BUSINESS INSIDER
how to attract tourists to your business
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NTCC SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP school helps students graduate debt free
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Mount Pleasant
BUILDING A STRONGER WORKFORCE
10 THINGS TO DO IN MOUNT PLEASANT
FARM TO FORK TOUR AND DINNER, GREER FARM
JULY/AUGUST ISSUE 10 2014
BI-MONTHLY BUSINESS REPORT
Mount Pleasant Business Report | Issue 09
Mount Pleasant
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10 July / August 2014
contents:
Partners 4 LinkedIn Tips and Tricks 5
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Industrial Training Center 7 Business Insider 10 NTCC Summer Scholarship 12 10 Things To Do 16 Business Spotlight 18 Calendar 19
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Taking To the next level Renewing May-June Renewals 2014 Arci Salon 1&2 Area Wide Movers and Storage Big Tex Trailer Mfg., Inc. Brookshire Food Store Castletop Roofing & Construction Chambers Home Health & Physical Therapy Chili’s Tennison Cowan Inspection East Texas Journal
El Chico Restaurant Goodwill Industries of NE Texas Inc. Greene Title Heart to Heart Hospice Ivan Smith Furniture Jones Insurance Agency Larry Lawrence Construction Longhorn Trailer Sales Mill’s Flower Shop Mount Pleasant Healthcare Center
Offenhauser & Company Peoples Communication, Inc. George O’Neal Republic Services Scott E. Redfearn Inc. Superior Mortgage Texas Farm Bureau Insurance The Design Factory The Space Place Storage Center
New Partners Motel 6 M.O.M. Ministering Our Military
The Tri-County Press Bella Smiles
on Social Media
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Los Pinos Ranch Vinyards, LLC
Profile tips and tricks Guest Blogger, Ronan Keane Business2Community.com
cussions? All of these are indexed by LinkedIn and Google. Another reason why you need lots of new first degree connections is that first degree connections always If you’re going to do any kind of business develop- appear first in search results. ment, prospecting or social selling on LinkedIn, the first Add the most important keywords to your LinkedIn thing you need to focus on is optimizing your LinkedIn pro- profile title and your summary. Add those same top keyfile. When I say “focus” I mean like a laser beam. Here are words to Skills and Expertise and other sections like Intersome LinkedIn profile tips that will really help you. ests. Every existing and new person you request to conQuick Tip: Go to Google.com (make sure you’re nect with will judge signed out) and start you based upon how entering your keywell your profile looks words. Google will auQuick Tip: Use a Word file to write to-populate and reads. It could suggesmake the difference your summary and positions of tions for searches. between lots of new These suggestions are employment. You can easily see valuable connections top searches peror very few. Rememformed on Google by the typos and ber, making good first other people. grammatical errors. degree connections is 2. Keep Your Profile the start to your sucName Clean cess. If you don’t look professional then you must not be On my profile under my name, my name is ‘Ronan professional…perception is reality. Start using the LinkedIn Keane’. It’s not ‘Ronan Keane – Email profile tips now to improve your personal brand and getting (ronankeane1@gmail.com) or call/text 703-489-7886.’ found. Don’t confuse LinkedIn search by putting in additional info in Quick Tip: Use a Word file to write your summary your name section. and positions of employment. You can easily see the typos 3. Your Profile Photo and grammatical errors. There should be absolutely no debate as to wheth1. Get Found in LinkedIn and Google Searches er to include a photo on your profile. LinkedIn relegates There were 5.7 billion professionally oriented people with default grey avatars to the bottom of search searches done on LinkedIn in 2012. With LinkedIn’s new results. As humans, since the day we were born we learn to Advanced search feature, expect that number to double or read faces and all their nuances. In fact, we’re experts at triple in 2014. reading faces. If there’s no face to look at on your profile Are you being found for keywords on LinkedIn that you’re at a huge disadvantage. In this heat map, you’ll see could mean new business for you? Have you done your that people stare at your photo the most on your LinkedIn research using Google’s Keyword Tool to see what key- profile. This is a top LinkedIn profile tip. words you should be using on your Profile and in group disThere’s a big caveat: make sure your picture looks mtpleasanttx.com 5
good. I mean, not a photo of you at a black tie event or on vacation. Go to a local mall in a shirt or blouse and jacket and get a good photo taken of yourself. I recommend this to all the sales people I train. 4. Your Public Profile URL Nothing says, “I’m a LinkedIn neophyte” with a profile url like this: http://linkedin.com/pub/firstnamelastname435564-hjfjrigjhot Clean it up by deleting the extra numbers and letters.
