Upcoming Chamber Events:

March 31- Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce staff planning and training retreat, 8:30 - 4 p.m., Peaceable Kingdom, chamber closed all day.

April 4- April Power Hour, Central Texas Workforce Center, 300 Cheyenne, Killeen, 11:45 a.m. Click here to register for April's session.

April 8- Ribbon Cutting, Global Wireless, Killeen Mall Food Court, 9:30 a.m.

April 10- Bill Drury "Keeping Customers" seminar, two sessions at 8:30 and 1:00, click here for more information and to register.

April 16- Groundbreaking, Alzcare Assisted Living Center, 2728 Cottonwood, Temple, 1:30 p.m.

April 17- April Third Thursday Mixer, Toyota of Killeen, 4001 E. Central Texas Expressway, 5:30 p.m.

April 21- Ribbon Cutting, FedEx Kinko's, 2309 E. Central Texas Expressway, 11:45 a.m.

Click here for our new interactive community events calendar.

From the news accounts you have read and seen over the past few weeks, do you believe the Copperas Cove City Council should have removed Mayor Roger O'Dwyer from his position?

Watch the next edition of GKCC Hot Links! on April 9th for the results of this poll.

RESULTS OF THE MARCH 12th POLL:

Now that the Democratic primary race has become so close between Senators Clinton and Obama, what should be done - if anything - in Florida and Michigan where changes in primary dates caused the DNC to not allow those states' delegates to be seated at the convention.

I don't believe the Hot Links! poll has ever, in the 14 months we have been doing it, received only 7 responses to a poll question, even if we were just trying to be a little silly. It might make an astute political observer conclude that folks here in Central Texas are getting just a little tired of the presidential primary process at this point.

The results- One person felt that entirely new primaries should be held in Florida and Michigan. Two felt that a mail-in primary or other alternative would be sufficient. The vast majority (if you can have a "vast majority" in a sample of seven people) said the rules were the rules, and there should be no adjustments made to the way things stand now; the primaries should not be used to seat delegates. No one felt Senator Clinton should be given credit for her victories in those states outright.

Thanks for taking last newsletter's poll!

Principles Before Policy

In the end, customer satisfaction is what it's all about!

by John Crutchfield, President & CEO, Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce

In this high tech world, we sometimes forget the basics. I recently read a book by Jeffrey Gitomer entitled Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. An interesting title for an interesting book, full of good information for anyone that provides a service to a customer. Since we are all in the customer service business, there is value in sharing some of what I learned with you. Here are a few of the points Mr. Gitomer makes.

“Your customer is your paycheck.” We all know that. How often do we remember it?

“Customers call, contact, or visit us for one reason ---- they need help!” We all know that. How often do we remember it?

“Your attitude (the way you dedicate yourself to the way you think) determines the degree of service excellence you perform.”

“Customer satisfaction is worthless. Satisfied customers will buy from anyone. Loyal customers are what you are after.” Customer loyalty is based on the quality of your relationship with every customer.  A customer ready to repeat his purchase is a powerful business advantage. In this competitive world, we need to know that we are taking steps to ensure the competitive advantage of repeat business.

“When you’re done speaking with a customer or the transaction is over, that’s when they start talking. You determine what they say.”

“The value of a customer is twenty times his or her sales volume.” Every customer contact is an opportunity to earn the next sale. We ought to contact ten customers a day and just say, “thanks”.

“Ninety-one percent of dissatisfied customers never return. Ninety-six percent will not tell you why they left (even if you pay them). Most businesses spend eighty to ninety percent of their advertising and marketing budgets trying to attract new customers. It costs ten times more to replace a customer than it does to keep him.”

“Company policy is written in terms of the company, not the customer.” It is designed to tell you what you can’t do for a customer – not what you can do. In my experience, company policy and customer service go together like oil and water. They don’t. Customers never want to hear the word “policy”. Don’t use it. Ever!

“Service is a feeling.” Don’t give any feeling to others that you would not want to feel yourself. You know when you are doing a good job. You can feel it.

“The secret to successful customer service is to start with "The best way to get that done is…" or "The easiest (fastest) way to do that is…". Give solutions, not excuses.

