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2013 Officers

Art ClarkImmediate Past Chair

Kohler & Clark Screw Products, Inc

Crystal CotaVice Chair of Finance M. Green & Co.

Marie PintoVice Chair of Membership

Tulare Adult School

Patrick IsherwoodVice Chair of

Governmental Affairs

2013 BoardSherri Bakke

Tulare Regional Medical Center

Kerissa Postma-ChapmanInternational Agri-Center

Crystal CotaM. Green & Co.

Melissa FreitasValley Business Bank

Shea GowinGowin Green

Dennis MederosLegal Counsel

Horswill, Mederos, & Soares

Linda NoguesBacome Insurance

Manuel Ortiz, Jr.Manuel Ortiz Ag Real Estate

Keith ReynoldsTAE Inc.

Ronald SmithSterling & Smith Funeral Homes

Lonnie TiesieraWill Tiesiera

Ford-Mercury, Inc.

Mike WatsonGolden State Paint & Body

Professional StaffNina Akin

President / CEO Sherry Carson

Office Manager

Linda HowarthInformation Coordinator

the update

is the official monthly publication of the

Tulare Chamber of Commerce 220 E. Tulare Ave.

P.O. Box 1435 Tulare, CA 93275-1435

686-1547email: info@tularechamber.orgweb: www.tularechamber.org

For advertising information call:Jennifer Guinn — (559) 735-3235

the update is published in partnership with the Tulare Advance-Register

www.TulareChamber.org thethe UpdateUpdateMarch 2013

Like us on Facebook and FoLLow us on TwiTTer aT “TuLareTweeTs”

Published date: Feb. 23, 2013

Save the Date:Get Ready

For Cars On “K”

Coming April 6, 2013

Applications are atwww.tularechamber.org

Cruise night April 5th at A & W on J street

Let’s WORK together Tulare!Those attending the Tulare City

Council study session on Tuesday, February 5 were treated to a tremendous example of consensus building. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to witness our citizens WORKing together for the benefit of our community.

The topic under consideration at the study session was the proposed Property-Based Business Improvement District, or PBID. This initiative is intended to change the way in which certain aspects (primarily marketing and overall district management) of the downtown Tulare business area are administered. In order to accomplish this, four individu-als: Lionel Pires, Patrick Isherwood, Bob Barnier and Chris Harrell have spent countless hours over the last 18 months analyzing the probable impact of the PBID concept on our community, and speaking with those who are most likely to pay for, and benefit from, the program. Potential stakeholders in the process include: downtown property owners, business owners and managers, Tulare Downtown Association members and staff, the City of Tulare as both a prop-erty owner and an integral part of any change that may take place, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and the larger membership of our business community. Each of the stakeholders has their own vested interests to consider as well as the interests of the business district as a whole; a true communication conundrum.

As many readers are already aware, our current Tulare Downtown Association (TDA) is funded through an assessment levied by the City of Tulare on licenses sold to businesses operating within

the downtown Tulare business district. The efforts of the TDA to promote our downtown district are hampered by the fact that their funding relies entirely on businesses that are OPEN…if you haven’t driven down K Street recently give it a shot and you’ll see what I mean. Alternatively, the PBID administers funds collected through the county which are assessed based on an identified property measurement. The property owner pays the assessment, and may choose to pass along the charge to a tenant…if they have a tenant... Empty storefronts create the image of an undesirable area in which to do business. In order for our downtown to succeed everyone needs to WORK together.

It is the “together” aspect of the afore-mentioned presentation that I appreciated the most. The persons responsible for drawing up the proposal made a con-certed effort to address issues raised by all stakeholders. A downtown business owner inquired whether his assessment would double since his property is on a corner. The answer was “no”, the proper-ty owner will only be assessed on one of the two frontages based on the specifics of that particular location. One party cur-rently paying TDA fees wanted to know if he was going to be hit with both charges. Once again, the answer was “no”, the current proposal calls for a re-setting of the TDA assessment to zero during the implementation of the PBID. Budget issues impacting the City of Tulare were taken into account as well. As proposed, the city would not be assessed for owned (primarily former redevelopment) proper-ties in the downtown area; in exchange, the city has been requested to reduce

the fees that are typically charged when a new busi-ness opens downtown. I know Don Dorman and his management team will have to go over the num-bers on this, but I person-ally think this particular part of the proposal bril-liantly addresses the needs of all parties involved.

