Ocean City’s

Business For Greater Ocean City, MD

Chamber of Commerce

12320 Ocean Gateway Ocean City, MD 21842

www.oceancity.org

mychamber@oceancity.org

Office 410 . 213 . 0144 Fax 410 . 213 . 7521

December 2018

The most effective way to promote your business to residents & other local

businesses in the Ocean City region.

Ads as Low as $250!

Enhance Your Listing for Only $55

Already an Advertiser? Your 2019 Ad Renewal will be arriving in Mid-December. Please complete & return to reserve your space...

Not Yet an Advertiser? Don’t Miss this Fantastic Opportunity to Advertise your Business

Reserve Your Space Today! Nancy Schwendeman, Publications Mgr 410-213-0144 ext. 106 Nancy@OceanCity.org

Click Here to View Info Sheet

Don’t Miss This Opportunity!

Advertise in Living & Working

Message from the President/CEO

Warmest Regards, President & CEO 410.213.0144 ext 102 melanie@oceancity.org

Melanie Pursel

The holiday spirit is certainly in the air!!! The Town of Ocean City as well as the OC Chamber and our member businesses have so many exciting events going on in December! From the OC Christmas Parade and Christmas Spirit Campaign on December 1st and the Holiday After Hours at Tailchasers on the 7th to the month long Winterfest of Lights festivities. Chamber Lights and Light Up Downtown is also a must see where our businesses and residents light up all over town! We also have a fantastic promotional piece called the “Holiday Happenings Guide” which features our businesses’ holiday deals, specials and more! Also, please be sure to see all of the local specials, and holiday party booking options in our weekly elert. Finally, be sure to check out our calendar for up to date information on events and chamber happenings at www.oceancity.org With the winter season upon us, we begin to think about the 2019 legislative session. We have set forth the following priorities and the Chamber has an active Legislative Committee as well as a contracted lobbyist, Dennis Rasmussen, who works on our behalf in Annapolis. The committee maintains contact with our Eastern Shore Delegation as well as Federal representatives on issues that could impact our membership. The Legislative Committee, along with the Board of Directors, has identified the following priorities for the 2019 legislative session. A full detailed legislative agenda will be sent out in Mid-December, but we ask that you please contact us with any additional issues that we need to be monitoring. Top 2019 Priorities:

1. Increase Tourism Promotion Funding

2. Oppose $15/hour Minimum Wage

3. Oppose “Fair Scheduling Act”

4. Support Any Legislation That will Preserve and Protect the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program

5. Support Legislation Regulating Airbnb Type Platforms

6. Amend Maryland Healthcare Access Act of 2018 to Allow Maryland Small Businesses to Participate in

Association Health Plans

7. Support Additional Business Friendly Amendments to and Oppose Expansion of Mandated Paid Leave

During the session, the Chamber will communicate with membership on a weekly basis and include an updated list of bills that may affect our region. In addition, the Legislative Committee will participate in weekly conference calls with our lobbyist to stay abreast of any changes or action that needs to be taken. We will also put out “Calls to Action” to our membership, where we may need written testimony from you, our business leaders. Finally, please be sure to contact Lisa@oceancity.org if you would like your rack cards inserted in to 2,500 bags that will be distributed in Harrisburg, PA at the Great American Outdoor Show. The deadline to sign up is December 31st. Enjoy this wonderful festive time in Ocean City with friends, family and colleagues!

