Dulles Chamber of Commerce - Chantilly Community Business Partnership Event

Last week’s Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce "Town Hall Discussion" was a great opportunity for Chamber members to meet and swap ideas with local community service organizations and leaders. About 75 members showed up at Hoop Magic in Chantilly (fantastic Basketball programs, our kids included!) to an event focused on Community Partnerships, the critical needs around us and ways in which we might – as a local Dulles area business community network - offer assistance.


Speakers included Fairfax (Sully District) Supervisor Mike Frey, Kerrie Wilson of Reston Interfaith, Lynn Gilmore with Northrop Grumman, Patti Stevens of the Fairfax Office of Public Private Partnerships and Jay Garant from the Fairfax County Schools Department of Communications and Community Outreach.

Mr. Frey offered some great feedback regarding how best to ask for and offer assistance to the County and Board of Supervisors, as a business. Ms. Wilson spoke to the critical needs facing our community and all the ways local businesses can make an immediate difference, and Ms. Gilmore detailed the many ways and methods her company works closely through community partnership programs to make a local impact. Mr. Garant introduced the "Partners in Education" Fall program, with its "Give Me Five!" ways to give and get involved with Fairfax County and partner with the school system.

We extend our thanks on behalf of Dulles South's KME Internet Marketing and Arlington's Blackstone Technology Group, to the great lineup of presenters, Chamber members, the Centreville Rotary Club for a great pulled-pork barbecue, and the group of Fairfax/Dulles-area community service organizations and local businesses who manned display tables and shared information with the group...just a few of these included:

ReStore – by Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia – a resale business selling new and used building materials and home improvement items to the general public, donated by local businesses and suppliers.

Ready Virginia - a statewide public education effort to prepare Virginians for all hazards

FACETS - offering a full spectrum of homeless services to build strong families and safe communities by improving the quality of life for impoverished men, women and children. (Check out the "Lend a Hand – Help the Homeless Community Day" Nov. 7, 1:30-4PM, Unitarian Universalist Church of Fairfax in Oakton, VA – includes a fun, outdoor interactive walk with many volunteer opportunities).

ECHOworks - Every Citizen Has Opportunities, providing dependable, motivated work crews staffed by individuals with disabilities.

Volunteer Fairfax - connecting individuals, youth, seniors, families and corporations to volunteer opportunities in the Fairfax County area. Don’t miss the November 14th VolRUNteer 5K & Fun Run at George Mason University!

YouthQuest FundUsNow.com - a mechanism to raise money selling customized coffee, brought to you by the YouthQuest Foundation of Chantilly, providing support for the academic development and life-enriching activities of America’s youth.

Fairfax County Citizen Corps and Office of Emergency Management.

Find these and other Loudoun and Dulles South nonprofit organizations at Dulles South Online - Organizations.

Loudoun Chamber Helps Revive Redskins Marketing Partnership‏

This just in from the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce:

Heeding the Loudoun County Chamber's call to reconsider and ultimately approve a proposed marketing partnership with the Washington Redskins, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors has formed an Ad Hoc Committee to revisit the proposal and resubmit it to the Board in early 2009.

Last month, the Supervisors rejected a plan to partner with the team to market Loudoun for visitor travel and brand the County as the "Home of the Redskins," gaining valuable exposure before a worldwide audience of Redskins and National Football League fans.

In recognition of the Chamber's leadership to revive this proposal, the Supervisors granted the Chamber an advisory seat on the Ad Hoc Committee, joining four Supervisors and representatives of the Loudoun Economic Development Commission and Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association. The Committee held its first meeting on December 30th, where it was clear the Committee is focused on seeing this innovative marketing partnership approved by a majority of Loudoun's Supervisors.

The Redskins Ad Hoc Committee's next meeting is on Wednesday, January 7th, at 1 p.m., in the Purcellville Room at the Loudoun County Government Center. The public is invited to attend.

If you are interested in seeing this marketing partnership adopted, please contact your representative on the Board of Supervisors. (Names and e-mails listed below). You also may speak directly to the Board by attending a bi-monthly Public Input meeting, next scheduled for Monday, January 5th and 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the County Government Center in Leesburg.

• This marketing partnership offers Loudoun County a creative opportunity to leverage the worldwide reach of the Washington Redskins and the National Football League.
  
  
• Promoting Loudoun as home to the most valuable sports franchise in the U.S. will generate significant exposure to attract visitor spending and business investment.
  
  
• The county's investment comes from the restricted funds that must be used to market Loudoun as a visitor destination and are generated from non- residents who stay in local hotels.
  
  
• In this time of declining tax revenues and increased budget deficits, Loudoun needs an aggressive marketing strategy to attract visitors and business investment, to expand the commercial tax base and reduce the burden on businesses and residents.
  

We'll also point out that an "aggressive marketing strategy" won't be complete without significant and unique Loudoun Internet Marketing and Social Media expertise.

2008 Loudoun Small Businesses of the Year - Loudoun Chamber of Commerce

Congratulations to the 2008 Loudoun Small Business of the Year Award Finalists, as announced by the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce.

Here at Dulles South Online and KME Internet Marketing, our objective is to promote and advance Loudoun County and Northern Virginia Businesses online. Over the past years, we've done just that - helping to significantly increase the exposure of Loudoun County and its businesses in terms of Online Search Engine exposure, thereby doing our part in the economic development of this area of the country. These small businesses are representative of the solid economic growth engine in Northern Virginia, in spite of the National economic outlook - Loudoun will continue to produce energetic, value-add and truly entrepreneurial businesses like those listed here.

The winners are:

Small Business of the Year - Go Bananas.

Ag/Equine Business of the Year - Notaviva Vineyards;
Franchisee Business of the Year - Pump It Up;
Home Based Business of the Year - MakeUp Artistry by Tracie Rosales;
Product of the Year - Edibles Incredible Desserts;
Retailer Business of the Year - Go Bananas;
Service Business of the Year - Loudoun Family Practice;
Technology Business of the Year - Zillion Technologies, Inc.;
Entrepreneur of the Year - Hulya Asku, Modern Mom Media Corporation

We'll point out that "Modern Mom Media Corporation" in particular, is a breakout example of how to harness the Internet to represent small business interests on the local, regional and national stage. The "I Am Modern" brand and value is channeled not only through the printed magazine, social events and the core website, but also through online social media and search engine marketing strategies - thereby providing significant value to readers, members and advertisers across all Washington DC and Northern Virginia media channels.

All Loudoun businesses should leverage this example, working together to promote our local business economy both online and off.