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.
CHAMBER EVENTS
What a great turnout at both the Good Morning and Good Afternoon Buffalo last Thursday. Allina/Buffalo Hospital showed great hospitality as we networked. The hospital also had some great statistics to share! They are one of 100 top hospitals for their size in the country, they serve over 18,000 people in the ER, have 2000 admissions, 3500 surgeries, 550 births and employ over 500 employees. Whew! We are blessed to have them in our community!

Karna Kleven of Farmers Insurance exchanged the Buffalo Strong traveling piece of art with Havenwood who will show and share it for the month a their location. Amber Dickhausen of Bullseye Property won the awesome football basket the hospital provided. On the lower level, it was interesting to see the History Wall. I remember Dr. Catlin as my doctor as a child - thus the naming of the street the hospital is on.

Sadly, we failed to take pictures at Wild Marsh, though the turnout, service and food were all great! Glad we had a chance to get in there before the restaurant officially closed for the season. No worries - they will be back with a whole new look for next spring. They will be renovating the current bar/dining area and have a whole new menu!
Look forward to the next Good Morning Buffalo at JTB Home Furniture + Decor. Originally, we had one scheduled for next Friday, November 4th at City Hall. So change your calendar to Thursday, November 17th. More to come!
SAVE THE DATE FOR SOME GREAT TRAINING TO KICK OFF YOUR NEW YEAR!

INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION & EDUCATION!!

Put January 10th, 2023, on your calendar to attend an afternoon of big-name speakers that will encourage and enlighten us to start our new year in business off right! It will be co-hosted by the Buffalo Chamber, I-94 Chamber and JB Group in St. Michael and take place at the St. Michael Cinema.

Great names like Ross Bernstein, Cindra Kamphoff and Mark Lindquist - all nationally known speakers - will be sharing their knowledge with us! A networking social will follow!
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WE THANK OUR SPONSORS!

We appreciate you!

DECK THE HALLS:

Frosty Sponsor: Buffalo American Legion, CorTrust Bank, Edward Jones
Elf Sponsor: EDM, JMSC
Costume Sponsor: Buffalo Lions, Commercial Realty Solutions, Family Counseling Center, Farmers Insurance/Karna Kleven, Johnson/Larson/Peterson, Walmart

KITES ON ICE:

Premium Sponsor: Culver's, CorTrust Bank, Rotary Club of Buffalo, Insurance Center of Buffalo, Edward Jones
Cornhole Sponsor: Cross Country Mortgage, Farmer's Insurance/Karna Kleven, Nautical Bowls
Winter Winds: EDM, Insurance Brokers of MN-Mike Zumbusch Agency
Buffalo Blast: Family Counseling Center, Johnson/Larson/Peterson
CHAMBER DIRECTORY/COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE 2023

Remember to respond back if a sales rep calls from Prime Advertising. They are working to help make our Directory work for you!

On the flip side - if you have any great photos of the people and places in our community - we are always looking to show off Buffalo! Send them my way!
AMBASSADORS ON THE MOVE
WANT TO SHOWCASE YOUR BUSINESS HERE?

Would you like to have an Ambassador visit and get highlighted in our newsletter and on our social media? It is free publicity for you and your business, fun for the staff to get in a photo, and a way for the Chamber to say THANK YOU for being a member. Just give me a call and we will let the Ambassador team know. It doesn't take too much time out of your day - maybe 10 minutes tops - to let us stop in and show our appreciation!
BUSINESS INFORMATION
EMPLOYEE RETENTION TAX CREDIT

The IRS is warning businesses to exercise caution when approached by firms claiming to be able to assist with the ERC.

The Employee Retention Credit could be very lucrative for small businesses, but it's also become fertile ground for scams.
That's according to the IRS, which is warning business owners to scrutinize solicitations involving the ERC — noting businesses could be left holding the bag.
“Businesses are encouraged to be cautious of advertised schemes and direct solicitations promising tax savings that are too good to be true," the IRS said in its notice. "Taxpayers are always responsible for the information reported on their tax returns. Improperly claiming the ERC could result in taxpayers being required to repay the credit along with penalties and interest."

Initially, the ERC was a quarterly, refundable tax credit based on wages for business owners to retain staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was set at 50% of up to $10,000 in qualifying wages per employee for the last three quarters of 2020. The American Rescue Plan Act extended and expanded the ERC to include up to 70% of $10,000 in qualifying wages per employee per quarter in 2021 for the first three quarters, making it much more lucrative to business owners.

To qualify, businesses needed to record a drop in revenue during 2020 and or the first three quarters 2021 compared to 2019, or — and it's a big or — they had to be operating under significant government restrictions, which includes many restaurants, daycares and other businesses. Companies that qualify in all available quarters could receive up to $26,000 per full-time employee over the entire credit — although that's not common.

Businesses that took the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program also still qualify, with their PPP amount being deducted from what they would get from the credit, which is still a significant amount for many businesses owners.
WE ARE LOOKING TO FILL OUT OUR 2023 CALENDAR FOR LEADERS IN THE LIMELIGHT! READY TO MAKE A VIDEO TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS?

Another great way to showcase your business! Your video will reside on the landing page of our website for a month with a link to your website but remember the video is yours to keep for your own marketing purposes! Just $350 and it's done!
MEMBER/COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
ALL SORTS OF OPTIONS FOR HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS THIS SATURDAY
Zion Lutheran Parking Lot, 1200 Hwy 25 S, Buffalo
AN EASY WAY TO SUPPORT LOVE INC WITH AN OPEN HOUSE.
COME AND GO AS YOU PLEASE FROM 1:00-5:00.
A WAY TO BE PART OF THIS GREAT EVENT - SPONOR AND/OR ATTEND!

Parenting with Grace is looking to raise funds to open a brick and mortar space as a supervised parenting center serving Wright County.
Why did the Headless Horseman get a job? He wanted to get ahead in life!
KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW

Quick-link to the recent City of Buffalo public meetings:
What does a ghost mom say when she gets in the car? Fasten your sheet belts!
Be sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce
763-682-4902
Sue@BuffaloChamber.org 
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