CulpeperFest to lower prices; booth space still available

Our 30th year celebrating business and community at CulpeperFest will usher in a few changes. First we have reduced ticket prices to $15 while maintaining all of the fixins… the food this year will be catered by Kitchen Gourmet a long standing Chamber member. Our CulpeperFest Committee had a difficult time deciding which of our members would be the caterer this year, as we have excellent members to choose from. We changed the beverage format for adult tickets to allow for one adult beverage per ticket with proper ID, and with the option to purchase additional adult beverages. 

Image property of the
Culpeper Star Exponent

Transportation will be easy this year. The Trolley will be available to take attendees from the parking area to the event. Gibson Rentals will be setting up the huge carnival style tents again. The large white tents are one of the trademarks of the event giving it an additional festive atmosphere that we have come to enjoy.

As you know CulpeperFest is also a “Business Expo” where our local businesses showcase who they are and what they offer. There is not a better venue to bring the “Buy Local” message home than at CulpeperFest. Speaking of buying… Chamber Members will be able to sell items at CulpeperFest to attendees for the first time. There are certain to be special deals everywhere. Come ready to take advantage of the deals as they present themselves. In fact if you have a smart phone, download MyChamberApp and go to Hot Deals to find deals at CulpeperFest and year round.

Our lineup of exhibits changes every year. I hear that we may have horse drawn carriage rides, antique tractors, and much more… If you would like to set up a booth and exhibit at Culpeper Fest, boot space is available. We offer electricity to a limited number of booths on a first come first served basis. Gain additional visibility with a sponsorship package. Keep an eye on the Chamber website for information about special opportunities for training in how to make the most of the CulpeperFest. We hope to have another Constant Contact training opportunity in late May for exhibitors.

For those who are ready to buy tickets for yourself, family members, and perhaps business associates from the region, tickets are available at the Depot in downtown Culpeper. You may also go online to CulpeperFest.com to place orders for tickets by credit card. We will send the tickets for you or hold them for you to pick up at the Depot.

We hope to see you on June 2nd at the Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center – gates open at 4:00 PM. We are praying for good weather!!! Regardless, the sun will come out at CulpeperFest … eventually… and the Culpeper Spirit will always shine…a great time with fun, food, friends, and family.

Jim Charapich, President/CEO

'What's on your Mind' a brilliant beginning

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, April 18, 2011



The Small Business Committee of the Chamber of Commerce met on Friday morning with a transformational focus. At the suggestion of Chris Pearson – the Chairman of the Chamber committee, we had an open round table for small business. I say open because we had no agenda other than “What’s on your Mind” as a small business.

There is always a temptation to say that we are going to have a subject matter expert come and talk about an area of apparent interest. However, our local business owners and representatives are “subject matter experts” about what is going on in business in Culpeper. Who would have predicted that the discussion would be “brilliant” on so many levels?

With a cup of (local) coffee, an open ear, and a commitment to myself to say as little as possible, I watched the discussion unfold. Caroline Gortler from Stellar One opened the forum by discussing the improved status of lending options for small business. Good news!! This sparked a discussion lead by Carl Sachs – Director of Economic Development for Culpeper County, about where our challenges / opportunities are for small business in Culpeper in a broader sense, commenting “What are the top 5 ways that we can improve the business environment for small business?”  Great Question!! Beverly Herdman of Wine Trail Homes followed with comments about our opportunities in Culpeper. “We hear it all the time, Culpeper is a great place.” So true!! So far so good….

At this point the meeting broke into new territory. The discussion followed along the lines of how social media and web presence has become the standard by which we are judged as business before we are ever contacted. This would lead one to believe that all of the answers are in social media and online. Not so fast… though it is true for many that an online strategy is essential, it cannot replace the value of something greater… What could that be? I will try to explain.

There is a random element about business and our ability to find solutions. What cannot be replaced by internet communication is something that we are naturally equipped to cultivate. We are in constant solution mode in business,  juggling a variety of issues at any given time. This is true in different stages for everyone.

Now for the obvious revelation…. the brain trust of one individual is not nearly as powerful as the brain trust of many. This is especially true when motivated business people meet to find solutions.  Trading emails and reading posts cannot tell the whole story and therefore cannot provide the same potential for solutions. For example, you may come to an open forum discussion with 9/10’s of the solution still trying to get the pieces to fall into to place. When there are motivated minds focused on the solution – the other 10th may simply fall into place.

