Februarys Red Carpet Award winner,  Mike Nelson, Chamber Board President presents Candy Evans, Ann & Doug Clayton, Pioneer Mobile Home Park  the "Red Carpet" pin and $25 Gift Certificate.

Red Carpet Service Award        

Red Carpet Award Winner for February is Ann & Doug Clayton Pioneer Mobile Park for their outstanding customer service.  

Ann & Doug Clayton were nominated by Valerie Bolinder.  Valerie had these comments, “We all love our beautiful little city!  Each one of us does their part to make this a great place to live.  Especially Ann and Doug Clayton.  Managers of Pioneer Park Mobile Home Community, (the little community within a community).  With Candy Evans, Assistant Manger at their side, Ann and Doug Clayton have created a clean, safe and affordable place to raise a family.  Many people don’t know that the Clayton’s over-see approximately 1200 residents.  That’s a lot of people, so they must enforce rules and regulations.  Those rules help encourage the residents to take pride in their homes and yards, to be considerate of their neighbors.  A 10 mile an hour speed limit is strictly enforced for the safety of our children.  If only every mobile home park cared as much.  Pioneer Park is a terrific place to live because of these two fine, hard working people.  In my opinion, they certainly deserve the Red Carpet Service Award.”  Ann and Doug receive a Red Carpet Pin, $25.00 Gift Certificate as well as other advertising.  They will be entered in the Red Carpet Person of the Year award contest to be presented at the Recognition Banquet in 2009.  

If you know someone out there that has rolled out the red carpet for you, give them some well deserved recognition and nominate them for next month’s award!  Nomination cards can be found at the Chamber office and also at most of the businesses.  

If you were the nomination person of a Red Carpet winner please stop by the office we have a gift for you too.  We appreciate you taking the time and effort to make sure someone’s efforts are noticed.

 
 Lance Porter, BLM, give members a presentation 
at Lunch & Learn in February

Lunch & Learn    

February winners: Cindy Johnson, Mobilitat, Newsletter Profile; Peg Larson, WWCC Radio; Marie Colestock, Green River Realty, Radio; Bonnie Bigolin, Print Link-Ad Specialties, Reader Board Sign; 50/50 Raffle winner was Pat Brown, Wyoming Workforce Services.  The Lunch & Learn program is held the third Wednesday of every month at noon at rotating Chamber member restaurants that can accommodate the meetings.  March’s Lunch and Learn will be March 18th, Noon , Rodeo Grill, the topic will be a Legislative Update.

Chamber Board of Directors
and Staff

¨         Bob Saunders, Past-President  Wells Fargo   307-352-5538

¨         Michael Nelson, President    High Plains Physical Therapy  307-875-1847 

¨         Cindy Brandjord, Vice President  School District #2  307-872-3290 

¨         Bonnie Bigolin, 1st Vice-President   Print Link Ad-Specialties 307-875-6128 

¨         Robert Berg, Secretary  Artic Circle  307-875-4582 

¨         Jeff Nieters, Treasurer  City of Green River  307-872-6122 

¨         Kathy Gilbert  Green River Star  307-875-3103 

¨         Joanna Nara-Kloepper   BLM  307-352-0321 

¨         Brian Mortimer  Solvay  307-872-6508 

¨         Jeff Wilson    Desert View Eye Care Center  307-875-3399 

¨         Marie Colestock  Green River Realty  307-875-5522 

¨         Terri Cook  307-875300  Hampton Inn Suites

• Janet Hartford, Executive Director

• Wendy Kraft, Office Specialist

• Elyse Lamb, Office Assistant

Renewals  

2 Years

Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Dick Hartman
2120 Carey Ave. Suite 410
Cheyenne, WY  82001
307-778-3359
www.up.com

3 Years

Family Dynamics Counseling, Inc.
Jill Ann Johnson
4000 Dewar Drive
Rock Springs, WY  82901
307-382-3010
307-382-6881
familydynamics@wyoming.com
www.familydynamicscounseling.com
 

H&R Block
Office Manager – Jakon Louderback
300 S. Uinta Suite D
875-2499
District Address – 110 South 500 West, Provo, UT 84601
District Phone – 801-375-3460
District Fax – 801-375-8400
District Contacts – Gary MacKay or Donette Carr

