Batavia Business

For the Life of Your Business...and the Business of Your Life © M A Y , 2 0 1 3

Inside This Issue Read the Director’s Open Letter to the Mayor and City Council on page 1.

Join us for the Golf Classic. Find out more on page 4.

Learn Who is Joining the Batavia City Council, and who is retiring, on page 5.

Do you practice Integrated Marketing? You should...read more on page 7

Have you used a “Power Thank You”? Learn how on page 8.

Enjoy Michael George’s won-derfully reflective article, Time in a Bottle, on page 9

On behalf of the Batavia Cham-ber of Commerce, congratula-tions to the mayor and seven members of the City Council on your recent election. The com-munity is fortunate to have citi-zens with such interest in, and passion for, the future of Batavia. It will be an exciting and inter-esting time as six new members take their seats on the Council. While I have not had the pleas-

ure of working with many of the new council members, through the election process—most directly as a result of the Cham-ber’s candidate forum—I gained an appreciation for the commit-ment and aspirations each brings to Council. That knowledge, coupled with

the positive history the Chamber has enjoyed with the current members of the Council, leave me with great hope for our fu-ture as a community. The change in membership on

the Council may or may not be historic in Batavia’s 180-year history. What is historic is that Chamber members account for far more economic activity than any time in our 60-year history. Our 300+ members employ thousands of local citizens and manage millions of square feet of commercial, industrial and resi-dential space within Batavia’s limits. Our voice on behalf of commerce includes the most senior managers in hundreds of facilities from east of Randall Road to west of Kirk Road.

Open Letter to the Mayor & City Council by Roger Breisch

2013 Premier Partners

With the formation of our new Industrial Site Managers’ Forum, the Chamber will soon reach deeply into the core of local industry. Many of these compa-nies are global leaders in their markets and ship over $1 billion worth of products from our backyard to the four corners of the globe. The business owners and man-

agers that comprise the Cham-ber know intimately that their future is intertwined with that of the broader community. Their decisions are impacted by those you will make; and your success will be enhanced or tempered by those they make. These experi-enced and capable business lead-ers care about your vision and actions, and are hopeful you will care about theirs. The Chamber and the City—

both staff and elected officials—have long enjoyed a practical, productive and fruitful working relationship. Even on those occa-sions we have differed, we have acted as partners in the City’s future. We are hopeful, with the new complexion of the Council, that our partnership will contin-ue and strengthen. The Chamber represents a

broad spectrum of business and community interests. As a result, we should be actively engaged when new directions and critical decisions first emerge. Because of our shared destiny—and the Chamber’s influential voice—we hope you will be proactive in

consulting the Chamber and its membership as you conceive of a new future for Batavia. All of our decisions, those of the City and of our members, can only be enhanced by clear communica-tion, rich debate and straight-forward conversation. So again, congratulations…

congratulations on your elec-tions…congratulations on the Council’s past success…and congratulations in advance for creating a partnership with the Chamber that will enable the citizens of Batavia to envision and build a dynamic community, and move together into a future filled with promise.

Events Not To Be Missed Springfield and Washington, DC. Panera Bread, 154 W. Wilson Street. Tue, May 14, 8:00a to

9:30a—Steps Employers Can Take to Avoid Employment-Liability. Hear Jason Tremblay present: "Ten Easy Steps Employ-ers Can Take to Avoid Employ-ment-Related Liability." We’ll be at the Holmstad Town Center. Wed, May 15, 4:00p to

7:00p—Net-Working-It. FREE, Open Networking for members and non-members! We begin this event at the beautiful Wilson Street Tavern...and go from there to a special place for desert. More details to follow... Thu, May 16, 7:30a to

10:00a—Spring Seminar Se-ries: Creating Processes that Drive Great Results. In Spring of 2013, the Batavia Chamber of Commerce will help you find ways to make your business or organization more effective, prof-itable and successful. In this final session, we will take a look at

how your processes are designed to meet the needs of customers. If you are doing everything the series has examined, then the results should follow. If they do not, we will try to help you find out why. Interiors for Business, Inc., 409 N. River Street. (RSVP, $25) Looking Ahead! Mon, June 3, 1:00p Shotgun

Start—2013 Chamber Golf Classic. What better way to spend a beautiful sum-mer afternoon than on a superb private golf course? Join us for the Chamber's annual Golf Classic. You can entertain that key potential customer, get some fresh air and support the Chamber all on the same afternoon. Eagle Brook Country Club, 2288 Fargo Blvd., Geneva.

MAY 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 O’Sole Mio Grand Opening (27 N. River St.) 10a

5 6 BWIB Council (Chamber) 11:30a City Council 7:30p

7 8 9 Lunch & Learn—It’s a Juggling Act. (TriCity Family Services) 11:30a

10 11

12 Mother’s Day 13 Legislative Affairs Committee (Panera Bread) 7:30a

14 Networking—Avoiding Employ-ment Liability (Holmstad Town Center) 8:00a

15 Net-Working-It (Wilson Street Tavern & others) 4:00p to 7:00p

16 Spring Seminar Series (Interiors for Business) 7:30a to 10:00a

17 18

19 20 City Council 7:30p

21 22 Chamber Board (School District) 7:30a

23 24 25

26 27 Memorial Day 28 Networking (Holmstad Town Center) 8:00a

29 30 31

Monthly Thought “As it was said long ago, ‘The mind is for seeing what is true; the feelings are for understanding what is good.’”

