San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce

Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE
2 New Study Shows 5 San Marcos 9 New Chamber Members
Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor
Members offer Safer Bureau Expands 10 2010 Rotary Club of
Bet... Greater San Marcos Job
7 Members in the News Fair
2 San Marcos Joins 12 Community News
Austin, Round Rock 8 Schedule of Upcoming
in name of Metro Area Events 14 Did You Know?
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
New study shows chamber of
commerce members offer safer
bet when it comes to business
credit risk
Chamber members pay their bills faster,
possess better credit scores than other
businesses
February 22, 2010 -- The
American Chamber of
Commerce Executives
(ACCE) today announced
the publication of a new
study detailing the credit
scores and payment behavior of ten local
chambers of commerce across the United States,
comparing their member businesses with other
regional, state and national business averages.
Produced by Cortera™, a community-driven
business credit bureau, on behalf of ACCE, the
study includes the Bowling Green (KY) Area Cham-
ber of Commerce, Greater Boca Raton (FL) Cham-
ber of Commerce, Greater Durham (NC) Chamber
of Commerce, Greater Omaha (NE) Chamber of
Commerce, Helena (MT) Area Chamber of
Commerce, Lake Champlain (VT) Regional Cham-
ber of Commerce, Lubbock (TX) Chamber of
Commerce, Salem (OR) Area Chamber of
Commerce, San Diego (CA) Regional Chamber of
Commerce, and Tulsa (OK) Metro Chamber.
According to the study, chamber of commerce
members possess an average credit score of 629,
compared to a 557 average score for businesses at
large. Such scores – the payment behavior from
which they are derived -- play a significant role in
attracting lines of credit and securing favorable
terms from lenders and suppliers.
A complete copy of the study, which includes both
the aggregate findings, as well as the individual
commercial credit scores for each of the ten local
chambers, is available on the ACCE and Cortera
sites. The study was contracted by ACCE and
performed by Cortera, which reviewed payment
behavior for chamber member businesses.
"Chamber members have long been seen as
responsible and reliable members of their commu-
nity," said Mick Fleming, president and CEO of
ACCE. "What this study indicates is that the
perception is right. From a credit standpoint,
chamber members on average are better
businesses, and as a result they have significant
advantages in obtaining the funds they need. In
this economy and the tight credit environment we
are experiencing, that's especially important."
"The economic health of the entire supply chain is
dependent on the payment behavior of each of its
stakeholders," said Jim Swift, president and CEO of
Cortera. "This study suggests that chamber
members are among the most dependable partici-
pants in this ecosystem."
About the American Chamber of Commerce
Executives
Established in 1914, ACCE is the only national
association serving the professional development
needs of chamber professionals throughout the
United States and Canada. Representing more
2
than 7,300 individuals, ACCE enhances the knowl-
edge, leadership skills, and management effective-
ness of chamber executives and their staff through
education, benefits programs, trend analysis,
benchmarking, and network development. ACCE
promotes the highest standards of professional
excellence and integrity within the chamber profes-
sion.
About Cortera
In a sea of business information providers, Cortera
is different. With over 15 years of experience
serving finance professionals, Cortera combines
premium business information and innovative tools
with a fresh community approach to commercial
credit. It represents the first community for small
business credit reporting and a fundamentally new
way to capture the collective insight of millions of
financial transactions. As a result, small businesses
can make smarter, informed decisions to ensure
optimal cash flow while attracting more favorable
payment terms from existing and potential business
partners. Free credit reports on millions of
businesses are available at
http://start.cortera.com/.
For more information on Cortera, please visit
http://www.cortera.com/.
San Marcos joins Austin,
Round Rock in name of metro
area
March 29, 2010 Austin Market Examiner
By John Egan
In a little-noticed change, our region now is known
as the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropoli-
tan area.
Several years ago, the city of San Marcos had been
dropped from the region’s name and replaced with
the larger city of Round Rock. So, the area’s official
name switched from Austin-San Marcos to Austin-
Round Rock.
But last December, the federal Office of Manage-
ment and Budget declared that the area’s name
would be Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, based
on San Marcos’ newly defined status as a “principal
city” within the region.
What does the name change mean?
According to Site Selection magazine, “At a time
when virtually every city and county in America is
scraping for better name recognition and more
federal dollars, even the slightest change in
(federal government) nomenclature can go a long
way.”
William Fruth, an expert on metropolitan econo-
mies, told Site Selection that the designation of
metro areas is based almost entirely on commuter
patterns. The biggest city in a metro area always is
listed first in the region’s official title, he said.
The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area-
with a population of more than 1.7 million based on
2009 estimates—comprises Bastrop, Caldwell,
Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
The Austin area was one of 16 MSAs whose names
were altered in December by the federal govern-
ment. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is one of
366 so-called metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)
across the country.
The U.S. Census Bureau currently is conducting
the official 2010 headcount.
Census information affects the numbers of seats
that a state occupies in the U.S. House, and
information collected by the Census Bureau helps
determine how more than $400 billion in federal
funding is allocated. Furthermore, people use
census information to undertake such things as
advocating for causes, preventing diseases,
researching markets and finding pools of skilled
workers.
www.examiner.com/examiner/x-37614-Austin-Mar
ket-Examiner~y2010m3d29-San-Marcos-joins-Aus
tin-Round-Rock-in-name-of-metro-area
Watch a video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZnGssqwnrk
2010 Census: Help Improve
Our Community and
Businesses in Just 10 Minutes
Conducted every 10
years, the 2010 Census
will provide a vital
snapshot of our nation’s
growing and changing
population and demographics. Census data will
guide critical business and community decisions,
and will help to advance local businesses and
make positive improvements in our community.
Every year, the federal government distributes
more than $400 billion to state, local and tribal
governments based on census data. These
improvements, such as additional social services,
and new roads, hospitals and schools, can make a
significant difference in the quality of life for our
neighbors, our families and our community.
Census data are critical to help companies make
strategically and fiscally sound decisions that spur
and sustain economic development and growth.
The 2010 Census will:
• Inform critical business decisions, from marketing
and capital spending to merchandising and
work-force planning.
• Help businesses understand their customers
better to more accurately tailor products and
services.
• Make it easier for businesses to attract
employees.
Visit 2010census.gov to learn more.
Visit
http://2010census.gov/2010census/take10map/
now to see your area's 2000 Census mail
participation.
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor Bureau 2009-2010 Board of Directors

Chairman Joel Williams
Phyllis Snodgrass Rebecca Ybarra-Ramirez Chair-Elect Earl Studdard
President Director Past Chair Dan Roy
Treasurer Dan Stauffer
Robert Watts Denise Pardo Secretary Brenda Damron
Executive Vice President Marketing Assistant Vice Chair Michael Heintze
Vice Chair Clay DeStefano
Director Michelle Carswell
Eric Bonar Economic Development San
Director Denise Collazo
Communications Manager Marcos Director Joe Gomez
Director Frank Leonardis
Margaret Lindsey Amy Madison Director John Martin
Membership Sales Director Director Director Chuck Nash
Director John Schott
Joel Davis Rosemary Lucio-Suniga Director Fraye Stokes
Bookkeeper Research Assistant Director Jeff Stover