Deliberate and thoughtful communi-cation enabled Lionel, Patrick, Bob and Chris to put together a proposal that makes sense for our community. They weren’t trying to sugarcoat anything or promising a hundred new jobs. Projected costs associated with the transition to a PBID were not buried in the fine print, they were clearly identified. These gentlemen didn’t ignore the concerns brought forward by stakeholders; they found imaginative ways to tangibly address those concerns. What I observed on the evening of February 5 was truly excellent communication. Those council members present were able to engage in the discussion because that is the purpose of a study session (as opposed to a public hearing in which officials are only intend-ed to listen to testimony on a topic under consideration). The presentation was well thought out, informative and non-confrontational. Citizens present politely weighed in when appropriate opportu-nities to do so arose. Listening to that presentation, I was proud to be a member of this community. If we approach one another with respect and consideration (even when the topics are difficult ones) we all benefit. Anything is possible if we WORK together Tulare!

Philip SmithVice President,

Citizens Business Bank

Philip SmithChairman of the BoardCitizens Business Bank

Simone FrazierChair Elect

Land O’ Lakes

Tulare Boys & Girls ClubChamber Mixer

Thursday, March 14, 20135:00 - 7:00pm

Tulare Boys & Girls Club948 N. H Street

Come discover the Tulare Boys & Girls Club ...Get a tour, learn about our programs, get to know the kids, have a chance

to win door prizes and mix and mingle over tasty appetizers withlocal businesses!

Hosted by Tulare ChamberFor more information call Lynn at 592-4074

Tulare Chamber of Commerce will publish new community guide and membership directory

The Tulare Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that sales for its upcoming community guide and member-ship directory are now underway. The guides are on target to print this fall, and will be distributed in and around the Chamber service area.

The forthcoming Tulare community guide and membership directory will act as an exceptional Chamber membership recruitment tool, ideal community refer-ence guide and informational relocation publication. This customized publication will feature a refreshing writing style, coupled with eye-popping design and colorful pictures - grasping the distinct character of the community. The publica-tion will also include a complete Chamber membership directory and/or comprehen-sive buyer’s guide (categorical listing).

Advertising in the Tulare community guide and membership directory has unrivaled advantages. The multi-platform advertising bundle goes beyond the tra-ditional print publication to include: a community website and downloadable

NewView eBook®, which converts the publication’s editorial, pictures and design elements into a digital format; on-the-go wireless access via various web-enabled devices; and the searchable vpMobile.us® Business Directory Portal, featuring the Chamber’s entire membership directory, available wirelessly, 24/7. Since 1996, the Village Profile® website has seen over 250,000,000 hits from Internet locales around the world and from all manners of users, and the vpmobile.us site totaled more than 8.4 million hits from 2011-2012. This considerable traffic will prove beneficial to the entire Tulare Chamber of Commerce community.

In addition, the Chamber’s Village Profile® iPhone and Android App provides the Chamber, its members and advertisers access to their com-munity in one touch, anytime, anywhere, from their hand-held Smartphone devices. Downloadable from respective iPhone stores and the Android marketplace, the Village Profile®

App is comparable to navigating through www.villageprofile.com, with features including the community publication cover graphic; links to editorial chapters; access to the advertiser directory com-plete with reciprocal links; one-click, GPS-driven directions to all Chamber advertisers’ business locations; including direct dial and direct email capabilities.

This leading-edge, technologically advanced, royalty-generating publishing program is made possible through a part-nership between the Tulare Chamber of Commerce and Chamber member Village

See Community Guide/3

Government Affairs Committee MeetingThe Tulare Chamber invites all citizens to their Government Affairs Committee meeeting the 2nd Monday of each month at noon at Apple Annie’s. March 11th with be Shawn Bolouki /April. 8th

page 2 — March 2013 tulare chamber — the updateFebruary 23, 2013 Tulare Advance-RegisterPROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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California Fair Political Practices Commission California State Contribution Limits (Effective January 1, 2013-December 31, 2014)

Candidates seeking a state office and committees that make contributions to state candidates are subject to con-tribution limits from a single source. (Section 85301-85303.) Contributions from affiliated entities are aggregated for purposes of the limits. (Regulation 18215.1.) The chart below shows the current limits per contributor for state

offices. The primary, general, special, and special run-off elections are consid-ered separate elections. Contribution limits to candidates apply to each election. Contribution limits to office-holder and other committees apply on a calendar year basis. Contact your city or county about contribution limits for local offices.

