NOV/DEC ISSUE 12 2014

BI-MONTHLY BUSINESS

REPORT

OPENING OF US HWY 271 BYPASS

Mount Pleasant

CHAMBER 101

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT TRMC acts F.A.S.T. about stroke P.5

STATE OF THE ECONOMY luncheon set for 2014 P.6

BUSINESS INSIDER: 2014 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Mount Pleasant Business Report | Issue 09

mtpleasanttx.com 3

Mount Pleasant

contents: Partners 4 Chamber 101 5

State of the Economy6

Business Spotlight: TRMC 9

Deck the Halls 11

Honoring our Military 12

Science Behind Click-Worthy Content14

Christmas Local16

Business Insider18

18

5

12

16

6

New Partners

Renewing

1st Texas Financial Services, LLP 8TwentyOne Boutique AAA Bail Bonds ACH Construction Anytime Fitness Bowie Cass Electric Cooperative Braums Joyce Buck Calvary Chapel Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill ISD Clip Zone Communities in Schools of Northeast Texas Cox Concrete Products Cypress Basin Hospice Inc. D & R Lawn & Landscaping Decker Vision Group Edgar Zambrano, D.O. P.A.

Everybodys Furniture First Christian Church Eagle Auto Glass Greenhill Villas of Mount Pleasant Gordon Hall Hightower Financial Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Housing Authority-City of Mount Pleasant Junior Achievement Lake Country RV Park Lavender Mermaid Farm Los Pinos McCollums Cleaners & Laundry Mills Flower Shop Momentum Motor Sports & RV North Jefferson Church of Christ Northeast Small Business Development Center

Rotary Club Janet Russell Sears Dealer Store Shumate Flooring Simply Skin South Jefferson Baptist Church St. Andrews United Methodist Church Super 1 Foods Tabor Sanitation Service Trucare Medical Martin Marietta Bob & Delores Walker Welch Gas, Inc.

September-October Renewals 2014

H & R Block Business Services

Party Time

Taking

To the next level

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New Chamber partners will have an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the Chamber at Chamber 101, set for Nov. 5. The snapshot of everything the Chamber does shows new members how the Chamber can benefit them and their business as well as how a new member can get plugged in. As the busi-ness community grows and Chamber member-ship grows its so vital to be engaged with and to let members know what the chamber can do for their business, said Chamber CEO Faustine Curry. Chamber 101 is a way for us to do that. A great way to serve the Chamber and to stay engaged with its activities and its goal of serving the community as a whole is to serve on a committee. Chamber 101 will cover each committee, including Business Services, Marketing, Education, Tourism, Agriculture, Ambassadors, Junior Chamber and the Governmental Affairs committee,

which has recently enhanced its role by becoming more actively involved with taking advocacy positions and educat-ing Chamber members on issues that affect local business-es. Serving on one of these committees is the first step in mov-

ing up the Chamber leadership ladder, which in turn provides numerous benefits for business growth of business. The training is held twice a year at the Chamber office at 8 a.m. The November ses-sion is sponsored by Luminant and includes breakfast.

For information on Chamber 101 or other member services, contact the Chamber office at 903.572.8567, visit the Cham-ber website, mtpleasanttx.com, or check it out on Facebook, facebook.com/mountpleasanttexas.

As the business community grows and

Chamber membership grows its so vital

to be engaged with and to let members

know what the chamber can do for their

business.

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The stability and future growth of the local economy is a great concern among residents and business owners. The Chamber is partnering with the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation to offer a State of the Economy forum to the community. The purpose of the State of the Economy Luncheon is to give an outlook on where the economy is in East Texas at this point and to determine where it will be in the future, said Chamber CEO Faustine Curry. The MPEDC has held the forum in previous years. This is first time the two entities have combined efforts to present the event. Were delighted to partner with the MPEDC on this important forum, Curry said. The forum will include an expert in Titus County's regional economic perspective, who will provide a unique in-sight to help businesses sharpen their business plan. The keynote speaker is Pia Orrenius, a senior economist at the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. She will highlight the progress in economic development regarding the accomplishments of the past year and an outlook for the year ahead. The event looks to be well attended with representa-tives of business, government and non-profit organizations. The presenting sponsors are Republic Services and Farm Bureau Insurance. Northeast Texas Community College is the Gold sponsor. The State of the Economy luncheon will be held at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center on December 2 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Chamber at 1604 North Jefferson Ave., the Chamber web-site, mtpleasanttx.com or call 903.572.8567.