The customer’s perception of good or bad service is the measure of your success or failure. If the customer has a different customer service definition than we do, we ought to seriously question our definition. In the end, customer perception is all that matters. Test by measuring your own perceptions ---be your own customer periodically. Try calling your office sometime. See how your call is handled.

Having said all this, the logical question is, does this mean that we do it right every time here at the Chamber? We don’t and, if I had to guess, neither do you. That does not mean that we should not try. After all, it has been said that success is not a destination. It is a journey. I can’t speak for you. But, I can speak for the Chamber. The journey is what we are all about.

Drury to Help GKCC Members "Turn Tough Customers Into Your Best Customers" on April 10

The Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce will once again be welcoming Bill Drury and his all new "Keeping Customers" seminar to Killeen to present another in his series of outstanding customer service programs.

The seminar's first session will start at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 10 and last until 11:30. Due to popular demand, a second session, scheduled from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., will also be available to give business the opportunity to have an option as to the sessions they want to use. Both sessions will be identical.

Most business people agree that irate customers can have a powerful influence on business success. For example:

     *Disgruntled customers tell an average of 11 other people about their bad experience with a company.

     *An angry customer who is delighted with your response to a problem will tell as many as 20 persons about the positive experience.

     *Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing in business.

     *97 percent of all companies never formally train employees in the art of conflict resolution.

This is your special invitation to attend a seminar that will refresh, motivate, instruct and help every person in your company turn tough customers into your best customers!

This seminar will help your business go to the next level of sales & service excellence. Drury has received rave reviews from over 400 of the Fortune 500 companies. He has delivered over 1000 presentations the last 15 years.

Pricing includes workbook and a continental breakfast. GKCC members pay $99 per person (save $10 per person if you register by March 28th) and non-members pay $149 per person.

There is also a $10 discount per person for 5 or more attendees per company, as well as a variety  of sponsorship packages designed for every budget

Please contact Diane Drussell for more details at (252) 200-2001, or register online at the chamber's web site.

As GKCC Board member Tim Stroud of Killeen.Com looks on, Terry Robison, left,  of Graphic Concepts and Grant Smith of David Barr Properties enjoy some barbeque at last year's mixer at Toyota of Killeen.

Upcoming April Mixer at Toyota of Killeen Always One of the Chamber Year's Best

Everyone loves a party, and that is exactly what Toyota of Killeen intends to have as the April Third Thursday Mixer takes the stage on Thursday, April 17.

Known for one of the most creative and innovative mixers on the chamber's schedule, Toyota of Killeen owner Paula Lohse doesn't intend to lose any momentum from the successful event hosted last April.

And if last year's event is any indication, mixer attendees will have a number of creative and fun ways to enjoy themselves throughout the evening.

Additionally, the popular Killeen Green Jackpot give-away will stand at $100 in April. Every chamber member is entered, but you have to be present to win.

The mixer will start at 5:30 at the Toyota of Killeen dealership at 4001 E. Central Texas Expressway in Killeen, and all chamber members are invited.

The Killeen Farmers Market on East Avenue F as seen from the porch of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce

2008 Leadership Killeen Class Project Takes Shape 

The 2008 Leadership Killeen class has been working very hard this year.  In addition to the scheduled curriculum, the class has to decided on a class project. 

With all the talk of  “Going Green” and the discussions of revitalizing downtown Killeen, what better way to do both by bringing the Killeen Farmers Market back to life?  The class has plans to landscape, add new signage, create a brick walkway, and upgrade the gazebo and much more.  They are also working on getting vendors to participate.  And, to top it off, the property owners have approved and given their blessing!

To enable the class to bring this project to fruition, funds are needed.  Individual donations as well as sponsorships are available.  If you are interested in a financial contribution, or to volunteer for this worthwhile cause in helping Killeen grow, please contact Tammy Sanchez at the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce at (254) 526-9551.

Chamber Board of Directors Approves Revised Dues Structure for Chamber Members Effective April 1, 2008

The Board of Directors of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce at their March meeting approved a revised dues structure for chamber members to be effective April 1, 2008.The last time chamber member dues were adjusted was in January of 2001.

