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The19thAnnualHome- town Christmas was a wonderful success and we are grateful for all the Hometown Heroes that showed up to display their vehicles and meet with people. There was the Huey military helicopter, mil- itary jeeps, Tehama County Sheriff's com- mand center and K-9 demonstrations, Sparky was there with CalFire to pose for photos, Corning Volunteer Fire Depart- ment had the ladder truck with the huge American flag flying and the Corn- ing Police were on hand to meet people as well. Please check out the Corning Chamber on Facebook for some great photos of the day pro- vided by Christina Meeds our president. Congratulations to our Lighted Parade winners: Best Float — Paskenta Band of Nomlaki In- dians, Best Marching Band — Cardinal March- ing Band, Best Marching Unit — Girl Scouts, Best Antique Tractor or Vehi- cle — Corning Patriots, Best Modern Autos or Trucks — Down Range, Best Equestrian — Shir- ley Ann Hall, and Judges' Overall Best — Woodson Elementary School, which will receive a $200 cash prize. Thank you to all who participated in the parade and all who came out to watch. After the parade we met at the Commu- nity Christmas Tree for the tree lighting by Santa but first James Pender- graft, who emceed, intro- duced the Little Miss and Junior Miss and court, and we had the drawing for both Rodgers The- atre fundraiser with four great prizes, and then the chamber raffle with two half pigs that were donated by Dale McFall of Ranchers Meat & Deli. Thank you Dale. The winners were drawn by State Sen. Jim Nielsen who road on one of the floats and was kind enough to draw the win- ners for each raffle. The winners of the parade were announced and then the tree was lit as the crowd helped Santa by counting down from 10. As the crowd dispersed we sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Thank you to our gen- erous sponsors Rabobank, Bell Carter, PG&E, Les Schwab Tires, St. Eliza- beth Community Hospi- tal and Dignity Health, Jamison Properties, Roll- ing Hills Casino and the city of Corning who made this event possible. Thank you Edward Jones, H&R Block and the Corning Museum for hosting the art exhibits during the day of Home- town Christmas. The ex- hibit at the Corning Mu- seum of the late Robin Blomquist's art will be up for the month of De- cember and part of Janu- ary so you still have time to see it. ChristmasMixer Don't forget our An- nual Christmas Mixer at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, hosted by Rabobank at 950 State Route 99W. Come and enjoy an eve- ning of Christmas cheer as we get in to the holi- day mood. Ranchers Deli will provide appetizers and there will be refresh- ments. We will announce the winners of the Business Decorating Contest and winners of Christmas Tree Lane. Lighted House Contest and Tour Deadline for the Lighted House contest is Friday, Dec. 11, and judg- ing will take place 5:30-9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14. The winner will be added to the TRAX Lighted House Bus Tour on Dec. 18, and will be featured in the newspaper and social media as well as receive two dinner tickets to the Chamber's Installation Dinner in January. The entry form is on our website at www.corn- ingcachamber.org. You may also come by and pick one up at the chamber of- fice, 1110 Solano St. There is no cost to en- ter. If you are interested in the free TRAX Lighted House Tour on Friday, Dec. 18, please make res- ervations by calling 387- 2877, Ext. 10. Symphony The Tehama Concert Series presents the North State Symphony's 2015 Holiday Concert Friday, Dec. 18 at the State The- atre in Red Bluff. A pre-concert party sponsored by Dignity Health begins at 6 p.m. and the concert is at 7:30 p.m. CORNINGCHAMBER An nu al H om et ow n Christmas a wonderful success What's the secret to building customer loyalty? According to a recent ar- ticle in Har- vard Busi- ness Review, many com- panies fo- cus on mak- ing loyalty a strategic pri- ority, but fail to gain trac- tion. The reason is simple. Their policies and processes don't focus on making an emotional connection with their customers. When you consider that emotionally engaged cus- tomers are three times more likely to recommend a prod- uct to others and return to make another purchase — finding a way to delight customers on an emotional level can be as important as the product you sell. Customer loyalty to the moon and back The most persuasive case study on the subject, of course, is Disney, which achieves an amazing 70 percent return rate in cus- tomer visits, according to the Disney Institute's book on the subject. And it's all due to Walt Disney's origi- nal promise to create happi- ness through "magical" ex- periences. Those magical results are not based on Disney's ac- cess to magic carpets and the like, but start with the company's Seven Services Guidelines: 1. Make eye contact and smile 2. Greet and welcome ev- ery guest 3. Seek out guest contact 4. Provide immediate ser- vice recovery 5. Always display appro- priate body language 6. Create dreams and pre- serve the "magical guest ex- perience" 7. Thank each and every guest When tone trumps procedure According to the Disney Institute, there are four keys to delighting customers: 1. Safety: Always first. 2. Courtesy: Going above and beyond to exceed guest expectations. 3. Show: Ensuring the area is show-ready for cus- tomers at all times. 