Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Minutes

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

April 9, 2018

Attendees:

Present:  Sherri Goebel, Lisa Hellvig, Cindy Buss, Jesse Fonkert

Absent: Kim Yingst, Treasurer

Attendees: Gail Olson Duck, Brittany Glanzer, Todd Lubenow, Michelle Thompson, Mark O’Hara, Lori Grocott, Gabby Hoing.

Absent: Zach Schmidt, David Jones, Cole Grocott

Approve Agenda: Motion made by Cindy Buss to approve the agenda, second by Gail Olson-Duck.  All in favor aye, motion passed.

Approve Minutes: Motion made by Lisa Helllvig to approve the minutes second by Mark O’Hara. All in favor aye, motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: In the absence of Treasurer Kim Yingst, Cindy Buss provided the totals as of April 6th current balance in Great Western Bank is $41,307.20 and the balance in Great Western Bank is $13,896.96. Motion by Gail Olson-Duck to approve the Treasurer’s report and seconded by Brittany Glanzer.  All in favor aye.  Motion passed. 

Director’s Report:  Jesse Fonkert highlighted the following events:  Hosted gubernatorial candidate and US Congresswoman Kristi Noem at Stomping Grounds for a listening session.  Commerce and Coffee was held with Superintendent Brad Berens.  Organized and attended Q1 Seminar on Cyber Security with Daren Anderson as presenter.  Attended several Chamber committee meetings.  Attended the March mixer at Center Valley GreatLife.  Three or four new Chamber members.

Shared items on the Horizon coming up.  Community Health Fair, Commerce and Coffee with Cindy Heiberger, Dog Waste Station Ribbon Cutting, Membership Mixer at Reliabank, West Central Opt Out Panel Discussion and West Central Opt-out Vote.  Also he mentioned Bids on Mickelson Road, Knapp’s landing 53 new single homes and Assam starting his development this fall. 

Old Business: 

Portable Marquee was purchased.  It will be available for Chamber Members to use with a $200.00 deposit, Members can use it for a week at a time.  Block out dates will be during Hometown Christmas, Halloween and Jamboree Days.  Jesse is checking on the insurance and will write up a policy for use of the Portable Marquee.

Meeting Date -2nd Monday:  Our meetings will stay on the second Monday of the month.  Roxie has been contacted and she will be on the Events Committee, instead of a board member.

West Central Opt Out Discussion:  Motion was made for spending up to $700.00 for the meal/appetizers we would vote for what food we wanted by email.  Second by Gail, all in favor aye.  Motion passed.  The event would have Superintendent, School Board Member and a Opponent. Bill Zortman would be asked to lead the event. 

Committee Chair Reports

Events:  Mark, Cole and Roxie will be working on Business in the Park, Golf Event.  The mixers have been well attended and our scheduled through October.

Marketing-Todd Lubenow meeting Friday to discuss the logo and talk to the Designer.  They are working on promoting upcoming events, opt out, April postcard.

Bylaws-Michelle Thompson nothing to report.

Ambassador- Zach Schmidt & Dr. Jones both were absent.  Jesse reported that they are delivering membership guides with invoices. 

New Business:

ACH Process was discussed if we want to offer this with renewal’s after discussion we passed on the ACH.  No action taken.  It didn’t appear to be cost effective.

Billing Procedures:  Lisa Hellvig shared a draft on billing policies and procedures.  Lori Grocott r made a motion to approve the Hartford Chamber Billing Policies and Procedures with the noted changes and Brittany Glanzer seconded all in favor aye.  Motion passed.  

Humboldt Businesses:  Discussion was held on how to reach the Humboldt businesses better and how to attract new businesses.  It was mentioned that we have a Mixer at Big J’s perhaps a member benefit.  Jesse Fonkert will contact BJ’s for a possible mixer.

Jamboree Days Carnival: Signage was discussed to better show the chamber sponsors the carnival the marketing committee will work on this.

Direct Mailers: We had discussion on if the Marketing Committee would be willing to make calls to help fill the mailers, they would need a list to call from.  They can talk about it at their meeting. 

Other:   Roxie Whalen resigned from the Board due to a conflict with the meeting night, but was thankful to be asked to be on the Events Committee.  Jesse will contact Jay Buccholz @ Sioux Valley Energy to see if he would be interested in a board position.  We talked briefly about considering a Chamber Sponsored Food Drive? More discussion to follow on this.

Adjourn: Motion by Gail Olson-Duck and second by Lori Grocott to adjourn the meeting.  All in favor aye, motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

Cindy Buss, Secretary

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

March 12, 2018

Attendees: 

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President,  Lisa Hellvig, Vice President, Cindy Buss, Secretary, Jesse Fonkert, Chamber and Economic Development Director.

Absent: Kim Yingst, Treasurer

Board Members: Brittany Glanzer, Michelle Thompson, Zach Schmidt, Mark O’Hara, Gabby Hoing,

Absent: Gail Olson Duck, Montie Schraeder, Todd Lubenow, David Jones, Lori Grocott, Cole Grocott and Roxie Whalen

Guest: Jay Buccholz

Call to Order: President Sherri Goebel called the meeting to order at 6:36 pm.

Approve Agenda:   Motion made by Cindy Buss to approve the Agenda, second by Zach Schmidt.  All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve minutes from February 12, 2018:  Motion made by Zach Schmidt to approve the minutes, second by Brittany Glanzer.  All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: In the absence of Kim Yingst, Treasurer, Cindy Buss reported that US Bank balance was $15,206.34 and Great Western Bank has a balance of $38,833.16.  Motion by Michelle Thompson to approve the Treasurer’s report and second by Mark O’Hara.  All voted aye and motion passed.

Chamber and Economic Director’s Report:

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

Jesse will be attending the MACE Conference in May in Sioux Falls. 

March 29th, Ribbon Cutting for Kore Cares in Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Chamber will be spearheading this event and we will be in attendance.  Open House from 11- 1 and Ribbon Cutting at 11:30. 

Portable Marquee came in higher than we expected for quotes. 

Hartford Area Development Corporation

Put together information for Project Superior.  Food products manufacturer.

Worked on economic Development ideas and presented them to the city council.

Ongoing project for brewery downtown.

Six Lots from city of Hartford by Fire Department for day care.

Old Business:

Portable Marquee: Jesse received quotes from Pride Neon for $7500.00. Ace for $2850.00 with 150 characters.  A quote was requested from Signarama but not received.  Michelle Thompson has a contact she will check with.  Decision was held on members being able to use the Marquee with a $200.00 deposit and then when the Marquee was returned the deposit would be returned.  Lisa Hellvig made a motion to increase the Portable Marquee budget to $3,500.00. Brittany Glanzer seconded the motion.  All voted aye and motion passed.

Appropriated funds from Hometown Christmas Breakfast:  Gabby Hoing made a motion to give 50%  of the $1,100.00 funds to the Hartford Fire Station for the use of their building, 50% to the West Central Education Foundation.  Discussion took place on the Chamber eating the expenses from cost of putting on breakfast and to consider starting a Grant/Scholarship Fund.  Gabby Hoing amended her motion to read $500.00 to the Hartford Fire Station, $500.00 to the West Central Education Foundation and to start a Grant/Scholarship Fund with $500.00.  Zach Schmidt seconded the motion.  All voted aye and motion passed. 

Bylaws Amendment: Michelle Thompson read the Bylaws change as proposed at the last meeting.  The amendment change is to article VII Section 2 The Executive Committee and the Director are allowed to use the credit or debit card to spend within the budget for a single purchase without board approval.  Spending on non-budgeted items will need approval prior to purchase. Zach Schmidt made a motion to approve the Bylaws change and Gabby Hoing seconded.  All voted aye and motion passed.

Finding ways to work with West Central and Opt out info:  Jesse reported that the Opt Out would allow the District to collect up to an additional $400,000. Per year for four years.  He wants the board to have adequate information and to be informed.  The School Board is going to hold some public forum’s.  This opt out would add a high levy to businesses.  He encouraged Chamber Board Members to get involved and attend the school board meetings.

Committee Reports

Events:

Business in the Park July 26th:  Trying to make this event more fun, theme orientated, will be inviting Chamber Members, Public Official’s, School Board.  Michelle approved a motion to increase the Business in the Park budget by $1,000.00.  Brittany Glanzer seconded it.  All voted aye and the motion passed.

Golf Tournament August 15th:  Discussion was held on free vs cost, the event would include two rounds of golf, cart and lunch.  The idea is to use this for networking.  Any member level would be invited to take part. It was decided that we need more information.   Mark O’Hara made a motion to table this Zach Schmidt seconded. All voted aye and the motion carried.

Marketing:  Brittany reported that they had twenty nine members attend the event at Blue 42 on Membership Benefits.  Todd Lubenow and Jesse Fonkert gave a great powerpoint presentation.  Welcome bags have been put together they will give out March mover bags end of March.  There have been a couple of meetings regarding the logo isn't real impressed with what they have seen so far.  Still working on this.

Bylaws: Nothing to report.

Ambassador:  Zach Schmidt reported the committee is in infancy.  They have lots of idea’s, trying to figure out what the committee will do they plan to visit those businesses whose invoices are coming due.  They will be giving out a membership guide.  Some joint calls will be made.  They are going to try touch members annually.

New Business St Francis House Request:  Consensus was to move forward in reaching out to Chamber members to donate an item or funds for a basket for the St Francis House fundraiser on July 30th.  The Executive Committee will be in charge of this event.

Other:  Discussion to move meetings to the 3rd Monday @ 6:30.  Jesse will contact the members who are not present to see if that would work for them.  We have an elected board member who really wants to be involved but the scheduled meeting night does not work for her. 

Adjourn:  Gabby Hoing made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Second by Brittany Glanzer.  All voted aye motion carried.

Respectfully submitted

Cindy Buss, Secretary

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

February 12, 6:31 p.m.

Attendees:

Officers: Lisa Hellvig, Vice-president; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Cindy Buss, Secretary; and Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director.

Absent: Sherri Goebel, President

Board Members:  Gail Olson-Duck, Mark O’Hara, Zach Schmidt, Michelle Thompson, Brittany Glanzer, Lori Grocott, Gabby Hoing, David Jones, Todd Lubenow, and Cole Grocott

Absent: Roxie Whalen, Montie Schraeder   

Guest: Casey Kustak (Wells Fargo)

Call to Order:  The meeting was called to order by Vice-President Lisa Hellvig at 6:30 p.m.

Approve Agenda:  Zach Schmidt moved to approve the Agenda and second by Gail Olson-Duck.  All voted aye and motion passed 

Approve Minutes from January 8th, 2018: Motion by Zach Schmidt and second by Gail Olson-Duck.  All voted aye and motion passed. 

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Kim Yingst presented the treasurer’s report.  As of January 31, 2018 we had $22,030.00 in the U.S. Bank account.  Approximately $10,000. In the Great Western Bank account.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report: 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

Attended the District 9 Legislative Coffee on February 3rd with  around 30 in attendance.

Organized and promoted ribbon cutting ceremonies for Central States MFG and Brad Hanisch.

Attended and spoke at the Membership Benefit Luncheon at Blue 42-49

Assisted in organizing the Central States Mfg five year anniversary celebration and attended mixer, luncheon, and tours throughout the day.

Put together QI Welcome Bags with the marketing committee.

Started process of creating a new logo for the Hartford Chamber.

One member dropped: Medicap Pharmacy

One member added: Brad Hanisch Ameri/Star Real Estate

Hartford Area Development

Put together information for Project Superior. This is a food products manufacturer. 