Existing chamber members will see the dues adjustment effective with their next chamber invoice. The amount of the adjustment will depend on the membership type and the number of employees, and generally is between $15 and $50 per year. In no case were the dues increased more than $50 per year for any chamber member.

The dues structure for new members joining the chamber after April 1 is available on the chamber's web site.

Do the Best Companies Join Chambers of Commerce?

The best places to work tend to belong to their local chamber of commerce, according to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). Of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" in the United States and Canada this year, 94 are members of their local chamber, including all of the top 24.

Separately, ACCE found that in a random sample of 100 companies in the Fortune 1000, at least 75 were members of their local chamber.

"This 'Best Companies to Work For' information is one more indication that the best companies tend to be chamber members," according to ACCE President Mick Fleming. "If a company cares about its employees, there's a good chance it also cares about its community and the chamber is the way that great employers invest in both."

Local chambers of commerce are associations of businesses that come together to improve the local economic climate and help members network and find new business. Strong employers link with and learn from like-minded peer companies through business-led civic organizations - chambers of commerce.

Here is the Fortune list of the best places to work:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/

Consumers seem to expect chamber members to be better-than-average companies. A study by the Atlanta-based Schapiro Group last August found that consumers are 63 percent more likely to buy products from companies that they believe are chamber members.

John Bachmann, senior partner at Edward Jones (St. Louis, MO), which placed No. 4 on the "Best Places to Work For" list, said, "I find in my experience, both locally and nationally, that the single most effective voice on issues is the chamber. Because of that, we want to be involved. Whether it is healthcare, performing arts, public schools or universities, people most interested in the community are members of the local chamber." Bachmann is a former chair of both the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Speranza Jr. is vice chairman of Wegman's Food Markets (Rochester, NY), which placed No. 3 on the Fortune list. His company is active in the local, state, and U.S. Chamber, of which he is the current chair. He's travelled to many local chambers and appreciates what they do. "It is easy for me to see the great value that many of these chambers provide their members in so many areas, including education and workforce development - showing member companies how to be excellent and appreciated employers by partnering in developing great programs and sharing best practices."

ACCE plans to probe further into which kinds of companies join their local chamber and which ones don't. "We are not surprised that many of the best companies join chambers of commerce," said Mick Fleming. "And, I believe when more people are aware of this, we're going to see still more firms joining their local chamber."

The Central Texas Business Resource Center (the BRC) will conduct Introduction to Government Contracting Opportunities for Small Business seminar on Thursday, April 24th from 6-9 pm. There is no cost to attend, but reservations must be made in advance.

Government procurement resources abound on the Internet, but knowing where to look and what to ignore can be an overwhelming and time consuming dilemma for the small business owner. This seminar will provide attendees a step-by-step approach to government contracting.
Participants will receive training on useful techniques in conducting market research and obtaining past award histories. This seminar will be especially helpful for women, minority, Veteran and service-disabled Veteran business owners seeking to obtain government contracts.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to make an appointment with government procurement counselors who can cover the subjects in more detail.

The Central Texas Business Resource Center will conduct this seminar at the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, One Santa Fe Plaza, Killeen.

Reservations can be made by contacting Marcus Carr at the Business Resource Center at (254) 200-2001.

The Central Texas Business Resource Center  (the BRC) provides high-quality business counseling, training, and assistance to potential and existing small business owners. The Central Texas Workforce System, the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, and Central Texas College support this non-membership, not for profit organization.  Each month the BRC offers or sponsors workshops and special events for the small business community. 

Are You Using All the Tools the Chamber Offers to Enhance Your Business?

Have you looked at some of the new features the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce makes available to its members through the internet and the chamber's web site at www.gkcc.com? They are far more than just fancy toys to play with on the web; each one is designed to fill special needs to allow your business to grow and make your chamber membership more valuable.

