BUSINESS BLOG

Free Up Free Enterprise...

2010-03-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

What a start to the year! After reading the final blog entry of 2009, I have had a difficult time deciding how to top the good news in that piece. That December blog, posted by our own Charles Nickerson (VP Economic Development), trumps most of the previous entries because it included the many accolades bestowed upon Texarkana the last several months. Well, I do not have any national press to showcase, but I can talk about how Texarkana is receiving publicity at the state level.

As I am writing this, Mr. Nickerson is currently attending the Arkansas Economic Developers Spring Conference in Little Rock. Governor Mike Beebe just completed his remarks which included a statement highlighting Texarkana’s ‘can-do’ spirit. He noted the community’s work in retaining Cooper Tire, as well as our continued work in growing our community. We are, as some in attendance no doubt thought, a shining example of free enterprise.

You may remember just a few short weeks ago a similar recognition came from the Texas side when Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade visited Texarkana. After visiting 4 family-owned businesses, Secretary Andrade – herself a former business owner for more than 30 years – applauded these companies for their long-time commitment to Texarkana and the State. The secretary was clear: Texarkana is full of examples of how free enterprise works.

There are those words again: free enterprise.

It is becoming more apparent every day that this country succeeds (or fails) based on how strong the free enterprise system is. Some would say the shackles of government create a daily assault on the proven economic engine of our country, yet society has – for the most part – allowed this to happen. Until now, it seems. People all around are rising up in opposition to unsound policies being bantered about in Washington. It seems neither political party is safe when elections roll around, however I submit that those who support the efforts of free enterprise will have the best chance at returning to D.C. You see, no matter how many American citizens are to be ‘saved’ by new government programs, somebody still must pay a price. What so many in the nation’s capitol forget is that, in the absence of payment from the citizens, payment – and the accompanying mandates – fall on the backs of the business community. Make no mistake, Washington bureaucrats, citizens WILL pay a price.

My solution? Free up free enterprise. Our number one goal in America should be to create jobs, which seems for the moment to be at the bottom of the list for policymakers. The US Chamber of Commerce has a comprehensive plan of action which includes the following points:

1) Create jobs by doubling exports in 5 years.
2) Rebuild America’s infrastructure.
3) Promote major investments and breakthroughs in energy.
4) Expand credit across the economy.
5) Ease the uncertainty over tax increases as well as health, environmental, labor, legal, and fiscal policies.

Ambitious? Yes! Doable? Absolutely! It will take real leadership to get it done. These folks may be in office right now - they just need all of us to remind them who THEY work for in this system of free enterprise.

That’s my view – I would love to hear yours…

Jeff K. Sandford
President & CEO

FINAL THOUGHTS OF 2009

2009-12-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

This year has been a truly remarkable one for Texarkana USA and for the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce as well. The economy in our metro area, while not as robust as any of us would like, has remained vibrant and healthy, relative to most other areas of our country. This has led to a series of articles in national publications recognizing and touting the vitality and soundness of this area for economic growth and opportunity.

Following on the heels of a Forbes.com article last year which ranked Texarkana as number two on their list of small metro areas with the fastest growing “gross metropolitan product” Texarkana has been recognized by three additional publications within the last month.
Milken’s Best Performing Cities Index is updated annually to provide a scorecard for the economic vibrancy of metro areas. The index heavily weights employment growth because of its importance in delivering community vitality. Texarkana was ranked #17 in the list of Best Performing Small Metros area as compared to # 81 last year. This accounted for the second largest positive jump in the nation. There were 124 small metro areas on the list.
Texarkana was also listed at # 22 by Moody’s economy.com and Business Week.com. The report ranked metropolitan areas based on Economy.com’s projected job growth for the first three quarters in 2010.

Finally, in an article by Kiplinger.com’s Pat Esswein Texarkana ranked 2nd among the ten metro areas that enjoyed the greatest home-price increases over the past year. In perspective the declining housing market was what pushed so many metro areas throughout the country into the depths of the recession. This article recognizes that Texarkana was able to avoid those problems and actually saw an appreciation in housing values during the last year. The excesses of subprime lending which was a major contributor to the freefall in the housing markets in so many parts of the country has also for the most part been avoided here further strengthening our housing market.

In closing, your Chamber is committed to the continuation of a healthy and vibrant economy for our Chamber Partners and Texarkana USA in 2010! We are excited to continue these efforts through our: Business 2 Business Breakfast topics, Leaders' Luncheons, Chamber University Series, Legislative Updates, Transportation Updates and other Chamber programs.

You may visit the following web sites to view Texarkana's National recognition:
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/11/17/where-the-jobs-will-be-in-2010/

http://www.newgeography.com/content/001186-texas-dominates-milkens-new-best-perfoming-cities-index

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-housing-markets-where-prices-have-gone-up.html

Connecting the Dots,

Charles Nickerson, VP Economic Development

Facebook... Business Help or Hype?

