WEEKLY UPDATE FROM THE GREATER CLINTON-AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE/BY DAVID LEE-DIRECTOR: 1/6/23

WEEKLY UPDATE FROM THE GREATER CLINTON-AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE/BY DAVID LEE-DIRECTOR: 1/6/23

Happy New Year! 

Due to Covid-19, our first Chamber Banquet since Jan. of 2020 is coming up Jan. 19th. We are excited and we hope you are too! $20 per person for Chamber members, $25 for non-members. Same price as 2020.  Get your tickets at 200 South Main St.

From the Chamber Facebook page on Dec. 30th:  The staff at the Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the five on the Board of Directors that will be leaving this Board at the end of this year as their terms have expired: Courtney Banks from Banks Motors, Wes Hilton from Cover & Hilton Law, Lynn Lear with Clinton Abstract and Title Co., Clay Radford from KDKD/KXEA and Bill Wilson with Champion Brands. We are sorry to see these five individuals leave the Board, but at the same time, we are excited about the five that will be taking their place in 2023: Larry Dawson from Hawthorn Bank, Amber Hansen with Seeds of Faith Preschool, Sabrina Harris from TC Transcontinental, Jim Huenefeldt of A&K Railroad Materials and Jeff Stone from W&S Door. The 2023 President will be Adam Cummings from American Family Ins…Past President will be Daniel Dody from Dody Legacy Group…and President-Elect will be Amber Hansen. Continuing with the Board of Directors in 2023 will be Kyle Adkins from GVMH, Tim Deskins from White River Marine Group (Tracker), Tonya Gilley with Bucksaw Resort and Marina, Bruce Limpus from Schreiber Foods and Jim Smith with Oak Star Bank. Stacy Hinkle with Bernard Tax and Bookkeeping, Christy Maggi from the City of Clinton and Rick Pereles from the City Council will also continue to provide their services to the Chamber in 2023.

Remember when Rocky use to train for his fights in an old, dirty, sweaty gym? BLUSH Boot Camp is 100% on the other end of the spectrum…and it’s just for the ladies. The Clinton Chamber Ambassadors held a ribbon cutting today at BLUSH. They have room for you, but this facility has become very popular very quick. Congratulations! From their Facebook page: We are a Boot Camp studio for women in all stages of their fitness journey!  1832 E Ohio St, Clinton, MO  www.blushbootcamp.com

Welcome New Chamber Member:  Socket  2703 Clark Lane Columbia, MO 65203  800-Socket3  www.socket.net Socket is a Missouri based Fiber Internet and phone provider. Socket will provide you with consistent and reliable internet speeds, simple billing, and no data caps or throttling. So long lagging internet. Hello, lightning-fast fiber internet.

The Clinton Tourism Committee bought a full-page ad in the 2023 Official RV & Camping Guide for Missouri. These guides are now at the Chamber or go to www.campinmissouri.com. Look for us on page 38!

Information Technology specialist Dray Schenker will take small businesses us on a tour of priority I.T. issues to understand, and key actions to take, in this New Growth Women’s Business Center webinar. Information technology support for small businesses.    Cybersecurity and information technology (I.T.) are huge complicated domains that small businesses must navigate with limited capacity and resources. Dray Schenker, Senior Technology Director at West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, can help!    Join us 12:00 p.m. Thursday, January 12, 2023, for this free New Growth Women’s Business Center webinar. Dray will take us on a tour of priority I.T., issues to understand and key actions to take as a small business. He will also cover cybersecurity concerns and actions most relevant to small businesses. This free webinar is made possible by support from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Looking for a way to boost your business during the winter months? Amazon has launched a new opportunity in Clinton called the Amazon Delivery Partner Program and is looking to partner with local businesses within the community. This program empowers local business owners to launch a package delivery side hustle within their existing business. No contracts, upfront investment, or delivery experience required!  Todd Ghys, Field Acquisition Manager with Amazon, will be in Clinton on Thursday, January 12th, hosting office hours from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Chamber office. If you’re interested in becoming a partner or simply want to learn more about the program, stop by the Chamber at 200 S. Main St. between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. to speak with Todd about how this program can benefit your business. No appointment necessary.  Can’t attend the event? No problem! Representatives will be available to visit your business that day to make sure you don’t miss out on this great opportunity to drive incremental revenue. Email toddghys@amazon.com for more information or to schedule a time to talk!

BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS OF HENRY COUNTY PRESENTS:  Clinton Historic Half Marathon & 5k All proceeds go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Henry County. HISTORIC LANDMARKS  Anheuser-Busch Building, Artesian Park, and the Historic Downtown Clinton Square.​​ All runners will receive a commemorative t-shirt. FINISHER’S MEDAL  A keepsake to remind you of your accomplishment and contribution. Cash prizes, age awards, and other swag will be given away. TWO RACES  Half marathon and 5K. ANNOUNCEMENTS!!  NEW DATE: June 17, 2023 With warmer temps, we will start earlier at 7:00 am and allow 4 hours to finish. 5k will start at 7:30 am. NEW THEME: Clinton Cardinals  Our theme this year will focus on our local high school and the cardinal logos used over the years. We will have 2 different medals for the half and the 5k for the first time, each having a different cardinal logo. Our t-shirt will include all logos used in the past. In the attached picture, you will find this year’s half marathon medal. 5k and t-shirt logos to be revealed later.

Poague, Wall, Cox & Adams, LLC announces the retirement of Thea Wiskur on December 31, 2022 after 43 years of service. Thea started on February 16, 1979. She was hired by Julius Wall and in recent years transitioned to work for Bob Cox and then Jeffery Adams.

Clinton, MO Parks & Recreation  January 28th, 2023 Snowflake Garage Sale Booth Registration is open.  Registration will be online. If you have not opened an account with the Clinton Mo Parks & Rec this year, it is important to do this:   ClintonParkRecOnline.com  .

The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announces the state minimum wage rate for 2023 has been established, according to state law, at $12.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2023.  According to Proposition B, which was approved by Missouri voters on November 6, 2018, the minimum wage will increase by 85 cents per hour each year through 2023. All private businesses are required to pay at a minimum, the $12.00 hourly rate, except retail and service businesses whose gross annual sales are less than $500,000. Missouri’s minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate.  Compensation for tipped employees must also total at least $12.00 per hour. Employers are required to pay tipped employees at least 50 percent of the minimum wage, plus any amount necessary to bring the employee’s total compensation to a minimum of $12.00 per hour.  To learn more about the minimum wage and to download a copy of the updated poster, visit this link on the Missouri Department of Labor website.