Chamber Chatter - Paris and District Chamber of Commerce

Paris
Chamber
News
Chamber
Chatter
UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
We ask that you mark your calendars and participate in some of these upcoming activities as they will not only benefit you and
your business but also give you some opportunities to have a great day/evening out! Watch for email notices or check out our
website under ‘Events’ at www.pariscoc.ca for more information on these events.
7
Tuesday, April 7, 2015 – 12:00 pm: Paris Chamber Monthly Meeting – Paris Library Meeting Room –
Lunch Provided at $10.00/person (you must rsvp for lunch)
8
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 -5:30-7:00pm: Paris Chamber April Business to Business After Five - The
Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton - 20 Fen Ridge Crt., Brantford
5
Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - 12:00pm: Paris Chamber Monthly Meeting - Paris Library Meeting Room Lunch Provided at $10.00/person (you must rsvp for lunch)
SPRING 2015
Paris and District Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 130, Paris, Ontario N3L 3E7
226-208-1159 | www.pariscoc.ca
WELCOME!
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 5:30 - 7:00pm: Paris Chamber May Business to Business After Five - Best
Western Plus Brant Park Inn - 19 Holiday Drive, Brantford
20
If you require any further information on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact
Sue Swinton at 226-208-1159 or email sue@pariscoc.ca.
Winter is over and spring has finally arrived! There are lots of amazing events and activities
happening in Paris and our surrounding communities.
We would like to extend a warm
welcome to our newest members:
•
A & R Heating & Cooling
•
Tradebank Brant
•
CAF Real Estate Holdings
•
The Raw Carrot Soup
Enterprise
If you have been to a business after hours lately you will notice that we have made some
exciting changes. We now offer an attendance incentive program. Anyone who attends a
•
Advertising in the Paris & District Chamber of Commerce Chamber Chatter
business after hours event has their name entered into a draw to win a free membership
The Paris Chamber newsletter is distributed for free via email to all Chamber members, distributed at Chamber events, County offices, etc.
We offer newsletter advertising, flyer insert advertising (you supply flyers) and web banner ads. Chamber Chatter and web advertising are
an inexpensive yet effective way to advertise your business. You are encouraged to consider either or both of these advertising mediums
to help promote your business. If you have any questions, please contact Sue Swinton at 226-208-1159 email sue@pariscoc.ca.
receive an additional ballot for that evening. So come on out to one of these events to
You are encouraged to join the Paris
and District Chamber of Commerce.
We believe that the Paris Chamber
plays a significant role in the
community. The Paris Chamber can
help you to promote your business
to other businesses in the area. Your
membership in the Paris and District
Chamber of Commerce adds your voice
to help improve the quality of life in our
community. Join us! Together we can
make business stronger in Paris and the
County of Brant!
Web Banner Ads
Size
$/2months
Available
spots
Small
250 x 80pt
50.00
3
Medium
500 x 80pt
85.00
1
Large
250 x 225pt
110.00
1
1/3 Page articles may be submitted for a cost of $100.00 and will include a business card
size ad. Not for profit registered charities will receive a 50% discount off the above rates.
All advertisements will be in full colour. Print artwork must be supplied digitally in Adobe
Illustrator or high resolution PDF. All linked (image) files and fonts must be embedded in
submitted file. All inserts must be flat and may not exceed 8.5” x 11” and may not weigh
more than 15 grams each. All pricing is subject to change without notice.
for the upcoming year. If you bring a guest, not only are they entered to win, but you also
meet your fellow Chamber members and learn more about local businesses.
We are very excited that our membership is continuing to grow and I want to give a special
thanks to our membership committee who have been working very hard to seek out new
members. A big thank you goes out to our current members as well because without you,
we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Our golf tournament is fast approaching. Registration and more information will be
available very soon. This event is scheduled for Thursday, July 30th so mark your calendars
and save the date! I’m really hoping to see more new faces out at the tournament this year.
Paris Chamber Chatter Rate Card 2015
Size
Single
Issue
Yearly
(4 issues)
Business
Card Ad
3.5” x 1.75”
50.00
40.00 per (160)
1/6 Page
Ad
2.5” x 4.75”
85.00
70.00 per (280)
¼ Page Ad
7.5” x 2.35”
3.6” x 4.75”
125.00
105.00 per (420)
1/3 page
Ad
2.5” x 9.5”
160.00
140.00 per (560)
½ Page Ad
7.5” x 4.75”
225.00
200.00 per (800)
Full Page
7.5” x 9.5”
400.00
350.00 per (1400)
Insert (You
provide)
8.5” x 11”
200.00
N/A
Are you getting a group discount
on your Home & Auto Insurance?