does”. I also recommend that you might write a recommendation that the recommender can use or base their recommendation from. Quick Tip: Use your written recommendations in all of your promotions, slide decks and collateral. Put them in a PDF and add them as content in your Summary. 7. Join Groups…Strategically There are three types of groups you want to join of the possible 50 you’re allowed to join. A small percentage should be your competitor’s groups, your inYour name should ONLY dustry and your contain your name prospects’ industries. The second type are geoYour headline should be catchy and have located groups keywords you want to be found for like local chambers of commerce. The third and biggest should be persona-type groups for CIOs, CTOs, Reach at least 501connectionsfor social proof Photo should always be Entrepreneurs and extending network professionally taken etc. You should be starting discussions in these groups by sharing content and asking people’s opinions about the Quick Tip: You should also include this link in your article or content. email signature, presentation decks, business cards and any 8. Message for Free. other material that you hand out. Send a message to any LinkedIn group member. 5. Personalize Your Websites Under Contact Info Just search for their name in a group and click “message”. When you edit your website, the drop down menu Warning: this function should be used very judiciously. I’m gives you the option of “other”. Click on it to open a new not condoning SPAM. field that allows you to type in your business name, website 9. Trigger Event – A Prospect Clicked My Link. name, call-to-action, or description of your website. Wouldn’t it be great to know if a particular person Quick Tip: Instead of “Company Website” or “Personal Web- clicked on a link you sent them? It’s possible site” this section can read “Social Selling for Prospecting” or with bit.ly. Create a free account and send each prospect a “Click here: Social Selling Advice”. custom link. Upload content to Slideshare.net and Google 6. Recommendations: Powerful Third Party Corroboration Drive for free to create those links. LinkedIn tells you your profile is complete with three 10. Collect Leads Directly from Your Profile. recommendations. I suggest between 10 – 15 good recomDo you have a white paper or ebook to give away? mendations. And when you’re asking for recommendations, (If not, have one created on a hot topic.) Build a web form provide a bulleted list of your skills, strengths and services with Google Drive. Place the links on your Summary and so people will write a more accurate account of how well you share them as updates once a day every day. performed your job and not: “She’s good at what she
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Building a strong local manufacturing workforce
It’s been nearly three years since the Industrial al Electro-Mechanical Technician. Technology Training Center in Mount Pleasant opened its According to the center’s Website, the program ofdoors to a class of 20 stufers “industry proven coursdents in the fall of 2011. es to provide students with Today, enrollment is more the skills they need to go to “One of our missions is to than 200 and graduates work immediately after are getting good job offers assist local industry and growth completion.” from local manufacturers. The students and training is a good way to The facility, which range from high school help them, so that’s is a three-way partnership students taking dual credit between Northeast Texas courses to older adults important,” Community College, Mount working fulltime jobs and Pleasant Independent taking online courses to School District and the improve their job skills or Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation, offers train for a better career opportunity. an Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Technology The center, which has offered dual credit courses in degree and certificates in Industrial Technician and Industri- the Electrical Program since it opened, just recently added mtpleasanttx.com 7