4 Years  
Print Link-Ad Specialties
Bonnie Bigolin
520 Wilkes Dr. Suite 1
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-3063
Bonnie 307-870-6611
Brittany-307-707-2366
www.print-link.com
Bonnie's email: bonnieb@print-link.com
Brittany's email: bflores@print-link.com

6 Years

High Plains Physical Therapy
Michael E. Nelson, MS, PT
920 Upland Way
Green River, WY 82935
307-875-1847
307-875-4269 fx

Tax Master’s
Sherie Anderson
432 Uinta Dr
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-1878  fx307-875-5399
saanderson@wyoming.com
 

K-Motive
Kael Jasperson
West Of Green River  
PO Box 415
307-875-9205  
kmotive@sweetwater.net

7 Years

Gorge Rock Products Inc.
Curg Murray
807 Smith St.
Rock Springs, WY  82901
307-875-3378

Kalivas Insurance Agency
Artis Kalivas
61 N 2nd W
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-8270 fx307-875-8274

8 Years

American Cancer Society
Diana Rudelich
PO Box 2868
Rock Springs, WY  82902
307-362-5074
dianarudelich@cancer.org
 

11 Years

Red Desert Roundup Rodeo Inc
PO Box 1644
Rock Springs, Wy  82902
307-382-3473 307-273-9715

Questar Gas
Johnny Portillo/Russ Kirlin
PO Box 1450
Rock Springs, WY  82902-1450
307-352-7705

16 Years

J A S Storage
Art Kline
PO Box 639
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-3406

19 Years

Pamida Inc
Rhonda Nieman & Terrie Pond
1105 Bridger
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-5244 fx307-875-5267

20 Years

Vase Funeral Home
Kim Vase
263 E. Flaming Gorge Way
Green River, WY 82935
307-875-2241

Pizza Hut
Virginia Myers
615 E. Flaming Gorge Way
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-4562

21 Years

Trona Valley Community  Federal Credit Union
Marsha Tynsky
840 Hitching Post
Green River, WY  82935
307-875-9800 fx307-875-5551
www.tronavalley.com

Sweetwater Recognition Banquet 

April 4^th, 6 p.m. is the date set for the Sweetwater Recognition Banquet, Events Complex, in Rock Springs is place! That is the event formally known as the “Gala”; this is a joint venture between SWEDA, Green River and Rock Springs Chamber.  This year’s theme will be “Life’s a Beach in Sweetwater County”  

Be thinking about what business or person you want to nominate this year. Nomination form will go out to the Membership soon March. Here are the categories for this year:  

Cornerstone Award

This award will be presented to a business that has been in operation for 15 or more consecutives years. Criteria is based on longevity of employment and service or product delivery, as well as their contribution to the community including community service, participation in local events and activities, financial support to local community efforts and charities, and active participation on boards and commissions.

Pacesetter Award

This award will be presented a business that has been in business for not less than 1 year, but not more than 14 years.  Nomination should take into consideration: having provided and meet a “niche” in the community, provided new or innovative product or service or product delivery, demonstrated a willingness to “take a risk”, contribution to the community including community service, participation in local events and activities, financial support to local community efforts and charities, and active participation on boards and commissions.  

Athena Award

This award will be presented to a business owned/operated by a woman.  The nominee must demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession and provides valuable services by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for women in the community.

Stewardship Award

This award will be presented to a company or agency whose primary mission is not wildlife related yet have significantly contributed to the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of wildlife, their habitat, or recreation above the normal regulatory requirement.  

Customer Service Award

This award will be presented to any Company, business or individual that has gone above and beyond ordinary and expected customer service. Nominees should have consistently displayed excellent customer service and have examples of going above and beyond their job, business or company job description of customer service.  

Home Based Business Award

This award will be presented to a business that is based from the home.  Nomination should take into consideration: having provided and meet a “niche” in the community, service or product delivery, contribution to the community including community service, participation in local events and activities, financial support to local community efforts and charities, and active participation on boards and commissions.

Distinguished & Outstanding Citizens Awards  

            Do you know someone that is absolutely passionate about Green River ? Do you know someone that continually volunteers and is behind the scenes working for the betterment of our town? Those people need to be recognized! The Green River Chamber would like to make sure these individuals are recognized and we are looking for nominations.