Interactive Community Events Calendar - Go to www.gkcc.com and click on the "Events" link at the top of the page. There, you will find the most complete and accurate calendar of Central Texas events in the Killeen area! It includes all the chamber events, of course, but also includes a large number of events that are submitted from the community at large. Yes, we said interactive! Have an event you want to promote? Just click on the "Submit New Event" link to place your event on the GKCC Calendar. There is never a charge for this service. EVENTS

Customized Business Directory Listing - As a member of the chamber, you know you are listed in our online business directory. But did you know you can substantially customize that listing to include an enhanced business description, your hours of operation, directions to your locations and several "key words" that allow your business to be found more easily when members search for you or the service you offer? It's a free enhancement to a free service. What could be better than that? (You'll need a personalized login and password; if you don't already have that, just e-mail us and we'll send it to the primary member on your account.)   BUSINESSES      ENHANCEMENTS

But wait...it gets even better!

Hot Deals Member-to-Member Coupons- Want to send a special coupon to Chamber members? Want to do it for free? Just visit the chamber's web site at www.gkcc.com and click on the "Member Logon" link at the lower left. (Once again, you will need your login name and password.) Once you login to the chamber membership area, you can create a specialized "Hot Deals Coupon that is designed to get you direct response. Again, it's free. (Oh, and you can even sign up for a free Hot Deals Newsletter to inform you when new deals have been added!) HOT DEALS

Job Position Announcements - Of course, you're going to need a new employee or two to handle all this new business, and we can help there, too. Again, from within the chamber member area, you can also create a free "help wanted" ad to find the new folks you need. Once more, there is that "free" word again. JOB POSTINGS

We're happy to offer these free services to our members, and hope you will use them often.

Fighting The Friday Night Football Mentality

Internal cooperation and teamwork are essential to any community’s economic development success. Traditionally, once these elements are in place, the community can plan and begin to implement a step by step approach to developing the local economy. This is necessary for the efficient use of local resources.

But these are not traditional times. More is required. We are now faced with what is called the digital economy. This is the concept of an economy based on the commercial use of the Internet. The digital economy is also knowledge based in that it involves the continuous application of knowledge to products and services to develop wealth and value. It has been said that knowledge and the brain power the digital economy, with the microprocessor as the heart and telecommunication networks as the arteries.

The digital economy has shrunk our world. It begot the global economy and increased international trade. It is now said that if a job can be digitalized, it can be moved. The real change is that, where we used to compete with our neighbors down the road, we now compete with people all over the world.

The challenge we now face as a community is far different than in the past. The challenge now is to create a sustainable, globally competitive local economy in a rapidly changing world. Our success will be determined to a large extend by our ability to create collaborative alliances with our neighbors. Collaboration - the tendency to associate, establish links, and cooperate - is one of the hallmarks of sustainability. The paradigm has shifted from command and control to connect and collaborate.  New skills and attitudes are required.

We now have to fight the Friday night football mentality and think regionally - for our own good. The immediate focus for our collaborative efforts should include the establishment of an education system that produces a competitive, skilled work force characterized by creativity and innovation.

Regional collaboration is not easy to accomplish and sustain. Success requires that we give up old notions held over from the past when the competition was just down the street. We must resist the many things that can serve to keep us apart. Those things include community rivalries and competition for new tax revenues. We must learn to overcome our differences and focus on how we can work together, as a region, for our future success.

Tom Friedman, in his book The World Is Flat, had this to say about collaboration among businesses. “The best companies are the best collaborators. In the flat world, more and more business will be done through collaborations within and between companies, for a very simple reason: The next layers of value creation – whether in technology, marketing, biomedicine, or manufacturing – are becoming so complex that no single firm or department is going to be able to master them alone.” The same can be said for communities. 

Texas Governor Rick Perry

Governor Approves Tax Cuts for Texas Businesses

Texas Governor Rick Perry is rewarding businesses statewide for their contributions to the state's robust economy and low unemployment rate.

According to the Governor's estimates, approximately 370,000 Texas businesses will receive a tax cut of $90 million that will come in the form of a one-year suspension of the unemployment insurance (UI) replenishment tax.

"Governor Perry's tax cut is a welcome reward for Texas employers, whose taxes have made the UI fund grow faster than originally forecast. TAB applauds this and other actions the governor has taken to continue moving our economy ahead of the other states," said TAB President Bill Hammond.