Jacob Needleman, Money and the Meaning of Life

Batavia Business - Page 2

Sat, May 4, 10a—O'Sole Mio Grand Opening. Join us as we cut a ribbon to officially welcome O'Sole Mio to Batavia. The best gelato this side of Tuscany! 27 N. River Street. Thu, May 9, 11:00a to

1:00p—Lunch & Learn - It's a Juggling Act: Balancing Multi-ple Demands. In this session, sponsored by TriCity Family Ser-vices, we will explore the notion of creating balance in our lives and managing the multiple de-mands that impact us on a daily basis. We will strive to gain a better understanding of self-management principles and tech-niques to increase our stress-coping skills both at work and at home. TriCity Family Services, 1120 Randall Court, Geneva. (RSVP, $15) Mon, May 13, 7:30a—

Chamber Legislative Affairs Committee. Join us as we con-tinue our conversations about how the voice of business can play an increasing role in Batavia,

Scan here to register for an event through

your smartphone

Batavia Business - Page 3

New Members Mind, Body, Spirit Healing Ms. Kelly Young 232 S. Batavia Avenue Suite B Batavia, IL 60510 Phone: (815) 404-7589 e-mail: kellyyoung.reiki@gmail.com Web Site: www.mbshealing.net Health & Wellness Products & Services Niche Restaurant Mr. Vincent Balistreri 14 South Third Street Geneva, IL 60134 Phone: (630) 262-1000 Fax: (630) 262-1017 e-mail: Vinny21bal@yahoo.com Web Site: www.nichegeneva.com Restaurants

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

1 OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL

2 MAY CALENDAR & EVENTS

3 NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS

4 2013 GOLF CLASSIC—JUNE 3

4 FOCUS ON PREMIER PARTNERS: GOODWILL

5 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

6-9 BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE REPORT

7 INTEGRATED MARKETING: IF YOU KNEW IT, YOU’D DO IT.

9 TIME IN A BOTTLE

10 EVENTS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

11 NEWS & NOTES ABOUT CHAMBER MEMBERS

12 PREMIER MEMBERS

O F F I C E R S : Thomas Wangler, Jr., Confident Aire, Inc.,

President Chris Nyborg, Nyborg & Company, Ltd.,

Immediate Past President Jack Zaruba, BBC Construction & Remodeling,

President Elect Brian Basilico, B2b Interactive Marketing

Treasurer Joe King, Physical Therapy Advantage, Secretary D I R E C T O R S : Dr. Jack Barshinger, School District 101 Jeff Clark, Batavia Park District Gerry Dempsey, Batavia Enterprises, Inc. Kevin Drendel, Drendel & Jansons Law Group Rob Hollis, K.Hollis Jewelers Kim Keating, Alarm Detection Systems Bill McGrath, City of Batavia Richard Mytnik, Illinois Business Systems, Inc. Harriet Parker, Waubonsee Community College

Small Business Development Center Debra Reiter, CMIT Solutions of the Tri-Cities Roger E. Breisch, Executive Director Lynn Tegtman, Administrative Assistant

Batavia Business is published monthly by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. All rights are re-served. To submit articles for publication contact: Roger Breisch Executive Director Batavia Chamber of Commerce 106 W. Wilson Street Batavia, IL 60510 630-879-7134 info@bataviachamber.org

facebook.com/BataviaChamber

Here is another resource for you to communicate with fellow Chamber members and the broader community.

Send us your announcements and news and we will post them to the page...let people know how vibrant the Batavia business community is.

Be sure to Like us!!

Batavia Business - Page 4

2013 Golf Classic—Coming June 3!

This is one GREAT Value! Join us for golf at a great private club for

an affordable price. It normally costs $110 to play a round with an Eagle Brook member...for $145 you get: A round of golf at this newly reno-

vated club—nearly $1 million dollars of investment this year!

Drink Tickets, Dinner and a Goodie Bag.

$20 gift card from the PGA Super-store

A chance to win a new Nissan and $1000 at the PGA Superstore.

Bring friends, customers and suppliers. ALL skill levels are welcome… it’s a shotgun start and best ball. The Golf Classic enables the Cham-

ber to reinvest in our members. If you value the things we bring to the local economic community—Batavia Business, seminars, lunch topics, Batavia Women in Business, multi-chamber events, Net-Working-It and so many others—then you know that participating in the Golf Classic not only helps you build relationships for your business or organization, it brings value to the broader economy.