            The Chamber is looking for nominations in two categories. The first is for “Distinguished Citizen Award”; persons qualifying for this nomination must be a resident of Green River and have demonstrated a long history of civic involvement to the community and or the Chamber. You are encouraged to elaborate on the candidate’s background; news articles, testimonials, etc. will help the committee arrive at an informed decision.  A few of the previous winners of the “Distinguished Citizen Award” are Carl Morck, Regina Clark, Bill Thompson , Al Harris , Pat Robbins and Gaye Winter.  These winners are not eligible for nominations.

            The second award for “Outstanding Citizen Award” will use the same criteria but the nomination’s involvement can have been within the last several years. A few of the previous winners of the “Outstanding Citizen Award” have been, Ruth Lauritzen, Poncho Gardea, Cathy Luzmoor, Ellen O’Neall and Bill Lewis. These winners are not eligible for Outstanding Citizen nominations, but are eligible for Distinguished Citizen nominations. Last years winners were Patsy Sorensen, Distinguished Citizen and Ruth Lauritzen, Outstanding Citizen.

            To nominate an individual please write a letter to the Chamber of Commerce; Attention Distinguished and Outstanding Citizen Award Committee. Include other letters of support, newspaper clippings and any other information that will help the Committee in making their decision. Please submit nominations to the Green River Chamber of Commerce by March 23, 2009 . Awards will be presented at the Sweetwater County Awards Banquet, April 4, 2009 at the Island Pavilion. 

New Members

Edward Jones
At Edward Jones, we understand why you’re investing.  You have specific financial goals and the desire to provide for yourself and your loved ones.  Because we serve individual investors and business owners, all of our energy and resources are dedicated to helping you reach your long-term financial goals.  That’s why we live and work in your community.  Rather than chasing the latest fad, we recommend a diversified mix of investments that we believe will perform well over the long term while helping to reduce the risk.  By meeting in person and on a regular basis, we can offer investment strategies that are specifically designed for you.  Bob Ross, 560 Uinta Dr., Green River, WY  82935 307-875-3812, 866-597-8067fx  bob.ross@edwardjones.com    www.EdwardJones.com

Aflac
Affordable supplemental insurance for accident, hospital, intensive care, vision, dental and more.  Aflac-providing cash in times of sickness or accident.  Cindy Simcox, 1120 Conestoga, Green River, WY  82935  307-871-9312
Cindy_simcox@us.aflac.com

Craig Wolffing is the new Occupational Therapist at High Plains Physical Therapy.  Craig is the only solely out-patient OT in Sweetwater County .  He specializes in industrial testing, hand therapy, upper extremities, custom splinting.  Our clinic has both an Occupational Therapist and a Physical Therapist in it.  We have a BTE machine which is capable of performing numerous tasks.  It is able to perform and document with the newest technology available.  Physical demand capabilities for returns to work, post-offer employment, Functional capacity exams

Don Hartley facilitates the Green River Chamber Board Retreat

2009 Leadership Class attends the County Commissioner's Meeting

Don’t tell me you got nothin’ to do!  

• Time to start working on your tan, check out Hot Styles.

• Wild horses in their winter coats frolicking on White Mountain …just a short drive up the Canyon and Highway 191 north of Rock Springs .

• Enjoy a relaxing cup of hot coffee, cocoa or chi at the Book & Bean.  Just the thing to take the fall chill off.

• Drive up to Seedskadee and see the trumpeter swans, ducks and eagles…you may even see a deer or moose.

• Enjoy a relaxing cup of hot coffee, cocoa or chi at the Book & Bean.  Just the thing to take the winter chill off.

• Enjoy an evening dinner at Red Canyon Lodge still open on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday.

• The Sweetwater County Museum is open daily from 10:00-6:00 daily.

• Attend Dancin’ the Night Away March 28^th for a night of dancing.  The cost is $3/person or $5/couple.  8-10 pm .

• Relax and acquire some culture, visit the Library’s and Fine Arts Center .

• Enjoy Fun, Fitness and Fellowship at the Green River Recreation Center .  Open Monday-Friday 5 am-9 pm , Saturday 8 am-8 pm , Sunday Noon-7 pm.

 

By Jill Kline, WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz Small Business Development Center , regional director

"I am looking for sources of funds to start my business. Are there any grants that will help me?" D.S., Sheridan

This is a common question asked by entrepreneurs who want to start or expand a business. Unfortunately, the short answer to this question is no, there are no grant opportunities specifically for business start-ups or expansion.