The contribution limits are effective for elections held between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. These limits do not apply to contributions made to elec-tions in previous years. Such contribu-tions are subject to the limits in place for that year - see previous charts.

Legal Defense FundsContributions raised for a legal defense

fund are not subject to contribution lim-its or the voluntary expenditure ceiling. However, a candidate or officeholder may

raise, in total, no more than is reasonably necessary to cover attorney’s fees and other legal costs related to the proceeding for which the fund is created. (Section 85304; Regulation 18530.4.)

Recall ElectionsA state officeholder who is the subject

of a recall may set up a separate com-mittee to oppose the qualification of the recall measure and, if the recall petition qualifies, the recall election. Neither con-tribution limits nor voluntary expenditure

ceilings apply to the committee to oppose the recall that is controlled by the office-holder who is the target of the recall attempt. Candidates running to replace an officeholder who is the target of a recall are subject to the contribution limits and the expenditure limits applicable to the election for that office. (Section 85315; Regulation 18531.5.)

Ballot Measure Committees

Contributions to ballot measure com-mittees controlled by a candidate for elec-tive state office are not limited.

Contributions from State Candidates and Officeholders

A state candidate or state officeholder may not contribute more than $4,100 to a committee controlled by another state candidate or state officeholder (including a state or local election committee, legal defense fund, officeholder account, recall committee, or ballot measure committee). This limit applies on a per election basis and includes, in the aggregate, contribu-tions made from the candidate’s or office-holder’s personal funds and from cam-paign funds. (Section 85305; Regulation 18535.)

Communications Identifying State Candidates

Any committee that makes a payment or a promise of payment totaling $50,000 or more for a communication that:

1. Clearly identifies a state candidate; but

2. Does not expressly advocate the elec-tion or defeat of the candidate; and

3. Is disseminated, broadcast, or other-wise published within 45 days of an election, may not receive a contribution from any single source of more than $34,000 in a calendar year if the com-munication is made at the behest of the candidate featured in the communica-tion. (Section 85310.)

Officeholder Committees

Officeholder contributions must be cumulated (in full) with any other con-tributions from the same contributor(s) for any other future elective state office for which the officeholder maintains a controlled committee during the term

of office in which the contribution is received. Contributions to candidates for future elections and to their officeholder account are cumulated for purposes of contribution limits. (Regulation 18531.62.)

Contributions from State Lobbyists

A state lobbyist may not contribute to a state officeholder’s or candidate’s committee if the lobbyist is registered to lobby the agency of the elected officer or the agency to which the candidate is seeking election. The lobbyist also may not contribute to a local committee controlled by any such state candidate. (Section 85702; Regulation 18572.)

Local Elections

Many cities and counties have local contribution limits and other election rules. “Local Campaign Ordinances” are listed on the FPPC’s website. Check with your city or county about contribution limits for local elections.

Definitions

Person: An individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust, company, corporation, limited liability company, association, committee, and any other organization or group of persons acting in concert. (Section 82047.)

Small Contributor Committee: Any committee that meets all of the following criteria:

(a) The committee has been in existence for at least six months.

(b) The committee receives contribu-tions from 100 or more persons.

(c) No one person has contributed to the committee more than $200 per calendar year.

(d) The committee makes contributions to five or more candidates. (Section 85203; Regulation 18503.)

Political Party Committee: The state central committee or county central com-mittee of an organization that meets the requirements for recognition as a political party under Elections Code Section 5100. (Section 85205.)

Amazon Announces its Third Fulfillment Center in California, Creating Hundreds of Jobs

Amazon today announced plans to open a new 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Tracy, California. The company will create hun-dreds of full-time jobs with benefits at the site. Amazon opened its first fulfill-ment center in California, located in San Bernardino, in October 2012 and is in the process of opening another facility in Patterson later this year.

