THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 8,1998 O A KV ILLE CH A M B E R . / C O M M E R C E A M onthly Update A bout Your Chamber Excellence In Corporate Citizenship V ery shortly, you will be hearing far more about a man called Bob Griesbach. He is our incoming President at the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. It is not surprising that one of his main objectives is to increase membership from every sector of business in Oakville. His main thrust will be in the middle to large company sector of the marketplace. What has this to do with "Corporate Citizenship", you may ask? His own company, AGRA, has recently donated all of its engineering services to the construction of the Bronte Butterfly Project. They also wish to be involved in all future phases of the project, such as the construction bid evaluation, scheduling and overall project management. Apparendy, they feel very strongly that operating their business within the Town of Oakville, also carries with it a responsi bility to give back something to the town. They saw an opportunity to do just that with the Village of Bronte. Apparendy, there are no other responsible corporate citizens, waidng in the wings, to sally forth into the Village of Bronte, with very substantial offerings, as this project goes forward. Why would they bother? Some cynics may say that it is good publicity, but surely this could also be gained in other areas? Companies like AGRA and executives like our new president, firmly believe that if indus try within the town does not get involved in this way, then the town suffers and ultimately, their company and it's employees. Is it too naive to state that the employees feel pan of something that they can be proud of? The volunteering of people power and the energy of involvement that this subsequent ly brings, surely adds tremendously to the well being of the Town of Oakville? If we work (and some- dmes, even live) within the town, then surely, we are the towri O ur Chamber is one of the best run and most actfve business centres in the region of Halton. In order to maintain and grow this, we need far more corporate companies like AGRA to come for ward and be visible. This is not the time of the cen tury, either at the end or the beginning of the mil lennium, when we can just stand on the edge and watch. Apparently, some companies say that they have no wish to participate in the activities of the Chamber, as they do not see a need to network and promote their business. I would like to ask just who buys their services and products? Ultimately, we the consumer must come into the picture at some point? Never lose an opportunity to promote what you do, if only from a public relations point of view. As we all know, it is not just what we can get out of the Chamber, but also what we can put in. When I sit at the lunchtime meetings of the Marketing Committee of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, I am amazed at the time, energy and involvement of the members. Some of us are from one-person companies, where our business is at a standstill while we sit and discuss how to support the various committees of the Chamber. Wasn't there a famous president who firmly stated some thing about not asking what your country can do for you, etc., etc? He knew about the energy that comes from getting involved. He knew that absolutely everyone benefits from this. So, I would like to throw out a challenge to anyone reading this article. If either you represent a medium to large corporate concern, or you feel that your company should be more involved in the town, we would love to talk to you and involve you in all of the many exciting ideas we have for this new mil lennium. How would you like to participate with other company members in Corporate Citizenship? What would your contribution be? Do you feel a need to support this lovely town of ours and take it to the next level? Personally, as president of a com pany myself, I have been associated with one or two other Chambers/Boards of Trade in the past and 1 can quite honesdy state that the Oakville Chamber of Commerce is the best and the most member- friendly organization I have come across in recent times. Call the Chamber now at: (905) 845-6613 and speak to Lorraine Tonkens in our Membership Office. See you at the next member event! This article was written by Elizabeth Clarke, a member o f the M arketing Committee o f the Oakville Chamber o f Commerce and president o f The ECS Group, a Human Resources Management Consulting company in Oakville. P R O U D T O B E A P A R T Qakvtlle W ELECTRIC MOTOR SERVICES INC. #5,2355 Royal Windsor Dr. Mississauga, ON Ph: 822-6032* Fax: 822-9957 SALES & SERVICE • AC & DC Motors • Variable Speed Drives • Magnet Repairs • Pumps 24-HR. SERVICE PROMPT PICK UP & DELIVERY "Got A Group We've Got The Party" o f to ruvO A f ic U e y Town Centre I MLRoyriPtan Oakvie Burfncfon 8 4 4 - 8 7 0 3 3 1 9 -8 5 5 5 W. MUELLER CONSTRUCTION I SOS Speers Rd., Unit #3 Oakville, Industrial • Commercial • Residential -Sewer & Water installation & Repair -Excavating BILL MUELLER OSce (905) 827-6022 Fa* (905) 825-0968 Mobie(4l6)918-6l39 E-mal mueconsl@^xable/Tet CaiisoiiiWagonll i t Travel ' Owned and Operated by McTavish