Random cognitive solutions from open discussions – Yes! “What’s On Your Mind” – was a brilliant start – I am excited to see where it will lead. Join us!
Go to CulpeperChamber.com for more information. 

Jim Charapich, President/CEO fo the Culepper Chamber of Commerce

Learning about VA chambers

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, April 4, 2011

I invested time last week at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Executives Conference in Charlottesville. This is an annual conference where we have access to other Chamber's Executives and staff. The conference, which we call “Institute”, is designed to facilitate learning of best practices among the Virginia Chambers.

The courses are taught by Chamber Execs and various subject matter experts related to Chambers of Commerce. It was pleasure to talk with other Chambers about their challenges and successes during the time that we had to network. We took an informal pole regarding the economy and found that most sensed an improvement. For many, the benchmark for this is that they are seeing an increase in membership numbers and or new members. For the most part attendance for events sponsored by the Chambers is up as well. I was encouraged as we are seeing similar metrics in the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce this year.

There were two items that were especially interesting to me. First we were able to hear Jody Kielbasa, Director of the Virginia Film Festival as the Keynote Luncheon Speaker. Mr. Kielbasa has an impressive track record of developing Film Industry opportunities. His work in Sarasota Florida culminated in attracting over 45,000 to the Sarasota Film Festival, having it recognized as one of the Top Twenty Film Festivals in North America by SCREEN INTERNATIONAL. He took over in May of 2009 as the Director of the Virginia Film Festival. His talent has been evident with record breaking attendance in 2010 for the Virginia Film Festival.

Considering that the Library of Congress, Media Preservation Center is in Culpeper, It seemed to make sense to ask if he had been working with the staff at the LOC Culpeper Facility. I was pleased that he has and is currently working with the LOC in Culpeper.He is also aware of the State Theatre progress in Culpeper. We are on the Film Industry Map….

In addition, The Culpeper Chamber was asked to offer a session at the “Institute”.  Being good corporate citizens we accepted the offer and our session was “How to use Social Media for Your Chamber”. I was again pleasantly surprised to see the interest in the subject. We have focused on Social Media a means of extending our services to members in new and different ways.  One observation was that that Chambers have been a network for business for a long time and adapting to new social media tools makes a lot of sense for Chambers and especially to businesses.  Find us on Facebook

Finally,  The new President of the Virginia Chamber attended several of the meetings designed as round table discussions on various subjects. I was impressed with his leadership. He shared a few ideas for 2012 that are very interesting. As I see it Virginia is a great place for business.

Jim Charapich, CEO/President

Chambers are a global bridge for opportunity

As published in the Culpeper Star Exponent March 28, 2011

As you read in my column last week, you will know that I recently returned from a trip to China. It is hard to believe that a week has flown by since being in one of the fastest growing economies on earth. I was struck by one comment by the First Secretary, U.S. Commercial Service, Embassy of the United States to our group. He gave a presentation of his view of China and emerging opportunities. As I referred to his slide presentation references, his source was largely the AmCham Shanghai 2010-2011 China Business Report.

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) was apparently a significant resource for the US Embassy in developing an understanding of doing business in China. The presentation concluded with a Q & A period. The room of hands raised as questions were asked and answered. I waited until the questions by others were completed. I raised my hand and asked “What relevance do the Chambers of Commerce have in doing business in China”?

The response was both surprising and very interesting. “Chambers of Commerce are critical to doing business in China. If you are going to do business here, they are an essential part of your plan.” He went on to say that you do not want to go it alone. The market respects your connections and your network. The Chambers of Commerce are aware of the business environment and can provide substantial guidance in developing opportunity in China.
I was further impressed that we were greeted at every venue with signage welcoming our group, the American Chambers of Commerce, including restaurants, business meetings, business locations, and even at the China version of Cirque du Soleil show that we were treated to on the last day of the trip.

I met a group of Darden School Students at the Show that were visiting China as part of their studies on spring break. They were glad to see someone from the “Virginia Piedmont”. Their itinerary had them visiting a Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai the following day.

