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    <blurb>Santa Barbara Hotel Group awarded free stays to several lucky attendees in a fun trivia contest.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#slideshow# This month's Business2Business Breakfast was one of the most exciting ever, thanks to speaker sponsor &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Hotel Group" href="http://www.sbhotels.com/"&gt;Santa Barbara Hotel Group&lt;/a&gt;, operator of the &lt;a title="Best Western Pepper Tree" href="/admin/articles/17-march-b2b-recap/sponsors/2-event-sponsors/resources/19-pepper-tree-inn-of-santa-barbara"&gt;Best Western Pepper Tree Inn&lt;/a&gt; and four other local hospitality properties: Best Western Encina Lodge &amp;amp; Suites; Brisas Del Mar Inn at the Beach; Colonial Beach Inn; and Inn by the Harbor. A family business, SBHG owners Jeanette and Pam Webber attended the meeting, as did managers from each of their hotels.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;During her 10-minute presentation, Director of Sales and Marketing Millie Matz shared fascinating facts about each hotel's unique location, atmosphere, amenities and special packages, while participants furiously scribbled notes. After the breakfast officially ended, almost every single attendee stayed for an extra 15 minutes in hopes of answering a trivia question correctly. The lucky winners (pictured) will enjoy a free one-night stay at one of the SBHG hotels, plus passes for various activities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another highlight of this breakfast was the debut of a 2-minute stretch break led by &lt;a title="Motion Unlimited" href="ttp://www.motionunlimited.net/"&gt;Motion Unlimited&lt;/a&gt;'s Isaac Osborne. B2B attendees learned a simple, yet effective, exercise to keep them limber and healthy. Motion Unlimited was also welcomed as a new Chamber member along with 7 other Goleta and Santa Barbara area businesses...a great month!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ongoing B2B Breakfast sponsors include delicious catering by &lt;a title="Marmalade Cafe" href="/resources/8-marmalade-cafe-restaurant-and-catering-co-santa-barbara"&gt;Marmalade Caf&amp;eacute;&lt;/a&gt;, hot beverage service from &lt;a title="Zizzo's Coffee" href="/resources/5-zizzo-s-coffee"&gt;Zizzo's Coffee&lt;/a&gt; and the sound system provided by &lt;a title="AMS Entertainment" href="/resources?tag=Santa+Barbara+AMS+Entertainment"&gt;Santa Barbara AMS Entertainment.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The next B2B Breakfast will be on Tuesday, April 6th, 7:00-9:00am. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register online by noon the previous Friday for inclusion on the "Hot Sheet."&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-03-04T10:36:12-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Excitement and prizes galore!</description>
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    <id type="integer">17</id>
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    <permalink>march-b2b-recap</permalink>
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    <title>March B2B Recap</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-03-07T18:50:21-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>A recap of 2010's first Business After Hours mixer, held on Wed., February 24 at Latitude 34 Technologies' office in Goleta.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:91# Following a holiday-season hiatus, the monthly Business After Hours networking event is back and better than ever! February's mixer was hosted on the 24th by Paul and Hallie Avolio of Latitude 34 Technologies in their Goleta offices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Close to 80 Santa Barbara area professionals braved a rainy evening to mingle over wine, deli appetizers and yummy desserts. A private orientation was also held for participants of the Chamber's upcoming China trip later this month.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This event featured the inaugural Trade Show Row, where six Member organizations displayed their literature and chatted up visitors at specially designated tables: &lt;a title="Del Hegland, NY Life" href="http://www.delhegland.com"&gt;Del Hegland&lt;/a&gt;, New York Life; Teri Coffee McDuffie, &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Women's Self-Defense" href="http://www.sbslfdfnz.com/"&gt;Santa Barbara Women's Self-Defense&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a title="Montecito Bank &amp;amp; Trust" href="http://www.montecito.com/"&gt;Montecito Bank &amp;amp; Trust&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a title="KarePac" href="http://www.karepac.com/"&gt;KarePac;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a title="Senior Planning Services" href="http://www.seniorplanningservices.com/"&gt;Senior Planning Services&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Signs and Graphics" href="http://www.sbsigns.com/"&gt;Santa Barbara Signs and Graphics&lt;/a&gt;. This opportunity is available each month to Chamber members for the low rate of only $25/table! Contact &lt;a href="mailto:Max@goletavalley.com"&gt;Max White&lt;/a&gt; to reserve your future spot.