Sponsorships Available

Cart Sponsor $500 Beverage Cart Sponsor $350 Dinner Sponsor $300 Hole Sponsor $225 Game Sponsor $225 Putting Green Sponsor $225

Goodwill’s mission is to provide training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities, disadvantages and have been dislocat-ed, who seek greater independence. When you donate or shop at a Good-will Store & Donation Center, the income from the sale of donated items is reinvested in training and work op-portunities for those people in your community, whom Goodwill serves. While they are a non-profit, their mission is based in work—a hand up not a hand out. By shopping at and donating to Goodwill, you make a positive difference in the lives of indi-viduals, families and communities. Goodwill Store & Donation Centers

are open seven days a week, offering high quality clothing and household items at a fraction of the cost. Their

dynamic, ever-changing inventory allows shop-pers to create their own unique style and find amazing treasures in an inviting place to shop. Their stores are a favor-ite amongst artists, craft-ers and upcyclers, who are always finding unique items to repurpose on

the shelves! Goodwill’s donation centers pro-vide a convenient place for donors to take their gently used clothing, electronics, and household items, with friendly dona-tion attendants who will help unload your car. When you shop or donate items to

Goodwill you are greeted by staff in shirts that say "Reduce, Reuse, Recy-cle," that share their message of envi-ronmental sustainability. The idea of being green has always been an under-lying philosophy of Goodwill’s business and extends throughout their entire organization. While they practice their green philosophy year around, Earth Month is an especially important time to remind ourselves to donate. You may not realize it, but when you do-nate or shop at Goodwill, you set in motion a whole series of earth-friendly activities. Every item you donate or purchase at a Goodwill store is one less item thrown away. It's instant re-cycling! While you begin your spring cleaning this season, be sure to bring the items you’re no longer using to Goodwill, you’re not only organizing your home and being green, but also supporting Goodwill’s mission too!

Focus on Premier Partners Goodwill

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago is a recent winner of Charity Navigator’s coveted 4-star rating for sound fiscal management and commitment to ac-countability and transparency. Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity eval-uator, highlights the fine work of efficient, ethical and open charities.

Follow Goodwill… Facebook: ‘AmazingGoodwill’

Twitter: @AmazingGoodwill, or

AmazingGoodwill.com

Goodwill Store & Donation Center

450 North Randall Road Batavia, IL 60510

630-761-8049 www.AmazingGoodwill.com

Join us June 3...it’s good for you...and an investment in the future!

Six New Council Members will Represent the City

Batavia Business - Page 5

Batavia Chamber Legislative Updates

Social issues are taking center stage in Springfield while finances continue to deteriorate. As we reported last month, guns and drugs have taken center stage, but probably not in the way you think. HB 1296 was brought to a third reading on the House floor. While yes, this was a gun bill, it had very little to do with gun control. This bill attempts to restrict the pensions in the State of Illinois from owning any gun related stock. Once again, politics over common sense took place here. If you are for increased gun control measures, this bill would do nothing to help. If you are for better investments in the pen-sions, trying to ban investments in companies whose sales are going through the roof is probably not a rationale decision. Fortunately sane heads prevailed and the measure was voted down 69-46-2. (The 2 is for those that voted

“present.” ) Another noted social issue re-

ceived a better fate in Springfield. The medical marijuana bill passed the house by a tight 61-57 margin. This would make Illinois the 17th State in the country to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Be sure, however, that this bill is “...not about getting high, it’s not about dope, it’s not about what our mothers told us when we went to college,” ac-cording to Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, the chief sponsor. “This is about providing a product at no expense to the taxpayers to pro-vide better health care to people who desperately need this prod-uct.” A similar bill has already been passed by the Senate. The Governor has indicated that he has an “open mind” about the bill. Translation—he will sign the bill. The center stage should not be

mistaken for the important issues

facing the State, like the budget, pensions or jobs. These issues continue to be paid lip service, but with little action being taken. Even Senate President John Cullerton (D) seemed frustrated that his Senate pension bill failed to pass by 7 votes. It appears that whilst efforts are being shown, results are far from attainable. House Leader Madigan has a simi-lar bill that he is working on that surely will go down. Meanwhile, the job front contin-

ues to look miserable in the State. The Bureau of Labor Statis-tics continues to show that job growth in the State is lagging the national average. The current unemployment rate in Illinois is hovering in the 9.5% range. Com-pare that with a state like Texas at 6.4%, and there is no wonder that Texas is running ads for Illi-nois business to move to Texas.

Happenings in Springfield by Sean Sebold, Sebold Capital Management

For the first time in recent memory, the Batavia City Council will have six new members repre-senting the community when they are sworn in on May 6. Seven of the 14 Council seats

were up for election to a four-year term in 2013. The other seven will be up for election in two years in order to alternate the seats on the Council. The only returning member of

the Council is Michael O’Brien (Ward 1). Newly elected mem-bers include: Martin Callahan (Ward 2) Kyle Hohmann (Ward 3) Jamie Saam (Ward 4) Steve Vasilion (Ward 5) Nick Cerone (Ward 6) and Drew McFadden (Ward 7). The Chamber looks forward to

working with all these elected officials, as well as the seven members of the council that have two years remaining in their

terms: Garran Sparks (Ward 1) Alan Wolff (Ward 2) Dan Chanzit (Ward 3) Susan Stark (Ward 4) Lucy Thelin Atac (Ward 5) Lisa Clark (Ward 6) and Dave Brown (Ward 7). We also wish to recognize the

retiring members who, together, have given 74 years of service to the City Council: Vic Dietz (8 years), Janet Jungles (3 years), Jim Volk (19 years), Eldon Frydendall (32 years), Bob Liva (8 years) and Dawn Tenuta (4 years). The City of Batavia is a much better place for their many years, and untold hours, of ser-vice to the citizens of the com-munity. Mayor Jeff Schielke was elect-

ed to a 9th term, further cement-ing his position as the longest serving mayor in Kane County history.

