A Word From Our President |
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Today, I would like to thank all of you for your support of the business community throughout the past year. Whether it was the sale of more than $55,000 in BOGO gift cards (in less than 40 minutes!) through the Consumers Energy Our Town program that directly supported our member small businesses, or the Bay City Commission allocating $300,000 for small business support grants, our community has proven once again why it continues to be one of the best places in Michigan to do business.
And, as we turn the page on a new year, I encourage you to continue to support the small businesses that make our community so unique. Frequent your favorite restaurants, visit a boutique in town or find an activity offered by one of our members to help get through the cold winter months ahead.
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Ryan Tarrant
President & CEO
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
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General Motors Powertrain
Herman Hiss & Company
Weinlander Fitzhugh
Mersen USA Bn Corp Bay City Branch
K-R Metal Engineers Corp.
McLaren Bay Region
Begick Nursery & Garden Center
Nelsen & Company
Thelen Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Kia Dow Bay Area Family YMCA
G & R Van Driessche Farms, Inc.
American Cancer Society
Saginaw Bay Yacht Club
Bay City Fireworks Festival
Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
1st State Bank
Bay County Farm Bureau
DBI - Choice
Westminster Presbyterian Church Touchstone Services Inc.
John E. Green Company
Copus Orthodontics
Bay County Fair & Youth Exposition
Yeo & Yeo CPAs & Business Consultants Three Rivers Corporation
Chippewa Nature Center
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Trademark Commercial Group
Brooklyn Boyz Pizzeria & Italian Eatery Sherwin-Williams #1149
MBS Title Agency
Dr. Becky Lang & Dr. Mary Durbin OB/GYN Global Tan
Frankenlust Township
Central Michigan University Global -Campus - Saginaw
SPACE, Inc. - Midland
Weiss Property Management
Halla Mechatronics
Bay City Scottish Rite
Shaw Contracting Co.
Tondué Medical Spa
Hampton Inn & Suites
Harbour Light Photography
Form & Function
Verizon-Wireless Zone of Essexville
Urban East
St. Patrick's Day Parade Association Sargent Docks / Rock Products
NAACP - Bay City Branch
Michael Ciaciuch
Lyndsey O'Brien-Realtor
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2022 Small Business Relief Grant Program
On Dec. 20, 2021, the City of Bay City Commission authorized $300,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to be utilized to create a small business relief grant program to be administered by City of Bay City Economic Development staff, with assistance from the City of Bay City Fiscal Services Director, Bay Future, Inc., and our organization, the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce . This program is targeted to help businesses with less than 20 employees with COVID-19 related expenses and allows for grants up to $5,000 for businesses with 1-10 employees, and up to $10,000 for businesses with 11-20 employees.
You can find the full guidelines here.
Applications are available at City Hall (301 Washington Avenue) in room 207 or online. PDF version here. Printable version here.
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Mad City Money Volunteers Needed
Mad City Money is a life simulation for high school students. Each participant receives an “about me” sheet that contains: an occupation and salary, student loan debt owed, credit card debt owed, and cost of medical insurance. Some participants will have a spouse; some will be single, and some will be single parents.
Participants build a monthly budget based on their incomes. They visit nine merchants in Mad City Money to purchase housing, transportation, food, day care, and other needs. There’s a mall for wants and, of course, a financial institute for services. The Fickly Finger of random fate distributes unexpected windfalls and unplanned expenses.
Participants use debit cards for their purchases and must balance both their debit card and their debits by the end of the simulation.
Date: January 26, 2022
Time: Session I – 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Session II – 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
All day – 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Bay-Arenac Community High School
805 Langstaff Street
Essexville, MI
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Are you hiring?
We are currently running a weekly Facebook post titled, "Find a Job Friday." Every Friday we are posting Chamber Members that are hiring, on a first-come, first-serve basis! If you are interested in this FREE opportunity to advertise that you are hiring, please send your contact information and job description to [email protected]!
Please be sure to let us know when the position has been filled so that it can be removed from our list.
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Downtown Bay City works to serve the community with events, beautification, historic preservation and the creation and implementation of development plans within the Downtown district. Marjo Jaroch, Executive Director, and Events & Marketing Specialist, Kellie Rupp, are here to move our Downtown forward and cultivate a community that we are all proud to be a part of.
The Downtown Management Board brings you some of your favorite events & activities in Downtown Bay City, such as the Wine Walk, Santa’s Arrival and Feet on the Street! The Downtown Development Authority works on economic development, infrastructure, such as the Façade Improvement Grant Program and also worked to bring the beautiful new fireplaces to our Downtown.
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Kellie Rupp is one of our new 2022 Chamber Ambassadors!
Kellie comes to us from the Downtown Management Board and the Downtown Development Authority where she has worked as the Events & Marketing Specialist for two years now. Kellie plans a lot of the fun on goings in Downtown Bay City such as Apps & Ales, Sundays in the City and helped facilitate Feet on the Street.
Kellie currently resides in Bay City with her husband and their two cats, Jameson & Moomie, on the Kawkawlin River. Kellie’s favorite part about living and working in Bay City is the concerts in the park, DryDock Beer Garden and getting ice cream at Mussell Beach. Stop in and say hi!
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Minority Business Partnership |
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2022 Energize Chair, Arielle Roth, is also a photographer and we've partnered with her to offer discounted headshots to our Energize and Chamber members. A portion of sales will go back to Energize to continue offering current (and more awesome) programming in the upcoming year.
Headshots will be $50 and all you have to do is show up to her studio at the timeslot you choose and she'll do the rest.
Message Arielle Roth Photography to reserve your spot, payment due at time of scheduling to reserve your spot.
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What is the "Fast Track"?
Fast Track is a pre-paid pass for the 2022 Eye Opener Breakfasts. It allows you to pre-register for the breakfasts January thru December. (There are no breakfasts in July or August.) Eye Opener Breakfasts scheduled for 2022: January 19, February 9, March 9, April 13, May 4, June 15, September 7, October 2, November 2 and December 14.
Why should I be on the "Fast Track"?
As a Fast Track member you:
- Are automatically registered for every 2022 Eye Opener Breakfast
- Have the convenience of a one-time payment
- get the express check-in
Do I have to assign a specific person to each "Fast Track" pass?
Yes, each Fast Track pass is assigned to the person who plans to use it every month. However, if you can't make a breakfast, another individual from your organization can use it as long as you let us now prior to the breakfast.
How do I get a "Fast Track"?
If you purchase by December 31, 2021, you will receive one FREE breakfast.
Fast Track pass is $90 for the year.
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