CulpeperFest Update

This is a major THANKS!!! to all of our Sponsor's by Level for CulpeperFest 2009

Sponsor Level Company Name

Grand Champion
Culpeper Star-Exponent
Champion
Your Community Phonebook
Piedmont Communications - WJMA
Patron
Battle Park Farm
Cedar Mountain Stone
Continental Automotive Systems
Found and Sons Funeral Chapels - Cremation Service
Updike Industries
Wachovia

Patron - Silver - All Event Sponsors
CFC Farm & Home Center
Powell Wellness Center
Virginia Community Bank

Supporter
Best Western - Culpeper Inn
CopyRight, Inc.
Davies, Barrell, Will, Lewellyn & Edwards
Delegate Edward T. Scott
Euro-Composites
Full Circle Thrift
Inn at Kelly's Ford
It's About Thyme
Merchants Grocery Company, Inc.
Pepsi Cola Bottling Company
Precision Machine Works, Inc.
Senator Edd Houck
SWIFT
Town of Culpeper
WINC

Supporter - Bronze - All Event Sponsors
K Art & Design

Contributor
Appleton Campbell, Inc.

CulpeperFest

CulpeperFest is coming up soon - Buy tickets now for the June 4th event. Tickets are on sale now at a number of locations. Early Bird prices are available for tickets and booth space thru May 11th. Take advantage of the early pricing now.
Ticket Locations are:
The Depot in Downtown Culpeper
CFC Farm & Home Center
Pepperberries
Petersen Jewelers
Powell Wellness Center
The Frenchman's Corner
Germanna's Daniel Technology Center
StellarOne - Main Street Culpeper and Locust Grove at the Entrance to Lake of the Woods
Suntrust - Meadowbrook Shopping Center
Virginia Community Bank
Wachovia - Downtown Culpeper
Online at http://www.culpeperchamber.com/ & http://www.culpeperfest.com/

Sponsored by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce

Culpeper Fest

The 2009 Virginia Travel Guides arrived at the Culpeper Visitors Center yesterday. The 3/4" thick, glossy magazine is published by the Virginia Department of Tourism. The magazine has a summary of events that are going on around the state during the year. This year CulpeperFest made the list (page 233) with an additional reference to http://www.culpeperfest.com/. Many Thanks to Beth Burns of the Culpeper Department of Tourism for putting us on the map this year.

Follow the link for an Online link on the Virginia.org site

Culpeper Small Business Strategies for Surviving a Changing Economy

Date: November 24, 2008
Contact: Ruth Cope
Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center at Fauquier
Phone: 540-351-1595
E-Mail: rcope@lfsbdc.org

Small Business Strategies for Surviving a Changing Economy

Culpeper, VA (November 24, 2008) – “SOS: Strategies on Survival, Sustaining Profit and Position in a Changing Economy” a seminar for local businesses will be presented in Culpeper on Wednesday, December 10th. The Small Business Development Center, Culpeper Renaissance Inc. (Culpeper’s Main Street program) and Culpeper Chamber of Commerce are joining together to present this timely seminar to help business owners survive the tough economic conditions and to grow in spite of them.

The presenter will be Casey Willson, a 35-year veteran of retail, restaurant, and tourist industry, and an experienced business consultant with the Maryland SBDC. Willson manages the Maryland Small Business Development Center Network’s Small Town and Merchants Program (STAMP), which uses workshops and hands-on initiatives to address the needs of main street retail and restaurant businesses.

Casey Willson says the two hour program on December 10th will present strategies any business, particularly the retail or restaurant business, can implement to maximize their operation in these challenging times. Willson says even under these economic conditions there are steps a small business can take to grow and to prepare them to emerge stronger. This seminar will focus on 1.positive steps businesses can take now to attract customers even when discretionary spending is dwindling, 2. business priorities to improve cash-flow, and 3. basic "tried and true" marketing and sales techniques that ensure success.