A map of ward boundaries can be viewed at cityofbatavia.net/content/articlefiles/ 10227-2012_WEB_Wards.pdf

Michael O’Brien

Nick Cerone Steve Vasilion Jamie Saam

Kyle Hohmann Martin Callahan

Drew McFadden

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE REPORT

Business Intelligence Report (ISSN 1091-9597) is published 12 times a year by DBH Communications, Inc. The intent of this publication is to provide business professionals with informative and inter-esting articles and news. These articles, and any opinions expressed in them, are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or business. Appropriate legal, accounting, financial or medical advice or other ex-pert assistance should always be sought from a competent professional. Copyright, 2011, DBH Communications, Inc. All rights reserved in all countries. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited.

IDEAwatch...Tips for Growing Your Business Double the chance of persuading

someone with the “But You Are Free to...” technique. A review of 42 psychology studies (on 22,000 people) suggests this simple tech-nique could double the chances someone will say “yes” to you. Here’s how it works: Make a request and then follow it with “but you are free to decline” or “do not feel obliged,” or something to that effect. Doing so reaffirms the person’s freedom of choice and indirectly tells him that you’re not threatening his ability to say no, increasing the likelihood of getting a “yes.” Source: www.lifehacker.com Boost email marketing results by 60%.

The secret is sending the same message twice. That’s what online marketing firm Wpromote does with all of their email campaigns. The second message is sent 48 hours later, but with a different subject line, and it’s only sent to those who didn’t open the first email. The company has been able to double their results using this technique, with an average lift of 60%. Source: www.inc.com Help employees learn to think for

themselves rather than coming to you for help with every problem. In the short term, it

may seem more time efficient to just handle the situation and tell the person what to do so that you can quickly get back to what you were doing. However, this leads to dependen-cy, which helps no one in the long run. In-stead, the next time you hear “I’m not sure how to handle this situation,” ask: “What options have you thought of so far?...What do you think will happen if you do A instead of B?” Then wait and listen. Be comfortable with the silence as they consider their response. As you guide others through asking questions, their self-confidence will grow. Source: www.businessknowhow.com Is your big client trying to pay late?

Don’t always assume you are at their mercy. There’s a reason they chose you over the competition. Also, if what you do directly affects their business, you have more leverage in negotiations. One strategy to consider is offering early payment discounts. If, for exam-ple, your buyer wants to extend payments from 30 days to 60 days, you could offer a 2% cut in price if the buyer pays in 20 days. An-other idea is to create multiple, billable mile-stones in the contract. This often works be-

cause large companies typically have set budg-ets, but don’t usually care if the budget is divided by time. Finally, avoid the accounts payable department and go directly to your contact. You have a relationship with your client, while the finance department will likely see all vendors as the same. Source: www.cfo.com What does it take to reach the top

ranks in Google? BusinessBolts.com con-ducted a search engine optimization study by searching for 100 random key phrases and analyzing the webpages of the top five results. Most top ranked pages used the exact key phrase (or a slight variation) in the title tag and/or headline. Body copy was an average of 900 words. Key phrases were used sparingly in the body copy (no keyword stuffing), and the study suggests that using an exact key phrase one time within the body copy is plen-ty. Surprisingly, few of the high ranking pages included video. The study’s biggest take away is to gain as many links as possible to your webpages. The number one ranked pages averaged nearly five times the number of

(Continued on page 8)

NEWSwatch...News & Trends Affecting Today’s Business Companies struggle to understand millennials. McDonald’s finds it hard to understand why it’s the

country’s number one fast food chain, but doesn’t even rank among the millennials’ top 10 restaurant chains. And they’re not alone as well-known companies try to define the millennials and understand why some brands don’t rank better with this demographic group. It’s not like millennials can be ignored. Roughly defined as being anywhere between 18 to 36 years of age,

they are comprised of somewhere between 59 to 80 million people. But their influence extends beyond their size. “They’re 80 million [people] but they’re influencing the next 80 million, both younger and old-er,” said Gary Stibel, CEO at New England Consulting Group. So what appeals to millennials? While it’s hard to define this disparate group, some common themes have

been uncovered. For example, millennials place an emphasis on the importance of organic and fresh food. Particularly with food, millennials value companies that are proactive with sustainable farming practices and are environmentally conscious. Variety is key as millennials seek higher quality products and lots of choice. This group is always on the