2009-08-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

As an atypical member of Generation Y (a.k.a. the millennial generation), I was slow to join the social media bandwagon. Like the picky kid who refuses to try new foods - I avoided internet chat rooms, instant messaging, myspace.com, and even text messaging. So, if you are a part of the crowd that is doing their best to steer clear of the new era of communication, I can empathize with you.

That said… It’s time for me to make a confession. “I have a Facebook page, and so does YOUR Chamber!”

Whew... that was hard. But, confession is good for the soul, right?

Okay, so now that the secret is out… allow me to explain how I was converted. I’m currently enrolled in the IOM (Institute for Organizational Management) program - a designation program for Chamber of Commerce Executives. This year, social media was a major topic. I came home realizing that we weren’t taking advantage of the tools available to us, so I decided to check it out.

*WARNING* Reading the remainder of this post could cause you to drop what you are doing and create a Facebook page for your business!

Key facts:
Facebook is free.
Facebook is easy.
Facebook is helping thousands of small businesses get their message out to millions of people.

Let’s look at a few quick statistics from Facebook’s Press Page:
More than 250 million active users
More than 120 million users log on to Facebook at least once each day
The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older

Now, when you take into consideration the massive size of the potential audience, the unbelievably direct marketing opportunities, and the cost… FREE! One must wonder why you are still reading and not logging on to http://www.facebook.com/ and creating a profile!

Every good opinion blog needs a suitable quote, so here you go…
“You can't expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday's tools and expect to be in business tomorrow.” -Anonymous

If you are still using the same marketing tools from three years ago… read that quote again! It may be time for some new tools!

As an advocate for the business community in Texarkana USA, the Chamber is making every possible effort to promote Texarkana and our Business Partners. If you have a Facebook page, become a fan of the Texarkana USA Chamber of Commerce. If you don’t, get one! You just might be surprised with the results!

Facebook is just one of many social media resources. Check back for future updates on Youtube, Twitter, and others!

Thanks for reading…

-Josh

P.S. After you get your page set up send us a fan request, we will further the Partnership between your business and the Chamber by proudly supporting your Facebook Page!

Posted by: Joshua Harris Partnership Development Coordinator for the Texarkana USA Chamber of Commerce

On Health Care Reform...

2009-07-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows, there is quite a debate in Washington (as well as our own hometowns) concerning health care reform. This is not a new debate, however it grows stronger with each passing day, and with each election cycle.

The business community shares the goals of Congress to reduce costs, improve quality and expand access. However, businesses, who voluntarily provide benefits to 160 million Americans, agree that reform cannot equal more mandates. One thing that is clear: government-run health plans will threaten private health care and the ability of the economy’s economic engine to provide for it.

Four main areas of concern:

1) Employer Mandates. By nature, mandates limit flexibility and innovation. They also punish employers who cannot afford coverage, specifically in a pay-or-play environment.

2) Government-run Plan. This situation would provide an unfair competitor, with the government serving as both a team owner and referee. Government programs shift costs to the public sector, without fair representation. While there may be funding to initiate the transition, those costs will ultimately fall on the citizen – or the providing business – once the funding runs out. This smacks of stimulus without any reward. It also smacks of Socialism as an estimated 130 million Americans would move from private to public insurance.

3) Minimum Required Coverage Level. Proposing a huge Federal Employee Health Benefits Program-like minimum coverage package could bankrupt employers and workers. This high-end coverage may not appeal to the young like other, more affordable programs.

4) Additional Tax Burdens. The implementation of new taxes and fees for businesses and/or individuals that cannot afford health insurance would be dramatically counterproductive. Plus, the taxation of health benefits will ultimately lead to a reduction in company-offered benefits and create potentially higher taxes for many businesses.

These concerns do not equal a lack of support for reform. Reform, however, cannot equal higher burdens on business. We must work together to find solutions which benefit all employers as they work to offer the most dynamic array of benefits for the employee in an environment ripe with competition and affordable, excellent care.

That’s my view – I would love to hear yours…

Jeff K. Sandford, IOM
President & CEO

Keep Your Face to the Sunshine…

2009-05-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Each day, I think about the people who might venture on to this blog and find value in my musings. I have so many things I want to write about on a daily basis, but find that the next idea always seems to trump the last. There is a self-imposed pressure in outdoing my last entry which is so intense that I often choose the road most taken and don’t write anything at all.

Today, however, I have decided to step back and write about something I learned on a bus tour last week: attitude. More specifically, a positive attitude. One of the participants in the American Coach Association’s Spring Rally came up to me to give some advice after I concluded an exhaustive day of promoting our town. As one can imagine, I was preparing to face the consequences of something done – or said – wrong. However, I found that my new friend wanted to congratulate me on having such a positive attitude all day long, and reminded me that no matter the circumstances, there really wasn’t a place for any alternative.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said in a speech from 1954, “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use for anything else.” Certainly, that is a great support for what my friend stated, but I thought it might be fun to see who else professed ‘positivity’ despite facing challenges. After much research, I came across a quote that seemed both inspiring and odd. The quote was, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” The inspiration is easy to recognize, but what makes this quote odd is that the quote is attributed to Helen Keller, know in part for her physical blindness.

