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 Taste
of Pulaski County & Basket Auction
We're rolling out the red carpet for this year's Taste of
Pulaski County and Basket Auction. Join the Chamber as your
favorite movie character and the first 50 people at the door
will receive a gift. Doors open at 11:00 a.m. with the auction
beginning at 12:30 p.m. The glitz and glamour await you with
the Hollywood Food Walk of Fame made up of samples offered
by area restaurants while you put in your bid on one of the
many great baskets donated by area businesses. Door prizes
and a silent auction also make up the day's festivities. Entertainment
will be provided during intermissions. Advanced tickets are
available at the Chamber office. An exciting auction and great
food will surely be an afternoon of family fun. For more information
call the Chamber office at 573-336-5121. All
donations are due to the Chamber office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday,
March 9th.
Click the image below to view the 2012 flier.
Tour of Fort Leonard Wood
Click here
for larger view.
Save the Date for the Chamber's First Chick-Fil-A Leadercast
The Chamber will host its first Chick-Fil-A Leadercast on
May 4th. The choices you make define the leader you become.
And the choices you make are not just about you. They're about
the positive impact you can have on your organization, your
community, and beyond. Our world needs everyday leaders who
will choose to make it a better place. That's what Chick-fil-A
Leadercast 2012 is all about. You can expect to be challenged,
inspired, and encouraged. You will learn how to improve your
own leadership skills and also have the opportunity to network
with other leaders in your area. You will see just how far
your own choices could take you. The location for this event
will be announced at a later date.
Three more sponsorships are available
for $500. Events sponsors will receive a logo and link on
the event web page, their logo with a link in all online promotions
and e-blasts, and their company logo and information in a
slide show to run before and during downtime the day of the
event. All sponsors will also receive two free tickets to
the event. If you are interested in sponsoring the Leadercast
call the Chamber office at 573-336-5121. Tickets for the Leadercast
will be available soon at the Chamber office. This event is
open to any person in the community. Tickets are $30 for Chamber
members and $35 for nonmembers. A limited amount of tickets
will be available.
2012 Sponsors
The Chamber would like to thank everyone who participated
in the 2012 Community Forum held February 9th at the Waynesville
High School Auditorium. The evening started with a debate
from the Waynesville High School Debate Team where team members
Brenna O-Donnell and Leneisa Parks debated the issue of a
smoking ban. The community forum panel served as the judges
for the debate and declared Leneisa Parks the winner. Speakers
for the evening included COL Spellmon from Fort Leonard Wood,
Mayor Sanders from St. Robert, Mayor Hammock from Waynesville,
Dr. Blackburn from Waynesville R-VI School District, and Presiding
Commissioner Newkirk from Pulaski County. Each speaker gave
brief comments and then answered questions presented to the
panel from the community. The debate and forum was broadcasted
live on Channel 12. The Chamber would also like to thank the
volunteers that helped to make the event a success. Click
here
to see photos from the event.
 Community
Leadership Awards Banquet
The Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce 2011 Citizen
of the Year is Richard Baptiste. Richard was nominated by
the Pulaski County Salvation Army.
The Chamber had 202 in attendance at the Community Leadership
Awards Banquet held at the St. Robert Community Center. They
handed out 69 Community Leadership Awards. The 2011 Organization
of the Year is the Pulaski County Health Department and the
2011 Volunteer of the Year is Ron Selfors. The 2011 Ambassador
of the Year was a tie this year, Melissa Shelden and Betsy
Thomson.
The 2011 Organization of the Year, the Pulaski County Health
Department has helped the Chamber with the Chili Cook-off
for the last five years. Their continued support of the Chamber
to ensure the success of the cook-off for both the teams and
events attendees is greatly appreciated.
The 2011 Volunteer of the Year, Ron Selfors is with the Rotary
Club of Pulaski County. Each year, in partnership with the
Rotary Club of Pulaski County, the Chamber presents the CHOICES
program to the eighth graders of Pulaski County. The CHOICES
program is an opportunity for those who care about the future
of the community to talk to these students about their choices
and the effects those choices have on the rest of their lives.