“This latest development in Tracy not only represents good jobs coming to the region but California’s strong partnership with Amazon,” said Kish Rajan, Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “This third new distribution center marks a commitment

by Amazon of over 1,000 California jobs in the last year alone. We look forward to continuing our relationship with this world leading brand and hope to build more opportunities for Californians in the future.”

At the Tracy facility, Amazon employ-ees will engage with high-end technology while fulfilling customer orders. Amazon fulfillment center jobs pay on average 30 percent more than traditional retail jobs and that doesn’t even include the stock grants that full-time employees receive, which over the past five years have added an average of 9 percent to base pay annu-ally. Amazon offers full-time benefits including healthcare.

The Tulare Chamber of Commerce would like to recognize these members who have gone above and beyond membership investment in 2013. Their support is

instrumental in the growth of the Chamber.

President’s CircleJ.D. Heiskell & Company

Lagomarsino GroupRes-Com Pest Control

Saputo Cheese USA, IncSouthern California Gas Company

Tulare Advance RegisterTulare Outlet Center

Tulare Regional Medical Center

Director’s CircleInternational Agri Center

Land O’ LakesValley Business Bank

Ambassador’s CircleAcclaim Auto & Truck Accessories

Bank of the Sierra Citizens Business BankCollege of the Sequoias

Horswill, Mederos & SoaresRuan Transportation Corporation

Sturgeon & Beck, Inc.Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino

TF Tire & ServiceWill Tiesiera Ford-Mercury, Inc.

Circles of ExcellenceA program of the Tulare Chamber of Commerce

tulare chamber — the update March 2013 — page 3Tulare Advance-Register February 23, 2013MEMBER NEWS

Member NewsTulare Rotary Club members will hold

their 17th Annual Crab Feed on Friday, March 8 at the Heritage Complex.

During the evening upscale items including several vacation destinations will be auctioned by World Champion Auctioneer David Macedo. Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Scot Hillman.

“We are very excited about this year’s Crab Feed,” states Paul Daley, event chair. “Along with a delicious all you can eat crab dinner and live auction, the event will also feature a large silent auction containing lots of sports memorabilia and a fun raffle. We will have something for everyone,” Daley added.

The evening will begin at 6 pm with a social hour and dinner at 7 pm. A large silent auction containing numerous items will be open most of the evening, and the live auction will begin after dinner.

“Rotary Club members work hard to make this event a success,” states Deanne Martin-Soares, rotary club president. “This is our major fundraiser for the year, and the proceeds go directly back to our local community. Last year the club con-tributed over $60,000 to support college scholarships, charities, sports programs and other organizations with special needs. Helping is what we’re all about,” added Martin-Soares.

To purchase tickets at $60 per person, or for more information on Sponsorship

Packages . . . featuring great business recognition opportunities, call Paul Daley at 686-1761 extension 106 or Renee Soto at 331-2017.

[

Cabrillo Civic Club of Tulare County, #12 are now accepting scholarship appli-cations from High School students who meet the criteria. The Deadline is March 15, 2013. All applications must be in by the deadline.

Criteria is as follows:

~ Portuguese descent

~ US Citizen or permanent resident

~ GPA of 3.50 or higher

For more information please con-tact Dulcie Nunes at (559) 688-8070. Applications are available on line at www.cabrillocivicclubs.org/scholarship.

[

During their January Meeting, Tulare Regional Medical Center Board of Directors recognized two phy-sicians as Care Champions. Samuel Kuo, MD, Oncologist and Arnold Weldon, MD, Family Medicine, received the honor from the surviving spouse of patients they cared for.

Champions of Care, Tulare Hospital Foundation’s Grateful Patient program, was established to provide patients a formal means of expressing appreciation for their Tulare Regional Medical Center healthcare experience.

Tulare Regional Medical Center Physicians and staff receive an extension to their hospital name badge, identifying them are a Care Champion.

