CAJUN FEAST & BUSiNESS Expo — Thursday, April 11, 2013 • 11a.m. to 2p.m. —

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Business focused. Community minded. bentonchamber.com

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april 2013

607 N. Market Street • Benton 72015 • 501-860-7004

On April 11, the aroma of Cajun cooking will permeate downtown Benton during the Benton Area Chamber's annual Cajun Feast. Tickets are still available! Thank you to lead sponsor, Landers of Benton, and table sponsors Jones Glass, Arvest and Stilwell Nationwide Insurance Company. Thanks also to each of our event tee shirt sponsors, listed at right. These businesses will appear on the backs of our lime green Cajun Feast shirts! Look for them on event day and throughout the year. The annual highlight is the 12:30 p.m. Crawfish ConTesT, in which 10 contestants (some past champions) will compete to become the next Cajun Crawfish Champion. Competing this year: Kerry Murphy (self-sponsored), Michael Johnson (sponsor: Benton Physical Therapy), Travis Hester (sponsor: Eat My Catfish), Aaron Rasburry (sponsor: Rasburry Surveying), Scott Gossett (sponsor: George Brooks Concealed Carry Class), Tony Wright (sponsor: Gibson & Gibson, P.A.), Justin Reddin (sponsor: Summit Bank), Rodney Tarvin (sponsor: Congo Road Animal Hospital) and Jake Sky-Eagle (sponsor: Tire Town)In conjunction with the Feast is the Business expo. Come out and visit these featured area businesses: Pampered Chef, Scentsy, Good Samaritan Society, Bolding Dreher Bookkeeping, Fidelity Communications, Longhills Family Dentistry, Saline Audiology, Forest Hills Funeral Home & Memorial Park and Pinecrest Memorial Park, Hospice Home Care and Benton Area Chamber of Commerce.TICKETS may be purchased the day of the event for $12.50; advance tickets are $10 each ($90 for ten). Remember, only regular meal tickets will be sold the day of the event. Order your crawfish tickets in advance for $20 each. Call (501) 860-7004.

Main event sponsor

Alcoa Family Chiropractic & WellnessBenton Transmission Automotive & Tire

Benton Veterinary HospitalBoll Weevil Pawn

Boys and Girls Club of Saline CountyBrad and Lexi Moore

Camp DestinyCentral Adjustment Company, Inc.

Chick-fil-ACliff Hayes, DDS P.A.

Crye-Leike Realtors, BentonEverett Buick-GMC

Finley PharmacyFirst Security Bank

FirstStaffG.C. Computer Services

Gunter TileHurricane Creek Federal Credit

UnionMcCauley Services

Merchants and Farmers BankNorma McCullough, Realtor

Pinecrest Memorial Park & Forest HillsMemorial Park

Ray Baggett/Farmers InsuranceRazorback Car Wash & Quick Lube

Reward Sports MinistriesRineco Chemical Industries, Inc.

Riverside Grocery & CateringRoberson & Associates

Roller-Ballard Funeral HomeSaline Memorial Hospital

Smith-CaldwellSouthwest Design & Display

State Senator Alan ClarkSummit Bank

Thomas Insurance AgencyWest Side Pharmacy

Rick Bellinger of Riverside Grocery & Catering, Chairman of 2013 Cajun Feast, is joined by three of the participants in the crawfish eating contest: Justin Reddin from Summit Bank, Scott Gossett from Riverside Grocery & Catering, and Rodney Tarvin from Congo Road Animal Hospital.

Tickets: 860-7004

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CHAMBER EVENTS

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Show that Benton Matters to YouApril 20 • Clean-up Day

Members and friends of BENTON MATTERS, the recently formed committee that is involved in a campaign to help clean up our city, will see action on Saturday, April 20. At that time, South Street will be the target area. Through coordination between the committee and the South Street property owners, work in that area will take place. This is a good example of our group working in concert with residents to make improvements.

This group needs your help. If your business or any church youth group, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and civic organizations want to be involved, please contact the Chamber or Edd Spurlock, chairman of the Benton Matters committee.

Join in! Benton Matters

A Look BACk AT LUNCH wiTH ARkANSAS BUSiNESS SpEAkER

Our March First Thursday Lunch featured Arkansas Business Interactive Editor Lance Turner. Turner spoke to attending Chamber members about current business trends; he included special insight into things happening in Saline County.

Welcome new members: Boll weevil pawn1200 Military RoadBenton, AR 72015

501-778-7900 • Retail, Gun BrokerMCpherson properTies8067 Steel Bridge Road

Benton, AR 72019 501-794-9333 • Rental Properties

sTeve CarlTon1001 Lookout Mtn Road

Benton, AR 72019501-860-4554 • Individuallaw offiCes of J. BrenT

sTanDriDge, p.a.111 West South Street

Benton, AR 72015501-315-5292 •Attorney

NEw MEMBERS

april 3You Can Make a DifferenCe DaY9-12 p.m., Chamber Board Room

april 5, 19 Legislative Breakfast

7 a.m., Saline Memorial Cafeteriaapril 10

Marketing Committee2 p.m., Chamber Board Room

april 11Cajun Feast

11-2 p.m., First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center

april 16Civic & Governmental Affairs

1:15 p.m., Chamber Board Roomapril 16

Economic Development2:30 p.m., Chamber Board Room

april 18JA in a Day

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CiTY EVENTS

CHAMBER EVENTS

BUSiNESS AFTER HoURS 6-9 p.m., May 14, 2013 • St. John by the creek

Join us for this quarterly event benefiting scholarship funds at the Benton and Bryant Chambers. This joint Chamber event

offers food, live music, raffles, and networking opportunities. Riverside Grocery will cater.