dual credit courses in its Industrial Maintenance Program. It’s been a long road to fully capitalize on a vision “We just had four students graduate from that pro- that began about eight years ago. gram with a high school diploma as well as their certificate “In 2006 or 2007 we started working with the Workthis year,” said Charlie Smith, MPEDC director. force board interviewing industry leaders and the overriding Smith says the message was 1) that our program is a huge benefit workforce is getting older to the MPEDC. and young people were “One of our misnot coming into manufacsions is to assist local “Any way you can light a fire or turing,” Smith said. “And industry and growth and 2) in the future we’ll be turn the light on in a high school training is a good way to bringing in more technolhelp them, so that’s imogy and we needed a kid is a job well done.” portant,” Smith said. “It’s workforce trained to use also an excellent tool to that technology and more show visiting industries importantly, a workforce looking to expand or to that can program and relocate how the community can meet their needs for a service it.” workforce.” In 2008, NTCC hired Dr. Brad Johnson as the new Smith said the most exciting thing for him is to see president of the college. Johnson had come from Amarillo what he calls the “Push-Pull” concept blossoming. College, which utilized a lot of skills training, Smith said. “Parents are now starting to push their students to “At that time, NTCC didn’t do a lot of hard skills look at the program as a career path opportunity and local training for manufacturers and Dr. Johnson was excited to industry is starting to hire – or pull – directly from the pro- get on board with this,” he said. gram,” he said. That’s when the idea of an industrial training center
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also marketing the center by attending high school career programs. “A lot of these kids may not have traditional college in their future and they need to know that this is an option for them. Getting a little bit of added training makes them much more marketable in their community,” Smith said. “Any way you can light a fire or turn the light on in a high school kid is a job well done.” Smith said industry representatives and site location consultants that have toured the facility have been very impressed. “They are excited. I was giving a tour to a site location consultant and I struck up a conversation with one of the students – a young man on a team of four working on a Skills USA project. He shook my hand and then looked at the consultant and shook his hand and introduced himself. He said his goal was to finish the electrical program and apply for a scholarship to the Luminant training facility and work for Luminant. He’s a junior in high school and he knows where he is going and how he is going to get there,” Smith said. “The consultant was very impressed. I could and a financial and goals-setting partnership between the have hugged the kid right there! We got a lot of good feedthree entities was born. back on that.” Several local businesses made financial contributions to the project as well. To learn more about the Industrial Technology Center visit “There was a lot of support there from the communi- them online at NTCC.edu ty,” Smith said. View the Industrial Training Center’s videos on MPEDC’s The center has earned the MPEDC state and inter- YouTube Channel national awards as well for its innovation through the training For more information on this opportunity , please call Charlie center. Smith, Executive Director of MPEDC at 903.572.6602 or “You know you’ve got a good program when indus- charleslsmith@mpcity.org try calls and says to the instructor, ‘I need two new people and I’d like to get them from this program. I’d like you to send out several students that you think are good candidates,’” Smith said. To continue to grow its enrollment, the MPEDC has invested in 15-second ads that are running at Mount Pleasant Cinema 6 before the movies begin. The training center is mtpleasanttx.com 9
Business Insider Texas Tourism is BIG Business BY Marty Prince Tourism makes an important and sizeable contribution to our economy. According to the Office of the Governor, travelers to Texas spent a record-breaking $65 billion in 2012. That’s a 6 percent increase from the previous year. That same year, tourism to Texas supported more than 568,000 jobs and generated $4.4 billion in state and local taxes. Tourism is really part of everybody’s business, which is why it is such an important industry to East Texas. As cities grow denser, rural East Texas has become increasingly attractive to tourists. In fact, rural Texas is second only to the Alamo in popularity with travelers to the Lone Star State. To help your business take full advantage of the summer seasonal travel, I’ve put together a few tips: Tip No. 1: Traveler 101 Knowing your audience and their needs is your first step in capturing a corner of the tourism market. If you are not a stand-alone tourist destination, understanding why visitors already come to your community is very important; it can help you determine the audience for your marketing and their needs as consumers. Why do people come to your community - business, pleasure, shopping, personal, medical or education? What needs are associated with those purposes - food, lodging, shopping? What is their mood - relaxed, nervous, rushed? Tip No. 2: Be YOU-nique Determine what makes your business unique and how your products/services are different from your local and regional competitors. Are you pet-friendly? Do you stock/grow local products? Do you offer discounts to repeat customers? Tip No. 3: Convenience is BIG Find ways your product/service can enhance the traveler’s experience in your community. In other words,