Upcoming Business After Hours 5-7pm

Date Location

Dec. 7 Tailchasers Restaurant

Jan. 3 Ocean Downs Casino

Feb. 7 Dry 85

Mar. 7 Green Turtle WOC

Apr. 4 Rackliffe House

May 1 Special Bayside Party at Macky’s

June 6 Frontier Town

December 2018 Calendar of Events Date Event Location Time

Dec. 1 2018 Christmas Spirit Campaign Learn More

Berlin Walmart 6am

Dec. 7 Park Place Jewelers Ribbon Cutting 12720 Ocean Gateway West OC

Welcome 11:30am Ribbon Cutting 12pm

Dec. 7 Dec. Business After Hours & Toys for Tots Drive Learn More

Tailchasers Restaurant & Dock Bar 12203 Coastal Hwy, Ocean City

5-7pm

Week of Dec. 10

2018 Chamber Light Decorating Contest Judging

Dec. 12 YP Monthly Meeting OC Chamber 8:30-9:30am

Dec. 19 Young Professionals Christmas Party Bring a small gift! Learn More

Waterman’s Seafood Co. 12505 Ocean Gateway, West OC

5:30pm

Dec. 20 Executive Committee Meeting OC Chamber 8:30am

Dec. 20 Board of Directors Meeting OC Chamber 9:00am

Click below for the latest

news & weather

Click Here

to Check out all the latest

Welcome New Members

Thank You for Choosing Us to Promote Your Business!

The Bank of Delmarva-125th Street Sonia Baker 12505 Coastal Hwy. Ocean City, MD 21842 http://www.bankofdelmarva.com

Ireland RnR Golf Mike Healy 1 Brookside Road Berlin, MD 21811 (571) 385-6970 (877) 224-5535 http://www.irelandrnr.com/golf One week tours in Ireland.

City of Salisbury Laura Soper 110 N Division Street Salisbury, MD 21801 (410) 677-1916 http://www.salisbury.md

Refer

A New Member

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NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING RATES:

Full Page: $125 monthly or $1,250/year 1/2 Page: $75 monthly or $750/year 1/4 Page: $50 monthly or $500/year Business Card: $35 monthly or $350/year

Living & Working in OC features:

The regions premiere community resource

15,000 Copies published annually

Advertising is EXCLUSIVE to Chamber members

Full-size, full-color glossy publication

Digital version on Chamber website

Comprehensive listing of all Chamber members

Contains government, local business & community information for the Ocean City area

Distributed throughout our local community at real estate, government, doctors, and insurance offices, visitor centers, retail locations, banks and many other businesses

Directly distributed as an insertion into home-delivered local newspaper (subscription)

Direct mailed to every member

Affordable options for any business Add your logo for only $55 Add a description for only $55 Display ads start at only $250

If you would like to take advantage of advertising your business in Living & Working in OC, contact me today!

Nancy Schwendeman, Publications Manager Email nancy@oceancity.org Office (410) 213-0144, ext. 106 Cell (443) 783-5742

Promote YOUR Business & Support Your Chamber

Space Reservation Deadline: January 18, 2019

Promote Your Event or Special in our

Weekly Member E-lert, Visitor E-lert

or Individual E-blast!

The 2019 Scholarship application is

now available online!

This opportunity is open to Graduating High School Seniors as well as

those currently in the workforce. If you or anyone in your business is

looking to upgrade their skills, they are eligible to apply!

--' 'tf I

APPLY NOW

Also, please consider the Greater Ocean City Chamber Foundation when

you are making your year-end tax deductible donations.

DONATE NOW

The mission of the foundation is to support economic and educational growth in our

area through community outreach, scholarships and educational opportunities as

well as creating professional and career development opportunities for our region's

future leaders.

American Granite and Tile, Inc.

http://americangraniteandtile.com

APPI Energy

http://www.appienergy.com

Assateague Market

https://www.facebook.com/pages/

Assateague-Market/117560234930016

Atlantic General Hospital

http://www.atlanticgeneral.org

BB & T - 47th Street Branch

http://www.bbandt.com

Bennett Construction, Inc.

http://www.bennett-construction.com

Burgundy Inn/Vacations By the Ocean

http://www.vacationsbytheocean.com

Buxy's Salty Dog & Dry Dock 28

http://www.buxyssaltydog.com

Carpets & Renovations by the Ocean

http://www.bytheocean.net

Century 1 Condo Association

Coconut Malorie Resort

http://www.coconutmalorie.com

Coldwell Banker Real Estate/Katy

Durham and Rick Meehan

http://www.rickandkaty.com

CQI Associates

http://www.cqiassociates.com

Delaware Elevator, Inc.

http://www.delawareelevator.com

Enterprise Cabling, Inc.