Economy STATE OF the LUNCHEON

Pia Orrenius is a labor economist working on regional economic growth and demographic change. She manages the Texas Business Outlook Surveys and is executive editor of the quarterly publication Southwest Economy. Her academic research focuses on the labor market impacts of immigration, unauthorized immigration and U.S. immigration policy. She is coauthor of the book Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization. Orrenius is affiliated with several academic institutions. She is research fellow at the Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University and at the IZA Institute of Labor in Bonn, Germany, as well as visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Orrenius is also adjunct professor at Baylor University (Dallas campus), where she teaches in the executive MBA program. Orrenius was senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President, Washington D.C., in 200405, where she advised the Bush administration on labor, health and immigration issues. She holds a PhD in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and bachelor degrees in economics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.

SPEAKER BIO

PIA ORRENIUS

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Save the Date!Save the Date!Save the Date! ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP & AWARDS BANQUET

Mount Pleasant civic centerMount Pleasant civic centerMount Pleasant civic center

6:00 pm6:00 pm6:00 pm

information & tickets 903.572.8567information & tickets 903.572.8567information & tickets 903.572.8567

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Texas Department of State Health Services has award-ed Titus Regional Medical Center the designation of Level III Sup-port Stroke Center due to the hospitals successful demonstration of a highly integrated system of stroke care capability. The multi-disciplinary stroke committee team had a strong desire to make a measurable difference in patient outcomes for our community. The nearest stroke centers are 60 minutes away in each direction and with strokes, time lost equals brain lost. When critical and appropriate stroke care interventions take place within 90 minutes of the sudden onset of stroke symptoms, 50 percent of patients experience a complete and total reversal of symptoms. The team was passionate about not losing that critical first hour due to patients having to be transported to another stroke center. The acronym FAST can help people remember the warning signs of stroke:

F Face, does one side droop? A Arms, can they lift both or does one drift down? S Slurred speech or trouble forming words? T Time is critical. If you or a loved one experiences any one of these symptoms, you need to call 911 immediately. There are behind-the-scenes stroke team activities that are performed in anticipa-tion of your arrival, all of which have life-sparing importance. For more information, contact the Titus Regional Medical Center at titusregional.com or call 903.577.6000.

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Veterans Day Events:Veterans Day Events:

The Shreveport Vet Center will participate in a Mobile Vet Center Veterans event on Nov. 6 The Shreveport Vet Center will participate in a Mobile Vet Center Veterans event on Nov. 6

at the Mount Pleasant Chamber Of Commerce office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Readjust-at the Mount Pleasant Chamber Of Commerce office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Readjust-

ment Counseling Services Mobile Vet Center will be on site to support the event and coun-ment Counseling Services Mobile Vet Center will be on site to support the event and coun-

seling services. seling services.

The Chapel Hill veterans event is set for Nov. 7. It includes a lunch for veterans; with the The Chapel Hill veterans event is set for Nov. 7. It includes a lunch for veterans; with the program starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Multipurpose Building.program starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Multipurpose Building.

TheThe Titus County Veterans Service Office and the Daughters of the American Republic chap-Titus County Veterans Service Office and the Daughters of the American Republic chap-

ter will host a Veterans Day ceremony at the Titus County Courthouseter will host a Veterans Day ceremony at the Titus County Courthouse Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. The ceremony with color guard will honor veterans and commemorate the 50thThe ceremony with color guard will honor veterans and commemorate the 50th anniversary anniversary

of the ending of the Vietnam War. of the ending of the Vietnam War.

The Veterans Day event at P.E. Wallace Middle School is Nov. 11. The luncheon begins at The Veterans Day event at P.E. Wallace Middle School is Nov. 11. The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. and the program starts around 1 p.m. 11 a.m. and the program starts around 1 p.m.

Veterans are invited to attend the Delta Waterfowl (former Ducks Unlimited) annual banquet. Veterans are invited to attend the Delta Waterfowl (former Ducks Unlimited) annual banquet.

Admission is free for vets. It is set for Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center. Admission is free for vets. It is set for Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The evening will include dinner and veterans only are to register for Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The evening will include dinner and veterans only are to register for

a drawing for a Colt 1911 pistol, among other gun drawings.a drawing for a Colt 1911 pistol, among other gun drawings.