4. Efficiency: Performing the customer service role ef- ficiently so the guest can get the most out of the experi- ence. The tone of their answer is also important espe- cially when trying to figure out what the guest is really trying to ask. When guests ask "When will the three o'clock parade start?" the answer is never a tired or sarcastic "at three o'clock." When a guest asks a ques- tion like this, they generally want to know when the pa- rade will pass by their cur- rent location. So Disney staff offer proactive advice on when to expect the pa- rade and where to stand to get the best view. Embrace innovation To create a magical ex- perience for customers, it's also important to stay cur- rent with customer-pleasing technology. For Disney, this means using MagicBands that allow guests to gain access to everything from their hotel rooms to rides and attractions. But companies can never rely on technology alone. "It's not the magic that makes it work; it's the way we work that makes it magic," former Walt Disney World® EVP Lee Cockerell said. A magical customer ex- perience doesn't have to be limited to the "The Happiest Place on Earth." Your team can be the rea- son customers are raving about your company to their friends and family, as long as you're willing to make customer loyalty and experience a priority. Thiscolumnwas submitted by Lisa Hansen, who owns Express Employment Professionals, 243 S. Main St. in Red Bluff. She can be reached at 527-0727. EMPLOYMENT Lessons in creating a magical customer service experience Who knows where the time goes? Although 2015 is almost in the books, you can still make some year-end in- v e s t m e n t and finan- cial moves that may help you get off to a good start in 2016. Here are a few suggestions: Boost your 401(k) contri- butions. Ask your employer if you still have time to add more to your 401(k) before the year ends. If not, at least increase your contri- butions in 2016, especially if your salary goes up. Consider "tax-loss" sell- ing. We experienced con- siderable turbulence in the financial markets this past year, so you may own some investments that have lost value. Generally speak- ing, it's a good idea to hold these investments if they still meet your needs, but if you do decide to sell them, you can use the loss to offset capital gains taxes on investments you've sold that have appreciated. If the loss from the sale was greater than your com- bined long- and short-term capital gains, you can de- duct up to $3,000 against other income. And if your losses exceed your capital gains by more than $3,000, you can carry the remain- ing losses forward to fu- ture tax years. Review your asset alloca- tion. Make sure your asset allocation — that is, your investment mix — is still appropriate for your time horizon and goals. You might consider being a bit more aggressive if you're not meeting your financial targets, or more conserva- tive if you're getting closer to retirement. If you want greater di- versification, you might think about adding an as- set class that tends to re- act to market conditions differently from your ex- isting investments. Diver- sifying your portfolio may help reduce the impact of volatility; however, diver- sification, by itself, can't guarantee a profit or pro- tect against loss. If you do need to adjust, or "rebal- ance," you can do so fairly easily in tax-deferred ac- counts, such as your IRA or 401(k) — but for those investments held in a tax- able account, you should talk to your tax advisor on how to manage the tax con- sequences of rebalancing. Evaluate your insur- ance situation. This past year, did you undergo any changes in your personal life, such as marriage, di- vorce or the addition of a new child? If so, review your life and disability insurance to make sure they are sufficient for your needs, and list the proper beneficiaries on all insur- ance policies. Start an emergency fund. If you don't already have one, start an emer- gency fund before the year is out. Ideally, you'd like to have between six and 12 months' worth of living expenses in such a fund; without it, you might be forced to dip into your long-term investments to pay for unexpected costs, such as a new furnace, a major car repair or a big medical bill. For this fund, you're less interested in re- turn than in preservation of principal, so put your money in a low-risk, liq- uid account. Making these moves can help you close out 2015 on a positive note — and ring in the new year with greater confidence in your financial future. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Susie Mustaine is a financial advisor for Edward Jones, her office is at 2130 Main St., Ste. B, in Red Bluff and she can be reached at 527- 4729 or susie.mustaine@ edwardjones.com. FINANCES Check out these end-of-the-year investment tips The Chamber Christmas Breakfast hosted by Red Bluff Dodge is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Thursday. Hot and delicious break- fast and networking with Red Bluff and Tehama County's finest. The Red Buff Dodge showroom is at 545 Adobe Road. Feel free to Bring a Toy for the less fortunate for the CHiP's For Kids pro- gram. Also, sign up between now and Thursday for free at Red Bluff Dodge to win a $500 Christmas gift card from Walmart. Winner selected directly after the Chamber Christ- mas Breakfast at 9 a.m. RED BLUFF CHAMBER Chamber breakfast set for Thursday CONTRIBUTED Pictured at the Dec. 3Banner Bank ribbon cutting, from le , are Lois Rogan, Tammy Brunello, Carlie Salazar, Amanda Jenkins, Kristen Gray, Sue Philpot, manager Trish Janzen, Jeannie Garcia, Jody Richards, Kim Berry, Scott Camp, Darlene Lyford, Terry Springman and Dave Gowan. Thankyou! PLEASERECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Lisa Hansen Susie Mustaine Make2016Count JOBTRAININGCENTER 718 Main Street, Red Bluff Learn about Short-Term Training Options in Manufacturing, Healthcare, Agriculture, Business InformationMeetings: December 2 nd & December 8 th from 9:30-10:30am Healthcare Focus Only: December 3 rd and December 10 th from 10:30-11:30am 525AntelopeBlvd,RedBluff (530) 527-5272 Mon.–Fri.8am-5pm Saturday by appointment Locally owned & operated *See redemption form for complete details. Offer expires 12/13/2015. Void where prohibited. The Reward Card is issued by U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. Copyright © 2015 Michelin North America, Inc. All rights reserved. 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