Member Brief Bytes
The Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau serves our business members,
promotes our local assets, and shapes the future of our community.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
CHAMBER EVENTS
Everyone enjoyed their delicious bowls while visiting Nautical Bowls last week for our Good Morning Buffalo - another great turn out of over 30 members! They appreciated you coming and I'm sure you appreciated getting to know what their bowls are all about! I know some of you couldn't leave without getting a full size of your favorite version!

Kai Sin, our Wright County Health Promotion Coordinator, shared that there are monies available if you want to have some wellness programs at your place of business. If you want to know more contact her at 763-682-7354.

Next up on the Good Morning Buffalo Schedule is FORGE Transformative Fitness on March 23rd. More to come!
AND THE SURVEY SAYS...

Thank you to all that completed our survey last week! Here are the results!

WHY ARE YOU A CHAMBER MEMBER (top 4)?
  1. To help promote/market my business
  2. To support the Chamber and its work to make businesses strong in this community
  3. To be in the know about happenings in our community/business community
  4. To engage and network with other business leaders

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
There were 54 comments to this question and these were the most mentioned:
  1. Staffing/hiring (12 comments)
  2. Marketing my business - having enough customers/clients/patients (12 comments)
  3. Keeping up with work - providing a good experience - working with integrity/having a strong reputation in the community

There were lots of positive comments, which we greatly appreciate. There are some who would like us to contact them, which we will. In the end, we want these periodic surveys to drive our decisions moving forward. As much as I like offering educational opportunities, it ranked low with the respondents, though it seems social media training as it relates to marketing your business is a request. We will work to offer up some things to help you market your business and we will keep working with the schools on workforce development. As always, we are open to comments and suggestions anytime, just reach out!
SUZANNE AND I GIVING YOU OUR THUMBS UP, THANKING YOU FOR YOUR PART IN MAKING THE KITE FESTIVAL SUCH A HUGE SUCCESS!

Also see the photo contest winners - our own Luke Edlund with Edlund Media and Stacy Bunting a local photographer. There were a great number submitted and all were great! We were so fortunate to have a sunny blue sky as the backdrop to all the great memories made!
OUR 2023 CHAMBER AMBASSADOR TEAM

Our team of Ambassadors has grown! Look forward to hearing from them for a quick visit to your place of business to learn more about how we can help support you! If you would like to request a visit, just let me know!

Denise Koch/MidCountry Bank (Team Lead)
Jennifer Carlson/American Family/Chris Chapman Agency (Team Lead)
Tina Anderson, Anchor Realty
Jeremy Welter, Edina Realty/Northstar Group
Jackie Crever, Farmers Insurance/Jackie Crever Agency
Emily Theisen, Emily Theisen Photography
April Murch, Family Counseling Center
Sherry Dahman, All Over Nutrition
Steve Novacek, Optimal Function Physical Therapy & Wellness/FORGE
Davane Trogstad, Nautical Bowls
Andrew Agrimson, Insurance Center of Buffalo
Krystal Fair, ServPro
Hayley Theis, Old National Bank
Brit Haskins, Parisian Corner
NEW MEMBERS 2023
BUFFALO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
507 County Road 134
763-682-2773

Did you know that the Buffalo Presbyterian Church is the oldest church in Buffalo, built in 1875? Many of you might remember that it was downtown in what is now the Farmer's Market parking lot/across from the movie theater. It moved to its present location on the edge of town in 1996. They still have the bell and the stained-glass windows from the original location - see below. Pastor Brian Entz has been serving there for over 5 years.

The church has about 100 members and meets every Sunday morning at 9:30. They are very active in the community, hosting a community Thanksgiving service, delivering Meals on Wheels, helping serve the community breakfast and supporting the local food shelf.

They have crafty ladies that have met for the last 13 years every Tuesday morning, who make gifts to sell at the annual Craft and Bake sale. Proceeds from that sale go to other non-profit organizations in the community such as Love, Inc or Wrapped in Love. The church has a strong music program - with great staff and choir. They have a community garden that has been growing strong for 15 years and they will be celebrating their 150th birthday in 2025.

Welcome to our membership!
BUSINESS NEWS
MINNESOTA CHAMBER PROGRAMS/OFFERINGS TO SUPPORT YOU
AS A BUFFALO CHAMBER MEMBER BUSINESS

Our State Chamber, which your Buffalo Chamber is a member of, offers programs and incentives to you as a Chamber member. I am going to highlight some of those offerings over the next several newsletters. First off, and the newest of benefits, is ChamberHealth - an insurance program designed for small and mid-sized businesses to gain access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.

This may mean lower premiums for you and give you access to features that typically only larger companies might receive. We all know that offering health benefits is a key player in retaining your employees. Click below to learn more.
MEMBER/COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
BISON FISHING FOREVER NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

Want to offer a good service opportunity to your staff? Sign up to take seniors or families on a free two-hour pontoon fishing trip on Lake Pulaski. The Bison Fishing Forever Group goes out all summer long from May 31st to September 15th, with up to three tours a day Mon-Thursdays. Volunteer training is coming up in April. Want to know more? Contact Adam Leiferman at the Community Center at 763-682-6036.
BECAUSE WE ARE A TOURISM BUREAU...

Looking for a unique get away close to home? There is an Airbnb yurt (called Cozy Corner) located in our neighboring Maple Lake. The grand opening is Sunday, March 5th from 2-4:00. Enjoy Irish Blessings and Spooky Brew Roastery coffee and hot chocolate and check out the yurt!

Location: 3495 Eldridge Ave NW, Maple Lake
KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW

Quick-link to the recent City of Buffalo public meetings:
GOD MADE MINNESOTA

God said, when creating our state, that Minnesota will be a land of outstanding natural beauty, a land of 10,000 lakes all full of fish, with majestic pines, flowing rivers, landscapes full of buffalo, bear, elk, moose and eagles. It will have tall grasses and rich farmland. The inhabitants will prosper and shall be known as the most friendly. Gabriel, the angel said "Lord aren't you being too generous to these Minnesotans?" "Not really" God replied "Just wait until you see the winters I am going to give them."
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Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce
763-682-4902
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