivebusi-nesses.Formorein-formationpleasevisit:www.BrownwoodBusi-ness.com. TheBEDCprovidesavarietyof
assistancetobusinessprospects.Eachpackageiscustomizedtofittheneedsoftheprospects,tobenefitthecommunityandtoenhancetheeconomicwell-beingofthecitizensofBrownwood.Thesecaninclude:
• construction or relocation of utilities• acquiring rights-of-way or easements• job training• packaging of proposed tax abatements• street improvements• provide maps, demographics and other information• coordination of meetings with key decision-makers• special pricing on land in the industrial areas• site improvements
Formoreinformation,pleasecon-tactEmilyCrawfordExecutiveDirectoroftheBrownwoodEconomicDevelop-mentCorporationat325-646-6751.
Emily Crawford, Executive Director Brownwood Economic
Development Corporation
Business Start-Up Guide Available
Need help starting or expanding your busi-ness? The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce offers a free Brownwood Business Start-up guide to help potential entrepreneurs navigate through the process. The publication offers information on creat-ing a business plan, financing information, permits & licenses, marketing, location, and many other useful topics. There is also con-tact information to various organizations that help businesses get started or expand. The booklet was created through a partner-ship with the Brownwood Marketing Alliance which includes the Brownwood Chamber, Brownwood Economic Development Corpora-tion, Brownwood Industrial Foundation, and Downtown Brownwood, Inc. Print copies are available at the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce or online at www.BrownwoodBusiness.com.
July 2012 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / Page 5
A Special THANK YOU to the following businesses that renewed their Membership in the month of June. We greatly appreciate your continued support of the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce and the Brownwood Community!
Abilene Regional Airport Aldersgate Enrichment
All Star AwardsBrown County Republican Women’s Club
Brownwood Apartments I & IIBrownwood Art Association
Brownwood GastroenterologyBrownwood Medical Associates
Brownwood Regional Medical CenterBrownwood Specialty Group
Brownwood Sportsman CenterBruner Auto Group
CASA in the Heart of TexasClear Fork Roofing
Color Visual ConceptsDiamond P Enterprise
Demand StaffEastlawn Memorial
Flagship InnFlour Power Bakery
Gary Twiford, RealtorHampton Inn
Harris Insurance AgencyHeart of Texas Orthopaedics
Hope for TomorrowKohler
Leland’s Portable BuildingsLoadcraft IndustriesLonghorn Auto Sales
McCluskey & AssociatesMid-Tex Federal Credit Union
Moore Printing
New Ice Age Red Raider Club Center
Salvation Army Schwan’s
Section Hand Skinny’s
Spa on the Creek Sun Loan
Top Cut Lawn Care Trans Texas Tire
TXU United Country - Heart of Texas Real Estate
Wall Moulding & Associates Warren Ranch Western Bank
WT Harris Company
USDocksWildDuckMarinaCelebratesChamberMembership
The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce held a rib-bon cutting ceremony for the US Docks Wild Duck Marina on Wednesday, June 13th. Openedinsummerof2010,youcanfindanythingandev-erything you need for a fun day on the lake and a great meal too! They also offer boat slip rentals as well as cabin, house andRVspacerentals.Iffishingisyourpassion,WildDuckoffersgreatfishingatKirklandDock’sCrappieHouse.Withamembershipyoucanfishallyear! Stop by this summer and enjoy great food and fun at the Wild Duck Marina!
RusticsandRhinestonesJoinstheBrownwood Area Chamber of Commerce
The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting cer-emony on Thursday, June 21st to welcome them as new members. RusticsandRhinestone’sisthearea’snewestboutiqueofferingwomen’sfashions, jewelry and rustic décor. Stop by their location at115 Early Blvd. andseewhat’snew,WednesdaythroughSaturday10:00AMto6:00PM.