In his announcement, the Governor said: "I believe in truth-in-budgeting: when government levies a tax and collects more money than is needed, we must either stop collecting the tax, return the money or both."

The tax cut follows a UI surplus tax credit that the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) approved in October. The surplus credits are being distributed to qualifying employers who file quarterly unemployment tax reports and are required to pay UI taxes, who had a payroll in 2007, and who are current on their 2007 taxes. TAB supported the UI surplus tax credit because it is good fiscal policy for the state and employers combined.

TWC anticipates employers will begin to receive the surplus tax credit after their first quarter 2008 tax returns are filed and taxes are paid.

Texas Banking Commissioner Randall James (standing) and HB 2002 author Helen Giddings (seated).

New Texas Program Aimed at Curbing Identity Theft

Launch of a new system, hailed as the first of its kind in the nation to help reduce identity theft, was announced this week by Banking Commissioner Randall James and Rep. Helen Giddings of Dallas. Giddings authored HB 2002 during the 80th Texas Legislature that led to the creation of the Closed Account Notification System, or CANS.

James said the program began on March 1, and already 540 financial institutions have registered and 70 transactions have been run through the system.

CANS is a "significant step" in reducing identity theft, said Giddings. It includes a secure electronic notification system that allows banks and credit unions to notify all major check verification companies when accounts have been closed due to fraudulent activity by identity thieves.

Giddings said that most people believe that when they report identity theft to a bank, the problem is solved. The bank can close the account and refund the money, but it can't prevent checks from being cashed in someone's name, she said. Retailers such as grocery stores often use a check identification database that "recommends" to the store if a check should be cashed. But the check verification entities must know about the identity theft before they can alert retailers.

With CANS, check verification entities can find out as soon as it's reported to a participating bank, not weeks after multiple bad checks have been passed. Giddings said CANS can "nip this in the bud" and has the potential to save Texans possibly millions of dollars.

James said the Texas Department of Banking began working with other stakeholders in this issue, such as bankers, trade groups and state and federal agencies - to craft a rule that was adopted by the Finance Commission. "We believe this rule covers all the legal and practical processes to make this a success," he said.

James recommended that victims follow the guidance in the statute - to file a police report and then take a copy of the report or case number to their banks and request the institution to close that account and open a new one. Then the banking authority will notify parties of the closed account, including major check verification entities in Texas.

"Identity theft exacts its greatest cost on the victim through the accumulation of negative information in the customer's consumer credit report files," said Giddings, who added that every fraudulent check adds to the burden of a victim trying to restore his or her good name.

For more information on CANS, click here.

Killeen High School is again conducting the “Shattered Dreams” program.  The program will be held Wednesday and Thursday, April 2 & 3, 2008 at Killeen High School.  These dates are one week prior to the KHS Prom.

It is a two-day event which involves a dramatization of an alcohol-related accident on 38^th Street in front of the high school campus.  The project includes the Living Dead students, leadership retreat, and death notifications to parents, courtroom prosecution reenactment, and an assembly on the second day. 

The crash scene drama will be played out before the student body during a school day.  The victim(s) of the crash will receive ER treatment, and/or family death notifications.  The drunk driver will be arrested and booked.  Throughout the day, the other elements of the program will unfold.  To give students a better understanding to the number of DWI related deaths, an individual dressed as the Grim Reaper will appear in different classrooms every 15 minutes to select a new victim. More....

The Killeen LULAC Council 4535 Foundation is seeking applicants for their 2008 Scholarships. The Foundation has previously awarded $39,000 in Scholarships during the past five years, and is now offering an additional $10,000 in scholarships for 2008- seven $1,000 scholarships are offered through KISD and CCISD; two $1,000 scholarships are offered through CTC and Tarleton State; and an additional $1,000 Scholarship is offered directly through the Foundation. More...