Travel We are part o f the w o rld 's leading travel management com pany w ith 4,000 loca tions in 125 countries. Hopedale Mall, 1515 Rebecca Street Phone: 827-1100 Fax: 827-4982 e-mail:mctavish @ inforamp.net ^ ( u f u r n / i FESTIVAL Sat. Sept. 18 • Pancake breakfast • Hay rides • Com roast • l-day sidewalk sale • Artisans For more information call 8 4 4 -4 5 2 0 905- 338-7511 156 Trafalgar Rd. Real Estate and Property Management Services neicwAGemDiGmLt ■ I. . i _ _ _», ■ j . i -- i n . c ik u b r k m n M | □ Reports □ Manuals □ Stationery □ Flyers □ Booklets □ Newsletters Q Carbonless Forms li Rw hrtloa □ Full Colour Posters Q Desktop Publishing □ Colour Copies Q Laminations □ Drilling □ FokJng □ Cutting □ SUptng □ Collating □ Ceriox Binding □ Shrink Wrapping F in PICK-UP I DELIVER! Caroline I. Bieze R.M .T. Registered Massage Therapist Therapeutic, Relaxation Aromatherapy & Chair Massage -B (905) 3 3 9 -3 9 5 0 Invest in Career Futures! V Sheridan (905) 845-9430 w w w.sheridanc.on.ca Things To Do Today: El Eat All-U-Can-Eat on your Lunch Hour Our World Famous Lunch Buffet > 2 varieties of Salad • Variety of Pizza > Pasta • Bread Sticks • Dessert Pizza SS£?"'$ 2 9 9 A va ilab le IM S M T ) j7 7 a Trafalgar Ridge Town Centre I 257-5433 -H u t* 338-0344 T R O P H IE S L IM IT ED "Serving Halton for over 20 years" 775 Pacific Rd., Unit 26 *=L> CORPORATE AWARDS O ACADEMIC AWARDS O SPORTS AWARDS O PLAQUES & MEDALIONS O SUBLIMATED PRINTING ON PLAQUES & NAME BADGES O ENGRAVING ON GLASS STEINS & MUGS 15-847-1956 Bronte Creek Provincial Park 5k Run/Walk for The Halton Rape) Crisis Centre Contefor the run, stay for the dm/! S u n d a y , S e p t e m b e r 1 2 ,1 9 9 9 Rain or Shine Registration Time; 9:00 a.m. Start Tune 11 DO a.m. 'No in-line skates o r bicycles permitted. Dogs on a leash are invited to participate. For M o re Inform ation call (905) 825-3622. * l I Bronte Creek Provincial ParkO n t a r i o p AD| / c (905) 827-6911 l / \K ic a QEW to Burioak Drive (exit 109), North 1 km to park gate. "Prom oting IA (Healthy 'Business Community For information about becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce call 845-6613 or Fax 845-6475 Business To reach th is section ca ll 84 5 -3 824 Fax:337-5567 S aturn ow ners' reun ion at Canada's W onderland Nine Ontario Saturn dealers will be hosting Saturn owners at Canada's Wonderland this week for a day of activities and celebration. The goals of Saturn Reunion '99 are to cele brate the Saturn customer and make a lasting contribution to the communities in which Saturn operates, by supporting local youth. The largest corporate customer event in Canada will also see GTA Saturn retailers and volunteers come together with Saturn owners and their families to participate in youth-oriented projects during the Sept. 11th- 12th weekend. "We are thrilled with the scope of this year's Saturn Reunion events which will enrich the lives of children in 24 communities across Ontario," said Eric LeBlanc, advertising and pro motion manager for Saturn Canada. "Our retail ers are the driving force behind this project, shar ing the company's commitment to excel by exceeding customer expectations while continu ing to reinvest in the communities where we operate." In the past two years, Saturn retailers and their customers have built 43 new playgrounds, reno vated 15 more and completed 24 other commu nity-based projects in neighbourhoods across the country under the Saturn Reunion banner. More than 25 playgrounds will be built or expanded this year and community goodwill projects range from supporting children's hospitals and daycare centres to sponsoring local youth sports teams. Saturn Corporation is a wholly-owned sub sidiary of General Motors. All Satums are built in Spring Hill, Tennessee. i Successful Investing with Patrick McKeough TIP OF THE WEEK: "The fine print can kill the appeal of great-sounding investments." The dark side of index-linked GICs Index-linked guaranteed investment certificates appear to combine low risk with high profit potential. But their potential profit is lower than you'd expect. A regular GIC pays a fixed rate of interest over a fixed period and guarantees your money back when the period ends. An index- linked GIC also guarantees your money back, but it pays variable interest based on the performance of a stock-market index. Drawback* of indax-linkad GICs 1. Some index-linked GICs only pay a portion of the rise (if there is a rise) in the underlying index. Others put a 'cap" on the maximum return you can earn. 2. Many index-linked GICs base your return on the average value of the underlying index, over a period of time. That helps you if markets fall steadily. But it cuts your return over long periods, because stock prices rise about two-thirds of the time. 3. Index-linked GICs disregard dividends on stocks in the index. Dividends may seem insignificant because they are now only around 2%. But dividends rise over long periods, and companies pay dividends even when stock prices go down. Over long periods, dividends provide as much as a third of an investor's total return. Returns on index-linked GICs are taxed as interest. the highest-taxed of all forms of investment income. . Ipai dividends, which both have tax advantages. (In an Usually, stock market investing yields capital gains and RRSP, all income is tax-deferred and treated like interest when withdrawn.) 