Ribbon cutting
UPCoMInGevenTS
July14-15 ASA State 3D Archery Shoot Brown County Bow Range 23-27 14U Texas Teenage State Baseball Tournament Sports Complex
August4 “Remembering When” HankWilliamsRemembered Brownwood Coliseum16 BusinessAfterHours F&M Bank17 Chamber Monthly Luncheon Brownwood Country Club
September6 Brownwood Business Showcase & Taste of Brownwood Brownwood Coliseum8 St.John’sArts&CraftsFair St. John’s Church14-16 Brownwood Reunion Celebration Downtown Brownwood20 BusinessAfterHours Bob’s Fuels21 Chamber Monthly Luncheon Brownwood Country Club
First Saturday of Every Month is Family Day
Lehnis Railroad Museum
Page 6 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / July 2012
TheBrownwoodIndustrialFoundation,Inc.(BIFI)wasbornastheeconomicdevelopmentarmoftheBrownwoodChamberofCommerceintheearlypartofthe20thcentury.Itsmembersin-cludedmanyofourcommunity’scivicleadersandelectedofficialsoftheday.AfterWorldWarII,thesemenpooledtheirpersonalresourcestopurchaselandfromtheUSArmyinordertodevelopanIndustrialParkandrecruitbusinessandindustrytothearea.TheChamberincorporatedthecommitteeintotheBrownwoodIndustrialFoundationin1959. Today,theBIFIcontinuestohelpbusinesseslaunchorexpandintheBrownwoodArea.Theirtwoprimaryservicesaretopro-videlowinterestbusinessloansmadethroughtheUSDA-RuralDevelopmentIRPProgramandtosellorleasetheiravailableprop-ertytobusinessesthatcreatejobs. TheIRPLoanProgram: ThepurposeoftheIRPprogramistoincreaseeconomicactivityandemploymentinruralcom-munities.UndertheIRPprogram,loansareprovidedtotheBrown-woodIndustrialFoundationfortheestablishmentofrevolvingloanfunds.Theserevolvingloan
fundsareusedtoassistwithfinancingbusinessandeconomicdevelopmentactivitytocreateorretainjobsinruralcommuni-ties.TheBrownwoodIndustrialFoundationworksinpartnershipwithotherpublicandprivateorganizationsthatprovidecompli-mentaryresources. ThefollowingentitiesmayapplyforloansfromtheIRPprogramprovidedtheyowenodelinquentdebttotheFederalGovernment: •U.S.citizensorindividuals whohavebeenlegallyadmitted totheU.S. •Thoselocatedinaruralarea definedasanareawitha populationof25,000orless •Anentitythatisabletoincur debt,givesecurity,andrepay theloan •Acorporation,partnership, LLC,individual,non-profit corporation,publicbody.
IRPfundingmaybeusedforanumberofpurposesbuttobeeli-gible,ultimaterecipientsmustbelocatedinaruralarea.UndertheIRP,aruralareaisanyareathatisnotinsideacitywithapopulationof25,000ormoreaccordingtothelatestdecennialcensus.Some
examplesofeligibleprojectsare: •Theacquisition,construction, conversion,enlargement,or repairofabusinessorbusiness facility,particularlywhenjobs willbecreatedorretained. •Thepurchaseordevelopment ofland(easements,rightsof way,buildings,facilities,leases, materials) •Topurchaseequipment, leaseholdimprovements, machinery,supplies •Startupcostsandworking capital •Pollutioncontroland abatement •TransportationServices •Feasibilitystudies •Hotels,motels,B&Bs, conventioncenters TheBrownwoodIndustrialFoundationhasalonghistoryofhelpingbringbothlargeandsmallindustriestoBrownwood.ThroughtheBrownwoodMar-ketingAlliance,theIndustrialFoundationpartnerswithseveralotherbusinessorganizationstohelpmakeBrownwoodabusinessfriendlycommunity. Formoreinformation,pleasecontactChamberCEOLauraTerhune,theBIFIAdministratorat325-646-9535.
Brownwood Industrial Foundation From Economic Development to Small Business Support
July 2012 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / Page 7
Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership
219 Early Blvd.Early, TX 76802(325) 646-8023
Accu Screen2201 Coggin Avenue
Brownwood, TX 76801(325) 646-7828
www.accuscreen.net
Blaylock Funeral Home1914 Indian Creek RoadBrownwood, TX 769801
(325) 203-4027
Brownwood Bulletin700 CarnegieBrownwood
(325) 646-2541www.brownwoodbulletin.com
Camelot Apartments2001 Slayden
Brownwood, TX 76801(325) 643-4591
Depot Liquor1001 Vine
Brownwood, TX 76801646-3500
Southside Village2801 4th St.
Brownwood, TX 76801(325) 646-1749
www.southsidevillage.net
BuildingPartnerships for a betterCommunity
www.brownwoodtx.com
A great place to golf, swim, relaxand socialize. Whether it’s making
new friends or maybe all youwant is a great meal in a beautiful
setting then come to theBrownwood Country Club and
enjoy some of the finest food andfellowship that a private club
has to offer. Call today forinformation on membership.
325/643-1023
Brownwood Country Club
646-9789
WINDSHIELDS
100 North Main • Brownwood
AUTOGLASSMAGIC
Get Your Loan WithSomeone You Trust
Sylvia
511 W. CommerceBrownwood, TX
325-643-1211
Loans up to
$1,115!
®
Se Habla Español
And Tax Service
HEALTHCLINIC
Dr. Garner, D.O. ~ Shanna Perkins, F.N.P.Wednesday Henry-F.N.P ~ Bud Isbell, P.A.
Any Insurance AcceptedAccept Medicaid and Medicare
Sliding Fee Scale • Tuesday Night Late Clinic
For appointments, call Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.3804 Hwy 377, Brownwood
(325)643-5167
CROSS TIMBERSA great place to golf, swim, relax
and socialize. Whether it’s makingnew friends or maybe all you
want is a great meal in a beautifulsetting then come to the
Brownwood Country Club andenjoy some of the finest food and
fellowship that a private clubhas to offer. Call today for
information on membership.