SCE educationenergy workshops for February and March 2013February 2013Tue 26 CSI Contractor Solar Class

Wed 27 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) HVAC System Diagnostics Part 3 - Evaluating, Analyzing, and Ultimately Identifying the Root Cause(s) of the HVAC/R System

Thu 28 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) HVAC System Diagnostics Part 4 - Accurate Elimination and Verification of the Root Cause(s) of the HVAC/R System

March 2013Fri 1 Introduction to Lighting

Tue 5 ICE-O-Matic: Ice Machine Service Training

Thu 7 Residential and Light Commercial HVAC

Fri 8 Basic Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Wed 13 2008 Nonresidential Standards Essentials for Energy Consultants

Thu 14 From Candles to LEDs - Getting to the Point

Fri 15 From Candles to LEDs - Getting to the Point

Tue 19 CSI Contractor Solar Class

Wed 20 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) System Performance Module Part 1 - Thermodynamics: Heat in Motion

Thu 21 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) System Performance Module Part 2 - A Sub-System of the Building

Tue 26 CSI Commercial Solar Workshop

Wed 27 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) System Performance Module Part 3 - Heating System: Comfort with Energy Efficiency

Thu 28 IHACI: (CAQI/QM/QS) System Performance Module Part 4 - Cooling System: Comfort with Energy Efficiency

Energy Education Center- 4175 S. Laspina St., Tulare, CA 93274

Free training-reservations are encouraged, call (559) 625-7126 or visit www.sce.com/workshop

Correction:The Peru trip is an 8 day trip. Not 21

days as stated in the February newsletter.The Tulare Chamber of Commerce trip

to Peru is September 21 – 28, 2013. Join us for a presentation Tuesday 19th at 6 PM at the Tulare Chamber office. Please join us. Call (559) 686-1547

for more info.

The City of Tulare…is looking for citizens to be

on the following Boards and Commissions: Board of Public Utilities, Community Relations

Commission, Library Board, Commission on Aging, Tree

Committee, and the Housing & Building Appeals Board.

Applications can be picked up at the City Hall, 411 E. Kern.

New Family Medical Leave Act Regulations Effective March 8

(February 7, 2013) The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule imple-menting important regulations expanding FMLA protections.

“The first expansion provides families of eligible veterans with the same job-protected FMLA leave currently available to families of military service members and it also enables more military families to take leave for activities that arise when a service member is deployed,” according to the DOL. “The second expansion modifies

existing rules so that airline personnel and flight crews are better able to make use of the FMLA’s protections.”

The regulations were revised to imple-ment statutory amendments to the FMLA that occurred under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 and the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act.

The regulations do not take effect until March 8, 2013 — 30 days after the publica-tion of the final rule. According to the DOL

website, “military caregiver leave for a vet-eran will not be available until the effective date of the Final Rule on March 8, 2013.”

CalChamber will continue to keep you posted as to required poster and form changes and the effective implementation dates of those changes. HRCalifornia will be updating content, including revised forms and a mandatory poster change.

Visit this DOL webpage for more infor-mation, including the final rule, a military leave guide, fact sheets and other materials.

Thank you to all our great chamber members that created beautiful tables for annual awards dinner

Tulare Chamber Renewing Members

Acclaim Auto & Truck Accessories

Bank of SierraBret Stuber CPAEducational Employees

Credit Union Gowin Green

Landscaping

Grandma’s House - A Vision of Hope

Hazel’s KitchenInternational

Agri-CenterJ.D. HeiskellLand O LakesLeadership Tulare

M GreenMagnolia Health CorpMarie PintoMorris Levin & SonPaladin Investment

GroupPremier Real EstateRabobank

Relay For LifeRoma LodgeService Master

by BeneventoState FarmTachi PalaceTucoemas Federal Credit

Union

Tulare County Farm Bureau

Tulare Outlet CenterTulare Regional

Medical CenterVisalia Rawhide BaseballValley Business BankWells Fargo Bank

AMVETS Department of California

Anthony DeRoseCollette TravelCool Hand LukesManuel & Dollie FariaFigaro’s Southwestern

GrillGary Smith OD Inc.

