Chamber Blog
How Strong Businesses Stay Standing When Others Fall Every leader has faced a curveball in the last few years-supply chains, staffing, tech, or the economy. The companies that come out stronger aren’t lucky. They’ve built resilience into their DNA. Resilient organizations lean on three things: confident leadership, flexible operations, and teams that feel trusted. Chambers…
Cybersecurity Made Simple: 5 Steps Every Local Business Should Take Nearly half of cyberattacks target small businesses, not just large corporations The average breach costs $25,000, but prevention is affordable and accessible Begin with strong passwords, MFA, and consistent team training Back up data in two places and test regularly A clear response plan helps…
What AI Can’t Replace in Your Local Business AI excels at automating repetitive, time‑consuming tasks. It can streamline administrative routines (like scheduling, invoicing), but lacks human judgment. Client‑facing personalization benefits from human empathy and context-AI can assist, not replace. Internal operations: AI helps with analytics and forecasting, though strategic decision‑making stays human. Ultimately, local business…
Mid-Year Reset: 5 Smart Moves to Strengthen Your Small Business The year’s midpoint is your wake-up call-refocus now to finish strong. Scrutinize your numbers to find what’s working (and what’s not). Reboot your marketing before seasonal shifts hit. Remove workflow roadblocks to boost team output. Reconnect with your business’s core purpose. 597 Words ~ 3…
Flagstaff Green Business of the Year Award: Celebrating Sustainability in the Local Business Community Reflecting the Flagstaff business community’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the Chamber introduced the Flagstaff Green Business Award in 2022. This award recognizes the sustainable efforts of local businesses and non-profits, highlighting their commitment to creating a positive impact on the environment.…
Marley Discovery Center Opens at Lowell Observatory: A Boost for Flagstaff’s Economy Flagstaff celebrated a monumental addition to its cultural and scientific landscape with the grand opening of the Marley Discovery Center at Lowell Observatory. This state-of-the-art facility promises not only to enhance the city’s reputation as a hub for astronomical discovery but also to…
Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Native American Heritage Month: Honoring Our Indigenous Communities The Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce proudly joins the community in celebrating Native American Heritage Month this November. This month holds special significance for northern Arizona, where we have the privilege of living and working alongside vibrant Native American communities, including…
Transforming Employee Feedback into Actionable Insights: A Leader’s Guide To manage employee experience effectively, leaders must turn data into action. Gathering feedback is easy; interpreting it to meet employee needs is the challenge. Leaders should focus on synthesizing insights from feedback tools into a clear, strategic response. The Big Picture: Managing employee experience is crucial,…
Everything You Need to Know About Prop 138: The Tipped Workers Protection Act A group called One Fair Wage (OFW), an outside special interest group from New York and California, is pushing an initiative known as the One Fair Wage Act that would raise the minimum wage by $2 above the current Consumer Price Index…
Governor Katie Hobbs Announces Major Update in Deployment of Federal Broadband Dollars PHOENIX, AZ (August 5, 2024) – Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced the approval of Volume II of Arizona’s application for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This officially unlocks the $993 million dollars in funding, which will be utilized to connect every…
Chamber Hosts NAMAC The Northern Arizona Military Affairs Council (NAMAC) was launched in 2017 to promote economic development around northern Arizona’s military installations. General Kerry Muehlenbeck visited Flagstaff to discuss priorities at Camp Navajo. Julie Pastrick, President/CEO of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce also serves as the President of NAMAC. This past month the…
Toxic Workplaces and Bosses Have These in Common The Great Resignation is partly due to many people realizing that the demand for employees has created opportunities for them to try new things. A side effect of the work-from-home shift during the pandemic and an overall change in workplace culture shined a rather bright light on toxic…
How Entrepreneurs Use Networking An essential skill for any entrepreneur the ability to create meaningful connections via networking, also called network development. Creating connections with customers both old and new is important but creating a network of other entrepreneurs and business owners provides value customers can’t provide. Typically this comes in the form of insights…
Working Moms Starting Home Based Businesses Staying at home with your little ones is a luxury that many moms desire, but they simply can’t afford. Fortunately, the internet, one of the best gifts of the century, has multiple business ideas and income opportunities that stay-at-home moms can exploit. Moreover, the growth of work from…
This Year, Discover the Benefits of Volunteering Aristotle once equated the essence of life to serving others and doing good. While the philosophy seems like a fulfilling endeavor, it’s not quite practical given that we lead super busy lives. With our already jam-packed schedules, it’s impossible to think of giving away your time and energy…
Improve Your Leadership Skills by Thinking Differently Is your team stagnant, or is there a sense of tension in your department? It may not be “just your gut feeling,” but rather an indication that your team is in a “flight or fight” mode. Today, we’re looking at three distinct emotional states in the workplace,…
Chamber Weighs In with Federal Lawmakers to Avert National Rail Strike Labor negotiations which had been ongoing for at least the last 18 months fell apart early last week, and a national rail strike was threatened for Friday if parties could not get together and agree on moving forward. The Chamber weighed-in with a letter…
A Guide to Building an Emailing List In today’s evolving world of digital growth and prevalent social media presence, email may seem to be an old-fashioned style of communicating with clients. Yet, it remains an effective tool to advertise and speak with a relevant audience. Now while building a substantial email list from scratch may…
Convert One-time Customers into Repeat Buyers One of the best ways to grow your business and increase sales is to convert one-off customers into repeat customers. You can build solid relationships with your customers by providing high-quality products and services and offering unique content or experiences that make your customers want to return for…
HOW THE DROUGHT AFFECTS YOUR RIVER TRIP 03/24/2022 by GCW Will my Grand Canyon trip run even with the extreme drought? The quick answer is yes. Make no mistake, we are all hoping for an end to the drought, but Grand Canyon river trips will still be possible even if water levels continue to drop. At…