Visit the www.Business.GOV Web site to find "Loans and Grants Search Tool" to help identify the types of loan or grant opportunities that are available. The tool helps to select the state in which you reside in addition to other criteria to identify business or industry. Once the necessary choices are made, press the "Search" button and you will immediately receive a list of programs for review. A variety of Small Business Administration or other loan guarantee or assistance programs will be listed in addition to links to details about the programs.

Still, for most small business start-ups, start with a local bank, but be prepared; bank officials will want to see a business plan that includes information about your industry, target market and cash flow projections.

Other items a banker will look at are credit score, investment into the business and collateral. The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (www.WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz) personnel can help get potential small business owners organized and prepared before they talk to a banker.

Typically, the only grant opportunity identified by the "Loans and Grants Search Tool" is the Small Business Innovation Research Program. This is a competitive, niche program that supports the scientific research and development of innovations. For details on this program, visit the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative Web site www.uwyo.edu/sbir.

Two of the grant programs in Wyoming are the Workforce Development Training Fund Program and the Tradeshow Incentive Grant. The Training Fund grant helps fund skill upgrades for existing employees or training for expanding business's new employees. Information about this program can be found on the Department of Workforce Services Web site, www.wyomingworkforce.org/wdtf.

The Trade Show Incentive reimbursable grant program encourages Wyoming businesses to promote and sell their Wyoming-made products to statewide, national and international audiences by offsetting the costs of the trade events. To learn more about qualifying and learning more details about this program, visit the Wyoming Business Council Marketing Assistance Web page at www.wyomingbusiness.org/business/marketing.aspx and look for the "Tradeshow Incentive Grant" link.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming . To ask a question, call 1-800-348- 5194, e-mail wsbdc@uwyo.edu or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY 82071-3922. For help determining what it will cost to start and finance a local business, visit WSBDC Web page at www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz.

RIBBON CUTTING

Print Link Ad-Specialties has moved into a new location.  Please join us for a

Ribbon Cutting,

Thursday, March 19^th, 6:00 pm ,

520 Wilkes Suite 1.

Business Profile of the Month - "What Does Mobilitat Do?"

Mobilitat designs, develops and installs software for transit systems.  The software is called Easy Rides.  Easy Rides helps to 
lower costs and increase productivity, optimizes routing, and automates all billing and reports

We are helping over 100 transit systems nationwide and in Canada.  The transit dependant individuals who ride on the buses count on us to give 
them more rides even though the economy is down.

 Dispatchers can see a map of their busses as they travel around the town (we call that AVL).  
Easy Rides can initiate an automatic call to customers the night before their trip and lets them know 
the time their bus will arrive.

Forget about cutting down trees, we don’t use paper schedules; computers are installed into buses 
and communication is wireless. 

With Easy Rides dispatchers can easily see where their 
vehicles are throughout the day.

Mobilitat just celebrated our 10th anniversary and currently 
operates out of six cities in the United States and a shared office in the United Kingdom.

BRICKS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE UNTIL MAY 2009

Help us build the new Visitors   Center by purchasing a brick. The Visitors Center will be located in the parking lot at west end of town   
adjacent to Moran Overlook Park. The building will sit on the backside of the current parking lot overlooking the Palisades and     
Tollgate— the perfect position to  attract tourists and serve the community.

          The bricks will be a lasting “Legacy”—showing the community and world your dedication and willingness to help build a 
enduring impression for years to come.   The “Great Wall of Fame” inside the building will be comprised of the “Premier Legacy Logo” 
bricks—your name or your company’s name will be on view to over 100’s of visitors a day! 

          For those of you who that want to help out but at smaller level have your name or your companies name on the Visitor’s Center “Walk  
and Wall of Fame” outside. The bricks will be used to build a walking path and wall around the building.  

Premier Legacy Logo

          Have your name and business logo on a 12” x 12” inside the Visitors Center for only $1,000.00. Bricks will be 
prominently displayed in the main Visitors Center information area. Price includes logo, 2 lines of text 24 characters for all upper case 
including spaces and punctuation.

 Business Logo Pavers

          $500 for 8” x 8” pavers available in sidewalk or wall, up to 2 lines of text and logo with a maximum of 20 characters per line for 
upper/lower case and 16 character for all upper case, including spaces and punctuations.