Eselda Rodriguez Eric Hensley 2009-2010 Committees & Chairs

Receptionist EDSM Assistant Ambassador Club Mitsie Benton
Business Development Frank Leonardis
Education Rick Bell
Government Affairs Denise Collazo
Leads Group I Connie Ulmer
Leads Group II Darlena Basham
Leads Group III Shayne Guillot
The newsletter was created by Eric Bonar, Communications Manager-
Natural Resources Clay DeStefano
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce. Please send any corrections Special Events Tabitha Walsh
to Eric at ericb@sanmarcostexas.com
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
Texas only state to meet all
college and career readiness
measures according to
Achieve
Texas is the first, and so far
only, state to meet all the
American Diploma Project’s
five key college and career
readiness measures, Achieve, a national bipartisan
organization, announced today.
In a report called Closing the Expectations Gap,
Achieve said “Texas has the most comprehensive
approach to college and career ready accountabil-
ity.”
This year’s survey found that Texas was the only
state that met all the accountability measures that
were determined as necessary to assess college
and career readiness. Those include publicly
reporting the percentage of students who graduate
from high school with a college and career ready
diploma, which in Texas means graduating on the
Recommended High School Program or
Distinguished Achievement Program.
Texas is one of 21 states that have increased
graduation requirements to better prepare
students. Achieve’s research shows that for high
school graduates to be prepared for success in
college and careers, they need to take four years of
challenging mathematics – including content
typically taught in an Algebra II course or its equiva-
lent – and four years of grade-level English aligned
with college and career ready standards.
Texas’ strong showing in the Achieve evaluation
comes on top of its grade of “A” for its curriculum
standards, assessment and accountability system
in Education Week’s annual evaluation called
Quality Counts.
Last fall, the National Governors Association in a
report called Achieving Graduation for All noted that
Texas has implemented many of the necessary
steps recommending for tackling the dropout
problem, including providing a variety of support
systems to students who are at risk of dropping out.
To view TEA’s full press release, please visit
www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=8081.
To view the Achieve study, please visit
www.achieve.org/ClosingtheExpectationsGap2010
SAVE THE DATE
4
Texas State University poised for boom
Millions being spent to expand campus
Austin Business Journal - by Sandra Zaragoza
ABJ Staff
Texas State University in San
Marcos is out of space, but
$633 million worth of
construction slated to take
place in the coming years will make room for more
students.
Last semester, thousands more students enrolled
at the university. And demand is so high for
on-campus housing that Texas State is conducting
a dormitory lottery for upperclassmen next semes-
ter.
“We are absolutely one of the fastest-growing
universities at 30,800 students,” Texas State
President Denise Trauth said. “To grow by 2,500
students [over a semester] is very rapid growth,
and I think it shows the demand for our programs.”
The growing university has been moving forward
with expansion projects and renovations that will
eventually position it to enroll more students in
academic programs such as engineering, materials
science and consumer sciences.
Everywhere you look, development at the univer-
sity, which is the middle of its 10-year master plan,
is starting to heat up. In the past couple of years
about $109 million has been invested to expand the
campus. But that’s only about one-sixth of what the
university has in the pipeline.
Texas State has four major projects under
construction, including a new family and consumer
sciences building in San Marcos and a nursing
building in Round Rock. This year, it will break
ground on a new undergraduate academic center
and a recital hall and theater renovation.
Meanwhile, multiple projects being planned are
awaiting funding, including a $56.7 million music
building and an $82 million engineering and
science building in San Marcos, and two health
professions buildings in Round Rock that would
have a combined price tag of about $80 million.
The next project to get under way at Texas State
will be a $4 million to $5 million research and
commercialization center. Funding for the center is
in place, and the university will be issuing a request
for proposals for land planning in the next few
weeks. The site for the commercialization center is
just south of campus, at McCarty Lane and Hunter
Road.
Additionally, the university will seek regents’
approval for a $47 million housing residence hall
complex, which will have about 600 beds. Given
enrollment increases, there is a huge need for
on-campus housing, Trauth said.
Unlike the other projects, the residence complex
would not require funding from the Texas Legisla-
ture because it would be funded by revenue from
residence halls.
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
Research goals
The planned commercialization center will assist
the university in its effort to become a top research
university in Texas.
“We have a responsibility to continue to grow and
become a research university,” Trauth said. “That
will take some time, but that is the ultimate goal.
The master plan supports that vision.”
The commercialization center would house the
materials science program, an interdisciplinary
program that consists of engineering, physics,
chemistry and other disciplines.
The center also would link faculty and entrepre-
neurs with cutting-edge research with the goal of
spinning out inventions and startup companies. The
university is looking closely at research involving
energy, security and health.
Amy Madison, economic development director for
the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, said the
city has taken a special interest in the commercial-
ization center.
The center “will allow us to bring that
[commercialization] effort forward, not only for our
own businesses and community, but also for
businesses that we can recruit to our area,”
Madison said. “Texas State University is an
economic engine for the city of San Marcos.
Obviously, their expansion only increases that
capacity for our city.”
Growing pains
Trauth said Texas State hasn’t decided how much it
would like to increase capacity, only that it wants to
accommodate Texas’ growing population for years
to come.
According to the Texas Higher Education Coordi-
nating Board, the university uses 100 percent of its
space.
One of its fastest-growing programs is the
engineering department. Launched in 2007, the
school’s inaugural electrical engineering class
anticipated 25 students but had 90.
“We believe there is a great deal of pent-up
demand for baccalaureate engineering programs
here in Central Texas,” Trauth said. “And we really
believe it’s the job of Texas State University to step
up to that. But we can’t do that until we get the
funding for a building.”
Find out more about the Texas State Campus
Master Plan by visiting their Website at
www.fss.txstate.edu/cmp/
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

San Marcos CVB Celebrates New Office Location
The San Marcos
Convention and Visitor
Bureau invited the
community to an Open
House and Ribbon Cutting, Thursday, March 18,
2010, to showcase their new office space within the
Tourist Information Center. The two-month
renovation project included converting common
areas to various offices for all current and future
San Marcos CVB staff members.
The San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau is
the official destination marketing organization of
San Marcos, which welcomes an average of
16,000 world travelers to the Tourist Information
Center annually.
The Convention and Visitor Bureau is a division of
the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
Through a partnership with the City of San Marcos,
First Lady Anita Perry and
Texas Historical Commission
the Chamber of Commerce provides contractual
services by administering hotel occupancy tax Honor Communities with
through the management and professional Texas Treasures Award
services of the SMCVB and its Board of Directors.
AUSTIN, Texas — The
After more than a decade of service to visitors, the
communities of
previous Tourist Information Center was relocated
Nacogdoches, San
from the IH-35 frontage road near exit 206 to where
Marcos and Waxahachie
the existing building now stands, which was built in
were named the second
2000. The Tourist Information Center is located at
annual recipients of the
617 IH 35 North, next to the City of San Marcos
First Lady’s Texas
Nature Center. Treasures Award during a special presentation
given on February 16, 2010 by First Lady Anita
For information regarding tourism services offered Perry at the Texas Travel Industry Association’s
by the San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau, Unity Dinner. The award, sponsored by the Texas
please call 512.393.5900, or visit their Website at Historical Commission (THC) and the Office of the
www.toursanmarcos.com First Lady, recognizes communities that showcase
a passionate commitment to community
preservation efforts through their participation in
THC programs.

“We are fortunate here in Texas to have such a

collection of historic towns, buildings, courthouses
and sites,” said First Lady Anita Perry. “We now
have six First Lady’s Texas Treasures communities,
each remarkable in its own way, and each a
destination sure to delight and draw more visitors
with this special recognition.”

The three winning communities recognize the

Texas State Representative,
Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs,
said, “This is big business. To have
a front door like this is a great
asset.”*
economic benefits of researching, identifying and
“This is a special place with special people preserving the structures, archeological sites and
who know every nook and cranny of our city,” landscapes that emphasize an authentic sense of
said Mayor Susan Narvaiz.* Rebecca Texas place by engaging citizens and visitors with
Ybarra-Ramirez, CVB Director, watches on. those assets through events, outreach and
education. The award recognizes the multifaceted
preservation achievements of an entire community
whose efforts utilized the THC’s various programs
as well as the resources of other preservation
Right: Rick Menchaca, organizations or state agencies. Each year, up to
City of San Marcos City five Texas communities will be presented this
Manager award based on nominations received.
Below: City officials, The 2010 award winners were chosen from a group
volunteers and residents of highly qualified candidates by a committee
celebrated the end to a comprised of staff members from the Office of the
two-month renovation Governor and the THC. Winning communities
project. employed their unique resources and personalities
to demonstrate sustainable preservation
stewardship related to the THC’s tools and
programs, while showing broad support and
preservation leadership from volunteers, city
officials, as well as cultural, historic and civic
groups. Their efforts and accomplishments have
resulted in treasures saved and heritage
experiences created for the historical enhancement
of all Texans.

“These three communities represent a strong

commitment to enriching the lives of visitors
through the preservation of their real heritage
places telling the real stories of Texas,” said THC
Chairman Jon Hansen. “The efforts of the citizens
of Nacogdoches, San Marcos and Waxahachie
should encourage other communities to follow on
their own preservation journey.”

