e-Business WatchChamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches

May 2011

e-Business WatchThe Business of Good Blogging

Stand Out Above Your Competition Without Leaving Your Office!

2 Business Watch

THESE PENGUINS DON’T BELONG HERETHESE PENGUINS DON’T BELONG HERE

BUT YOUR AD DOES. Contact Alexandra Guth at aguth@palmbeaches.org

May 2011 3

e -BUSINESS WATCH

ON THE COVER

9 Stand Out Above Your Competition Without Leaving Your Office!

17 The Business of Good Blogging

StaffDennis Grady

Chief Executive Officer

Sandy PullensDirector of Administrative Services

Kelley BurkeDirector of Sponsorships and Special

Events

Donald BurgessOperations Coordinator

Alexandra GuthCommunications Coordinator/Webmaster

Kelly FanelliMembership Director

Bryan BakerMembership Development

Mike PennMembership Development

Sharon McIntoshInformation Coordinator

Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches401 N. Flagler Drive

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Phone: (561) 833-3711Fax: (561) 833-5582

Visit us online at: www.palmbeaches.org

Source: Yankelovich Marketing

Consumers are exposed to about 5,000 marketingmessages each day.

How can you be sure YOUR advertising will stand out in the crowd?

FIND MORE MARKET INFO AT:RealSolutions.PalmBeachPost.com

4 Business Watch

Officers

Chair Carey O’Donnell O’Donnell Agency

Chair-Elect Michelle Diffenderfer

Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A.

Treasurer David D. Brooks, CPA

General CounselPaul Krasker

Trident Title LLC

At-Large Member Wesley Lauer

Akerman Senterfitt

At-Large Member Harvey E. Oyer III Shutts & Bowen, LLP

Past-Chair Don DeWoody

WGCompass Realty Companies

Board of DirectorsLarry B. Alexander

Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A.

Scott Butler Butler Construction Co.

John CassidyJohn C. Cassidy Air Conditioning,

Inc.

Dr. David DorfmanMobile Chiropractic of the Palm

Beaches

Tom DyeCarlton Fields, P.A.

Bill Fleming

Palm Beach Atlantic University

Clint GlassBalfour Beatty Construction

Russell GreeneGrand Bank & Trust of Florida

Christine HanleyChristine D. Hanley & Associates,

P.A.

Patti HamiltonSouthern Waste Systems LLC/

Sun Recycling

Rick HermanPNC Bank

Beth KigelKBS Strategies Group, LLC

Don KiselewskiFlorida Power & Light Co.

Patrick KoenigFlagler Realty & Development,

Inc.

Scott Lampert Broad and Cassel

Trish Lowry Florida’s Blood Centers

Monica ManolasCEMEX

Danny MartellFlorida Crystals Corporation

Frank Newman

WACHOVIA, A Wells Fargo Company

Mark NosackaGood Samaritan Medical Center

Kevin ProbelRelated Companies

Keith Spina

Glidden Spina & Partners

Jonathan TeafordDigital Domain Media Group

John TempletonTempleton & Company, LLP

Ricky WadeMcDonald’s/”B”ing the Best, Inc.

Steve WassermanWPTV NewsChannel 5

William S. WilliamsLytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey &

Fronrath

Kathy WilloughbyBank of America Merrill Lynch

May 2011 5

Upcoming Chamber Events

May MixerThe May 11 mixer will be was hosted by CityPlace South Tower, located across from CityPlace. Attendees will network from the building’s ninth floor amenity deck with panoramic city and water views, and a state-of-the-art club room. This residential tower is the perfect place to live, work and have fun in West Palm Beach.

Finding the time to build your base of business connections can be a challenge, but the Chamber makes it easy – and fun – with regular events when the workday is done. Join us on Wednesday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. at CityPlace South Tower, located at 550 Okeechobee Boulevard in downtown West Palm Beach. Valet parking is complimentary.