The Killeen LULAC Council 4535 Foundation will conduct the 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Killeen on 3 May 2008. This Festival is partially funded by Killeen Municipal Hotel Motel Tax Revenues. The Festival will take place at the St Christopher's’ Episcopal Church grounds at 2800 Trimmier Road, and will include arts and crafts, vendors, folkloric groups performances, a Car Show kids games, and many other activities. Vendors’ registration is only $50.00, and Performers will be paid a stipend for their 30 minute performances. Major trophies will be available for winners in the Car Show. Registration Forms for Vendors, Performers, and the Car Show are available from the Foundation. More...

Barracudas Bring Bite to Bell County Expo Center

After thrilling victory over Frisco, CenTex hosts San Angelo March 29th in home opener

EXIT Homevets Realty, along with other local real estate companies and affiliates, will be joining in with ALR (Alliance for Lupus Research) in their “Walk with Us” campaign to prevent, treat and find a cure for Lupus.  The event will take place on Saturday April 19^th, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. at the Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, Texas. 

The agents and staff of EXIT Homevets Realty take a personal interest in this event, as one of their own Realtors, Margie Perez; was diagnosed with Lupus nearly 12 years ago after the birth of her child Mackenzie.  Margie fights this disease every day of her life to keep control of it, but sometimes it can be difficult

Lupus is a chronic potentially devastating disease in which the immune system turns against the body’s own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and tissue damage.  It can affect many parts of the body including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. 

Since this cause is so important and close to home, Margie along with the rest of the Realtors and staff of EXIT Homevets Realty are asking you to join them for this event.  You may sign up to walk, volunteer, or just provide a donation.  Our goal is to raise $5,000. We need your support to fight this dreadful disease!  Find out how you can donate or participate by contacting Margie Perez at 254-290-3333.

Click for full .pdf image

A free Aloha Festival of Central Texas will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 14 at the Killeen Conference Center, 3601 S. W.S. Young Drive in Killeen.  The festival, sponsored by the Pacific Heights Dance organization, will feature Polynesian dance, live music, international and variety food vendors, history, children’s fun zone, fire truck and ambulance display, arts and crafts, face painting, balloons, kid’s train rides, cultural entertainers from Oklahoma, San Antonio, and the home-based Pacific Heights Express, and many other activities ongoing during the day. 

Entertainers direct from Hawaii, “Mel Amina and 3 Scoops of Aloha will perform during the evening concert at the Conference Ballroom. 

Evening tickets to the concert:  Advance ticket $75 (Premier View) and includes Luau-Style Dinner Show ($80 at the door); $50 (Mid Section) and includes Luau-Style Dinner Show (($55 at the door).  Dinner starts from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a floor show at 7:00 p.m. by Pacific Heights Express.  General Admission (concert only), door will be open at 7:30 p.m. and live in concert “Mel Amina and 3 Scoops of Aloha” direct from Hawaii will come on stage at 8:00 p.m.  Ticket information can be obtained by calling the following numbers (254) 699-0152, 702-0624, 415-9701 or 466-2885.  Tickets can also be obtained at the Fort Hood ITR, 532-5292 or at the Killeen Chamber of Commerce, 526-9551.

A Killeen area teacher is being honored by the cable industry for creating and implementing innovative ways to educate students and for making substantial contributions to learning in the community.

Time Warner Cable and Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry’s education  foundation, announced today that a local educator has been chosen as a finalist for the 2008 Cable’s Leaders in Learning Awards. The annual awards  program, now in its fourth year, recognizes outstanding educators, administrators and other community leaders at the forefront of innovation in education. Hundreds of applications were received from across the country for the 2008 Cable’s Leaders in Learning Awards. A Killeen-area educator is among the 44 national finalists.

Donna Bownds, an instructional technologist at Clear Creek Elementary School on Fort Hood, is being recognized in the Cable Partnerships for Learning category for partnering with Time Warner Cable to implement “Take a Vet to School Day.”  Local veterans visited the school and shared stories about their service, while linking their work in the military and in their current jobs with the learning that is occurring in the classroom. This was a part of a national initiative by The History Channel. The project aims to strengthen ties in the community, bring history to life in classrooms, and recognize the contributions of local veterans and their families who must deal with issues associated with deployment.