Business or Family Pavers

          $250 for 8” x 8” pavers available in sidewalk or wall, up to 3 lines of text with a maximum of 20 characters per line for 
upper/lower case and 16 characters for all upper case, including spaces and punctuations.

Business

          $100.00 for businesses, 4”x 8” pavers available in the sidewalk up to 3 lines of text maximum of 20 character-spaces per 
line for lower case and 16 characters for all upper case, including spaces and punctuation.

Individual

          $60.00 for individuals, 4”x 8” pavers available in the sidewalk up to 3 lines of text maximum of 20 character-spaces per line for 
lower case and 16 characters for all upper case, including spaces and punctuation.  

Thanks to those that have purchased bricks:

 For a total of $12,130.00!!!!

Borrowing Money in Tough Times

By Bruce Morse, WSBDC Region 2 director

"I hear so much in the media about banks not lending money. Can a small business person still borrow money these days?" Kelly, 
Ten Sleep

The bankers I have talked to around Wyoming all say they still have money to lend, but they do admit that they are being a little more diligent in their underwriting approach.

This generally is not a result of being burned recently because most of them were more conservative to begin with than their 
national brethren, but their regulators have insisted they become a little more cautious. I did have one lender tell me his organization 
would look only at business loans to companies that have been established for at least two years -- in other words, no start-up 
ventures.

I feel that a solid loan request that makes sense and can show repayment ability will still be met with a favorable reception. After 
all, that is how banks make money -- by loaning it out and getting it back with interest.

Keep in mind bankers will be looking for several things in that request. One, does cash flow with the new debt being requested? 
Two, is the collateral to secure the debt adequate? Three, does the owner have a fair amount of his or her own equity in the deal 
(existing or start-up)? Four, does the owner have the ability to manage this business?

While every lender looks at these items slightly differently, they will evaluate them all. Another trend that may appear is for lenders 
to seek a guarantee more frequently to help mitigate some of their risk. This could be through the Small Business Administration, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Business Council or other agency.

I suggest that applicants present a well-written, professional-looking request to the lender. Since this usually does not happen, the 
business owner will gain credibility immediately.

For assistance with preparing a business plan or a thorough loan application package, contact a local Small Business Development
Center office for guidance. Contact information is available at www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz.

For an opportunity to post comments on this article, go to the www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz Web site, enter the blog site.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of 
Wyoming . To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, e-mail wsbdc@uwyo.edu or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922 , Laramie ,
WY 82071-3922 . Additional help is available at the WSBDC Web page at www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz.

Information Distributed by Chamber  

February 2009 Year to Date

Relocation Packets                                          3             5

Vacation Packets                                              3             8

School Kids info                                              7             11

Convention Packets                                            0             0

Wyoming Pins                                                  100        100

City of Green River Pins                                    0             0

High Desert Country Pins                               100        100

Gift Certificates                                               461        679

Dollar Amount                          $17,173.00  $37,453.00

Brochure Racks                                                634        1553

Bulk Brochures                                                   0             0

Chamber Kiosk                                                   0             41

Walk ins                                                            292        553                      

Web Site Hits                                                   1824      3524

E-Mails                                                             228          653

Sales Tax Disbursements–January*

Sweetwater County

               County                  2,441,671

               Green River          1,219,604

               Rock Springs        1,951,575

Lodging Tax Sweetwater County

               County                         3,372                             

               Green River                 5,042

               Rock Springs               27,286

Labor Force**

SW Co.  Employed      Dec. 2007                           23,347    

Nov. 2008                           23,862 

Dec. 2008                           23,469 

               Unemployed  Dec. 2007                           649       

 Nov. 2008                           594                                                                                   Dec. 2008                           686

State       Employed      Dec. 2007                           278,790 

 Nov. 2008                           284,140

                                      Dec. 2008                           281,894

               Unemployed   Dec. 2007                           10,186 

   Nov. 2008                           8,928 

                                       Dec. 2008                           10,368  

Housing as of  January

               Homes sold         

                              Green River          3

                              Rock Springs        6

               Residential Listings

                              Green River         96

                              Rock Springs        190

               Average Costs      $200,00-249,900

 *Wyoming Department of Revenue              

** Wyoming Labor Force Trends

Bear, Lion and Wolf Seminars Teach Large Predator Safety

Wyoming Game & Fish Department

Green River Regional Office

Contact Lucy Wold 307-875-3223
GREEN RIVER --Would you know what to do if you suddenly encountered a wolf or grizzly bear while hiking, if a black bear entered your camp looking for food, or if you were surprised by a mountain lion in your back yard? 