11 June24

Calling All Golfers

The Chamber’s Annual Golf Tournament will be held at PGA National Resort and Spa on Friday morning, June 24. Corporate foursomes, which include a foursome, hole sign, and perks including a drawing for fabulous prizes, are on sale now for $750. A limited number of Hole Ambassadors, which provide one-on-one networking opportunities with each foursome when they arrive at the Tee, are available for $350. Continental Breakfast sponsored by West Construction. Goodie bag items and raffle prize donations are also welcomed.

Register now at www.palmbeaches.org, as the golf tournament sells out every year. For information on golfing or sponsorships, please contact Kelley Burke at 833-3711 ext 231 or kburke@palmbeaches.org.

2011 Annual Golf Tournament

6 Business Watch

Mayor Muoio Speaks at Chamber Breakfast

Jeri Muoio, Mayor of West Palm Beach, spoke in front of a sold-out April Chamber breakfast at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. She began her detailed presentation with a recap of the Digital Domain/Florida State University collaboration and showed a brief video from their recent press conference. Mayor Muoio’s goals are to build a highly responsive and affordable city government that is focused on results, including building a citizen centered organization, a sense of team, an empowered workforce and valuing transparency. Her presentation also included some budget tightening moves like pension reform, deletion of unfilled city positions, reorganizing city operations and a hold on job vacancies.

The breakfast was sponsored by Good Samaritan Medical Center which was recently honored as one of the eight Tenet hospitals in

the country to receive the 2011 Tenet Circle of Excellence Award. Parking was underwritten by The Morganti Group.

Photo id: Mark Nosacka - CEO of Good Samaritan Medical Center, Mayor Jeri Muoio, Carey O’Donnell - Chamber Chair, and Steve Cohen - Oxbow Carbon

May 2011 7

SunFest Mixer at the Crowne Plaza

Always one of the most popular networking events, the Chamber’s SunFest Mixer was held on April 12. This year’s host was the Crowne Plaza West Palm Beach on Belvedere Road, and the event was held in their spacious lobby bar area. All of their accommodations (nearly half are suites) have been meticulously designed, offering stylish furnishings and an array of amenities including complimentary Wi-Fi and the ultimate in personal comfort.

8 Business Watch

Business Awards Finalists Announced

PNC Bank and the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches are pleased to announce the 2011 Business Awards Finalists. These awards recognize Palm Beach County companies that lead with confidence, demonstrating a solid commitment to their business goals, their employees and their local community.

The Small Business Person of the Year finalists are: Robin Gianantonio Blakeman, President, Foliage Design Systems of Palm Beach County; Penny G. Murphy, President, Pioneer Linens and Richard Rampell, CEO, Rampell & Rampell, P.A. Certified Public Accountants and Consultants.

The Business of the Year finalists are: ESPN 760/Good Karma Broadcasting; Florida Power & Light; and Rybovich Boat Company, LLC. This award is sponsored by The Palm Beach Post.

The Non-Profit of the Year finalists are: Achilles International of South Florida; Coalition for Independent Living Options, Inc.; Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida;

Norton Museum of Art; and West Palm Beach Police Athletic League.

The Health/Science Professional of the Year finalists are: Brenda Bean, Business Development Representative, The Medical Store; Hector Gomez, M.D., PhD, President and CEO, GLG Pharma, LLC and Mark Nosacka, Chief Executive Officer, Good Samaritan Medical Center.

The Community Leader of the Year Award will be presented to George Wedgworth, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida for over 50 years.

The Business Awards breakfast will be held on Friday, May 20 at 7:45 a.m. at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Registration is open for tabletop displays and seats. Please register online at www.palmbeaches.org and for more information, contact Kelley Burke at kburke@palmbeaches.org.

May 2011 9

Stand Out Above Your Competition Without Leaving Your OfficeCan’t come to Chamber events? Not everyone can. The good news is that the Chamber has ways to support its members who are not able to participate in all the networking events, but still need help with visibility, sales and marketing. There are many avenues for members to increase sales, promote their events, and direct traffic to their individual websites via links from the Chamber’s site without even leaving their businesses.