You should be. As a member of the Paris & District Chamber of
Commerce, you and your colleagues have access to exclusive discounted
group insurance rates. Put Cowan Insurance Group to work for you.
Find out how much money we can save you. Let us know when your
insurance renews and we will provide you with a free no obligation quote.
Start Saving Today. Contact our office at 519-442-6337.
Cowan Insurance Group
3 Elm Street, Unit 5, Paris, ON N3L 2L6
Wishing you all the best this spring and please continue to check out our website for
upcoming events!
Cheers,
Leigha Oakes
President
Brantford Flight Centre
NEXT NEWSLETTER
Watch for our next newsletter coming
to you in June 2015! Share news such
as your company’s involvement in
community service and charities as well
as address changes, facility updates
and staff changes with other Chamber
members! If you have any questions
or contributions, please contact Sue
Swinton at 226-208-1159 email:
sue@pariscoc.ca
Anyone wishing to receive hard copies
of the Chamber Chatter newsletter can
contact Sue Swinton at sue@pariscoc.ca
or 226-208-1159 for delivery setup.
Paris
Chamber
News
BUSINESS
Paris
Chamber
News
2 BUSINESS After Five
DON’T FORGET
OUR NEW EVENT
ATTENDANCE
INCENTIVE!
STILLWATERS PLATE AND POUR
Stillwaters Plate and Pour were the hosts of the January
Business to Business After Five event. Many people attended
this event and they were treated to a delicious variety of food
and great networking opportunities. Owners Matt Cummings
and Chef Will Thompson let everyone know about upcoming
menu changes as well as the different ways their restaurant
can be utilized (ie. weddings, gatherings). This event was also
the kick start to the Paris Chamber Business After Five event
attendance incentive. All those members and guests who
attended have been entered into a bi-annual draw for free
membership to the Paris Chamber! Thank you to Matt, Will
and their staff for a terrific evening!
For each Business After Hours event your company
attends, you will be entered into our bi-annual
membership giveaway draw! Not a member? We
will be drawing at our AGM for a non member
membership as well! So bring a guest and come on
out! Attendance is free. PARIS DENTAL CENTRE
Paris Dental Centre hosted the February Business to
Business After Five event. Unfortunately the weather did
not cooperate on this evening but a good number of
members braved the elements and attended. David Mahn
spoke about the numerous changes to their state of the
art facility as well as the many services Paris Dental Centre
provides to people of all ages. This was a very informative
and interesting evening. There was great food and a nice
prize for a lucky attendee! To all the staff at Paris Dental
Centre - thank you for a great evening!
BUSINESS
2
BUSINESS
Business to Business After Five is a free to attend monthly
networking event for Chamber members. We encourage you to
come out to our next Business to Business After Five event and take
advantage of this valuable membership benefit. Reminders will
be sent out to members via email or you can check our website at
www.pariscoc.ca for event details.
After Five
Meet your fellow Chamber members and help grow your business
in a casual, social atmosphere. Non members are welcome to come
out and see what we’re all about! If you have any questions about
these events, please contact Sue Swinton at 226-208-1159 email
sue@pariscoc.ca.
THE ARLINGTON HOTEL
The wine cellar at the Arlington Hotel provided a cozy and
comfortable location for the March Business to Business After Five
event. Those who attended were treated to a tour of the facility
as well as tasty food and a prize giveaway. The Arlington has a
very interesting history and also has some new and exciting facility
changes coming up in the near future. That evening the entire
hotel was extremely busy as it was host to Pubstumpers Trivia in the
Spoke and Paddle Bar, a paint club in the Forks Restaurant and our
Chamber business after hours! It was great to see many new faces
in attendance at this event. The Paris Chamber appreciates the
hospitality of the Arlington and would like to thank Kate Wight and
the entire staff for being such great hosts!
• branding
• creative design
• web development
& seo
• database solutions
• printing
• promotional
products
• fulfillment
• app development
519.442.1242 blueprintagencies.com
Member
News
Member
News
“IT’S ONLY WATER” - AN UPDATE FROM MATT CUMMINGS OF
STILLWATERS PLATE AND POUR
It’s amazing how sometimes our bodies and minds can sense
that something is wrong. In the early morning of Friday,
February 20, 2015 at about 1:30am, I woke out of a dead sleep
and for whatever reason I had an urge to check my cell phone.