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Mount Pleasant rolls out the red, white and blue carpet for veterans this month to show their patriotism and appreciation we observes Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Wes Welch, owner of Welch Gas and a veteran, feels a deep sense of pride in his military service and appreciation for his fellow veterans, including his wife April, who served in the Army and the Navy from 1997-2006. Wes Welch served in the U.S. Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves from 1983-2009. He served four years in the elite special forces 75th Ranger Regiment as an airborne ranger and retired as a brigade command sergeant major in the reserves. I feel that men and women who are veterans have served their country in the highest capacity, he said. It is a very distinguished honor. To me its the ultimate form of service that you can do for your country. Welch said anytime an organization or school takes time to recognize veterans, its a valuable lesson for the younger gen-eration. Many of the young people today do not fully realize what we have in this country. A lot of the values that the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomer Generation were raised with are not there today and young people need to be taught and shown the appreciation that veterans are due, he said. Recalling how Americans patriotism meter shot off the scale after 9/11, he said after 13 years, that feeling has slowed down some as people grow weary of war, but its still up there

pretty high. To those serving today, he would say they are serving at a time that is unmatched in history. Were basically involved in a world war. Call it what you want to, but close to 14 years in the global war on terror and not much end in sight, I appreciate their sense of duty to their coun-try, he said. They are following a long line of footsteps of great people that have served. They are continuing the tradition of ser-vice in this country. Theyre carrying a torch. Kellye Cooper, co-founder of M.O.M (Ministering Our Military), understands and appreciates his sentiments about ac-tive duty military members. Her groups mission is to send care packages and pray for those serving currently. But, the group also honors veterans and remembers those who have died in combat, recently holding a Gold Star Luminary event at the Titus County War Memorial. They lined the courthouse with luminaries bearing the names of gold star members, blue star members (active duty) and red star members (veterans). They also honored local Gold Star families who were present at the 2nd annual event. Veterans are sometimes our forgotten heroes. As a society we place a lot of recognition on our current military mem-bers, but were it not for our veterans, we would not be where we are today, Cooper said. So many veterans, especially Vietnam Vets, were pushed aside when they came back from service. It is our job as a group and a society to recognize them and to give them the honor they are long overdue.

November 11, 2014

Honoring our Military

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Traditionally, creating click-worthy social media con-tent was a matter of trial and error. Now, nearly 13 years after the launch of the first modern social networking website, Friendster, there is a science behind how to effectively communicate with consumers online. Here are a few observations from social media research conducted in 2012 that will help you craft the per-fect post on Facebook and Twitter.

Visuals, Questions and Cou-pons Rule Facebook Facebook users tend to be more visual and willing to engage with companies than their Twitter counterparts. For example, HubSpot reports that posts that include photos generate more user inter-action than simple text posts. That includes 53 percent more likes, 104 percent more comments and 84 percent more clicks. But dont discount text-only updates. While its true that

content is king, there are a few magic words that can make your posts more appealing. HubSpot notes that question-based posts especially if they include should, would or whowill attract twice as many comments than declarative updates. Buddy

Media found that quips of 50 words or fewer typically draw 60 percent more responses. If your Facebook page has a casual, friendly voice, dont be afraid to pepper in a few smiley faces. Studies show that users comment, share and like company posts more often when they include emoticons. Photos, questions and emoticons are good ways to start a conversation with your audience, but if youre looking for the holy

grail of updates, give your fans a coupon. Nearly 42 percent of consumers like companies on Facebook to receive special dis-counts or coupons, which makes these posts the best way to rake in customer engagement according to Wildfire Interactive.

By Jeaneen Bengtson, LinkedIn Influencer

Photos, questions and emoticons

are good ways to start a conversa-

tion with your audience, but if

youre looking for the holy grail of

updates, give your fans a coupon.

mtpleasanttx.com 15

Twitter Users Get Straight to the Point If youve seen your companys followers rise and fall without reason, you understand that Twitter users can be finicky. Here are a few ways you can put your best tweet forward and help thwart unfollows. Research conducted by Compendium shows that Twit-ter users also prefer short posts. Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters, but tweets with fewer than 100 characters have high-er engagement rates (clicks, retweets, favorites, replies). Unfortunately, thats the only similarity to Facebook. Questions often go unanswered in the Twittersphere: Compendi-ums research shows they decrease audience interaction by more than 50 percent. As counterintuitive as it sounds, hashtags can harm your tweets. Users typically engage 52 percent less with brands that utilize hashtags. Also, save the exclamation marks for Facebook it can negatively affect your interaction with your Twitter audience by 8 percent.

So, what does work on Twitter? Users literally want you to spell it out for them. According to HubSpot, tweets that specifi-cally ask for retweets using the entire word instead of shorthand (RT) are 23 times more likely to be retweeted. If youre short on characters, just using RT will still increase your chances of a retweet by 12 percent. Buddy Media found that most followers are interested in the cold, hard facts. For example, adding a link related to the subject of your tweet will boost your chances of a retweet by a whopping 86 percent. While these statistics arent the secret to making your posts go viral, they do provide insight into what consumers want to see in their social media feeds. Use this social media science to experiment with posts to find out what works with your audi-ence. Jeaneen Bengtson is a Communications | Public Rela-tions | Social Media Influencer featured in the Social Media chan-nel at LinkedIn.com.

