E Squared and Career Partners, a Winning Combination

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 29, 2013

You may have noticed the www.EsquaredCulpeper.com signs over Main Street in Culpeper. The final competition for E Squared is May 2nd at the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors room. We are very proud of the E Squared program as it brings education and business together to help inspire young entrepreneurs. Our high school students have an opportunity to compete with their ideas and business plans to win $5,000 in scholarship money for post secondary education per the rules of the program.

The E Squared program evolves every year with a continuous improvement process. The teamwork with the educators and the business community is a critical strength of the program. At the core of the program is Career Partners, Inc. who takes the initiative to raise the funds needed to support the scholarship dollars for the program. Considering the teams that compete in the program can be from 4-6 students, scholarship funds raised are significant, equating to between $20,000 and $30,000 in scholarship awards each year.

 

 

The students begin the E Squared journey in January with a kick off meeting at which they discover who their team colleagues will be. At that point they are guided through a process of business development during the school semester that includes collaboration with the educators and local businesses. There are over 60 businesses that are involved in the coaching and judging process. Having the businesses involved in helping to educate our students has significant dual benefits. Obviously, having the students learn directly from businesses is a big benefit. In addition, there is a great benefit to the business in seeing the emerging workforce and helping to contribute to their workplace skills.

The teams went through a semi-final competition on April 18th. There are six teams that have moved on to the final competition. There is a rigorous judging ruberic that is used in judging the students. In addition there are a number of judges that score the teams on facets of their presentation and business plan composition. The judges scores are combined to determine the winner. The fact that students make presentations to sharp business leaders is impressive. They are required to make presentations to pitch their idea. Their public speaking skills and presentation are a big part of the scoring.

Congratulations to the students that will compete this Thursday morning. Congratulations to the educators for your efforts. We know that they are often above and beyond the normal course of a day. Thank you to the businesses that invest time, energy, and financial support to make the program so meaningful. Thank you to the Culpeper Star Exponent for your generous coverage.

Thank you to the Culpeper Media Network for the live coverage of the event. Tune into Comcast Channel 10 or www.CulpeperMedia.org for live coverage of the E Squared Final Competiton this Thursday May 2nd beginning at 8:30 AM.

Two Cents Today, for a Safe, Secure Tomorrow

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 22, 2013



When can 2 cents today save 40 cents tomorrow? That is the question that we face with the Culpeper County Budget for 2014. The fire and rescue levy on the real estate tax bill provides funding for our hybrid system of career and volunteer fire and rescue services.

The additional 2 cents proposed will provide much needed assistance to the Culpeper volunteer fire and rescue agencies in the replacement of equipment and facilities. The volunteers are not paid staff – they volunteer their time to train and serve our citizens with no expectation of pay. In our current system, our 600 volunteers, 300 of which are fire and rescue service providers are supplemented by 22 career providers. 

The volunteers are in a constant struggle to raise funds with bingo, excellent fundraising dinners, and a variety of other activities. The funds generated are carefully watched, pinched and stretched in order to provide funding for the agencies. This is especially true considering that the current economy keeps many people from giving or spending as much as they normally would at the fundraising events, while the prices of everything from the food they sell, gas and supplies to equipment are constantly increasing. The ever-increasing government regulations on training and equipment are another hurdle the companies face.  Anthony Clatterbuck, President of the Culpeper Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, said it best: “We just can’t sell that many hot dogs.”

Fauquier County has a similar career/volunteer hybrid system that provides fire and rescue services to their community. The cost to operate the volunteer system in Fauquier is approximately $13 million per year. Our total cost for career and volunteers in Culpeper is approximately $4 million per year. If we had a full career staffed service paid completely by the citizens of Culpeper County, the cost would easily exceed $20 Million per year. That would equate to well over 40 cents per year on the real estate tax rate.

There were over 6,000 calls for service in 2012, an average of over 16 calls per day. Our volunteers have approximately $26 million in assets, with $11.8 million in emergency service vehicles in place through their own efforts. They have created a capital investment plan that takes them through 2040 that includes replacing major fire apparatus on a twenty year cycle and smaller equipment on a 12 year cycle. The levy fund reimburses the volunteers for the operating expenses they pay for in advance and, if approved, the additional 2 cents will provide assistance with the necessary replacement costs.

