CHAMBER LUNCHEON

You are invited to join us for the Chamber's weekly luncheon on Wednesday, March 21st from noon to 1:00pm at the DSC Gardner Center. Len Ellis with The Carefit Foundation, The Governer's Committee for Rehabilitation will be our speaker. Cost $12.00/person.

Dixie State College is our luncheon sponsor next week. Established in 1911 and built on the site of the first pioneer encampment, Dixie State College of Utah strives to help students to define, shape and achieve educational and life goals. It is dedicated to providing personalized and excellent teaching in a learning environment where all students can become passionate about their individual educational endeavors. Dixie State College offers associate degrees and certificate programs that meet the needs of students, the community and the state. The College also offers eight baccalaureate programs in high demand areas and in core or foundational areas consistent with four-year colleges. Dixie State College students can earn bachelor’s degrees in eight courses of study, including Biology, Business Administration, Communication & New Media, Computer & Information Technology, Dental Hygiene, Elementary Education, English and Nursing. The Dixie Rebels compete in 11 NCAA Division II sponsored sports and are members of the Pacific West Conference in every sport except football and baseball. Dixie State College also serves the community as a host of numerous live theater, music concerts and art exhibits.

CHAMBER BRIEFS

The Chamber recognizes Fred Armbruster as volunteer of the month. Fred has been a resident of St. George for 10 years. He is a native of upstate NY. Fred and his wife, Sandy, have found St. George to be a very warm and friendly community. Fred has been a volunteer at The Chamber for seven years and really enjoys meeting visitors from around the world. He has also been active in the Washington County Historical Society, serving on the Board as its Treasurer for a number of years. He particularly enjoys working in the historical Old Court House Building in which The Chamber is housed. Fred and Sandy are the parents of two sons and the have four grandchildren, whom they enjoy visiting several times a year. Thanks Fred for all you do to make our Chamber a success.

Message from the President The St. George Area Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon is unlike any other chamber benefit available anywhere we’re aware of. While other chambers struggle to get a couple of dozen members to a monthly event, we have 150 members participate weekly. Part of the success of these meetings is that we get people in, seated, fed, and educated about important topics all within an hours time. The business of the Chamber is to do what matters most to business. Getting our luncheon attendees back to work on time after an informative and productive networking luncheon is part of our mission. We’ve had lots of complaints lately about sponsors going well over their allotted time, sometimes 200% over their allotted time. I’ve seen more and more people feel they need to get up and leave just after 1 p.m., and I understand that demand on their time. For our luncheons to remain as successful as they have become, we need to allow our members to get what they come to get when they attend a meeting, while balancing the obligation to make certain our sponsors get their five minutes of exposure in front of 150 or so of the areas leading business decision makers. To accomplish that, we’ve enlisted the help of the Microframe 6300 count down clock. Yep, you’re chamber is enlisting technology to accomplish what we’ve been reluctant to do in person, that is to stop a sponsor that is going long. Time can’t offend any one, it just passes at the same rate for everyone. Starting this week, there will be a rather obvious reminder to everyone at our lunches of what time has been used, and when that time is up. Call it our own little version of the time running out excitement of March Madness. Feel free to applaud our sponsor presentations when the chime sounds indicating the five minutes are up.

AVERAGE EARNINGS - Persons with four-year degrees make more money. "Among full-time year-round workers between the ages of 25 and 34, white, black and Hispanic four-year college graduates earn an average of about 60% more than high school graduates in the same demographic groups." -- Sandra Baum, Economist with the College Board, New York Submitted by DSC

Register today for the upcoming Business Professional's Day Luncheon scheduled for Wednesday, April 25th. Click Here

Reserve your booth space today for the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce 14th Annual Business EXPO. Dates are Wednesday and Thursday, June 27th and 28th. This year promises to be the best ever with a new and exciting floor layout. For more information, contact Glenda at 435-628-1650 ext. 2 and when reserving your booth, remember to make reservations for the Kick-Off luncheon, Wednesday, June 27th. Are you participating in the balloon drop and/or planning hourly give-a-ways? Let Glenda know. Click Here