Finalists are eligible for a national Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award, which includes a $3,000 prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a June awards ceremony and gala in honor of the winners at the Library of Congress.“

Recognizing the hard-working individuals who are forging fresh and creative paths to improving educational opportunities for the nation’s students is among the most important roles we can play,” said Doug Levin, senior education policy director, Cable in the Classroom. “These two finalists are prime examples of the sorts of educational innovation the cable industry is proud to honor. Cable has contributed substantial educational content and connectivity for use by thousands of our nation’s schools, and it’s good to acknowledge the results of that investment through the highly competitive Leaders in Learning program.”

Stacy Schmitt, vice president of public affairs, said, “We congratulate Bownds for being named among Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award finalists and for using new ideas to educate and better prepare young students for the future, a commitment that Time Warner Cable shares and applauds.

The first requirement is that all sponsoring or associated entities of events or programs submitted must be members in good standing of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce. Items for chamber non-members will not be considered. What can we say? - it's a perk of chamber membership.

All items to be submitted must be in the form of a MS Word or text document. They must be written in news style so they may be pasted into Hot Links! in the format you see throughout the e-newsletter. We are glad to edit for style and grammar; what we simply can't do is take your flyer and write the Hot Links! story for you.

If you have one piece of art to submit with the story, please submit that in a .jpg format.

If you have registration forms, entry blanks, flyers, etc. that go with a news story, please submit them as either Word, Publisher or Adobe Acrobat files. They will be converted to Adobe Acrobat documents and linked to the news story.

Any items not submitted in accordance with these guidelines will not be considered for inclusion. All items must be submitted via e-mail to Thad Byars at the chamber.

Don't Miss the April 4th POWER HOUR!

"Let's party at Power Hour!"

                            --- Abner Nito, The Party Mixer ---

Click here to register for the April 4th Power Hour!

Willie Sullivan, general manager of Fort Hood Harley-Davidson, explains why the attendees at the March Third Thursday mixer are the hardest working people in America.

Chamber Members Go "Hog Wild" at March Third Thursday, Sponsored By Fort Hood Harley-Davidson

Just in time for spring riding weather, members of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce and their guests enjoyed the fifth annual March Third Thursday, hosted by Fort Hood Harley-Davidson at their dealership at 875 W. Central Texas Expressway, Harker Heights, on March 20.

Chamber members were greeted by Killeen manager Willie Sullivan (pictured at right - click for a larger image) and introduced to the team that makes the dealership "roll" while enjoying a variety of snacks and finger foods from Bennigan's Grill & Tavern in Killeen. Of course, everyone also enjoyed just looking and talking about the beautiful motorcycles on display throughout the showroom.

One of the traditions that has worked to make this mixer special is the mix of authentic Harley-Davidson merchandise that is always awarded as door prizes, especially the traditional Harley riding jacket that is given away. This year was no exception, ad a number of chamber members took home a variety of Harley Davidson merchandise.

The Fort Hood Harley-Davidson folks also tried their best to give away the Killeen Green Jackpot, for March valued at $50, but Charles Jones of Bell County was not present, so the jackpot will increase to $100 for April

April's mixer will be the always fun affair hosted by Toyota of Killeen, 4001 E. Central Texas Expressway in Killeen. Scheduled for April 17, the mixer, beginning at 5:30 p.m.,  will feature great food, and is always known for some innovative and entertaining events. Don't miss this one!

The Leadership Killeen Class of 2008 takes a minute for a quick photo in front of the State Capitol to mark their State Government Day on March 19.

Leadership Killeen Holds Successful Austin Session

The Leadership Killeen Class of 2008 spent their March curriculum day in Austin for State Government Day. The day was filled with exciting meetings with state officials covering many aspects of state government.

The first stop at the LBJ Library & Museum allowed the class to see six decades of American history. From Lyndon B. Johnson’s boyhood in Central Texas, his courtship of a young lady from East Texas, becoming a Congressman, moving on to Senator, then the Vice President, and finally President, the changing historical exhibitions made it obvious to see we how far he traveled

Lunch was at the Austin Club, sponsored by Embarq, and our speaker was Jerry Patterson, Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. Patterson spoke of the many historical items available for public view at the Texas General Land Office in Austin.