Insurance subject to availability and qualifications. Northbrook, Illinois © 2012 Allstate Insurance

Rena Gilliam(501) 315-74751211 Ferguson Dr.BentonRena@allstate.com

Call me today for the attention you deserve.

april 1, 15 Public Utilities Commission

6 p.m., Electric Utility Department1827 Dale Street

april 8, 22Benton City Council

6 p.m., Agenda Meeting7 p.m., Full Meeting

Council Chambers, Municipal ComplexMarch 18

A & P Commission4 p.m., Chamber Board Room

CHAMBER To MANAgE EVENT CENTER Your Chamber Board of Directors and staff believe in our slogan of “Business Focused. Community Minded.” This has just recently become more evident by our decision to present a proposal to the Benton A & P Commission to oversee the management of the Benton Event Center. On March 7, the Commissioners accepted our proposal.Your Board believes this is a good move for the Chamber and for the citizens of Benton. Already the Chamber serves as a welcome mat for the City; since employees of the Center will be housed in the Chamber building, this will make the rental process and other Event Center management procedures more straightforward. Employees will work directly under the direction of Executive Director Gary James.Efforts are underway on establishing rental fees, booking policies and contracts, standard operating procedures and website development. One item that has been paramount in these efforts is keeping in mind that the citizens of Benton supported the building of the center with a 74% vote and they need to be rewarded for the faith they put forward with their vote.The process of hiring an Event Manager is also taking place at this time. Approximately 180 applications for the position have been received. One round of interviews has already been conducted and another series is scheduled for the first week of April. Conducting the interviews is a committee appointed by the Benton A & P Commission. Serving on the committee are Tom Baxley, Lori Terrell, and Holley Little.The City of Benton will be helping in the Benton Event Center management process. City of Benton Finance Officer Karen Scott will continue to provide all accounting services for the Event Center. She, the Chamber staff, and the Event Center staff will work in partnership to make this new addition to our city a great landmark and a source of

pride for our citizens.

7:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Ringgold Elementary

april 24Chamber Board Meeting

11:15 Executive; 11:45 Full BoardChamber Board Room

april 24Education Committee

1:30 p.m., Chamber Board Roomapril 25

RIBBON CUTTINGSGeorge Brooks Camp Destiny

april 259th Grade Awards to

Arkansas Scholars12:40 - 1:10 p.m.

May 1Awards to Sophomore & Junior

Arkansas Scholars9:20 a.m., Benton High School

May 14Business After Hours

6-9 p.m., St. John by the creek

March 2013

607 N. Market Street • Benton 72015 • 501-860-7004

Spring is in the air, and YOUR Benton Area Chamber of Commerce is a busy place! Please contact the Chamber to learn how you can join one of our wonderful committees today. You will meet new people, serve others AND promote your business, ALL while having a GREAT time! Member involvement is very important to the success of the Chamber, so don’t wait to become part of the excitement! Mark your calendars for our annual Cajun Feast held on Thursday, April 11th from 11:00am-2:00pm. Carry-out and delivered meals are options, so contact the Chamber today for ticket details. This is an event you won't want to miss! Join us on Saturday, April 20, as we work with the newly formed “Benton Matters” group to clean up our city. Celebrate Earth Day/Week by making a difference right here in Benton! Call the Chamber for details at (501) 860-7004.It’s a wonderful time to be a member of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce! Nothing we do is possible without YOU, so thank you for your membership!

Holley LittleBenton Chamber President

Holley Little2013 Chamber President

President's LETTER

4 oTHER EVENTSapril 5

35th Annual Boys & Girls Club of Saline County Golf Tournament8 a.m., Hurricane Golf Course

April 4-5Saline Memorial Foundation

Spring FlingHealth Education Building

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (April 4)7 a.m. - 2 p.m. (April 5)

april 6Annual Kite Fest

9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Watts Fieldapril 6

Saline County Master Gardeners Plant Sale, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.,

Saline County Fairgroundsapril 8

Benton School Board Meeting5:30 p.m., BHS Professional

Development Centerapril 13

Peace, Love & 5K7 a.m., Civitan Center

april 20Benton Matters: South Street

8 a.m., Meet at vacant lot adjacent to skating rink (South Street)

april 23Planting Day

1:30 p.m., Caldwell Elementaryapril 29

Arkansas Health Center Golf with a Celebrity

8 a.m., Hurricane Golf & Country Club

SAVoR THE FLAVoR

Adding Restaurant guideThe Chamber is excited to announce that we will work in conjunction with Red Door Book to present a Savor the Flavor Restaurant Guide of

Saline County! The Guide will first be available at the Chamber’s 2013 Savor the Flavor event to be held in the new Benton Event Center on October 10. In preparation for the printing of the Guide, Phillip Wells of Red Door Book will begin calling on restaurants in the area beginning in April. He will explain the different ads available.Copies of the Restaurant Guide will be available in participating restaurants, area hotels and other businesses. We hope all of our restaurants will want to participate in this project and that the Guide will be a good way to highlight our local restaurants. We also see this as a service to the visitors in Saline County.

Saline County Master Gardeners

Annual Plant SaleApril 6 • 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Saline County Fairgrounds