The Board of Directors of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to have donated $1,000 to Operation Hero Flight, a non-profit organization that helps get World War II veterans visit the National World War II Memorial. They are challenging your business to also help send a World War II Veteran to see the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. Many veterans don’t even know this memorial exists to their service and sacrifice. There are 45 Washington County Veterans scheduled to visit the memorial this Spring. This generation is slipping away. Your chance to honor them is slipping away. To learn more about the memorial visit www.wwiimemorial.com . To find out how you can help a veteran of World War II visit the Memorial, e-mail me at russ@stgeorgechamber.com . Click Here

BUSINESS BRIEFS

What else do you have to file? Mike Spilker, a partner with HintonBurdick CPAs & Advisors suggests that, "When you think of taxes during this time of year, your individual income tax return is probably the one that comes to mind first. But you may be responsible for filing other returns as well."...more

Sponsorship opportunities for the Washington County Fair are now being accepted for the following events: Laser Light Show, Demolition Derby, Rock Crawls, Fireworks, and Bull Ride. There are many different ways a sponsor can participate and receive attention from the 50,000 people that come to the fair. To receive a sponsorship packet, call Wendy Sandberg, Fair Director, 619-9522 or go to the Fair Website, washcofair.net and go to the Sponsorship page. The fair dates are August 8-11th, 2007.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development is a major sponsor of the Governor's Economic Summit *07, produced by the Newspaper Agency Corporation, at the Grand America Hotel on March 22, 2007. This day long event will include an address by the Governor, breakfast, lunch and an opportunity to select from 20 hours of economic development training. We have attached an electronic postcard and the NAC advertisement outlining the 20 sessions available, for your convenience. ...more

Utah has been named #5 on the list of "America’s Top Ten Pro-Business States" in the "Keeping Jobs In America: Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States 2007", released this week before 400 economic development executives attending the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Federal Forum in Arlington, VA....more

Travis Ballingham, General Manager of the Olive Garden took time out of a busy grand-opening week to officially open his restaurant with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, March 15th. ...more

Local Realtors Receive National Recognition. 30 REALTORS from ERA Brokers Consolidated recently returned from ERA Franchise System’s International Business Conference held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV., where ERA Brokers Consolidated received national recognition as the #2 company in their division, and #8 company in the ERA Franchise System, for 1808 units closed....more

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Southern Utah Trucking Association will host its first annual SUTA Golf Tournament March 30th at Sunbrook Golf Course. Funds from the tournament will be used for the SUTA Scholarship program. For registration information contact George Whitehead at 435-652-7536, or whiteheg@dixie.edu .

SEMINARS, EDUCATION, & WORKSHOPS

“Better your Business workshop” “ Ethical Leadership” will be held on April 17th. For more information Click Here

IRS Stakeholder Liaison Presents a Free Small Business Phone Workshop Wednesday, March 21st. For more information Click Here

"A Bilingual World is a Better World". Do you have Hispanic employees who don’t understand your instructions? Do you have to rely on a few bilingual employees to communicate with your Spanish-speaking workers? ...more

The Utah Office of Tourism will be presenting a Cooperative Marketing Program Workshop in three separate locations around the state in preparation for the June 29, 2007 Co-op Marketing Application deadline:...more

March 30, 2007, 10:00 am Let Us Help GROW YOUR BUSINESS with Roadshow 2007 and National City Mortgage. Realtors & Builders: Join us for the "National City Mortgage- 2007 RoadShow" and hear answers to affordability issues, learn about demographic shifts, and hear the latest product changes to help you find homes for your clients. Sierk Braam, V. P. Specialty Lending/Emerging MarketsWestern Division Manager of National City Mortgage will be presenting materials to help GROW YOUR BUSINESS. Continental Breakfast will be served . Location: Washington County Board of Realtors, 1070 W 1600 S, Suite A101, St. George, UT Please RSVP by 3/27/2007-call 634-2101 or email priscilla.teague@ncmc.com .

Summit Athletic Club – Women’s Self-Defense Rape Awareness & Prevention. A rape is reported every 5 minutes in the US. Your safety is the most important priority. Know how to fight back. Train with one of America’s leading self-defense experts on Saturday, March 31st at 10:15 am at the Summit Athletic Club. It all starts at the Summit! For more information contact: (435) 628-5000.