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how can your business make a potential visitor’s trip more pleasant (or more Mount Pleasant-y), entertaining or easier? Are you conveniently located to a hospital, school or hotel? Do you/can you offer shipping, prepackaging, online orders, drop-off or delivery options? Do you/can you offer childcare, extended hours or special appointments? Tip No. 4: Talk the Talk Now that you know who you are talking to and what they need, it’s time to get the word out about YOU. What should I say? First, don’t tell them everything; tell your customer what they want to know (keep it simple, the fewer words the better). Who you are - Ex. Sammy’s Snow Shack. What you offer – Ex. New Orleans Style Snowballs over 50 rich and delicious flavors. How is your product/service unique - Ex. No icicles here, our snowballs are light, fine and fluffy. How will it make them feel - Ex. Sammy’s – Feel like a kid again or try our refreshing flavors like sugar-free lime! 1 or 2 BIG pictures (bigger is better, lots of small pictures are not as effective). Location, location, location (if you are advertising to a regional audience, tell how close you are to any major attractions in minutes and hours. For your summer traveler, tell them about the special offers you have for the tourism season and any new additions, updates or products you’ve made to your store front or product line. Ex. Sammy’s Snow Shack. Where families of 5 always get a free cone. Try our newest rich cream and sugar free flavors. Now available - “stuffed" snow varieties. Who should I target? Repeat Customers – Make it easy. Did you know it is 50 percent easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to get a new one? Start by communicating with your fans, the customers who already love your products and services. The best way to stay in touch is keep in contact
with your customers all year long via email and social media. *Hint, if you don’t have an active email list or it needs cleaning, hop to it. Time (and money) is a wasting. Staycationers – Simple. You may consider out-oftowners your top priority, but don’t overlook your local and regional tourists. Focus some of your marketing efforts close to home. Texas travelers don’t mind driving 1-3 hours for a great experience – particularly if customer service is top-notch. What are the best ways to entice Summer Tourists? Think Local – sell local products/produce. Think Seasonal – sell items that are available during a limited time. Think FUN – Plan thematic promotions that correspond with annual events/festivals in your region. Think BIG - If you can handle bus tours, larger groups, church or school trips, offer packaged deals. Think Economically – Remind regional/local customers how they will save money on gas, lodging and precious time by shopping/eating/vacationing near home. Group Think – Get involved in community fairs/festivals and sponsored events that have the ability to reach large numbers of people – locals and tourists. Think Mobile – Use location-based apps like Groupon, Foursquare, Livingsocial, and Facebook to promote offers and limited-time deals to consumers within a certain distance
Think Visually – People process images 60 times faster than text. People are 40 percent more likely to engage with a brand that uses photos. Photos on Facebook receive 84 percent more clicks than text posts. Think REGIONally – Specifically the Forest Trail Region. Share your tourism specials and area attractions on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ texasforesttrail. Think Partnership - Contact your local Chamber of Commerce, tourism associations, hotels, B & B’s, campgrounds or restaurants. Ask what partnership opportunities are available to attract visitors and how your business can participate. Marketing your business means marketing your community. That’s most easily and effectively executed through cross-promotion and teamwork.
Marty Prince is the Executive Director of the Texas Forest Trail Region. The TFTR is a regional tourism initiative developed by the Texas Historical Commission that helps Texans connect with their roots and for visitors experience the Texas story in 35 counties of East Texas. For more information, contact Texas Forest Trail Region 936.560.3699 and info@texasforesttrail.com or visit www.texasforesttrail.com.
