Published: November 07, 2009 08:32 pm      

Chamber Notepad

Chamber News: November 1, 2009



I was saddened yesterday when I learned about that longtime Corsicana businessman and friend, Leland Cook passed away Friday at the age of 75. Mr. Cook was a business and civic leader with long ties to the Corsicana area. I knew Leland as an avid domino player who got a lot of pleasure out of the game and he always reminded me that “he was one of the best and that I should quit trying to beat him.” As I recall now, Leland was right, I don’t think I ever did. I will miss his camaraderie and friendship. Our prayers and thoughts go out to Leland’s family during this time.

I know many across the community are happy to see that the Festival of Lights will not be discontinued but will light up as usual again this year. The Christmas Parade with be on Saturday, December 5th and held during the evening as in the past. I know these are two Christmas events that many look forward to each year as you tell by the number of people who attend the parade and those that come to and drive through Community Park during the holiday season. Thanks to the Festival of Lights organization, the City and all those involved in making this happen, those who came forward with their financial donations and to all the volunteers who will provide their time and labor to make this happen over the next few weeks. We have so many wonderful people and organizations in our community. Happy Holidays Everyone!

The Chamber Ambassadors held a ribbon cutting this past Tuesday at Verizon Cellular Sales and Service where Tony Crouch and Brooke Rice hosted everyone who showed up to welcome them to our community. If you have not been by their sales and service center, you need to as it is very impressive and they have some very good offers available. Verizon has made a substantial investment in locating their office here in Corsicana. FYI and some trivial pursuit, we learned that the guy in those Verizon commercials is named “Paul” and his nickname is “Test Man”. Thanks to the Ambassadors, Board of Directors and others from the community who came out to participate in the ribbon cutting. Thank you Verizon for choosing Corsicana!

The Cook Center Planetarium holiday show schedule has been announced for Nov. 6 through Dec. 19 with the showing of “Cosmic Voyage” and “The Christmas Star.” For more information, please look elsewhere inside the Daily Sun.

The Woodland Cemetery Association will be sponsoring a Woodland Gathering Fundraiser on November 14, 2009 from 6:00pm- 8:00pm. The gathering will be held at the MLK Center. The purpose is to raise funds for purchase of street signs, flagpole, plant trees, and uplift headstones for the African-American Historical Cemetery (One of the largest in Navarro County). Guest speaker will be Elder Joseph Johnson Pastor of Johnson Memorial COGIC. Your help is needed to continue to beautify and restore this beautiful place. For more information call (903) 641-5761 or contact Cathy Douglas at (903) 641-5767.

The Warehouse Living Arts Center presents Lionel Bart’s “Unforgettable Broadway Musial” on November 12-13 & 15, 2009 at the WLAC with evening performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinee at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $10 and $15. Call (903) 872-5421 to reserve you tickets or you can purchase them at the door.

Advance Notice - Do not forget the Jingle Bell Jog, a family event with a 5k/1mile run/walk. Everyone is invited to start the Christmas season off so it’s time to start training! Contact YMCA at (903) 872-2412

Please Remember to Buy Local! It is not always possible to buy everything you need from locally-owned businesses, but if everyone purchased one more item locally when they shopped, the effects would be tremendous. The point of this campaign is to encourage people to think local first: choose locally owned businesses when choosing where to buy goods and services. If there is some item or purchase you will be making, I encourage us all to think where we can get this in Corsicana and Navarro County. We as residents owe it to each other, our City and County to do our part as this is one way we can all pull together to make a difference.

What’s Coming Up?

November 10th – Tuesday, Leadership Class – Quality of Life Day

November 12th – Thursday, 6:30 pm - Healthy Woman Annual Celebration – Cook Center

With Suzie Humphreys unstoppable humor and infectious laugh Suzie lifts, jolts and nurtures her audience and they love every minute of it. Suzie’s background is as varied as her audiences... from administrative secretary to Television Talk Show Host, to 20 years in radio. She has hobnobbed with movie stars and politicians interviewed the great and the “near” great. She has made hundreds of commercials, done musical comedy and motion pictures. Her philosophy is “It’s not life that gets me; it’s my reaction to it!” Get ready to “Laugh, Live and Learn” with Suzie Humphreys. Contact Phone: (903) 654-6948

November 12th – Thursday, 10:00 am to Noon - WRITING A WINNING BUSINESS PLAN

THE TEXAS ROADMAP-Writing a Winning Business Plan Have you ever heard the saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, be careful because you might get there? Starting a business without a plan is like going on a trip without a map. A business plan steers you in the right direction to start, build and manage your business. Attendees will receive The Texas Roadmap, a 63 page planning guide, and a copy of QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software. On Thursday, November 12, from10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., the Navarro College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will sponsor a session on Writing a Winning Business Plan at the Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce, 120 N. 12th Street, Corsicana. Cost of the workshop is $20.00 and is for anyone wishing to start a business or already in business. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. To register, call the Navarro College SBDC at (903) 875-7667 or email sbdc@navarrocollege.edu. Robin Lasher, experienced entrepreneur and Director a Navarro College SBDC, will explore the reasons why a business plan is critical to the success of any business, especially if the business owners are looking to get a loan or an investor. Robin will explain the general format, the sections of a business plan, and what information is required for each section. Navarro College SBDC is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Contact Robin Lasher at sbdc@navarrocollege.edu or (903) 855-7667.

November 13th - Friday, 11:30 to 1:00pm – Ribbon Cutting – Artistic Cutting

214 North Beaton

This is a new Chamber member, beauty salon, and Rebecca Tomberlin is inviting everyone to come by on your lunch hour and join in the ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies. Ribbon cutting will take place at 12:30. Please mark this date on our calendar and come by to say hello and welcome Rebecca and Artistic Cuttings to our community.

November 16th - STAR (Success Through Active Role Modeling) Information Session

STAR, a Chamber Educational Committee, is actively recruiting role models to work with students in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program at Corsicana High School providing guidance for students with understanding career objectives and goal. If you are interested in finding out more information, please contact the Chamber or log onto STAR’s website at WWW.STARNC.ORG or plan to attend the next Information Session scheduled for Monday, November 16th from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM here at the Chamber. Please call to RSVP if you would like to learn more about STAR and AVID. You do not have to be a Chamber member to attend the Information Session or to be a STAR Role Model. Everyone is welcome!

If you know of any events going on in our community, I invite you to add it to the Chamber’s Events Calendar at www.corsicana.org. The Chamber website averages 40,000 visits per month with the Events Calendar being the Number One page viewed every month (approx. 10,000 views). People want to know what is going on and what there is to do here in our community and you can tell from the number of visits to our website that a lot of people look to the Chamber to find information.

If you cannot find an event on the Chamber’s Community Calendar, please take a look at the Corsicana Daily Sun’s Local Beat on their website (www.corsicanadailysun.com) as they have a list of many other events going on throughout our community.

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Paul Hooper is executive director of the Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce. He may be reached by e-mail at phooper@corsicana.org. Want to “Sound Off” on this story? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com.