Join us in thanking the following members for advertising in our new Fargo Moorhead Metro streetmaps by utilizing them for your goods and service needs!

Aggregate Industries
Allied Building Products
Avis / Ness Rent A Car Inc.
Boulger Funeral Home
Breadsmith
Cass County Historical & Cultural Society – Bonanzaville
Clay County Historical & Cultural Society
Cetero Research
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Coldwell Banker First Realty
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
Don’s Car Washes
Dunn Brothers Coffee
Elim Rehab & Care Center – Fargo
Fargo Air Museum
Fargo Housing & Redevelopment Authority Fargo Motor Vehicle Branch
Fargo Park District
Fargo Public Library
Fargo Public Schools
Fargo Tire Services, Inc.
Flint Communications/ North Dakota State Friendship, Inc.
Good Samaritan Society
Health Care Environmental Services Inc.
Hector International Airport
Helenske Design Group
Homewood Suites by Hilton
Institute of Diagnostic Imaging
Johnson & Ramstad & Mottinger Law Firm Lowell W. Bennes & Co., LTD
Manor Care Health Services
Marguerite’s Music
Migrant Health Services
Minnesota State Community & Technical
Minnesota State University
Moorhead Area Public Schools
Moorhead Center Mall
Moxie Java
Oak Grove Lutheran School
Park Christian School
Overhead Door Company of Fargo
Plains Art Museum
Plains Art Museum (Blue Wolf Casino)
Radisson Hotel Fargo
Ramada Plaza & Suites
Rape and Abuse Crisis Center
Rasmussen College
Sam’s Club
Scheels
Select Inn
The Arts Partnership
The Evergreens
United Way of Cass - Clay
Villa Maria SMP Health
Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors
West Acres Bowl

STRESS REACTIONS and COPING TOOLS for DISASTER
Disaster affects people in a variety of ways. All of these responses are normal reactions to an abnormal situation, which can persist for weeks after the disaster.

Disaster can affect you physically
Changes in appetite and digestive problems. Difficulty in sleeping. Fatigue and lack of energy.
Headaches. Other aches and pains. Allergies and sinus problems. Colds and flu.

Disaster can affect you emotionally
Irritability and anger. Feeling down or depressed. Apathy. Suspiciousness. Crying for no apparent
Reason. Frustration. Feeling powerless over the future. Feeling overwhelmed. Moodiness. Irritability.
Anxiety about the future. Guilt. Rejection of others’ help. Isolation from friends and family.

Disaster can affect your children
Clinging to parent. Reluctance to go to bed. Nightmares. Enactment of the disaster in play. Crying.
Withdrawal. Refusal to leave home. Problems at school or child care. Inability to concentrate.

COPING TOOLS FOR MANAGING DISASTER-RELATED STRESS

Remember the 3 R’s
Rest
Take time to sleep or rest.
Take time to relax with friends and family.
Remember that taking care of yourself gives you the energy necessary to take care of others.

Routine
Being in a routine is comforting to mind and body, and especially helpful for children.
Even with changing circumstances, having a routine for meals and rest is important.

Relationships
Spend time with others. Talk about your feelings. Others probably experience the same feelings.
Help others in your community. Ask your friends and neighbors how they are doing.
Be tolerant of irritability, poor concentration, and other common reactions to stress.
Maintain a friendly attitude - a smile can go a long way to brightening someone’s day.

WHEN AND WHERE CAN I GO FOR HELP?
Seek help when:
Symptoms are highly debilitating or life-threatening (persistent hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, disorientation, extreme emotional reactions, self-neglect).
Symptoms worsen over time, or persist at a high level for over a month.
Other life circumstances intensify stress (loss of a loved one, divorce, financial crisis).

Local Mental Health Phone resources:
FirstLink- 701-235-7335 or call 2-1-1 for Information, Referral or Crisis Management Services. These numbers are FREE, confidential, 24/7 and also available for supportive listening.
Clay County Mental Health 24 hour Crisis Line- 1-800-223-4512
Clay County Social Services for Information and Referral- 218-299-5200 or toll free at 1-800-757-3880
Clay County Public Health for Information and Referral- 218-299-5220
Spirituality resources: Contact your faith community clergy/support staff for guidance 

On Line Resources for Mental and Behavioral Health:

American Red Cross- http://redcross.org

Minnesota Department of Health-  http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/emergency/natural/floods/index.html

North Dakota Department of Health-  http://www.ndhealth.gov/flood/

University of Minnesota Extension-  http://www.extension.umn.edu/Family/

North Dakota State University Extension-  http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/flood/family

Firstlink-  http://www.myfirstlink.org

Red River Resilience-  http://www.redriverresilience.com

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-  http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/katrina/pubs.asp

American Psychological Association-  http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/disaster/index.aspx

 National Child Traumatic Stress Network-  http://www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/

Center for Disease Control, Trauma and Disaster Mental Health Resources-  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/mentalhealth

Mental Health America-  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

Additional On-Line Flood Resources:

Clay County-  http://www.co.clay.mn.us/

City of Moorhead-  http://www.ci.moorhead.mn.us/Flood/

National Weather Service-  http://www.weather.gov/

Got stress in your workplace?