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Helps students graduate without debt Northeast Texas Community College asked students if they are willing to work to pay for their education. The answer was, “Yes.” The school launched its 10-week NTCC Work Scholarship Program in June that offers scholarships to students who work on campus to pay for their classes. Out of 30 applicants, the school selected 15 students ranging in age from 16 to 73. Most are 16-19 years old, but the program is open to all ages who plan to attend NTCC. The students in the pilot program work on the NTCC Eagle Ranch, supervised by Rene McCracken, NTCC’s Agriculture director. The jobs the students are assigned to are not tied to the students’ planned field of study. The college also plans to expand the program into different work scholarship areas in the future. “We just want them to be in meaningful work and we wanted to make the scholarship high enough so they can get a little spending money and still pay off their tuition and fees,” said Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice President for Advancement. “These are good jobs that make a significant payment toward their future.” The students are currently working 16 hours a week on the ranch. They earn $12 an hour, of which $4 goes into a student spending account. The rest goes toward their scholarship account to pay their future tuition, fees and books. The scholarship funds stay in their tuition accounts until they enroll in clas
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Jazmin Vasquez
Warren Edmonds, Joclyn Capers and Brandon Fuller show off turnips grown by students.
the summer, which is paid for by a separate private scholarship. The course, Community Service, Leadership, Volunteerism, teaches the students workplace expectations and brings in speakers from different fields to talk to them about their workplace. The class also teaches them about the value of community service and students are required to work a certain number of volunteer hours in the community. McCullough said student eligibility is not tied to financial need, so the program is open to students from all economic backgrounds. “It really helps many of the students who are caught in the middle. Their family doesn’t qualify for a financial aid grant, but they don’t make enough money to save for college,” McCullough said. He said the majority of the 15 students in the pilot program fall into that middle- income category. “We’re finding that there are a lot of young people who are willing to work to pay for college,” he
ses and are divided up between the fall and spring semes- said. ters. Students can also use the funds to enroll in dual credit Joclyn Capers, 16, who comes from a farming family in courses in high school. Cookville, says she and McCullough says her fellow students the program is a way for have been working the college to meet one of hard on the ranch, so “Learn how to handle your its goals, to provide a way far working with cattle for students to get out of finances. Set yourself a budget and and chickens and plantcollege debt free. ing and harvesting veglive by it.” While NTCC is a etables. public university, the work“It’s what I exstudy scholarships are all pected. It’s a really from private donations good program that through the NTCC Founhelps you get where dation. you need to go and gives you great opportunities,” said Ca“Donors sponsor a student with a $1,000 donation. pers, who wants to learn as much about animals as she can We have 10 sponsors now and we’re still looking for five and plans to pursue an agriculture-related field. more,” he said. The program will help students develop an excellent The students are required to take one class during work ethic, best management techniques, interview skills mtpleasanttx.com 13
Elizabeth Hoggatt Whatley Agriculture Complex
and experience college life. The 73-year-old was enrolled in classes at NTCC “We never do the same thing twice. If we do, we working toward his third degree, an Associates of Applied learn more about it,” said Yimmin Ramos, 18, of Pittsburg. Science in Sustainable Agriculture. Ramos will be attending NTCC as a freshman this fall. “I was going here last semester and I put in for it. Jazmin Vasquez, 17, who will be a senior at Pittsburg High I’m surprised I got it because of my age but I appreciate it,” School, says the program is said Edmonds. “This is one of the a really good opportunity for best programs the school has come people who have a passion up with.” for agriculture. The father of three, grand“This is one of the best “I want to be a vetfather of 17 and great-grandfather programs the school has of 19, has 43 acres of land and erinarian, so I’m trying to learn everything about cows. wants to make sure he is selfcome up with.” I have a huge passion for sustainable and can support his livestock animals,” she said. family in the event of a disaster or In the future, the government crisis. school plans to expand the program into other areas on He said the young students he is learning and workcampus, such as the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program, ing side-by-side with “seem to be a bunch of bright young campus maintenance and grounds keeping and office and people that will go far if they apply themselves.” administrative areas. As the program grows even further, His advice to them: “Learn how to handle your fithe job opportunities would expand into the local community. nances. Set yourself a budget and live by it.” At that point, it would resemble an internship program for local businesses. For more information on this opportunity, please call the “Our goal is to get up to 300 of these jobs in the Director of the NTCC Agriculture Program, Rene’ McCracknext 4-5 years,” McCullough said. en at 903.434.8267 or visit the college website at For now, the program is centered at the the Eliza- ntcc.edu/workscholarship. beth Hoggatt Whatley Agriculture Complex, and is helping Warren Edmonds earn his degree 55 years after graduating from high school.