Gowin GreenHarris ConstructionHazels KitchenJanet HeathLampe Chrysler Dodge

Jeep RamLevon RichMattos DairyParul Gupta MD

Robert ReynoldsRUANRuiz FoodsSousa & Sousa DairyTachi PalaceTulare County Schools-

Palo Verde Union School

Tulare Emergency Aid

New Members:Pitching Wedge

Restaurant & Lounge Kathy Simmons 5300 S. Laspina,Tulare 686-0270

Scentsy-Janell Flores 30718 Privateer Ct. Lemoore

836-9242 www.janell.scentsy.us

Tulare Baseball Association Brett Miller PO Box 695, Tulare 679-2675 www.tularebaseball.com

ad

Community Guide(continued from page 1) Profile®, and is produced at NO COST to the Chamber.

For publication and advertising infor-mation or to reserve ad space now, con-tact the Tulare Chamber of Commerce or Sales Representative David Waligorski at

559-686-1547.

Visit Communities Across America and Maximize Your Marketing Online by link-ing your Business website to your local Community at: http://www.villagepro-file.com.

Visit Colleges & Universities Across America at:

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iPhone App Download:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/village-

profile/id372241416?mt=8

Android App Download:https://play.google.com/store/apps/

details?id=com.mcsolutions.villagepro-filedroid

page 4 — March 2013 tulare chamber — the updateFebruary 23, 2013 Tulare Advance-RegisterNETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

The Chamber is always pleased to help our members celebrate new beginnings with ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies.

Karen Todd Westbrook Ribbon Cutting

Details Ribbon Cutting

Thursday, Feb. 284pm - 5pm New Member Orientation for Tulare Chamber. 220 E. Tulare Ave.

Friday, March 85:30pm - 6:30pm ROTARY CRAB FEED

Sunday, March 10Daylight Saving Time Begins

Monday, March 11Noon Governmental Affairs Meeting, Apple Annie’s, 1165 N. Blackstone Ave., Tulare

Monday, March 11Ambassador’s Lunch Meeting, 220 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare, in the TRADE ROOM

Wednesday, March 134pm - 5pm Executive Commit-tee Meeting, 220 E. Tulare Ave.- Chamber office

Sunday, March 17St. Patrick’s Day

Monday, March 186pm - 7pm Community Game Night Bingo. Twin Oaks Assisted Living Center, 999 North M St.

Wednesday, March 204pm - 5pm Tulare Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting. 220 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare Chamber office

Thursday, March 286pm - 9pm Microsoft Excel Class. 220 E. Tulare Ave, Tulare Cham-ber of Commerce-Trade Room

Sunday, March 31Easter

March CalendarMarch Calendar

Nearly 200 community members and dignitaries attended the ground breaking celebration for Tulare Regional Medical Center’s newest Healthcare Center on North West Street in Tulare. When opened the clinic will be licensed to provide primary care for adults and pediatric patients. Medical specialty needs will continue to be referred to the Hillman Healthcare Center on Bardsley and “K” Streets in Tulare. Thanks to Community Development Block Grand Funding, provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Tulare Regional Medical Center received $250,000 to provide the infrastructure needed for developing the clinic. Saturday’s ground breaking ceremony featured TRMC Governing Board Members, Senior Leadership, Tulare City Council and Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, Pete Vander Poel. “During a time when rarely the City Council agreed on an initiative, the granting of funds to Tulare Regional Medical Center for the development of a Healthcare Clinic on the west side of Tulare was a unanimous vote,” said Craig Vejvoda, Vice Mayor City of Tulare.

The Chamber helped celebrate the grand opening of Details Party Rentals with a ribbon cutting. Todd and Karen have relocated their business to 3809 N. Mooney Blvd., Tulare. They have a beautiful show room filled with ideas for parties. Stop by, say hello and look at all the great ideas they have on display. Their phone number is 685-8810 or visit the website at www.detailspartyrentals.com

Tulare Regional Medical Center Groundbreaking

Pin it, Pin it Real Good!Can you get more than just the ocassional high-five

from the Pinterest Possy? Why yes you can, but first you need to know what to post. Women do love Pinterest but that love is also growing with the search engines so knowing more about your posts will help you with both audiences. To pin it real good, you need to know what pins people like so you can give them more of what they want. This is where analytics come in.

Social media marketing continues to grow, improve, and become something that companies can utilize as a means for networking, brand exposure, and more busi-ness. When it comes to Pinterest, utilizing this site for exposure is a must. Listed below are 8 different analyt-ics tools that can assist you and your business in figur-ing out what works and doesn’t work with the Pinterest community.

