Green Mail September 1 - Chamber, Business & Community News

Chamber Events

Business After 5 - Wednesday September 30

Our September edition of Business After 5 takes place at Fanshawe's St. Thomas / Elgin Regional Campus at 120 Bill Martyn Parkway.
Mark the date now and plan to join us for an exceptional connection opportunity. Mix and mingle with your business neighbours and enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres, your favourite refreshments, and some great door prizes.
As always, admission to Business After 5 is free and open to anyone and everyone from any business or organization that is a Member of the Chamber.

THANKS for your support last week!

St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation Executive Director Paul Jenkins takes the mic at last Wednesday's Business After 5. Despite the risk of rain we had an excellent crowd on the hospital's rooftop patio. Behind Paul, STEGH Foundation staff and volunteers with part of a display promoting the Foundation's November 21 Black Tie & Pearls event.

National Small Business Week October 18 - 24
Business Sample Show - Wednesday October 21

Exhibitor Registration Open Now
Call the Chamber office for details at 519-631-1981 or check the info posted in the Events section of the Chamber website

Business News & Updates

Fines Go Up Today

Everyone knows that using your cell phone while driving your vehicle is against the law however motorists continue to do so. Why? Is the need to communicate with someone more important than the lives of others around you? You may think you’re terrific at multitasking and you won’t crash, but, what if? What if one of your loved ones was injured or killed by someone who thought they were just as good at multitasking as you? Would that make you stop? PUT THE PHONE DOWN.

Starting today, the set fines for distracted riving increase from $225 to $400., plus court costs and three demerit points. An iPod, GPS, smart phone and DVD player are all considered either a communication device or an entertainment device.

Here is a link to the Ministry of Transportation for any further inquires or clarification. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/distracted-driving.shtml

Labour Day Business Info

With the coming of every Statutory Holiday, the Chamber's phone and website see traffic with employers and employees asking about options to be open or closed and how the day is treated for payroll purposes.
Most of the answers are in one convenient place on the Chamber's website. Click here for instant access.

Harnessing the Power of the Sharing Economy
The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is pleased to join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and dozens of our affiliated community Chambers across Ontario in releasing a major new report and research. Our focus is to what is termed "the sharing economy". Fueled by globally-recognized names such as Uber, Autoshare and Airbnb, this new dimension of the economy enables individuals to obtain rides, accommodation and a wide range of goods and services from peers via online platforms. Global revenue from sharing economy companies right now is pegged at $15 billion this year. By 2025 it is forecast to be $335 billion.
Included in our new report is research showing that nearly 40 percent of young Ontarians (ages 18 to 34) are already consumers in the sharing economy, and that nearly two-thirds of the people in Ontario believe that growth of the sharing economy is good.
With governments and regulators having yet to take significant steps to act and capture the potential of the sharing economy, our report calls for swift and immediate action to fill insurance gaps and ensure tax compliance in an adaptable framework.
To view the full report click here.

Business Plan Competition Open Now to Sept. 30

The County of Elgin and the Elgin Business Resource Centre (EBRC) are proud to announce “Enterprise Elgin”. The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is proud to join-in as a supporting sponsor.

Enterprise Elgin is a new business plan competition designed to foster business development in the County of Elgin through new business initiatives as well as business expansions. Contestants may submit business ideas in any field, including services, manufacturing, distribution, health care, Internet, consumer products, retail, technology, and other fields of commercial endeavor. Every submission will be reviewed by their selection committee and the top 5 submissions asked to present in the final round of the competition in a special event during National Small Business Week on Thursday, October 22.

The winning contestant will be awarded a prize package worth thousands of dollars! It includes cash and in-kind business services designed to take the winning entry to the next level. At deadline time for this issue, the winner's prize had a value of $7,000 and, as more project support is confirmed, is expected to reach $10,000.

The Enterprise Elgin Competition is directed at for-profit businesses including start-ups as well as expansions of existing companies.

Contestants in this competition must agree to locate the company’s principal place of business in Elgin County (outside city limits) at the time of the award.

Business Plans and/or Expansion Plans are being accepted by the organizers from now to September 30, 2015. The top 5 entries will be invited to make a 15-minute presentation in the final round of the competition at the New Sarum Diner reception hall. A panel of judges from the Elgin County business & Economic Development community will evaluate the finalists’ presentations with the winner being announced at the conclusion of the event on Thursday October 22, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Submissions can be made through any local EBRC office in Aylmer, Dutton or St. Thomas.

Staff at the Elgin Business Resource Centre are also willing to provide free assistance to any individual or business considering an entry in Enterprise Elgin. They can offer assistance in creating a business plan or provide a business plan template. For complete details, please contact the Elgin Business Resource Centre at 519-633-7597 or visit www.elginbusinessresourcecentre.com

Enterprise Elgin has been created by The County of Elgin and The Elgin Business Resource Centre. This initiative is made possible through sponsorship and support from these businesses and organizations:

Elgin Innovation Centre
Redding Designs Inc.
Meridian Credit Union
St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce
Aylmer & Area Chamber of Commerce
Blackcat Concepts

Are You Ready for the MOL Blitz on Material Handling?

Handling materials shouldn’t cause injuries or fatalities. Nor should it be a back-breaking job. Failing to protect workers from either mechanical or manual material handling injuries can be costly. For example, an employer was recently fined $50,000 for failing to ensure that materials were mechanically carried or moved in a way that did not endanger the safety of a worker^.

To help reduce these types of incidents, Ministry of Labour (MoL) inspectors will visit Ontario workplaces beginning today through the end of October to ensure that employers are taking every reasonable precaution to protect workers who handle machinery, equipment and/or materials. Inspectors will be most interested in the safe operation of lifting devices, mobile transport equipment, workplace layout and design, material handling procedures, and most importantly worker and supervisor training.