If you’re not sure how to react in these situations, plan to attend one of the Game and Fish Department’s “Staying Safe in Bear, Lion and Wolf Country” seminars. 

The purpose of the seminars is to increase awareness and understanding of bears, mountain lions, and wolves by providing participants with information and tools they can use to prevent conflicts and avoid dangerous encounters.

Presentations will feature behavior and biology, life history, population status and movements, proper food storage, safety and legal issues, what to do in an encounter situation, and the most current information on the use of bear spray.

            The 2009 Staying Safe schedule is as follows:

Each seminar is free and open to people of all ages and skill levels. Participants must call their local Game and Fish office to pre-register for the seminar. The phone number to call in the Green River Region is 307-875-3223 or 1-800-843-8096 (in state).

Seven Reasons EVERY Business and Non-Profit Organization Should Be A Member of Their Local Chamber of Commerce

In a world loaded with marketing options and information overload I’m often asked by new and existing business owners for a simple, inexpensive way to increase their local visibility and marketing efforts to produce more opportunities and sales.  Without a doubt, I always ask a stunningly simple question, Are you a member of your local chamber of commerce?  I get one of three answers:

1. Yes                          2.   No, but tell me more                      3.  We used to be a member

Now I know every person has opinions but I’d like you to take a moment to read this brief article to discover seven reasons why I strongly feel that every business and non-profit organization should be a member of their local chamber regardless of the size of their organization, marketing budget, years in business, or even if they’ve heard of possibly had a negative chamber experience in the past.

1. Visibility.  Yes, you’ve heard it said time and time again, that out of sight means out of mind.  This is not a smart strategy for any business, especially when times are good!  A market can change quickly. 
2. Access.  Unless you’re crazy or like consistent rejection, no one enjoys making cold calls all day long.  It’s a painful, tedious process that often wastes far too much time and mentally drains even the most upbeat and friendly person after a while.  When you join a chamber and actively get involved you’ll discover that meeting prospects who may have an interest or who can refer you to key contacts you’re trying to reach, is a huge benefit of membership.  From being on committees, serving as an ambassador, or attending specific events where prospects are likely to be, you’ll find yourself in situations where you can identify and meet decision makers face-to-face versus making cold calls.
3. Ongoing training and education.  Unless you have the luxury of a training budget or can afford to bring in local, regional or nationally known experts on different topics, trends or key areas of expertise, I firmly believe that there is no other organization in America that delivers cutting edge, relevant and timely programs at such an affordable level for business and non-profit leaders as your local or regional chamber of commerce.  By spreading costs among members through registration fees and sponsorships, members can stay updated, informed and educated at a bargain price.
4. Networking.  From seminars, leads groups, luncheons to business expos and various business and community committees, there’s absolutely no excuse for not being able to meet new contacts, referrals and people who can help you with ideas and additional ways to group your business.  The old adage, out of sight, out of mind, is so true when it relates to networking.  The chamber give you several different venues to meet new people. 
5. Low cost advertising opportunities.  As far as visibility at the local level, a chamber offers a wide range of affordable advertising options and sponsorship packages for just about every business or non-profit, ranging from newly established firms to existing.  I’ve bought and sold traditional media and I can tell you it’s not cheap.  For the price of a few ads within a major media, you can often sponsor an entire program with the chamber, give a short commercial about your company, meet new prospects and follow up with the list of attendees who may have a need for your offering.  This is a wonderful way to hold your marketing dollars accountable and see them working hard right before your eyes.  A common area to get low cost or free advertising is submitting flyers for the inclusion within the chambers newsletter.  Amazingly, a lot of members do not take advantage of this wonderful free marketing provided with their membership.  The chamber is always on the lookout for member related news. 
6. Advocacy.  A foolish belief among large companies, especially national retail outlets is that they ‘re too big or not local enough to care about getting involved or joining their local chamber of commerce.  A few things they should think about:  Are their employees and customers local?  What happens to your local employees and customers does have an impact on your business even if you’re a national chain.  In addition, to missing out on networking, sponsorship and other business building news and benefits, I think it looks incredibly tacky if four or five local businesses are active in the chamber and a national firm in the same market area won’t even join.  In my mind this sends an incongruent message to the market when the national company claims to be “a good corporate citizen” but why won’t they join and get involved with their local chamber of commerce.