• www.palmbeaches.org – the Chamber website lists all its members twice, once alphabetically and once by business category, complete with a link to the member’s website. It includes a Community Calendar created specifically to help members promote their events, fundraisers and seminars.

• Chamber newsletters –the newsletters provide targeted marketing message and advertising opportunities. The electronic, weekly newsletter, Chamber Update, has a single sponsorship with a click through to a website, special offer, video or event. The monthly newsletter, Business Watch, reaches members electronically and the community through The Palm Beach Post, where it reaches 80,000 in 20 zip codes!

• Free PR - those newsletters all contain new member listings, press releases and ribbon-cutting photos. The Chamber will come to your business, take the photo for the ribbon-cutting and highlight it with an article in the Business Watch. You can also write a press release from your desk and send it in for consideration in the Business Watch as well.

• Stand out above your competition - Chamber membership is an important stamp of credibility for your business. Make sure the Chamber E-Plaque appears on your website. That may be what prompts visitors to your site to select you above your competition.

• Establish yourself as an expert - speakers are viewed as experts in their fields. Can’t get out to speaking engagements? Write an article for consideration on the Chamber blog.

• Use the Chamber lobby – member brochures, business cards and flyers are all available to the many visitors and committee, seminar and event attendees.

• Host an event – have the Chamber come to you! Host an event and have the members experience your location.

• Supply a raffle or auction item – put your name in front of the right people. Raffles, auction items, and golf bag goodies all reach specific types of members.

There are countless ways to promote your business without the luxury of leaving the office. The Chamber also has seminars to provide education and guidance for these members.

Contact Kelly Fanelli, Membership Director, at kfanelli@palmbeaches.org or (561) 833-3711 ext. 235 for more information.

New Members

10 Business Watch

Advanced Medical Practice ManagementHerman B. Steinberg8983 Okeechobee Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33411(561) 568-0025www.advancedmedicalpractice.comMEDICAL & DENTAL BUSINESS CONSULTANTS

Altitude Funding Associates, LLCMark Corcoran301 Clematis St., Suite 3000 West Palm Beach, FL 33401(561) 449-2067www.altitudefunding.comFINANCE - COMMERCIAL & INVESTMENTS

Arthur I. Meyer Jewish AcademyMorli Josza - Dir. of Marketing & Strategic Planning3261 N. Military TrailWest Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 686-6520www.meyeracademy.orgSCHOOLS - PRIVATE

AT&T Mobility ServicesTerri Fekete - Retail Small Business Sales Executive / IRU1862 Okeechobee Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 231-3514www.att.comTELECOMMUNICATIONS

Best Webs OnlineRoss Russell - President / Owner777 E. Atlantic Ave., Suite C2286Delray Beach, FL 33483(561) 374-4161www.bestwebsonline.comWEB SITE DESIGN & HOSTING

Blue Water DoctorsDr. Roy Bassett - Medical Director400 N. Congress Ave., Suite 110West Palm Beach, FL 33401(561) 688-8917

www.bluewaterdoctors.comPHYSICIANS & SURGEONS - FAMILY PRACTICE

Cartridge World Boynton BeachJeffrey Rosenzweig - Owner1777 N. Congress Ave.Boynton Beach, FL 33426(561) 732-0016www.cartridgeworldusa.com/ store190INK & TONER CARTRIDGES & RECYCLING

Casey Ciklin Lubitz Martens and O’ConnellGary Walk - Partner515 N. Flagler Dr., 20th FloorWest Palm Beach, FL 33401(561) 832-5900www.caseyciklin.comATTORNEYS

Genesis Partners Palm Beach LLCMark FoleyP.O. Box 93Palm Beach, FL 33480(561) 578-4340REAL ESTATE - INVESTMENTS

Hector Torres REHector Torres - CEO9112 Alternate A1ANorth Palm Beach, FL(561) 502-0285www.hectortorres.usREAL ESTATE

Holland & Knight LLPRichard Hutchison - Partner222 Lakeview Ave., Suite 1000West Palm Beach, FL 33401(561) 650-8333www.hklaw.comATTORNEYS

