Being jailed for Charity

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent

Monday, April 30, 2012

My position at the Chamber has finally become a problem. I will be locked up as a result of my Chamber activities. I confess that this is a bit embarrassing but I feel that it is time that the public know the truth. I have chosen to use this column to seek your support for my actions. One of our Chamber members has called me out and I could not run, hide, or avoid my civic responsibility. This Friday, May 4th I will be locked up.

Omega Partnership will convert their office at 133 West Davis Street in Culpeper to a jail. The office will be divided into four jail cells and host public officials,  religious leaders, business leaders, fitness leaders, and other assorted individuals for eight hours. When in jail the subject will have a choice, stay in jail or call friends and family for bail…. Bail is set when you arrive and it will be up to each leader’s network to pay their bail and get them out of jail. This could be interesting considering the list of characters that are volunteering.

If rumor is correct. WJMA will be broadcasting live from 133 West Davis Street to help one of their own get out of the pokey. I hear that her bail will be set especially high considering that her air time should draw many supporters.

Omega Partnership’s fund raiser is impressive. Jeanie Raven has pulled together a strong Board of Directors to help fill a need in the community. The 501c3 is a bridge between those who often have nowhere else to turn for food, shower, clothes, housing, and jobs. The organization is ready to assist when there are no other options for individuals or families in need. The Christian organization uses biblical principles to serve our community. In addition to local service, Omega Partnership serves global needs with service on mission trips around the world.

I need your help on Friday May 4th from 12-1 PM. I will be calling out, reaching out via Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In to ask for your support in setting me free. Pledge or donate during 12-1 PM and mention that you read this column and that you would like to bail me out. You can physically come to 133 West Davis Street or you can go to the website at OmegaPartnership.org and click on the donate button. I will be most grateful. More importantly, those that need your help will receive the help that they need from those committed to such needed service. It is difficult to say “that but for the grace of God there go I”, and yet it is a humbling truth.

Join me in support the mission of Omega Partnership on Friday May 4th. Call the Omega office at 540-317-5383 and say… Hello, I would like to bail Jim Charapich out this Friday… PS. Paying to keep me there is not an option… 

Jim Charapich CEO/President
Culpeper Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Community Guide another milestone

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent 

Monday, April 23, 2012

It seems that Culpeper is destined for awards and the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce Community Guide is another milestone on our journey. Thanks to the Culpeper Star Exponent and their staff for entering our Community Guide in the Virginia Press Association competition. The Culpeper Star Exponent won 1st place in magazines/slick publications for the 2011 Culpeper Chamber of Commerce Community Guide.

The Chamber is especially proud of the publication since it is all about our local businesses, produced by the local team at the Culpeper Star Exponent. Who better to know and reflect local business, community attributes, and special character than journalists that live and work here?
The guide is a special publication developed as a benefit to the Chamber members in showcasing their business to the community. The Star Exponent went an extra step in making the publication especially valuable. They took over the distribution of the publication. This is very beneficial to advertisers for the publication since they are assured that the publication is replenished with the best visibility at key distribution points.

The guide is available at the Chamber office/ the Depot for those interested in knowing about local business. The business listing directory is one of the most popular information sources requested regarding Culpeper. The guide is also distributed to local hotels, retail locations, and realtor offices for those seeking to learn about Culpeper. It serves as a very important welcome to those interested in making Culpeper home.

The Culpeper Star Exponent has also made it easy to advertise in the publication. Their staff has made themselves available to work with the business community in finding the best place for their advertisement in the publication. The advertisement placements in the publication have been refined again this year for the 2012 issue to allow ad placements alongside of the subject matter that their business most effectively compliments. This space is of course limited.

The cover of the publication is always a spirited debate to reflect a unique time in our community. With the sesquicentennial commemoration of Civil War Battles in Virginia including many in Culpeper County, we chose to reflect this in our cover. Linda Hall, In the Light Imaging Photography won the favor of the committee developing the publication. A special thanks for her contribution to our success. I would also, like to thank all of those who submitted articles and photographs for the publication. This is truly a community guide in that we invite community leaders to contribute articles on their subject matter expertise.

