WOMEN IN BUSINESS NETWORK
520A SPRUCE ST.
MT. SHASTA CA 96067
MINUTES OF MEMBERS MEETING
Best Western Hotel
April 4, 2012
8:30 AM

Call to order

The meeting was called to order at 8:32 AM by Vice President Marguerite Lorimer. President Matilde de Franchis-Unruh attended the meeting via Skype from Italy.

The meeting began with a moment of gratitude given by Atara Melo

Introductions

Each Member or Guest introduced herself and her business. Some of the Members included announcements in their introductions:

□ Wanda Welbourne announced that the Sisson Museum will open this Friday, April 6, with a special program and a collection of lenticular cloud photos.

□ Sandy Patterson announced her spring sale at New 2You, with clothes at $2 per bag, this Saturday April 7.

□ Guest Arthur Cronos announced his book, Marketing Online. He will giving free workshops, for which one can sign up online, on setting up and promoting an online business.

□ Audra announced that public access TV, Channel 15 in Weed and Channel 4 in Yreka, can make free announcements for nonprofit organizations.

□ Noorah Hansen announced that she and her business partner Valerie Donner are giving an event, Transcend These Times of Change in 2012.This will take place on four Thursdays, starting May 3, by telephone.

□ Atara Melo announced two crafts workshops at A Melo Place this month, one on making glazed mugs and one on drum making. She also shared that she sold one of her art pieces at the Siskiyou Arts Council.

□ Lesa Michel announced that on the fourth Friday of each month there is an Art Walk in town from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.

□ Wendy Weibel is offering an introductory special Ionic Detox Footbath at half price for WIBN Members.

Secretary’s Report

Minutes of the March 7 Members Meeting are posted on the WIBN website. Marguerite asked if there were any additions or corrections; there were none. She then asked for a motion to approve the Minutes. Atara so moved, Danielle Signor seconded, and all agreed; the Minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Due to the absence of Treasurer Patricia Le Tallec, Vice President Marguerite Lorimer announced a balance of $1046.80

Committee reports

Membership: Atara asked that the Members sign in at meetings with a B for breakfast or a D for drinks only. Matilde,Via Skype, reminded her to announce to the group that the new Membership year begins on May 1, at which time the annual dues of $60 will be due.

Support Group: The next Support Group meeting will be on Wednesday April 18, 5:30 to 7:30, at Allou Guthmiller’s home, 512B Spruce Street.

Mentoring: The committee, (Matilde, Marguerite, Allou, Maryam,and JEDI’s Nancy Swift) has started to plan our mentoring program. There is also a mentoring program set up by Superintendent of Schools Mike Matheson; Marguerite will be meeting with him to learn more about his program.

Website: Maryam Rumi has to be away for a time, hoping to be able to return in June. Danielle has agreed to continue as Webmaster until Maryam returns. Event announcements to be posted on the website are to be sent first to Matilde, then she will forward them to Danielle for posting.

Fundraising: Matilde addressed the group on plans for the April 20 Wine Tasting Fundraiser.
She has asked chef Caroline Brask to assist in preparing the appetizers, and Caroline has agreed to do this. Caroline teaches classes in culinary arts and has much experience in setting up banquets. Caroline reported that she has met with Lesa Michel, owner of the venue (The Gallery) and has walked through the space. She described the planned layout for the event. She passed around a list for Members to sign up to assist with greeting, setup, cleanup, and to bring additional appetizers and desserts. Matilde gave her office address, 407 Berry Street, as the place for Members to bring food they have prepared and donations for the Silent Auction. Matilde will be back in town on April 15 and can be called on April 16.

A committee will be formed to work on the grants that come from the funds that will be raised.

Featured Speaker

Marie-Josée Wells, the Executive Director of the Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce, began with an overview of the history of Chambers of Commerce, the first one ever being in Marseille, France, in 1599. The first Chamber of Commerce in the US was started in New York State in 1768. There came to be local, US, and International Chambers, all unrelated. They served to promote business, network, and protect business from government.

Chambers operate according to what their members want; the members own their Chamber. They are funded only by contributions from their members.

In our area, in addition to the Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce, there are Chambers in the neighboring towns. The Mount Shasta Chamber has contractual relationships with other groups such as the Mount Shasta Visitors Bureau. There are twelve elected Board of Directors members; we can come to them or to Marie-Josée if we have requests. She encourages us to speak up, to not feel intimidated. The Chamber is the heart of the community; everything should come through it. It keeps track of all events; it’s like a big secretary for the entire community, focusing energy for the good of the community.

Candidates night is April 18; we can send in questions for the candidates to answer.

In Marie-Josée’s opinion, the business world is shifting, transitioning. It previously was local; now, with the internet, business is global. But “Shop Local” is good; community starts with where you shop.

Questions:

What is the difference between the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Bureau?
The Chamber takes the bigger view; it’s more of a watch dog, watching laws, anything that could affect business. It’s the Big Connector; Mount Shasta is an international community; the Chamber website is a showcase to the world. The Visitors Bureau promotes the community, takes care of visitors. It’s the first smiling face that they see when they come to town.

Is there any way to have our services and events listed on the Chamber website, without being a Chamber member?
Yes, you can go to the Chamber website, http://mtshastachamber.com , go to Events and list your event.

I do business in several communities. Which Chamber should I join?
Talk to members of each Chamber to see which to choose. Or join more than one.

What is the cost to join the Chamber?
It varies with the community. The Mount Shasta Chamber has 5 tiers of membership; the cost ranges from $165 for the basic membership to the highest, $3250, which includes more services. However members at all levels have equal voice.

I keep hearing “Let’s make it county-wide.” Is there a way to do that?
A year and a half ago Marie-Josée created the Siskiyou Alliance of Chambers of Commerce. Each Chamber sends two people to their quarterly meetings. The website www.visitsiskiyou.org has links to the calendars of all 8+ Chambers.

Next Meeting

The next Membership meeting will be Wednesday, May 2, at 8:30 AM at the Best Western.

Adjournment

The Vice President asked for a motion to adjourn. Noorah so moved and this was seconded by Jane Seely; all were in favor. Meeting was adjourned at 9:58 AM.
Attendance

Members: Amore Vera Aida, Atara Melo, Audra Gibson, Danielle Signor, Elizabeth Mitchell Collord, Heather Weldon, Jane Seeley, Kathy Hall, Karrie Ann Snure, Lesa Michel, Marguerite Lorimer, Marilyn Taylor, Maryam Rumi, Matilde de Franchis-Unruh, Noorah Hansen, Patc Dawson, Sandy Patterson, Sherry Anderson, Susan Dillon, Wanda Welbourn, and Wendy Weibel.

Guests: Arthur Cronos, Barbara Smith, Caroline Brask, Chas Ridley, Kristina Pinero, and Marie-Josée Wells.

Respectfully submitted by:

Marilyn Taylor
Secretary of the Board