The seminar will be presented on Wednesday, December 10th from 1:30 – 3:30 PM in downtown Culpeper. While the focus will be on retail and restaurants, the seminar is open to anyone and the discussion will be appropriate to any type of business. Registration for this very important seminar is only $25 per business (so owners, managers, and key staff can all attend for one low price). Pre-registration for the event is required. Please RSVP by contacting the Lord Fairfax SBDC at 540-351-1595 or 540-937-2919.

Culpeper Chamber of Commerce - Visitors Center - Holiday Decorations

OK I am back in the Blogsshere ..... With so many good things going on I have been focused on the priorities of the moment..... I have missed my blogging duties.....

Now for the great news.... Our Volunteers Hans, Richard, and Libby have completed decorating the tree in the Visitors Center. It is a perfect reflection of the Holidays with beautiful ornaments and gold ribbons adorning the 10' tree. It is beautifully placed in the Rotunda of the Visitors Center looking out over the Culpeper Rail Way.

Thanks to Libby, Richard, and Hans for their time and talents.

Book Signing - Pepperberries - Culpeper VA November 23rd

We are so excited to announce that local author, Susan McCorkindale, will be doing a book signing at Pepperberries during the Downtown Holiday Open House from 2:00pm -4:00pm, Sunday, Nov. 23rd. Susan is the author of the recently published, Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl. Susan was the Marketing Director of Family Circle Magazine. She gave up her six figure high stress job and headed to a 500-acre cattle farm in Upperville, va.

“A Rollicking, Green Acres-esque memoir.” – Working Mother Magazine
“A witty take on what happens when you try to take the girl out of New Jersey” – Booklist Review

Government Contracting Seminar - Culpeper VA

Need A New Customer? How about the Federal Goverrnment!!!

This is a great way to get started.


PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 20, 2008
Contact: Ruth Cope
Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center at Fauquier
Phone: 540-351-1595
E-Mail: rcope@lfsbdc.org

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SELLING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?

WARRENTON – The Federal government is the world’s largest buyer; it buys almost everything. They do buy many of their products and services from big business. But they are encouraged, and in some cases mandated, to purchase a certain percentage from small businesses, particularly those that are certified as small, veteran or disabled veteran, disadvantaged, women, or minority owned. Any business that sells a product or service, of almost any description, is a potential vendor to the Federal government. Small business can have a share of this market. It is important for business owners to consider alternate markets and look for new opportunities, especially in this economy. The Federal government could be this new market for your business!

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is presenting a procurement seminar, “Selling to the Federal Government”, on Friday, October 31st at Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper, VA. The seminar will be held from 8:30 am until noon. The charge for this seminar is $35; there is a $10 discount for registering early.

Bill Sirbaugh, director of the SBDC, said, “The ‘Selling to the Federal Government’ seminar will assist small businesses to understand the rules and the basic processes of Federal contracting and the steps required to get started. It will also tell businesses about special programs and certifications. The seminar will also provide other resources available where a business can go for help.”

The major portion of the program will be conducted by Jim Regan, director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) at George Mason University, and Patricia Peacock, director of the Mason Enterprise Center in Prince William, who will speak on the basics of selling to the Federal government and Federal certifications. They will be joined by Dan Thompson of the Library of Congress – Packard campus in Culpeper, who will speak on how and what the LOC buys and tips to selling to a Federal agency. Jay Maben of EG&G Technical Services, Inc. will speak about sub-contracting opportunities. Steven Found of Competitive Innovations, LLC in Culpeper will speak on his company’s experiences in selling to the Federal government.

Do not miss this seminar if you are considering the possibility of selling to the Federal government. Contact the Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center in Culpeper at (540) 937-2919 or in Fauquier at (540) 351-1595 or Middletown at (540) 868-7093 to register.

Culpeper Small Business Person of the Year

The Culpeper Small Business Person of the Year Award Nominations are being accepted by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce - Small Business Committee. Contact the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce Office for nomination details. The Small Business Person of the Year will be Recognized at the Prestigious - Culpeper Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet - November 6th, 2008 at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper.

NEW - Member Web Tools

We are underway with our New - Member Powered web tools. The additional benefits that this brings to our members are multi-dimensional. The new member web tools are provided in coordination with Chamber Master. Contact the Culpeper Chamber office for details about how this WILL benefit your business.