The First Lady’s Texas Treasures Award promotes

and recognizes the unique heritage experiences of
Nacogdoches, San Marcos and Waxahachie
through special signage and a DVD promoting the
*Quotes and information from a March 21, 2010 article by Ashley Landis, staff reporter - San Marcos Daily Record
5
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
cultural resources of each community. To see video
clips of 2010 and 2009 award winning communities
visit the THC web site at www.thc.state.tx.us. To
learn more about the award winners or how to
submit an application for next year, contact April
Garner with the THC’s Community Heritage
Development Division at 512.463.2630 or visit
www.thc.state.tx.us.
Workforce consortium receives
$380,094 for regional planning
AUSTIN – On December 11th, 2009, Texas
Workforce Commission (TWC) awarded a
$380,094 planning grant to the IH-35 Corridor
Consortium. The Consortium includes local
workforce boards, community colleges, economic
development entities, and employers (full list is
attached) from a 51-county region along the IH-35
Corridor between Dallas/Ft. Worth and San
Antonio, and will carefully evaluate the recruitment
and training needs of businesses in the Health and
Biotechnology fields in order to develop new
strategies to attract people to the career
opportunities within this industry.
Funded under TWC’s Regional Cooperation
Capacity Building for Targeted Industries Program,
the Consortium will perform a 12-month,
three-phase research and analysis project aimed at
building training capacity and creating jobs for
employers in this industry. For the project, the
IH-35 Corridor is divided into three sub-regions,
each led by their respective Workforce Solutions
Development Boards – Metroplex (Tarrant County,
North Central, and Dallas), Central (Central Texas
and Heart of Texas), and South Central (Rural
Capital Area, Capital Area, and Alamo).
Consortium members will review existing industry
data, catalog available funding resources, collect
existing training programs and curriculum, and
review related skills standards and certifications.
Then, working closely with regional employers to
validate their findings, they will produce State of the
Industry Sub-Regional Cluster Reports to be made
available to businesses and educators and to serve
as guides for further planning.
Lastly, the Consortium will hold the IH-35 Corridor
Consortium Conference, targeted for February
2011, to share their findings, make
recommendations, and lay the groundwork for
specific tasks to be undertaken. Examples of
potential capacity building activities are curricula
sharing between colleges, cooperative resource
development throughout the region, and
standardized skill sets within occupations.
The project will result in a coordinated strategy by
neighboring economic and workforce regions for a
critical industry cluster for the common goal of
meeting business needs. The Consortium’s work
will enable these industry employers in Texas to
continue growing – providing stability, revenue, and
jobs throughout the state.
The mission of Workforce Solutions Alamo is to
build a premier workforce in America by providing
employers and residents with the opportunities,
resources, and services to develop and gain a
6 St. David’s HealthCare
competitive edge in the global economy. Workforce
Solutions Alamo reaches over 40,000 businesses
and more than 2.0 million residents in the City of
San Antonio and the counties of Atascosa,
Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Gillespie,
Karnes, Kerr, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties.
For more information, visit
www.workforcesolutionsalamo.org.
Workforce Solutions-Capital Area is the workforce
Board for Travis County. Through strong
partnerships and strategic collaborations, they are
leading the region’s workforce system in the
development of a world-class workforce. For more
information, visit www.wfscapitalarea.com.
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area provides
workforce and business services in nine
counties—Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell,
Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson. Their
mission is to build an employer-driven workforce
system that meets the demands of a global
economy by actively involving industry and
business leaders in workforce development
decisions that allows them to: identify labor and
economic trends, obtain customized training, and
hire high skilled workers while simultaneously
promoting the welfare, orientation, assessment,
education, training, and placement of job seekers
who are searching for profitable and self-sufficient
employment. For more information, visit
www.workforcesolutionsrca.com.
IH-35 Corridor Consortium Members
Workforce Solutions Workforce Boards
Alamo
Capital Area
Central Texas
Dallas County
Heart of Texas
North Central
Rural Capital Area
Tarrant County
Community Colleges
Alamo Colleges
Austin Community College District
Hill College
McLennan Community College
Texas State Technical School – Waco
Economic Development Entities
Austin Chamber of Commerce
Capital Area Council of Governments
Lockhart Economic Development Corporation
Luling Economic Development Corporation
Economic Development San Marcos
Businesses
Providence Healthcare Network
Falls Community Hospital & Clinic
Baptist Health System
Life Technologies
Seton Family of Hospitals
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
Community Based
Collaboration to Help Achieve
Your Personal Wellness Goals
When citizens, employ-
ers and community
leaders work together
toward a common vision,
they maximize their
resources and increase their outlook for a success-
ful outcome. It’s through this approach that CTMC’s
Institute For Healthy Living and LoneStart Wellness
are engaging our population to make personal
wellness a community priority. In doing so we are
working together to create the opportunity to
change, enhance and even save lives.
Taking a community-based approach to wellness
acknowledges that citizens are the key to the
community’s future. So is the commitment to a
healthy workforce and its human capital. Human
capital is a critical driver of economic prosperity and
health is a recognized and significant component of
human capital. Sadly, today the human capital
driver of our nation’s economic prosperity is on the
decline. The reason is because our national health
is on the decline. Why, because we are a nation of
over eating and yet under nourished citizens.
However, through this new collaborative model, we
have the opportunity to engage our community and
become a national model for being proactive about
our health and well-being. Reaching into the
community, we see LoneStart Wellness as one
program in a variety of health-focused activities and
offerings through the CTMC Institute For Healthy
Living. But one we know that works. For example,
two 63-day-long LoneStart programs have been
offered to CTMC employees to date. Of the 96 who
participated, total weight loss was 611 pounds. In
addition, some participants have been able to
reduce or eliminate prescription medications for
high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and to
improve their ratio of body fat to lean muscle. All
with a simple non-strenuous, non-starving,
common sense approach to nutrition and activity
offered by the program.
So much of what we, as a society do, is a ‘reactive’
approach to health care: When someone has a
history of lifestyle choice resulting in chronic
illness—we fix it after the fact. Instead, we should
be taking a ‘proactive’ role, through a preventive
and healthier approach that will help employees,
their families and our communities avoid these
healthcare costs in the first place.
We know that if we want to realize the vision of a
healthier community enjoying a better quality of life,
we have to start at home. We have to make
ourselves healthier and we have to demonstrate
that it makes a difference. After two successful
employee wellness initiatives through LoneStart
Wellness, CTMC knows the difference wellness
makes, and the difference it will make to our
community.
Please join us in this effort and become a part of our
exciting community wellness challenge. For
additional information, contact the CTMC Institute
for Healthy Living at: 512-753-3818 or
ctmcinstituteforhealthyliving@ahss.org.
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
Members in the News
CenturyLink, Enterprise
Holdings kickoff San Marcos
Education Foundation
fundraising
The San Marcos Education
Foundation recently
accepted donations from
Century Link and the
Enterprise Holdings
Foundation as part of its
annual fundraising campaign.
The contributions fund the non-profit, tax-exempt
corporation’s funding of activities and programs not
included in the school district’s operating budget to
facilitate student achievement, to recognize and
encourage staff excellence, and to provide a vital
link between the community and the classroom.
Said Executive Director Daniel Guerrero, “Centu-
ryLink has always been an outstanding supporter of
the San Marcos Education Foundation. The San
Marcos Education Foundation has been blessed to
have John Navarrette serve on our board of
directors since 1995 and we intend to invest
CenturyLink’s gift directly into our classrooms.”
“The Enterprise Holdings Foundation strives to
support the communities in which our customers
operate their businesses. We are thrilled to support
the mission of the San Marcos Education Founda-
tion and to support our friend Paul Valdez,” ” said
Enterprise Holdings Vice President Howard Zaroff.
For more information about the San Marcos Educa-
tion Foundation visit www.SMEFonline.org or call
(512) 393-6930.
Source: March 19, 2010 article from the San Marcos
Mercury
Pictured left to right, CenturyLink South Texas Manager
and SMEF board officer John Navarrette and San Marcos
Education Foundation Executive Director, Daniel
Guerrero.
Texas Monthly’s Best
Companies to Work For
The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce
would like to congratulate chamber members
Flintco Inc., Edward Jones and Randolph-Brooks
Federal Credit Union for being recognized by Texas
Monthly magazine as best companies to work for in
Texas. The February 2010 issue features Texas
companies with the best practices. Flintco Inc.
placed seventh in the small companies division.
Edward Jones and Randolph-Brooks Federal
Credit Union placed third and fourteenth respec-
tively in the large companies division. John Martin,
Chamber Board Member as well as Flintco Inc.
Division President said, “Throughout our challeng-
ing economic times Flintco has consistently been
named as a top company to work for and that’s
what we are most proud of.”
The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce
would like to congratulate chamber members
Flintco Inc., Edward Jones and Randolph-Brooks
Federal Credit Union for being recognized by Texas
Monthly magazine as best companies to work for in
Texas. The February 2010 issue features Texas
companies with the best practices. Flintco Inc.
placed seventh in the small companies division.
Edward Jones and Randolph-Brooks Federal
Credit Union placed third and fourteenth respec-
tively in the large companies division. John Martin,
Chamber Board Member as well as Flintco Inc.
Division President said, “Throughout our challeng-
ing economic times Flintco has consistently been
named as a top company to work for and that’s
what we are most proud of.”
Best Companies Group and its partners, Texas
Association of Business and the Texas State
Council of the Society for Human Resource
Management, created the 85 Best Companies to
Work for in Texas program to recognize businesses
that have superior workplace cultures and highly
satisfied employees. Best Companies Group
evaluated businesses that chose to participate by
conducting an organizational overview of the
company’s policies and procedures as well as an
in-depth employee questionnaire. For more
information on the 85 Best Companies to Work for
in Texas go to www.bestcompaniestx.com.
Prime Outlets - San Marcos,
City of San Marcos Earn
National Award
Collaborative Program Garners Honors for
Marketing Excellence
San Marcos announced today the shopping
destination, in partnership with the City of San
Marcos, was honored with a Silver 2010 U.S.
Shopping Center MAXI Award for marketing
achievement for its innovative Prime Outlets – San
Marcos CVB Partnership program in the national
competition’s Alternative Revenue category. The
award ceremony, hosted by the International
Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), was held in
Chicago March 3.
The U.S. Shopping Center MAXI Awards, consid-
ered the professional retail industry’s most
prestigious honor for marketing excellence,
recognized the outlet center and City for its match-
ing funds initiative designed to help increase
regional tourism to the area, along with city
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
revenue.
“We are delighted our matching funds cooperative
with the City of San Marcos was recognized on the
national level by the ICSC,” said Prime Outlets –
San Marcos Marketing Director Celena McGuill.
“We are pleased to report as a result of our joint
effort, shopping traffic to our center successfully
increased nearly nine percent while simultaneously
benefiting the City with a more favorable sales tax
contribution despite the economic downturn.”
“We are excited about the recognition. This
program is the result of a true partnership between
the City and Prime Outlets. The citizens see a
direct return on their investment in the sales tax
generated that provided for our park system, library,
activity center and safety services among other city
services” said Mayor Susan Narvaiz.
Picture by Don Anders
L to R City of San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz, Ted
Omohundro – Prime Outlets Regional Vice President, Kim
Porterfield- City of San Marcos Council Member, Tom
Jenkins – Prime Outlets General Manager, John
Thomaides – City of San Marcos Council Member,
Celena McGuill – Prime Outlets Marketing Director,
Renetta Coleman – Prime Outlets Marketing Assistant.
Philips Wide-Lite VizorLed
Named “Best In Class” in U.S.
Department of Energy
Competition
Philips Electronics today
announced that its
VizorLED luminaire, an
innovative parking,
lowbay and under canopy
lighting solution, was
named “Best in Class” by the U.S. Department of
Energy in their ‘Next Generation Luminaires’ (NGL)
competition. Developed by Philips Wide-Lite and
using LED modules from Philips Lumileds, the new
VizorLED is raising expectations for what is
possible with LED based solutions by delivering a
unique optical solution that minimizes glare,
improves volumetric lighting uniformity, maximizes
efficiency and perhaps most importantly, creates an
inviting and comfortable environment for people to
park and walk through.
The NGL competition recognizes and promotes
excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED
commercial lighting luminaires. The VizorLED was
Continued on page 10 7
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

