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Business Briefs 03-20-10

Published 3/19/2010 in Business

Curves to hold food drive

During the month of March, Curves of Garden City will collect non-perishable items and monetary donations for Emmaus House of Garden City. The goal, according to Sonya Roth of Curves, is for the community to come together to help families in need.

According to Roth, members who donate a bag of groceries get to enter their name into a weekly drawing. Non-members who do likewise can join Curves with no join fee and enter their names into the weekly drawing.

Roth said that Curves Fitness Centers across the nation are all participating in this event. Each year they donate millions of pounds of food to feed the hungry.

For more information, visit Curves at 1135 College Drive or call at 271-0718.

JCPenney donates to YMCA

From Wednesday through April 6, shoppers at the JCPenney at the Plaza Mall are invited to round-up their purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to Garden City Family YMCA to support quality afterschool programs in the community. JCPenney has partnered with Garden City Family YMCA to provide children with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that foster their academic, physical and social development.

According to America After 3PM, a 2009 Afterschool Alliance report commissioned by JCPenney Afterschool, more than a quarter of America's school children are on their own between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. More parents seek the resources to enroll their children in a beneficial afterschool program that helps kids develop social skills, engage in physical activity and achieve academic success — all within a safe and nurturing environment. JCPenney's continuing support and commitment to the afterschool cause has made it possible for more children to participate in such positive afterschool environments nationwide.

For more information, contact Garden City YMCA CEO Chad Knight at 275-1199 or gckymca.ceo@gmail.com.

GCCC offers conflict training

An organization improves the chance for success by effectively managing conflict, and an organization's leaders share responsibility for keeping conflict to a minimum. Management of conflict is a skill that can be learned, and Garden City Community College's Business and Industry Institute is offering training in that area.

Conflict Management, a half day course, is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. April 21. Bill Young, GCCC EMST / Paramedic instructor, will teach the course, which outlines skills needed to manage conflict and ultimately decrease negative workplace consequences.

The enrollment deadline is one week prior to class. Registration and information are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu. Hours at the Business and Industry Institute, located on the top floor of the GCCC Student and Community Services Center, are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

Team building course available

Two training sessions of interest to area employers and employees are coming soon from the Business and Industry Institute at Garden City Community College.

Team Building and Delegation will run 1 to 5 p.m. March 31. The non credit course will address empowering work teams through delegation and coaching. Bill Young, GCCC EMST paramedic instructor, will teach the course. Young, an experienced trainer and educator, has taught across the U.S., as well as abroad.

The class, which costs $99 and includes a manual, provides training in identifying and prioritizing problems to achieve a better-managed workload.

The other upcoming course, Interviewing and Hiring, is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. April 7. The class focuses on screening techniques which result in hiring the most qualified individuals, and those best suited to the position and organization. Also taught by Young, the course covers the key elements of successful interviews and issues related to potential hiring lawsuits. The course costs $79 per person and includes a manual.

Both half-day courses are part of the four-class curriculum that comprises the requirements for a Certified Supervisor I Certificate. The other two courses are Performance Management and Kicked Up Customer Service, being offered later this spring. While all of these classes may be taken individually from the institute, completing a designated series offers a certificate. Also, by taking the four courses under the Certified Supervisor program, participants save $77.

The enrollment deadline is one week prior to class. Registration and information are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu. Hours at the Business and Industry Institute, located on the top floor of the GCCC Student and Community Services Center, are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

Merchant meeting approaching

The Merchant and Business Alliance meeting is set for 12 to 1 p.m. March 31 at the AmericInn. March's topic is a goal setting video presented by Mitch Young of Tyson Fresh Meats. Tyson Fresh Meats is the presenting and meeting sponsor. Please RSVP to chamber@gcnet.com or call 276-3264.

Black Hills offers payment plans

Black Hills is urging customers with payment issues to call the company's 24-hour customer service center at (888) 890-5554 or visit blackhillsenergy.com by March 31. That date marks the end of the state's "Cold Weather Rule," which prohibits bill-based service disconnections below certain temperatures and provides for special payment arrangements to those in need. Effective April 1, residential customers who are behind on their gas payments are subject to the disconnect process.

In addition to payment arrangements, energy assistance is available to qualifying customers. Black Hills Energy customers who want to help those in need near them can contribute to the Black Hills Cares energy assistance program. Monthly or one-time contributions are tax deductible and Black Hills matches them before forwarding the total to local assistance agencies.

For more information, visit www.blackhillscorp.com.

Ag department seeks applicants

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is seeking applicants who want a share of the $281,914 the state received for specialty crop projects in federal fiscal year 2011.

Potential grant applicants are encouraged to attend an informational meeting co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture and the agriculture marketing division of the Kansas Department of Commerce at 2 p.m. March 30, to learn about the grant and the application process.

The meeting will be in the fourth floor meeting room of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, 109 SW 9th St., Topeka. ¬ 

Kansas was awarded the grant as a result of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004, which was passed by Congress and authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help states enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, and dried fruits and nursery crops, including floriculture. Grants will be awarded for projects that enhance the competitiveness of these specialty crops, whether it's through research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, food safety and security, plant health, education, buy-local programs, addressing environmental concerns, or developing cooperatives.