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:92# Even after a dozen fabulous door prizes were given away and things started winding down, some guests stayed on until they were kicked out at 8:00pm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don't miss the next Business After Hours on Wed., March 24th, 5:30-7:30pm at Pacifica Suites Hotel, where the newly published 2010 Goleta Magazine will be unveiled.&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-03-04T09:57:45-08:00</created-at>
    <description>A recap of 2010's first Business After Hours mixer</description>
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    <published-at type="datetime">2010-03-01T00:00:00-08:00</published-at>
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    <title>Latitude 34 Hosts February Business After Hours</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-03-07T18:47:08-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>Ignacio Gallardo is a valued member of UCSB Career Services and an integral part of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors! </blurb>
    <body>&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;#medium_image:89#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;If you attended the Business 2 Business Breakfast earlier this month, then you definitely met Ignacio Gallardo.&amp;nbsp; He was standing at the door, offering warm coffee to chilled hands and welcoming attendees with enthusiasm and a bright smile.&amp;nbsp; Ignacio Gallardo is one of the Goleta Valley Chamber's newest Ambassadors, but he has been an advocate for UCSB students for many years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;Ignacio first joined the team at &lt;a href="http://career.ucsb.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;UCSB Career Services&lt;/a&gt; seven years ago and has been connecting students with employers ever since.&amp;nbsp; He is an award-winning career counselor with invaluable leadership skills.&amp;nbsp; In 2008, Ignacio was the recipient of the&amp;nbsp;Rising Star Award from the &lt;a href="http://www.naceweb.org/home.aspx" target="_blank"&gt;National Association of Colleges &amp;amp; Employers&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; This honor is given each year&amp;nbsp;to and individual who has demonstrated strong leadership potential and contributed significantly to the career services profession and NACE organization.&amp;nbsp; His primary role as Employer Relations Coordinator of Career Services at UCSB is to assist employers in developing successful recruiting plans on campus by serving as a liaison between recruiting employers and students. As a career counselor, he coaches students at all stages of the career development process from exploration to negotiation.&amp;nbsp; In addition, he specializes in using web 2.0 technologies and social media in the job search to develop a professional online presence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;While he's&amp;nbsp;a native of&amp;nbsp;Argentina, his roots have been firmly planted in Santa Barbara soil for over 30 years.&amp;nbsp; Outside of his career of helping UCSB students start theirs, his hours spent volunteering and his participation in UCSB events, Ignacio is also an avid tennis player.&amp;nbsp; His wife, Carolyn, and baby girl, Liliana, are his biggest fans on and off the tennis court.&amp;nbsp; Ignacio is also an adventurer whose travels have taken him to Brazil for New Year's Eve, New York each year for the U.S. Open tennis tournament and also to Pamplona to run with the bulls!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"&gt;As an Ambassador for the Goleta Valley Chamber, Ignacio attends at least two event per month, one of which is always the Business 2 Business Breakfast, which he says is "simply the best networking venue in town!"&amp;nbsp; He is a valued member of the Ambassadors team and consistently networks on behalf of UCSB to increase awareness of the Career Services available to local businesses.&amp;nbsp; Ignacio is a wonderful addition to the Ambassadors team and a valued member of the community!&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T16:49:34-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Ambassador of the Week! </description>