OctopinOctopin specializes in the “Campaign Manager” which

allows the user to create multiple boards and campaigns, and schedule pins before they’re published on Pinterest. Users can also host promotional contests through their brand.

Pro: Octopin provides advanced analytics and a rank-ing lists of contest participants.

Con: More in-depth plans are costly.

Cost: charge per plan

Pinpuff Pinpuff analyzes your influence on Pinterest through

what you’re pinning and the frequency of your pins. These numbers can provide an ‘estimated worth’ of each pinner.

Pro: Suggests tips to users on how to get maximum use out of Pinterest

Con: Not opened for use, currently still in Beta

Cost: Free

PinfluencePinfluence emphasizes the importance of creating

boards that your target audience wants to see. You are able to build community boards and invite contributors to pin that are inter-ested in your brand. Pinfluence searches for these potential contributors through keyword searches.

Pro: Helps users to build huge network of rel-evant target audiences

Con: is a downloadable tool, not currently available on Mac

Cost: Free ten-day trial, $9.99 for a month-to-month membership, $7.99/ month for a six-month membership, and $5.99/ month for an annual membership.

Repinly This dashboard tool helps users find popular pins,

boards, and pinners in any given category on Pinterest. You are able to sort through each category by repins, likes, comments, or the date.

Pro: shows “Top Pinning Sources” from sites like Google, Etsy, Flickr, Tumblr, etc.

Con: Repinly suggests sponsored “Pinners to Follow,” and these may not be relevant to your brand or audience.

Cost: Free

PinReach PinReach provides users with a “score” based off of

their activity levels on Pinterest. The goal of this tool is to “produce and share great content on Pinterest.” Using this particular tool, repins boost your score much quicker than pinning something new. The more popular the pin, the higher your score will increase.

Pro: Allows users to see what other pinners are inter-ested in on Pinterest

Con: Your score is based primarily off of what others think of your pins, not of your activity (likes, comments) on Pinterest

Cost: Free

Reachli Reachli is a tool

that can be used by businesses interested in maximizing their brand or product exposure on the web.

Pro: Tracks images not only on Pinterest, but also on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Con: Not as useful of a tool for an average Pinterest user

Cost: Charge per package

CuralateProvides analytics of the images from your site that

users pin, and keeps track of these users in an easy-to-navigate dashboard.

Pro: Organizes those who comment on your products so you can easily respond to them and build consumer engagement

Con: Provides analytics on your products, not your actual page

Cost: Monthly fee, pricing depends on your online marketing budget

PinAuthority PinAuthority creates widgets for your website or blog

to show off your Pinterest followers and assists users in gaining followers by featuring them on PinAuthority’s homepage.

Pro: Provides updated statistical data for users on a daily basis

Con: May use cookies to display info about your account when you visit third-party websites if you have their Visitor Widget installed.

Cost: Free to use, other plans start at $9.99/ month to be featured on PinAuthority’s homepage and sidebar

Tulare Chamber of Commercepresents...

Peru: Ancient Land of Mysterieswith Optional 4-Night Easter Island Discovery Post Tour Extension

with Optional 4-Night Peruvian Amazon Post Tour Extension

8 Days • 11 Meals: 7 Breakfasts, 4 DinnersSeptember 21 - 28, 2013

Excitement Revving Up for Cars on ‘K’ on Sat., April 6th

Cars on K is com-ing to downtown Tulare, and more than 150 classic and cus-tom vehicles will line the streets during this free, family-friendly event. Beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles will be on display, in addition to food, music, door prizes and lots of great sales at Tulare’s downtown businesses.

Bring the whole family because there’s always something for everyone to enjoy at this event. Don’t forget the Cruise Night April 5th at the A & W on J street and Tulare starts at 5:00pm, the pre- show kick off !!

Cars on K, sponsored by the Tulare Chamber of Commerce, Will Tiesiera Ford, Sturgeon and Beck , Merrill Stone Chevrolet and Budweiser Saturday, April 6 from 10 am to 3 pm. On K Street between Inyo and San Joaquin Streets in downtown Tulare.

Call Tulare Chamber of Commerce at 686-1547 for more information or visit www.tularechamber.org