Worked on economic development ideas and presented them to the city council.

Ongoing project for a brewery downtown.

Six lots from city of Hartford by Fire Department for daycares.

Lots of potential for Hartford big announcements coming.

Old Business: 

Committee Sign-up sheets:  Sign up sheets were passed around.  Want everyone to sign up for at least one committee. The Ambassadors are going to have membership packets to deliver with invoices and will be able to answer questions to help businesses understand their benefits.  It was discussed that members want visits from Chamber members to sign up for the membership. 

Portable Marquee The quoted price from Pride Neon Signs was $7,500.00 without a trailer.  Not lit not digital. Other places we are going to check into our Ace Signs and Sign a Rama.  David Jones and Michelle Thompson have some connections they will be making some calls to get quotes and information.

Committee Chair Reports:

Events: It was reported that Facebook posts are up. Central States is having their 5 year anniversary celebration with a 7:30 a.m. mixer on February 15, 2018.  Also a noon luncheon and tours of the facility.  The committee is working on a Golf Tournament and upcoming Job Fairs.

Marketing:  Todd reported that the membership benefit guide has been completed.  They are working on a slide show with benefits and membership.  Also working on a facebook question and answer page.  February 20th at Blue 42 is a membership luncheon to review and discuss with members what they receive with there membership dues. We discussed how to get information out to Employees of Businesses and not just the member, that is being worked on.  Discussion was held on whether or not we want to do the flyer quarterly instead of monthly Jesse is having a hard time getting businesses to commit. 

Bylaws:  Michelle reported that the committee has met and recommends the following change to be: The Director of the Hartford Chamber and the Executive Board are allowed to use the credit card to spend within the budget and not to exceed $500.00 for single purchases without approval of the board.

Ambassador:  Dr. David Jones and Zach Schmidt volunteered to Co-Chair the Ambassador Committee.  Motion by Cindy Buss and second by Gail Olson-Duck to appoint David and Zach as Co-Chair’s for the Ambassadors. All voted aye and motion passed.

New Business:

Finding ways to work with West Central:  Lisa had met with Brad Berens to discuss and to share with him how the community wants to support the school and we want them to find ways to spend money in Hartford and shop locally.  Trying to make a more cohesive community between the school and community.  To communicate better with them and vice versa.  She shared that 12 school groups made $8000.00 with booths, etc at the Hometown Christmas event. She shared there is a big disconnect between the school and community and wants us to help find a way to work with them.

Community Support and Engagement: It was discussed to possibly have a Local Business Expo event at the gym with booths of businesses to highlight our businesses.  Jesse will contact Brad Berens. 

Other:  Jesse shared that there is a grant for signage for businesses that can be applied for to clean up/replace old signs or for new signs.   

Motion to adjourn was made by Zach Schmidt and second by Lori Grocott.  All voted aye and motion passed.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Cindy Buss, Chamber Secretary

Marketing & Website: Todd Lubenow reported that the Marketing committee has been working on highlighting membership benefits in a new brochure and on the website. The Hometown Christmas really brought an increase of hits to the website. It is linked with the city and Sioux Falls Biz. Blue 42 was the top search this month. They will let the person working on a new logo for the Chamber, shoot some ideas to us to look at. The Ambassador brochure should be ready in about two weeks.
Bylaws Committee is meeting on January 19th

Welcoming Committee Gail Olson-Duck is going to head up the Welcoming bag group. She will be handing out bags monthly to new movers. She had a list of bags that needed to go out for the last 3 months.

Ambassador brochure should be ready in about two weeks.

New Business

Annual HADC Partnership Disbursement Gail made a motion to pay the HADC Annual Membership dues for $1300.00, second by Kim Yingst. All voted aye and the motion passed.

Review Member Benefits we need to streamline the benefits for the members.

Other there is money that was collected from the Hometown Christmas breakfast that needs to be disbursed to other organizations in Hartford. Some of the suggestions of who we should disburse the funds to was the Hartford Area Fire and Rescue for allowing us to meet in their facility, and the Hartford Food Pantry.

Jesse informed us that Pride Neon Signs is still working on a bid for the lighted marquee sign.

Adjournment Motion by Zach Schmidt and second by Brittany Glanzer. All voted aye and motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Cindy Buss, Chamber Secretary

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford City Hall

December 11, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice-president; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director.

 

Board Members: Todd Lubenow, Cindy Buss, Michelle Thompson, Gail Olson-Duck and Lori Grocott.

2018 Board Members: Brittany Glanzer and Zach Schmidt

Absent Board Members: Stephanie Olson-Voth, James Lemke, and Monte Schraeder.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by President Sherri Goebel.

Approve Agenda – Motion by Hellvig to approve agenda and second by Buss. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from November 7, 2017 –Motion by Hellvig to approve the minutes from November 7, 2017 and second by Lubenow. All voted aye and motion passed.

Old Business

Committee Chair Reports

• Marketing & Website Committees – Lubenow reported that the committee had a great year and is looking forward to 2018. Lubenow and Fonkert proposed that the Chamber look into changing its logo. Discussion was held on the logo and the path forward. Fonkert and Lubenow will work with Heather Pearson on putting together a member survey to see what members want in a Chamber logo. Pearson will put together three logos and corresponding changes for $750.
• Bylaws – Thompson reported that the Bylaws committee will be tackling policies and procedures in 2018 as well as some additional changes to the bylaws.
• Membership – Fonkert put together a new cover letter for the membership renewals so members are better informed about the Chamber. The letter also thanks them for their membership.

Amending the Bylaws:

The Bylaws Committee of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce has met several times this year to discuss updates that need to be made to the bylaws of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce. Their proposed changes are listed below along with an explanation.

 

1. Update amended dates to reflect 2015 change and the upcoming edits in 2017.
2. Article II Section 2: Election
   1. Sub-section 1: Language has been added that clarifies which members are considered to be full members. A full member shall be any business, person, or organization that is made active by its annual or monthly membership payment which includes those at the associate, base, bronze, silver, or gold levels.
   2. Sub-section 2: We have changed the title of this class of membership from associate to non-profit to avoid confusion that might be caused by the paid associate membership level. Non-profits members are those organizations that want to be involved in the chamber (churches, community groups, etc). These members do not have voting rights other than in committees in which they are involved.
   3. Paragraph 2: We added the words “electronically or” so that we are in compliance with our practice to allow applications through our website.
3. Article II Section 5:
   1. Subsection 1: Changed associate to non-profit to match our changes in section 2.
4. Article IV Section 1
   1. Paragraph 1: added the word “is” for grammatical purposes and removed the parentheses.
5. Article IV Section 2:
   1. Subsection A, Paragraph 2: Removed words “prior to” and added “at” to clarify when the nominating committee shall present the slate of candidates.
   2. Subsection A, Paragraph 2: Removed the number “3” and added “5 or 6” for math related reasons. This change is recommended because the current language is contradictory. Our Board is made of up to 16 members. Each position has a three year term. Therefore, two out of three years our Board will have to elect five positions to three year terms (with one year 6 positions eligible for three year terms). Simple math makes it impossible to only elect three directors. 16/3=5.3.
   3. Subsection A, Paragraph 2: Language has been added defining whom can and can’t be a member of the Board. In an effort to maintain a majority of business owners as Board members, this committee recommends that only full members be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors.
   4. Subsection A, Paragraph 2: Language has been added that allows only one representative from a full member on the Board at a time. This change is recommended to ensure that other members are given the opportunity to serve on the board and that no single member can exert too much control.
   5. Subsection A, Paragraph 2: Language has been added that allows only one person from a household on the Board at a time. This change is recommended to ensure that different families are given the opportunity to serve on the Board and that no single member can exert too much control.
   6. Subsection B: The number “3” has been removed at various locations or replaced with numbers that in line with the changes proposed in item 5b.
6. Article IV, Section 4
   1. Second paragraph: The words “added comment” have been removed. They do not belong in the Bylaws.
7. Article VIII, Section 1
   1. First Paragraph: Edits first centered around clarifying what a section 501 c (36) organization might be. Further research found that no such thing exists. We recommend changing it to a c (3) organization (a charitable nonprofit) and removed language that defined what that type of organization has to be organized to promote. We recommend that the type of 501 c (3) should be chosen at the will of the Board.
8. Article X
   1. First Paragraph: Added language that would allow proposed revisions to the bylaws to be communicated to the membership electronically.

Motion by Yingst and second by Hellvig to adopt the recommended revisions; all voted aye and motion passed.

Annual Meeting Review – It was the consensus of the Board that this year’s annual meeting was a success. Feedback received was positive. Attendees enjoyed the food, the refreshments, and the comedian. It was recommended that next year a speaker be added to the event as well.

New Business

Elections of 2018 Officers

President: The floor was opened for nominations for president. Motion by Grocott to nominate Goebel as president for 2018 and second by Olson-Duck. As no other nominations were received Olson-Duck moved that a unanimous ballot be made in favor of electing Goebel. All voted aye. Sherri Goebel was elected president of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce for 2018.

Vice-president: The floor was opened for nominations for vice-president. Motion by Yingst to nominate Hellvig as vice-president for 2018 and second by Grocott. As no other nominations were received Olson-Duck moved that a unanimous ballot be made in favor of electing Hellvig. All voted aye. Lisa Hellvig was elected vice-president of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce for 2018.

Treasurer: The floor was opened for nominations for treasurer. Motion by Olson-Duck to nominate Yingst as treasurer for 2018 and second by Buss. As no other nominations were received Olson-Duck moved that a unanimous ballot be made in favor of electing Yingst. All voted aye. Kim Yingst was elected treasurer of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce for 2018.

Secretary: The floor was opened for nominations for secretary. Motion by Olson-Duck to nominate Buss as secretary for 2018 and second by Grocott. As no other nominations were received Olson-Duck moved that a unanimous ballot be made in favor of electing Buss. All voted aye. Cindy Buss was elected secretary of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce for 2018.

Committee Chair Appointments: President Goebel made the following appointments for 2018. There are a few people that have been asked to fill positions that are still considering.

Marketing & Website – Todd Lubenow

Bylaws – Michelle Thompson

Membership – TBD

Events – TBD

Welcoming – TBD

2018 Board Meeting Calendar – Fonkert surveyed the new Board members on the schedule for 2018 and reported the results. Discussion occurred on what time and date would work best. Motion by Hellvig to hold monthly Chamber Board meetings on the second Monday of the month to start at 6:30 pm at the Hartford Area Fire & Rescue Hall and second by Grocott; all voted aye and motion passed.

Other:

Fonkert proposed that the Chamber hold a District 9 Legislative Coffee on February 3^rd. The event would feature our District 9 Legislators and would be open to the public. It was the consensus of the Board to move forward with this event.

The Board received a thank you card from Stephanie Olson-Voth for the flowers the Chamber sent upon the death of her father.

Board members are encouraged to find at least one committee to join going forward.

Adjournment – Motion by Olson-Duck and second by Lubenow to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

Director

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

November 7, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice-president; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director.

Board Members: Todd Lubenow, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Cindy Buss, Michelle Thompson, and Monte Schraeder

Absent Board Members: James Lemke, Gail Olson-Duck, and Lori Grocott

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm by President Sherri Goebel.

