Features
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Is Saving Money By Hiring Independent Contractors A Good Idea?
May 02, 2013
Businesses utilizing independent contractors rather than employees can save significant money when payday rolls around, with some savings estimates at 25%. Given the obvious benefits, doesn’t it make sense for every business to use contractors exclusively?
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FiveStar Customer Service Strategies Focuses on Front Line to Grow the Bottom Line
May 01, 2013
Every company needs customers to stay in business. Rita Suiter built FiveStar Customer Service Strategies from scratch over the last 12 years by focusing on that one commonality for all businesses. Suiter provides customized training to a diverse client base with an approach that helps employees upgrade interpersonal skills, improve attitudes and develop positive "customer service" habits.
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Chamber Presents Annual Economic Summit: Lowndes by the Numbers
April 29, 2013
The words “teamwork” and “collaboration” echoed throughout the day from presenters, as well as from the diversified audience of community leaders at the Chamber's 2013 Economic Summit, which was presented by VSU's Langdale College of Business and by co-sponsors, Chartwells and First Federal Savings and Loan. Dr. Attila Cseh opened the program with the third edition of Lowndes County by the Numbers.
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Has Your Sales Team Met Their New Best Friend?
April 25, 2013
This month local sales trainer and author Doug Robinson talks about asking questions and how “You will question your way into many more sales than you will ever talk yourself into.”
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Drawdy Roofing Turns its CEO’s Interest into a New Business Venture
April 24, 2013
Drawdy Roofing and Vinyl Siding has been an integral part of South Georgia for more than 40 years. Fifteen years ago, Ken Drawdy took over the family business and two years ago acquired Albany Sheet Metal, a sheet metal fabrication business serving industrial, residential, and commercial customers.
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Daniel Titus on When to Upgrade Your Website
April 22, 2013
You upgrade your cellphone every two years, your workout routine every three months, and you wish you could upgrade your kids almost daily. How do you know when its time to upgrade your website? Daniel Titus of DanielTitus.com shares instances when you need an upgrade.
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Stacy Bush on Setting and Targeting Investment Goals
April 18, 2013
Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don't take any money out until you're ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? But that's what investing without setting clear-cut goals is like. If you're lucky, you may end up with enough money to meet your needs, but you have no way to know for sure. Stacy Bush of Bush Wealth Management talks investment goals.
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Georgia Credit Unions Continue to Add Members
April 17, 2013
Credit union membership and deposits in Georgia grew in 2012, continuing a national trend that began with Bank Transfer Day in the fall of 2011. In a exclusive interview with Valdosta CEO, President/CEO of the Georgia Credit Union Affiliates Mike Mercer speaks as to why credit unions across the state have encountered such growth.
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Azalea Health CEO Baha Zeidan Reflects on VSU Inauguration Week
April 16, 2013
Chief Executive Officer of Azalea Health and a Valdosta State University alumni Baha Zeidan, shares his thoughts on the recent VSU Inaugural Week event for President McKinney.
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Commentary: Will Health Care Reform Hit A Snag?
April 15, 2013
Reports are that a key target of the Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in 2010 appears ambivalent about buying health insurance. Specifically, the young and healthy have so far not been interested in buying health insurance. However, it is still early and none of the insurance exchanges have been set up. Plus, it is possible that they are waiting until the last minute before having to pay a fee for not being insured.
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Chamber, Mayor, & City Manager React to Misguided VDT "City in Debt" Article
April 11, 2013
As you may know, the Valdosta Daily Times recently published a story ("A city in debt: A look at Valdosta's GEFA loans") which unfortunately was picked up by Georgia Trend Daily and circulated throughout Georgia. The Chamber has a responsibility to be concerned with our community's reputation and so we asked Mayor John Gayle and City Manager Larry Hanson to meet with us on April 9 to discuss these two implications. According to the facts presented, these implications are inaccurate and have unfairly portrayed our City as being financially unstable.
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VSU Signs AACU Employer-Educator Compact
April 11, 2013
President William J. McKinney announced today that Valdosta State University has joined the national Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Employer-Educator Compact initiative sponsored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The LEAP Employer-Educator Compact recognizes that quality learning is a national priority for employers who are seeking college graduates with a broader set of skills and knowledge.