City of Green River Solid Waste Division Material Recovery (Recycling) Plan  

Solid Waste Division was receiving many calls and interest in recycling and felt it was a good time to research and see where we could expand our recycling program.  In October of 2008 we formed a Recycling Task Force (RTF) within our division and began our Material Recovery (Recycling) Plan.  This plan involves; researching products, recovering as much material as possible, and promoting through entities as a collaboration.  

Working together as a community will ensure this program is successful in Green River/Sweetwater County. The more material we have the less cost to Recycle it.

Residential Public Drop off Sites include: 

Public Works Recycling Drop Off Center 325 E. Teton Open 24/7:

Items being accepted are; Corrugated cardboard (there must be a ripple of cardboard between two layers of cardboard), Tin Cans (rinse and remove labels), Plastic bags/wrap (no bottles or jugs), Newspaper/Magazines/Phone Books (no other materials please), Paper (copy/ledger/envelopes/junk mail etc. anything except neon colors or slick coated papers), Aluminum (cans & foil).

Entrance to the Landfill, open Monday thru Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00pm: See operator for details

Items accepted are; Corrugated cardboard (there must be a ripple of cardboard between two layers of cardboard), Tin Cans (rinse and remove labels), Plastic bags/wrap (no bottles or jugs), Aluminum (cans & foil), Paint (see operator for details), Antifreeze, Batteries, Oil (motor oil, cooking oil @ $0.25/gal.).

New items are being researched; stay tuned to Local:  Channels 6 & 13, Radio stations and Newspapers for more information. 

This program is strictly voluntary for those that want to participate.

Your input is always welcome, please call us any time.

City of Green River Solid Waste Division

Working with you for a better tomorrow!

307-872-0531

REUSE, REDUCE & RECYCLE

Recycling Facts

Facts about recycling Corrugated cardboard

·        Corrugated cardboard can be recycled an average of 7 times before the fibers become too short and they are filtered out as sludge during the pulping process. The sludge is then ready for disposal, but often has one more usage and that is used as daily cover at landfills in place of soil.

·        1 ton of corrugated cardboard recycled

o       Saves 7000 gallons Water 

o       Cuts pollution by 95%

o       Saves 11 barrels – 462 gallons of Oil

o       Saves Landfill space more than 3 cubic yards

o        Saves 17 Trees  from having to be cut down and used for pulp

Facts about recycling Tin cans

·        Recycling tin cans reduces related energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, and solid waste by 45% and water pollution by 76%.

o        Each household uses approximately 600 steel cans per year

o       300 million cans are used during the Christmas holiday  week

o       A recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours!

o       One dumpster of  tin recycled, will save 10 tons of volume space in the landfill

Facts about recycling Aluminum (cans & foil)

·        Recycling ONE Aluminum Can saves enough energy to run:

o        A 100-watt bulb for 20 hours

o        A computer for 3 hours

o        A TV for 2 hours

o        The equivalent of a ½ gal of gasoline

·        125 aluminum cans saves enough energy to power one home for 1 day

·        It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum then to make it from raw materials

·        An aluminum can thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now

·        There is no limit to the number of times aluminum cans can be recycled

·        American consumers and industry throw away enough aluminum in a year to rebuild our entire air plane commercial fleet every three months

·        More than 20 Million Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day using 133 square miles of aluminum foil, all this foil is recyclable

Facts about recycling Paper, News Print

·        Americans use over 600 pounds of paper per person annually, enough to build a wall 12 feet high stretching from Los Angeles to New York

·        Recycling one ton of paper saves

o        3 cubic yards of Landfill Space

o        2 barrels of oil

o        7,000 gallons of water

o        74% less air pollution

o        4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity-enough to power the average American home for 5 months

·        If everyone in the US recycled just 1/10^th of their newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of about 25 Million  trees a year

·        When you smell a Landfill, what you smell is the paper in the landfill rotting.

 Facts about recycling Plastic Bags/Wrap

·        According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year.

·        Experts estimate that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed and discarded annually worldwide- more than a million per minute.

·        Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water.

·        Production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating.