Longtime Dixie State College professor Dr. Ron Garner will be the featured speaker at the Elaine and Douglas D. Alder Faculty Honor Lecture Tuesday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m., in the Eccles Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. Dr. Garner will present "Dixie State College 1933-64: The Years of Trial, Transition and Expansion". The lecture is free and open to the public.

Create unique salads using greens and edible flowers with Green Valley Spa Chefs, Saturday, March 24th from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. The class with Sous Chefs Bobbie Mack and Jules Johnson will feature an education in flower preparation for cooking....more

DSC Dixie Forum, April 3, Speaker: Dr. Chris Crowe Topic: "The Murder of Emmitt Till: The Case That Triggered the Modern Civil Rights Movement" 12 noon at the DSC Dunford Auditorium. Free to the public. Contact: Terre Burton – burton@dixie.edu .

The Massage Therapy Academy is offering free massage clinics every month. You can learn new massage skills to offer comfort and relief to your loved ones. Thursday night, April 5, learn how to give a simple back massage. This free clinic starts at 7:30 pm and runs for an hour. The Massage Therapy Academy is located at 368 East St. George Boulevard. Register early –space is limited. And now you can register online! Click Here

Due to spring break and a skeleton staff on campus, BizSMART has extended the time period for registration of their March BizSMART class. If you haven't taken the time to register, you have a few more days. Do not be dismayed if you do not get your user name and password until early next week. Our online portions will begin March 24, instead of the 17th. Go to www.dixiebusinessalliance.com  to register....more Click Here

WHATS HAPPENING

Saturday Nights All Right At the Coyote Gulch Art Village in Kayenta Begins Saturday, April 7, 2007. The Coyote Gulch Art Village is pleased to announce its spring lineup for the very popular “Saturday Nights All Right” that will begin on April 7 and run through May 5, providing entertainment and shopping for visitors from 7:00pm to 9:00pm each Saturday....more

SouthWest Federal Credit Union’s 5th annual 10K Run and 5K Walk are scheduled for April 21, 2007. The cost for this event is $20 per family (immediate members only) for the 5K Walk and $20 per runner for the 10K Run. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Leveled Reading Libraries Program for Southern Utah Elementary Schools. ...more Click Here

News from the Utah Shakespearen Festival. With summer just around the corner, excitement is simmering at the Festival. Every day gets us closer and closer to the company arriving in town and the curtain going up on opening night. Directors are busy translating their ideas and images into reality. Casting is well underway, and some of your favorite actors are returning to our stages. To help you prepare for the plays, we have added numerous helpful links to our play pages, including play synopses, enlightening articles, and more, plus an informative article on Shaw's Enigmatic Woman. Finally, you can read why Festival Director R. Scott Phillips is excited about this summer's plays. Click Here

Dixie State College will host its annual DSC Scholarship Associates/Village Bank Golf Tournament Friday, March 30, 2007, at The Ledges Golf Club. This Four-person scramble will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Cost is $125 per player/$500 per team, which includes green fees and cart, range balls, Continental Breakfast and Lunch on the course. In addition, there will be tee prizes, cash prizes for the top-three teams, a raffle and contests on virtually every hole. For more information, contact DSC Associate Vice President George Whitehead at 652-7536 or Click Here

The Dixie State College Student Alumni Association will be holding an Alumni Yard Sale Saturday, March 31, at the DSC Stephen and Marcia Wade Alumni House. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit student scholarships. For more information or to donate items, please contact Kalynn Larson at 652-7535 or Click Here

Summit Athletic Club - American Red Cross Swim Lessons. Join their newest program. Learn-to-Swim lessons start in May and run all summer. Offering levels 1-6, starting for ages 6 months and up including parent / infant classes. Registration begins March 12th. It all starts at the Summit! Call (435) 628-5000.

The Vic Braden Tennis College will host the annual Tennis Marathon USTA Tournament on April 12-15. Players can sign up by going to our local website @ www.saintgeorgetennis.com.

Sportsman's Warehouse will be bringing in Live Bear Cubs from the Yellow Stone Bear World, March 30, 2007 thru April 1, 2007. Bring the family and have the kids pictures taken with the Bear Cubs.