If you said “yes”, welcome to a very big club.  If you said “no”, you are in a small and distinct minority – you should all go out and celebrate!!:-)

Stress at Work Can Kill.  That’s a study published in the European Heart Journal, which found that workers who reported high levels of stress had a 68% higher risk of developing heart conditions, than those who were not as stressed.

According to USA Today, job stress is on the rise and can translate into a negative impact on a company’s bottom line, including:

•  Down time due to employee illnesses, burn out, conflict, lowered morale
• Decreases in employee effectiveness and productivity
• Increased health care costs (medical experts concur that up to 90% of all doctor visits involve stress related complaints)

And all that was BEFORE the economy took a nose-dive.  In October 2008, the American Psychological Association published a report, Stress in America.  The study found that half of those interviewed reported a significant increase in stress due to the economy — and that women are bearing the brunt of that stress.

If you are an employee in a stressful workplace, you are likely to feel unsatisfied with your job; frequently be tired or lacking in energy; worry and procrastinate; experience more illnesses, headaches, body aches, as well as radical increases or decreases in appetite.

What about customer service?  A study by Dr. Chris Pullig found that, “. . . customers served by higher stressed and lower performing personnel, reported lower levels of satisfaction and intent to [not] use the service again.”

Wow — pretty stern stuff. I’m pretty sure that you have a desire to create a healthy, vibrant and comfortable workplace.  So how do you bridge that gap?  Here are a few steps that can get your business headed in the right direction:

1. Create a strong, company wide intention to reduce stress:  this has to come from the top.  Your company leadership needs to get behind reducing workplace stress — and communicate that commitment to all staff. 
2. Take ACTION:  Then, you must take tangible, effective action steps to really DO something about stress in your workplace.  Collect suggestions from everyone about stress and ways you could reduce it.  From that, you can create a stress-reduction action plan.  Be sure to include priorities — and dates that you will take those action steps.
3. Notice your excuses:  once you have completed steps 1 and 2, the excuses about “why we can not do something about stress”, will typically set in.  Excuses look something like:  “We don’t have time to do that.”  “I’ve got to get my job done – I can’t take a break.”  “That costs too much.”  “This is not really a priority.”
4. Overcome your excuses:  once you notice your excuses, it’s time to flip into problem solving mode; or the negative impacts of stress will continue at your company.  Find a way to take at least some of the action steps on your list.
5. Celebrate your successes:  I’m sure you have heard that business maxim – success breeds success.  It is true.  When you do take action to reduce stress at your workplace, acknowledge and celebrate that success.  It will make you more likely to take similar stress relieving actions in the future.

Annie Kirschenmann, M.S. BC-DMT, NCC, Certified Corporate Business Coach, is President and CEO, A.K. A Coach and Company, a Chamber member since 2008.
Simple Stress Solutions is a division of A.K. A Coach and Company
SimpleStressSolutions.com

Our college education is meant to prepare us for future careers.  Yet the thought of jumping from college to the job world can be very daunting.  An internship or co-op (internship for academic credit) can calm a student’s anxiety about entering the job market and improve one’s chances of finding a job. Interns or co-op students also benefit employers by bringing innovative ideas and helping to complete special or ongoing projects in a cost-efficient way. 

 Here is an inside scoop into making an internship successful:

1.      Find a fitting internship

2.      Be dedicated and confident

3.      Be open and willing to try something new

4.      Support and encourage

5.      Address concerns and share your excitement

6.      Be present and productive

7.      Appreciate those who have helped make the internship successful

My internship/co-op for the past three semesters at the Chamber of Commerce of Fargo Moorhead has been very successful!  Having constantly connected my internship experience to my academic work, I have gained a better understanding of the job world and my career interests. One of the most rewarding parts of my internship has been learning about the Chamber’s members and the significant role they play in making this community a great place to live, work, play and learn.   

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is calling for nominations for its eleventh annual Integrity Awards.  The BBB Integrity Award recognizes companies that display outstanding ethics in dealings with customers, employees, vendors and the community.  All for-profit businesses of any size, owned or operated in Minnesota or North Dakota, are eligible. Nominees must have a satisfactory rating with the BBB; however membership is not a requirement to compete for the award. The nomination deadline is April 30th, 2010.

Companies can be nominated by visiting www.thefirstbbb.org, or by sending the company name, contact name, address and phone number, along with the nominator’s name and phone number to BBB, Attn:  Integrity Awards, 2706 Gannon Rd., St. Paul, MN  55116; or faxing the information to 651-699-7665. 

“The Better Business Bureau Integrity Award provides a perfect opportunity to spotlight companies in our marketplace that operate on a foundation of ethical business practices,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau.  “These companies understand that ethics and integrity are essential to their success.” 

