FEBRUARY EVENTS
WDM Chamber
Board Meeting:
Tuesday, Feb. 3
4:00 PM
WDM City Hall
Ribbon Cutting:
Wednesday, Feb. 4
5:00 PM
StylEyes
650 S. Prairie View Dr. Suite 110
(near Bonefish)
Membership Luncheon:
Thursday, Feb.12
11:30 AM
Des Moines Golf & Country Club
Wednesday, Feb. 18
7:30 AM
EP True Chiropractic
1905 EP True Parkway
Suite 207
Business After Hours:
Thursday, Feb. 26
5:00-7:00 PM
Hosted by Knapp Properties
Event Held at
6000 Westown Parkway - WDM
For a complete listing of 2009 WDM Chamber Events, please click HERE |
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WDM Chamber OFFICERS
515.223.8104
515.556.9152
515.440.5601 |
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WDM Chamber
Board of Directors
Chris Costa:
515.222.5205
Susan Dunn:
515.224.7619 Steve Gaer:
515.974.5261
Karen Hallagin:
515.223.7885
515.223.4500
515.288.3141
515.333.4056
Kurt Pearson:
515.327.1020
Sid Ramsey:
515.263.5375
515.633.5023
515.237.8631 |
CONGRATULATIONS
2008 Business of the Year Award Winners
Small Business Winner:
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse
& Wine Bar
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February Membership Luncheon |
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Des Moines Golf & Country Club
1600 Jordan Creek Parkway
West Des Moines
Reservations:
Call 515.225.6009
or register online by clicking HERE
$20/person
Guest Speaker:
David Vaudt
State Auditor
Sponsored by:
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Join the WDM Chamber Ambassadors
at
Wednesday, February 18th
7:30 AM
EP True Chiropractic
1231 8th Street
Suite 216
No charge to attend, but please RSVP. Call 515.225.6009 or click here.
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Thursday, Feb. 26th
5:00-7:00 PM
Event Held at:
6000 Westown Parkway - WDM
RSVP by calling 515.225.6009
or by clicking here.
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Welcome New Members!
Premier Electric of Iowa
1425 2nd Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50237
West Des Moines, IA 50266
515.222.4411
Bank
5930 Grand Avenue,
Suite 100
West Des Moines, IA 50266
515.223.2685
Business Support
7081 Brookview Drive
Urbandale, IA 50322
515.371.8646
Legal Plans/Identity Theft Protection & Restoration
7300 Westown Pkwy.,
Suite 120
West Des Moines, IA 50266
515.974.4516
Business Technology Solutions
3839 Merle Hay Road #200
Des Moines, IA 50310
515.988.7605
Travel - Cruises
3424 EP True Pkwy.
West Des Moines, IA 50266
515.205.8871
Residential Real Estate Sales
431 E. Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
515.309.4852
Non-Profit
3125 S. Grimes Street
Grimes, IA 50111
515.986.9424
Computer Solutions | |
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 The Best of Times
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.......
These infamous words, written by Charles Dickens in Tale of Two Cities, describes very well the times in which we find ourselves.
"The worst of times" is in front of us every day. For the sake of space and our sanity let's talk of these days being "The best of times".
The first point is that free markets have to purge fear and greed from the system. Markets will almost always recover from a depressed value because of human nature. Eventually, if the markets are allowed to work without interference, the undervalued assets begin to look like incredible opportunities. Let the buying begin! The human element of fear is gone and hope emerges. It appears we are on the cusp of this transition.
Another "Best of Times" point is that hard times always force us down to solid footing. Americans are building stronger net worth statements. Statistics are beginning to show that repayment of debts are occurring, savings rates are climbing and all of us are learning new cash flow management skills. These habits will serve us all very well as the recession begins to fade.
The final point to consider is that we are in this together. It's sad to say, but "the worst of times" creates an environment for us to connect on a human level. The good times take us to places where we may begin to believe that we are super human. These days remind us of our fragility and that's a good honest foundation to build upon.
Cheers to a fantastic 2009. The winter of despair will end and the spring of hope will come. Hope truly does spring eternal!
Submitted by Kurtis Pearson, CFP
Compass Financial Services West Des Moines Chamber Board Member |
 Dreaming of Greens and Golf!How can this be? Snow is still piled all around us, but already we're thinking (dreaming?) about golf in September?? That's right, pardners! Friday, September 11 is the date for this year's Wild, Wild West Golf Shoot-Out, and planning for another fun-filled day on the links is already underway.
The Urbandale Chamber is once again responsible for selling and managing all aspects of sponsorships for the outing. This means, any of our Chamber members from West Des Moines, Clive or Urbandale who might be interested in a hole sponsorship, pin event sponsorship, presenting sponsorship, or any other kind of sponsorship for the golf outing, will make arrangements through the Urbandale Chamber office and their volunteers.