Every Thursday Night beginning April 12th through November 15th (excluding July and August) from 6:00pm to 9:00m, on Main Street there will be a Community Celebration of Arts & Entertainment at the Downtown Thursday Night Street Fair. Watch for the Mardi Gras in April. If you are interested in being a Sponsor or Vendor call 635-5720 or info@downtownthursdaynight.com.

Southern Utah Heritage Choir Easter Concert “We Rejoice in Christ” On Easter Sunday, April 8th at 7:30 pm, in the Cox Auditorium, the Heritage Choir will present its annual free Easter Concert for the community, entitled: “We Rejoice in Christ”. With wonderful favorites of the season along with some new and soon to be favorites, every listener will find something he or she can identify with and something to remind all of us of Christ and His magnificent gifts to us, His Atonement, Death, and Resurrection....more

DSC Celebrity Concert Series Presents The Celtic Tenors April 2-3 at 7:30 p.m. at the DSC Cox Auditorium. Tickets: $16.00 Reserved Box Office Number - (435) 652-7994.

Major League Soccer is coming to St. George. KCSG Television hosts Real Salt Lake for spring training March 28 – 30. RSL will be playing an exhibition game on Thursday, March 29, 7:30p at Hansen Stadium. Tickets are $22 for a family of 6, $8 for adults and $5 for children. Purchase your tickets at the Dixie College box office or at www.dixie.edu. Do you want to meet the team? Watch KCSG news every night at 9:00 for your chance to win a meet and greet pass. It’s your opportunity to take a picture with your favorite player or get signatures on a soccer ball. Major League Soccer in St. George, presented by KCSG Television.

RIBBON CUTTINGS AND OPEN HOUSES

Join Ivory Homes as they hold a ribbon cutting and grand opening for their new Headquarters & Design Center on Thursday, March 22nd at 11:00am. Address: 840 East & Brigham Rd., St. George.

You are cordially invited to a ribbon cutting for The Cell Phone Guy on Thursday, March 22nd at 11:30am. Address: 155 N.Bluff St., Suite 8, St. George.

The St. George Park and Recreation Department is having a ribbon cutting at the Main Street Bridge and the Santa Clara Trail on Thursday, March 22nd at 4:00pm. All are welcome.

CALL TO ACTION

Explore Your America as a Volunteer at Great Basin National Park in East Central Nevada. Imagine spending your summer surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenic landscapes in the United States. Envision yourself breathing clean fresh air, experiencing clear starlit skies and enjoying nature’s tranquil and peaceful surroundings....more

The Dixie State College Student Association is looking for donations for it upcoming DSC Campus to Community "Dixie TreeTs" tree planting service project. The project, which will have students plant at least 100 trees to beautify the campus along the campus' Fountain, Diagonal Walkway and North Instructional Building, will be held Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 2:00 p.m....more

The Dixie State College Nursing program will hold a fundraising Walk-a-thon for Rachael Reeves, the 6-year-old daughter of , who was diagnosed with a brain tumor known as Glioblastoma multiforme. The Walk-a-thon will be held Saturday, March 31, at 1:30 p.m., with a walk around the DSC campus beginning at the Browning Library parking lot. Contact the Dixie State College Nursing Department Offices at 652-7652.

Celebrity Concert Series needs host families for the BYU Men's Chorus. Friday and Saturday, March 23-24. For more information contact Gail Bunker, Celebrity Concert Series At 435-652-7994 or ...more Click Here

March 24 Scouting For Food Effort To Benefit Dixie Care and Share. The Utah Boy Scouts will be canvassing local neighborhoods collecting bags filled with food for southern Utah Care and Shares on Saturday, Mar. 24. Those donating food items should have them ready for pick up by 8 a.m. ...more

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Utah is a non-profit mentoring agency. They are having their annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake event on Saturday March 31, 2007 from 9am-1:30pm at Sunset West Bowling Center. This is a great time for businesses and community members to give back to our community and help the children in need. It’s lots of fun and easy to get involved. Just call the BBBSU office at 986-9776 to get a team packet and bowl with them!

Reeder and Boyter join Prudential St. George Realty.
 

St. George’s Dean Jones Named #1 Realtor in Utah for Coldwell Banker Premiere.