Schedule of Upcoming Events*

April
4/1 Education Committee meeting; 4/15 Eggs & Issues Breakfast - State of 4/22 HealthCheck 2010;
Leads Group I meeting Education in San Marcos; 2010 San Marcos Job Fair;
4/2 Good Friday Chamber Offices Government Affairs Committee Business Development Committee
Closed meeting; meeting
4/4 Easter Sunday Leads Group I meeting 4/23 2010 Central Texas Golf Fest
4/6 Ambassador Club meeting 4/16 LinkedIn Advanced Training 4/24 2010 Central Texas Golf Fest
4/7 Natural Resources Committee 4/17 E-waste Recycle Event; 4/25 2010 Central Texas Golf Fest
meeting; Bowl for Kids’ Sake 4/28 Administrative Professionals Day;
Leads Group III meeting 4/20 Chamber Finance Committee Leads Group II meeting;
4/9 Maximize Your Membership! meeting Chamber Board of Directors
4/13 Special Events Committee meeting 4/21 San Jacinto Day; meeting
4/14 Leads Group II meeting; Leads Group III meeting 4/29 Business After-Hours Mixer -
Quarterly Meeting of the Texas State Optical
Committee Chairs

May
5/1 May Day 5/11 Special Events Committee 5/20 Government Affairs Committee
5/4 Ambassador Club meeting meeting meeting;
5/5 Cinco de Mayo; 5/12 Leads Group II meeting Leads Group I meeting;
Natural Resources Committee 5/13 Eggs & Issues Breakfast - EDSM Business After-Hours Mixer -
meeting; Strategic Plan Update Wimberley Glass Works
Leads Group III meeting 5/14 Texas State University 5/26 Leads Group II meeting;
5/6 Beginning of Final Exams for Commencement Chamber Board of Directors
Texas State University 5/15 Texas State University meeting
Education Committee meeting; Commencement 5/27 Business Development
Leads Group I meeting 5/18 Chamber Finance Committee Committee meeting
5/9 Mother’s Day meeting 5/31 Memorial Day
5/19 Leads Group III meeting

June
6/1 Ambassador Club meeting 6/8 Special Events Committee 6/19 Juneteenth
6/2 Natural Resources Committee meeting 6/20 Father’s Day
meeting 6/9 Leads Group II meeting 6/23 Leads Group II meeting;
6/3 Last day of school for SMCISD; 6/10 Chamber Luau Chamber Board of Directors
Eggs & Issues Breakfast - 6/15 Chamber Finance Committee meeting
Update on ACC; meeting 6/24 Business Development
Education Committee meeting; 6/17 Government Affairs Committee Committee meeting
Leads Group I meeting meeting;
Leads Group I meeting
July
7/1 Education Committee meeting; 7/15 Government Affairs Committee 7/28 Leads Group II meeting;
Leads Group I meeting meeting; Chamber Board of Directors
7/4 Independence Day Leads Group I meeting meeting
7/6 Ambassador Club meeting 7/20 Chamber Finance Committee 7/29 Legislative Update Luncheon
7/7 Natural Resources Committee meeting
meeting 7/22 Business Development
7/9 Maximize Your Membership! Committee meeting;
7/13 Special Events Committee Business After-Hours Mixer -
meeting Texas State Athletics, Bobcat
7/14 Leads Group II meeting Stadium

The City of San Marcos’ Summer in the Park Series will run every Thursday, June 3 - August 12, from 7:30pm - 9:30pm at the San Marcos
Plaza Stage (behind the Chamber building).
The City of San Marcos’ Movies in Your Park Series will run every Tuesday, June 8 - July 27, at sunset at San Marcos Plaza Park (behind
the Chamber building).
For more information about the City’s events, please visit the Parks & Recreation Dept. page on the City’s Website at www.sanmarcostx.gov

*Event dates, times and topics are subject to change. For more information, please visit the Chamber’s Online Community Calendar at
8 www.sanmarcostexas.com/community_calendar.htm
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