Entrants are judged on four areas of their business: management practices; customer/vendor/supplier/shareholder relations; marketing/advertising/communications/sales practices; and reputation within their industry/community.

Once nominated, the nominee will receive an official entry form from the BBB.  An independent panel of judges will decide the award finalists and recipients. Winners will be announced live at the BBB’s 2010 Integrity Awards in October (details to follow).  Winners will also be recognized in Integrity Awards publicity and will be eligible to compete for the National BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
 
The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota is a private, non-profit organization providing services to consumers and businesses.  The focus of the Bureau’s activity is to promote an ethical marketplace by encouraging honest advertising and selling practices, and offering dispute resolution.  For more information on the Better Business Bureau, visit the Bureau’s Web site at www.thefirstbbb.org or call 651-699-1111, toll-free 800-646-6222.

Participation is especially critical this year given the tremendous focus on balancing the budget in the midst of the national recession and legislative consideration of bills to stimulate job creation.

More than 600 people come together as one statewide business voice at this event which has become the largest lobbying day in Minnesota. In its 17th year, it is an excellent venue for the business community to speak with a single voice on common priorities. Issues for this year are balancing the state, advocating for permanent flood protection for the Red River Valley, and making certain that taxpayers receive the greatest value for every dollar spent on the state’s infrastructure system.

The event kicks off at the Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Paul-Riverfront, 11 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul. Two sessions are offered to accommodate schedules. Session I runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Session II runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Both sessions will begin with opening remarks addressing the legislative session followed by the chance to attend briefings by Minnesota Chamber staff on the business community’s top priorities. There will be a noon lunch program where the Governor traditionally gives an address.

Demonstrate your commitment to the priorities of Minnesota’s business community – and thus the state’s economic vitality – by joining with the Minnesota Chamber and local chambers statewide for this event.

For more information, contact Kelli at kelli@fmchamber.com, or register online at www.mnchamber.com.

You have the opportunity to be part of shining a big light on the Fargo Moorhead business community by voting for our very own Intelligent InSites, a Fargo-based provider of enterprise visibility solutions for the healthcare market.

Vote for Intelligent InSites for the Community Excellence Award!
VOTE HERE

The Community Excellence Award, selected by popular vote, is awarded to one Blue Ribbon Small Business  that has found notable success in the eyes of its community. It is voted on by the people that know a company best—its customers, employees, and neighbors.

Voting is open to the public and takes place online between Monday, March 1 and Friday, March 12. This award is a great opportunity for our Blue Ribbon Small Businesses to maximize their exposure and get the recognition they deserve. The winner will be announced on May 18 during America’s Small Business Summit.

Behind every great ChamberChoice candidate is a great marketing team. A team whose job it is to toil for countless hours over essay questions, financial data gathering, graph making, support letter acquisition, and on and on… A team who takes it all in and binds it in triplicate. Our hats are off to you.

Our team recently applied for the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Award for Communication Excellence and is embarking on the application for their Chamber of the Year Award (of which our Chamber is the Susan Lucci). Our fearless award application leader, Katie Hedberg, has led us down the road of introspection and has bound it in triplicate. Katie is graduating this spring with a Masters of Arts in Communication from North Dakota State University and it showed in the professional polish of our application.

We are overjoyed to play a supporting role in Concordia College’s nomination of Sheila Borgerding for YWCA’s Woman of the Year Award. Sheila has interned with the Chamber since January 2009, inspiring us with her servant leadership and drive to make the world a better place. We know she’s made the Chamber a better place.

If you are feeling inspired to show your support of your very own ChamberChoice candidates, join us on March 25 at a reception hosted by Wells Fargo, N.A. (Main in Moorhead location). Search the list of candidates and find your clients, vendors and friends and let them know you noticed. Stronger inspiration calls for stronger shows of support. Put your name next to our honorees’ by becoming a sponsor of the program.

Lots to be proud of… Thank you members!

Police are asking local business owners to take security precautions when accepting money. Protection methods have been placed on bills made after 1995 including:  a watermark that is visible from either side of the bill when placed under a light source, color shifting ink (all bills except the 1 and 5) and a security thread inscribed with the denomination of the bill.  There also is a counterfeiting detection pen which changes colors when a bill is counterfeit.

The Secret Service is working with the Fargo Police Department in this investigation. Additional resources are available at www.moneyfactory.gov and http://www.secretservice.gov/KnowYourMoneyApril08.pdf .

The meeting will be held Thursday, February 18, from 8 to 9 a.m., at the Hjemkomst Center, 202 First Avenue North, Moorhead. Presenting will be Lee Beauvais, Moore Engineering, Inc., and Kent Costin, City of Fargo.

Employees of Chamber-member firms are welcome to attend at no charge, but registration is required.

The Chamber of Commerce of Fargo Moorhead, a bi-state regional federation of 1,800 private and non-profit business organizations holds monthly meetings focused on issues that are relevant for our community.

For additional information, please contact Kelli Poehls at 218.359.0511 or Kelli@fmchamber.com.