Grant applications are due by 5 p.m. July 1, and need to be made to Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty, Kansas Department of Agriculture, 109 SW 9th St., Topeka, KS¬  66612. Grant awards will be announced by the end of July.

More information about the specialty crop block grant program and the grant application are available online at¬ www.ksda.gov/kansas_agriculture/content/281.

Wine tasting event offered

The Garden City Chamber of Commerce's fifth annual wine tasting event will be 7 p.m. April 17 at the Clarion Inn and Conference Center. Tickets will go on sale soon. For more information, call 276-3264.

Business software training available

The Business and Industry Institute at Garden City Community College is offering short courses in the basics of two popular business software applications used in data storage and accounting.

Excel 2007: Basics, a class in spreadsheet usage, shows how to design spreadsheets, as well as enter and update data. The two-evening course is set for 6 to 8 p.m. April 19 and 21. It will demonstrate how to enter formulas, format cells and chart data. The class fee is $89.

Quickbooks Pro 2009 is an accounting software program designed for home or small business use. The Quickbooks Pro 2009: Fundamentals course will run 8 a.m. to noon April 20 and 22, presented in partnership with the Kansas Small Business Development Center. The class costs $159 and includes a manual.

The enrollment deadline is one week prior to class. Registration and information are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu.

Intermediate Excel training offered

People who need to move beyond the basics of the Excel 2007 software application can soon register for a short term, non-credit course offered by the Garden City Community College Business and Industry Institute.

Excel 2007: Intermediate is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. April 26 and 28 with instructor Mary Wilson, a Master Microsoft Office user specialist. Participants need to be familiar with the fundamentals of Excel. Topics addressed will include freezing headings, splitting worksheet windows, inserting art and creating SmartArt. Participants will also learn about the versatility of MS Office templates, as well as how to link to areas within the workbook and to other documents.

The course has a fee of $159 per person, which includes a manual.

Registration is required one week in advance. Registration and information are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu.

GCCC to host trip to JCCC

An opportunity to hear one of the world's foremost authorities on work efficiency and personal growth is available to area residents.

The Business and Industry Institute at Garden City Community College is hosting a bus trip to Johnson County Community College to hear Marcus Buckingham deliver a presentation entitled Strengths-Driven Performance.

Buckingham, who spent 17 years with the Gallup Organization researching the world's best leaders, managers and workplaces, will present key data from a number of different industries demonstrating the correlation between performance and engagement.

Buckingham will give his address at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Johnson County Community College in suburban Kansas City. A bus will depart GCCC at 11 a.m. April 27 and return at approximately 4 a.m. April 28. The fee of $149 will include round trip transportation and admission to the seminar.

Buckingham, who earned a master's degree in social and political science from Cambridge University, will offer a number of strategies to support people in leveraging the best of themselves and others in the workplace.

The enrollment deadline is two weeks prior to the trip, which can only take place with sufficient registration. More information and registration are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu. Hours at the Business and Industry Institute, located on the top floor of the GCCC Student and Community Services Center, are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

Management course offered

An opportunity for area employers and employees to increase professional development is coming soon from the Business and Industry Institute at Garden City Community College.

Performance Management, set for 1 to 5 p.m. April 14, will outline techniques for better monitoring, documentation and communication about performance in the workplace. The course will be taught by GCCC EMST paramedic instructor Bill Young, who is a trainer and educator with experience teaching in the U.S. and Europe.

Young will highlight topics including open communication, coaching, feedback, documentation of work performance and use of encouragement and empathy to build successful relationships for staff performance and organizational goals.

Enrollment is required one week in advance for the course which has a fee of $99, including a manual. Registration and information are available by calling 276-9647 or via e-mail at B I@gcccks.edu. Hours at the Business and Industry Institute, located on the top floor of the GCCC Student and Community Services Center, are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

GCCC to host business luncheon

The Business and Industry Institute at Garden City Community College is hosting an Administrative Professionals luncheon and program highlighting the benefits of providing superior customer service.

The Give 'Em the Pickle lunch buffet and program will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 21 on the second floor of the Student and Community Services Center and costs $18.

The pickle-themed analogy originated from a retail entrepreneur known for giving pickles to each customer as an extra incentive for using his business. The pickle, in current business vernacular, is any little extra that better serves a customer, ranging from a hand written thank you note with each order shipped to walking a customer to an item rather than giving directions to the aisle where it may be found.

Reservations are required one week in advance and may be made at 276-9647 or online at personalenrichment@gcccks.edu.

Organizations open facilities

Two local organizations are holding ceremonies for the opening of new facilities.

The YMCA's grand opening of its newest addition is at 8 a.m. April 14 at 1224 North Center St.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Mosaic's new 10-plex apartment building located at 3002 E. Schulman Ave. is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 28.

FCYP to tour Windsor Hotel

The Finney County Young Professionals March mingle is Thursday at the Windsor Hotel in downtown Garden City. Take three tours in one: a taste of Garden City, a tour of the Windsor (with pro guides) and a beer tour. Admission is $10 with a portion going to the Preservation Alliance. For more information, call 276-3264.

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