Chamber Vision August 2014 | Page 5

Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau 3. If by chance you are dissatisfied or have a problem with the product then you have a direct line to the owners themselves. 4. Sometimes small business hours are not as extensive as a larger retailer. However, if you ask them to accommodate, most will, in order to assist you with your needs. 5. History is available at the click of a button. Most small businesses will have records of when you came in, what you purchased and can better understand your likes, wants and needs for future purchases. August 2014 Date It gave an example using Salina. It said that if everyone in Salina decided to buy their toilet paper locally that it would keep $2.6 million dollars in our local community and would generate over $200,000 in sales tax. Emporia is about half the size of Salina, so we can easily say that we would keep approximately $1.3 million in our community and we would generate just over $105,000 in sales tax dollars! So I would like to challenge all of you with the toilet paper challenge! Remember, it’s a great day in Emporia; please tell someone. 6. They service what they sell. 7. They give back to the community! This keeps your tax dollars local. 8. Most are also committed to supporting other small businesses in our community. They want to see them succeed as well. Correction from the July newsletter. Russell Bonitatibus bio should have read: EDUCATION: The article ends by saying: “So I’m asking you . . . wherever you live - please look for and shop at the small companies that make up the fabric of your community. Give us a chance to help you and give you a better experience then you’ll get with a large company. Seriously, it doesn’t cost anything to check us out and see what you’ve been missing. And, if we can’t find what you need or get what your want then those big chain stores are just down the road.” Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Marketing Concentration KANSAS NEWMAN COLLEGE, DECEMBER 1991 Finally, I want to leave you with this tidbit that showed up on Facebook. The toilet paper challenge. BUTLER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, MAY 1990 Change of Mailing Address The Trusler Business Center will no longer be accepting mail at PO Box 703. To ensure that we receive correspondence from you, please update your records to the physical address of: 719 Commercial Emporia, KS 66801 This change includes the: Emporia Area Cha