 

 

Our options are limited in evaluating the additional 2 cents levy proposed to support funding the volunteer fire and rescue emergency services in Culpeper. We can invest now and sustain the life of our current system or risk placing too much stress on the system of volunteers and end up with the entire bill. It’s like replacing the oil in a vehicle. Sure, it costs a little something now; but if we don’t invest now, we will end up with a much bigger bill when the entire engine needs to be replaced.

The old phrase “for what it’s worth, here is my 2 cents” really means something in this case. Two cents to make tomorrow’s needs affordable with the safety and security that we enjoy today. 

Planning Ahead for Economic Success

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 15, 2013

Last week was a very revealing week for me. I was fortunate to facilitate a session for Germanna Community College’s Center for Workforce and Community Education Annual Workforce Development Advisory meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper. The breakout session that I facilitated was to understand the needs of Professional Services businesses with regard to training and courses offered by Germanna. The room was filled with business professionals from the Germanna Community College footprint from Stafford / Fredericksburg to Culpeper. The needs ranged from healthcare to engineering. One consistent need is for “soft skills” which consist of communication skills, both written and verbal. These are especially true in the context of teamwork. Germanna has well established courses that address these needs.

However, there were a few newer ideas. The one that was most surprising to me was the need for security and emergency contingency planning  for businesses. It is easy to think of this in the context of a single department. However, the discussion focused more on the need for security and contingency planning to be fully integrated into most departments in an organization. Sessions like these are vital for a Community College to be nimble in delivering relevant training to the workforce in its service area. I am thankful for the Germanna Community College Leadership in seeking the needs of the business community and delivering results for a stronger workforce.

Preceeding my session at the Advisory meeting, we were presented with an Economic outlook by Dr. Chmura of Chmura Economics. The figures presented were sobering in understanding our vulnerability in Virginia resulting from sequestration. As I understood the figures presented, Virginia receives the largest share of Federal spending by state. The spending amounts to 13% of our GDP. The chart showing the projected reduction in Federal spending in 2013 & 2014 left me with the conclusion that we are in for a year of economic impact. What will be the real impact? Though difficult to predict, the need to find ways to shelter our local economy is essential. We may find the silver lining is that we are a solution to the cost savings needed by beltway companies. Nevertheless, we need to make sure that our government funded economic development, tourism, and Main Street dollars are invested for the best immediate returns. If we can see a storm coming, then we need to deploy a strategy to secure our economic vitality.

Finally, The Culpeper Chamber hosted other Chamber executives from around the Commonwealth as part of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Executives Round Table Series. Our discussion was focused on how to best serve our business community. We offer a variety of ways to do this and having other Chamber organizations share best practices is a compliment to our Chamber of Commerce brand. The leadership of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce has fostered a spirit of collaboration among Chambers. The Virginia economy is stronger as a result.

Representatives from Alexandria, Prince William County, Fauquier County, Madison County, Luray / Page County, Fredericksburg, and Richmond met on Davis Street in Downtown Culpeper to discuss how to best serve our business communities. A special thanks to Anne Richardson for opening The Choice Inc.'s Citizen Leadership Institute as such an impressive meeting space in Culpeper.

Skilled Business Networking

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 8, 2012

The importance of networking is a staple in most business priorities. I often refer to the Chamber of Commerce as the original Social Network for Business. Networking takes on many forms within the membership of a Chamber of Commerce. We have ribbon cuttings, mixers, festivals, leadshare groups, committees, banquets, luncheons, and breakfasts.

The vibrancy created in the business community by a strong network is a reflection of a healthy ecosystem. Networking is not as easy as showing up for a meeting. Nor is it as easy as having one conversation with a business acquaintance. Successful networking takes work. It would be unrealistic to think that one could play a successful game of golf after playing one round. It takes practice to understand the game of golf. Like a set of clubs in the golf bag, networking also takes a mastery of a set of skills.