Anyone interested in learning more about the sponsor opportunities available for this year can go to http://ygmtrc.com/urbandale/, scroll down to the Wild Wild West Golf Tournament and click on whatever option you would like to learn more about. You can fill out a contract, print it and fax it to Tiffany Menke at the Urbandale Chamber at 278-3927. The deadline for golf sponsorship is March 10, so act now to get in on the fun - and start thinking GOLF! |
 Coaching & Leadership
The West Des Moines Leadership Academy (WDMLA) convened on Thursday, January 8 at the Holiday Inn to hear Mitch Matthews lecture on "The Coach Mindset™." Coaching and leadership are closely related,  though not "coaching" as many of us remember in high school sports. Matthews lectured that true coaching is about guidance and helping the team realize a shared goal or vision. This often requires leading the team to discover and formulate their own plans, facilitating questions and discussion, and leading the group in less tangible ways. It's easy to press the team to do things "the right way" and deliver the end product without leveraging the team's unique talents and skills, but according to Matthews this is not true coaching. Ultimately the best coaches will always trust their team's capabilities and let them "run with the ball," rather than force them to do things their way because they simply know best. Matthews' program concluded with a coaching application that helped Academy members develop a plan for applying The Coach Mindset™ and coaching others. For some this meant coaching subordinates in the workplace or volunteers in an organization; for others, coaching became a more personal thing to share with family. One person runs his own company as a sole proprietor and committed to coaching himself on a regular basis. The Academy members also discussed the class  project. Several ideas have materialized and many of them involve creating programs-mentorship programs, cultural events and youth leadership programs have all been discussed. This is a departure from other adult leadership programs that often incorporate building projects into their class projects. The Academy has narrowed their focus down to two projects in particular and plan to announce their selected class project at the next session. Next month the Academy members will focus once again on West Des Moines, this time learning in-depth about the City's government and elected leaders.
Submitted by Jeremy Schultz,
WDM Chamber Board member and WDMLA '09 |
 WDM Chamber Strives to Go Green The WDM Chamber is very excited to announce a new system that we have put in place for delivery of the board materials for our board members. The new development is a result of an excellent suggestion by one of our new board members, Kurt Pearson, after seeing the mound of paper that we delivered at last month's board meeting!
We have developed a page on our website meant for Board member access only. The page contains complete materials, including agenda, minutes, financial statements, etc. Everything board members will need in preparation for each month's board meeting - and accessible at any time. Chamber staff will plan to display the materials electronically in the meeting room so that meetings are paperless.
The WDM Chamber hopes to expand this concept in the future to include materials for all meetings, invoicing and a variety of office functions and other member communications. | |
 The West Des Moines Difference On Monday, January 26, 2008, all subscribers to the Business Record received a special insert: the West Des Moines Premiere Living Guide, entitled, "The West Des Moines Difference." Every other year, the City of West Des Moines contracts with Business Corporation Publications to produce this magazine-type document to highlight what is special and interesting about West Des Moines. The City and Chamber use it often to help promote our city at conferences, presentations, and through direct mailings. This year's publication is full of articles and photos that depict the scope of business, the financial report of the City, neighborhoods, education, medical, business lifestyle, and shopping. You will most likely recognize many of the people and businesses profiled. (Check out page 46! Our own Julie Weeks is smiling at you.) If you would like copies of the Premiere Living Guide to help promote West Des Moines and your business, please contact the Chamber at 225-6009 or the City at 273-0770 for extra copies. We'd love to share this fabulous marketing piece!
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Viewing Gallery
Gold's Gym hosted the WDM Chamber Business After Hours on January 8th.
The rescheduled December Business After Hours drew a large crowd.
Members of Gold's Gym staff demonstrated a popular fitness class for BAH attendees.
Small Business of the Year, Flemings, did a great job of showcasing West Des Moines at the Annual Partnership Legislative Reception.
The Partnership Legislative Reception was held at the Civic Center on Monday, January 12th.
The WDM Chamber hosted January's Regional Business After Hours at the DMACC West Campus.
The Regional Business After Hours was held on a frigid Thursday, January 15th and drew a large crowd.
WorkSource hosted January's Breakfast B4 Business on Wednesday, January 21st.
Early rising Chamber Members enjoyed a wonderful hot meal at the Breakfast.
The Partnership's Annual Dinner was held on Thursday, January 22nd at Hy-Vee Hall.
Courtyard by Marriott celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting held on Tuesday, January 27th. The event included food, music, tours and prizes.
Great Western Bank invited Ambassadors to celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting on Friday, January 30th. |
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