325/643-1023
Brownwood Country Club
646-9789
WINDSHIELDS
100 North Main • Brownwood
AUTOGLASSMAGIC
Get Your Loan WithSomeone You Trust
Sylvia
511 W. CommerceBrownwood, TX
325-643-1211
Loans up to
$1,115!
®
Se Habla Español
And Tax Service
HEALTHCLINIC
Dr. Garner, D.O. ~ Shanna Perkins, F.N.P.Wednesday Henry-F.N.P ~ Bud Isbell, P.A.
Any Insurance AcceptedAccept Medicaid and Medicare
Sliding Fee Scale • Tuesday Night Late Clinic
For appointments, call Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.3804 Hwy 377, Brownwood
(325)643-5167
CROSS TIMBERS Support these local Chamber Members
Davis-MorrisFuneralHome
PO Box 356Brownwood, Texas
76804325-646-5555
McCoysBuildingSupplyCenter
TonyHill3605Hwy377S
Brownwood, Texas 76801
325-643-2658
By Nora HartfeIlKTABNEWS Withnationalunem-ploymentratespeakingandunfavorableeco-nomicconditions,thelastthingmanywouldthinkaboutisstartingabusi-ness. ButforthecommunityofBrownwood,theseobstaclesdon’tseemtofazethem.TheCham-berofCommerceholdsregularsmallbusinessworkshops,usuallywithapackedaudience. RandyThomas,oftheSmallBusinessDevelop-mentCenter,callsBrown-wooda“businessfriendlymarket”. “Ithinkrightnowisarealadvantageoustimetostartabusinessinthismarket,especiallyintheBrownwoodandBrown
Countyareas,becauseyougotaveryreceptivepoliticalclimatehere”,saysThomas. Anexampleofasmallbusinessstart-upthat’susedBrownwoodasalaunchingpadisCommonGroundsDeliandCoffee.Openingjustlastyear,thisfamily-runbusinessbreweduptheirrecipeforsuccesswithingredi-entssuchas:athoroughbusinessplan,financialprojections,andalotofsweatequity. “Theyhaddoneasurveytoseewhatwaslackinghere,andsome-thingpeoplewantedwasacoffeehouse.So,weputthetwotogether,thecoffeehouseandthedeli-catessen,andthecommu-nityhasbeenverygoodtous”,saysMarcoSan-
doval,CommonGroundsowner. Adviceforthoselook-ingtogointobusiness?“Doitwhileyou’restillyoung,causeyoudon’twanttogettoooldandregretitandsay‘Well,Ishouldhavedoneit,whatif’”,Sandovaltellsus.
TheSmallBusinessAdministrationsaysthatthetopreasonforbusi-nessstart-upfailureisduetolackofplanning.CompanieslikeCommonGroundsarelivingproofthatnewbusinessescanthrive,eveninthecurrentstateoftheeconomy.
Brownwood Brews Up Small Business Start-Ups
SEPTEMBEr 6th ..........Business Showcase and Taste of Brownwood11th .........Leadership Brownwood14th-16th ..Brownwood Reunion CelebrationOCTOBEr2nd ............National Night OutDECEMBEr6th .............Lighted Christmas Parade7th-8th .......Christmas Under the Stars Festival
A Look Ahead
600 East Depot inside the Chamber of CommerceMon.-Thurs. 8am-5pm Fri. 8am-4pm
Come see over 600 Texas items & our NEW Texas puzzles!!
Brownwood area Chamber of
CommerceBoard of Directors
2012-2013
ericMcneese,ChairmanBrown County Abstract
Dr.DonBostic,PastChairmanRanger College
ChipCampBRMC
AaronDiazStaples
Dr.BillellisHoward Payne UniversityJillevansFamily Services Center
ToniHillMcCoy’s
RayGarzaTexasBank
BrianKightTSTC
DebbieMorelockStar of Texas Bed & Breakfast
DavidRobnettRobnett InsuranceRichardRussellWal-martJoshStegemollerStegemoller RealtorsSamWaldropWaldrop ConstructionSteveWeckwerthSubway
ChaMbER StaFFLaura terhune, Executive DirectorSunni Modawell, tourism ManagerRay tipton, Marketing ManagerMissi Malone, Membership Director Martha Faetche, Receptionist; Visitor Center & brownwood Store ManagerDawn Norway – Office Manager
325-643-35451 Carnegie • Brownwood
Proven CommunityPartner
www.texbank.comTexasBank
Central Texas RuralTransit District
Public Transit: 1-800-710-2277
COUNTIES:BrownCallahanColeman
ComancheEastlandErathNolan
RunnelsShacklefordStephensRural Taylor
Page 8 / Brownwood Chamber of Commerce / July 2012
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eS BookS on texAS hiStory, trAveL, cooking And humor
care
packages &
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uniquebrownwood items
& souvenirs
the Brownwood Store And viSitorS center
Above: $16.50“Welcome to Texas”
Right:$12.95“Austin Streamline Puzzle”