lookout for something new and brand loyalty can be low. Millennials care about social issues and tend to support companies that are actively helping address problems across the globe. Finally, brands that have active Facebook and Twitter pages and engage in conversations with customers tend to have more long-term support from millennials. Source: AdvertisingAge, Mar. 25, 2013 Employers confused about health reform law. A majority of business owners with fewer than 50

employees incorrectly believe they have to provide health insurance to workers next year or pay a fine, according to a new survey by online health insurance marketplace EHealth. The Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, which takes effect in 2014, only applies to businesses with more than 50 people work-ing at least 30 hours a week or an equivalent number of part-time workers (for example, 100 half-time employees equals 50 full-time employees). EHealth polled 259 business owners who had purchased health policies through the website. All reported

having fewer than 50 workers, and 95% had 10 or less. Still, 56% of respondents incorrectly thought they would be subject to the mandate. Confusion abounds on the consumer side, too. After the Supreme Court upheld the bulk of the law last

(Continued on page 8)

Batavia Business - Page 6

tensive research and introspection. Advertising Age reports that over the

past nine months a core team of Pepsi marketers “scoured the globe for inspiration, looked to the past for insights and sought to understand what precisely made Pepsi different from Coke. There were exhaustive focus groups, in-home ethnographies, quantitative and qualitative studies, and cultural immersions in markets as diverse as Argentina, Australia, United Arab Emirates and Russia.” The brain trust at Pepsi appears to be taking the correct steps to right their brand’s ship, but as it does, it shouldn’t neglect

the need for, and power of, long-term integration. Neither should you. Find a time to

gather as many different expressions of what your company says and does in one place, then make an honest evaluation. If it doesn’t all connect for you in some meaningful fashion, it won’t for your customers and pro-spects, either. If your strategy is weak or off the

mark, you may need to do what Pepsi is doing and reexamine everything. But it may be that your problem is more a matter of execution. If so, your enemy is entropy: Everything in the universe tends toward disarray, and in that case your role is to be gravity. No one else is going to hold it all together. Not so long ago, it was enough to

have great strategy and a big idea. Today, even the best ideas have a hard time getting off the ground as consum-ers’ media and purchasing options—not to mention their attention spans—grow increasingly fragmented. While perfect integration is unachievable, companies that do the best job of harmonizing all their marketing efforts have an advantage. Steve McKee is president of McKee

Wallwork & Company and author of When Growth Stalls: How it Happens, Why You’re Stuck and What to Do About It. Find him on Twitter and LinkedIn. This article originally appeared at Businessweek.com.

Integrated Marketing: If You Knew It, You’d Do It by Steve McKee To fight off fragmentation effectively,

everything you do to attract, convert, retain and engage your customers should be integrated. If your brand isn’t woven beyond your marketing efforts into your human resource practices, your training programs, even your compensation and employee evaluation metrics, you’re leaving op-portunity on the table. You’re also risking backlash, as spurned or burned customers use Facebook and Twitter to make their complaints heard. It’s vital to deliver consistent signals in everything you do. That raises a question: If fragmenta-

tion is so damaging, and integration such a powerful counterforce, why don’t companies implement an integra-tion strategy more often? It’s not for lack of understanding, desire or even intent in the minds of most marketers. It’s for lack of perseverance. Integration takes time. It’s not easy

to integrate a brand into a wide suite of processes, materials and messages that have been shepherded by differ-ent people, driven by different objec-tives, and brought to life in different places within the organization. Many companies simply don’t have the pa-tience to see it through. Beyond that, integrated branding

takes time to soak into the market-place. Consumers just don’t pay atten-tion as much or as quickly as they used to. My firm’s research of hundreds of growth companies found that the aver-age advertising campaign lasts approxi-mately 2.3 years and that companies that maintain healthy growth over time tend to have longer-lasting cam-paigns, while those that struggle tend to change direction more frequently. That’s exactly what’s happening in the

cola wars. Coke has remained focused and consistent for years and is winning market share, while Pepsi recently fell to an embarrassing No. 3 (behind Coke and Diet Coke). As a result, PepsiCo announced a significant in-crease in marketing spending and has spent the better part of a year in ex-

Batavia Business - Page 7

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is such a cliché that it has spawned its own cliché: If it ain’t broke, break it. Unfor-tunately, that’s just what many compa-nies do unwittingly to their branding programs. More and more television networks,

radio stations, print titles and outdoor billboards are competing for attention, and new marketing channels pop up every day, from apps to publicity stunts and beyond. The number of places we hit people with marketing messages these days is growing faster than the number of eyeballs that can take them in. As a result, audiences (and attention spans) are becoming increasingly fragmented, reducing the chance of any message getting through. The good news is there is a powerful

way to overcome fragmentation: inte-gration. But don’t be deceived—it’s more difficult than it appears. Integration is not simply slapping a

common tagline onto all your ads, using a single color palette or force-fitting a message that’s suited for one medium into another (great television commercials rarely translate well to outdoor billboards, which, in turn, are very different from online banners). Integration means communicating a

consistent identity from message to message, and medium to medium, and more importantly, delivering consist-ently on that identity. It requires not only identification of a powerful, unify-ing strategy and compelling voice for your brand but the discipline to roll it into every aspect of your organiza-tion—from advertising to sales, cus-tomer service to customer relation-ship management and beyond. It’s not for the faint of heart. Sometimes my advertising firm does

an exercise with clients. We ask them to recall the taglines of the world’s 10 biggest advertisers. Some respondents get a handful correct, but by and large everyone fails the assignment. But one company’s tagline participants often do recall: McDonald’s. It’s not because of the money the fast