Approve Agenda – Motion by Olson-Voth to approve agenda and second by Lubenow. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from October 3, 2017 – Buss thought that perhaps Schraeder was present at this meeting although he was listed as absent. Discussion ensued on whether or not he was present and Fonkert did not think he was present for that meeting. Motion by Buss to approve the minutes from October 3, 2017 and second by Olson-Voth. All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Yingst presented the treasurer’s report. As of Nov 7^th there was $41,953.55 in the Chamber’s bank account and the Chamber had 98 active members. One member dropped in November: Sideline Diesel.

Old Business

Committee Chair Reports

• Events Committee – Olson-Voth reported that she has been working on the annual meeting and that it is going to be a great event! The youth from Christ Lutheran Church will be present to help serve and clear tables.
• Marketing & Website Committees – Lubenow has been in conversation with a freelance consultant, Francis Thompson, regarding the next phase of the Chamber’s website. Thompson comes highly recommended from 9 Clouds for an organization such as ours. Her services would cost around $2,500 and would ultimately draw more traffic to the website. Both committees are working on ways to drive use to the hot deal and job posting functions. A membership packet will be published by January in an effort to inform members on how to use their benefits.
• Bylaws – Thompson reported that the Bylaws committee will be tackling policies and procedures in 2018. The Committee presented its proposed amendments to the Bylaws. They will be discussed and voted on at the December Board meeting.
• Membership – Fonkert will be putting together a new cover letter for the membership renewals so members are better informed about the process.

Halloween Party Update

• The Chamber hosted the annual Halloween Party at the American Legion on October 31^st. While there aren’t any official numbers, estimates are that this year’s broke attendance records. Thank you Lynnae Redenius for all of your hard working in organizing the event and to all of the volunteers that made it possible.

New Business

Elections of 2018 Board Members – The Nominating Committee for 2018 presented its slate of candidates:

Three Year Terms – Michelle Thompson, Hegg Realtors; Gail Olson-Duck; Gabby Hoing, Kore Cares; Brittany Glanzer, Central States; and Roxie Whalen, Hartford Coffee Cup

Two Years Terms – Mark O’Hara, US Bank and Dr. David Jones, Jones Family Eyecare

One Year Terms – Cole Grocott, Reliabank and Zach Schmidt, Great Western Bank

Motion by Schraeder to elect the slate of candidates and second by Yingst; all voted aye and motion passed.

Storage Unit – The Executive Committee proposed that the Chamber lease a storage unit for its growing inventory. It would be split 50/50 with the Hometown Christmas Committee and paid 50/50. Motion by Schraeder to lease a storage unit and second by Lubenow; all voted aye and motion passed.

Adjournment – Motion by Olson-Voth and second by Yingst to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

Director

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

October 3, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice-president; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director.

Board Members: Todd Lubenow, Gail Olson-Duck, Lori Grocott, Cindy Buss, and Stephanie Olson-Voth.

Absent Board Members: James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, and Monte Schraeder

Guests: Larry and Freida Fossum.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:07 pm by President Sherri Goebel.

Approve Agenda – Motion by Buss to approve agenda and second by Lubenow. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from September 5, 2017 – Motion by Buss to approve the minutes from September 5, 2017 and second by Grocott. All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Yingst presented the treasurer’s report. As of Oct 2^nd there was $44,203.39 in the Chamber’s bank account and the Chamber had 97 active members. The Chamber added one member in Sept: Abby O’Hara with Edward Jones. Motion by Olson-Duck to accept the treasurer’s report and second by Hellvig. All voted aye and motion passed.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report:

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

-The Fall Job Fair took place on Sept 14th at the Hartford Plaza Event Center. We had six members in attendance with eight jobseekers throughout the day. I applied for a grant with MidAmerican Energy to cover a portion of the costs. MidAmerican awarded us about $185.00. The next job fair will be in April with different hours.

-Abby O’Hara with Edward Jones joined the Chamber as a base member.

-Please mark your calendars for the Chamber’s annual meeting on Tuesday, November 14th.

-Met with Anderson to discuss upcoming Chamber projects and timelines.

-Attended meetings with the Marketing Committee.

-Met with Frances Thompson and Todd Lubenow to discuss the Chamber’s website.

Hartford Area Development Corporation

-Toured both Brandon and Garretson with several HADC Board members and City Administrator Teresa Sidel. Tours were organized with city leaders from both Brandon and Garretson. Chad Hanisch and Richelle Hofer with the City Council and Growing Garretson met with us in Garretson and introduced us to the community. Kim Cerwick with the Chamber and Dennis Olson with the City served as our tour guides in Brandon.

-Started to put together data and research to assess the state of daycare in Hartford.

-Submitted information for Project Artemis a hair care product manufacturer looking for a 20,000 sq ft building to house production. Project Artemis could employ up to 135 people.

Other

-Spoke to the West Central HS Marketing class about Hartford, my job, and development.

-Attended an Issues Management Council meeting at the SFACC.

-Met with Owen Shay of Representative Kristi Noem’s staff.

-Community Information Night saw about 60 people in attendance. Superintendent Brad Berens, Mayor Jeremy Menning, Leah Johnson, Lisa Hellvig, and I spoke. Citizens concerned about the Swanson addition rezone attended to ask questions and voice their thoughts. There was healthy dialogue between them and both City and WC officials. Thank you to all that attended. We hope to make this an annual event with growth every year.

-Attended MCEDA meeting at Sioux Falls. Their annual meeting will take place on November 2nd at the Holiday Inn.

-Met with Dougherty and Co. and Nick Fosheim to review the TIF process.

-Toured Raven Industries through a YPN organized event.

-Attended a defensive driving course organized by the SDML.

On the Horizon:

-October Chamber newsletter deadline is October 16th. It will go out to the public on the 24th.

-A Haunted Hartford Halloween (the Halloween Party) will be taking place at the Legion on October 31st. We are looking for more volunteers to help with the event!

-South Dakota Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Seminar will be taking place in Sioux Falls on November 7th

-The Mid American Chamber of Commerce (MACE) Advocacy Alliance Policy Conference will be taking place in St. Paul on November 9th and 10th. I plan to be in attendance and have applied for a scholarship to cover the cost of registration.

-November 14th – Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting.

-November 30th – Hartford Area Development Corporation Annual Meeting.

Old Business

Discuss Bank Information – Treasurer Yingst presented information about the different banking options available to the Chamber. The Chamber currently banks with US Bank but the Board has expressed concerns about how its account can be viewed online. US Bank links the signors of business accounts with those of their personal accounts. Yingst reported that Great Western Bank does not have this practice and that its online accounts are accessed through the business account. Following the Board’s direction, Yingst recommended that the Chamber move its account to Great Western Bank. Motion by Grocott to move the Chamber’s banking to Great Western Bank and second by Yingst. All voted aye and motion passed. The Chamber will move its banking to Great Western Bank and have credit cards issued to its officers per the September 5^th motion. Discussion next centered on whom should be the debit card holder for the Chamber. Motion by Grocott to have the Director be the debit card holder and second by Hellvig. All voted aye and motion passed.

Fall Job Fair – Fonkert reported that there were six Chamber members present at the Job Fair and about 10 job seekers. The Chamber received a grant from MidAmerican to cover 50% of the costs of the even. The next job fair will take place in late April.

Committee Chair Reports

• Events Committee – Olson-Voth reported that the Committee has been in touch with Hartford Dental about hosting the next mixer.
• Marketing & Website Committees – Lubenow has been in conversation with a freelance consultant, Francis Thompson, regarding the next phase of the Chamber’s website. Thompson comes highly recommended from 9 Clouds for an organization such as ours. Her services would cost around $2,500 and would ultimately draw more traffic to the website. Lubenow and Fonkert met with Thompson to discuss the project goals and set Nov 30^th as the deadline for the first phase. Both committees are working on ways to drive use to the hot deal and job posting functions. A membership packet will be published by January in an effort to inform members on how to use their benefits.
• Bylaws – Buss reported that the Bylaws committee will be meeting on Oct 5^th to propose changes. The Board discussed several changes: one person per business on the Board, associate members cannot serve on the Board, and clarifying the language in the section about elections.
• Welcoming – It was reported that the Boy/Cub Scouts helped put together the Welcome Bags on the evening of the 2^nd. Discussion was held about the Cub Scouts involvement with the Welcome Bags. It was the consensus of the Board that the Chamber should honor its $1,000 pledge to the Sioux Council but localize it next year and that the Welcoming Committee would hand out Welcome Bags in conjunction with the Boy/Cub Scouts. 
• Membership – Fonkert will be putting together a new cover letter for the membership renewals so members are better informed about the process.
• Nominating – Buss reported that all positions have been filled for the 2018 Board of Directors. Buss thanked the committee for all of their hard work and enjoyed working with them.

New Business

Portable Marquee – Fonkert presented to the Board an idea brought up in the Executive Committee that would assist in advertising Chamber events and serve as a benefit to membership. Many businesses and members in town use portable marquees to advertise events. The Executive Committee felt that it could use a portable marquee to help inform people about Chamber events and rent it out to membership as an added benefit. Motion by Olson-Duck to spend up to $1,500 to purchase a portable, lighted marquee sign along with 3-4 packets of letters and second by Grocott. All voted aye and motion passed. The Board directed Fonkert to seek two estimates before moving forward with a purchase.

Halloween Party – Lynnae Redenius with Tammen Auto will again be chairing the Halloween Committee. For those interested in helping, please contact Redenius or Fonkert. The first meeting will be at City Hall on the evening of the 5^th. A Haunted Hartford Halloween Party will take place on Tuesday, October 31^st at the Hartford American Legion.

Annual Meeting - Fonkert reported that the Executive Committee is looking for a speaker for its annual meeting. He read off several possible speakers off of a list he prepared. It was the consensus of the Board to invite new Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin to address the membership at the annual meeting. If Herseth-Sandlin is unavailable, Fonkert will keep reaching out to other potential speakers. Entertainment was also discussed. Fonkert will reach out to Willie M. about providing musical entertainment during the social hour.

Adjournment – Motion by Olson-Duck and second by Lubenow to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

Director

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

September 5, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director.

Board Members: James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, Todd Lubenow, Gail Olson-Duck, Lori Grocott, Cindy Buss, and Monte Schraeder.

Absent Board Members: Lisa Hellvig and Stephanie Olson-Voth.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm by President Sherri Goebel

Approve Agenda – Motion by Olson-Duck to approve agenda and second by Buss. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from August 1, 2017 – Motion by Olson-Duck to approve minutes and second by Lubenow. All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – As of Sept 5^th there is $46,778.53 in the Chamber’s bank account and the Chamber has 96 active members. The Chamber added one member in August: Open Mortgage LLC.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report:

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Discussion continues to focus around finding more residential and commercial development.
• The HADC is looking into possibilities for the five acres by Central States. A concept is starting to take shape that would supply local demands. We have seen an increased demand for light industrial space either for sale or lease.
• On Sept 22^nd, the HADC Board will be touring Brandon and Garretson in an effort to learn more about our neighboring communities and how they are developing.
• Received an RFI from the GOED for Project Ares, an animal food manufacturer looking for 15-20 acres of land to build a 150,000 sq ft facility with 150 employees. We submitted information and hosted Project Ares on August 18^th. After consideration, Project Ares decided to expand at its current facility rather than building a new facility in Hartford.
• Received an RFI from the GOED for Project Artemis, a hair product manufacturer employing up to 135 people and looking for a 20,000 sq ft facility. We will be submitting several sites on 9/6/17 for consideration.
• The HADC Annual Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 30^th. More details to come soon.

