News, Events & Blog

409 Vine - Mark Martin Fan Days

10-Feb-09 16:19

409 Vine

the blog of the batesville area chamber of commerce

Mark Martin Fan Days to host Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Rick Hendrick, and The Johnsonville Brats Truck!

The 5^th Annual Mark Martin Fan Appreciation Days will be held on Thursday, April 9^th, and Friday, April 10^th at the Mark Martin Ford Mercury Dealership in Batesville.  On Thursday, April 9^th, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will be on hand, along with Mark Martin, to sign autographs.  On Friday, April 10^th, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr along with Championship Car Owner Rick Hendrick will be on hand to sign autographs.

New this year will be a Big Stage Area for Q&A sessions for the guests, each day, so you can interact with each of these NASCAR greats.  Also in attendance this year will be Sirius Radio, NASCAR Now, Show Cars, Race Cars, and tours of the Mark Martin Museum!

To learn more about this great event, go to the dealership's website.  You can also learn more about the stock of vehicles that are available, along with directions to the dealership. 

We are proud of hometown great Mark Martin as he will be on the front row of the 2009 Daytona 500!  If you would like help or information about where to stay if you are coming to Batesville, give us a call and we will be happy to help.

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine

409 Vine - Museum Event

09-Feb-09 15:45

409 Vine

the blog of the batesville area chamber of commerce

Museum to present "His Arkansas Land" February 15^th

Old Independence Regional Museum will present the popular documentary "His Arkansas Land" on Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m.  This 60 minute video portrays the development of Arkansas through the people whose livelihood depended on the land.   "It goes back some 200 years tracing the settlement of Arkansas, the Civil War, Reconstruction, King Cotton, the boll weevil, the Great Depression, and World War II.  Interviews with old farmers rekindle the warmth and wholeness of a life on the land that few experience today," according to the description from the Arkansas Humanities Council.

This free program is the second in a series of programs focusing on "Living off the Land", which is also the title of the museum newly installed exhibit.  Please call the museum at 793-2121 if you have any questions.

Old Independence serves a 12-county area:  Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff.  Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820s Arkansas territory.

The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.  Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors and $1.00 for children.  The museum is located at 380 South 9^th street, between Boswell and Vine Streets in Batesville.   During your visit, stop by our gift shop.  We stock many items from local artists, authors, and crafters, as well as historical toys and games.

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine 

409 Vine - FilmFest Update

09-Feb-09 15:24

409 Vine

the blog of the batesville area chamber of commerce

New Orleans vocalist and songwriter John Boutté will perform in concert at Independence Hall on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville as part of the 8^th annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest. The concert will take place on Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Boutté's regular French Quarter engagements and annual performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival have established him as the Crescent City's most acclaimed and popular vocalist. A seventh-generation Creole, he is often compared to Sam Cooke, although his performances span a wide array of musical styles -- from torchy jazz to aching soul, Latin rhythms, and traditional gospel. He has won both the Big Easy and Offbeat magazine Best Male Vocalist Award several times. His latest album, Good Neighbor, has been hailed by the New York Times, Village Voice, and USA Today. Mary Houlihan of the Chicago Sun-Times claims, "Whatever the song, its soulfulness will stop you in your tracks, for Boutté lives and breathes the heart and soul of New Orleans."  Boutté's original compositions, with songwriting collaborator Paul Sanchez, include "The Foot of Canal Street" and "Sisters," about his seven musical sisters. He will be accompanied in concert by a trio featuring drums, guitar, and piano.

Earlier in the day, Boutté will appear as a presenter to discuss the film Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans. The widely-honored documentary details the history of the Tremé district, the birthplace of jazz and home of most of New Orleans most famous musicians. He will be joined in the discussion by the film's writer and co-director, Lolis Eric Elie, a journalist with the New Orleans Times-Picayune and a Tremé resident. Boutté wrote and performs "The Tremé Song" in the film. Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans will be shown in Independence Hall at 4:30 p.m. Admission to the film is free. Festival attendees can meet both Boutté and Elie at a reception following the film.

Tickets for the concert are $12, $10 for adults 55 and over and students of all ages, and $8 for Foothills Film Society members. Tickets and information about membership in the Foothills Film Society are available by calling 870-251-1189 or emailing ozarkfilm@wildblue.net.

For more information on the Ozark Foothills FilmFest go to their website.

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine

409 Vine - Legislative Updates

09-Feb-09 10:32

Keeping Up with Legislation

The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, along with the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, keeps up with legislation that is going on in both Little Rock and in Washington DC.  As a Chamber Member, you can sign up to receive daily legislative updates about legislation that has the potential to both positively & negatively affect your business.  It is important to be aware of what that is, and we can provide you the tools by which to do it!

Each day during the legislative session in Little Rock, the State Chamber sends out a legislative update.  By signing up for it through the Chamber, we can send that out to you each day.  The Governmental Relations Committee works hard to stay abreast of legislation and issues going on that impact you.  You can also sign up to be a part of our Governmental Relations Committee if you have a passion for politics as it relates to business affairs.

