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We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of our members for their support of the Chamber and, especially, to our Enhanced Investors, some of whom are included below:

Continuous Sponsors   

AFLAC Incorporated; BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia; Columbus Bank and Trust; Columbus Regional Healthcare Systems, Inc.; Georgia Power Company; Sprint; St. Francis Hospital; Synovus Financial Corp.; TSYS; W.C. Bradley Company

Bronze Level (Partial Listing):

A-1 Postage Meters & Shipping Systems; ABC Supply Co., Inc.; A-Com Enterprises, Inc.; Advance Auto Parts; Alexander Contracting Company, Inc.; Automotive Enterprises, Inc.; B & B Beverage Company; Bayer Polymer Company of Georgia, LLC; Berney Office Solutions; BellSouth Telecommunications; Best Landscaping; Bi-City Body Works; Booth Storage Trailers, Inc.; Brasfield & Gorrie; Buffalo Rock Pepsi-Cola; Butler, Wooten, Fryhofer, Daughtery & Crawford, LLP; Carmike Cinemas; Cessna Aircraft Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Colonial Bank; Columbus Airport Commission; Columbus Clinic; Columbus Fire & Safety; Columbus Foundry; Columbus Hospice; Columbus Ledger-Enquirer; Columbus Technical College; Command Companies, Inc.; Communicorp; Corn, Lovick P.; D & S Signs; Dillards; Flint Energies; Fred's Tire Service; Freeman & Associates, Inc.; G.F.A. Compressors, Inc.; Gleeds USA, Inc.; Goldens' Foundry and Machine Company

As a not-for-profit organization, the Chamber provides the ideal venue for public-private partnerships to maintain a pro-business region. While we appreciate all of our members, many business leaders recognize the value of investing more than their membership fees in the Chamber’s mission to benefit the region. The Chamber’s Enhanced Investor levels include Continuous, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Sponsors. 

Our enhanced investors receive Chamber benefits in accordance with the different levels of investments. We would like to have the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the benefits of being an enhanced investor or increasing the sponsor level of your investment. Please contact Tom Scott, Ex. VP, Chamber/Community Development, at 706-327-1566, ext. 45 or tscott@columbusgachamber.com.

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Eye Opener Breakfast April 28, 7:00-8:30 am Location: Columbus Convention and Trade Center Sponsor: Mini Book Yellow Pages Program: Columbus Cultural Arts Alliance Cost:        $12 members with reservations by Friday, April 22        $15 members without reservations        $30 non-members Reservations: Crystal Limbaugh at climbaugh@columbusgachamber.com or 706-327-1566 Business After Hours May 5, 12:00-1:30 pm Sponsor: Knology Location: 6050 Knology Way Media host: Classic Rock 92.7 Cost:               $5 members with reservations by Friday, April 29        $7 members without reservations        $10 non-members Reservations: Crystal Limbaugh at climbaugh@columbusgachamber.com or 706-327-1566

For more listings of Chamber Events please check out the 2005 Chamber Events Calendar (PDF).

Momentum is accelerating for the 2005 Business Expo scheduled for Oct. 6 from 3:30-7 p.m. at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. Sprint is this year's Grand Sponsor. Already more than 25 businesses have committed to participate in the event so they could be included in the brochure. The theme this year is "It's in the Bag!"

Hundreds of attendees enjoyed visiting the 70-plus booths at last year's Business Expo. This year's goal is 100-plus booths!

All vendors who have participated in past years will receive a 10 percent discount if they sign up by August 15. The best booth competition this year will include prizes to the winners. An example is a free booth for next year's event. Plans are underway to include more door prizes and giveaways than in previous years.

The goal of the Business Expo is to bring together the broadest range of businesses in the region to show the community what is available from businesses, restaurants and non-profit organizations.

Booth prices vary from $100 - $5,000-register now! You don't want to miss out on this event! For more information, please contact Michael Dunbar at mdunbar@columbusgachamber.com or Margaret LaPierre at mlapierre@columbusgachamber.com or 706-327-1566.

Avoid the Legal Spotlight-
how to manage your business and stay out of court 
This annual forum is set for May 19

The 2005 Labor Forum is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and run through 1:30 p.m. at Wynnbrook Baptist Church, 500 River Knoll Way. Registration is $75. The fee includes continental breakfast, three breakout sessions and lunch with a keynote speaker.