During the presentation from the Vice Mayor of Hangzhou, We were welcomed in the warmest terms. Her description of the Chambers of Commerce was that Chambers of Commerce (in the US) are a “bridge to business opportunity”.

As I reflect on the generosity and warmth shown our group of approximately 50 Chamber of Commerce Executives, I understand better that the brand that we as Chambers in the US are associated with is valuable. We work in our communities everyday to help set the table for economic prosperity. We are sometimes unaware of the true value of the work that we do.

From the outside looking in, we are very important as economic gardeners within our communities. In addition, we are a global bridge for opportunity. Investment in your Chamber of Commerce is clearly good for business.

Business Monday : China

China - Business Monday 

As published in the Culpeper Star Exponent March 21, 2011

I am writing this on Friday March 18th, my sixth day in China, and by now I have arrived back in the US.  I have been touring with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives on a trip that packed what seems like 12 days of itinerary into a 9 day trip.  We toured 4 major cites, taking in some of the main tourist sites while meeting business and government officials along the way. 
We landed in Beijing Sunday night, then to dinner for our first authentic Chinese food experience, and then to the hotel. The tour included some of the finest hotels in China.
 Our first morning in China was greeted by a US Embassy official to brief us on the Chinese economy. This was great way to prepare us for what we would see in the following days. His presentation was titled "Where we are and where we are going" and included statistical discussions of "the good,, the bad, and the ugly". 
While in Beijing, we visited The Forbidden City, Tianaman Square, and the Great Wall. In addition we visited a few business locations for products that were unique to China. My favorite was the Great Wall. I was able to climb a rather tall section of the wall. We were given 2 hours at the site. I was able to climb approximately 2000 stairs in the first 45 minutes. The sight was remarkable from the top. The great wall lining up and down the adjacent mountains told a story of China that is worth the trip. There were easier sections to climb. This one happened to be an hour west the center of Beijing. 

After two days in Beijing we went onto the Art and Cultural center of Southern China, Souzhou which means Silk Place and known for its historic silk industry. We arrived in Souzhou by way of a flight to Shanghai. Beginning in June, there will be a high speed rail option connecting Beijing to Shanghai in 4 hours, the same amount of time it takes to check into the airport and fly two hours. The silk factory tour was especially interesting in Souzhou. 

We made our way from Souzhou to Hangzhou the following day. Our evening in Hangzhou included an elaborate dinner with the Vice Mayor of Hangzhou and a large team of Economic Development Professionals. Our group included over 50 Chamber of Commerce Executives from around the US. They treated us with what felt like a state dinner and presentation. I was especially pleased when one of the ranking government economic development officials said that "Virginia is highly regarded in Hangzhou". This was the business highlight of this trip, Hangzhou is city of approximately 7 million people. Their economic development team is the best that I have ever seen in action. 

I will be reporting more in subsequent articles. Seeing China in a rapidly developing stage is remarkable.  

China Friday

China Friday
Up at 5:30 am. Packed to leave Hangzhou today. 50 lengths in the 7th floor pool. Another great pool with plenty of length to get in a nice early morning swim followed by a few sets in the weight room to release the back and shoulders from the bus travel confines. All set and down to breakfast. Another great western breakfast. Actually, breakfast could have doubled for lunch as there were Quasi lunch items among the buffet choices. Our proximity to Southern Tropical China again provided and excellent choice of melon and fruit. 