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The Chamber is getting in the mood for Christmas as it launches it final Shop Local campaign of the year. Christmas Local will run from Nov. 24 through Dec. 26. The Christmas Local promotion will encourage shop-ping locally and highlight the different things happening in Mount Pleasant during the season, said Chamber CEO Faustine Curry. It reminds people that they can get in the Christmas spirit right here in town. The Chamber will encourage residents and busi-nesses to put out their Shop Local signs and take advantage of special opportunities for holiday shopping. The Christmas shopping season in Mount Pleasant, however, officially kicks off weeks before the Christmas Local campaign gets into gear. Early bird holiday shoppers can start ticking off their shopping lists during Downtown Open House on Sunday, Nov. 2. The event adds an extra weekend shopping day at the downtown boutiques and a first look at all the unique gifts the local shops offer. Shops participating in the Downtown Open House, sponsored by the Mount Pleasant Downtown Merchants will be open for business from 1-5 p.m. The much anticipated annual local shopping favorite is the Chamber-sponsored Everything Texas Deck the Halls, set for Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center. The arts and crafts show will feature approximately 60 vendors and attract upwards of 1,500 shoppers from several states a looking for unique gifts, handmade crafts, stocking stuff-ers and Christmas dcor. Its such a fun Christmas event for the whole community, said Chamber CEO Faustine Curry. Its a great place for people to shop and get excited about the Christ-mas season. Deck the Halls 2014 hours are Friday 4-8 p.m. and Sat-urday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event also features entertainment and a mouth-watering Chicken Spaghetti meal served up by Cy-press Basin Hospice volunteers as a fundraiser for the organiza-tion. Black Friday, which has traditionally signaled the start of holiday shopping nationwide, is Friday, Nov. 28, the day after

Thanksgiving, featuring deep discounts and competitive door buster deals to get customers in the door. The competition for those customers has ratcheted up in recent years, with retailers opening their doors to camped-out crowds earlier and earlier. This year, several stores have even blurred the lines and committed to open Thanksgiving evening, including retail giant Walmart, which will open its doors at 6 p.m. Small Business Saturday is set for Nov. 29. The special nationwide initiative is an effort to encourage holiday shoppers to give small local retail shops a look before hitting the big box stores. Perusing the aisles of mom and pop shops usually reveals gifts that you might never find at large retailers. And who wouldnt want to find that perfect, unique, or one-of-a-kind gift for friends and family? The ever-growing Christmas on the Square event, sponsored by the City of Mount Pleasant, spans three days Friday, Dec. 5 through Sunday Dec. 7. Highlights of the event include an ice skating rink, which will be open all three days at the Titus County Court-house. The O.B. Goolsby Memorial Chili Cook-off is the highlight of the event on Saturday at the Courthouse parking lot, while the Mount Pleasant Rotary

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Club Christmas Parade wraps up the Saturday festivities, starting at 5:30 at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center and making its way down Jefferson Avenue then south on Madison Avenue past the downtown square. This years parade theme is Light Up Mount Pleasant. For more information on these events come by the Chamber at 1604 North Jefferson Ave., visit the Cham-ber website, mtpleasanttx.com, Fa-cebook page, facebook.com/EverythingTexas or call 903.572.8567.

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The Chambers Governmental Affairs Committee has new marching orders. The group is adding a new facet to its pur-pose as the 2015-2016 Texas Legislative session nears. With new Committee Chair Jennifer Harland at the helm, the commit-tee has set its legislative agenda and will now be taking advocacy and action positions on issues that affect the local business com-munity. The board has asked the committee to be much more active coming into the new legislative session, said Chamber CEO Faustine Curry. With that task before them, the committee surveyed the Chamber membership this past summer to gauge what issues are important to them. Based on those responses, the committee drafted a two-tiered legislative agenda in which they will actively take stands and educate members on issues as they come up in the legislative ses-sion. This is taking the committees role to the next level, said Harland. In the first tier, the committee identified transpor-tation, energy and education as areas that they plan to take positions on. In the second tier, they will look for opportu-nities to educate Chamber members on issues regarding healthcare, immigration and the states water plan. Prior to drafting the new legislative agenda, the Chamber board had to approve a revision to the committees Guiding Principles, adding a fourth principle:

1. The Chamber supports economic development initi-atives which enhance the competitiveness of new and existing businesses.