Some of the topics include: implementing procedures for handling corporate ethics and other whistle blower complaints; empowering your company to successfully avoid and defend class action suits; avoid punitive damages; don't let the Fair Labor Standards Act be a time bomb for your business; are your employees legal; everything you need to know about employee privacy but were afraid to ask; and if it really happened wouldn't you have written it down which offers practical guidance on when and how to document employee problems.

If you want to register, click here to download the sign-up form. For more information on the Labor Forum, contact Cassandra Griffin at 706-327-1566 or cgriffin@columbusgachamber.com.

Have an event or product you want to advertise?  

The Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce sends out one-page flyers via mass fax to members nearly every week for the low price of $250 for Chamber members and $500 for non-members. If you are marketing to the business community, what better way to hit more than 1,100 businesses?

Click here for more details. Contact the Public Relations-MIS Department for assistance: Michael Dunbar at mdunbar@columbusgachamber.com or Margaret LaPierre at mlapierre@columbusgachamber.com or call 706-327-1566.

We are here to help grow your business!

The PMI (Project Management Institute) Columbus, GA Chapter offers several services to the chapter and community. The chapter joined the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce to network with local businesses in an effort to spread awareness of the organization and its services as well as find potential speakers and new members.

The Chamber offers numerous networking avenues including a monthly breakfast meeting where attendees have an opportunity to exchange business cards. Instead of handing out individual business cards of the attending officers, a brochure about the local chapter is used to provide the most amount of information during the short amount of time allowed for the exchange.

Another networking vehicle the Chamber provides is a membership directory with ad space. The Chapter purchased the smallest ad space available and the results have paid off. One of the Chamber members, UPtown Columbus, Inc., desperately seeking assistance with several large projects spotted the Chapter's ad and called immediately. To date, the Chapter has completed two paid consulting projects for this organization resulting in a return on investment (ROI) of 237%. Needless to say, the Chapter is renewing the ad for 2005 and placing an additional ad in another Chamber publication for newcomers to the city.

For more information about the PMI Columbus, GA Chapter, please call 706-221-4212.

Paper consumption in the U.S. has increased six-fold in the last 50 years. Eliminating as much paper as possible equates to saving money. With technology changing at an exponential rate, there are ways to eliminate paper in the workplace. With that being said, we will always consume paper, but if we can reduce that consumption we would be better off. The thought of going paperless is becoming more common in businesses, but most people don't know how to achieve this goal. The first step in creating a paperless office is determining what information is important to you, how long you need the information and how often you will need to retrieve the information.

The next step is setting up a way to convert hard copy originals to electronic documents. Computers have made creating electronic documents easy, but what happens when the document you need to store is not electronic? Most digital fax machines, all-in-one units and copiers come with the capability to scan. You also have a choice of a flatbed scanner or a high volume scanner. The product you choose should fit the volume you need to scan. If you only need to scan a few things a week, then a low cost option will suit you just fine. However, if you have lots of information, you may want to consider a faster scanner or at least something with a multiple sheet feeder. One of the reasons people fail at creating a paperless office is because making documents electronic is too time consuming or too tedious. Be sure to pick your input device carefully to avoid this mistake.

The third step is getting a retrieval system in place. Smaller organizations may be able to set up a file hierarchy that is logical for their business and easy to navigate. They can then search using their computer file search button. You can locate this option by pressing start and then search. This option can sometimes take too long because your computer requires time to process information. Even smaller organizations may want to consider a software application that creates a searchable database to retrieve the information more quickly. There are plenty of software vendors with both high- and low-end packages. If you choose to go the software route, try to get a demonstration first. You want to make sure that the package is user friendly and will work well for the amount of information you need to store.

Once you have determined the information that is important, created a way to make hard copies electronic and have your retrieval system in place, then you are ready to get started. Just remember, it will take some getting use to at first. It's a good idea to test your set-up for at least of couple of weeks before committing to it one hundred percent. In the beginning you may want to change some of the processes to make the system more effective for your needs. The last piece of advice is for you to make sure you are backing up all of your information.

You have to decide if a paperless office is the right investment for your organization. While going paperless is becoming more prevalent in many areas of business, it may not be feasible for every industry. Nevertheless, there are significant cost and time savings associated with going paperless which should be considered before making a final decision.

The EC/IT (Electronic Commerce / Information Technology) Committee members have been submitting monthly technology articles as part of their mission to assist other chamber members with technology topics, particularly small businesses. If you are interested in being involved in this committee, please contact Michael Dunbar at mdunbar@columbusgachamber.com or 706-327-1566.