The Chamber’s 2010 Calendar of Events

(Event dates, times and topics are subject to change. For more information, please visit the Chamber’s Online Community Calendar at
www.sanmarcostexas.com/community_calendar.htm)
January 2010 June 2010
14 Eggs & Issues – Texas State Campus Master Plan Update 3 Eggs & Issues – Update on ACC
21 Prime Time Mixer - Business Olympics, City of San 10 Chamber Luau
Marcos Conference Center
July 2010
February 2010 All month: “Early Readers Become Leaders” Book Drive
18 Business After-Hours Mixer – Sean Patrick’s 22 Business After-Hours Mixer - Texas State Athletics, Bobcat
26 Economic Outlook Luncheon Stadium
29 Legislative Update Luncheon
March 2010
18 Eggs & Issues – Lonestar Rail Relocation August 2010
20 Green Living Showcase 25-26 San Marcos Business Expo
25 Business After-Hours Mixer – Country Inn & Suites
September 2010
April 2010 16 Eggs & Issues – City Manager Update
15 Eggs & Issues – State of Education in San Marcos 23 Speed Networking
17 Bowl For Kids’ Sake
23-25 Central Texas Golf Fest October 2010
29 Business After-Hours Mixer – TSO 9 San Marcos Education Fair

May 2010 November 2010

13 Eggs & Issues – Economic Development Plan Update 5 Annual Awards Gala
20 Business After-Hours Mixer - Wimberley Glass Works
December 2010
2 Eggs & Issues – Hays County Update
9 Business After-Hours Mixer - CTMC

New Members - January, February, March 2010

Apartments Golf Carts Restaurants
Bishop’s Square Apartment Homes Affordable Golf Carts Hatfield’s
Becky Bates Van Watson Bubba Alexander
109 Craddock Ave. 2525 South IH 35 1332 North IH 35
San Marcos, TX 78666 San Marcos, TX 78666 San Marcos, TX 78666
512-878-8728 (o) 512-878-1550 (o) 512-644-9731 (o)
www.bishopssquare.com
Individuals Retail
Architects Judy Carey maurices
Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects Jaime Kilpatrick Cristina Schultz
Andy Albin Ryan Patrick Perkins 750 Barnes Dr. #100
1508 West 5th St., Suite 200 Lya Rainosek San Marcos, TX 78666
Austin, TX 78703 512-392-7161 (o)
512-476-7133 (o) Legal Services www.maurices.com
Hays County Dispute Resolution Center
Bed & Breakfast Anna Bartkowski University/Colleges
Alexandras House 829 N. LBJ #108 Texas State University-Center for
Rosemary Lyday San Marcos, TX 78666 Research Commercialization
250 Hugo Rd. 512-878-0382 (o) Terry Hazell
San Marcos, TX 78666 www.hcdrc.org 601 University Dr.
512-665-0107 (o) San Marcos, TX 78666
www.alexandrashousetx.com Medical 512-245-6038 (o)
AAA Medical and Oxygen Supply
Construction Eric Ledesma
Huser Construction Co., Inc. 1218 Hwy 123
John Archer San Marcos, TX 78666
410 Cotton Gin Ln. 512-396-3372 (o)
Kerrville, TX 78028 www.rotech.com
830-625-7722 (o)
www.huserco.com Non-Profit Organization
Stelos Alliance
Engineer Consultants Melinda Keller
Brown & Gay Engineers, Inc. 34 Herff Rd.
Dorian French Boerne, TX 78006
7000 Mopac, Suite 330 210-385-0423 (o)
Austin, TX 78731 www.stelos.org
512-879-0400 (o)
www.browngay.com
9
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
Philips Wide-Lite award continued
one of only four products out of over 265 entries to
receive this prestigious honor and “Best in Class”
recognition from the Department of Energy,
announced today at the Strategies in Light confer-
ence, a leading event for the LED Lighting industry.
Most direct-view LED-based parking garage
luminaires produce extreme glare and create a
claustrophobic ‘cave-like’ effect, which can limit
visual awareness and make people feel uncomfort-
able and unsafe. To address these concerns,
Philips Wide-Lite’s engineers set out to create a
solution to provide uniform lighting not only on the
ground but on vertical surfaces as well. By incorpo-
rating LUXEON Rebel LEDs from Philips Lumileds
to achieve the light output and reliability required,
and developing a proprietary Non-Direct View
(NDV) optical system, the team was able to
engineer VizorLED to operate in a wide variety of
ambient environments, reduce energy consumption
and operating expenses, while providing a quality of
light that delivers a far more visually attractive and
inviting environment.
“At Philips we are constantly trying to enhance life
with light, to deliver new LED lighting solutions that
can address energy efficiency desires while
simultaneously enhancing an environment through
more attractive lighting. With the VizorLED we have
been able to deliver innovation that does just that,
and we are pleased to have received such high
praise from the U.S. Department of Energy” said
John Campsmith, General Manager, Philips Wide-
Lite.
The U.S. Department of Energy also recognized the
Evolaire Street and Area LED Luminaire by Philips
Hadco and Philips Lightolier in this year’s NGL
competition for achievement in energy-efficient
lighting systems.
Tanger in San Marcos Named
Best Outlet Shopping Center in
Texas
San Marcos, Texas, April 7, 2010…. Everyone
knows that things in Texas just seem a little bigger.
For the nearly 10 million avid bargain hunters that
visit the Tanger Outlets in San Marcos each year,
brand name outlet shopping doesn’t get any bigger
or better. In fact, the Tanger Outlet Center in San
Marcos was recently named as The 2010 Official
Best Outlet Mall in Texas by Media World USA’s-
Official Best of Texas 2010.
“When you offer shoppers more than 100 of their
favorite brand name and designer outlet stores,
guarantee that they are paying the best price
possible and back it up with great customer service,
they definitely notice and appreciate it,” said
Michelle Carswell, General Manager of the Tanger
Outlet Center in San Marcos. “Tanger is very proud
to be recognized for providing the best outlet
shopping in the state of Texas.”
The Tanger Outlets in San Marcos, along with other
Best Of category winners, will be featured on The
10
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
Official Best of Texas airing on CBS 11 KTVT,
Dallas/Ft. Worth at 11:30 AM on Saturday April Get Your New
24th, 2010. The program will also be available on
the OfficialBestOf.com travel website. Employees Here!
The Official Best Of showcases outstanding "best"
attractions in a variety of categories located 2010 Rotary Club of
Greater San Marcos
throughout Texas. A research staff studies online
travel sites, state tourism information, CVB
resources, shopper feedback and other sources to
determine whether an attraction merits the "Official Job Fair
Best" reputability.
Thursday, April 22
12:00pm - 6:00pm
Frost Bank earns national
honors for small business
banking
Greenwich Associates
presented several
national and regional
awards to Frost Bank LOCATION:
for delivering quality banking services to small San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E.
businesses and middle-market firms. Hopkins St., San Marcos, TX 78666
Frost received 17 national and regional awards
from Greenwich. The San Antonio-based bank was TIMES:
recognized as a national winner in the areas of 10:00a - 12:00p - Employer Set-up
overall satisfaction, financial stability, treasury 12:00p - 6:00p - Job Fair
management, accuracy of operations, customer
6:00p - 6:30p - Employer Take-down
service and product capabilities.
Frost was named a regional winner for the West in EMPLOYER REGISTRATION FEE:
overall satisfaction and treasury management for $75.00 if registered and paid in full
both middle-market and small business banking.
by April 9th, & $100.00 after April 9th
The bank also won a national excellence award for
small business relationship-manager performance.
Includes:
This is the fourth year Frost has received these 4’ x 8’ table with table cloth, 2
prestigious awards, which reflect distinguished
chairs, plus employer name tent
service and performance in serving small
businesses and middle-market firms. sign, 2 box lunches provided for
employer representatives
Greenwich interviewed more than 13,000 business (additional meals may be
banking executives and more than 17,000
purchased at $5.00 each),
middle-market executives to as part of the awards
process. Greenwich is a financial services research designated parking for employer
and consulting firm based in Stamford, Conn. representatives.
Frost is the banking, investments and insurance
CONTACTS:
subsidiary of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. (NYSE:
CFR) — a San Antonio-based based financial Ryan P. Branigan: 512.753.3225
ryan.p.branigan@wellsfargo.com
holding company with assets of $16.3 billion and
trust assets of $22.7 billion as of Dec. 31, 2009.
Frost operates more than 110 branches across
Scott Ratcliff: 210.722.7997
Texas in the Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort
Worth, Houston, Rio Grande Valley and San sratcliff@burypartners.com
Antonio areas.
From a March 10, 2010 article in the San Antonio
Business Journal, by Tamarind Phinisee SUPPORTING AGENCIES
Member-to-Member
Discount Program
Exclusive discounts
for Chamber Members
and their employees!
www.sanmarcostexas.com/member-to-mem
ber_discount_program.htm
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter

