January 2013 Features

  • 101st Annual Membership Meeting: Chamber Members Celebrate 2012 & Look Forward to 2013

    January 31, 2013

    Nearly 350 Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber members enjoyed lunch on Tuesday at the 101st Annual Membership Meeting presented this year by Georgia Power Company and Prince Automotive Group. This year's meeting focused on the IMPACT 2012 campaign and the celebration of the Chamber's Centennial last year.

  • Bush Wealth Management Offers Three Steps for Consistent Investing

    January 29, 2013

    Procrastination is the biggest mistake most people make in managing their money, according to Stacy Bush, head of Bush Wealth Management. Not taking action can mean a missed opportunity to grow wealth.

  • Reaching Out To Departed Customers For Recovery

    January 25, 2013

    Every business has customers who have departed. There are a variety of reasons that prompt departure. How you react to the departure will either validate that they left for a good reason or begin the process of bringing back that customer and that customer revenue. We go through five steps to identify and regain customer trust and relationships.

  • Ways to Hire Smarter in 2013

    January 23, 2013

    Is hiring more employees one of your New Year’s resolutions? While hiring ultimately relieves your headaches in the long run by helping you and your team with workload, in the short run most entrepreneurs dread hiring because of the time and effort involved. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure you recruit more of the right candidates and waste less time with people who don’t suit your needs.

  • South Georgia Medical Center CEO Randy Sauls Reviews State of Health Care in 2013

    January 22, 2013

    For large health care providers like the South Georgia Medical Center, demographic trends in the region have a major impact on the state of health care. According to SGMC CEO Randy Sauls, the number of uninsured adults in the region has increased as has demand for health services due to population growth.

  • Independent Workforce On The Up And Up?

    January 18, 2013

    If you’re looking for work in this brave new 21st century world, the place to be is in the freelance space, according to a recent global business survey by Elance. The survey, in which more than 1500 firms from around the world participated, contains quite a bit of great news for freelancers — otherwise known as nonemployer businesses.

  • How to Become a Masterful Company

    January 17, 2013

    In his book, High Tech, High Touch Customer Service, Micah Solomon talks about using social media to provide stellar customer experience. He also outlines the profile of a “masterful company,” those that go above and beyond in the area of customer service. Using a few of his 12 characteristics of a masterful company, we show you how you can become one.

  • Federal Reserve Bank Representative to Speak at Chamber Breakfast

    January 16, 2013

    Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta representative Dr. Thomas Cunningham, UGA economist Dr. Jeffery Humphreys and VSU economist Dr. Cynthia Tori will present the 2013 outlook for business from national, state and local perspectives on February 5th.

  • VSU Uses Innovative Technology to Improve Student Success and Retention

    January 15, 2013

    Valdosta State University saw improvements in academic performance during the fall 2012 semester following the launch of a multi-phase project that introduced a reporting portal with on-demand access to student class loads and grades. Since the implementation of the project, there has been a 10 to 15 percent improvement in midterm and final grades.

  • Valdosta Chamber Members Voice Legislative Concerns for State Agenda

    January 14, 2013

    Several Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce members addressed the Government Affairs Council at the Members to be Heard meeting last week regarding the interests of their businesses, organizations and the community.

  • The Big Picture: Developing Your Marketing Plan in Five Steps

    January 11, 2013

    Valerie Touchstone, owner of The Big Picture, a full-service marketing and public relations agency, shares how to develop your marketing plan.

  • 4 Green Business Trends for 2013

    January 10, 2013

    It used to be enough to adopt a highway, recycle in the break room and install a few energy-efficient light bulbs. But businesses now must take ambitious steps if they want to be seen as sustainability leaders and join the big leagues. Consider that about two-thirds of all Fortune 500 companies now publish corporate sustainability reports.

  • A Goal without a Plan is Just a Dream

    January 08, 2013

    Valdosta CEO Contributor Doug Robinson shares another excerpt from his book "Sell is NOT a Four Letter Word." In this installment, as we enter 2013 and a new sales year unfolds, goal setting takes center stage once again for salespeople.

  • Fiscal Cliff Deal Offers Minimal Benefit To Microbusinesses

    January 07, 2013

    There was a certain amount of unusually undignified jumping up and down and yelling about looming fiscal cliffs during the last month of last year, and with good reason. The deal that the President and Congress put together to force each other to deal with expiring tax cuts at the beginning of this year seemed like a strategy that was doomed to failure.