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Dr. Ray Perren Named President of Lanier Technical College
April 09, 2013
The state board that oversees the Technical College System of Georgia has unanimously approved Commissioner Ron Jackson’s choice of Dr. Ray Perren to be the next president of Lanier Technical College. Dr. Perren is the current president of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
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Do You Trust Your Employees to Work Remotely?
April 08, 2013
Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer unleashed a firestorm of commentary throughout the business world with her recent announcement that remote working was off the table for the tech company’s staffers, who will now be expected to show up in the office every day. If you’ve still got a nagging feeling that letting employees work at home means paying them to watch Cartoon Network in their jammies all day, how can you get over it?
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Commentary: Immigration Enhances Local Economies
April 04, 2013
Immigration is a divisive topic. Whenever a new segment of workers enter the market, it causes apprehension and distrust. While Arizona, Georgia, and Alabama are passing laws to restrict immigration, cities like St. Louis are openly courting immigrants in order to stem a steady loss of population.
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Decisiveness: Three Steps To Making a Decision
April 03, 2013
Making a decision can be tough, especially when it’s a business decision. You face an almost infinite range of things that you could be doing in your business at any particular moment.
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VSU Presidential Inauguration This Week Celebrating "Engaged Innovation"
April 01, 2013
Steeped in academic tradition, the official inauguration of a university president is an opportunity for an institution to celebrate its history and chart a new course for its future. The the theme of “Engaged Innovation,” events are scheduled for April 1-6, 2013. The formal investiture ceremony of Dr. William J. McKinney will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, April 5 on the Front Lawn of West Hall. University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank M. Huckaby will administer the symbolic conferring of authority to McKinney as VSU’s ninth president.
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Top Honors Presented at Annual Chamber Choice Awards Ceremony
March 29, 2013
Approximately 400 business professionals and community members gathered Thursday evening at the Rainwater Conference Center for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber’s 4th annual Chamber Choice Awards, presented by Citizens Community Bank, to recognize outstanding businesses and professionals from 2012.
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Film & Music Day at the Capitol Spotlights Industry's Impact on Georgia
March 28, 2013
The Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today celebrated the 40th anniversary of film and television productions in Georgia during Film & Music Day at the Capitol. Gov. Nathan Deal, Speaker David Ralston and Rep. Ron Stephens headlined the celebration, an annual recognition of the film and music industry’s importance to Georgia’s economy.
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Founders of Fresh Beginnings/eLEAD1ONE Win BIG Thinker Award, Plan For Expansion
March 27, 2013
On March 21, Judy and Hugh Hathcock of Fresh Beginnings, Inc./eLEAD1ONE were awarded the BIG Thinker Award by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber presents the award each year to a self-made, visionary and successful entrepreneur who cares and gives back to his or her community.
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Mayor and Council Address Recent Wastewater Issues
March 25, 2013
The Valdosta Mayor and City Council are committed to providing quality municipal services that meet the expectations of the citizens of Valdosta. Recently, citizens have been inundated with information about the current state of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system, as well as the decisions made during the recent flood event.
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The Smallest Businesses Face the Biggest Cyber Risks
March 22, 2013
While many of us long for the days when people had real-life conversations rather than truncated text chats, the reality is that the Internet is here to stay. And in the Internet Age, data is king. As a small business owner, you collect customer data every day. And if you’re using the Internet, that data – along with all of your company’s sensitive information – is vulnerable to attacks.
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The Cancer Coalition of South Georgia Fights Cancer Here at Home
March 21, 2013
Cancer is at home in South Georgia. In many counties in the region, the incidence rate of cancer is higher than both the state average and the U.S. average. The Cancer Coalition of South Georgia is the only local collaborative cancer organization focused on preventing cancer and increasing survival among the people of South Georgia.
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Stacy Bush on Teaching Your Children Basic Financial Education
March 14, 2013
Even before your children can count, they already know something about money: it's what you have to give the ice cream man to get a cone, or put in the slot to ride the rocket ship at the grocery store. So, as soon as your children begin to handle money, start teaching them how to handle it wisely.
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JL Concepts Gets Creative With Promotional Products
March 13, 2013
"Having a good product or service won't get you anywhere if customers don't know your name." According to Joyce Aigen, MAS, owner of JL Concepts, successful business owners and managers know the power of having their name out there.