Community News
City of San Marcos saves $1.5
million in recent bond sale
On March 2, 2010, the City Council
approved the sale of $22.1 million in
Certificates of Obligation bonds that
would be used to fund the Fiscal
Year 2010 Capital Improvement
Program including Parks, Public
Buildings, Public Safety, Streets, Drainage,
Water/Wastewater and Electric projects.
The City of San Marcos utilized a new financing tool
available to municipalities called Build America
Bonds, where the Federal government will
subsidize 35% of a municipality’s interest payments
over the life of the bond issuance.
“This is our most successful bond sale ever, due to
the City’s strong financial position, bond rating
upgrade and market confidence,” said Mayor
Susan Narvaiz.
The City realized a Net Taxable Interest Rate of
3.588%, thus saving the taxpayers of San Marcos
$1.5 Million over the 20-year bonds. This resulted
in interest savings of just over $73,000 per year,
compared to traditional tax exempt bonds. In
CATEGORY
Drainage Summary
Hughson Heights Drainage
Multi-Service Center
S Bishop Street Improvements
Stormwater Improvements
Thorpe Lane Improvements
Total Drainage
comparison, the 2009 bonds were at a 4.6%
interest rate.
“San Marcos also will realize and additional
$730,000 of interest savings over the lifetime of this
issuance by using Certificate of Obligation rather
than selling revenue bonds for enterprise projects
in our Electric and Water/Wastewater utilities, ” said
City Manager, Rick Menchaca. Menchaca
introduced this new approach to the City since his
tenure over the last two years.
According to Steve Parker, Director of Finance, the
success of the bond issuance was attributable to
three primary factors. First was the recent upgrade
of the City’s bond rating by Standard and Poor’s,
which resulted from the strong fiscal policies and
conservative budgeting standards. The second
was the time of the issuance itself. Upon the advice
of City Manager Rick Menchaca and our financial
advisor, it was determined that a greater demand
for the bond issuance would be more likely at the
proposed time of the sale due to less competition in
the market. Lastly, strong support from our under-
writing syndicate which consisted of Wells Fargo,
SAMCO Capital Markets, Estrada Hinojosa, and
Crews & Associates.
Below is a list of the 2010 Capital Improvements
Projects.
Certificates of
Obligation
$ 350,000
$ 1,150,000
$ 268,180
$ 172,500
$ 792,350
$ 2,733,030
City to offer rebates for energy
efficiency
The City of San Marcos Public Services
Department has implemented two new programs to
encourage energy efficiency.
Through the Energy Efficient Heating/AC Rebate
Program, City of San Marcos residential electric
utility customers may receive rebates for making
upgrades to heating/ac systems. Rebates are
offered for the following:
· Replacing central heat/AC systems with efficient
models,
· Adding attic/wall insulation,
· Sealing duct systems,
· Installing radiant barrier, and
· Installing programmable thermostats.
Through the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate
Program, City of San Marcos residents may receive
rebates for upgrading their home appliances to
efficient models. Rebates are available for
upgrading:
· Refrigerators,
· Dishwashers,
· Clothes washers,

Electric Summary
Capacitor Procurement Program $ 15,000
Circuit Switcher Change out $ 300,000
Distribution Transformers $ 412,900
Ranch Road 12 Feeder RR-30 Upgrade $ 35,000
Reconductor 4/0 at Stone Campers $ 60,000
Reconductor RR 12 Feeders $ 50,000
Redwood Feeder Reconfiguration Projects $ 82,000
Replace SCADA System $ 200,000
Street Light Replacement Program $ 413,000
URD Maintenance $ 50,000
Total Electric $ 1,617,900

Parks & Public Buildings Summary

Downtown Parking $ 300,000
Girls Softball Complex $ 2,271,250
Lucio Park $ 112,412
Multi-Service Center $ 1,150,000
PARD Equipment Storage $ 46,000
Purgatory Creek Preserve $ 1,000,000
Rio Vista Park $ 211,600
Total Parks & Public Buildings Summary $ 5,091,262

Public Safety Summary

Aerial Apparatus $ 750,000
Total Public Safety $ 750,000

Streets Summary
Loop 82 RR Overpass Post Realign $ 192,720
Donaldson Street Imp $ 43,800
Thorpe Hopkins Imp $ 2,100,000
Traffic Calming $ 28,750
Traffic Signal Upgrade $ 287,500
Total Streets $ 2,652,770

Wastewater Summary
Main Improvements $ 243,800
Sink Creek WW Ph 2 $ 3,910,000
Multi-Service Center $ 1,150,000
SSES & Repairs $ 609,500
Total Wastewater $ 5,913,300