18 missed calls. After seeing that I knew that something was
wrong. Normally my ringer would still be on but I had just
picked up a new phone that night and because I couldn’t figure
it out the ringer hadn’t been turned on. That is why 18 calls
went unnoticed. When I checked to see who the callers were,
Bill Kennedy was 15 of the 18 and I quickly put two and two
together.
When I got to Stillwaters it looked like something out of a movie.
The water was literally coming down the stairs in the main area
like a waterfall. It was so cold that night that the water was
freezing to the door and even on the stairs, so getting up to the
restaurant was obviously a challenge. I’m sure you can envision
what everything looked like when I got up to the restaurant – just
picture the old Stillwaters under a couple inches of water. The
bar area was torn apart from the sheer force of the water coming
out of a broken 2 inch pipe. My business partner Will and I
foolishly decided to go get the shop vac and start trying to clean
up some of the water. We actually thought we could actually
make a dent in the mess! I knew it would be like draining a
swimming pool with a straw, but I guess in our heads we felt like
we had no choice but to do something. By this time, Eric from
Strone Restoration had arrived to assess the damage and I could
tell by the look on his face that I might as well put the shop vac
away, so I did. I think at one point Will made an attempt to
clean his kitchen again but realized it was pointless.
I hadn’t seen building owner Bill Kennedy since I had arrived.
When he came up to the restaurant, we just kind of looked at
each other and exchanged a quick smirk. I don’t think either
of us knew what to say to each other. To preface this, Bill
and I have worked extremely closely for the last 2 years since
Stillwaters has opened. We have spent hours and hours at his
office talking about everything you can imagine based around
our mutual love for business, Paris and Stillwaters. Bill really
enjoys the mentoring process at this stage of his career. I think
it is easy to see how a seasoned “retired” businessman and
someone like myself who is just learning the ropes, could easily
get caught up in hours of conversation.
As stressful as the situation was, I quickly started to focus on
the positive. As much as Will and I loved Stillwaters it never
really felt like ours. We were always handcuffed by the former
restaurant in that location. The kitchen equipment couldn’t
showcase Will’s menu like he wanted it to and the look was
gorgeous but it wasn’t “us”. We quickly realized that now
was the time to overhaul Stillwaters and make it our own. We
repainted the entire restaurant (which had to be done due to
water damage) in a more comfortable darker color scheme. We
also added a new divider wall to cozy up the space a little bit. A
new lounge area in the bar, 2 new fireplaces, darker hardwood
floors for comfort and most importantly a full kitchen overhaul
have also been completed. All of the old equipment was taken
out and brand new state of the art equipment was put in. The
main focus of the new equipment was to be able to cook the
food for the rooftop patio from the main kitchen. This now
eliminates the need to have 2 separate menus in the summer.
We also added pizza (the best I have ever had no less) and
other menu items that we never could have prepared in the old
kitchen.
We reopened on Wednesday March 25th after 6 long weeks of
closure with a new menu, a new look and a new feel. I must say
it feels amazing! It actually feels better now than it did when we
first opened!
New Members
TRADEBANK
Tradebank is Canada’s oldest, largest and fastest growing barter
exchange. We help over 3000 businesses across Canada, buy the
things they need without having to use cash. Tradebank Brant is
locally owned and operated by Stephen & Cori Porter. Feel free
to contact us and learn how to THINK TRADE FIRST!
THE RAW CARROT SOUP ENTERPRISE
The Raw Carrot is a not-for-profit social enterprise that
provides meaningful employment for people on social
assistance in Paris, Ontario. We cook healthy, homemade
preservative-free soups and breadsticks for catered lunches
and for sale to individuals. Our homemade gourmet soup is
enabling change in our community. We want to entice you
with every yummy bite!
519-304-3314 | @tradebankbrant
www.therawcarrot.com | www.facebook.com/therawcarrot
1
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#
2/7/07
11:11 AM
Page 1
CANADA’S
LEADING
PLAN
in Group Benefits For Firms with
We would really like to thank the community for their unwavering
support. It has been incredibly touching to talk to everyone and
get the blessings of an entire town. Also, the team at Stillwaters,
who had 6 long weeks off of work but were there to help out to
get the restaurant back up and running. After being off work for
that long the staff of Stillwaters could have very easily jumped
ship and went to work somewhere else. I’m proud to say that
not one single employee left us and I cannot thank them enough
for their loyalty.