-food giant spends—the other nine top advertisers spend as much or more. It’s because McDonald’s has maintained a singular focus since 2003.

Message fragmentation is killing your marketing strategy, but integration can help you win the battle.

Batavia Business - Page 8

NEWSwatch (continued)

summer, a Pew Poll found that only 55% of respondents understood the decision, even though 76% had strong opinions about it. A common misconception by consumers is that they will be entitled to free health care. Source: Businessweek.com, Mar. 21, 2013 Blogs beat social networks for driving sales. With so many online marketing opportunities available

today, you may be left wondering which ones will garner the greatest influence on customers. According to Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report, blogs are more influential than social networks in shaping consumers’ opinions and purchase decisions. Even so, brands seem to be investing more on other social channels, particularly Facebook, than on blogging. When making decisions about what to buy, consumers rank blogs as the third most influential digital re-

source (31.1%), behind retail sites (56%) and brand sites (34%). Blogs rank favorably with customers for trust, popularity and influence. However, social networks do play a role in influencing purchases: 30.8% of consumers surveyed cite Face-

book as an influential source, 28% cite groups/forums, while others cite YouTube (27%), LinkedIn (27%), Google+ (20%), online magazines (20%), Pinterest (12%) and Twitter (8%). Beyond having your own blog that can be shared through your website, emails and social networks, you

can increase your impact by developing relationships with influential bloggers in your market. Become more influential with your online community by focusing on making regular posts that offer content of real value. Source: Marketingprofs.com, Mar. 18, 2013 Finally, small business lending is up. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently released

its quarterly report showing that loans to small businesses have increased for the first time in 10 quarters. Overall, lending to small businesses increased by four-tenths (0.4) of a percent, from $584.1 billion in Sep-

tember last year to $586 billion by the end of 2012. The fact that there was an increase for the first time in more than two years is a potential sign that some companies are coming out of the economic recession. Lenders reported that they had eased lending standards for both commercial and industrial (C&I) loans as

well as commercial real estate (CRE) loans. But while terms for C&I loans have loosened, terms for CRE loans have remained relatively tight — despite increasing demand for them. The SBA report notes that loans in all size categories (under $1 million, between $100,000 and $1 million,

and under $100,000) all saw increases during the final quarter of last year. Big banks have been criticized in the past for not lending to smaller businesses; however, during that same time period, big banks lent more to small businesses than smaller financial institutions. Source: Smallbiztrends.com, Mar. 22, 2013

(Continued from page 6)

IDEAwatch (continued) backlinks compared to the number five ranked pages. Source: www.businessbolts.com Express your appreciation with a “power thank you.” Forget empty platitudes. Instead, business

psychiatrist and consultant Mark Goulston suggests that thanking someone in a meaningful way should in-clude these three parts: 1) Thank them for what they did specifically that was beyond the call of duty, 2) acknowledge their effort or personal sacrifice made in doing the above, and 3) tell them what it personally meant to you. Source: www.harvardbusinessreview.org To increase sales by 50%, you don’t necessarily need 50% more customers. If you’re like most compa-

nies, about 10% of your customers account for 50% of your sales. To increase sales by 50%, focus on “cloning” your best customers. Study those top 10% and ask yourself the following questions: How did I find them? What do they have in common? What problems did I solve or needs did I fill for them? What else can I learn about them that can help me sell others like them? Source: www.ithinkbigger.com Content marketing can be a challenge without employee buy-in. They’re already busy and many

think the job of writing blog posts and white papers rests solely on the marketing department. The key is to explain to employees that they’ll be building their personal brand. Creating quality content will enhance their reputation and provide them with greater recognition in their industry and profession. It also offers networking opportunities and a voice in the national dialogue on their area of expertise. Companies may also want to create a social media blueprint and reward system. Source: www.recapitalmedia.com One of the greatest selling dilemmas is how to stay in touch between calls without becoming a nui-

sance. Two general rules apply. First, demonstrate that you care about your contact as a friend and not just a customer. Second, in small ways, assist your client to be successful in areas beyond your own expertise. Here are some examples: email links to websites you think they would be interested in. Become a compul-sive clipper, mailing out pertinent articles or photos citing your customer, his business or family. Well-chosen greeting cards and handwritten notes always bring smiles. Finally, the best tactic is referring business to your clients and patronizing them yourself. Source: www.marketingpower.com

(Continued from page 6)

Batavia Business - Page 9

I have a disturbing question for you. What would you do if you found out this morning you were going to die today at 5:00 p.m.? Time. The silent glue of the cosmos.