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    <title>Ignacio Gallardo: A Guide on the Career Path</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-02-20T13:21:32-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>Groundhog Day was a repeat success for 2010's second B2B Breakfast attended by 140 business professionals.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:80#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you missed the February 2nd B2B Breakfast, you missed connecting with 140 professionals celebrating Groundhog Day in accelerated networking mode. Many brand-new guests were drawn to this event by the Chamber's new $5 pricing policy for first-timers. In a scene that will be repeated each month throughout 2010, guests were greeted with the enticing aroma of &lt;a title="Zizzo's Coffee" href="/resources/5-zizzo-s-coffee"&gt;Zizzo's Coffee&lt;/a&gt; and eggs, home fries and fruit from catering sponsor &lt;a title="Marmalade Cafe" href="/resources/8-marmalade-cafe-restaurant-and-catering-co-santa-barbara"&gt;Marmalade Caf&amp;eacute;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With &lt;a title="Palius + O'Kelley CPA" href="/sponsors/2-event-sponsors/resources/21-palius-o-kelley-cpa-bookkeeping-and-tax-service"&gt;Palius + O'Kelley Certified Public Accountants&lt;/a&gt; as this month's official B2B speaker sponsor, Tony Vallejo (a newly installed Chamber Board member) delivered an informative presentation about the many ways that this firm supports the success of its business clients far beyond bookkeeping and tax preparation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Emceed by Mark Dispenza, Holmes &amp;amp; Holmes Insurance Agency, and &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Ramada Limited Hotel" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/9-santa-barbara-ramada-limited"&gt;Drew "Mr. Ramada" Wakefield&lt;/a&gt;, B2B attendees shared their 20-second business "commercials" with enthusiasm. Perennial favorites TechEase delighted the audience with yet another classic musical number, singing "I Say a Little Curse at It" to the tune of "I Say a Little Prayer for You." The Spirit of Business award for most creative promo this month&amp;mdash;a $100 gift certificate from &lt;a title="Baroness Jewelers" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/6-baroness-jewelers"&gt;Baroness Jewelers&lt;/a&gt;&amp;mdash;went to The Writing Goddess Teri Breier for her inventive use of a stuffed groundhog.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The promotion segment had a special focus on the upcoming Night of Indulgence event for women on Feb. 16th, hosted by a team of Chamber members including: Dr. Kara Gochnour of Santa Barbara Wellness for Life, Kathy Gruver, Healing Circle Massage; Teri Coffee McDuffie, Santa Barbara Women's Self-Defense; Lindsey Eltinge Photography; Michelle Bischoff, Mary Kay Cosmetics; and Teri Breier, The Writing Goddess. Marmalade Cafe is donating food and Max White will serve as a "guide" for guests. Within days after the B2B, this event quickly sold out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sound for the meeting was provided by &lt;a title="AMS Entertainment" href="/resources?tag=Santa+Barbara+AMS+Entertainment"&gt;Santa Barbara AMS Entertainment&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The next B2B Breakfast will be on Tues., March 2nd. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register online by noon the previous Friday for inclusion on the "Hot Sheet."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-02-05T13:06:56-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Were you at the February B2B?</description>
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    <title>February B2B Recap</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T11:54:14-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>On the evening of January 27th, the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Meeting at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, attended by nearly 125 board members, sponsors, ambassadors, local media representatives and other business professionals. </blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;On the evening of January 27th, the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Meeting at the &lt;a href="http://www.sbmm.org"&gt;Santa Barbara Maritime Museum&lt;/a&gt;, attended by nearly 125 board members, sponsors, ambassadors, local media representatives and other business professionals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:88# After a cocktail hour where guests mingled over wines from Cellar 205 Oreana Winery and delicious soups and hors d'oeuvres catered by &lt;a href="/resources/8-marmalade-cafe-restaurant-and-catering-co-santa-barbara"&gt;Marmalade Caf&amp;eacute;&lt;/a&gt;, the program began with a recognition of the Chamber's new and returning 2010 volunteer Ambassadors (pictured). Honored as Ambassador of the Year for his always enthusiastic involvement was &lt;a href="http://www.delhegland.com"&gt;Del Hegland&lt;/a&gt; of New York Life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Chamber president Kristen Amyx then presented an upbeat &lt;a href="http://www.goletavalleychamber.com/pdf/2010PresidentsMessage.pdf"&gt;PowerPoint review&lt;/a&gt; of 2009's membership statistics and local business climate. Despite the economic challenges of this past year, the organization remains strong and is well-positioned for a successful year ahead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lead sponsor &lt;a href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/7-marborg-industries"&gt;MarBorg Industries&lt;/a&gt; was recognized by outgoing 2009 Board Chair Joanne Funari of &lt;a href="http://www.businessfirst.com"&gt;Business First Bank&lt;/a&gt; with the Chairman's Award for its generous ongoing support of the Chamber. Funari then welcomed her successor, Steve Greig, &lt;a href="http://www.venocoinc.com"&gt;Venoco, Inc.