Lamborghini Palm BeachRon Levinson - General Manager2345 Okeechobee Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 370-7953www.lamborghinipalmbeach.comAUTOMOBILE DEALERS - NEW/ USED/SERVICE

Maya’s Personal ServiceDorothy Hazard - PresidentP.O. Box 2186West Palm Beach, FL 33402(561) 881-8298PERSONAL SERVICE & ASSISTANTS

Merlin’s Enterprises, Inc. / All Temps - Foodservice ProfessionalsArt Segal - PresidentP.O. Box 243246Boynton Beach, FL 33424(305) 940-9101EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES - PERM & TEMP

Out of the Blue RestaurantAlan Cohen - President3238 Casseekey Island Rd.West Palm Beach, FL 33477(561) 741-2882www.outofthebluecelebrations.comRESTAURANTS

Speak Up! For Kids of Palm Beach County / Guardian Ad LitemDiana Reese - MarketingP.O. Box 1896West Palm Beach, FL 33402(561) 373-1233www.speakupforkidspbc.orgNON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Steam MasterLida Wendler - Owner3575 23rd Ave. S. #103Lake Worth, FL 33461(561) 547-3390www.mysteammaster.comCARPET, UPHOLSTERY & TILE CLEANING

Sue Jones PromotionsSue Jones - President6023 Barbara St.Jupiter, FL 33458(561) 401-9862www.suejonespromotions.comPROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS

T- MobileLeonard Neal - Store Manager1960 Okeechobee Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 478-7988www.t-mobile.comWIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

April 2011 11

Advantage HR Services, Inc.Audio Video Systems, Inc.Barber’s BasketsBeach Environmental ExterminatingBravo KB, Inc.Carrier’s Career Service Inc.Casa Grandview Historic Luxury Inn, Cottages & SuitesCoastal ConstructionCostco WholesaleD. TECH Networking ServicesDermatology Associates P.A. of the Palm BeachesEvergreen Insurance AgencyField of GreensFlorida’s Blood Centers, Inc.Gator Electric and Communications, Inc.

RenewalsGreenbergTraurig, P.A.Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach CountyHalsey & GriffithHealth Insurance Linked, LLCImage Janitorial Services, Inc.Keller TrustMuvico Parisian 20Narda E. Butner, C.P.A., P.A.Palm Beach County GolfPalm Beach Gardens Medical CenterParamount Training ServicesPre-Paid LegalProfessional Touch InternationalRealtors Association of the Palm BeachesSam’s ClubSCORE-Counselors to America’s Small Business

Tattoo ParadiseClark O’Dell - President2072 S. Military Trail ,Suite 6West Palm Beach, FL 33415(561) 318-7767www.tattooparadisewpb.comTATTOOING & BODY PIERCING

TD BankMichell Morgan - Store Manager, AVP4646 Okeechobee Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 242-5201www.tdbank.comBANKS

TD BankRobert Pregnolato - Store Manager2130 Centrepark West Dr.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 704-8857www.tdbank.comBANKS

Seminole Marketing, LLCServpro of West Palm BeachShow ManagementShutts & Bowen, LLPSouthern Waste Systems LLC / Sun RecyclingSpecial District Services, Inc.Stuart R. Manoff & Associates, P.A.Sunset House, Inc.The Brazilian Court Hotel & Beach Club Palm BeachVila & Son Landscaping CorporationWantman Group Inc.WTAS LLC

The Cochran Law Firm Florida Foreclosure Division, PACarol Anne Plowman - Managing Attorney801 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 33West Palm Beach, FL 33407(561) 275-1755www.HelpSavingHomes.comATTORNEYS

The Pension SourceScott Grant - Director of Business Development2110 SE Rays WayStuart, FL 34994(772) 287-9163www.thepensionsource.comRETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICES

Water’s Edge DermatologyLewis Bergman - Practice Administrator2031 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 296-7710www.wederm.comPHYSICIANS & SURGEONS - DERMATOLOGY