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THURSDAY EVENINGS JUNE - SEPT. 5 - 8 PM LOCATED @ THE CHAMBER 1604 N. JEFFERSON
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things to do in Mount Pleasant
Cool Water Fun! Enjoy various water sports including swimming and boating at Lake Bob Sandlin, Town Lake and Dellwood Pool.
Be your own Picker!! Blackberries and Blueberries at Greer Farm and Peaches at Efurd Orchard.
Outdoor Adventures… four four--wheelers, horseback riding, hiking and fishing at Camp Langston and Harts Bluff Game Ranch
Golfing Gurus! Practice your swing at Mount Pleasant Country Club
Sweet Tooth? Visit Sweet Shop USA, Laura’s Cheesecake, Golden Gals Candy Company, The Bake Shop and Heavn’ly Foods.
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Get Back to Nature at Master Gardens
Fisherman’s Paradise! Lake Bob Sandlin, Lake Welsh and Lake Monticello
Experience East Texas beauty at our state parks… Bob Sandlin State Park and Daingerfield State Park
Main Street: Mount Pleasant ‘s historic downtown offers eclectic shopping, antiques and eateries
Step away from the stress of everyday life…Enjoy a night of wine and fun with friends and family at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards Vineyards.
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Shane Morton wishes he would have partnered with NAPA Auto Parts a long time ago. The independent business owner has been in business in Mount Pleasant for seven years, but prior to March 2014, he owned the CARQUEST store. “There used to be a really good NAPA store here in Mount Pleasant and I’d have people coming in to my CARQUEST store asking if there was a NAPA in town. So, I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go ahead and fly the NAPA flag,’” Morton said. Morton hasn’t looked back since with business better than ever since the switch. “I wish I had changed over six years ago. It’s been super. It was a great move,” he said. Morton, a new Chamber partner, said NAPA is the oldest aftermarket auto parts dealer in the country and has a lot more to offer his customers. “They have such a bigger variety. They carry so much more from automotive to agriculture, farming, heavy duty parts for trucks,” he said. “Some of the others don’t carry as much.” He said that’s one thing that NAPA is known for.
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“If no one else can get it or find it, you go to NAPA and they’ll come up with it,” he said. NAPA offers more than 422,000 quality parts and accessories for automotive and industrial applications, the most extensive inventory in the industry, according to its Website. He says the customer service that his employees offer is another thing that sets his business apart. “I think our guys are more knowledgeable. We hear it all the time when customers come in here. There’s always someone that knows what’s going on, knows what they’re looking for and how to get it for them,” Morton said. Morton lives in Cunnigham, a small community 35 miles northeast of Mount Pleasant. He grew up in Paris, where his mother and stepfather are also in the auto parts business. Shane Morton is the owner of the NAPA Auto & Truck Parts Store in Mount Pleasant. Located at 1300 West Ferguson Road. For more information call Shane at 903.572.4368.
Calendar of Events July
August
03 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
01 11 AM - Friday Burger Party
04 Independence Day
05 8 AM - Tourism Meeting
10 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
06 8 AM - Marketing Meeting
12-13 11 AM - Quake on Town Lake
07 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
17 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
14 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
The Chamber
Chamber Closed The Chamber
Town Lake | Hwy 271 The Chamber
The Chamber The Chamber The Chamber The Chamber
The Chamber
22 8 AM - Governmental Affairs Meeting 15 7:30 AM - New Teacher Breakfast The Chamber
Mount Pleasant High School Cafeteria
24 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh
19 8 AM - Governmental Affairs Meeting
The Chamber
31 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber
The Chamber
20 8 AM - Board of Directors Meeting The Chamber
21 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber
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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