Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/13630
4A – Daily News – Wednesday, July 21, 2010 Commerce business By KRISTINBEHRENS I wondered about the origin of this phrase. Wikipedia states it is a UK number one hit single recorded in 1961 by Johnny Tillot- son. The song was writ- ten by two gentlemen who were inspired by a regu- larly scheduled parade of women walking in front of their office window to and from their lunch break. Poetry in motion could be considered graceful move- ment sparking thoughts that conjure emotion. Is it too far-fetched to think our community is going through a period of poetry in motion? Good or bad, positive or destructive, changes occurring in our community are stir- ring interest and emotion, creating passion among a wide variety of groups and organizations. The continuing tough economy is creating pressure on businesses, local government, law enforcement, for profit and non-profit entities, alike. From the view of the chamber execu- tive chair, it seems that this pressure has sharpened the edges on perspec- tives and personalities. As edges sharpen, there is a strong pull to draw energy from the negative, withdraw from collaboration and protect one’s flank and core. During such times it becomes increasingly difficult to remain posi- tive, to see the glass as half full and assume the best in people. Perhaps we feel driven to protect what we have & Poetry in motion based on a fear of losing it. But even if this would happen, perhaps the loss will create something new, maybe even something better? The Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce continues to strive for the positive. We see opportunity to improve our commu- nity and the ways in which we serve our mem- bership through the imple- mentation of strategy and focused initiatives that support our mis- sion to promote the growth and prosperity of local busi- ness. Dave Gowan has exemplified this effort as demonstrated by our new office appearance, Facebook page, soon to launch new website, upgraded chamber membership software all the while working to collaboratively facil- itate the 11 days of Round-Up, Cham- ber Strategic Advance meeting, 4th of July Celebration, Saturday and Wednesday farmers markets, assisting Chamber Events Chairman Bill Hill with event support, including the Crawdad Festival, Canoe Races, Ribs, Rods and Rides, while developing chamber protocol and infrastructure to define our charter of work to support the Downtown Red Bluff Business Association and the renewed Conven- tion and Visitor’s Bureau. That’s only a partial list. While it’s our goal to make most of the people happy most of the time, occasionally we need to respond to not-so-positive or unpopular sugges- tions by our city and county and shine the light on the downside of an idea or recommendation. It is our intention and hope to always offer a collabora- tive alternative; one that will serve the needs of our community infrastructure and our members as well. As a membership-funded, volun- teer-governed entity, we must first consider the best interests of our mem- bers and align those interests with our organizational resources and the requirements of the city and county. Sometimes, however, we must agree to disagree and then must move on. Poetry in motion? Not really. More like finding order in chaos. Perhaps the author of “Reclaiming Higher Ground,” L. H. K. Secretan explains it best. “Reclaiming the world so that it inspires the soul can only be achieved through our own efforts — if it’s going to be, it’s up to me. We can continue to complain, say we can’t fight city hall, and throw up our hands in despair, or we can draw a line in the sand and resolve that, from this day on, we will become part of the solution. This is the means by which we can retrieve the collective soul that has been lost in our communities. There can be no change in our larger community until we decide to make it so. Change happens one person at a time and it happens when people decide to take less and give more.” ——— Kristin Behrens is president of the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce and marketing director for St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. Are the markets predictably unpredictable? You’ve heard these words before – the direction of the stock market – partic- ularly over short time peri- ods – is very difficult to pre- dict. Look no further than the recovery in stocks that began, unannounced, in early March 2009. That period of time rep- resents yet another case where, just when you are convinced the market will continue moving in one direction, sentiment shifts without notice and stocks are suddenly heading in a completely different direc- tion. While this has hap- pened throughout the histo- ry of the markets, too many investors have a difficult time remembering the mar- ket’s history of unpre- dictability, and often change course at precisely the wrong time. Many make the mistake of selling near the market’s low point, then miss out on a recovery. Those who sold out in early 2009 paid a steep price. From its low on March 9, 2009 to the end of April 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 67 percent, a dra- matic rally for such a short period of time – but not unprecedented. In each of the cases, the starting point of the rally was unpredictable. Yet the results were extremely ben- eficial for those who kept money in the market. Have a plan, stick with it Just as dramatic market recoveries often begin with- out notice, the same can be true of market downturns. In today’s environment, where the media can pro- vide you with nearly a minute-by-minute assess- ment of where the markets stand, it is easy to think about short-term trends and get caught up in the idea of trading in-and-out of the market. This is a very chal- lenging investment approach that few have managed to master. It is also a high stress style of invest- ing that is subject to a wide range of unforeseen vari- ables that can impact mar- kets on a day-to- day basis. For most of us, it may be more sensible to main- tain a "tried-and- true" approach to investing. This involves: • Putting money to work regularly – most of us do this with each paycheck by directing part of our income into our workplace retirement plans. Regular contributions to IRAs and other investments also make sense. • Owning a diversified mix of investments – you should choose an asset allo- cation strategy that is appro- priate for your risk tolerance level, investment objectives and the time you have avail- able to let investments grow. • Holding for the long run – to help