&lt;/a&gt; as the 2010 Board Chair.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Terry Bartlett, Reetz, Fox &amp;amp; Bartlett, Jim Knight, Novum, and Karen Ramsdell, &lt;a href="http://www.flysba.com"&gt;Santa Barbara Airport&lt;/a&gt;, were recognized as the outgoing members of the Board of Directors.&amp;nbsp; Kathy Koeper, Marborg Industries, Michael Kramer, &lt;a href="/sponsors/2-event-sponsors/resources/13-ameravant-web-design-santa-barbara"&gt;Ameravant Web Design&lt;/a&gt;, Tracy Lincoln, Santa Barbara Airport, and Tony Vallejo, &lt;a href="/sponsors/2-event-sponsors/resources/21-palius-o-kelley-cpa-bookkeeping-and-tax-service"&gt;Palius + O'Kelley Certified Public Accountants&lt;/a&gt; were installed as Board Members.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Other annual meeting sponsors included &lt;a href="http://www.disposal.com"&gt;Allied Waste&lt;/a&gt;, Ameravant Web Design, &lt;a href="http://www.atk.com"&gt;ATK Space Systems&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.bhfs.com"&gt;Brownstein | Hyatt | Farber | Schreck&lt;/a&gt;, Business First Bank, &lt;a href="http://cabrillobusinesspark.com"&gt;Cabrillo Business Park&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.flir.com/cvs/americas/en"&gt;FLIR Commercial Vision Systems&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/resources/22-latitude-34-technologies"&gt;Latitude 34 Technologies&lt;/a&gt;, Marmalade Caf&amp;eacute;, &lt;a href="http://www.media27.com"&gt;Media 27&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/resources/1-noozhawk"&gt;Noozhawk&lt;/a&gt;, Santa Barbara Airport and Venoco.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Chamber remains grateful as always for the high caliber of directors, board members, sponsors and ambassadors who continue to support our mission in the Goleta Valley and Santa Barbara business community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T12:35:00-08:00</created-at>
    <description>The Chamber's Annual Meeting was Held on January 27</description>
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    <title>Optimistic Outlook at GVCOC Annual Meeting</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T12:38:29-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>On January 7th, several 2010 Chamber Ambassadors received training at a special orientation.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:77#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On January 7th, several Goleta Valley Chamber Ambassadors on the 2010 team received training at a special orientation held at the &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Ramada Limited Hotel" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/9-santa-barbara-ramada-limited"&gt;Ramada Limited Hotel&lt;/a&gt;. Max White, ably assisted by Ambassador Secretary Hallie Avolio of Latitude 34 Technologies, provided an overview of the Chamber's Mentorship Program.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In this revitalized program, each Ambassador will serve as a mentor to 4 or 5 new Chamber members, contacting them each month and answering any questions or concerns they may have about events, benefits and promotional opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Participating were Alisa Wilcox of FTI Services, Dr. Kara Gochnour of Santa Barbara Wellness for Life, Tiffany Lesperance of Pacifica Suites and Teri Breier, The Writing Goddess.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For those Ambassadors who missed this session, a makeup orientation was held on January 15th at &lt;a title="Zizzo's Coffee" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/5-zizzo-s-coffee"&gt;Zizzo's Coffee&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-01-31T21:53:51-08:00</created-at>
    <description>An orientation was held for new Chamber Ambassadors</description>
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    <title>New Goleta Valley Chamber Ambassadors Learn the Ropes</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T11:55:25-08:00</updated-at>
