Welcome New Chamber Members!

Welcome to Carol Thompson, consultant for Private Quarters.  Private Quarters offers quality linens for your bed and bath, numberous spa items and a line of Comfortwear.  Carol is available for one-on-one consultations as well as home "Getaway" parties.  Contact Carol today and let her help bring quality and comfort to your home.  Check Carol out at www.privatequarters.net/quality or email csharpie78@yahoo.com.

Welcome Susan Rix, owner of Finishing Touch Gallery.  Finishing Touch Gallery provides professional custom matting and framing of photographs, artwork, canvasses and needle work of all kinds for homes and businesses.  They specialize in conservation practices and custom matting designs.  See all Susan has to offer at http://www.finishingtouchframing.com/ or email her at susan.rix@mchsi.com.

Welcome Dennis Bailey, Pastor of Carroll First Untied Methodist Church.  The Church specializes in connecting people with God through worship, witness, service and sharing.  The Church's website is http://www.carrollunitedmethodist.org/ or email Pastor Bailey at carrollumc@msn.com.

The Chamber welcomes this month's new members!

Computer Concepts of Iowa hosts a Chamber coffee

Congratulations to Adam Schweers and his staff on the expansion of Computer Concepts of Iowa.  The Chamber coffee allowed everyone to see the new office.  Thanks for hosting one, Adam!




Computer Concepts of Iowa - Coffee and Ribbon/Cutting



Carroll's Retail Sales strong in FY 2009

Retail sales in Carroll showed a slight increase (2.28%) for the year ending June 30, 2009. This is according to the latest figures available from Iowa State University Department of Economics. Read the full report here. Below are charts illustrating the strength of Carroll's retail economy. Sales are much greater than expected for a town this size. Growth in number of firms reporting and Carroll compares favorably to similar towns in a "peer group" designated by ISU.

For the full report on Retail Sales in Carroll, click HERE

Watch this space for the Carroll County Retail Analysis, which will include sales of merchandise by category

Two Energizing Workshops Sponsored by the Chamber

Two great speakers from Le Mars spent time in Carroll today presenting energizing workshops to Chamber members.

Angela Watson presents Hospitality Magic Tricks

Angela Watson presented Hospitality Magic Tricks in the morning to a group that enjoyed hearing how customer service ultimately effects the bottom line. She informed how important it is for employees to have fun at work and how that directly affects how they treat the customer.  Thank you Angela for sharing your expertise with the Chamber members.

Dave Smetter presents The Three Pillars of Business Success

Dave Smetter informed the afternoon group the three pillars of success are Leadership, Communication and Employee Engagement.  He shared many examples of these pillars in his presentation.  Thanks Dave. It was a great day of learning for many Chamber members.

New Board Orientation

The Chamber's new board members for 2011 attended a board
 orientation meeting on Thursday, October 7th

Welcome to the Chamber Board

Doug Gifford - State Farm Insurance

Jair Mayhall - Greteman & Associates

Ken Payer - Champion Ford

Terry Ruchti - Carroll Cycle Center

Gina Bauck - Enchanted Gardens

Ag Representative -  Aaron Juergens

 Juergens Produce & Feed

53rd Annual Carroll Band Day

People lined the streets of Carroll 's 53rd Annual Band Day Parade's new route through Graham Park on Saturday, October 2nd. It was a fun day had by all with beautiful weather and children waiting in anticipation for the next parade entry and their chance at another handful of candy. Winners this year: High School Class 3A: 1st Place - Jefferson-Scranton, 2nd Place-Carroll Community Class 2A: 1st Place - Roland-Story, 2nd Place -East Sac County, 3rd Place - Cherokee Washington Class 1A: 1st Place - Aurelia, 2nd Place -Guthrie Center, 3rd Place - Glidden Ralston.  Middle School Class 3A: 1st Place - Boone, 2nd Place - Jefferson-Scranton. Class 2A: 1st Place - East Sac County, 2nd Place - Ogden, 3rd Place - Cherokee. Best Overall Drum Major: Jefferson-Scranton HS-Brandon Tjepkes. Best Overall Baton Twirler: Kuemper-Catholic HS, Mallory Raemakers. Best Overall Color Guard: Roland-Story. The Best Overall Band Performance went to Roland-Story High School for the 2nd year in a row. Congratulations to all the winners!

Carroll Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum

At 7 PM Tuesday evening, October 5, the Carroll Chamber of Commerce hosted a Candidate Forum for candidates running in contested races for House District #51, Supervisor and Recorder. An audience of 130+ attended the forum held at the Carroll High School, Gene Vincent Auditorium and listened as candidates answered questions submitted by the public prior to the forum, by the audience in attendance and call-ins.

Chamber Sponsored Workshops

The Chamber has found 2 dynamic, experienced speakers to present at workshops scheduled for

Tuesday, October 19th at the Carrollton.  

Click Above and Print



Click Above, Print & Register Today

Angela Watson, Sales and Customer Communications, Well's Dairy will present

"Hospitality Magic Tricks".  It will give a few simple tools to incorporate immediately. 

Whether it's a simple "me check" or a full-organizational refresher course, this presentation will magically transform any business into a preferred place to work and to do business.

Dave Smetter, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing & Communications, Wells' Inc. will present

"The 3 Pillars of Business Success"

Leadership - Communication - Employee Engagement

This workshop will help you build the skills and knowledge necessary to strengthen your foundation in order to reach new heights as a top business performer.

Call the Chamber office with questions.

Choose one or both of these workshops, for you and your employees. 



Carroll County Employment and Jobs - August 2010

 



Carroll County's August Unemployment Rate the Fifth Lowest in Iowa





   As the state and nation continue to struggle with high unemployment figures, Carroll County continues to stay below the 5% mark that is named by economists as statistical full employment. This has been the case throughout a national recession. Carroll County's unemployment rate peaked in April, 2010 at 5.2%. However Iowa Workforce Development reports 350 fewer jobs in Carroll County than August 2009. There has been a slow and steady slide in job numbers throughout the state over the last 24-36 months.

Interestingly, the highest unemployment rate in August was in Lee County, the most Southeastern Iowa County at 10.8%, while  the lowest rate was in Lyon County the most Northwestern County at 3.9%.

The Western Iowa Advantage Region’s monthly unemployment rate increased to 5.5 percent in August from 4.7 percent in August 2009, according to figures released from Iowa Workforce Development. Iowa’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in August from a revised 6.3 percent in August 2009. The U.S. unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in August. Total employment in the region decreased slightly to 46,846 in August from 47,796 in August 2009.

Western Iowa Advantage tracks various economic indicators in Adair, Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie, Ida and Sac Counties in Iowa, including employment trends.

County unemployment rates in the region for August:

Adair 5.7%
Audubon 5.9%
Carroll 4.7%
Crawford 4.9%
Greene 7.4%
Guthrie 6.4%
Ida 5.1%
Sac 5.4%
Western Iowa Advantage is a partnership of economic development organizations dedicated to promoting Western Iowa for business and job attraction and retention. 

Bloomers - Congratulations on 20 years!

Congratulations goes out to Strauto (Jim Strautman) and Tank (Tom Wieland) for celebrating 20 years in business here in Carroll.  Bloomers hosted a Chamber Coffee and Ribbon-Cutting on Friday, October 1st to celebrate this milestone.  We are fortunate to have Bloomers as part of our community.



Congratulations Strauto and Tank, owners of Bloomers!