We are proud of the accomplishment, and with any success related to Culpeper, there are many that make it possible. This award is a reflection of our corporate spirit. It is a reflection of the great things that we can do together as a community. Though the award is largely a reflection of the excellence, lead by the CSE team. I am confident that the content, which reflects who we are, contributed significantly to the warmth attracting the 1st Place Award.

Well done Culpeper!!! Congratulations!!! Thanks Culpeper Star Exponent!!!!

Look for the 2012 Issue at CulpeperFest June 7th.


Jim Charapich, CEO/President
Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce

Intensive Re-entry Program

“We don’t hire people because they are ex-offenders,
we hire people because they’re most qualified,”
in the February 2012 edition of HR Magazine in an
article by Eric Krell, “Consider the Risks –
And Rewards – of Hiring Ex Offenders. 

“It takes courage to grow up. It takes thought to make a change. Willpower, dignity, growth, and strength play a major role in life. You have to know yourself, who you are, and what you stand for. You are your own best friend as well as your own worst enemy…. We are the Cognitive Community”, a powerful quote from the Intensive Re-Entry Program brochure at Coffeewood Correctional Center. 

Phase II of the Re-Entry Program is called Cognitive Community & Release Preparation, and is implemented in the final 6 months of an offender’s term. The program is further described as “the stepping stone in the returning citizen’s release process.”  Among the components of the program during the twenty-four weeks is a proactive career readiness training.

In addition to the Intensive Re-entry Program, Coffeewood Correctional Center also trains the inmates in several vocational skills. They are trained in forms of Optometry, small engine repair, and floor covering installation. These are skills that can make them more marketable as they return to the workforce.

Have you considered hiring an ex-offender? Though there are legal, practical, and risk issues to consider, there are ways to reconcile these with great results. Mark Washington, HR Director for the City of Austin, put it well, “We don’t hire people because they are ex-offenders, we hire people because they’re most qualified,” in the February 2012 edition of HR Magazine in an article by Eric Krell, “Consider the Risks – And Rewards – of Hiring Ex Offenders. He goes on to say, “The more productive and employable we can make all of our citizens, the more they can provide to the society they live in.”

We have hosted two speakers from Coffeewood Correctional Center at Culpeper Chamber meetings over the past few weeks. The issue of re-entry employment is always a sensitive subject. There are many questions and sometimes no “certain” answers. However, the need for a business to be aware of the opportunities to give a person a second chance is what community is all about. Many of those re-entering the workforce will not want to locate in Culpeper. However, there are a number that will come back to Culpeper to live, in hopes of restarting their lives. Having a job is a vital part of success.

The workforce specialists at Coffeewood Correctional Center are reaching out to the business community in hopes of establishing partnerships. The Center will be hosting upcoming job fairs. If your business is interested in finding out more about job candidates, please contact Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells, Virginia for more information. Ask about participating in an upcoming job fair to support the re-entry program.

“It takes thought to make a change” – we can make a change one job at a time, allowing willpower, dignity, growth, and strength to play a major role in the life of an ex-offender through job success.

What is going on with social media?

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent 

Monday, March 19, 2012

What is going on in Social Media today? Who can keep up with the subject? Keeping up with Facebook timelines, Google +, and Twitter are the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Despite the daunting sight of the security questions and options, the lure can be too much to bear. The idea of connecting with associates, companies, and special deals produce an irresistible gravity.

The underlying implications bring a shift towards the need for fast internet. However, the need for fast internet is really becoming a need for fast mobile internet. This may require that a signal needs to have a boost in reception with a “Hot Spot” device. There are fundamental requirements for these to work properly, and yet they can produce a significant increase in the data capacity for phones nearby.

The convergence of social media and fast mobile internet are like chocolate and peanut butter. The combination is too good to be true. We live in the greatest time in history. Our opportunity to connect to information is unprecedented. Our ability to produce information is exponential. We are only limited by our human ability to filter the information for our best use.