Time with majestic certainty soars with stunning complexity to bind our world together. Space crafts in the heavens, ships at sea, automobiles on the expressway and the kitchen micro-wave all dance to the rules of time. The great irony of time is that it is fungible. Use it or lose it. A measure of time is here for a brief moment and then flashes away forever. Time in a bottle was an iconic song

by Jim Croce in the 1970’s. Croce’s words still reverberate today. He wanted to’ bottle’ extra time to spend with his new son. This song became a mini anthem to the idea that life is lived too fast. He complained that the really important things in life tend to pass by before you can truly appreci-ate them. Time is a central element in most any

financial calculation or plan. Concepts like time value of money, the magic of compound interest, the IRA mantra of saving for the future, a rainy day fund all assume time. Most people do not really appreciate time. It is this familiar relationship with time that can cause a major problem. What would happen if there was no time left? Planning for an expected death is

difficult enough. The real tragedy is a surprise death. One person reading this article will be impacted by sudden death. I’m sure you will miss those poor souls who are leaving life early. The notion that it might be you is a bit more personal, don’t you think? Under this time-limited scenario, the

financial fabric of your life would need to change quickly. Forget about a fancy financial plan---you are out of time! Think! This is an emergency. This is a last attempt to conclude your financial life in some orderly way. Call it a Dis-aster Plan. Your family will be forever grateful to you. Most people, even today, die without

a will. Dying without a will can tie up your estate in probate court. This will delay beneficiaries from receiving funds for months. This little piece of paper can solve many post death prob-lems. A will can be literally written on

the back of a napkin if really necessary. A professional attorney will draw the most complete and correct will for you and include durable powers of attorney. This will enable someone like a spouse to act on your behalf. It would also be wise to add a name

to your bank or brokerage accounts. Joint accounts can be accessed by the survivor. Single accounts are usually frozen by the bank. While on the sub-

ject of investment accounts, time lim-ited investors should remove automat-ic trading instructions like limit orders to buy or sell securities. Market cir-cumstances change quickly. Automatic instructions on an account will contin-ue to operate until cancelled. It would

be wise to consider selling all security positions and transferring the funds to a FDIC insured CD Account. This will ensure the funds will be safe while your family sorts out your final ac-counting. Be careful, this move has tax issues that need to be considered. It would be wise to make available to

your spouse, or family member, or trusted friend a list of your property. Include things like real estate deeds, contents of any safety deposit box, life insurance policies and other personal papers. It is best to just present any family heirloom, special talisman or lucky penny directly to your designed family member. Retirement plans and IRAs are the

source of much wealth accumulation. I would point out that a company re-tirement plan and an IRA comes in different flavors. They operate under different rules. Suggest to your family that they should consult with a finan-cial professional about any inherited retirement funds. Be sure to check

that your account directly names a beneficiary. Missing beneficiary desig-nations are one of the most common ways to lose years of savings. You also need to guard against mak-

ing too big of financial decisions under the duress of the moment. Some things in your financial life have been messed up for years. They will likely

remain that way for awhile after you are gone. You can take some solace in the fact that life isn’t perfect. You have done your best. Your Disaster Plan is a heroic step in the right direction. A Disaster Plan will help both you

and your loved ones cope because you are replacing chaos with order. We can only hope to capture our magical life moments before they become echoes of our own time lost. Croce’s lyrics frame these feelings well:

“If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that I’d like to do Is to save every day Till eternity passes away Just to spend them with you”

Michael George is CEO of Aliquot Capi-tal located in downtown Batavia. Michael arrived in Batavia in 1954; he

attended McWayne School, St. Patrick Grade School and Marmion Military Acad-emy. After graduating from the University of Illinois he began his career in invest-ment banking in New York City. He is the former Managing Director of Drexel, Burnham and Lambert, serving as Nation-al Director of Financial Planning and CEO of the Harbor Trust Bank. Michael has also served as a Senior Executive at Gold-man Sachs, Kemper Financial Services and Bankers Life Insurance Company. You can reach Aliquot Capital at 630-

326-9703 or visit their website at aliquotcapital.com The information contained in this article

is provided for general discussion purpos-es only. Nothing contained in this piece is an offer to buy or sell securities. Consult your professional advisor before making any financial decisions.

Time in a Bottle by Michael George, Aliquot Capital

What would you do if you found out this morning you were going to die at 5:00 p.m.?

Batavia Business - Page 10

Events You Might Have Missed!

Many of the Chamber’s Board of Directors attend-ed Opening Day for the Kane County Cougars.

More than 100 exhibitors made the 2013 Rolling Down the River Expo a huge success.

The 3rd “Net-Working-It” BAH at Funway included a hotly contested bowling tournament...for anyone who braved the rain and floods and swam to Funway! Thanks to Chick-fil-A

and Funway for hosting.