At the State Capitol, Texas State Senator Kenneth Armbrister took time out of his schedule to relay the importance of Leadership skills and their utilization to the class.

State Representative Jimmie Don Aycock also spent the afternoon with the class. His hands-on explanation of “Government 101”, following  a bill becoming a law through the many bumps and hurdles along the way, helped the class to understand the many challenges in government. Representative Aycock also took the class on a personal tour of the State Capital.

The grand wrap-up for the day was when the class was presented a proclamation from the office of Governor Rick Perry.

April 16^th will be Health Care & Quality of Life Day at Metroplex Health System and the Boys & Girls Club of Central Texas.

Paul Sanderford of Sanderford & Carroll, P.C., speaks to the GKCC Defense Contractors Council at their general membership  meeting on March 13.

Defense Contractors Council Learns of Latest Legal Ramifications Impacting  Their Industry

About 60 members of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce's Defense Contractors Council heard about some of the newest and most impacting legal issues facing their industry in today's environment at their general membership luncheon, held March 13 at the Shilo Inn.

The very informative program was presented by Paul Sanderford of Sanderford & Carroll, P.C., a Temple legal firm specializing in construction and contractor law.

"The contracting environment today centers around making sure that minority owned and historically disadvantaged business are given every reasonable opportunity to be involved in the contracting process," according to Sanderford. "You must have a plan to address this in many contracts today; more importantly, you are required to successfully implement that plan. Failure to do that could lead to some very unpleasant results."

One of the goals of the Defense Contractors Council is to bring together large prime contractors with smaller 8A, HUB zone and minority-owned sub-contractors to allow these requirements to be met.

Also at the March meeting, Billy Stephenson of Serco, Inc. was elected chairman of the committee to succeed Ron Munden of Camber Corp., who has chaired the committee since it was established two years ago.

The March meeting was sponsored by the Killeen Civic and Conference Center and the Killeen Convention and Visitors Bureau, who is an Associate Member of the Council.

The GKCC Ambassadors join with Tanya and Darrell McKiver (center) and  the staff of A Fynd to celebrate their grand opening on March 17.

A Fynd is a New Retail Source for Just About Everything You May Need

A Fynd is truly "a find;" the newest Central Texas location where you can find just about everything you might want, from home accents to that "just right" gift.

Located at 300 W. Central Texas Expressway, Suite 111 in Harker Heights in the Modoc Plaza, the store, managed and owned by former Trevor's manager Tanya Nelson-McKiver and her husband, Darrell, is a real family affair, with several members of the family lending their expertise and input toward the wide selection of merchandise.

The inventory at A Fynd changes often as trends and tastes change, and, if you can't find exactly what you are looking for in the store, Nelson-McKiver and her crew take great pleasure in diving in and using their considerable resources to find exactly what you need.

For more information, visit A Fynd's web site, or give them a call at (254) 501-3963 today.

Elke Koehler of Koehler's Au-Pair Agency, LLC, (center, in red) celebrates a ribbon cutting with the Ambassadors to mark the opening of her business on March 25

Koehler's A-Pair Agency Expands a Traditional European Tradition to Central Texas

When Elke Koehler came to Killeen in 2006, she was searching for more than just child care for her two children, ages eight and four years old. Not finding what she was looking for, she decided there were probably other parents in the Killeen area with the same needs. That's when she founded Koehler's Au-Pair Agency.

Very much in the European Au-Pair tradition, Koehler's goal is to place her Au-Pairs into homes where they actually become an integral part of the family. She arranges for both line-in and live-out nannies to meet the needs of the family. In all cases, the goal is to provide, in addition to regular child care, help to parents in providing children with socialization skills and education on a personal level.

Additionally, with her extensive world-wide connections, the German-born and reared Koehler also assists American nannies who are moving to Europe with helping them with placement in their new location.

For additional information, please contact Koehler's Au-Pair Agency today at (254) 213-1234.

The Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce Would Like to Welcome Its Newest Members!

Members who have joined March 13 - March 26, 2008