Chamber Services

2006 Annual Report

2003 Annual Report*

* These links requires Adobe Acrobat.

Marketing Your Business

	Advertise in Chamber publications like the Membership Directory and Business Guide, the Chamber Newsletter, and maps we publish, etc.
	Insert a flier in the Chamber newsletter, or better yet, place an ad in the Chamber newsletter.  Rates are affordable and you'll reach every Chamber member!  Share good news about your business with us and we will print it in our next newsletter on a space available basis!
	Participate in "goodie bags" we put together for events and activities like the Chamber/SAFB Golf Tournament.  Insert a flier, coupon, discount offer, pen, pencil, key ring, etc.  This is a FREE benefit of membership!
	Take advantage of sponsorship opportunities.  These include the Annual Meeting, Economic Forum, Golf Tournament, Small Business Person Award event, Showcase Wichita Falls, and more.  There are sponsorship opportunities at different levels to fit every businesses' budget!
	Be a part of the Member to Member Discount program.  You can offer a special discount, price, deal, or offer to other Chamber members just because they are members!
	Sponsor a Business After Hours or Wake Up Wichita Falls - two of our most popular monthly events!  Another option to gain visibility is to donate a door prize to be given away at these events!
	Participate in the annual Showcase Wichita Falls.  This event is the biggest business, industry, and consumer trade show in the area!  Booths are offered at affordable prices and sell fast! What a great way to show off your products and services to other businesses and the general public!
	Enjoy our Referral Services as a Chamber member!  Your membership entitles you to be listed in the Membership Directory under your name, your business or organization name, and under a "yellow page" category listing to let everyone know what you do!  These categories are also stored in our computerized referral service.  When people call us looking for a particular product or service, we refer only Chamber members.  Another FREE "members only" service!
	Have an official ribbon cutting ceremony provided for Chamber members only!  This is particularly helpful if you are a new business, have recently moved, remodeled, had a name change, expanded your facility or your product/service line.  Once again, this service is FREE for Chamber members!
	Donate products or services to give to our Chamber Volunteers of the Month, Gold Coat of the Quarter, and/or Volunteer of the Year.  Not only is this a great way to thank them for their efforts, it gives your business free publicity!
	Take advantage of opportunities to use our mailing lists!  We can provide you with ready-to-peel-off labels of our mailing lists!  The lists can be alphabetized or zip code sorted to help you in compiling them with other lists or for doing bulk rate mailings.  We have lists of our entire membership, as well as a variety of other lists (media, VIP, by business type, business size, etc.) Because this is proprietary information for the Chamber, only members can get these listings! There is a small charge for this benefit of membership.

Networking Advantages

Attend our monthly Business After Hours and/or Wake Up Wichita Falls!  Business After Hours is usually a Thursday each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  Wake Up Wichita Falls is usually from 8 - 9 a.m. in the morning once a month.  They are held at a different location each month. These are our most popular functions!  Always bring lots of business cards and register for door prizes to be given away!

Get involved in a committee or task force.  Many do not demand a great deal of time and the reward can be great.

Come to any of the Chamber events and activities (Golf Tournament, Annual Meeting, Showcase Wichita Falls, etc.) to meet new people and spread the word on what you do and what products and services you offer!

Be an Informed Member of the Community

	Read our monthly newsletter and be informed on Chamber events, activities, programs, etc.  Our newsletter includes a calendar of events to help you plan the days, weeks, and months ahead.
	Look over the weekly updates we send to our members by e-mail each Monday.  It will keep you up-to-date on what's happening in the community!
	Watch for advertisements and articles about the Chamber in the Times Record News and spots on area radio and TV stations.
	Our Eggs and Issues Breakfasts and Legislative Lunches, sponsored by the Legislative Committee, help you know what is going on at the local, area, state, regional, and national levels of government.  We represent your concerns and opinions on issues of importance to the business community!
	Attend our Learning Lunches and other educational programs, covering a wide variety of topics of interest to businesses!  Now you don't have to go out of town, spend all day, or a lot of money to get training in areas that will help you and your business!
	Attend our regularly scheduled New Member Training Sessions.  This is your opportunity to meet the Chamber staff, other members, talk about your business/organization, and learn all about the Chamber and the benefits of being a member.  This is not only for new members, but new personnel and management, too!  We encourage older members to attend, too, to help welcome new members and get a refresher course on your membership benefits.
	Attend other workshops and seminars that the Chamber offers from time to time!

Other Miscellaneous Benefits and Notes of Interest for Members

	As a member in good standing, your credit is good with us.  You may charge many things to your account and we will bill you once a month.
	We have demographic information, newcomer welcome packets, and a variety of other information available at the Chamber office.
	As a member in good standing, you may mention your membership on your business cards, stationery, in your advertisements, and online.
	Members may use the Chamber bulk rate permit to cut costs on large mailings.
	Proudly display your membership seal in the window of your office, home, or car.  Show your customers that you are a Chamber member devoted to growing businesses in Wichita Falls and making the community a better place to live.

