December Ribbon Cuttings

December was a fairly quiet month as far as ribbon cuttings go at the Chamber, but we did manage to sneak a few in between holidays. The Chamber Ambassadors held ribbon cuttings for the ground breaking of the new Gift of Life Transplant House, Sushi Nishiki, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Flowerama and The Scene Board and Bike Shop. Thank you all for your support and we wish you a safe and prosperous 2009!

Ribbon Cutting: Gift of Life Transplant House (2nd location)

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors were on hand yesterday at the Gift of Life Transplant House's ground breaking ceremony for its second location. The Gift of Life is currently raising funds for the second Gift of Life House, which is across the street kitty corner from the current house on 2nd St.

Gift of Life annually provides 30,000 guest nights to transplant patients, filling the House to capacity. As a result of this high occupancy, Gift of Life is often forced to refer many guests to local hotels for accommodation. Last year, it served more than 900 transplant patients. With the second location, it hopes to turn down less patients who wished to stay at Gift of Life. For more information about the Gift of Life House, visit http://www.gift-of-life.org/.

Ribbon Cuttings: ARC Southeastern Minnesota, Well Spring Acupuncture, Kingdom Kids and the Multicultural Learning Center

In the past several weeks, the Chamber and its Ambassadors have been on hand for a handful of ribbon cutting and groundbreaking ceremonies at local Chamber Member businesses. The following photos are from ribbon cuttings that recently took place at ARC Southeastern Minnesota, Well Spring Acupuncture, Kingdom Kids and the Multicultural Learning Center.

Ribbon Cuttings: Wal-Mart North, Interiors by Decorating Den, Custom Alarm and Nietz Electric

The past week or so has been another busy one at the Chamber, with several ribbon cuttings and events taking place. Recently, the Chamber Ambassadors held ribbon cuttings for the re-grand opening at Wal-Mart North, Interiors by Decorating Den, Custom Alarm's 40th anniversary and Nietz Electric's new building and 72nd anniversary!

Thank you all for your support and have a great weekend!

Ribbon Cuttings: Roc Nails Salan & Spa, Amazing Massage, Best Buy South and Rochester Regional Stadium at RCTC

September has been and will continue to be a busy month for Chamber-member ribbon cuttings, but we will continue to post the photos up on our blog and in our newsletter shortly after they take place. Last week there were four ribbon cuttings: Roc Nails Salon & Spa, Amazing Massage, Best Buy South and the Rochester Regional Stadium at RCTC. Please help us in welcoming them to the Chamber!

Thrivent Financial Bank - New Branch/Open House

Thrivent Financial Bank has a new branch in Rochester, offering full-service banking. Members are invited to help join the new location to the community at an Open House Sept. 8 - 12, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Chamber Ambassadors will hold a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Sept. 10th at 11:30 a.m. The new branch is located at 5721 Bandel Rd. NW, Ste. 100 Rochester, MN 55901. For more information, call 507-252-2110

Ribbon Cutting: UMR Student Services

Yesterday afternoon, the University of Minnesota Rochester held a grand opening ribbon cutting of their Student Services offices on the main floor of the Shops at University Square. Chamber Ambassadors, elected officials and the local media were among those on hand for the grand opening, which included guided tours of the campus throughout the day and live entertainment. Congrats!

Thank you to MLT Group for the photo!

Chamber Chat Show - Diversity in Business (Aug. 2008)

On this morning's Chamber Chat show, Chamber Board Chair Audrey Groteboer, and small business owner Mette Burkhalter (Renaissance Inspirations), discussed the Chamber's upcoming Diversity in Business Conference. Groteboer and Burkhalter went over the agenda for the day, which is meant to inform, inspire and connect new and existing women and minority entrepreneurs with valuable tools and resources needed in order to start or grow an existing business.



A highlight of the conference, which all Chamber members are encouraged to attend, is the keynote speaker - Marilyn D. Johnson, Vice President of Market Development at IBM Corporation - who will be speaking from Noon - 1 p.m. To register for the FREE event - which includes lunch, a business toolkit and educational sessions - click here! Thank you to our sponsors - Rochester Area Foundation, Think Mutual Bank, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and Rochester Woman magazine - who helped bring this event to you at no charge.

Tune into 1340 the fourth Monday of each month at 9:50 a.m. to hear the show live! You can listen to past Chamber Chat shows by clicking here.

University of Minnesota Rochester - Grand Opening of UMR Student Services

The University of Minnesota-Rochester is inviting you to the grand opening of their UMR Student Services this Thursday, Aug. 28. The schedule of the grand opening is below:

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Visit the U of M tent at "Thursdays on First" (located next to the information booth on Peace Plaza)

12:20 p.m.
Guided tour of the University of Minnesota Rochester campus

3:30 p.m.
Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at UMR Student Services (1st floor of University Square) - light refreshments available

4 p.m.
Chatfield Brass Band performance on the stage of "Thursdays on First" - sponsored by the University of Minnesota Rochester

Ribbon Cutting: Secure Shredding, LLC

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors welcomed Mr. Rob Knutson and Secure Shredding, LLC to the Chamber yesterday afternoon with a Ribbon Cutting. Secure Shredding - a Chamber member since late last year - provides reliable mobile on-site shredding of your confidential materials. For more information, visit Secure Shredding on the Web at www.secureshreddingllc.com/.