As “Digital Immigrants”, those over 35 did not grow up in the digital revolution of cell phones. We remember the rotary phones and the need to stop at a pay phone to make a phone call. Our “Digital Natives” – those who think of an I-Pod as an extension of their ears, have had to discern how to decipher the pace of information intuitively. The pace of information, access to information, and need to filter information is here to stay, much like CD’s replaced the cassette, and I-pods replaced CD’s, and now, smart phones have replaced them all.

As business, it is essential to recognize the new environment. It is also, critical that we adapt our plans to include some of the basics of the new ecosystem. We need to adapt our websites to be first “Mobile Friendly”, “Ipad Friendly”, and finally desk top friendly. The number of mobile users will increase not only domestically, but globally. Business cannot ignore social media as “an option”. Credibility, validity, and visibility will depend on business savvy in mobile environment.

There are no guarantees that this is risk free. In addition, as with anything new or unfamiliar, good business practice demands a risk mitigation strategy. The new world of mobile, social and internet are no exception. Nonetheless, there is reward to those that address the risk with prudent judgment.

The exciting part of this fast paced shift is that opportunity is about learning, adapting, and profiting. This is what business is good at. The digital language can be learned and demystified for those digital immigrants. The digital natives need guidance and maturity.

Placed in this context, nothing has really changed. We are simply encountering change, a constant in business. Learn, adapt, and profit.

Jim Charapich, CEO/President

Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce

Leadership Development

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, February 13, 2012

There is always a need for citizens to assume leadership roles in our community. The Culpeper Chamber of Commerce has developed a program that will introduce participants to the intricacies of our community and the region. The Lead Culpeper 2012 class is being developed. The group will be given access to leaders in business, government and education in order to gain a unique perspective on our community. Leadership is a skill that can be developed through practice, study, and insight.
If you have an interest in serving Culpeper, Lead Culpeper 2012 is your starting point.

The mission and goals of Lead Culpeper 2012 are: Identify potential leaders.
Provide participants a unique perspective on Culpeper County and the region.
Educate participants about the opportunities and challenges in Culpeper and the region.

Bring these potential leaders into contact with present leaders.
Develop a spirit of working together for the benefit of Culpeper and the region.
Establish an alumni association to continue leadership development in Culpeper and the region and to provide a forum for ongoing contact and discussion.

THE PARTICIPANTS Participants will include individuals with a sincere interest in serving the community and those who have demonstrated commitments to previous community activities. This includes individuals interested in seeking public office or having potential for advancement to leadership positions within their own organization. These individuals should show an occupational commitment to remain in the area and should represent a cross section of the community.

THE SELECTION A selection committee will review applications to select a cross section of interested, motivated, and concerned participants from all segments of the region.

TUITION The tuition for the entire program is $995 which includes course materials, lunches, snacks and limited transportation. Personal transportation to most sessions will be required.

LOCATION
The retreat sessions are mandatory and will be held at Verdun Adventure Bound in Rixeyville. The location of all other sessions will vary.

DATES Regular attendance and serious commitment are required for the entire program. One excused absence will be allowed. Attendance at the retreat sessions is mandatory.

Sessions will be held on the following dates:
April 26 & 27
September 19
May 10
October 9
June 14
November 14
July 11
December 5
August 8
January – General Assembly - Richmond

Registration Registration deadline is March 16, 2012. For an application or additional information contact the Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce office located at 109 South Commerce Street, Culpeper, VA 22701.
Phone: (540) 825-8628 email: jimc@culpeperchamber.com.

 

Developing Local Talent

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, February 6, 2012

A few highlights from the Chamber. As I mentioned in an earlier column, meetings at the Chamber can be good, sometimes great, and other times amazing.

Our Major Industry Council met last week and discussed what was on their mind as business leaders in Culpeper. Most of them are globally positioned and yet very focused on helping the local community. The message of their efforts is often unseen and yet there is a special quality about our business community leaders. They are very generous in time and resources to help Culpeper shine as a community.