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• Fonkert hosted a seminar on August 9^th for Chamber members. The purpose of the seminar was t0 help inform members about changes in technology, changes in Hartford demographics, and how to connect with customers with those changes afoot.
• Knotty Gnome Variety & Salvage hosted the August mixer on Wednesday, August 16^th. The more than 20 people in attendance were treated to a taco bar, refreshments, and a craft activity. Thank you to Stacy & Kyle for being such great hosts!
• The Chamber is hosting a job fair on Thursday, Sept 14^th from 3-7 pm at the Hartford Plaza Event Center. There are currently six members signed up to attend. Are you interested in attending? If so, go to www.hartfordsdchamber.org/job-fair to register!
• Our monthly direct mailer continues to gain interest from members. Our Sept mailer will be going out next week to both Hartford and Humboldt households (more than 2,500 recipients) featuring information about the Job Fair and Community Information Night.
• The August newsletter was mailed out at the beginning of the month. Our next newsletter is scheduled to be mailed out in October.
• Community Information Night is scheduled for September 25^th at the Becker Center. Details are still being finalized but Scott Nelson will be asking the City Council to serve the meal to attendees. We are looking for volunteers to help set up and take down that day. Would you be interested in helping?

• November 14^th is scheduled for the Chamber’s annual meeting. The Hartford Plaza Event Center has been reserved for the event.

Fonkert will be out of the office Sept 15^th-18^th for a family wedding in Washington, D.C.

Old Business

Discuss Bank Information and Spending Policy – Treasurer Yingst presented her findings on different banking options for the Chamber’s account. Currently, the Chamber has its account with US Bank. When banking online, it is the practice of US Bank to attach viewing privileges of the Chamber’s account to the other personal and/or business accounts of the authorized personnel. Yingst checked in with Reliabank and they utilize a similar practice. The Board expressed its interest in finding a relationship where the online banking is not attached to the other accounts of the authorized personnel. Yingst will check in with Great Western Bank about their practices. Discussion then turned to the possibility of using a bank credit card versus a debit card in an effort to limit the Chamber’s liability and allow the officers and Director to have spending power within the constraints of the budget. Motion by Grocott to have credit cards issued to the officers (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary) and the Director through our bank (which will be confirmed through an email vote), second by Schraeder. All voted aye and motion passed.

Fonkert then presented a spending policy for the Board’s consideration. Fonkert was able to find a spending policy in use by another Chamber by using the ACCE’s online databank. Several clarifications to the language were made by the Board. Motion by Yingst and second by Grocott to approve the spending policy with edits. All voted aye and motion passed.

Community Information Night – Fonkert reported that the City has provided up to $3,000 in funds for Community Information Night. The event will take place on Monday, Sept 25^th at the Becker Center beginning at 5:30 pm. A free meal will be offered to attendees. Fonkert needs to follow up with the school about set up times and logistics.

Committee Chair Reports

• Events Committee – Fonkert reported that there was good turnout for the mixer at Knotty Gnome. The next mixer will take place in October.  
• Marketing & Website Committees – Lubenow has been in conversation with a freelance consultant regarding the next phase of the Chamber’s website. Francis comes highly recommended from 9 Clouds for an organization such as ours. The services would cost around $2,500 and would ultimately draw more traffic to the website. The amount has been budgeted for 2018. Both committees are working on ways to drive use to the hot deal and job posting functions. A membership packet will be published by January in an effort to inform members on how to use their benefits.
• Bylaws – Thompson reported that the Bylaws committee will be meeting in Sept to go over proposed changes.
• Welcoming – Lemke reported that the next delivery will take place in September. Fonkert will follow up with Lemke about finding a date to put them together.
• Membership – Fonkert will be putting together a new cover letter for the membership renewals so members are better informed about the process.
• Nominating – Buss reported that members have been responsive to their nominations. The committee is still looking to fill two more two year terms and is accepting suggestions from membership.

 

New Business

Budget Update & Carnival – The City Council approved the Chamber’s request of $10,000 for operating expenses and of $5,000 for the Community Halloween event. The City budgeted $12,000 for a carnival for Jamboree Days 2018. However, the City would like the Chamber and Jamboree Days Committee to revisit the Carnival arrangement. As it sits right now, the Chamber sponsors the carnival over Jamboree Days and uses the ticket sales as a fundraiser. Fonkert asked the Board what they would like to do going forward. It was the consensus of the Board to continue with the carnival under the Chamber. Fonkert will follow up with the Jamboree Days executive committee about their thoughts on the subject and report back.

Hartford Transit Bus Sponsorship – Olson-Voth requested that this be placed on the agenda for consideration of the Board. She was unable to attend tonight’s meeting due to illness but President Goebel and Fonkert were able to discuss with the Board. Motion by Olson-Duck to sponsor the Hartford Transit Bus and second by Yingst. All voted aye and motion passed. Fonkert will contact ICAP and start the process.

Small Business Saturday – Every year after Black Friday, American Express sponsors Small Business Saturday in an attempt to gear up support for local business. Fonkert will gauge interest of Chamber members and report back.

Adjournment – Motion by Buss and second by Grocott to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:28 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

Director

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

August 1, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice President; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director

Board Members: James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, Todd Lubenow, Stephanie Olson-Voth, and Cindy Buss

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, Gail Olson-Duck, Lori Grocott, and Monte Schraeder.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm by President Sherri Goebel

Approve Agenda – Motion by Hellvig to approve agenda with addition of Board Member Removal under new business and second by Yingst. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from June 6, 2017 – Motion by Yingst to approve minutes and second by Lubenow. All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – As of August 1^st there was $46,358.15 in the Chamber’s bank account and the Chamber currently has 95 active members.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report – Jesse Fonkert

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Discussion continues to focus around finding more residential and commercial development.
• The HADC is looking into possibilities for the five acres by Central States. A concept is starting to take shape that would supply local demands.
• Scott Nelson and I met with a partner of a fast food investor group to pitch Hartford. Presentation was well received and we are hoping to hear back from them soon.
• Met with a local land owner and discussed the possibility of development.
• Met with Mike Fokken, the president of the Hartford Industrial Park Road District.
• SD GOED accepted our grant request for my training in April. The City will be reimbursed $741.32.

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• The Chamber sold out of Carnival tickets for Jamboree Days and in the process raised about $8,000.
• Business in the Park happened on Thursday, July 27^th at 6:00 pm.
  • We had 28 people in attendance. Thanks to Reliabank for allowing us to use their grill and to Sunshine Foods for catering!
• New window decals are in the process of being passed around to our members.
• Starting in July, the Chamber will do a monthly mailing of coupons/ads to the Hartford area.
• Stay tuned for more information about the August mixer.
• New Members:
  • DB Cleaning Services – Base
  • McCook Therapy and Wellness – Bronze
  • Justice Fire & Safety – Silver
• Upgraded Members:
  • Central States Manufacturing from Silver to Gold
• Dropped members
  • Legends Western Wear
  • Cute & Classy
  • C & C Ventures
  • Emberz

 

Upcoming events

• August 3 – Commerce & Coffee with US House candidate Dusty Johnson
• August 9 – Chamber Seminar at Pizza Ranch @ noon – Connecting with Consumers in 2017 & Beyond
• August 13-17 – Turner County Fair
• September 14 – Hartford Area Job Fair
• September 25 – Community Information Night

Old Business

Discuss Social Media Policy – Fonkert presented to the Board a social media policy and plan for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce. The Board discussed the plan and provided some edits. Motion by Yingst to approve and implement the social media policy and plan with the Board’s edits and second by Lemke. All voted aye and motion passed.

Discuss Spending Policy – The Board discussed the current arrangement of the Chamber’s bank account with US Bank. There are some concerns with US Bank’s policy to issue debit cards to each authorized viewer. Motion by Hellvig to have Treasurer Yingst explore banking options with Great Western Bank and Reliabank and see if there is a solution for the Chamber’s concerns with US Bank and second by Olson-Voth. All voted aye and motion passed. Fonkert presented a draft spending policy to the Board. The Board provided edits to the spending policy. Motion to table spending policy until more information can be obtained about the Chamber’s bank account by Buss and second by Lemke. All voted aye and motion passed.

Community Information Night – Fonkert reported that the City has provided up to $3,000 in funds for Community Information Night. Olson-Voth volunteered the events committee in assisting organization for the event. The event will take place on Monday, Sept 25^th at the Becker Center beginning at 6:00 pm. A free meal will be offered to attendees.

Committee Chair Reports

• Events Committee – Olson-Voth reported that she has talked with the owners of the Knotty Gnome about hosting the August mixer.
• Marketing & Website Committees – Lubenow reported that the committee has been working on the membership brochure. He also reported that the Committee will be looking at creating a benefits packet that will inform members how to use their benefits. The website committee is looking into hiring a consultant to bring the website to the next level of usability.
• Bylaws – Thompson reported that the Bylaws committee will be meeting in Sept to go over proposed changes.
• Welcoming – Lemke reported that the next delivery will take place in August or September. Fonkert will send out an email to Chamber members about ordering new materials.
• Membership – Nothing new to report.

 

New Business

National Conference of State Legislators Executive Committee Meeting – The event will be taking place in Sioux Falls in October. Senator Deb Peters is the chair-elect of the organization and the Sioux Falls Chamber will be hosting an informal reception at Falls Landing for attendees and select Chamber members. Mark Lee with the Sioux Falls Chamber reached out to Fonkert about co-sponsoring the event. The Board did not take any action on this proposal but would like to thank the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce for reaching out to the Hartford Chamber.

2018 Budget Review and Approval – Fonkert presented a draft of the 2018 budget to the Board. The draft was reviewed by the Executive Committee and the committee chairs prior to the Board meeting. Discussion occurred about the budget and several edits were made. Motion to approve the 2018 budget with Board’s edits by Thompson and second by Yingst. All voted aye and motion passed.

Nominating Committee – Bylaws mandate the Board to create a committee made up of 2^nd year Board members to nominate Board members for the upcoming year. Motion to create committee and designate Cindy Buss as chair by Lubenow and second by Hellvig. All voted aye and motion passed.

Turner County Fair – Fonkert reported that the HADC will have a booth at the Turner County Fair (Aug 13-17) and that he will be manning it. Chamber members are welcome to help!

Removal of Board Member – Todd Pharis has sold his stake in the Hartford Pizza Ranch to Adam Dejong. The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce is grateful for all that Pharis has done for both the Community and the Chamber. Motion by Buss to remove Pharis as a Board member and second by Lubenow. All vote aye and motion passed. Fonkert will send Pharis a thank you card.

Adjournment – Motion by Lubenow and second by Buss to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

June 6, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice President; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director

Board Members: Gail Olson-Duck, James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, Todd Lubenow, Stephanie Olson-Voth, and Cindy Buss

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis and Monte Schraeder.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:14 pm by President Sherri Goebel

Approve Agenda – Motion by Olson-Voth to approve agenda and second by Yingst. All voted aye and motion passed.