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    <body>&lt;p&gt;"Tenacity" is a word I hear often when others describe me.&amp;nbsp; "Persistent" comes a close second.&amp;nbsp; Some may even call me "aggressive", however those near and dear to me choose the label "assertive".&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My name is Kim "Max" White, Director of Business Development and Volunteers for the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce here in the Santa Barbara Central Coast.&amp;nbsp; My philosophy is simple:&amp;nbsp; care to put others success and happiness above all else - even my own!&amp;nbsp; The fact of the matter is that instilled at an early age growing up in Nebraska, with an eventual migration to the West, I was taught that serving my sisters and brothers, and the community I reside in could be the most satisfying thing I could do for myself and others.&amp;nbsp; As it turns out, my Grandmother was right!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For many years it has been my privelege to work for organizations where community outreach, programming, networking and fundraising were/are an integral part of my daily existence. Just recently I have come to see how this training can serve me well in today's business sector.&amp;nbsp; My tenacity, persistence, and assertiveness, matched only by my heart-driven community investment brings me into the ominous fold of community spokesperson, networking guru, and the entrepreneur&amp;rsquo;s friend. I never really saw this coming.&amp;nbsp; Yet, this is how life has unfolded for me.&amp;nbsp; And, who would have ever thought that I would have a BLOG?&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This BLOG is intended for the business community I support.&amp;nbsp; It should be a tool and outlet whereby my business brothers and sisters may ask questions, present ideas and support for other business - minded people, and to share a little humor from time-to-time (without a little humor we would all be amongst the walking dead - I really don't want that to happen any time soon).&amp;nbsp; Over the next couple of weeks we will gain some momentum in the number of posts, so let's take this slow.&amp;nbsp; What do you want to talk about?&amp;nbsp; What are you looking for in terms of suggestions or ideas?&amp;nbsp; Do you want to grow your business?&amp;nbsp; Do you want to grow your network?&amp;nbsp; Do you want to offer a member 2 member discount?&amp;nbsp; The sky's the limit here.&amp;nbsp; My task is to keep you connected with chamber member experts that can assist you.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's get started!&amp;nbsp; Who will be the first to comment, or pose a question?&amp;nbsp; My eyes and ears are all yours :)&lt;/p&gt;</body>
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    <created-at type="datetime">2010-01-14T12:58:34-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Keeping in touch</description>
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    <title>Persistence and Passion Equal Payoff</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-01-14T13:03:07-08:00</updated-at>
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    <blurb>Michelle Bischoff, Independent Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics and Goleta Valley Chamber Ambassador Co-Chair, helps her clients put their best faces forward and find great corporate gifts.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;h2&gt;Spotlight On:&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h1&gt;Mary Kay Cosmetics&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Tireless Volunteer and Intrepid Adventurer&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:48#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each month on the first Tuesday morning, as the Business-to-Business Breakfast begins, she&amp;rsquo;s greeting newcomers at the door and making them feel welcome. You can find her in the background at every Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce event&amp;mdash;whether it&amp;rsquo;s the Lemon Festival or a business workshop&amp;mdash;helping out with a smile. In fact, Michelle Bischoff, an Independent Sales Director for&amp;gt;&lt;a title="Michelle Bischoff Mary Kay Cosmetics" href="http://www.marykay.com/mbischoff" target="_blank"&gt;Mary Kay Cosmetics&lt;/a&gt;, is one of the Chamber&amp;rsquo;s most generous and tireless volunteers, having served as co-Chair of the Ambassadors program for the last year, along with Drew Wakefield of &lt;a href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/9-santa-barbara-ramada-limited"&gt;Ramada Limited in Goleta&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A Santa Barbara native, Michelle graduated from Bishop Garcia Diego High School in 1994 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from San Diego State in 1998. She then decided to travel the globe as a flight attendant for United Airlines, based out of Washington, D.C. After two years, this fearless adventurer and world traveler moved overseas to Melbourne, Australia, where she worked as a pharmacist technician and Shiseido counter manager, learning the ins and outs of sales in the cosmetics, skincare, nutrition, vitamins and healthcare categories.