Star Capital Managment: Brad Jenks

Member Spotlight:

Meet The Village of Gurnee Chamber Directors

Brad Jenks, Owner - Star Capital Managemet

For 17 years, Star Capital Management owner Brad Jenks has been advising residents and business owners on how to manage their businesses, retirement and investment assets.

Brad, a self admitted sports junkie loves to play every seasonal sport including football, basketball, softball, golf, competitive cycling, brazilian jiu jitsu, hunting and weigh training. Inside that competitive spirit, however, is a big heart that has been serving on the board for the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center for 8 years. Brad was also a founding member of the Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce and currently holds the position of Chairman of the board for the VGCC.

The spirit of helping others comes through in his work at Star Capital Management where Brad specializes in helping retirees and small business owners - educating them about the differences between what they may find while googling "how to invest" and reality. Brad points out that investing may seem easy (and that may hold true when the market is up), however when the market goes down you will need to have an advisor in place that will be looking after your investments, making sure your investments don't go down with the market. Star Capital Management will keep you up to date about how the market is doing and how it is effecting you on a continual basis.

With a degree in finance, Brad knew from an early age that that helping others with their investments was what he wanted to. Brad keeps up with the most current studies of financial philosophy and techniques to make sure he is always providing his clients with breakthrough tools and practices for managing their money. When he was asked what he liked most about his job, Brad expressed that the flexible hours, having no limit on his income and not being told what to do are all positive aspects about being a Financial Advisor.

One misconception about receiving financial assistance is that many people are under the assumption that you need to have lots of money to invest or see an advisor. However, Financial Advisors can be a great resource in helping you build your wealth, protecting your assets, planning for retirement and assisting you with you with your money management skills. Having a financial advisor is not just for the rich and famous, they are for everyone. If you are unsure about your finances or have general questions about how or why to invest, Star Capital Management is available to help you. Whether it is a one time consultation or maintaining an ongoing relationship, it is important to have a expert you can count on. "Navigating the market without the time, training, and tools, would be similar to doing your own dental work or surgery. It's best left to someone who knows for sure what they are doing"

In the words of Warren Buffet: "Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1." Let Star Capital Management in Gurnee help with your financial situations and challenges so you can have have the financial security you need.

Brads words of Wisdom on investing : Some people get a false sense of knowledge because of the Internet. They will simply Google something, and 10 minutes later they're an expert.

Please visit Star Capital Management at: 4445 Old Grand Ave, Gurnee, IL

and contact Brad at : 847-244-0010, bradjenks99@aol.com

You can also "friend" Star Capital Management on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StarCapital

Cheryl Suntop-Furstoss, Marketing Monkey.

Member Spotlight: iCandy Graphics and Printing

iCandy Graphics and Printing

iCandy Graphics & Printing is a customer-focused graphic design studio in Gurnee that services businesses and organizations across the country. The company is an active member of the Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce, and owner Candy Phelps serves as chairperson of the chamber's marketing committee.

iCandy Graphics creates memorable logos, websites, brochures, catalogs, signage, business cards, restaurant menus and other print and online marketing materials that help her customers stand out among the competition.

“We try to establish an ongoing and intimate relationship with our customers,” Phelps said. “Many of my customers refer to me as ‘my graphic artist’ because I am an integral part of their business, and it is like I am a part of their staff.”

iCandy Graphic clients include huge organizations such as the University of Tennessee football program (link: http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/tenn-m-footbl-body.html) to small local businesses such as the new C&A Robot Factory (link: http://carobotfactory.com) in Libertyville.

No matter what size of customer it is, iCandy Graphics takes the time to work directly with customers to develop a brand with creativity, insight, enthusiasm, personal attention and quality.

For a limited time only, iCandy Graphics is offering a package for entrepreneurs who are looking to get started with their new businesses. Check out www.iCandy-Graphics.com for more details.

In her spare time, Candy volunteers with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Chicago and weekly with Gurnee’s Mary Pat Maddox Safe Housing Program.

Gurnee's Got It!

The time has arrived! On January 8, 2011, the Village of Gurnee, Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Gurnee Park District, Rosen Nissan and The Village of Gurnee Chamber will giveaway 2 $1000 Gurnee Mills Shopping Spree's plus the Grand Prize, a brand new car. Come out and enjoy the festivities and live WXLC remote as Mayor Kovarik presents the car to the lucky winner. Better yet, see how you can be apart of this event!