West Construction, Inc.Matthew West - Vice President318 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 4-5Lake Worth, FL 33460(561) 588-2027www.westconstructioninc.netCONTRACTORS - GENERAL

West Palm Beach Event Hall / The Box Expo CenterMaurene Gall - Manager2231 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 689-0004www.wpbeventhall.comEVENT & BANQUET FACILITIES

12 Business Watch

Trustee Happenings

Moore Hallmark, Southeast Regional Vice-President, for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce addressed the Trustees regarding the threat of organized labor to the business community of Florida. He urged local businesses to visit the web site, www.Workforcefreedom.com, to help them understand the many union issues that are impacting small businessmen and women.

Gary Johnson, Former Governor of New Mexico spoke on a variety of topics from civility liberties and foreign aid to debt reduction and privatizing education. The Presidential candidate’s goals include reducing spending by 43% and implementing an immigration policy that makes it easier to obtain work visas.

May 2011 13

Now accepting Raffle & Goodie Bag item donations for the

Annual Golf TournamentFriday, June 24, 2011

Annual Golf TournamentFriday, June 24

PGA National Resort & Spa

6.24.11

• 150 business men and women participate in the tournament

• Your company will be featured in our program, Chamber newsletter e-Business Watch and listed on our website www.palmbeaches.org

• All prizes must be valid June 24, 2011 to June 24, 2012

• Please drop off or mail the prize accompanied by this form no later than June 15, 2011 to the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, 401 North Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

• If possible, please enclose a pamphlet or flyer to help showcase your item

Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches 401 North Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 Phone: (561) 833-3711 Fax: (561) 833-5582For more information, contact Kelley Burke at kburke@palmbeaches.org

Please Fax Back to (561) 833-5582

Why donate?

Please check one: Raffle Item Goodie Bag Item

Item Description:

Value: $ Blackout Dates/Restrictions: Donated by:

Contact Name: Phone: Address:

City/Zip: Fax: Email:

If you would like to play in our tournament call Kelley Burke at (561) 833-3711 ext. 231

14 Business Watch

GUNSTER WELCOMES NEW SHAREHOLDER EDWARD F. TANCER TO THE WEST PALM BEACH OFFICENew shareholder Edward F. Tancer joins Gunster’s corporate practice group in the West Palm Beach office.  He will focus his practice on general business counseling, corporate governance and commercial transactions.

HEDRICK BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION SELECTED FOR BOYS & GIRLS CLUB BUILDING PROJECTHedrick Brothers Construction has been selected as the contractor for the new Marjorie S. Fisher Boys & Girls Club, located at 905 Drexel Road, West Palm Beach.

LOCAL LEADERS CELEBRATE CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE FOR MAX PLANCK FLORIDA INSTITUTE’S NEW FACILITYBusiness and community leaders joined Dr. David Fitzpatrick, CEO and Scientific Director at the Max Planck Florida Institute, for a brief ceremony and reception on April 7 to mark the “topping out” of construction on the 100,000-square-foot biomedical research facility that will become the permanent home to the first U.S.-based Institute for Germany’s Max Planck Society.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY APPOINTS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER The Historical Society of Palm Beach County announced today that it had appointed Jeremy Wayne Johnson to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective May 2, 2011.

Members In MotionCLEVELAND CLINIC FLORIDA RANKED NO. 2 HOSPITAL IN METRO AREA RANKING BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORTCleveland Clinic Florida ranked second among the 18 best hospitals in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area in US News & World Report’s first-ever ranking of Best Hospitals by metro area. A complete list of newly ranked hospitals is available online at www.usnews.com/hospitals.

FORMA TECHNOLOGY TAKES TELECOMMUNICATION TO THE NEXT LEVELPompano Beach, Florida- Integrated Professional Services (IPS) a full service telecommunications company located in Pompano Beach, has just been renamed and rebranded due to rapid expansion. IPS is now Forma Technology boasting the tagline, “Experts in the communications game”.