http://www.ecabling.net

Farmers Bank of Willards - Talbot St.

http://www.fbwbank.com

GPP Holdings DBA Grotto Pizza

http://www.grottopizza.com/

Greene Turtle - West OC

http://www.greeneturtle.com

Greene Turtle, The Original

http://www.originalgreeneturtle.com

Gull Creek Senior Living Community

http://www.gullcreek.com

Habitat for Humanity of Worcester

County, Inc.

http://www.habitatworcester.org

Inlet Lodge Hotel

http://inletlodge.com/

King Charles Hotel

http://www.kingcharleshotel.com

Law Office of J.H. Phillips, III, PC

Lower Shore Enterprises, Inc.

http://www.lseworks.org

Majestic Hotel

http://www.ocmajestichotel.com

Ocean City Beach and Linen Rental,

Inc.

http://www.ocbeachandlinenrental.com

Ocean City Hair & Nail Studio

http://ochairandnailstudio.com

Ocean City Timeshare Resales &

Rentals

http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/

destinations/ocean-city-timeshare/

OceanCity.com and Shore Craft Beer

http://www.oceancity.com

Original Golf School, Inc.

http://

www.oceancitymdgolfschool.com

Outback Steakhouse

http://www.outback.com

Paradise Plaza Inn

http://www.paradiseplazainn.com

Peninsula Regional Medical Center

http://www.peninsula.org

Piney Island Construction, Inc.

http://pineyislandconstruction.com

Preferred Property Inspections

RE/MAX Advantage Realty/Elaine

Davidson

http://

www.elainedavidson.remaxagent.com/

Ripley's Entertainment Inc.

http://www.ripleys.com/oceancity

Royal Plus, Inc.

http://www.royalplus.com

Seaside Christian Academy

http://

www.seasidechristianacademy.com

Shore Community Connections

https://www.facebook.com/Shore-

Community-Connections-

1578943612148945/

Surf Villa Hotel & Dhimas Apartments

& Blue Haven Apartments

http://www.surfvilla.com

Townsend Medical Center & Atlantic

ImmediCare

http://www.atlanticgeneral.org

Trimper's Rides & Amusements

http://www.trimpersrides.com

West-O Bottle Shop & Bar

http://www.westobottleshop.com

Renewing Members October 29-November 27, 2018

THANK YOU!

Ribbon Cuttings

November Business Breakfast

Out & About… and Ribbon Cuttings

The Greyhound—an Indie Bookstore Ribbon Cutting

OC Affordable Auto Repair Ribbon Cutting

November Business After Hours

Grace Center for Maternal & Women’s Heath Ribbon Cutting Plak That

Ribbon Cutting

MD Tourism & Travel Summit

Best New Tourism Product Winner: OC Chamber of Commerce for OC Key Card Booklet

Crab Tank on the Choptank Competition Winner: Chase the Blue Crab

BALTIMORE, MD (November 16, 2018) - Contestants felt the pinch from the judges known as the “Big Crabs” during the ultimate pitch competition, “Crab Tank on the Choptank.” “Crab Tank,” loosely based on the hit television show, “Shark Tank,” featured contestants presenting their tourism marketing campaign ideas to the crabs in the tank. Five Eastern Shore counties and the town of Ocean City partnered to pitch their idea of "Chase the Blue Crab," a new group tour travel itinerary that invites visitors to celebrate, learn, savor and enjoy authentic experiences across the Eastern Shore.