5. Index-linked GICs force you to cash in your investment when their term ends. This eliminates a key tax advantage. With stocks and mutual funds, you sell when you choose, and you can defer capital gains taxes for decades. - If you own Index-linked GICs, cash them In at the earliest opportunity. If you don't own them, stay out. O 1999 ArtPrass International GRAPHICS SYNDICATE 21/3 Patrick McKeough is author of R id ing The B u ll and editor of The Successful Investor, a monthly investment newsletter. For further information, call 1-800-579-4246 or visit http://www.thesuccessfullnvestor.com Advertising checklist important )) By Dave Anderson SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Only you can make up an advertisement that is suited to your business and your prod ucts. good ads require thought and effort. They are a communi cation system and communica tion skills need to be cultivated. The following set of questions should help you gain a clearer perspective of what your adver tisement is capable of doing for you. Good advertisers go through this questioning process every time. The effective use of your advertising dollars is one of the most important expenditures within your business. Communication creates demand and great communica tion creates greater demand. Take the time to make your ad effective. What is the point of this ad? What do you wish to accom plish? What is it you want the customer to believe? What do you want the customer to feel? What do you want your cus tomer to do? What 'hot' buttons, (fear or fantasy) are you pushing to cause the action? What image are you trying to project? Imagine yourself as the cus tomer sitting at home after a hard day at work reading the paper. When he comes to your ad, does it get his attention? How does it do that? does it tell him something interesting he didn't know? Is the headline clear and to the point? Does the headline get his interest and lead him to read the copy? Never mind cutesy. Create a headline that flies like an arrow directly to the cus tomer's self-interest. (PLAN NING TO BUILD?) If you were the customer and didn't know anything about the product, is there enough infor mation in the ad to get you to act? What does this ad say to you? What does the ad say to the customer who is ready to buy the product? What does that ad say to the customer who may not be ready to buy the product right now? Is the logo and address clear and eye-catching? Is the ad cluttered? Could the ad be made simpler, clearer and more to the point? Did you ask the customer to take some par ticular action? What does this ad say about you? What does this ad say about your business? The next one is crucial. What T h e ^ B u s i n e s s ^ D o c t o I \ is in this for the customers? What will the product fo for them? Will it make them better people? Will it flatter their egos; fill their pocketbooks; improve their golf; make them thinner; get them a date; or cure their cold? What's in it for them? Customers don't care about you. They care about them selves. Appeal to the customer's self-interest, that's what it's about. There is more to this commu nicating than meets the eye. It is a skill we must constantly work to perfect. Learn and grow. Advertising always works if you do! Dave Anderson Is available for sales meetings and annual con ferences. Call (705) 526-7661. Fastrax names new president Brian J. Murray has been named president of Fastrax Transportation, a division of Day & Ross Transportation Group specializing in full load, point-to-point shipments. Originally from Oakville and a 1977 graduate of Gordon E. Perdue High School, Murray earned a diploma in business administration from Sheridan College in 1979. He was recently with a major transportation firm for 12 years, becoming vice-president sales before joining Day & Ross Inc. as vice-pres. sales, in 1992. Day & Ross Transportation Group has five divisions: Fastrax Transportation, Day & Ross Inc., Sameday Right-O- Way courier. Day & Ross (Nfld) Ltd. and McCain Transport. BRIAN J. MURRAY RICHARD PO DSIADLO E IL E E N M C M A H O N BOARD MEMBERS: The Credit Valley Hospital Board of Governors has named Oakville residents Eileen McMahon nd Richard Podsiadlo to its board. McMahon is a partner in the Toronto law firm, Deeth Williams Wall, practising in the area of drug and device law. She has been named as an expert in Canaidan biotechnology law and is an executive board member of the Canadian Healthcare Licensing Association. Podsiadlo has 29 yers of business experience in the Canadian pharmaceutical and medical diagnositcs industry. He is presi dent of Nova Nordisk Canada Inc., the Canadian division of Denmark's Nova.Nordishk A/S. 4. A . 4 . A - 4 ---- http://www.sheridanc.on.ca http://www.thesuccessfullnvestor.com Excellence In Corporate Citizenship #5,2355 Royal Windsor Dr. Mississauga, ON Ph: 822-6032* Fax: 822-9957 • Pancake breakfast • Hay rides • Com roast • l-day sidewalk sale • Artisans For more information call 156 Trafalgar Rd. Caroline I. Bieze Invest in Career Futures! Sheridan www.sheridanc.on.ca 775 Pacific Rd., Unit 26 15-847-1956