SEAGULL TO HONOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FRED EISINGER Seagull Industries for the Disabled, Inc., a social service agency providing programs for persons with intellectual disabilities, will be honoring executive director Fred Eisinger for his 25 years of service to Seagull Industries for the Disabled during the month of May.

May 2011 15

Many thanks to the Rehabilitation Center of the Palm Beaches for sponsoring and The Medical Store for hosting the April Health Care Committee meeting. Committee Co-Chairs Lissette Diaz and Brenda Bean hosted a wonderful lunch, which followed with tours of the facility. For more information on the Health Care Committee or to host a luncheon, contact Kelly Fanelli, Membership Director at kfanelli@palmbeaches.

The Ambassador Committee put on a great networking event at the AAA Auto Club South office in Palm Beach Gardens. The Ambassador Coffee was very well attended and our hosts provided breakfast and a great venue for networking. Kathleen Elek, Location Manager for AAA Auto Club, gave away goodie bags to all our guests following the event.

Ambassador of the Month - AprilGary Baja of Costco Wholesale

“After recently being transferred to Palm Beach County I have found from my past chamber experiences that joining a chamber and

becoming involved is one of the quickest ways to become established. The Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches has made me feel at home since day one. Getting involved as an Ambassador has opened new doors and is creating great business and personal relationships. I’m honored to be named the Ambassador of the month and looking

forward to many years of working together.”

Health Care Committee Ambassador Coffee

16 Business Watch

Young Professionals of the Palm Beaches

On Thursday, April 7, the Young Professionals of the Palm Beaches enjoyed their monthly HotSpot networking event at Leila Restaurant in Downtown West Palm Beach. Special thanks to Alex Awad for the generous hospitality.

Upcoming YPOP HotSpots include:• Thursday, May 5 at the Omphoy Ocean

Resort on Palm Beach• Wednesday, June 1 at World of Beer• Thursday, July 7 at iBar – PGA National.

YPOP is for young professionals ages 21-40. To learn more, visit www.ypopconnect.org.

News from Women in BusinessMissy Strauss from the U.S. Green Building Council and host of Radio Green Earth, shared her passion for sustainability with the Women in Business Committee, just in time for Earth Day.  The group learned simple ways in which we can all contribute to a greener earth so that it may be enjoyed for many generations to come.  Attendees were reminded to support those businesses and organizations that implemented green strategies and purchase green products whenever they are available as well as to carpool, bike, or walk as often as possible since our cars are the biggest contributor to global warming and pollution.Lunch was donated by Chick-fil-A on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, which is great for catering business breakfasts and lunches.

The Women in Business Committee meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 11:45 a.m. in the Chamber board room. Contact Kelley Burke for additional information at kburke@palmbeaches.org.

May 2011 17

The Business of BloggingIt’s no secret that blogs have become increasingly popular over the last few years as a new way for companies to reach potential clients. The beauty of a blog is that it injects a human element into what would otherwise be a cold technological transaction. When writing a blog article, it is important to know who is reading your blog and why they’re there. While there is a blog for every need and audience, the majority of your potential customers are looking for information. Your website, in general, serves as your sales pitch. Potential buyers visit to learn what you have to offer and how much it costs. So where does your blog fit in? Often inexperienced bloggers make the mistake of trying to turn each blog entry into a sales pitch by providing little to no real information.

XYZ Plumbing Service Example:

Sales Pitch:A toilet that leaks or constantly runs can quickly turn into an expensive water bill. Call us at the first sign of trouble – it will save you hundreds in the long run.

Compare that to:A toilet that leaks or constantly runs can quickly turn into an expensive water bill. View this video to learn how you can easily fix this problem and save yourself hundreds! Looking for more ways to conserve water and lower costs? Our WaterSaver line can save you an average of $50 a year on your water bill.

By offering free advice you are positioning yourself and your company as helpful experts that care about their clients. This type of blog entry helps form a relationship with your potential client, so when it comes time to buy WaterSaver fixtures, they will think of you first. A continuing stream of high-quality articles will bring the same readers back time after time as they look for more information which often ends up getting shared with people they know.