·        The average household discards over 500 bags  a year

·        Producing new plastic from recycled plastic uses only 2/3rds of the energy required to manufacture it from raw materials

Facts about recycling Batteries

·        A car battery contains 18 pounds of lead and 1 pound of sulfuric acid

·        Battery acid is recycled by converting it to sodium sulfate for laundry detergent, glass and textile manufacturing

·        The typical new lead-acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic

·        The plastic is recycled into small plastic pellets and are sold to a manufacturer of battery cases and the process begins again

·        The lead is melted, cleaned and molded then shipped to a battery manufacturer, where they are re-melted and used in the production of new batteries.

·        Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of Landfills and the air, recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries

·        Rechargeable batteries do contain heavy metals and should be recycled, however they do result in longer life span and reduce the number of batteries entering the waste stream

Facts about recycling Anti-Freeze

·        Contaminates include emulsified oils and heavy metals

·        180 million gallons of anti-freeze is sold per year in the US and less than 15% is currently being recycled

·        A single gallon of anti-freeze can make 10,000 gallons of water unsafe to drink

·        Used anti-freeze can be remanufactured into new anti-freeze almost in definitely, which is more energy efficient and lessens the demand of natural gas which Ethylene glycol (EG)is made from-the main ingredient in anti-freeze

·        Recycling anti-freeze significantly reduces virgin natural gas and clean water consumption

Facts about recycling Oil

·        Over 600 gallons of motor oil is purchased each year

·        Re-refined oil is the same quality as virgin oil.  Oil does not break down it simply gets dirty.  Additives become depleted and chemicals break down.  The refining process cleans the used oil and adds additives back in.

·        Test after test has shown that American Petroleum Institute (API) certified refined oil is of equal or better quality than an oil made from virgin based stock

·        Oil can be refined over and over with no compromise in the quality of the lubricant.  Remember oil never wears out, it just gets dirty.

·        1 gallon of used oil produces 2.5 quarts of re-refined oil

·        If all used motor oil generated by the public was collected and re-refined, it would provide enough oil for more than 8 million cars each year.

·        Used motor oil is a valuable energy resource, a large portion is reprocessed into fuel that is burned in furnaces, turbines, power plants, and manufacturing facilities to provide heat and electricity

·        Two gallons of motor oil can generate enough electricity to:

o        Power the average home for one day

o        Cook 48 meals in a Microwave oven

o        Blow-dry a person’s hair at least 216 times

o        Vacuum a house for 15 months

o        Watch television for 71/2 days straight! (180 Hours)

·        1 Gallon of improperly disposed of motor oil can:

o        Contaminate 1 Million gallons of fresh water, a year’s supply of water for 50 people

o        Create an oil slick on surface water up to 8 acres in size

o        Render a 4 acre area of soil unusable for planting for decades

Facts about recycling Paint

·        Paint is harmful for the environment if not disposed of properly.  Never pour paint down a storm drain or sewer system. This will pollute ground water, rivers and streams.

·        Oil based coatings (such as thinners, solvents, stains and finishes)

o         Are classified as hazardous by the US EPA

o        Contain resins, solvents, pigments and additives which include mercury. 

o        These coatings are harmful to the environment because they contain petroleum distillates and pigment which, when evaporated, can increase volatile organic compounds levels in the air.

·        Latex paints used today still contain volatile organic compounds in smaller amounts, and toxic chemicals to help extend shelf life and retard mold and mildew growth.

·        Paint is the most prevalent Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), meaning it makes up the most quantity, by volume, of materials received at HHW collection programs

·        US EPA estimates that approximately 10% of the 637 million gallons of paint sold annually becomes left over paint, equal to about 64 million gallons per year.

·        Paint can be recycled

·        It is against the law to put free flowing liquids (such as paint) in the trash.  If dried (latex) or mixed with absorbent (oil base) it can be legally placed in your trash.

·        Recycled latex paint can be

o        Processed to make concrete, and cement

o        Re-processed, mixed with virgin materials, texted and then packaged for distribution or sale

o        Re-blended, remixed, screened and packaged for distribution or sale.  Typically basic neutral colors because it is a mix of other types, it can be used indoors or out,  for graffiti abatement and local improvement projects

·        Research is in the process to recycle waste latex paint, by blending it with common plastics to produce paint blended- plastics that are as good as, or superior to the same plastics made without paint.