Water Summary
24" Main Spring Lake to Comanche $ 1,150,000
Multi-Service Center $ 1,150,000
Quail Run Water Replacement $ 495,000
Total Water $ 2,795,000
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
· Hot water heaters, and
· Window AC units.
Both programs require the home owner to have a
free City energy audit prior to making any
improvements.
“The audit enables us to identify the best energy
efficiency measures for your home, so we can
make recommendations that will give you the most
bang for your buck” says Tom Taggart, Director of
the Public Services Department. “It also allows us
to better track actual energy savings so we know
which measures give the City the most bang for our
buck.”
The Heating/AC Rebate Program is funded through
City electric rates. The Appliance Rebate Program
is funded through a federal grant program.
Taggart says “If you have been thinking of
upgrading your central heating/AC unit or
appliances, now is the perfect time to do it. The
biggest barrier to making energy efficiency
upgrades is the upfront cost, and these rebates
make a big difference, especially if used in
conjunction with existing state and federal rebate
programs.”
For more information on rebate programs please
visit the City of San Marcos website at
sanmarcostx.gov/electric or contact Jan Klein,
Conservation Coordinator, at 393-8310.
If one state is a poster child for
economic recovery, it's Texas
Forbes has ranked Austin as the city best surviving
the recession. Austin tied with Washington, DC for
the number one slot. Four Texas cities made the top
10, including Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.
Forbes looked at unemployment, rate of job growth
and projections, home prices and cost of goods and
services.
“This Forbes ranking highlights the relative
economic strength of our state’s major metropolitan
cities, which is good news not only for the people
who live in Texas, but for those looking to move to a
state with a strong economic future,” said Gov. Rick
Perry. “Texas continues to be the best state in the
nation to live, work and raise a family thanks to our
low tax burden, predictable regulatory climate,
skilled workforce and principled, disciplined spend-
ing.”
Uncle Sam as a Recession Shield
Government spending hasn't hurt Austin, Texas,
either. It's the seat of state government and tied for
No. 1 on our list of 10 cities best surviving the
recession. Jobs have been lost nearly everywhere
in the last three years, but between December
2007 and December 2009 the number of jobs in
Austin rose by 0.98%; more than any of the other
major cities we looked at. And by three years from
now, jobs are expected to grow by 8.09%, the
second-best job outlook on our list. Third on the list
is Dallas, home to a thriving technology and energy
sector, where jobs are projected to jump 7.19% in
three years.
Behind the Numbers
To find the cities where the recession was easing,
Forbes looked for a relatively low unemployment
rate, using December 2009 figures, the most recent
available, and the rate of job growth between
December 2007 and December 2009, both from
the Bureau of Labor statistics. We sought cities
where economists expected that jobs would keep
growing, based on the three-year job-growth
forecast from Moody's Economy.com; we also
looked for metros with the highest positive change
in median sale price for single-family homes
between the third and fourth quarter of 2009,
according to the National Association of Realtors.
Finally, we factored in Metropolitan Gross Domestic
Product--the dollar amount of goods and services
produced within a metro area--provided for 2008,
the most recent available, by Moody's.
Forbes ranked the 40 largest Metropolitan Statisti-
cal Areas for which it had comprehensive data (that
excludes Nashville, Tenn. and Detroit, Mich.) on all
these measures, then averaged the rankings for a
final score.
Good Fortune In The Lone Star State
If one state is a poster child for economic recovery,
it's Texas, home to four of the 10 cities on our list.
There's more to why Austin, Dallas, San Antonio
and Houston are faring well than just the state's
energy industry. The tech, government and educa-
tion industries supplement the oil state's riches. As
for housing, cities in Texas didn't see the same
run-up in home prices and rampant speculation that
led to the spectacular bubble burst elsewhere in the
country.
"The housing market got lucky, if you want to look at
it that way," says James P. Gaines, research econo-
mist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M
University.
"We didn't have excessive overbuilding, so we don't
have a big overhang of unsold new homes, and
because Texas has among most affordable housing
in the country, the demand sustained."
Like Austin and Dallas, Houston, tied for No. 4 on
the list, is expected to experience a three-year
7.03% rise in jobs. But nowhere are jobs projected
to grow more than in San Antonio, where four
military bases should help drive its expected 8.32%
increase.
View the entire article at:
www.sanmarcostexas.com/texas_is_a_poster_chil
d_for_economic_recovery.htm
City Board Appointees Begin
Duties in New Year
The San Marcos City Council
has appointed 55 citizens to
serve on 16 City boards and
commissions beginning in
2010.
“The participation of citizens in our decision-making
processes is essential to effective government,”
said Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “The City Council
appreciates the dedication and important
contributions of so many citizens through their
service on our boards and commissions.”
An orientation session was scheduled for January
26 at 4 p.m. at Embassy Suites with a reception
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
following at 5 p.m. The new board members were
instructed in Robert’s Rules of Order, the City’s
Ethics Code, and Open Meetings.
San Marcos boards generally have staggered
terms ranging from 2 to 3 years. The City Council
wrapped up its appointments during its January 19
meeting.
Here are the City Council’s recent
appointments:
Airport Commission: reappointed John A. Diaz,
Ronald Dickens and Shaune Fraser, and appointed
Dan Gibson and Shaune Maycock.
Animal Shelter Advisory Board: reappointed Mark
Brinkley and Bert Stratemann.
Arts Commission: reappointed Dianne McCabe
and Arlis Hiebert, and appointed Jennifer Roby.
Construction Board of Appeals: appointed Clark
Huff and Mathew Swihart.
Convention and Visitors' Bureau Board:
reappointed Michelle Carswell, Richard Weik, and
appointed Bryan Miller, T. Cay Rowe and Ann
DuPont.
Economic Development Board: reappointed
Wayne Becak, Debbie Ingalsbe and Perry Moore.
Historic Preservation Commission: reappointed
Kevin Romig and appointed Polly Wright.
Housing Authority: City Council changed board
from 5 to 7 members, reappointed Rev. Samuel
Montoya and Earl Moseley, and appointed Paulette
Wallington and Ovelia Mercado.
Human Services Advisory Board: reappointed
David Case, Anita Fuller, Bill Daniels and Thomas
Rhoades, and appointed Gregory Foster.
Library Board: reappointed Michael Hennessey,
and appointed Linda Coker, John Meeks and Betty
Nagy.
Main Street Advisory Board: reappointed Ralph
Meyers and Dave Newman; and appointed Bill
Cunningham and Rob Robinson.
Parks and Recreation Board: reappointed Bill
Taylor and Steve Sunquist, and appointed Peter
Ingwersen, Robert Mooney, Chad Williams and
Sheila Torres-Blank.
Planning and Zoning Commission: appointed
Christopher Wood, Jude Prather and Bryon “Bucky”
Couch.
San Marcos/Hays County EMS Committee:
appointed Mayor Susan Narvaiz.
Veterans' Affairs Advisory Committee: appointed
David Adams.
Zoning Board of Adjustments: reappointed Saul
Gonzales, Pax Chagnon and Gary Gooch as voting
members; and appointed Augustine Agwele (first
alternate) and Joe Hessalroad (second alternate).
13
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
Did You Know?
Two New Tax Benefits Aid
Employers Who Hire and
Retain Unemployed Workers
Two new tax benefits are now available to
employers hiring workers who were previously
unemployed or only working part time. These
provisions are part of the Hiring Incentives to
Restore Employment (HIRE) Act enacted into law
today.
Employers who hire unemployed workers this year
(after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may
qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in
effect exempting them from their share of Social
Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after
March 18, 2010. This reduced tax withholding will
have no effect on the employee’s future Social
Security benefits, and employers would still need to
withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of
Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. The
employer and employee’s shares of Medicare taxes
would also still apply to these wages.
In addition, for each worker retained for at least a
year, businesses may claim an additional general
business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when
they file their 2011 income tax returns.
“These tax breaks offer a much-needed boost to
employers willing to expand their payrolls, and
businesses and nonprofits should keep these
benefits in mind as they plan for the year ahead,”
said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.
The two tax benefits are especially helpful to
employers who are adding positions to their
payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also
qualify but only if the workers they are replacing left
voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other
relatives do not qualify.
In addition, the new law requires that the employer
get a statement from each eligible new hire
certifying that he or she was unemployed during the
60 days before beginning work or, alternatively,
worked fewer than a total of 40 hours for someone
else during the 60-day period. The IRS is currently
developing a form employees can use to make the
required statement.
August 25 - 26, 2010
www.sanmarcosbizexpo.com
Businesses, agricultural employers, tax-exempt
organizations and public colleges and universities
all qualify to claim the payroll tax benefit for eligible
newly-hired employees. Household employers
cannot claim this new tax benefit.
Employers claim the payroll tax benefit on the
federal employment tax return they file, usually
quarterly, with the IRS. Eligible employers will be
able to claim the new tax incentive on their revised
employment tax form for the second quarter of
2010. Revised forms and further details on these
two new tax provisions will be posted on IRS.gov
during the next few weeks.
What to Do When You Don’t
Get Paid
by Barbara Weltma
In today’s tough economy, there is an unfortunate
domino effect in accounts receivable—your
customer is late in receiving payment so it becomes
a late payer of your invoice; unless you receive
payment you could be short of cash needed to pay
your bills. If your business routinely bills for goods
and services and you’re sitting with accounts
receivable that have begun to age, be aware of the
practical and legal steps you can take to collect
what you’re owed.
Take action quickly
The longer you wait to begin collection actions, the
less likely it becomes that you’ll receive what you’re
owed. It has been reported that when receivables
are 90 days past due, about 27% will never be
collected. At six months, 44% will remain
delinquent, and after a year, it’s likely that 75% of
your receivables will never be paid. The lesson:
Take action as soon as your accounts receivable
are past due, as you define this (e.g., 10 days, 30
days):
• Email the customer to verify receipt of the
invoice.
• Follow up with a personal call to the customer
inquiring whether there are any special
circumstances causing a payment delay. If yes,
you may want to work out terms with the
customer—giving more time to pay, accepting
partial payment immediately with the balance
delayed, or some other payment schedule.
• Stop further business with the customer until
the payment issue is resolved.
Taking collections to the next level
If you’ve done what you can in house, consider