The most active group at the Chamber is the Gold Coat Ambassadors! The Gold Coats have been a major part of welcoming new businesses to Wichita Falls for more than 45 years. This is the Chamber's goodwill group, representing the Chamber and the community of Wichita Falls as needed.

The Gold Coats perform the following duties:

	Attend Chamber functions and activities and extend a warm welcome to all in attendance
	Participate in ribbon cuttings, grand openings, groundbreakings, etc.
	Assist Chamber in membership recruitment and retention efforts as needed

Gold Coat Officers:

President: Michelle Lollar - Astra Travel
Vice President: Regina Keuhler - MyStaf
Secretary/Treasurer: Debbie Ripperger - Fairfield Inn
Past President: Larry Fieldsend - Coldwell Banker Rowland & Donnell
Social Chair: Mark Chaney - Chaney Financial Services
Social Vice Chair: Jo Schmid - Hunan's Restaurant
Team Captains: Mark Chaney - Chaney Financial Services
Fred Gentry - Gentry Specialty Advertising
Judy Hawthorne - Union Square Federal Credit Union
Rex Parsons - Bear Graphics
Wes Prater - Sav-On Office Supplies

Gold Coat Active Ambassadors:

Gold Coat Veteran Ambassadors:

Gold Coat Honorary Ambassadors:

Senator Craig Estes
Lee Grace - Times Record News
Kay Yeager - former Mayor of Wichita Falls

Gold Coat Goals for 2007:

The Gold Coats had a full group in 2003 for the first time in several years.

Gold Coat Ambassadors Accomplishments For 2006

	The Gold Coats had a full group in 2003 for the first time in several years.
	Five new Gold Coats joined the group.
	The Gold Coats performed 34 ribbon cuttings, 1 groundbreaking, and attended every Business After Hours, as well as most other Chamber events and functions.
	The Gold Coats also perform community service 10 times, volunteering to help with events like the Hotter n' Hell 100, the Ranch Roundup, and the Komen Race for the Cure.
	Gold Coat attendance was great in 2003 with team attendance ranging from 85% to 91%!

Chamber Investment Structure
For most businesses, dues are based on the number of fulltime equivalent employees (FTE) for all locations in the Wichita Falls area.  This number includes owners and counts 2 part time as 1 fulltime.

# of Employees	Cost
1-2 Personnel	$250
3-5 Personnel	$270
6-10 Personnel	$300
11-26 Personnel	$350
27-50 Personnel	$435
51-100 Personnel	$555
Over 100 personnel	$555 base plus $1 per additional FTE

We have special rates for the following types of business:

Business Type	Cost
Apartments	$250 base plus $1 per apartment
Banks and Credit Unions	$250 base + $15 per million dollars in deposits
Car Dealerships	$250 base plus $1 per vehicle in inventory
Hotels	$250 base plus $1 per room
Non-profits (501c3's)	50% off rate calculated by FTE's up to $500
Restaurants	$250 plus $1 per seat

Government Entities and Utilities are calculated through negotiation

FAQ's

Have more than one location? No additional charge to list all locations! Have more than one business? Calculate base rate on schedule above. If the businesses fall into more than one category, use whichever base rate is greater. Each additional business is $65 each (plus the application fee). All businesses must be totally owned and operated by you. Is your business already a member, but you want your own membership? For just $65 (plus the application fee), realtors, insurance agents, additional principals in a professional firm, etc. can have their own memberships!

All investments are subject to approval by the Chamber Executive Committee.

Be A VIP Member!
If you pay 150% of your minimum investment, you become a VIP Member, entitling you to special membership privileges, including the following:

	Direct link to your website from the Chamber website
	Added to the Chamber's VIP Mailing List
	All entries in the Directory are bolded
	$50 free newsletter advertising plus 20% discount off additional newsletter advertising
	10% discount on a Showcase Wichita Falls booth
	One (1) Golf Cart Sponsorship in the Chamber/SAFB Golf Tournament
	One (1) extra rep listing in the Directory
	One (1) Free Eggs and Issues ticket
	One (1) Free Learning Lunch ticket
	Two (2) additional Free copies of the Directory
	Ten (10) Free full-color maps of Wichita Falls and Wichita County
	One (1) Free set of Chamber membership labels
	A Free Chamber name badge
Contact Yvonne Milner, Membership Director ymilner@wf.net All Memberships Pay A $20 Application Fee Click here to download an application. . . . . . . . . . . The application is provided in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.