By discussing topics from money management to choices regarding
education this person has continually made the effort to show
the youth of our community the importance of staying in school.
Over the past six years Ron has been a trainer and presented
to five schools in Pulaski County, in 16 classrooms, and touched
the lives of 402 students.
At any Chamber function you're sure to see the bright blue
jackets worn by the members of the Chamber's Ambassador Club.
They are the Chamber's army of volunteers and it is a special
privilege to honor them for their dedicated service. There
was a tie for the 2011 Ambassador of the Year. The 2011 Ambassadors
of the year are Melissa Shelden and Betsy Thomson. The Ambassador
of the Year is determined by attendance at Chamber functions
throughout the year. These two Ambassadors attended 73 out
of 92 Chamber events during 2011.
Click here
to view pictures from the event.
2011-2012 Chamber Board and Staff Retreat
The Chamber board and staff attended their annual
retreat on December 20, 2011. This retreat is an opportunity
to plan the Chamber 2011-2012 year as well as barinstorm new
ideas. Thank you to the Waynesville Career Center for hosting
the retreat.
 Bridging
Members Program
The Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce
is excited to announce a new membership benefit aimed at bridging
our members and supporting our local community.
Beginning in April of 2011 Chamber members are encouraged
to report to us when they visit another member's establishment.
At the end of the month the member with the most visits will
have the opportunity to have a video posted to our web site...FREE!
This only works if you're honest about who you're doing business
with and remember EVERY VISIT COUNTS! Just follow this link,
bookmark the page, and remember to let us know about your
visits! For more information about this program call the Chamber
office at 573-336-5121.
Jan Shinn Personalized Gifts is the February winner
of Bridging Members.
Click here
to log in your visits now!
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The
Chamber is gearing up for our largest fundraiser of the
year the Taste of Pulaski County & Basket Auction. It
will be a day filled with fun and good food. We encourage
everyone to dress up as your favorite movie character and
the first 50 people at the door will receive a free gift.
The baskets have started to arrive and the excitement is
building. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for the
baskets sneak peak to help you prepare your bidding wish
list. The restaurants are preparing the best menu ever so
come for lunch and stay for the live auction. Get your tickets
now at the Chamber office or at the upcoming luncheon!
Festivals
and events in Pulaski County are just another avenue that
we promote to encourage visitors from outside the area to
come to Pulaski County. Marketing and advertising those events
are very important. The Tourism Bureau provides many services
to assist in making your event successful. If your organization
is not utilizing the resources of the Pulaski County Tourism
Bureau you are missing out!
I
evaluate the economic condition of a community by retail sales
and unemployment levels. The Missouri Retail Trade statistics
for 2010 were released last week. Retail trade is defined
as the sale and distribution to consumers through either a
store location or non-store location such as internet, phone,
or catalog. There are 299,371 people employed in the retail
industry in Missouri. The retail sales in Missouri were measured
by pull factors and market share. Retail Pull Factors is used
to measure leakages. In other words the lost revenue in retail
sales. The 2007-2010 County Retail Trade Pull Factors revealed
that Pulaski County had greater than 25 % growth in retail
sales. There were only 12 counties that were in this category.
Pulaski County sales tax for 2007 was $316,320,646.00 and
in 2010 sales tax revenue was $363,096,890.00. Pull factors
estimate the number of customers from other areas. A retail
trade pull factor greater than one indicates residents either
spent less than their state counterparts or residents purchased
goods elsewhere. The Pull Factor for Pulaski County was .57.
This indicates that residents are buying retail items somewhere
other than Pulaski County. In some cases those retail items
are not available in Pulaski County. The other factor to consider
is these calculations are based on taxable sales reported
to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Items purchased on
Fort Leonard Wood are not reported to the Missouri Department
of Revenue. However, on the Pulaski County Growth Alliance
web site we are able to run retail marketplace profiles on
sites and buildings information. I recently choose a site
to evaluate leakage/surplus factors. The report generated
those businesses that were leaking in a 1, 3, or 5 mile radius
of the location. This study will also give a summary of demographics
such as population, households, median disposable income and
per capita income. This information is used in the recruitment
of more retail for Pulaski County.
"COME
GROW WITH US"