more extensive action. There are three options:
1) An attorney can send customers a collection
letter reminding them of their obligation to pay
and promising to pursue legal action if they fail
to pay.
2) A collection agency can seek to recover what
you’re owed. Typically, they receive a
percentage—usually 25% or more—of what
they collect. Only use a reputable agency,
which you can find through the Commercial
Collection Agency Association.
3) You can go to small claims court. Each State
has its own rules and procedures for these
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
legal cases, such as a dollar limit on the
amount you can sue for. Find a link to small
claims court in your state *here. Usually, you
don’t need a lawyer to represent you, the cost
of the process is minimal, and the time for
action is rather quick. Check with the clerk of
the court in your state. Caution: Even if you are
a victor in court, there’s no guarantee you’ll
recover any money. You’ll still need to find the
customer’s assets so collection can proceed.
Taking action if your customer files for
bankruptcy
Consumer and business bankruptcies soared in
2009, increasing 32%, as reported by *Bankruptcy
Statistics. If you suspect your customer is on shaky
financial grounds and could go bankrupt, try to
obtain payment upfront before shipping any
additional goods or doing any more work.
If your customer goes belly up and seeks
bankruptcy relief, what can you expect? You’ll have
to cease collection efforts immediately. You may be
able to:
• Recover goods you’ve already shipped if they
haven’t been paid for.
• Band together with other unsecured creditors to
negotiate terms of repayment if a business
customer files for reorganization.
• File as an unsecured creditor if the business
customer files for liquidation. Here you may get
no more than pennies on the dollar.
Work with a knowledgeable attorney to determine
your rights and the best course of action under the
circumstances. If the amount owed is small, it may
not make financial sense to incur the time and cost
of pressing your claim.
Writing off uncollected amounts
Whether you can take a tax deduction for the
amount that you don’t collect depends on your
method of accounting. If you are on the accrual
basis, you can write-off uncollected receivables
when you determine they are partially or fully
uncollectible. Businesses can use the specific
charge-off method to deduct these bad debts. The
amount you deduct should be “charged-off”
(removed) from your books. If, unexpectedly, the
customer pays you after you’ve taken the write-off
under either method, you’ll have to report the
payment as income.
There is an alternative method for handling bad
debt write-offs related to services you perform,
called the “nonaccrual experience method.” Under
this method you don’t accrue service-related
income if you don’t expect to be paid for services
performed.
It may seem incredibly unfair but if you use the cash
method of accounting, you cannot take a tax
deduction for uncollected payables. You effectively
lose the time and effort you put into the job. For
example, say a dentist did extensive bridge work
for a patient who refuses to pay him and going after
this person in small claims court would prove futile.
The $3,000 for labor performed is lost (the dentist
can deduct any cost for the bridge that he paid the
laboratory).
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce - Focused on Business
Preemptive moves
Before the horse is out of the barn and you’re left
with uncollected receivables, revise your billing
policy. Stop worrying about collecting receivables
by getting customers to pay at the point of service.
Enable them to pay for goods and services via
credit card, debit card, or electronic payment
methods.
Barbara Weltman, tax and business attorney, prolific
author, speaker, radio show host, publisher of monthly
e-newsletter, "Big Ideas for Small Business(R)" and daily
emails, "Idea of the Day(R)", and a trusted advocate for
small business; visit www.BarbaraWeltman.com to find a
host of articles and constructive help for small businesses
and entrepreneurs.
Is your business website
working for you?
by Genaro (Gene) Salom
Your company website is one of your most
important marketing tools. Online marketing
(e-Marketing) tools such as social media, e-Blasts
and many more, including websites, are rapidly
becoming the preferred marketing method. Not
having a website is a mortal sin and having one that
is not right can really hurt your business. For a
website to be effective there are some things to
consider.
Is your website esthetically pleasing?
A website is like a physical building or office except
it is located in a virtual environment. When a
potential customer goes to your website the first
impression is very important and it tells a lot about
your company. An unattractive or poorly designed
website will drive potential customers away
regardless of how good your products or services
might be.
Is the website easy to navigate? (User friendly)
Like any physical store the website need to have
“friendly navigation”. The layout and architecture
must be such that a user can find what they are
looking for quickly, the less “Clicks” the better.
Make a schematic diagram of your site to see if
improvements are needed.
Are you able to update the content easily?
A website should be constantly under construction.
You should be able to update your site easily in real
time. CMS platforms (Content Management
System) are the best way to achieve this since you
can make changes to your site from anywhere at
any time easily without the need of a webmaster.
There are a few good CMS systems that you can
use in the market and they are not expensive at all
and some are FREE.
Are you being found in the search engines?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a must for
any website. You want to be found and in order to
achieve that you must have the correct keywords,
description, etc. (Meta Tags). Most CMS platforms
have Meta options. If you are not familiar with SEO
it is well worth it to consult a professional to point
you in the right direction.
Are free website offers a good business
solution?
There are many limitations including SEO,
management, expansion, relocation, etc. Mainly
they can be okay for personal use such as a
personal page but for business use they fall very
short of fulfilling the needs.
Do I have a Dynamic Site?
No matter what your industry is your site can be a
Dynamic Site. A Dynamic Site is one that interacts
with the customers or potential customers.
Depending on your particular business you can
implement newsletters, blogs, e-blast
advertisement, customer service, etc. This brings
visitors and customers to your site and lets you
interact with them. A static site just sits there in
virtual no-no land hoping to be found by the search
engines. Again is like a physical place of business
you want to advertise and bring customers and
potential clients to your store or office creating
traffic, increasing revenues, no different for your
website.
Traditional Marketing strategies are going away
very fast. Online Marketing and Online Sales are
the way of the future, also keep in mind they are a
GREEN product. A lot of companies are reluctant
to make the move. Afraid of change? The concept
is easy; look at it like a physical establishment in a
different reality. Everything that applies to a
physical store, shop or office applies to the website,
if you can think of it this way you are on the right
track.
Source:
http://texasonthego.com/tec-issues/526-business-website
-working.html
5 Steps to Plan Any Part of
Your Business
by Timberry
Most of us plan all the time. Not just the whole big
plan for our business, called “the business plan,” as
in capital letters, scary, THE BUSINESS PLAN; but
also, all the time, the pieces of business that make
it work. We plan the product launch, the trade show,
the marketing programs, sales events, new product
development, channel management, and so forth.
Planning your marketing, your product or service
mix, your social media or web strategy, your
post-recession recovery growth plan, or anything
else in your business can boil down to five standard
steps.
These can apply to any part of your business.
Step 1: Objectives
We tend to take this one for granted, as if it were
obvious. But it isn’t always obvious. Take, for
example, your decision to establish a business blog
or company social media presence. You’re
obviously thinking about the blog, the Facebook
page, a twitter account, whatever.
Do you have a specific objective? Is this campaign
about more visibility, perhaps? Is it to establish
credibility to close sales, or to generate leads to put
into the sales process? Is it to serve existing
customers better, increasing customer satisfaction,
or maybe it’s about minimizing the impact of
unhappy customers?
Don’t assume. Think about it, talk about it, and write
it down.
Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter
Regarding the writing it down: for this step and
several following steps, I seriously recommend
putting every plan into words and pictures you can
access later. I’ve learned through the years that the
value of printing it out onto paper varies: more often
than not, printing it gives it a document existence
that interferes with regular tracking and following
up. I prefer leaving it as words and pictures
accessible on your computer.
Step 2: Develop metrics
Ask yourself this important question: How will we
know if we’ve succeeded? That leads to metrics.
Planning isn’t about the plan, it’s about the results;
and you don’t know results unless you know how to
measure them. Sales, costs, and expenses are
obvious, but there are others. Is it leads? Unique
visits? Presentations? Trips? Participants?
Attendance? Make sure you take the time to set the
metrics you’re going to track. Make it measurable.
Step 3: Set the steps
Think about the steps towards the goal. Make it as
concrete and specific as you possibly can. Be sure
to include start dates and end dates and associated
intermediate measurement, plus expense budgets
where appropriate. And in many cases the single
most important element is the commitment of the
people charged with making it happen. If you want
implementation, you have to have people
committed to achieving the metrics.
Step 4: Track results somewhere visible
None of the first three steps make any difference if
you don’t track and measure results against the
original metrics. Planning is about helping humans
get things done, and none of us humans are as
likely to get things done if nobody is following up on
those metrics. I love dashboards that show daily
views of the main metrics in the business.
Step 5: Course correction
Nobody ever gets things all right from the
beginning. Nobody consistently guesses the future
correctly. So as the implementation of the plan rolls
on and the horizon keeps approaching, you take
that tracking process that you have and review
actual results compared to originally planned
results. Then you make changes. Planning is like
navigation, or steering; it’s a process. Drawing the
original map, planning the original route, isn’t
enough. If the plan is like the original route plan,
then the implementation is like changing the route
to deal with unforeseen traffic, weather problems,
and so on. Course corrections are part of planning.
About the author:
Tim Berry is founder and president of Palo Alto
Software and bplans.com. He is the author of
books and software on business planning including
Business Plan Pro and The Plan As You Go
Business Plan. He has a Stanford MBA degree. He
blogs at Planning Startups Stories,
http://timberry.bplans.com
If you have an article that you think
should be included in the Chamber’s
Quarterly Newsletter, please email
the article to Eric Bonar at
ericb@sanmarcostexas.com
15
San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce PRSRT STD
P.O. Box 2310 U.S. Postage
San Marcos, Texas 78667-2310 PAID
Permit No. 152
San Marcos, Texas
78666-2310

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