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;An Entrepreneurial Leader is Born&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Upon returning to her hometown, Michelle became involved in Mary Kay Cosmetics (MK) through a family friend, determined to succeed in this direct sales business from the start. Drawing on her beauty sales background, she became an Independent Sales Director in only four months, performing in the top 2% of producers and winning herself a charcoal grey Pontiac G6.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:53# Michelle now helps lead a team of 30+ local MK representatives, supporting them to be just as successful. She shares that she is continually inspired by her clients, which in turn drives her to achieve even more on their behalf.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I am a giver by nature and very focused on customer service,&amp;rdquo; says Michelle. &amp;ldquo;I particularly love talking to other women, complimenting them and helping them to recognize their inner and outer beauty. There is nothing more fulfilling than the look of amazement on a client&amp;rsquo;s face when she sees her reflection after a makeover.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Goleta Valley Chamber Key to Her Success&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She credits her involvement as a highly visible Ambassador in the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce with expanding her customer base, resulting in an increase of sales over the last year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I have definitely added more customers through the Chamber, including personal clients and corporate/executive gifting customers, which is my specialty. People are often surprised to hear that MK is not just a cosmetics company with a #1-selling skin care line, but also offers many great business gift ideas, for holidays, birthdays, recognition awards and more.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Michelle points out that her personal MK website at &lt;a title="Michelle Bischoff Mary Kay Cosmetics" href="http://www.marykay.com/mbischoff" target="_blank"&gt;www.marykay.com/mbischoff&lt;/a&gt; makes these products very accessible for her customers because they are able to shop on their time and have their orders delivered the next day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Says Michelle, &amp;ldquo;I am so fortunate to have a career where I can make money while working with my friends and colleagues, while enriching women&amp;rsquo;s lives at the same time.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And the Goleta Chamber is very fortunate to have Michelle co-chairing its Ambassador Team. Thanks so much for all your tireless volunteering, Michelle!&lt;/p&gt;</body>
    <comments-count type="integer">3</comments-count>
    <created-at type="datetime">2010-01-08T10:39:10-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Mary Kay entrepreneur changes "face" of business</description>
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    <permalink>spotlight-on-michelle-bischoff</permalink>
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    <published-at type="datetime">2010-01-07T00:00:00-08:00</published-at>
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    <title>Michelle Bischoff Puts Her Best Face Forward</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-01-10T17:54:56-08:00</updated-at>
  </article>
  <article>
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    <blurb>Review your own website to Google Standards</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#imagebox#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Following the January 5th B2B Breakfast Mixer, was a presentation on Best Practices in Web Marketing. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Presenting Sponsors:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Michael Kramer, &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Goleta Web Design" href="http://www.ameravant.com" target="_blank"&gt;Ameravant Web Design&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Taylor Reaume, &lt;a href="http://www.thesearchenginepros.com" target="_blank"&gt;The Search Engine Pros&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Shukri Farahd, &lt;a href="http://www.media27.com" target="_blank"&gt;Media 27 | MARKETING &amp;amp; ADVERTISING&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Review your own website to Google Standards:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What is your &lt;a href="/article/5-what-is-your-google-pagerank"&gt;Google PageRank?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is your website &lt;a href="/article/6-html-vs-dynamic-websites"&gt;Html or Dynamic Content?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does Your Website &lt;a href="/articles/7-does-your-website-validate-againt-google-standards"&gt;Validate Againt Google Standards&lt;/a&gt;?