Ribbon Cutting: New Horizon Academy

The Chamber Ambassadors held a ribbon cutting last Friday at New Horizon Academy. New Horizon Academy celebrated the opening of their first location in Rochester. Founded in 1971, New Horizon Academy's mission is to provide the best child development on the planet. To this day, the entire mission, philosophy and practices of New Horizon Academy are devoted to the development of a healthy sense of self in every child enrolled in our programs and a commitment to excellence. New Horizon is located at 3785 40th Ave NW. Congrats on the opening!

Ribbon Cutting: Think Mutual Bank

Another Think Mutual Bank location recently opened and it celebrated its grand opening this morning with the help from the Chamber Ambassadors and several other community members. The new location (4638 Maine Ave. SE) is at the Shoppes on Maine and opened in June. For more information about Think or the new location, click here. Congratulations on the opening and the Chamber wishes you the best in business!

Ribbon Cutting: Twigs Tavern & Grille

Yet another ribbon cutting in the community yesterday! Twigs Tavern & Grille, a new restaurant now opened in the Best Western Soldiers Field, hosted the Chamber Ambassadors and other community members for the celebration. Twigs, the former Shady Hill Grille, serves tapas-style dishes and a variety of entrees. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.soldiersfield.com/home/restaurant.html. Congratulations on the opening!

Ribbon Cutting: Warners' Stellian

Warners' Stellian's ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony went off without a hitch yesterday afternoon. The Chamber ambassadors and many others were on hand to celebrate the appliance store's opening in Rochester. For more information about Warners' Stellian (1318 Apache Dr. SW), you can visit their Web site here.

Warners' Stellian Grand Opening Celebration

Warners' Stellian (1318 Apache Dr. SW), a new Chamber member and appliance store in Rochester, will be holding a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 from 4 - 7 p.m. The event, which will be catered by Canadian Honker, will include a Chamber ribbon cutting at 4:30. Dinner and beverages will be served compliments of the Warners. We hope to see you there!

Ribbon Cutting: Olmsted Medical Center

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce ambassdors were on hand today at Olmsted Medical Center's (OMC) ribbon cutting to celebrate the organization's 60th anniversary and the unveiling of a new look/logo (we will post this when we get it).

The Rochester Chamber congratulates OMC, a member since 1970, on their 60th anniversary and wishes them the best of luck in the future! For more information, visit http://www.olmstedmedicalcenter.org.

Ribbon Cutting: Quality Life Chiropractic & Massage

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors welcomed Dr. Matt Suntken and Quality Life Chiropractic & Massage to the Chamber this afternoon with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

For more information about Dr. Suntken and Quality Life Chiropractic & Massage, visit www.qualitylifemn.com or call 507-206-6334. The clinic is located at 3249 19th St. NW #2. Welcome to the Chamber!

Ribbon Cuttings: EO Johnson, River Bluff Cooperative & SEMVA Art Gallery

Several ribbon cuttings have taken place recently and and Chamber Ambassadors were on-hand as always! Last week, EO Johnson Company moved to its new building in Rochester and held a ribbon cutting. Their new office is located at 2477 Clare Lane NE.

River Bluff Cooperative at Elton Hills had a ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday, and yesterday, SEMVA Art Gallery held a ribbon cutting as part of their 16th year anniversary.

For photos of more Chamber ribbon cuttings, click here.

Ribbon Cutting: Peace Plaza (Rochester Downtown Alliance)

We apologize this ribbon cutting photo is a few days late, but last Thursday, the Chamber Ambassadors were on hand at the re-grand opening of Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester. A big crowd was on hand at the event, which took place in conjunction with Thursdays on First and Third, a Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA) market event held each Thursday on the plaza. For more information about RDA, as well as the renovated Peace Plaza, visit http://www.downtownrochestermn.com/. Also, look for RDA on the cover of July's Chamber Advantage newsletter.

Thursdays on First & Third Summer Market & Music Festival to begin this Thursday

The Rochester Downtown Alliance's Thursdays on First & 3rd Summer Market & Music Festival begins Thursday, June 19 at 11 a.m. with a showcase of events for the day. Thursdays on First & 3rd will be held on the newly renovated Peace Plaza, down 1st Avenue and continuing to Historic 3rd Street with the event held each Thursday throughout the summer through September 25th! The 5th annual market is bigger and more diverse than ever with great live music, a tasteful spread of outdoor food choices, a vivid mix of market vendors showcasing local products, and an additional acoustical music stage on Historic 3rd Street. The number of vendors has more than doubled from 2007, so be sure to come downtown each Thursday this summer to celebrate community, arts, music, food and fun!

At 4 p.m, the Rochester Downtown Alliance, together with the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, will hold a ribbon-cutting for the new Peace Plaza. The public is encouraged to attend. A more formal Grand Opening for the Peace Plaza will take place later this year. At 4:30 p.m., Daniel Heublin & Friends will open on the Peace Plaza main stage, with headliner Johnny Russler and the Beach Bum Band bringing a taste of the Caribbean to downtown Rochester with music made famous by Jimmy Buffett from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Multi-instrumentalist Trevor Marty will be performing acoustically on the Historic 3rd Street stage from 7 - 8:30 pm. Check out additional bands at www.downtownrochestermn.com.