Why network? For many today, their office may be a home base business or a small office. These can be very isolating. The best way to keep communication skills sharp is to interact with your peers in business. Understanding the best angles needed in the bag of networking skills is best seen in action. More importantly, they are best refined in action. It is rare and unlikely that one’s skills will be improved while sitting in an office waiting for the phone to ring.

It is further important to refine one’s networking skills in order to build a base of business referrals. There is nothing more powerful than to have an associate that you have worked with refer you to a friend of theirs. We are built for networking as humans. We look to others to validate our decisions. We also look for others to help us find shortcuts to making good decisions. In addition, according to industry study results, consumers are more likely to do business with a small business if they are a member of a Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

It would be naive to ignore the new world of social networking as a club in the bag of networking skills. I find that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google Plus are extensions of, but NOT replacements for, personal networking. Social network interactions online are a way to keep up with a community of associates. However, when overlayed with face to face networking the combination can be especially powerful. Conversations are often jump started and more refined as a result of community participation with business associates in online linkage.

Members in a Chamber of Commerce are part of something much larger than the individual parts. As a group, our network enables a sharpening of skills. It supports a greater level of opportunity to build referrals. It supports the perception of greater community support. It allows the voice of business to be stronger in setting the table of economic prosperity. Our joint strength is not only recognized as beneficial in local opportunities, but the newest frontier of strength is our aggregated online visibility. Local communities investing in online visibility of Chamber members combined with traditional networking will accelerate opportunities in the new digital business ecosystem.

 

Career Expo Informs Future Workforce

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

April 1, 2013

The Business Community teamed up with the Culpeper County Schools again on Friday and held a Career Expo for the 8th Grade students of the Culpeper County School System. The students are at a critical time in their career choices in 8th grade. High School course selections that are being made now will set the stage for post high school opportunities. It is important for students to have input about career opportunities at this stage.

The Business Community in Culpeper is very interested in offering their support to our students. We had 30 businesses / professions participate in the Career Expo. The professionals ranged from Construction and Banking to Law Enforcement and Space Aviation. We have many resources in Culpeper which lend themselves to such admirable investments in our future leaders. The scale of our community really works for us in this regard. We could not accomplish this as effectively if we were spread out with a dozen middle schools. Having two middle schools in close proximity makes this possible. It is great when we are able to leverage our size for better results than larger metro areas could achieve.

The school administration demonstrated a great deal of skill in developing this program as well. The logistics of coordinating students to be at a specific table / professional interest at a specific time is complex. It is further impressive that many of the students were taking notes and attentive in their questions to the professionals. In fact, one parent shared that her daughter was intent on having a job offer during the expo. This is quite ambitious for a 13 year old. We are fortunate that the school administrators and the business community are able to work closely together. Students will need to be prepared for the workforce when they graduate. Our businesses are able to give our students an advantage in securing job opportunities.

In addition to thanking the talented school administrators, I would like to thank the businesses that participated. Some of the businesses were off on Friday due to the Easter Holiday. They choose to help out voluntarily on their personal time. I would like to thank the following businesses for investing in our students on Friday: Exit Cornerstone Realty, Fantastic Sams Salon, Belk Department Stores, StellarOne Bank,Data Research Group Corporation, Polaris - Joe Edwards, Culpeper Regional Health System,  Shannon Butler Dentistry, Culpeper County Schools, Germanna Community College, Verizon Terremark, Studio C Photography, K Art and Design, Culpeper Media Network, Culpeper Extention Office, Continental Automotive, Integrity Automotive, Euro Composites, Rappahannock Electric, Town of Culpeper Wastewater, Town of Culpeper Public Works, Town of Culpeper Information Technology, US Military, Orange Volunteer Fire Department, Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office, Little Fork Volunteer Fire Department, and Katherine Charapich Esquire PLLC.
It is evident that our School Board, School Administration, and our educators are passionate about the education of our students. Given the opportunity, as business, It is a privilege to walk in the shoes of our educators for a few hours. Educating our students is a community effort.