My guess is that it is somewhat metaphorical, suggesting that we can overcome challenges if we simply refuse to go down the path of defeat. This is not always easy because so many relish the idea of destruction and pity, however it is essential that leaders focus on the achievement of not only tasks, but how those tasks can positively affect others. It is true that every action creates some sort of reaction, so it can certainly be beneficial to all if the reaction is also positive. Perhaps this can most often come about if we stay the course and target positive outcomes.

One might argue that Helen Keller never really had a positive outcome. Perhaps. However, maybe in comparison our challenges are not as great as hers, either. And if they are – let’s just keep facing the sunshine and see what happens!

That’s my view. I would love to hear yours…

Jeff K. Sandford, IOM
President & CEO

Texas… or, Taxes?

2009-04-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

According to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council’s (SBE) Business Tax Index, the State of Texas ranks extremely well in terms of being friendly to small business. In data collected for a recent study, the SBE ranks Texas as the 5th best state tax system, which measures 16 different areas of taxation ranging from personal income tax rates to consumption-based tax rates to gas taxes to unemployment tax rates.

Sadly, the state’s ranking could be jeopardized by the legislature’s consideration of a new job tax. After passing through the Texas Senate, HB 2623 is currently out of a House committee and could be voted on in the next several days. The bill, relating to accepting $556 million dollars from the Obama Administration in exchange for a permanent job tax could mean costing employers hundreds of millions of dollars once the stimulus money runs out. That means Texas businesses will have to pick up the tab for this program.

Specifically, the program – originating from Washington – would mean a radical expansion of unemployment benefits, including now giving benefits to part-time labor. The stimulus funds do not appear to remedy the current problems related to an estimated $153 million dollars in fraud and overpayments made each year. Instead, the funds promote a shift in the State’s business focus from those who create jobs, to the employee, potentially damaging a well-earned reputation for being business-friendly (in 2008, Texas created 70% of all jobs in the U.S.). Publicly, this is a sticky situation as it could lead to the assumption that if you support the employer then you are against the employee. Texas indeed boasts a strong and proud workforce who provides the manpower to make Texas businesses highly productive. However, most would agree that their work ethic is at least an indirect result of the good jobs and work environment already in place by the businesses who created them. A new tax could weave a dangerous web of change in the Texas business community, so it is no wonder Governor Rick Perry has been adamantly opposed to receiving ‘strings-attached’ funding from the federal government.
The Texarkana Chamber will be closely tracking this bill to make sure businesses are protected. Stay tuned for updates as well a report on the Arkansas-side tax system.

That’s my view. What is yours? I would love to hear from you.

Jeff K. Sandford, IOM
President & CEO

And so it begins...

2009-03-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

When first arriving in the Summer of 2006, there was something clearly evident: although the Chamber was credited with expanding the local job base for more than a century, and although we had the largest staff in Chamber history, and although we had monthly meetings and a newspaper insert for a newsletter, we were perhaps more disconnected from the business community than at any time during our history.

We spent the next several months redesigning our programs while attaching a team of dedicated professionals to those programs. At the time, I referred to it as a ‘weed and seed’ effort, enhancing those services which worked and getting rid of those that didn’t. Sure, it may have been nice having a monthly breakfast, for example, but it was presented at no charge to the public, costing the organization thousands of dollars while begging for sponsors – and speakers – to fill a program. Our participation was also declining showing that the only real interest was in the free grub.

We’ve made other changes, with the primary success coming from the programs we have added bringing real value to our Partners. Of course, those kinds of changes are really the subject of another blog entry. The real change I wish to discuss is how we connect with our business leaders in today’s economy. The virtual world has become a vital part of all of our lives. Not only do we receive an abundance of emails, but now we get them on our cell phones. We all have computers – in most cases we have more than one, and those cell phones I just mentioned can now perform almost as many functions as our desk top or lap top (perhaps we should call them ear tops, or belt tops!). Therefore, communication has become a consistent need and a constant effort. The Chamber sends weekly emails to the entire Partnership, and even more to targeted groups. Folks can even sign up for programs via email, and with our new and improved web site, the sky will definitely be the limit when communicating information.

But it doesn’t stop there. This blogspot will allow your humble Chamber president (with an occasional guest appearance from other Staff or chief volunteers) to discuss pertinent issues affecting the business community. I will espouse pro-business ideology, while utilizing the free space to deliver additional detail as to why the Chamber has chosen – or in some cases, not chosen – a specific stance. My hope is that the information will help you to make informed decisions on issues, or at the very least, feel as though you are connected to the Chamber.

Jeff K. Sandford, IOM
President & CEO

Business Blog

2008-11-05T10:33:00.001-08:00

The Texarkana Chamber presents: Chamber View - Business Blog. This blog is the Chamber's answer to timely, partner-focused business news and content. Find out the Chamber's View on all of the latest business news and information relevant to you, your business and the Texarkana Region.

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