The most important thing to remember is at the end of the day
it was just a flood and thankfully no one was hurt. Unfortunately,
many homes and businesses go through things like this all the
time. Those 18 missed calls that night could have been the
police telling me a loved one was in trouble or sick. It’s just
water.
I hope to see everyone soon!
Matt Cummings, Owner
For details call Sue:
sloveless@brantford.ca
519-756-4269
1-50 People
(
Your Advantage Insurance
Ph: 519.752.0911
lesleyburke@sympatico.ca
)
Paris
Chamber
News
Member
News
2015
Hampton Inn & Suites
Brantford Honoured with
Another Award
Golf Tournament
The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Brantford has been honoured with
Booking.com’s 2014 Award of Excellence. This award is in recognition of the
Hampton’s dedication and care in meeting and exceeding guests’ expectations
based on achievement of an overall guest review score of 8.6/10.
“Being recognized for our commitment to our guests is wonderful and it means
even more when it is based on our guests’ actual reviews. We are so proud
of our staff for all of their hard work in welcoming our guests and ensuring a
comfortable and enjoyable stay while they are visiting Brantford,” Kieran Wells,
Sales & Marketing Manager.
This is the Hampton’s fourth award received within the last year. The hotel also
received the prestigious TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award, earned
a space on Expedia’s Insiders Select list and in the fall, the Housekeeping
Manager, won Hilton Worldwide’s ‘Spirit of Hampton’ Award.
Featuring 84 Guest Rooms including
Kitchenette & Jacuzzi Suites
Great Location for Weddings & Meetings!
Plans are currently underway for the 2015 Paris
Chamber Annual Golf Tournament. Watch for
details as they become available on this exciting
networking event. If you are interested in donating
a golfer prize or helping out with the planning of
the tournament, please let us know. As always, we
appreciate the tremendous support we receive from
the membership for this annual event.
Free hot breakfast, Wi-Fi
Modern Meeting & Banquet Space
Indoor Heated Saltwater Pool &
Whirlpool, Fitness Centre, 24/7
Business Centre
Heritage Designation
with Ruth Lefler
and Mike O’Byrne
20 Fen Ridge, Brantford at Hwy 403
& Oak Park Rd
Call 519-720-0084
www.brantfordhamptoninn.com
Updating Electrical
with Rob Groves
Heritage Paint Colours
with Michelle Mahoney
MONTHLY MEETINGS
PARIS AND DISTRICT
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
NEXT MEETING – TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015
12:00 pm | Paris Library | Meeting Room
The Paris Chamber of Commerce holds its monthly meetings on the first
Tuesday of each month at 12:00pm at the Paris Library – Meeting Room. All
members are welcome to attend. As well as discussing regular Chamber
business, there are occasionally guest speakers as well as networking
opportunities for those who attend. A light lunch is always provided at a fee
of $10.00 per person (you must order lunch in advance – no-shows will be
invoiced). If you would like to attend one of our monthly meetings, please
contact Sue Swinton at 226-208-1159 email sue@pariscoc.ca to RSVP.
Historic Gardening;
Lessons from
Dundurn Castle with
Victoria Bick
Paris Chamber
Community Involvement
The Paris and District Chamber of
Commerce is pleased to support the
Spring Heritage Home Workshop as
hosted by the Society for the Preservation
of Architectural Heritage (SPPAH). Please
see their poster in this newsletter for more
information on this event.
SATURDAY
APRIL 18TH
FIRST ANNUAL
SPRING HERITAGE
HOME WORKSHOP
A priceless learning experience for heritage property
owners. Register Now!
Join us for an informative day at St. James Anglican Church,
Paris, with the experts in all things ‘old home’. Registration
forms available in Paris at County of Brant Office, Green
Heron Books and the Paris Museum and Historical Society.
Anatomy of a Wood
Window with Ron Rose
Lunch Included
Pre-Registration Required
$40 per person
$45 after April 4th
HOSTED BY
SOCIETY FOR THE
PRESERVATION
OF PARIS
ARCHITECTURAL
HERITAGE
For more information
contact Janet Snaith
at 519 442 2477
or jsnaith@execulink.com