Better Blogging tips:- Include How-To’s, tips, product comparison, and other expert advice and information- Don’t cram too much information into one blog entry. Multi-part entries will keep readers

interested and coming back for more- Don’t reinvent the wheel; if someone else has written it better ask their permission to post

it on your blog with credit and links. - Engage your readers – ask questions and respond to comments- Be consistent with your blogging, choose a time frame (monthly, weekly, daily) to blog and

stick with it- Have fun! Blogs allow you the opportunity to have a conversation with potential clients;

don’t feel like it needs to be cold and impersonal.

Have you written a fantastic blog entry? The Chamber is looking for member submissions for our blog. Entries must be informative and may not include your or your company name in the body (you will receive credit at the end). For more information on the guidelines and to submit your blog article for consideration, contact Alexandra Guth, Communications Coordinator, at aguth@palmbeaches.org.

18 Business Watch

Writing Effective Job DescriptionsWhat are your expectations for employees in specific jobs in your business? A job description ensures that your applicants and employees understand their roles and what they need to do to be accountable.

The importance of job descriptions cannot be understated. It is essential in hiring and managing your employees. A job description:Helps attract the right job candidates.Describes the major areas of an employee’s job or position.Serves as a major basis for outlining performance expectations, job training, job evaluation and career advancement.Provides a reference point for compensation decisions and unfair hiring practices.

Overview of Job DescriptionA job description should be practical, functional and current. It also should be clear and accurate in order to effectively define your needs. Good job descriptions typically begin with a careful analysis of the important facts about a job such as:

Individual tasks involved.The methods used to complete the tasks.The purpose and responsibilities of the job.The relationship of the job to other jobs.Qualifications needed for the job.

What to Avoid in a Job DescriptionDon’t be inflexible with your job description. Jobs are subject to change for personal growth, organizational development and/or evolution of new technologies. If inflexible, job descriptions will keep you and your employees from trying or learning new tasks within the job. A flexible job description encourages employees to grow within their position and contribute over time to your overall business.

What to Include in a Job DescriptionA job description includes:Job title.Job objective or overall purpose statement.Summary of the general nature and level of the job (no longer than three to four sentences).Description of the broad function and scope of the position.

May 2011 19

List of duties or tasks performed critical to the success (including principal duties, continuing responsibilities and accountability of the occupant of the position).Most important functional and relational responsibilities in order of significance.Description of the relationships and roles within the company, including supervisory positions, subordinating roles and other working relationships.Additional Items for Job Descriptions for Recruiting Situations

Job specifications, standards, and requirements (minimum amount of qualifications to perform essential functions of the job such as education, experience, knowledge and skills).Job location where the work will be performed.Equipment to be used in the performance of the job.Collective Bargaining Agreements (agreements and terms that relate to job functions, if applicable, such as when your company’s employees are members of a union).Non-essential functions (functions which are not essential to the position or any marginal tasks performed by the incumbent of the position).Salary range (pay for the position).Proper Language in the Job DescriptionKeep each statement in the job description crisp and clear:

Structure your sentences in classic verb/object and explanatory phrases. Since the occupant of the job is your sentences’ implied subject, it may be eliminated. For example, a sentence pertaining to the description of a receptionist position might read: “Greets office visitors and personnel in a friendly and sincere manner.”Always use the present tense of verbs.If necessary, use explanatory phrases telling why, how, where, or how often to add meaning and clarity. For example: “Collects all employee time sheets on a bi-weekly basis for payroll purposes.”Omit any unnecessary articles such as “a,” “an,” “the,” or other words for an easy-to-understand description. Using the above example, the statement could have read, “Greets all visitors and the office personnel to the building in a friendly and a sincere manner.”Use unbiased terminology. For example, use the he/she approach or construct sentences in such a way that gender pronouns are not required.Avoid using words which are subject to differing interpretations. Try not to use words such as “frequently,” “some,” “complex,” “occasional,” and “several.”

This information has been reprinted from the U.S. Small Business Administration website. For more information and additional articles visit www.sba.gov.