avoid the Alan Foley potential for losses from short-term market swings, you may be bet- ter positioned for success by main- taining a long- term stance with your portfolio. Most of us are trying to achieve long-range goals. Trying to man- age money in a short-term fash- ion in response to changes in the market may be detrimental in your quest to build wealth over Alan Foley is a financial advisor and business financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial, 2150 Main St., Ste.8, and can be reached at 528-1328. time. You may be better served by maintaining a dis- ciplined, long-term, diversi- fied approach. Discuss strategies with your finan- cial professional. ___ Real estate broker in the spotlight • Business Spotlight – Jamison Properties, 412 Third St., has been in business in Corning for the last five years and joined the Corning Chamber at that time. Terri Jamison, broker/owner, however, has been in the real estate business in Tehama County for over 21 years. They are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and have four employees. Stop by and meet the Jamison Properties team. Besides Terri Jamison, broker/owner there is Harry Finefrock, agent, Gary Lawson, agent, Rene Juarez, agent and Karen Stinson, assistant to Terri. Terri and her team are hard working, knowledgeable and professional. They look forward to servicing all your real estate needs, residential, land, ranch, commercial and industrial, whether buying or sell- ing. Terri and Juan Jamison have lived in Tehama County for the past 21 years. They have four grown children, eight grandchildren and one great grand- child. Juan helps Terri with the business. They enjoy spending leisure time with friends and family or just working around the house. • TCEAC Monthly Meeting – 7:30 a.m., Thurs- day Aug. 5 at the Job Training Center, 724 Main St. in Red Bluff, Conflict Resolution in the Workplace will be the topic at the monthly meeting. Traci Montgomery a Senior Professional in Human Resources will be the presenter. Montgomery received her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. She has 25 years expe- rience in human resource management with Society of Human Resource Management certification. Topics will be: Indentify and learn when to use the four conflict resolution styles, learn listening tech- niques to avoid conflicts, understand the dynamics of team work to have better working relationships, and learn how to get along with coworkers. To register go to www.tehama.ceac.org or con- tact Kathy Garcia 529-7000. The cost is free for members and $20.00 for nonmembers. The program is from 7:30 to 9 a.m. • Business Workshop – 3-5 p.m., Wednesdays, July 21, 28 and Aug. 4, a series of workshops will be held at the Red Bluff Community and Senior Center 1500 S. Jackson St., Red Bluff. The cost is $20 per person and $50 for all three workshops. The Job training Center, Tehama EDC and Daily News have partnered with The Chico Project to bring Tehama County businesses this series of prac- tical workshops aimed at raising the understanding and application of technology. Your business can not afford to ignore technology tools any longer. Make 2010 your technology year. Visit www.job- trainingcenter.org or call 529-7000 to register. Seat- ing is limited. • Olive Festival Sponsor Book – Thank you to all who have sent in your ad and paperwork for the Olive Festival Sponsor Book. We set an early dead- line of July 20 but you still have time to get yours in if you haven’t already. This is your opportunity to help the Chamber put on this event and still get a great price in advertis- ing. For as little as $45 (business card size and up to $125 for a full page, you can have an ad in the book that will be distributed not only in Corning but in the surrounding area businesses of Orland, Los Molinos and Red Bluff. ——— This column is prepared and submitted by the Corning Chamber of Commerce. Stocks struggle higher in choppy trade NEW YORK (AP) — Investors are trying to get a read on the economy using earnings reports. They’re finding it’s not so easy. The result Tuesday was yet another erratic day of stock trading. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 75 points after having fallen 140 in early trading in response to a series of disappointing revenue reports. Analysts were hard-pressed to come up with a reason for the turn- around. But trading was extremely light, and that tends to skew stock prices. Analysts said some investors were getting a lit- tle more upbeat as they awaited earnings reports from Yahoo Inc. and Apple Inc. after the close. But those reports came in mixed, just like those from the many companies that have also reported second- quarter results. Apple’s stock surged in after-hours trading, but Yahoo fell. Like IBM Corp., Johnson & Johnson and Goldman Sachs Inc., its revenue fell short of expectations. Investors have been Wall Street quick to sell on even a whiff of bad news. Early Tues- day, they were motivated by the reports from IBM, J&J and Goldman. Investors have been focusing on rev- enue rather than bottom- line earnings because of the link between companies’ sales and the economy. If revenue is down because consumers aren’t spending, that’s a sign that the econo- my could remain weak. Investors seem to have decided as Tuesday wore on that earnings didn’t look quite as bad as they first thought. Analysts noted that Goldman’s drop in rev- enue was similar to those reported by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. Their revenue fell not because of a weak econo- my, but because their cus- tomers decided to avoid the financial markets’ turbu- lence during the spring. The Dow rose 75.53, or 0.7 percent, to 10,229.96. The broader Standard & enterprise Poor’s 500 index rose 12.23, or 1.1 percent, to 1,083.48 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 24.26, or 1.1 percent, to 2,222.49. Advancing stocks were ahead of losers by 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consoli- dated volume came to an extremely light 1.7 billion shares, up from Monday’s 4.1 billion. Treasury prices ended the day little changed, although they rose in early trading as stocks fell as investors opted for safer investments. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, was unchanged from 2.96 percent late Monday. A downbeat report on the housing sector didn’t help the market’s early bad mood. The Commerce Department said home con- struction fell last month to the lowest level since Octo- ber. The drop was mitigated by a 2.1 percent rise in building permit applica- tions, an indicator of future activity.