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/articles/7-does-your-website-validate-againt-google-standards"&gt;Flash Websites vs. Non Flash Websites&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Is one better for Search Engine Ranking?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Special Offer:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;AMERAVANT WEB STUDIO - Any GVC member or non-member considering becoming a member of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, will receive $200 toward their GVC membership, if they also use at least $200 worth of services from &lt;a href="http://www.ameravant.com" target="_blank"&gt;Ameravant Web Design&lt;/a&gt;. Ameravant will issues a check to the GVC in your name.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;THE SEARCH ENGINE PROS - Member discount offer = 1 &lt;a href="http://www.thesearchenginepros.com/keyword-research-reports.html" target="_blank"&gt;Free Keyword Research Report&lt;/a&gt; $150 Value&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Below is a PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation at this event.&lt;/p&gt;</body>
    <comments-count type="integer">1</comments-count>
    <created-at type="datetime">2010-01-12T02:19:35-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Learn from our GVC member experts on Web Marketing</description>
    <features-count type="integer">1</features-count>
    <id type="integer">4</id>
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    <permalink>best-practices-of-web-marketing</permalink>
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    <title>Best Practices of Web Marketing</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-01-29T12:52:01-08:00</updated-at>
  </article>
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    <blurb>The year started off with a bang at the first B2B Breakfast of 2010 on January 5. Attendance surpassed expectations with a record high of 140 businesspeople from Buellton to Thousand Oaks.</blurb>
    <body>&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:57#&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The year started off with a bang at the first B2B Breakfast of 2010 on January 5. Attendance surpassed expectations with a record high of 140 businesspeople from Buellton to Thousand Oaks. Everyone was delighted at the door to receive a $10 gift certificate from generous catering sponsor &lt;a title="Marmalade Cafe" href="/resources/8-marmalade-cafe-restaurant-and-catering-co-santa-barbara"&gt;Marmalade Caf&amp;eacute;&lt;/a&gt;, who will be serving each month's B2B Breakfast throughout 2010 with their delicious scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon, home fries and orange juice...on actual plates with real silverware and cloth napkins, no less!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;#medium_image:56#As always, &lt;a title="Zizzo's Coffee" href="/resources/5-zizzo-s-coffee"&gt;Zizzo's Coffee&lt;/a&gt; was on hand to provide their welcome and delicious coffee, and &lt;a title="AMS Entertainment" href="/resources?tag=Santa+Barbara+AMS+Entertainment"&gt;Santa Barbara AMS Entertainment&lt;/a&gt; donated the sound system. The sponsor presentation was delivered by long-time Goleta Valley Chamber supporter &lt;a title="MarBorg Industries" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/7-marborg-industries"&gt;MarBorg Industries&lt;/a&gt;, represented by Derek Carlson, who shared about the waste management company's impressive history, state-of-the-art equipment and ongoing commitment to conservation and the local community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;During the 20-second commercial segment, one entrepreneur after another expressed optimism about the coming year, which bodes well for the Central Coast economic recovery. Attendees were also reminded by lovely emcee Max White and her sidekick, Ambassador Chair &lt;a title="Santa Barbara Ramada Limited Hotel" href="/sponsors/1-annual-sponsors/resources/9-santa-barbara-ramada-limited"&gt;Drew "Mr. Ramada" Wakefield&lt;/a&gt;, to pre-register for next month's breakfast online by noon the previous Friday to ensure inclusion on the coveted "Hot Sheet" with business contact information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The next B2B Breakfast will be on Tues., February 2nd. Happy New Year!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</body>
    <comments-count type="integer">0</comments-count>
    <created-at type="datetime">2010-01-11T13:12:19-08:00</created-at>
    <description>Review of the first B2B Breakfast in 2010</description>
    <features-count type="integer">0</features-count>
    <id type="integer">3</id>
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    <permalink>january-b2b-recap</permalink>
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    <published-at type="datetime">2010-01-05T00:00:00-08:00</published-at>
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    <title>January B2B Recap</title>
    <updated-at type="datetime">2010-02-19T11:56:45-08:00</updated-at>
  </article>
</articles>