Its important to be informed and to know what is going on.  Recently, legislation was crafted called the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in Washington DC that will allow unions to form in ways never seen before.  Just as one example, if this legislation passes, unions will be allowed to form at any size business, any where.  Period.  It will also take away the secret ballot and open the door for employee intimidation and increased costs for employers.  This legislation, if enacted, could spell the end of a fair climate for both employees and employers and open the door to unions and their corrupt actions.  It is something that all of us should be against.  Recently, the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors passed a resolution against the legislation and will be watching it very closely.

To learn more about the EFCA legislation, go to the site set up by the Arkansas State Chamber that has information galore on the subject, what it will do, and how you can sign up to be a part of the efforts to defeat this legislation.

Legislation affects us all.  It is important to stay on top of it and be aware as to what is going on.  Stay in touch and be informed.  We can help!

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine

409 Vine - Banquet Special

06-Feb-09 15:27

Special Offer to Chamber Members!

The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, along with the ASU Small Business & Technology Development Center, will offer FREE to Chamber members a website optimization analysis where you can see how your website performs in regards to search engine results.

This report will help you determine if you are getting the most out of your website in 5 minutes!  Also, bring website addresses of your competitors to see how you stack up against those who are looking to earn the same money you are.  The report identifies key areas of your website that search engines look for when people go looking for your website or websites like yours.

You can come by starting at 1030am until the Annual Banquet starts (1130am) and will begin back at 1pm until 2pm.

This service is FREE to Chamber members in partnership with the ASU Small Business & Technology Development Center!  

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine 

409 Vine - JC Penney Discount

05-Feb-09 09:43

JCPenney Invites Their Friends & Family To Come Out!

Our friends at JCPenney would like to invite their fellow Chamber Members to come and enjoy what is normally afforded for JCPenney Associates and their families.  All you need to do is follow this link to a page that will take you to this pass!

This is a great way to save money while trying to keep up with all the necessities of your family and keeping them warm, clothed, and doing it all at a great place like JCPenney!  Feel free to print off as many as you would like.  Some restrictions apply, so see the coupon for details.

Just another way we can help promote a message to our Membership!

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine 

409 Vine - This New Economy

04-Feb-09 17:38

Thoughts on our Economy

We here at the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce work hard each day to promote our members and all that they do to other members and to those outside our community that want to know more about our area, or what services are offered.  In doing so, we refer our members to those callers and visitors.  But what we can not eliminate even ourselves and our members from is the economy that we are in right now.  What we are seeing is something new to all of us, and consequently, conventional wisdom is not showing us a clear path out of this unmarked trail we have wondered off on.  What we are finding is that the unconventional is what will bring us out of this mess, and in doing so, completely reshape all that is around us. 

Much like the recent ice storm that rocked our area, and tore down trees, limbs, power polls, and homes, so will our economy become.  All these elements that are not stable, that are not sound, have to crumble and be torn down.  Things like this do not stand, and are not solid ground for future economic growth.  Getting back to basics will be the first part of this, and creating a new-new economy will be the second part.  This blog, along with creations like Twitter, facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and so many others, will reshape how we market our goods and services.  These things are here, people are adopting them, and the way it keeps our world going through what I call the Three C's; commerce, creativity, and connection.  These will dictate and fashion what will rule.  And mark my words the three c's will be king.  Commerce, which is every way we do business, will be driven by how we are permanently all connected, which in turn, will be powered by the ways we creatively market those things to others.  All three of those will have to work in tandem, and without one part working well, we all will fail.  Our businesses, our companies, must be able to master each of those, in our own way, to be successful.

This new economy is still taking shape much like our world did a long, long time ago.  The expanse has to be separated.  The heavens and the earth must be reformed.  And all living things will find a way to operate in it all, again.  But some things are here to stay, whether we like it or not, and have forever changed how we do things.  I think it is too early to predict anything but the fact that everything has changed, and until we give some time to this newly created economy, anyone who tells you what it will look like should be approached with caution.

Until we blog again,

The Staff @ 409 Vine

Comments?  Feedback is always welcomed, email us at:

The Staff @ 409 Vine 

Newsletter 2-05-2009

04-Feb-09 17:03

Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce Weekly Update: February 5 - February 11, 2009

90th Annual Banquet & Awards Dinner Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations!

The Chamber would like your help in identifying people and businesses for our awards. The categories are as follows:

• Small Business of the Year
• Business Person of the Year
• Business of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year

The criteria for nominations is that they must be a Chamber member in good standing. Also, you must submit with your nomination the qualifications you believe make this person, company, or organization, qualify for the respective category. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, February 9th.