Approve Minutes from May 2, 2017 – Motion by Hellvig to approve minutes and second by Lemke. All voted aye and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – Buss CPA is still working on synchronizing the accounts and updating the QuickBooks.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report – Jesse Fonkert

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• Community Guide went out to everyone in the 57033 zip code. The project came in $1,900 under budget at $4,100. So far we have received great feedback about the magazine. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions for improvements for the next issue.
• Hartford Area Job Fair was on Wednesday, May 10^th. We had over twenty job-seekers show-up to talk with 9 employers. After encouragement from Craig Van Meeteren, I applied for a grant from MidAmerican Energy. They accepted our application and awarded the Chamber $350.00. Sponsored Facebook posts seemed to be the most efficient way in reaching job-seekers. Youth turnout was minimal with less than 5 in attendance.
• Commerce & Coffee continues every Thursday morning at Stomping Grounds. We average about five in attendance. I would like to see that increase to about 7 or 8 if possible. Please join us for a cup of coffee/tea at 7:00 am!
• Welcome bags went out to new residents in May. Special thanks to the Welcoming Committee for taking the time to assemble and deliver.
• Attended a Chamber meeting in Harrisburg to see how they are conducted.
• Attended the Mid-American Chamber Executives annual conference in Sioux Falls. The conference theme was Membership ROI and I took away some interesting ideas I hope we can implement in the future.
• Joint Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Central Valley scheduled with Sioux Falls chamber for Monday, June 26^th at 4:30 pm.

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Attended the Sioux Falls Economic Trends Summit.
• The Board would like to move forward with Community Information Night sometime this autumn in conjunction with the City and Chamber.
• Annual meeting tentatively set for Thursday, November 30^th.
• LCEDA/MCEDA has hired an intern for the summer. Rob Haggar of Brandon started at the end of May and is a senior at Augustana University.

Discuss & Appoint Secretary – Discussion occurred around the secretary position. The possibility of combining the secretary and treasurer positions was brought up. Due to the turnover on the Board this year, the Board has decided to not elect a secretary until next year. Motion by Yingst to not fill the secretary position and have the Director assume the secretary’s duties and second by Thompson. All voted aye and motion passed.

Reports

• Events Committees– Joint ribbon cutting ceremony with Sioux Falls for the new GreatLife Central Valley Club House on Monday, June 26^th @ 4:30 pm. Business in the Park is scheduled for Thursday, July 27^th with more details to follow.
• Marketing & Website Committees – Koozies and reusable bags with the Chamber’s logo have been ordered and delivered. Work continues on updating the website, creating a new pamphlet for prospective members, and a new window decal.
• Bylaws – Nothing new to report.
• Welcoming – The welcoming committee assembled and delivered over 20 welcome bags to new residents. The next delivery will take place in August or September.
• Membership – Nothing new to report.

Carnival Update – Ticket sales are going well. The Board directed Fonkert to post a few things on Facebook highlighting the Chamber’s sponsorship of the carnival.

Social Media Policy – Motion to table by Olson-Voth and second by Buss. All voted aye and motion passed.

Spending Policy – Discussion occurred around the topic of adding the Director to the bank account of the Chamber and a concurrent spending policy for all debit card holders. The Board asked that the executive committee look into the possibility of using a bank affiliated credit card. The Board will email their thoughts to Fonkert on what they would like to see in the spending policy.

July Meetings – Due to low attendance during the summer, the Board discussed the idea of canceling July meetings. Motion by Thompson to cancel July Board meetings from here on out and second by Olson-Voth. All voted aye and motion passed.

Community Information Night – Fonkert discussed the idea of Community Information Night with the Board. Councilman Scott Nelson has brought up the idea to Chamber leadership in the past and the HADC Board would like to proceed with the idea. The Board gave its approval of the idea. Community Information night will be held in the beginning of October.

Adjournment – Motion by Hellvig and second by Yingst to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

 

Director

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

May 2, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice President; Kim Yingst, Treasurer; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director

Board Members: Gail Olson-Duck, James Lemke, Lori Grocott, and Todd Lubenow

Visitors: Jeff Bossman

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, Cindy Buss, Michelle Thompson, Stephanie Olson-Voth, and Monte Schraeder.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:29 pm by President Sherri Goebel

Minutes from April 11, 2017 – A motion was made by Olson-Duck and seconded by Grocott to approve the April 11^th minutes. Motion Passed.

Chamber and Economic Development Director’s Report –

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• The Chamber has changed its weekly Board meetings to the first Tuesday of every month to better accommodate the schedule of the Board.
• Mixer sponsored by Sunshine Foods & Costello held on April 20^th @ the Costello Community Room. Good attendance
• Commerce & Coffee: New event held every Thursday @ 7:00 am @ Stomping Grounds. Please join us for conversation and the opportunity to get to know other community members better.
• Hartford Area Job Fair will be taking place on Wednesday, May 10^th from 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Hartford Plaza Event Center.
• Wrapped up work on the Community Guide. Should be in your hands by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.
• Ribbon Cutting held on Monday, April 17^th for Caribou Coffee.
• Three new members in April: Stomping Grounds, Northside Mobile Home Park, and Hartford Plaza Event Center.
• Featured in the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce April publication Chamber News as a partner piece.
• The Mid American Chamber Executives (MACE) annual conference will be taking place in Sioux Falls on May 3-5. The Chamber Board voted to allow me to attend and to pay for the conference costs. I applied and received a scholarship from MACE for the conference that paid for it in full.

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Received RFI from GOED for Project Husky, a distribution facility looking for 120 acres of land. No information submitted, land owners not interested.
• Met with commercial real estate brokers from NAI Sioux Falls & Bender Commercial and gave them (separate) tours of Hartford.
• Met with Joan Franken & Bonnie Mogen of Costello Investments to talk about Hartford and any new happenings.
• Toured Smithfield Foods facility in Sioux Falls.
• Talked with several different parties about the potential of opening new businesses in Hartford.
• Attended the Heartland Economic Development Course in Blue Springs, MO from April 24-27.

Regional

• Attended MCEDA meeting in Dell Rapids
• Assisted in LCEDA/MCEDA intern interview process

Note: Jesse will be out of the country from May 11^th to May 20^th.

Discuss and Appoint Secretary Position – No nominations made. The Board will address it at the next meeting

Discuss and Appoint Treasurer Position – Motion by Lubenow and second by Olson-Duck to appoint Kim Yingst to fill the treasurer position for the remainder of the term. Motion by Olson-Duck to cease nominations and cast unanimous ballot. All voted aye; motion passed.

Committee Reports

Events – Olson-Voth was not present to attend due to illness. Fonkert reported that the job fair will be taking place on Wednesday, May 10^th. Commerce & Coffee continues every Thursday morning at Stomping Grounds at 7:00 am.

Website/Marketing – Lubenow reported that both committees are meeting and working. The website is in the process of being cleaned up and organized. Marketing is working on Jamboree Days Carnival signage and advertising.

Bylaws – Thompson was unable to attend. The Bylaws committee met several months ago and several changes will be proposed.

Welcoming – Lemke reported that he will be in touch with Fonkert to arrange a date to assemble welcome bags. Fonkert will send out an email to membership letting them know that we are in need of materials.

Membership – President Goebel appointed Ryan Horn with consent from the Board & Executive Committee as the chair of the membership committee.

Carnival update – Goebel and Hellvig met with the Carnival owners to sign the contract. The Chamber has been given more than 600 sheets of tickets to pre-sale. Bossman reported that the Carnival will be selling a sheet of tickets for about $24. Discussion occurred around which price to sell the tickets for and it was decided upon 50%. Motion by Grocott and second by Yingst to sell tickets for $12 per sheet; all voted aye, motion passed. Tickets will be available for purchase at Sunshine Foods, Hartford Building Center, Stomping Grounds, and Knotty Gnome Variety & Salvage.

Contract with the City – Fonkert and City Administrator Teresa Sidel met with representatives from the Chamber and HADC to discuss the possibility of a signed contract between the City & Chamber and City & HADC to help define the role of the Chamber and Economic Development Director. Motion by Hellvig and second by Lemke to approve the contract and send to the City Council for signing; all voted aye and motion passed.

Social Media Policy & Plan – Motion by Olson-Duck and second by Hellvig to table to next meeting; all voted aye and motion passed.

Adjournment – Motion by Yingst and second by Olson-Duck to adjourn; all voted aye and meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.

I, the undersigned, Jesse Fonkert, Director in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jesse Fonkert

 

Director

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

April 11, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Sherri Goebel, President; Lisa Hellvig, Vice President; Jacob Kolander, Secretary; Jesse Fonkert, Chamber & Economic Development Director

 

Board Members: Gail Olson-Duck, James Lemke, Lori Grocott, Monte Schraeder, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Todd Lubenow, Kim Yingst, Michelle Thompson

 

Visitors: Terry Hagen, Jeff Bossman, Freida Fossom, James Buss, Wendy Simmermon

 

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, Cindy Buss

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:59 pm by Sherri Goebel

 

Minutes from March 14, 2016 – A motion was made by Gail and seconded by Lori to approve the minutes from March 14th.  Motion Passed.

 

Financial Report – Financial Report was not available at this meeting, they will be made available at the next meeting.

 

James Buss- James Buss was asked to present to the chamber a quote from his firm to handle the books, James said he wouldn’t be able to provide an accurate quote as he doesn’t have the proper access to the old quickbooks.  A motion was made by Todd and seconded by Stephanie to start a whole new QuickBooks starting with 2017. Motion Passed.  Stephanie made a motion to have Buss Accounting to do the day to day books for no more than $250.00 per month after the initial setup, to pay separate for tax return, Seconded by Lori motion passed.

 

Meeting Date Change- A motion was made by Kim and seconded by Lori to change the Chamber Meetings to the First Tuesday of each month at 6 PM- Motion Passed.

 

Contract - A motion was made by Lori and seconded by Stephanie to table this discussion until the next meeting so everyone has time to review it, Motion Passed.

 

Commerce & Coffee- Jesse presented to the Board an idea to have an informal coffee hour every week to allow Chamber and community members the opportunity to get together in hopes of creating connections. It will take place every Thursday morning beginning at 7:00 am.. Motion made by Jacob to approve and seconded by Lori- Motion Passed.

 

Job Fair: Jesse has been approached by a number of members that are in need of employment. A job fair was proposed by one member to help alleviate the problem. Motion was made by Jacob and seconded by Gail to have Jesse and the events committee put the job fair together- Motion Passed

 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Report from Jesse Fonkert, CEDD

 

 

April 2017

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• Modern Woodmen of America Ribbon Cutting and Open House – March 10^th @ 1:00 pm.
• Attended Sioux Falls Legislative Coffee – District 6, 9, 11
• Continued work on Community Guide
• Two New Chamber Members in February: TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) & MidAmerican Energy
• February Breakfast Mixer sponsored by Central States Manufacturing – 15 attendees
• Attended Sioux Falls Day at the Legislature in Pierre
• Various meetings to define duties and responsibilities
• A Cannon Camera was purchased with the HADC and HACC for $617.00 this came with 2 lenses, bag, and memory card

 

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Started HADC Facebook page – Past 100 likes within a month
• SDSU Nursing students randomly dropped by to study rural healthcare and were pleasantly surprised by Hartford
• Talked to three parties about finding land in Hartford – directed towards Costello or Bill Haugen, Jr. Looking for 1-2 acre plots of land
• Met with Lee Knigge about his new event center – also plans to join the Chamber at some point
• Met with Craig Van Meeteren – MidAmerican Energy and gave him tour of Hartford. Craig replaced Brad Howard as the Community Rep
• Received RFI: Project Kodiak – No information submitted (looking for building w/ 16’ Sidewalls and loading dock)
• Organized, planned, and attended HADC Annual Meeting – 25 Attendees. Made minor changes to bylaws. Please let me know if you would like an updated copy.
• Cleaned out and reorganized Chamber and HADC storage and took inventory
• Attended SDMTS – “What’s so cool about manufacturing” event where Central States was a sponsor and participant
• Attended Stockwell Ribbon Cutting
• HADC will be having its retreat on March 24th from

8a-5p at the Deer Hollow Community Room.