“We wanted to generate new innovative ways of encouraging out-of-state travelers to explore Maryland’s beauty,” said Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director, Maryland Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. “Many of us in the tourism industry are use to working in silos where there is a high-level of comfort, but 'Crab Tank' served as an interactive opportunity for those within the industry to cross-collaborate in order to create a program and promotion to encourage travel.” "We saw this as a great opportunity to expand group tour travel itineraries across the Eastern Shore," said Kristen Goller, Tourism Manager for Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism. "We are thrilled to have won the additional marketing support by the Maryland Office of Tourism and look forward to enhancing visitor experiences by chasing the blue crab." Held live during the 38th Annual Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit in Cambridge, Maryland, the first-ever “Crab Tank on the Choptank” consisted of ten teams from across the state. Teams created programs and promotions that targeted four specific categories: human-powered recreation, family travel, multicultural/diversity travel and group travel. Each team participated in convincing the crabs to invest in their marketing campaign to increase visitation to Maryland. The "Big Crabs" included: Charmaine Singh of Reach Global, Vicki Osman of American Bus Association, Chris Adams of Miles Marketing Partnership, Mike DeAnzeris of Meredith Travel Marketing and Michael Haynie the former Chair of the Maryland Tourism Coalition. The winning crustacean receives $50,000 in promotional exposure by the Maryland Office of Tourism, a division of the Maryland Department of Commerce. About Maryland Tourism The Maryland Office of Tourism is an agency of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts within the Maryland Department of Commerce. Visitors to the state spent $17.7 billion on travel-related expenses in 2017. The Maryland tourism industry also generated $2.4 billion in state and local taxes, and provided Marylanders with more than 149,000 jobs with a payroll of $6 billion. For more information, visit www.visitmaryland.org.

"CHASE THE BLUE CRAB" WINS FIRST-EVER “CRAB TANK ON THE CHOPTANK” COMPETITION

Ten teams competed for the $50,000 prize in the ultimate pitching competition

VisitMaryland.org

MD Sales & Use—Worcester County

October 2018

# Returns Filed 1,965

Food & Beverage $4,151,515

Apparel $499,886

General Merchandise $1,148,776

Automotive $231,482

Furniture & Appliances $112,989

Building & Industrial Supplies $782,168

Utilities & Transportation $97,156

Hardware, Machinery &

Equipment

$101,888

Misc. $1,723,146

Subtotal $8,849,006

Assessment Collections $23,086

Total Collections $8,872,092

Ocean City’s Voice for Business is published the first of each month. Ads and articles may be submitted for pub-lication no later than the 20th of the preceding month. Items received after the 20th may be published in a later newsletter, or if time sensitive, published in the next weekly e-lert.

The mission of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce is to provide community leadership in the promotion and support of economic development and the continued growth of tourism in Ocean City. The Chamber serves as a hub for development, education

and communication within the business community to preserve the viability, quality of life and aesthetic values of our town.

Officers 2018- 2019 Stephanie Meehan - Chair

Funcade Toni Keiser - Chair-Elect

Atlantic General Hospital Bob Thompson - Treasurer

OC Aquafit Phillip Cheung - Secretary

CG Accounting Group, LLC John Gehrig - Immediate Past Chair

D3

Directors 2018- 2019 Brett Wolf -

Professional Mortgage Services Joe Wilson - Condominium Realty

Buck Mann –Polynesian Condo Bobbi Sample - Ocean Downs Casino Sal Fasano - LaQuinta Hotel & Suites

Steve Pastusak - Jolly Rogers Amusements Chris Woodley -

Williams, Moore, Shockley & Harrison , LLC Ruth Waters

Harrison Group Resort Hotels Madlyn Carder - BJ’s On the Water

Cole Taustin - Embers Restaurant/Blu Crabhouse/Mad Fish Bar & Grill

Sallie Johnson - Farmers Bank of Willards Joe Groves - The Plaza Condominium/DCMA

The Greater Ocean City, Maryland Chamber of Commerce "Where Business is a Pleasure"

Ocean City’s Voice for Business is published the first of each month. Ads and articles may be submitted for publication no later than the 20th of the preceding month. Items received after the 20th may be published in a later newsletter, or if time sensitive, published in the next weekly e-lert.

Chamber Staff Melanie Pursel, President/CEO Lisa Layfield, Events Director

Danielle Davis, Financial Officer Nancy Schwendeman, Publications Mgr Vera Spalt, Membership Services Mgr

Jill Brady, E-Marketing Manager

Visitors Center Staff Richard Ohanlon - Karen Lynn - Sharon Craven - Kathleen Smith -

Ed Colbert - Deb Haas

Community Representatives Economic Development Committee Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association

Downtown Association Ocean City Development Corporation

Town of Ocean City