Gurnee's Got It Car Giveaway event! January 8th, 2011 at Rosen Nissan We are looking for sponsors to donate door prizes of $50 or more to be given away during the WXLC live remote. Your name will be mentioned during the broadcast. Any local restaurants or caterers that would like to have a free booth for what will be tauted as a mini "Taste of Gurnee" are welcome to participate. We currently have four food providers participating and would like to add 4 more. Your name will be mentioned in all the eblasts and radio advertising leading up to the event. In addition to the the live remote, we will have a live band, the food and door prizes every 10mins. We currently have close to $5000 in donations, please help us push that to $10,000! For more info email me at Count me in! Lets keep the money in Gurnee this holiday season, your participation will go a long way towards our goals.

Member Spotlight - Rink Side Sports

I recently enjoyed sitting down with Jeanne Lundgren, Director of Sales and Marketing at Rink Side Sports, who won this month's Member Spotlight for the Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce. As Jeanne shared the many updates, changes and events at Rink Side she brought me down my own personal “memory lane” remembering when my kids were little and Rink Side first opened its doors in 1999. Gurnee was buzzing with excitement for this entertainment center to open in our town’s own backyard. Over the years, Rink Side has continuously updated itself with new activities and games that are fun for all ages.

Rink Side is probably best known for their NHL-size ice rink. Step inside and you will see so much more. Rink Side offers everyday family fun which includes hundreds of arcade games, Laser Tag and Glow Golf. These can be played on a walk- in basis or as part of a party package. For the young children’s Laser Tag parties, Jeanne shared with me how dinosaurs are hidden in the Laser Tag area for the kids to hunt for before their regular game begins. It is extra touches such as this that make Rink Side one of the most sought after places for parents to bring their kids in the area. A popular activity offered monthly for young children is Share a Story. Children will enjoy a special story time that is followed by a fun book themed activity. Whether it is cupcake decorating, a visit from a reptile from Serpent Safari or a visit from Santa, the kids and parents alike always have something to look forward to on the 3^rd Thursday of each month.

Rink Side holds thousands of parties each year for young kids as well as the young at heart. This includes Birthday Parties, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Sweet 16’s, holiday parties and corporate events. At this time of year the company holiday parties are a big hit. Although they are proud to host parties for such companies as “Uline” and “CDW”, they will work with your company to plan a fun holiday event that will let your employees know you care. Whether you are a small business of 4 or a large company of 100, they will help build a party that fits your needs and your budget. The newest party event now being offered at Rink Side is Broom Ball. I have had the pleasure of playing Broom Ball and can say first hand it is a blast! This is a game that is played on the ice in your street shoes - so no worries if you don’t know how to skate. Broom Ball is a game similar to soccer or hockey in which teams try to score more goals than their opposing team, however it is played on the ice with sticks (called brooms) and a ball. This is definitely a great idea for a holiday party or a team building event. Dinners at restaurants are nice, but parties at Rink Side will be memorable.

The Hockey and Ice-skating programs are synonymous with Rink Side. The Maulers, Rink Side’s home and travel hockey teams, Rink Side’s Extreme Synchro Teams, and their mascot Snowflake, have just exploded in popularity over the years. These teams are geared to both youth and adult age programs. Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Hockey lessons are offered daily. Classes are geared for all ages and skill levels.. Rink Side is also home to WTHS Hockey Club. Ice Skating programs are offered throughout the year for all age groups and levels. During school breaks, Rink Side also offers special programs such as their winter break Snowflake Learn to Skate clinics and their summer skating camps. In addition, Rink Side has figure skaters who give reason for Rink Side to boast about their skating programs. Children who started 11 years ago, when Rink Side first opened, have now gone on to become nationally ranked skaters and some even touring with Disney on Ice throughout the world. However, for those who enjoy recreational skating, there is open skating 7-days a week throughout the year. In the summer, if it is 85 degrees or more in Gurnee, kids skate free!

Have a fund raiser? Rink Side embraces the community not only by offering quality events and programs but also through its fundraising efforts. Rink side offers fundraising throughout the year to school and church organizations as well as non-profits such as “American Cancer Society” and “Save a Pet”.