Check out our new blog, 409 Vine

The Chamber has launched a new blog entitled 409 Vine that you can find on our website at mybatesville.org. This blog is another way for us to keep our Chamber members, as well as the outside public, updated on issues and the goings on in our community! Also, we will utilize this blog to promote our members, your updates, things that you want people to know, etc. If you have something that you want people to know about, we will publish that on our blog! Send all inquiries to jonah.shumate@mybatesville.org and learn what we want to do for you! The first person that goes to our blog and checks out a special story we have posted will win a great prize! But hurry, there is only one available! You can also follow our blog on twitter by finding us at batesvillechamb!

Farmer's Insurance Agent Janet Smart is Open for Business

One of our Chamber Members has recently updated their surroundings and we wanted to let you know about it. As is usually the case, ownership can change when it comes to a variety of businesses and Janet Smart is now heading up the efforts at Farmer's Insurance located at 11 Eagle Mountain in the Eagle Mountain Shopping Center, just beside Colton's. Janet is eager to help you with your insurance needs, and is excited about what Farmer's has to offer area residents. You can shoot her an email or give her a call at 793-5757.

Don't miss the first Business After Hours for 2009 at The Citizens Bank, on February 19th

The Citizens Bank will be hosting a Business after Hours on Thursday, February 19th, from 5pm-6:30pm at the Main Branch, 200 South 3rd Street in Batesville. Refreshments, a chance to win a $50 gift card and networking with other professionals in Batesville are just a few things you will enjoy. Come out, meet other members, and catch up with others you have not talked to in a while!

Ozark Foothills FilmFest Poster Unveiling Friday February 20th

Ozark Foothills FilmFest will have the poster unveiling for the upcoming event on Friday, February 20th, at 11am. It will be in the home of the Batesville Area Arts Council. For more information, contact Ozark Foothills FilmFest at 251-1189.

8th Annual Polar Bear Plunge, February 28th at 1pm

8th Annual Polar Bear Plunge, February 28th at 1pm at White River Sandbar, registration will start at noon. Registration forms are available at any of the following locations: Bishop's Body Shop; Citizens Bank; Chamber of Commerce; First Community Bank; Employers Staffing and the Property Shoppe. Post plunge party at Batesville High School Cafeteria. All proceeds to benefit Special Olympics. For more information call (870)698-0800.

409 Vine - Banquet Surprise

04-Feb-09 12:13

The first Chamber member that emails the Chamber about this blog will get one ticket to the Annual Banquet on Monday February 23rd.  You must include with your email your name and company, and we will let you in for free.

Thanks for coming to check out the blog, and tell your friends and co-workers about it.  You never know what you may win by checking out our blog...

If your not a member and read this, email us and we will send you info on what it takes to become a member.

The 2009 Annual Banquet is sponsored by the following great companies:

Until we blog again, 

The Staff @ 409 Vine

409 Vine - Small Business Tips

04-Feb-09 10:05

Competitive Advantages for Small Businesses Even in a Down Economy

By Herb Lawrence, center Director, Arkansas State University, Small Business and Technology Development Center, hlawrenc@astate.edu.

I know the economy is tough, and many small business owners are concerned about keeping afloat during this recession.  But savvy entrepreneurs have some competitive advantages over larger businesses that they can use if they will just start thinking outside the box especially in the area of marketing.  As larger businesses downsize and start to "turtle up" there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to exploit their natural competitive advantages to connect with customers in new and innovative ways.  Here is a short list of what I consider to be perfect advantages of small businesses if they will just put them to work.

First - successful entrepreneurs have always known that they can't be all things to all people instead they adopt a narrow market focus.  By finding a small segment of customer they can create a strong reputation for serving a narrow market by finding a lucrative niche.

Second- Small businesses are much closer to their actual customers.   They know the issues affecting their customers because it is affecting them as well and can alter their product or service to give customers what they need. By being closer to their customers they can easily create new products or services or change their offering bundles to help their customers.

Third they have better opportunities to partner with other businesses to create networks of strategic partnerships to help each other meet customer needs.

Fourth - without a large marketing budget, small business owners have an opportunity to use Guerrilla Marketing tactics, low cost even no cost innovative ways to establish real relationships and communications to their customers.  Real marketing after all is nothing more than developing trust and confidence between the business and the customer to be mutually beneficial to one another. 

Fifth - building on number 4, small business is personal.  Customers and markets are hungry for businesses that allow them to connect to something beyond the product or service.  Entrepreneurs who understand that first and foremost they are selling relationships can deliver a value story that has meaning to customers.

Finally - technology, especially using e-commerce and social media options can dramatically improve a small business's ability to communicate with customers at very reduced costs in ways never before available.  Even if your small business does not sell product or service over the internet, having a web presence is vital and using e-business tools to connect with possible customers has never been greater.

Yes, the economy is rough right now but instead of wringing your hands and hoping it will go away; savvy entrepreneurs are surviving, even thriving by capitalizing on their natural competitive advantages especially in developing innovative marketing opportunities.  For more information about how your small business can improve its marketing activities, contact the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center (870) 972-3517 or send an e-mail hlawrenc@astate.edu.