Regional

• MCEDA Meeting in Crooks
• Nick Fosheim with MCEDA stopped by for a HADC Meeting
• Attended groundbreaking for new industrial park in Brandon

 

Secretary- Jacob Kolander accepted a job as City Administrator of him home town, He provided his resignation to the Chamber.

 

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Gail to adjourn, second by Monte, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 7:22 pm. 

I, the undersigned, Jacob Kolander, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Jacob Kolander

 

Secretary

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

February 16, 2016 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President; Sherri Goebel, Vice President, Jacob Kolander, Secretary; Victoria Obenauer, Treasurer Jesse Fonkert, Director

 

Board Members: Cindy Buss, Gail Olson-Duck, James Lemke, Kim Yingst, Lori Grocott, Michelle Thompson, Monte Schraeder, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Todd Lubenow, Todd Pharis.

 

Visitors: Terry Hagen, Rhonda Lodges, Ryan Horn, Dave Obenaur, Jeff Bossman, Scott Nelson

 

Absent Board Members: LaVonne Klos- Randall, Lisa Hellvig

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by President  Reilly

 

Minutes from January 10, 2016 – A motion was made by Gail, second by Monte, to approve the January 10, 2017 minutes.   All voted yes.  

 

Financial Report – Deposit- $785.48  Bills Paid $1,653.98  Checking Balance: $25,112.14

 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• Planning retreat for Chamber Board – discussed shopping local, member benefits, knowledge transfer, and succession planning.

• Chamber Kickoff Mixer and Membership Drive – Pizza Ranch. Good attendance but need to figure out personable way to invite members to events.

• Joined the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).

• Added two members in January – Avon with Jake and Christ Lutheran Church

• February board meeting moved to Thursday, February 16th to ensure quorum.

• February Chamber mixer scheduled for 7:30 am on Thursday, Feb 16th. Sponsored and hosted by Central States Manufacturing

• Work continues for the Hartford Community Guide (paid for by the City) should be in people’s hand by March 31st. Slight hiccup – Lacey Healy with Anderson Publications took a new job in Sioux Falls but we have worked out the kinks.

• Participated in ACCE webinars on Chamber planning and website orientation

 

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Met with Hartford area land owner about future plans.

• Met with Cressmans about their plans for the Cresswood Development.

• Contract signed between HADC and Chamber on behalf of Jamboree Days for billboard lease.

• Planning for HADC Annual Meeting – confirmed speakers Mayor Menning and Commissioner Stern of the GOED, reserved Miller Funeral Home, confirmed catering with Sunshine Foods, and sent out invitations.

• Started  process to update HADC Bylaws

• Met with Central States about article on their safety record for Minnehaha Mess.

• Attended meeting at Stockwells about Assam development

• Met with Paul Manz of Sioux Valley Energy

• Meeting with ICAN about their past work and services

• Webinar on stats and mapping website through Economic Development Association.

 

Regional

• Recognized as a new leader at the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce ‘Good Morning Sioux Falls.’

• Attended LCEDA/MCEDA planning session and restructuring

• Attended LCEDA/MCEDA Christmas party

• Representative Michael Clark stopped by to chat about any concerns

• Attended Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club meeting as a guest

• Attended Chamber Regional Meeting in Brandon

• Hartford is hosting the next roundtable in March

• City is moving forward with Mickelson Road project

• January Building Permits for Hartford = $1.186 Million

• Hartford Area Chamber stamp purchased

 

  

Old Business:

Email- A motion was made by Jacob to go with using google mail services for the Executive Committee, This includes 1TB of data storage, The use of Google Office and 50GB of archive storage for each email for $50.00 per month.  Seconded by Todd Lubenow, Motion Passed Task of getting it signed up was given to Jacob and Victoria.

 

Appointment of Committee Chairs:

Mitchell Thompson- Bylaws

Todd Lubenow- Marketing

Victoria Obenauer- Membership

Events- TBD

Welcoming- TBD

 

Planning Retreat Topics:

It was discussed to come up with a campaign that will educate the city on the benefits of shopping local (10% plan) to increase shopping local we bring tax dollars back into the community.  Motion by Jacob seconded by Todd Pharis, Motion Passed

Events: We discussed the list of events that we put on in 2016 and it was decided to keep with the same list, however due to the lack of participation for the Father's Day event it was decided not to keep that one on the list.  Motion By Stephanie Seconded by Monte, Motion Passed

Mixers: It was discussed as to whether the mixers should be held monthly, quarterly, or every other month, Motion by Jacob seconded by Lori to have the mixers every other month, Motion Passed.

 

New Business:

Jamboree Days: Jeff Bossman stated he got a price quote for the carnival for $10,000, Last year it was $8,000 this would include $10,000 in advanced sales.

Board Of Directors: President Rielly brought to the table that LaVonne Klos- Randall was not interested in renewing her chamber membership and due to the lack of her attendance would like to see the position filled with someone who would like to be a board member.  Motion was made by James seconded by Victoria, Motion Passed.

HADC:  The chamber paid the HADC membership dues in the amount of $2,275.00, It was discussed that Gold, Silver & Bronze level chamber memberships would automatically have their dues to the HADC paid for by the Chamber and that Associate and Base members, and non profit  would have that as an add on option for an additional $25.00 fee. Motion was made by Jacob and seconded by Michell, Motion Passed.

Duties & Responsibilities:  A discussion was had regarding who’s responsible for each department. President Reilly asked thanked the visitors for their attendance, however would like this session of the meeting and discussion to be closed to just board members.

Stephanie made a motion to ask Jesse to be excused from this portion of the meeting as well as to not offend him in any manner.  Seconded by Gail, Opposed by Cindy and Jacob Motion Passed. Public Session of the meeting ended at 7:09 PM

 

It was decided  upon by Majority vote for the following:

Mail will be delivered to PO Box 181, Hartford SD 57033

The Treasurer will be responsible for handling the mail, and will take any items needing action to the executive committee.

The 4 officers will have access to the Bank account and all 4 officers will have check writing privileges, As it is required to have 2 signatures on checks.

The Treasurer and President will have access to Quickbooks, This was opposed by Jacob Motion Passed

Chamber Inquires that come accross our website will be handled by Jesse

New Member approvals will be handled by the treasurer

Hot deals will be approved by Jesse for appropriate chamber levels

Job Postings will be approved by Jesse for appropriate chamber levels

As far as who the responsible person for communicating to the Chamber Members

Meeting Times will be handled by the Secretary

Mixers will be handled by Jesse

Seminars will be handled by Jesse

General Information dissemination will be handled by Jesse.

Who is responsible to make changes to website (design, color, theme etc.)

Todd Lubenow, Kim Yingst, Jesse Fonkert, Jacob Kolander

 

Further discussion will be held in a special  meeting March 2, 2017 at 6:00 PM at the Hartford Area Fire and Rescue Building.

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Jacob to adjourn, second by Gail, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 8:13 pm.  

I, the undersigned, Jacob Kolander, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

 

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

March 2, 2017 - 6:30pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President, Jacob Kolander, Secretary; Jesse Fonkert, Director

 

Board Members: Lori Grocott, Stephanie Olson- Voth, Lisa Hellvig, James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, Gail Olson-Duck, Todd Lubenow, Todd Pharis, Kim Yigst, Cindy Buss,

 

Visitors:  Dave Obenauer

 

Absent Board Members: Sheri Goebel, Monte Schraeder, Victoria Obenauer

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Vince Reilly

 

This meeting is being held to discuss the position of the Chamber Director. A motion was made by Jacob  and seconded by Stephanie  to include the Chamber Director position as it currently listed in our by laws.  This motion passed.

 

A motion was made by Stephanie and seconded by Lori That the Treasurer and Chamber Director would have access to the PO Box for mail, It would be up to the treasurer as to who will gather the mail on a weekly basis. This motion passed.

 

A motion was made by Jacob and seconded by Lori that the members of the executive committee would have view only access to both the bank account and quickbooks, with the treasurer having full access.  This motion passed.

 

As previously decided; Chamber Inquires that come accross our website or email will be handled by the Chamber Director, New member approvals will be handled by the treasurer, Hot deals, and job posting will be handled by the Chamber Director, communicating meeting times will be handled by the secretary, Mixers, Seminars and general information dissemination will be handled by the Chamber Director.

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Jacob to adjourn, second by Lori, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 8:14 pm.  

 

I, the undersigned, Jacob Kolander, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

January 10, 2017 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President; Jacob Kolander, Secretary; Victoria Obenauer, Treasurer Jesse Fonkert, Director

 

Board Members: Gail Olson-Duck, Kim Yingst, Lisa Hellvig, Lori Grocott, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Todd Lubenow

Visitors: Dave Obenauer

 

Absent Board Members: Cindy Buss, James Lemke, LaVonne Klos-Randall, Michelle Thompson, Monte Schraeder, Todd Pharis, Sherri Goebel, Vice President,

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:03 pm by President Reilly

 

Minutes from December 13, 2016 – A motion was made by Gail, second by Stephanie, to approve the December 13, 2016 minutes.   Motion Passed  

 

Financial Report – Balance of checking account is $23,635.64.  Deposits totaled $1,792.89 Expenses Totaled: $2,369.71.  New Members: Jones Family Eye Care, JBS Concessions, ATS, Big D Technology, Concept Sales, Hoyt Consulting, Hartford United Methodist Church, United States Postal Service. Knotty Gnome, Auto Glass Express, Christ Lutheran Church, Currently at 91 members.

 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Report from Jesse Fonkert, EDD

 

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Received RFI from GOED for Project Viper, a value-added ag facility that would employ up to 2,100 people with a possible $500,000,00 investment. No response – waste water requirement beyond City capacity.

• Voted to recommend City to pursue joint jurisdiction with Minnehaha County. The HADC sees JJ as a useful tool for the City to better prepare for growth over the next 50 plus years.

• Conducted research into the cost of land for Foundation Park

• Attended meeting with Wintersteen family, Teresa Sidel, and Mitch Mergen on proposed North Main Addition.

• Attended MCEDA planning session

• Attended Dakota Resources planning session for ED professionals

• HADC Annual Meeting set for Thursday, February 23rd @ Miller Funeral Home

• Heartland Economic Development Course

  • Council approved one week training course focused on economic development.

  • Will be looking into grants for it

 

SD Chamber of Commerce and Industry

• Held economic outlook seminar in November – couldn’t attend/out of town

• During legislative session – mainly focus on legislative issues

  • Guns n Trunks

    • Bill would prohibit business owners from banning firearms on their property if those firearms were locked in a vehicle’s trunk.

    • SD Chamber opposes because it intrudes on property rights of business owners

• Supported Amendment R and work with the Skilled Workforce Advisory Council as they work to develop a strong workforce in SoDak

• Chamber president hosts a weekly call for local Chambers on Fridays at noon.

• Membership with SD Chamber gives us membership with MACE – the Mid-America Chamber Executives. Planning is well underway for their conference in May in Sioux Falls

 

ACCE

What is ACCE? ACCE is the Association of Chamber Executives – members look to ACCE for best practices, industry trends, corporate partners, networking, and new ideas to advance the interests of their communities.

 

Why Join?

ACCE provides tools, resources, information, and important connections, all of which help you develop programs and events, create marketing plans, motivate your members, deepen community involvement and, along the way, make your community a more competitive place to do business. You and your team will be more effective, and your chamber will do more and better work that will benefits your members and your community.