2. The Chamber supports equity in tax and fee struc-ture that returns benefit to the business community and promotes continued economic growth in the region.

3. The Chamber must ensure that the public education system, in partnership with the business community,

prepares all students to be successful in the workplace.

4. The chamber supports infrastructure initiatives that are beneficial to the community and Titus County.

Curry is thrilled with the committees new direction. I think its a really good thing. We say were the voice of business, but to truly support business, you also have to help businesses that are facing laws and regula-tions, Curry said. You have to walk the walk. The new initiative is also part of the Chambers effort to become accredited by the United State Chamber of Commerce.

To do that, you have to actively support busi-ness in legislative issues, Harland said. A recent Chamber email blast is a good example of the committees stepped up advocacy role. The email supports Propositions 1 and 2 on the current election ballot in Titus County regarding an increase in maintenance taxes of 10 cents per $100 valuation of property with the Northeast Texas Community College district and issuing $1.9 million in bonds for proposed im-

provements in infrastructure at NTCC. The email stated, in part: We are writing today to ask you to join us in supporting both of the items in the upcoming election for Northeast Texas Communi-ty College. After 30 years and 21,000 students served; the time has come to Repair, Replace and Renew key infrastructure at the campus. We've personally toured the campus and can tell you that these expenditures are needed to prepare NTCC to serve students for many years to come. This is not new construc-tion. This is needed to protect the investment we have already made[NTCC] is a valuable asset to our East Texas families and, in many cases, is the only way some of our students can

I think its a really good thing. We say

were the voice of business, but to truly

support business, you also have to help

businesses that are facing laws and regu-

lations, Curry said. You have to walk

the walk.

mtpleasanttx.com 19

afford any education after high school. NTCC also provides area businesses with a steady stream of quality job applicants to keep our economy movingThese students are the key to a bright future for Northeast Texas. Let's show them we support them by voting Yes and Yes for Northeast Texas Community College! The email blast also explained how the propositions would affect homeowners property tax bills: For a $100,000 home, this will increase the property taxes by $3 per month, it stated. That position hit the first three bullet points [of the Guiding Prin-ciples], Harland said. Another example is a letter the committee drafted to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding concerns over its controversial clean power plan. The EPA rule aims to reduce emissions from coal plants by 30 percent by the year 2030. The utilities have asked the city and chambers to sub-mit letters of support so that we can continue to have realizable and affordable power in our region, state and country, she said. Harland also said the committee is expecting the Texas Water Development Board to respond sometime in November to the Marvin Nichols Reservoir plan. That is another issue that youll see something coming out from the chamber. The committee wont necessarily take a position or advocate on that, but rather educate because there are many members on both sides of this discussion, she said. Harland said the committee is currently meeting monthly and plans to meet more frequently during the two-year legislative session as needed to be able to respond and advocate if some-

thing comes out during the session that needs immediate atten-tion. She said the committee plans to work on behalf of Chamber members to make Mount Pleasant and Titus County a business friendly environment and encourage economic growth and community development. The community will get a chance to thank local and state elected officials for their service at a reception for them on Nov. 18. The reception will also give residents an opportunity for one-on-one face time with the officials to ask questions and share ideas or concerns. The committee is also looking forward to working with the 2015 Leadership Mount Pleasant class in preparing for its trip to the State Capitol for Mount Pleasant Day in Austin. Those who make the trip really get a good understand-ing of not only the layout of the Capitol and how things work in state government. It also is a good opportunity for Mount Pleas-ant to be recognized on the floor of the Texas House and Sen-ate, she said. Save the Date: Nov. 18 Elected Officials Reception Mount Pleasant Country Club 5-7 p.m. For more information come by the Chamber at 1604 North Jefferson Ave., visit the Chamber website, mtpleas-anttx.com or call 903.572.8567.

Mount Pleasant/ Titus County Chamber of Commerce 1604 North Jefferson Avenue Mount Pleasant, TX 75455

www.mtpleasanttx.com info@mtpleasanttx.com

(p) 903.572.8567 (f) 903.572.0613

on Social Media

MOUNT PLEASANT BUSINESS REPORT

An official publication of the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber of Commerce

and Visitors Council 1604 North Jefferson | Mount Pleasant Texas 75455

903.572.8567 | mtpleasanttx.com

Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber Publisher Faustine Curry Editor in Chief

Mandy Stringer Creative Director Mandy Stringer Graphic Design, Layout

Lynda Stringer Contributing Writer Echo Publishing Co. Printing