Rink Side has a host of upcoming events that you can check out on the website. This year Rink Side will be partnering with Gurnee Mills to host “Hockey” Santa every weekend. On December 15th from 4:30pm-7:30pm everyone is invited to Rink Side’s Ice Arena's Holiday Open House. This special event will feature a free ice show with top area skaters, a baked goods sale, public skating from 5:30 -7pm and of course Santa. If you wondering what to do with the kids for New Year's come to the annual New Year's Eve party which includes a dinner buffet, prizes, your choice of Laser Tag, Tornado Ride or Glow Golf , hats and noisemakers and a countdown and balloon drop at 9pm!

Rink Side Sports is located in Gurnee Mills Mall between entrances “H” and “J”. For more information on year round events, parties, and pricing please call Jeanne Lundgren at 847-856-1064 or visit www.rink-side.com. Follow Rink Side on Facebook to get updates, schedules and have the opportunity to win free tickets and prizes.

-Cheryl Furstoss (Member Spotlight, VGCC)

Banners

I just purchased my Gurnee's Got It banner yesterday. Why? Because for $250, I get a banner on a busy Gurnee street for 1yr. Piggybacking on this marketing campaign is smart money in my opinion. I've spent more money on one day ads in the paper, or for weekly and monthly publications. This is for the full year! Check out www.gurneechamber.com and get yours!

October meeting

For those that missed the meeting, you missed out on a lot of relevant and exciting info about your chamber. Tony McFarland from Guidance Development, our web designer, went over our statistics for our web page. As you may or may not realize, the web page is one of the cornerstones of our benefits package to members. We set out to make the chamber web site a "top of the chart" Google site. In six short months we achieved our main objective and became the number one search hit in Google for the keywords "Gurnee Chamber".
Some key takeaway statistics that were mentioned today: 30,000 unique page views, 50% of our visitors were unique visitors, the average site visit lasted nearly 3 minutes, and we have a page ranking of 92 out of a possible 100.
For $150 fee, this has got to be one of the greatest values in web design ever!

How To Utilize Your Chamber

Like anything else being a part of a Chamber takes a little work. What you put into is what you get out of it. Here are a few tips on how to make the Chamber work for you.

1. Show up: Come a little early and stay a little later at meetings. Take the time to connect with people!

2. Follow up: After swapping business cards, make sure to follow up and meet with new people (and continue to stay connected to people you have met before.) Following up, doesn't necessarily mean an e-mail. Get to know that person, schedule coffee or lunch to really make a connection.

3. Build Relationships: Continue to keep in contact with the people you meet. You never know - what starts out as a business contact could turn into a great lead (or a great friend!)

4. Don't go to meetings with the intention to sell: Networking is a place for relationship building and making connections, not overbearing selling. Trying to sell at a meeting may turn people off. People want to get goods and services from people they have a relationship with and that they feel comfortable with. Let people get to know you first.

5. Practice your elevator speech (or positioning statement): You usually only have 30 seconds to get your word out. Utilize your time wisely and to the best of your best ability. Prepare a great statement that captures people (You may want to practice it at home). This introduction helps others remember you. It shows that you are knowledgeable and professional about the product or service you represent. If you are seeing the same people often, make them aware of new and interesting services. This may spark their interest.

6. Use humor: Introduce yourself with humor, listen to what others are saying and piggyback on something someone has said, or just be a little silly. This will show others you feel comfortable, are approachable, and will make you memorable.

7. Don't shy away from a meeting because of the size of the turn out or because you don't know anyone else that will be there: Sometimes not knowing anyone gives you the best opportunity to connect. People love to meet new people. As for the size of the group, sometimes you can make the best connections within small groups as things are more intimate You will have more time to focus on each other and more time to share about your businesses.

8. Don't let your competitive spirit show: Do not get frustrated with other people that show up that are in your same field of work. Take the time to meet them and learn from each other.

9. Join committees: Joining Chamber committees is a great way to get yourself more known in the community and to have a bigger say in your chamber. It is also a good way to give input for any ideas you may have.

10. Be enthusiastic: Show your interest in the people you meet, take the time to listen to others and remember that although meeting can be lots of fun, always be professional and respectful.

11. Invite others to check out the Chamber: Had to throw that one in, as spreading the word and helping your chamber grow benefits all!

The get more information on the Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce - please visit their website: www.gurneechamber.org

Cheryl Furstoss (Marketing Monkey/Send Out Cards)