To help Chamber Members prepare for a possible MoL visit, We are pleased to share the link for registration to a FREE awareness webinar being hosted by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) next Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. This is your opportunity to gain insight into what MoL inspectors will be looking for during this blitz and what you can do to ensure your workplace is in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Space is limited so we encourage you to register early so you don’t miss out.

To stay informed about the latest occupational health and safety news that will help you keep your employees safe and productive, we encourage you to connect with WSPS on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WSPS_NEWS and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/workplacesafetyandpreventionservices

The Benefits of Chamber Membership

Our Esso Fleet Fuel program reduces your gasoline price by 3.5 cents per litre at more than 1,000 Esso stations in Canada and over 18,000 Exxon or Mobil stations across the US. You can now register as a business or organization, or as an individual. For details just click here.

Two great group insurance plans... One for people, one for property and vehicles:
Perhaps you've seen our ads in the last few weeks on BNN, the Business News Network, promoting our national Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Program. It brings huge savings on personal insurance such as life insurance and drug/dental plans. Get in the pool! Last year, we welcomed 3,200 new businesses choosing the Chambers Plan for their employees. At April 1, we included 30,506 businesses and 132,543 employees across Canada as Chamber Plan customers. ARC Financial Group, with offices in St. Thomas and London, is licensed to handle all local sales and service work on the Plan on our behalf. See their website for more.

Our NOVEX Group plan brings big savings on property and vehicle insurance. It's offered locally through Reith & Associates Insurance and Financial Services. For more information on our Novex group plan and the new my Driving Discount call 519-631-3862 or CLICK HERE.

New, Lower Rates EXCLUSIVELY for Chamber Members
Credit Card & Debit Card processing & services worth switching to!
Switch to the Chamber's plan by September 30 and get a free terminal for 6 months

NEW! Our Member Benefits Bundle now includes Audio Conferencing, Web Collaboration & Webinar Services at excellent rates for our Members

You can go to it, or it can come to you!
Did you know anyone in your office can get Green Mail?
It's easy to get and won't cost you a dime.

Our weekly Green Mail newsletter is posted for viewing and download on the Chamber's website, and in our social media via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
If you prefer a direct subscription link, get your own copy of Green Mail via email every Tuesday. Visit the Chamber website and just add your email address to the box on the left and you will receive Green Mail every week. It's free, and easy.

Having trouble getting your message or event heard in St. Thomas and area? Turn up the volume with Green Mail’s advertising available to Members only.
Advertising & Promotion in Green Mail
The Chamber welcomes all Members to consider using our weekly Green Mail newsletter, or a separate stand-alone version we call Green Mail Exclusive, as a promotion or communications tool for announcements, business activities and community events.
Green Mail may include up to 3 paid ads or announcements in any issue. Weekly distribution sees each issue reach 2,200 to 2,500 individuals via direct email subscriptions and through posts of each issue on the Chamber website, in our Facebook Group and on our Facebook Page, via Twitter and through the Chamber’s Group on LinkedIn.
An ad in Green Mail can be any size, up to the equivalent of a standard 8 ½” by 11” stationery page. Green Mail Exclusive can also carry anything up to the equivalent of a full 8 ½” by 11” stationery page.
Submission deadline for any Green Mail issue is 12 p.m. Friday for release the following Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. All submissions should be provided in a ready-to-publish form, preferably as a PDF, JPEG or PNG file. All content will be formatted to width not to exceed 620 pixels.
Price per insertion in Green Mail is $75. Price per insertion as a Green Mail Exclusive transmission is $125. All submissions are subject to HST. For bulk or long-term ad placements, contact the Chamber's CEO.
Community Service / Public Service?
The Chamber routinely receives dozens of requests each month for ad space to be donated in support of special events and activities. In weeks where our limit of 3 paid ads has not been reached, the Chamber can consider placements for eligible not-for-profit and community services or activities at a reduced rate of $35. It is not possible to donate space.

Your Chamber... Right Now & 24/7

Give us a look, and give us a LIKE, and we will give you news you can use 24/7.
The St. Thomas & District Chamber's public Facebook page is a place to go for regular updates on local business news and community issues as they happen. Click here for a quick connection. Every week you'll find a path to share and connect to an on-line version of this weekly Green Mail newsletter and, whenever there's news that can impact your business or organization and/or your employees, we post it there.
LIKE our page and stay connected!

Here's the lowdown...

Low, down here at the end of our weekly Green Mail, we try to offer up a nugget or two of information that you might find useful in business or social circles. Today, a thought and a not bad video, on this thing called the Internet.

It's a milestone. It's almost beyond comprehension. Click here for perspective from QZ on Facebook hitting a record 1 billion users in a single day last week. Hope you weren't among the folks saying "It will never last". Yes, one in seven people on Earth used Facebook last Monday. This marks an incredible moment for social media's most dominant brand, and maybe for the evolution of human behavior. But the fact that we have a site that can take that kind of user load is also the systems administration feat of a generation.

The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce distributes this update on events to coincide with news, plans and events throughout the year. You have received this information as a primary contact designated by your business or organization, or because you have requested a copy.
Please feel welcome to share the information with your colleagues. Copies are also posted for viewing or download on the Chamber's website, through links on social media in our Twitter and Facebook groups and pages, and in the Chamber's LinkedIn Group
Our goal is to inform, not annoy.
If you do not wish to receive this update please let the Chamber know.
Contact us by email or call 519-631-1981

This week’s edition of the Chamber’s Green Mail is sponsored by myFM 94.1
St. Thomas