 

What do you get?

Join and you’ll receive products and services that every chamber can use, but many don’t have. For example, our online samples library features PDFs and Word fields of other Chambers’ publications, marketing brochures, and policies on staff and CEO bonuses. A new service, Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking, is based on data ACCE collects on chamber salaries and operations. DCB provides instant charts and graphs comparing your chambers to others of similar size. ACCE also provides a mentorship program for Chamber executives.

 

HERO

Database – help, expertise, and resources online – of Chamber policies, procedures, bylaws, publications, and etc.

 

Membership – according to Amy Farr w/ Sioux Falls Chamber – would be about $470 per year.

 

Motion by Gail to pay for the membership second by Stephanie Motion Passed.

 

It was discussed that Head Shots for board members will be taken at a Chamber Meeting the cost will be $20.00 per person.

 

Thank You letter from LaVonne Dieken was read by President Reilly.

 

Email was discussed whether to use the go daddy or google mail, the issues will need more research and will be discussed in the next meeting.

 

The drawing for attendees of the 2016 mixers was done, Buss Accounting won, the prize of $100.00 in Hartford bucks.

 

President Reilly is searching for more people who would be interested in being on the membership committee, the committees have not been assigned yet because of this.  President Reilly is also looking to add a committee to take care of the website.

 

The Bylaws Section 2 was reviewed

 

Section 2: Purposes

The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce is organized to achieve the objectives of:

1. Promoting business and community growth and development by promoting economic programs designed to strengthen and expand the income potential of all businesses within the trade area; promoting programs of a civic, social, and cultural nature that are designed to increase the functional and aesthetic values of the community.

2. Preserving the competitive enterprise system of business by creating a better understanding and appreciation of the importance of businesspeople and a concern for their problems; educating the business community, and representing them in city, county, state, and national legislative and political affairs; facilitate or addressing controversies that are detrimental to the expansion and growth of business in the community if they arise.

To help all of us remember the purpose of the Chamber of Commerce.

 

Todd Lubenow presented the Chamber with the YPN (Young Professionals network) discount card that the Sioux Falls Chamber offers, Jesse Fonkert will look into the success with other chambers of using this type of discount card.

President Reilly presented on behalf of the HACC to the Fire Chief of the Hartford Area Fire & Rescue a $500.00 check, this was the amount of proceeds left over after the Hartford Home Town Christmas Breakfast.

 

Jamboree Days committee met with Leah Johnson and Lyle Howey, they are asking us to build a better relationship, they would like a liaison from the chamber and the jamboree committee.

Jesse will be volunteering his time on that committee as well as acting as their secretary, insurance is one of the big questions it is understood that they take out a policy for that weekend, we would now think of the Jamboree days as a committee of the Hartford area chamber of commerce, HACC has agreed to help them out this year, long term we need to decide if they should become their own organization or should they continue to be under the HACC.  Think about this for a month and let’s discuss next month check to see what the liabilities are of having them be a 501(c) 3 and be on their own, if we wanted to absolve the risk from us, do we have personal risk as business or individuals, we are committed to the carnival rides and the chamber will be advertising the business members in the carnival area.

January chamber mixer will be the 26th from 6pm-9pm at the Pizza Ranch this will be the kickoff membership drive if you know any businesses in the Hartford area bring them along

 

Support the Boy Scouts For $1000.00 For Their Help with Community Events Such as Hometown Christmas, Jamboree Days and Such Motion by Gail Seconded by Victoria Motion Passed to pay $1000.00 to the Boy Scouts to their fundraising campaign, we will work with them in the future for different events.

 

 

American Sports has been asked to cost out printing can cozies and coffee cups, this way that can be given to members when they attend mixers.

 

It was asked by Jesse Fonkert to purchase a name and address stamper for the HACC which is between $25-35. Motion by Jacob, seconded by Victoria Motion Passed

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Gail to adjourn, second by Jacob, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 7:27 pm.  

 

I, the undersigned, Jacob Kolander, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

December 13, 2016 - 6:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President; Sherri Goebel, Vice President, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary; Gail Olson-Duck, Treasure;r Jesse Fonkert, Director

 

Board Members: James Lemke, Jacob Kolander, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Cindy Buss, Michelle Thompson,                       Todd Lubenow (‘17), Victoria Obenauer (’17), Kim Yingst (’17)

 

Visitors: Terry Hagen, Dave Obenauer, Jeff Bossman

 

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, LaVonne Randall, Mark Luke, Monte Schraeder, Scot Nelson, Bill Zortman, Lori Grocott

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:03 pm by Vince Reilly

 

Minutes from October 11, 2016 – A motion was made by Jacob, second by Sherri, to approve the October 11, 2016 minutes.   All voted yes. 

 

Financial Report – Balance of checking account is $24,252.32.  Deposits totaled $470.00  Expenses Totaled: $5,904.27.  Expenses paid include John Small $500; Legion $500 - $189.00; Anderson Publications $1,841.72; Big J’s $908.38; The Goat $376.25; Lynnae Redinius $430.70; Sunshine $329.04 - $193.89 - $33.50; Jesse Fonkert $177.78 - $96.00;  SD Chamber of Commerce $355; Vince Reilly $26.58; Lisa Hellvig $17.52  New Members: Jones Eye Clinic, JBS Concessions, ATS, Big D Technology, Concept Sales, Hoight Consulting, Hartford United Methodist Church, United States Postal Service. Knotty Knome, Auto Glass Express. Currently at 91 members.

 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Report from Jesse Fonkert, EDD

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays – update from October meeting to today

Hartford Area Development Corporation

• Submitted information for Project Cottonwood – plastic molding manufacturer on 10/25/16
• Attended Dakota Manufacturers’ Summit (ManuTechSolu) in Watertown and attended breakout sessions on: trends influencing the workplace, leading four different generations in the workplace, and transformational leadership
• WCHS shop students toured Central States for SD Manufacturing week
• Fall Developers Meeting – discussed the updated 2016 Housing Study
• SFDF Annual Meeting, LCEDA/MCEDA Annual Meeting
• LCEDA/MCEDA Planning sessions
• Started weekly column in the Minnehaha Messenger
• Received RFI for Project Viper: Value Added Ag – no information submitted
• Meeting w/ City Council Reps and Stockwell about city owned land east of CS
• HADC has voted to support seeking a Joint Jurisdiction area with Minnehaha County to better prepare the city for future growth

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce

• Hartford Halloween Party
• Annual Meeting – Over 60 representatives in attendance
• October mixer – GWB over 20 in attendance
• December mixer – South Bar about 12-15 in attendance
• Have added ten new members since October 1 – USPS, Hartford United Methodist Church, Concept Sales Inc, ATS, Hoyt Consulting, Hartford Professional Centre, Auto Glass Express, Big D Technology Solutions

Knotty Gnome Variety and Salvage, Jones Family Eyecare

• Ribbon cuttings for: Jones Family Eyecare and Knotty Gnome Variety & Salvage
• Will be losing some members at year end
• Updates on new business – Caribou Coffee Kiosk
  • Emberz has closed its doors and starting in January Char’d will be taking over full lease of building
• Upcoming events
  • January Kickoff and Membership Drive – January 26^th @ Pizza Ranch
  • February Mixer – breakfast @ Central States
  • March – Costello and Sunshine Foods @ Community Room @ Costello
• January Board Orientation
  • I am putting together an orientation packet for Board members
    • Breaking down the bylaws and providing information

• Policies and procedures
  • Will be advising implementation of policies and procedures to be introduced over the course of 2017
  • Starting with Marketing and Media Policy
• Performance Review
  • Bylaws encourage yearly performance review – Chamber executive committee will be conducting one before the end of the year – if you have any concerns, comments, criticisms, or praises – please forward them to the executive council. This review does not affect my employment nor does it go into my employment folder but allows me to grow and for the any problems to be solved.
• Camera Recommendation
  • Discus with Harold’s Photo on the west side of Louise Avenue in Sioux falls
  • Entry level DSLR – initial thought is Nikon 3400D (newest model) 3300 would do
  • Recommend spending between $500-600 on Camera package
    • Don’t necessarily know if we need upgraded lenses but camera bag would be beneficial and good memory card
  • Good camera allows us to tell the Hartford story better – social media, publications, and etc. with good quality and focus

 

2017 Officer Elections:  

• President: Vince Reilly
• Vice President: Sherri Goebel
• Secretary: Jacob Kolander
• Treasurer, Victoria Obenauer

Chamber E-Mail Accounts: Will keep looking into options for email account for the officers of the Chamber. 

Chamber Retreat: Retreat for the Chamber Board member s will be held January 17^th from 8am – 12pm at the Costello Community Room

Sign Up for Committees: A sign up sheet was circulated for members to sign up for a chamber sub-committee

Christmas Breakfast Fundraiser:  A total of $531.75 was made at the Hometown Christmas breakfast fundraiser.  A motion was made by Jacob, in keeping with the mission of the event, to donate those funds to a charitable community organization.  Motion 2^nd by Cindy.  All voted yes.  Vince will gather a listing of the different community organization and send to members via email to vote on the organization to receive the funds. 

Old Business: City Council approved $6,000 for a Hartford Community Guide and appointed Jesse as project leader

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Sherri to adjourn, second by Michelle, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 7:04 pm. 

I, the undersigned, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

 

 

Lisa Hellvig

Secretary

 

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Annual Meeting – Hartford American Legion

November 7, 2016 - 6:00pm

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:40 pm by Vince Reilly

 

Financial Report by Gail Olson-Duck: Balance of checking account is $27,805.57.  Deposits totaled $690  Expenses Totaled: $758.37  Currently at 81 members.  Member Dues =$30,033.62; Income $65,005.05; Expenses $28,678.78; Net $18,396.27

 

Introduction of New Members by Jesse Fonkert – Edd

 

Recognition of Volunteers: Halloween Party Chair – Lynnae Redeinius (Tammen Auto & Tire); Website Committee – James Buss (Buss Acccounting), Sherri Goebel (Sunshine), Lisa Hellvig (Hartford Building Center), Todd Lubenow(Affordable Rentals/Intek), Vince Reilly (Medicap)

 

Board Members: Cindy Buss (Buss Accounting), Lori Grocott (American Sports/Grocott Ink & Thread), LaVonne Randall, (Mary Kay Cosmetics), Monte Schraeder (Hartford Farmer’s Elevator), James Lemke (Lemke’s Gym), Todd Pharis, (Pizza Ranch) Michelle Thompson (Hegg Realty), Stephanie Olson-Voth (Leisure Living), Mark Luke (Mark Luke Construction), Scott Nelson, Bill Zortman, Jacob Kolander (AmericInn)

 

Officers: Gail Olson Duck – Treasurer; Lisa Hellvig (Hartford Building Center)- Secretary; Sherri Goebel (Sunshine Foods) Vice President; Vince Reilly (Medicap Pharmacy) – President

 

Committee Chairs: Membership – Stephanie Olson-Voth (Leisure Living); Welcoming – Sherri Goebel (Sunshine Foods); Marketing- James Buss (Buss Accounting); Events-Rhonda Loges (Legends Western Wear & Tack)

 

President report – Vince Reilly:

What was done in 2016 to date:  

• Currently 88 Active Members
• Made the Chamber self-sustaining
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Mother’s & Father’s Day Giveaway Baskets
• Halloween Giveaway Basket
• Halloween Party
• Mixers
  • Emberz, US Bank, Get-N-Go, Great Western Bank, AmericInn Hartford
• Established Facebook & website as primary communication methods
• Launched the new Hartfordsdchamber.org website
• Published 3 chamber newsletters
• Distributed welcome bags with chamber businesses marketing materials to new Hartford residents

 

 

Still to do in 2016:

• December edition of newsletter
• Give aways for complete meals for both Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Serve breakfast at Hartford’s Hometown Christmas event
• Enter a chamber float into the parade of lights
• Ribbon cuttings for Jones Family Eyecare\

2017 Goals

• Market the new website
• Continue to operate the Chamber as business.  Expenses cannot exceed revenues.  Ensure all activities serve the purpose of promoting our businesses in the Hartford area
• Learn what our customers want from our businesses. 

