Educational Opportunities

2010 PRCC Seminar Schedule

Customer Service Training at its Best!

On Thursday, May 27 *New Date* from 9 am to Noon, The Inn at Bay Harbor - A Renaissance Golf Resort will host a morning of Customer Service Training by General Manager and Service Guru, Bill Quiseng.

Mr. Quiseng will present another installment in his popular Customer Service Training, designed for any type of business, from food service to sales and everything in between. Our favorite guru will entertain you and your staff, while instilling the need for great service when dealing with customers and fellow employees. Topics covered in this three-hour seminar are an overview of topics covered in the half-semester course that Mr. Quiseng teaches at North Central Michigan College.

So send your staff and yourself to this energizing seminar today! Cost is just $15 per person for chamber members, or $25 per person for not-yet-members. Time and time again attendees leave with a renewed passion for delivering great service. Come see for yourself.

Call the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce at (231) 347-4150, or email chamber@petoskey.com to reserve your spot today.

Social Networking Tour Comes to the Chamber!

Five Sparrows, LLC, a Michigan web development and online marketing firm based in Hartland, will be in Boyne City on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 3 pm at 220 Lake Street in Boyne City for a stop on the "Spring Social Networking Tour". Chamber members are invited to attend the seminar "Social Marketing for Business", a one-hour, hands-on seminar featuring live demos and examples that demonstrate how to use social networking as an effective marketing tool for your small business.

Some of the things you will learn include:

• How to use social marketing to find new customers
• Which social networking sites are right for YOUR business
• The secret to updating your social networking profiles in one easy step
• How to re-purpose your existing marketing efforts as social marketing content
• How to use free web-based tools to track and monitor your progress (and your repuation!) online

Don't miss this chance to learn how to use social networking sites to connect with your customers, improve your search enging rankings, and learn the right ways to use social networking to grow your small business.  Admission is $5 for members of Northern Michigan Chamber Members, or $10 for non-members. So call today to reserve your spot!

This event is co-sponsored by the Petoskey Regional and Boyne Area Chambers of Commerce

2010 Business Education Seminars

"How to Start A Business" Seminar Series 
hosted by Northern Lakes Economic Alliance

These two hour orientation sessions presented by one of the NLEA/SBTDC Business Consultants will acquaint you with the process and tools needed to help you begin developing your ideas.

Scheduled class dates:

• April 21, 2010 - Banks Township Hall, Ellsworth
• May 26, 2010 - Charlevoix Public Library
• June 2, 2010 - Mackinaw City Public Library
• Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - Bellaire, TBD
• July 28, 2010 - NLEA Office, Boyne City
• August 25, 2010 - Petoskey District Library
• September 22, 2010 - Elk Rapids High School
• October 13, 2010 - Indian River Public Library
• October 27, 2010 - Jordan Valley District Library
• November 17, 2010 - Harbor Springs, TBD
• December 15, 2010 - NLEA Office, Boyne City

Events are held on Wednesday evenings (unless otherwise noted) 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Event fee is $20 and registration is required. To register, please contact Sara at (231) 582-6482 or email: sara@northernlakes.net.

2010 NLEA Business Workshop Series
hosted by  the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance

April 28, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm - "Effective Market Research", Charlevoix Public Library. Contact the Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce to register, (231) 547-2101.

Friday, May 21 from 9 am to 4 pm - "Inventor's Workshop", East Jordan Public LIbrary. Contact the East Jordan Chamber of Commerce to register, (231) 536-7351.

May 26, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm - "Effective Retailing", Audie's in Mackinaw City. Contact the Mackinaw Chamber of Commerce to register, (231) 436-5574.

June 2, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm - "Understanding your Financial Statements", Cheboygan Public Library. Contact the Cheboygan Area Chamber of Commerce to register, (231) 627-7183.

Cost varies from $15 to $35 for Chamber members/non members.

Small Business Education ProgrammingHosted by Northwest Michigan Works!

"Pure Michigan" Hospitality Training - The Hospitality RSA of Northwest Michigan is sponsoring Pure Michigan Training programs in the region on: April 14 at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa & April 15 at Shanty Creek Resorts. Visit www.nwm.org/hosppuremich.asp for details.

"Thriving, Not Just Surviving" Small Business Conference, Friday, April 16 at the Hagerty Center, Traverse City. Visit www.nwm.org/sbtdc.asp#thriving for details. Get inspirational and helpful advice from experienced business owners! Keynote speaker, Russell Springsteen, of Right Brain Brewery "Expect the Unexpected". The day includes breakout sessions highlighting topics on marketing, food/agriculture, online and micro businesses, alternate lending sources, and much more. The event will take place on Friday, April 16 from 8 to 4:30 pm at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City. To register, please call (231) 995-1700.

Opportunity Conference and Job Fair on Friday, April 23 
Is your business looking for qualified qorkers to fill job openings? You'll find them at the job fair as part of an Opportunity Conference on Friday, April 23 at Boyne Mountain Civic Center, Boyne Falls. If you are interested in being part of the job fair from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, please contact Jim Rummer at (231) 547-9947. There is a $25 registration fee for your business booth. The Opportunity Conference is sponsored by the Char-Em Poverty Reduction Initiative. For more information about the conference, visit www.char-empri.org.

"Basics of Importing", Traverse City on April 28
"Basics of Exporting", Traverse City on April 29
Presented by the Northwest Michigan Industrial Association and the Van Andel Global Trade Center in partnership with Northwest Michigan Works. Visit www.gvsu.edu/vagtc/ for details.

Sustainable Business Conference of Michigan - Revitalizing Michigan in Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Tourism
April 28-30, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
Visit www.nwm.org/stateconference.asp for details.

Brownfield Redevelopment Tools for Public & Private Sector WorkshopApril 20, 2010

The Northern Lakes Economic Alliance is hosting a seminar for Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) members highlighting Brownfield Redevelopment tools for Public and Private Sector Redevelopment on April 20, 2010 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. There is no charge for this seminar, but space is limited. Please call the NLEA to register, (231) 582-6482. 

New Economy 101 - Fundamentals of the New Economy
April 28, 2010

This is a two hour introductory program that describes how Michigan's present economic circumstances developed, and emphasizes Michigan's many assets as a good reason to be hopeful about our economic future. Presented by Kurt Schindler, Wexford County Michigan State University Extension Director, the program is intended for all audiences...residents, people trying to decide on a new career in the new economy, business owners...everyone. It will be held April 28 in the evening at the Cheboygan Memorial Hospital 3rd Floor Conference Room A. Register online at www.landpolicy.msu.edu/MPI or call toll free (877) 436-0002 x100.