We loaded up and left the hotel at 8:30 headed for the West Lake area. My camera memory card of 8 GB was finally full and I bought another 2 GB at the first stop. We arrived at the Buddhist Temple and had only a 1/2 hour to freely observe the activities. There were many who practice Buddhism here, purchasing incense to observe Buddhism rituals. There was a lot of smoke. We were told not to take pictures Inside of the temples out of respect. We were allowed to take pics from outside. 
This place had a special peace about it. It was especially remarkable considing the number of people that were visiting. The buddha figures were 40-50 feet tall. The intricate Backdrops were remarkably ornate. 
We left the temple for the tea fields of Dragon Well tea plantation. Dr. "T" (related to mr. T presumably) edutained us regarding green tea. He demonstrated green tea's antioxidant capabilities using white rice, he poured iodine (an oxidizer) into the rice turning it black and thus oxidizing it AKA showing toxins. He then added plain water to show that water alone does nothing to combat toxins. He then showed that green tea when poured into the blackened rice water converted it back to a nearly clear water and whitened the rice. His presentation wove American expressions thru the presentation while spoken in ChinEnglish. A polished crafted and persuasive event ,leaving no question that everyone would naturally want to buy the $200 Pound of Dragon Well Best quality green tea. At least 10 did. I wish that my camera had enough memory to video capture this. It would be a classic sales training tool. 
We went on to lunch (more Chinese) I could only eat white rice and coca cola today. It paid off. I felt good after lunch. We then went for a boat tour of West Lake. It was very busy with tour boats. Surprisingly, as caucasion travelers we were in the extreme minority. Most tourists were Chinese. The lake is smaller that I expected, only about 4 square miles. It reminded me of the Finger Lakes in NY with small mountains running to the edge of the water. The city of Hangzhou boarders the lake giving one end a very commercial feel, set in among pagodas, mountains, and a budding tree lined walk way. 

Finally we are back on the road toward Shanghai for 2 nites. The trip is 4-5 hour bus ride. We arrived at Shanghai at 6:3o and checked in and in the rom by 7pm. The lobby of the hotel is on the 25th floor. The hotel itself has over 40 floors. Mine is on the 30th floor. There is a Starbucks on the diagonal corner from the hotel. The intersection reminds me of times square. Shanghai is over 6000 square kilometers with a population of around 18 million people. 

Thursday, China

Follow the Culpeper Business Blog as President, Jim Charapich visits China March 17-21. This unique opportunity was made availalbe through ACCE American Chamber of Commerce Executives.  He will be visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou.  Reporting to us via this blog as he meets and hears from some U.S. executives and Chinese authorities about doing business with China. 

Finally a good nights sleep.the guide said that we do a 12 day itinerary in 9 days. I believe it. Breakfast at 7 and back up to the room to take advantage of the broadband that I bought. The best broadband wireless so far -$12 / day. Used skype to call home with my phone on airline mode and Skyped thru the wireless internet mobile app. Free international calls. Nice!!.
The bus that we used yesterday did not quite have enough space for the luggage. China solution... Larger bus today. Large is good in city traffic with bikes and mopeds everywhere? Seems a bit like New York city traffic. I would not want to rent a car and go it alone. The tour and guide are a necessity, especially for the novice China traveler.

First stop today Souzhou Lingering Gardens. An arts and cultural center of commerce in China. The Chinese place a high value on stone art. This garden had a combination of large stones, ponds, trees, and blooming trees. It is early spring in Souzhou. The trees are just beginning to flower. The garden maze concluded with a bonsai tree garden.

Next we traveled to the silk factory / outlet. There is a demonstration of removing the silk from the cocoon.We were shown the stages of the silk process. Later we were able to buy various 100% silk products. We had lunch at the silk outlet, buffet this tim, no lazy susan.

Trying to ask for information about things that I see to locals. They smile and look at me and then just look down.... No more discussion... Funny. I occasionally find a group laughing at me for taking pictures of everything. I saw a large jar full of liquid with a snake in it. Rather well preserved. There were other large jars with things in it that were preserved. I could not tell what they were.. This was at the entrance to the restaurant. I took pictures.

Back onto the bus and onto Hangzhou the next town. Were are to meet the Vice Mayor of Hangzhou at dinner tonight.

General thoughts of this trip. First, this trip is a demystification. Sometime we fear what we do not know. I can say that my experience in China has been excellent so far. Again this is largely due to the tour company. I get the impression that they know the right people to give us favorable access to places

Tonite we went to dinner at the world trade center on Hangzhou. We had dinner with several dignitaries involved in economic development. It is obviously very important to have a Chamber of Commerce. The Vice Mayor attended the meeting and spoke to us about the economic development opportunities in Hangzhou.

The presentation could not have been more impressive. They entertained approximately 50 of us and are very interested in the Chambers of Commerce and their role in "bridging opportunity" for business development. I was selected to sit at the head table with the dignitaries. It was a true experience. Much like a state dinner must be at the White House. Perfectly tended too with a menu that was the best so far. I love Hangzhou.