 

Election of 2017 Board Members

Nominations were accepted for the open board positions for 2017.  Motion by Lori Grocott to close nominations, second by Mark Luke. 

The following individuals were elected to the 2017 Chamber Board: Kim Yingst, Hartford Dental Clinic, Jacob Kolander, AmericInn; Todd Lubenow, Affordable Rentals/Intek; Victoria Obenauer, High Rise of SF

 

Presentation of the 2017 Chamber Board:

Cindy Buss, Buss Accounting
Gail Olson-Duck
Jacob Kolander, Hartford AmericInn
James Lemke, Lemke's Gym
Kim Yingst, Hartford Dental Clinic
LaVonne Randall, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Lisa Hellvig - Secretary, Hartord Building Center
Lori Grocott, Grocott Ink & Thread / American Sports
Michelle Thompson, Hegg Realty
Monte Schraeder, Hartford Farmer's Elevator
Sherri Goebel, Sunshine Foods
Stephanie Olson-Voth, Liesure Living
Todd Lubenow, Affordable Rentals/Intek
Todd Pharis, Pizza Ranch
Victoria Obenauer, High Rise of Sioux Falls, Inc
Vince Reilly, Medicap Pharmacy

 

Adjournment: Motion by Mark Luke to adjourn, second by Diane Barbee.  Meeting adjourned at 7:35pm

 

 

I, the undersigned, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

 

 

Lisa Hellvig

Secretary

 

 

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

October 11, 2016 - 6:15pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President; Sherri Goebel, Vice President, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary; Jesse Fonkert, Director

 

Board Members: James Lemke, Jacob Kolander, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Cindy Buss, Michelle Thompson, Lori Grocott

 

Visitors: Terry Hagen, Rhonda Loges, Dave & Victoria Obenauer

 

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, LaVonne Randall, Mark Luke, Monte Schraeder, Gail Olson-Duck, Scot Nelson, Bill Zortman

 

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:15 pm by Vince Reilly

 

Minutes from September 13, 2016 – A motion was made by Jacob, second Lori, to approve the September 13, 2016 minutes.   All voted yes. 

 

Financial Report – Balance of checking account is $29,908.85.  Expenses Paid: Vince Reilly  $159 for plaques; $562 Website for 2 months; $97.44 Reimbursement for receipts to Jesse Fonkert.  New Members Modern Woodman, Sioux Valley Energy, Backdoor Garden/Antiques, Big J’s, Southbar. Currently at 82 members.

 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Jesse presented highlights of what he has been doing so far in his position as Chamber and HADC Director.  Topics reported included; Opt out vote, Fall annual meeting of HADC, joining of the SD Chamber & Economic Development Council and SD Chamber, Americinn mixer, meeting with 2 WC classes.  Jesse also informed board of the formation of Community Council which includes area groups leaders from the Chamber, HADC, Planning & Zoning, City Administration,  & WC Superintendent.  This group will meet every other month. 

 

Events Committee Report:  Rhonda Loges           

• October Mixer at Great Western Bank, October 26^th 6-7 pm
• October 31^st Halloween kids event is being planned. 
• Annual Meeting: November 7^th.  Doors open/social beginning at 5:30, 6pm meal, 6:30 program.
• Motion by Jacob, second by Michelle to sponsor $50 for Dog Costume event being held at the Vet clinic on 10/29.  All voted yes, motion carried.
• Motion by Lisa second by Michelle to sponsor a drawing for a $100 value Thanksgiving Dinner from Sunshine.  All voted yes, motion carried.
• Motion by Michelle, second by Lori to do the same type of drawing for a Christmas meal also.  All voted yes, motion carried.
• Hometown Christmas Breakfast Chamber fundraiser will be December 4^th 7:30 – 11am  ( set up at 6am)at the Hartford Fire Station
• December mixer is being planned at South Bar
• Hartford Community Magazine.  Motion by Lori, second by Jacob to approach the city council about partnering to fully fund a community guide.  All voted yes, motion carried.

 

Marketing Committee Report: Jesse Fonkert

• Snap Chat Photo Contest: Jesse has contacted WC photography teacher and waiting to hear back on their interest in taking part.
• Small Business Saturday: Not enough interest to put together a community small business Saturday event.  Will work next year on planning further ahead to take part in this campaign.
• Phone Directories:  Pricing was received for a business phone directory ranging from $2,300 - $5,300.  Samples were also shown of various community guides/directories.  Motion was made by Lori second by Stephanie to pursue the development a Hartford Community Guide/Directory. All voted yes.  Target date for completion of a community guide would be first quarter of 2017. 
• Scott Nelson encouraged Chamber to look into having a booth at the SF Holiday Mixer.  Jesse will look into this.
• Vince reported that Jesse has been given permission by City Administrator, Teresa Siedel, to be in charge of the Chamber marketing for the remainder of 2016. 
• Motion by Sherri, second by Lori to put $250 towards a chamber float for hometown Christmas parade of lights, if there are volunteers willing to take part.    All voted yes, motion carried.

Nomination Committee:  Nomination committee was formed according to bylaws for the board nominations for 2017.  Vote on the nominations will take place at the annual banquet on November 7^th.  Nomination committee will include James Lemke, Michelle Thompson, Stephanie Olson-Voth.  Motion by Sherri, second by Jacob to  appoint James as chair of the nomination committee.  All voted yes, motion carried.

 

Correspondence:  A thank you was received from Makita for taking part in the Golf tournament.

 

Adjournment:  Motion by Sherri to adjourn, second by Lori, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm. 

I, the undersigned, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

 

 

Lisa Hellvig

Secretary

Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting

Hartford Fire Station

September 13, 2016 - 7:00pm

Attendees:

Officers: Vince Reilly, President; Sherri Goebel, Vice President, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary; Jesse Fonkert, Director

Board Members: James Lemke, Mark Luke, Scott Nelson, Stephanie Olson-Voth, Michelle Thompson, Lori Grocott

Visitors: Terry Hagen, Rhonda Loges, Dave & Victoria Obenauer

Absent Board Members: Todd Pharis, LaVonne Randall, Jacob Kolander, Cindy Buss, Monte Schraeder, Gail Olson-Duck, Bill Zortman

Bryan Skinner offered a presentation prior to the business meeting regarding the opt out vote of the West Central School Board.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:13 pm by Vince Reilly

Minutes from July 12, 2016 – A motion was made by Stephanie, second Michelle, to approve the July 12th, 2016 minutes, with changing the call to order time from 8:17 to 7:17  All voted yes.  Because of lack of quorum, there was no business meeting in August. 

Financial Report – Balance of checking account is $29,032.78.  Income received: $675 in member dues / $6,000 Christmas Pass Through / $1,073 Reliabank - Insurance Reimbursement / $290 Jamboree Committee Ticket Sales.  Expenses paid: Sunshine Foods $29.10, Micro Net $3,099, Jamboree Committee for Tickets Sold $1,815, SF Chamber $188, Rock & Roll Academy (Business in the Park) $300, Business in Park food & Drinks $432.44, Anderson Publication – newsletter $1,554.90, Chamber Banner $94.70 / Great Life Golf Tournament $346.13.  HADC will be reimbursing chamber $100 towards the Golf Tournament expenses.

Vince reported the Chamber received approval for the funds requested from the City of Hartford for the 2017 budget.  Approved city funds: $10k for Jamboree Carnival / $21K Jamboree pass through funds / $8k Hometown Christmas pass through funds / $5k Halloween Event.  The operating expenses of the Chamber for 2017 will be supported 100% by membership dues and Chamber income/fundraisers. 

Meeting Times:  Discussion was held on meeting time and the difficulty of getting quorum at board meetings.  Motion by Lori, second by Scott to change meeting time from 7pm to 6:15pm starting with the October 11^th meeting.  All voted yes. 

EDD Training Opportunities:  Motion by Scott second by Mark to have the Hartford Chamber of Commerce join the SD Chamber of Commerce at the rate of $350 per year.  All voted yes.  This membership will allow the EDD training opportunities along with membership into the MidAmerica Chamber Executives.

Proposal from Buss Accounting:  Motion by Stephanie, second by Scott, to hire Buss Accounting at a fee NTE $1500 to organize the quick-books account for the Chamber and integrate the Chamber Master Program with quickbooks.  All voted yes. 

Chamber and Economic Development Report:  Jesse presented highlights of what he has be doing so far in his position as Chamber and HADC Director. 

 

Events Committee Report:  Rhonda Loges          

• A training workshop on the Chamber Website is being planned for September 27^th.  Details of time and location will be announced.
• A mixer is planned for September 20^th at 7:30am hosted by AmericInn
• October 31^st Halloween kids event is being planned.  Jeff Bossman has generously donated use of carnival games along with prizes.  Motion by Lisa, second by Stephanie to approve up to $2500 for Halloween Event.  All voted yes.
• Annual Meeting: Motion by Sherri, second by Stephanie to hold the Chamber annual meeting on Monday, November 7^th.  Doors open/social beginning at 5:30. All voted yes.
• Hometown Christmas Breakfast Chamber fundraiser will be December 4^th

Marketing Committee Report: Vince Reilly

• Shirts for Chamber Board Members: Motion by Sherri second by Michelle to purchase Navy Blue Chamber shirts from American Sports for Board members in good standing. Estimated cost is $33/shirt.  All voted yes
• Board Member Portraits:  Jesse will be contacting Board members to arrange for portraits for the webpage
• SnapChat Photo Contest: Jesse will be meeting with the WC journalism teacher about possibility of getting some youth involved in a contest for a “Welcome to Hartford” photo that will appear when utilizing snapchat.
• Small Business Saturday: Jesse is working on coordinating a Small Business Saturday event. 
• Phone Directories:  Pricing was received for a business phone directory ranging from $2,300 - $5,300.  Samples were also shown of various community guides/directories.  Motion was made by Lori second by Stephanie to pursue the development a Hartford Community Guide/Directory. All voted yes.  Target date for completion of a community guide would be first quarter of 2017. 
• Scott Nelson encouraged Chamber to look into having a booth at the SF Holiday Mixer.  Jesse will look into this.
• Vince reported that Jesse has been given permission by City Administrator, Teresa Siedel, to be in charge of the Chamber marketing for the remainder of 2016. 

Welcoming Committee:  Sherri reported that 32 bags were distributed to new community members for January – Mid-July.  They are currently out of items for the welcome bags and needs businesses to contribute items for these bags.   If anyone has items for the welcome bags, please get items to Medicap or Sunshine. 

Adjournment:  Motion by Scott to adjourn, second by Stephanie, all voted yes and meeting adjourned at 8:58 pm. 

I, the undersigned, Lisa Hellvig, Secretary in and for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, South Dakota, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes.

Lisa Hellvig

Secretary