| Newsletter October 2006 |
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Mark Your Calendar Board Meeting Thursday, October 12th, 2006, 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., Oceanside Library Thursday, November 12th, 2006, 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., City of San Marcos Marketing Committee Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Wednesday, November 1th, 2006 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Dear San Diego North Economic Development members: The Marketing Committee is Looking for some Volunteers! Please join us for our next Marketing Committee meeting! The commitment - 1.5 hours of time a month for committee meeting (1st Wednesday of the Month) - Creative Thinking If you have any questions please contact the Marketing Chair – Diane Strand at 760-749-0388. Public Policy Committee Thursday, October 5th, 2006 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Thursday, November 2th, 2006 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Please RSVP for every event! |
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Save the Date A Focus on Business with Congressman Brian Bilbray Thursday, October 19th, 2006 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. California Center for the Arts, Escondido Conference Center 340 North Escondido Blvd. Escondido, CA 92025 This event is free to the public but requires registration due to limited seating. Call our office at 760-598-9311 or email us info@sandiegonorthedc.org to reserve your seat. HirePatriots.com The Premier military job board in San Diego is proud to announce its Job Fair at Marine Air Station Miramar: November 8th, 2006 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Officers Club For more information visit www.HirePatriots.com. Holiday Luncheon & Award Presentation Thursday, December 7th, 2006 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. California Center for the Arts, Escondido Conference Center 340 North Escondido Blvd. Escondido, CA 92025 |
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Welcome! SDNEDC Renewing Members: City of Encinitas, City of Vista, McCain Traffic Supply Presentation – City of Poway Update by Toni Kraft, President & CEO of the Poway Chamber of Commerce: Toni gave a general overview of the business and economic development going on in Poway. Some of the things she discussed were: • Poway Business Park – There are currently 430 businesses in the park employing over 19,000 people • Road of Cars in Poway – The city and the auto dealers have completed work on a auto storage lot that takes congestion off the main road to improve safety and reduce travel times though the city. • The outstanding school system that the City of Poway has developed. It is ranked one of the best in the United States. • Recognized some of the leading businesses in Poway – Nokia, American Technology, SpaceDev, Geico Direct, and First American Credco just to name a few. • Basic demographics – population – 49,333, area-39.2 sq. miles, median income - $77,965, median age – 36.6 years Presentation: Dr. Eileen Mullady – Pacific Ridge School: Dr. Mullady talked about the new independent non-profit private school that will be opening in the Fall of 2007. The school will be located in Carlsbad constructed on a 7.3 acre site between Palomar Airport Rd and Poinsettia Lane. The school will accept 60 seventh-graders and 60 ninth-graders in the first year and will open to the other grades over time. "This school is planned to be one of the best middle and high schools in the nation located in the San Diego North area. "We will focus on academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement," stated Dr. Mullady. "Pacific Ridge School prepares students for college and a purposeful life." Marketing Committee – Diane Strand, Committee Chair, briefed the Board on the recently held press conference at the SDNEDC. The business cluster discussed was Gaming and Tourism. The participants were Cami Mattson, President & CEO of the San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau and Sue Duffy, Director of Marketing for Harrah's. A number of topics were covered in the briefing including the fact that tourism led in job growth for June adding 2,600 new positions. The numbers of dollars generated for North County was $1.7 billion, up 5.4 % from last year. Sue Duffy pointed out that Harrah's has employed over 1,600 people in what was previously a depressed area for employment along with adding millions of dollars to the local economy. Center for Entreprenomics – Diane notified the Board that Erika Palmer, the summer intern with SDNEDC, has returned to school. Erika has compiled a database of available resources she has gathered that provide no cost or low cost assistance to people who are entrepreneurs and existing businesses. Erika is also working with cities obtaining new business license listings and creating a system on the most efficient approach in contacting these new businesses. On August 18th a meeting was held with the Small Business Development Center that focused on educating entrepreneurs and new business startups on the steps necessary to operate a successful business. Public Policy Committee – Paul O'Neal, Committee Chair, reported that the forum on Proposition A, the Airport site selection issue, was well attended and the presentations by the Airport Authority and the Marines were excellent. Paul asked the representatives from the Airport Authority and the Marines to give a five minute summary to the Board regarding their positions. Following the presentations a motion was made by Vice Chairman Dan Wray that the Board vote to take no position since the disputed site at Miramar is not available to be legally transferred and would be pointless. It was also pointed out that a no vote would indicate the Board's satisfaction with the status quo and is not a true reflection of the Board's position. The motioned was seconded by Juanita Hayes and a discussion took place regarding the motion. A vote was taken and the motioned carried on a vote of 10 yes and 4 opposed. |
| Customer Service Training in Time for the Holidays |
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To many businesses, the approaching holiday season can mean a boon to the year-end profits column but a bane that also tests their companies'
customer service capabilities. Fortunately, among Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies' Fall semester offerings are courses that will return dividends to companies' bottom lines all year long and just in time for the holiday shopping
season: workshops and courses in customer service. "The key differentiator among companies is repeat business," said Cathy Dellas, Director of Business Education & Training for Extended Studies. "And in today's competitive marketplace, the key factor that keeps customers coming back is how they're treated by your company – whether that's in your store or their office, in person or over the phone or Internet." The importance of customer service has grown exponentially, and so have the ingredients that go into it. Extended Studies' Top-of-the-Line Customer Service discusses the four factors that separate the best from the rest, ways to gather and use customer feedback and how to get employees to deliver top-of-the-line customer service. As business owners everywhere recognize, service is easier to provide to some customers than others. To help address that issue, Extended Studies also offers Dealing with Difficult People. Both workshops are designed to be fun, fast-paced and interactive, all while giving participants tools and techniques they can use immediately. Both will meet on the Cal State San Marcos campus from 8:30 to noon. Top-of-the-Line Customer Service is a two-session course that will be held on Thursdays, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 for a registration fee of $249. Dealing with Difficult People is scheduled for Nov. 9 for a fee of $125. Participants registering for both workshops will save 10 percent. Business owners, sales representatives and others who deal with customers may also want to look into Extended Studies' Certificate in Creative Marketing. The full program features eight courses that explore and incorporate elements of customer service in all aspects of promoting a product, service or organization. Participants can complete the full program or attend only classes of particular interest. Each class meets from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on one Saturday on the Cal State San Marcos campus. The fee for each class is $175; registrants for the entire program receive a 10 percent discount. The Creative Marketing classes still to be offered in the Fall term are: Developing Your Marketing Blueprint, Oct. 14; What's the Big Idea? Positioning Your Brand, Products and Image, Oct. 21; Promotional Marketing – Getting Customers to Take Action, Oct. 28; Publicity and Media Relations, Nov. 4; Effective Advertising and the Media Mix, Nov. 11; and Business Development and Customer Retention, Nov. 18. "It's fitting that the Customer Retention class comes just before the busiest shopping day of the year," Dellas said. "Teach your employees to keep those customers coming back, and your business will enjoy many happy returns indeed." As the academic outreach arm of Cal State San Marcos, Extended Studies is a leading provider of professional and continuing education in the San Diego North County region. For more information about the classes discussed above, please call 760-750-8706 or e-mail cdellas@csusm.edu. For information on the more than 150 classes Extended Studies offers, call 760-750-4020 or visit www.csusm-es.org. |
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San Diego North Economic Development Council, 100 N. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., Suite 124, San Marcos, CA 92069 Phone: 760-598-9311 Fax: 760-598-9325 or email garyknight@sandiegnorthedc.org stephanieweber@sandiegonorthedc.org |