The group opened with the question, how was 2011? We went around the room and each leader indicated positive results for 2011. More importantly the outlook for 2012 is also positive. We hear reports of economic challenges and yet, it seems that Culpeper has chosen not to participate in the negative news. This is great news on the job front as well. There seems to be stability in jobs for the larger employers and possibly new jobs in 2012 and 2013.

On the subject of jobs, there was a discussion about the need for vocational training for jobs that may not necessarily need a full college education. There is an opportunity for high school students to work with Germanna Community College in vocational training aimed at working for local manufacturers in maintenance, machine operators, and other technical manufacturing job fields. These are usually well paid positions with large companies.

The subject of vocational education seems to be coming up more and more in my travels. There is a return to the thinking that career paths do not all need to lead to a traditional four year educational degree. Rather, there are tools today that help identify skills and talents early in order to reveal options that may be more interesting and productive for this workforce of tomorrow. Our business leaders are interested in seeing local talent develop and find jobs locally. Germanna is a critical educational bridge from local High School to local employment.

On another note, we have been planning the Professional Development Conference. The program is set for this Thursday February 9th from 8:00 am – 4:15 pm @ Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. Our Non-Profits and Small Businesses are in for a great conference. The sessions and tracks are lead by local and regional subject matter experts on some very unique topics. I hope that you will join us to take advantage of CEU’s offered by Germanna as well. Go to www.ProfessionalDevelopmentConference.com to register.

Finally, there is a special FEMA Town Hall meeting hosted thru the Chamber of Commerce for Business and Community regarding Earth Quake Relief Resources. The program is free and will be held at the Depot at Noon today Monday February 6th. Please go to CulpeperChamber.com and click on FEMA for details and downloadable information.

Chamber News

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, January 23, 2012

I could not be more excited about an upcoming event developed for Small Business and Non-Profits by the Culpeper Chamber. With the leadership of the Small Business Committee and the Non-Profit Council we will introduce our Second Annual Professional Development Conference held at Germanna on February 9th.  The program is all day, includes lunch, a powerful keynote speaker, and 25 sessions to choose from. What is the price? Read on….

The program is developed to strengthen business on several fronts. We have four session tracts including Marketing, Human Resources Management, Operations Management, and Board Development. This is of course a wide range of topics and yet all very interesting and relevant. As I have written in past columns – organizations are generally most vulnerable to what they do not know.

The professionals @ the Chamber of Commerce have identified areas that are unique to this year’s business environment. I use the term unique because the sessions offer rare access to interesting topics and great speakers. Here are the sessions as currently arranged.  

8:00 Registration Opens

9-10:15 am: Session I 1) Employment Basics - Practices Every Employer Must Use
2) Tax Compliance Small Business & Non-Profits (990's)
3) Building and Leveraging Email Database – Constant Contact
4) Grant Writing
5) Disability Center - ADA Compliance for Business & Office
6) Roberts Rules for Organization Boards

10:30 - 11:45 am: Session II 1) Lessons from Penn State - Recruiting, Retaining, and    Terminating Employees/Volunteers
2) Google Apps for the office
3) Mailings & List Management
4) Grant Writing - Foundation Center
5) Dispute Resolution
6) Board / CEO Relationship

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch with Keynote -  The Performance Group, Inc
Pushing the Right Buttons, Keys to Inspiring Your Team

1:00—1:30: 2012 EXPO

1:30—2:45 pm Session III 1) Dispute Resolution Center
2) Quick Books - Tips, Short Cuts, and Reports
3) Social Media
4) Foundation Center Online Directory
5) Microsoft Cloud for Non-Profits and Small Business
6) Fiduciary Duties of Non-Profit Boards

3:00 - 4:15 pm Session IV 1) Alcoholic Beverage Control Laws for Events
2)

Fundraising for Board Members - Can it be Easy!
3) Employee Performance Tracking
4) Building and Leveraging Email Database – Constant Contact
5) Financial Tracking Made Easy - Dashboards
6) Customer Service
7) Myers-Briggs

Go to ProfessionalDevelopmentConference.com or CulpeperChamber.com for more details. Register today for early pricing.