Chicago Bear Corey Wootton drew lots of local Bears fans to the Grand opening of the new Boombah retail location on

Randall Road in Batavia. Corey took time to sign autographs and took his picture

with every visitor.

Net-Working-It Gotta love bowling

shoes with a nice suit!

Batavia Business - Page 11

Pro Energy Consultants announc-es that its owner, Jerry Needham, recently completed all requirements to earn his certification as a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater, Needham can now score the energy efficiency of a new or existing home. These scores are necessary for a new home to be ENERGY STAR rated. Congratulations Jerry! With 600 guests in attendance, near-

ly $340,000 was raised at Marklund’s 2013 Top Hat Ball. With a “Celebrate Chicago – Marklund Style” theme, this 17th annual event featured many trib-

utes to the Windy City, in-cluding replicas of an elevated train track, the Wrigley Field sign, Marshall Field’s clock, Art Institute lions, visits by

Mike Ditka, Harry Caray, and gangster Frank Nitti impersonators. In addition, Marklund was one of 20

suburban businesses and organizations to receive this year’s “Best in Busi-ness” by the Daily Herald’s Business Ledger during the organization’s 23rd Annual Awards for Business Excel-lence (AABE) dinner celebration. Dan Stellato, President of Batavia

Enterprises, was the recipient of this year’s Chairman’s Award at the 91st Annual Charlemagne Awards Dinner. This award is given to an individual member who has given exceptional service or brought outstanding recog-nition to the Greater St. Charles Area Chamber of Commerce throughout the award year. Congratulations to you too, Dan!

Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley earned $21,400 at its Trivia Bee for Literacy. Proceeds will be used to help Tri-Cities adults improve their English communication skills so they can be better workers, more effective par-ents and more involved community members. They have more than 40 adult students who are waiting to learn English. A four-session tutor training workshop will be held on May 7, 9, 14 and 16 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the St. Charles Public Li-brary. For more information visit www.lvfv.org or call 630-584-4428.

News & Notes About Chamber Members

BATV is produc-ing a new show called, "Out on the Town". The show is designed to high-light things to do around our commu-nity, much like a Date Night. Check it out at www.batv.us/out-on-the-town. If your business would like to be con-sidered for an upcoming episode, contact Holly Deitchman at 630-937-5413 or holly@batv.us. The Davey Tree Expert Compa-

ny and The Care of Trees are proud to announce their coming to-gether in the Fox River Valley. This uniting allows clients of both companies to take advantage of a broader range of services and a higher level of customer interaction with their arborist. The nursing home at The

Holmstad retirement community received five stars, the highest possi-ble overall rating, in U.S. News & World Report’s fifth annual Best Nursing Homes. Out of nearly 16,000 nursing homes nationwide, the ratings highlight the top homes in each city and state.

Director of Governmental and Multi-cultural Affairs at Waubonsee Community College, Lulu Black-smith, has been appointed to serve on Illinois Senator Holmes’ Latino Advisory Council.

The Holmstad also opened the doors on Holmstad Commons, a 15,108-square-foot multipurpose center that adds a new venue for Holmstad events and those of organi-zations in the surrounding community. A 285-seat auditorium is the center-piece of the $2.8 million renovation of a 36-year-old building. Delnor Health & Wellness Cen-

ter is now Cadence Fitness & Health Center. Join them for an open house on Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. The day will focus on exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits and is open to the community and center members.

Old Second Bank recently added three commercial officers to the Tri-City region. Charles “Chip” A. Barber was named Sen-ior Vice president, Com-mercial Lending, based in the Batavia branch at 1991 W. Wilson St. Robert A. Ferrigan Jr. was named Senior Vice President, based in the St. Charles branch at 801 S. Kirk Rd. Layne Burns was named Vice Presi-dent, operating from the Batavia branch at 1991 W. Wilson St. Welcome!

Mailing L

abel

The Chamber is pleased to recognize organizations m

aking an additional investm

ent in the future of Batavia.

Prem

ier Plus:

City o

f Batavia

BM

O H

arris Ban

k B

oyce Bo

dy W

erks D

rend

el & Jan

son

s Law

G

rou

p

Miscella R

eal Estate

Neigh

bo

rs Magazin

e N

ybo

rg & C

om

pan

y, Ltd

. T

he U

PS

Sto

re W

almart

Wau

bo

nsee C

om

mu

nity C

ollege

Premier Plus & Prem

ier Members

106 W. W

ilson

Street,

Batavia, IL

60510 P

ho

ne: 630-879-7134

Fax: 630-879-7215

E-m

ail: info

@b

ataviachamb

er.org

Prem

ier: C

on

fiden

t Aire, In

c. T

he D

avey Tree &

Law

n C

om

pan

y G

reenstar, In

c. T

he H

olm

stad, In

c. K

.Ho

llis Jewelers

Karab

ow

icz & A

ssociates

Mid

west R

estoratio

n S

ervices

Do you w

ant customers

to find your website m

ore often w

hen they are surfing the Internet? T

hey will if you link

ww

w.bataviacham

ber.org to your w

ebsite using this m

embership logo.

Ask us how

today!