Meet Holly Murray with Metro West Accounting...
Holly Murray is the owner of Metro West Accounting & Associates.  She is an AIPB Certified Bookkeeper and a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor.  She is a member of AIPB (American Institute of Public Bookkeepers) and NACPB (National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers). 

Since 2000, Holly has worked for several small to medium size companies in St. Charles County using QuickBooks and QuickBooks Payroll helping those companies meet their goals toward growth and stability. 

In her own company she completes day-to-day bookkeeping: paying client bills (AP), preparing invoices (AR), entering all business receipts including purchase orders and sales receipts.  She reconciles the checking, savings, loans, and credit cards each month and provides financial statements.  Using her skills from years of retail sales and bookkeeping knowledge Holly is able to help her clients understand where they stand financially and works with the clients CPA to make sure the proper data is delivered so taxes can be filed in a timely manner.  She also handles basic QuickBooks payroll for up to 25 employees and ensures payroll liabilities are filed on time even with several payroll schedules. 

Holly works with clients in retail, engineering, manufacturing, construction, equipment sales and several non-profits.  She is active in the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce and Industries where her peers voted her Ambassador of the Year.  She is a graduate of Vision Leadership St. Charles County and the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program.  A founding member of The O’Fallon Partnership and treasurer for Citizens for the O’Fallon Police Station and Courthouse Committee which earned Ambassador of Year in the City of O’Fallon (MO). 

Holly grew up in West St. Louis County and earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Southwest Missouri State University (Missouri State University).  She currently lives in O’Fallon with her husband, Jon, two cats and a dog.  They like to travel to visit family in Kansas City, Denver, and Omaha.  When not working she likes to read mysteries, ride her bike on the Katy Trail, and spend time with friends and family. 

Yes' Vote On Amendment 4 Will Mean No New Sales Tax for Services in Missouri
On November 8, 2016, Missouri voters will be asked to decide on an important ballot issue that that would prohibit state and local governments from imposing any new sales tax or use tax on services. Services are not currently taxed, and Amendment 4 would protect Missouri from new taxes on services. A ‘Yes’ vote on Amendment 4 will mean no new sales tax for services in Missouri.
 
Following a discussion on Amendment 4 at the October 18, 2016, O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries board meeting, the O’Fallon Chamber Board of Directors voted to endorse Amendment 4. The O’Fallon Chamber encourages its members and the community to vote ‘YES’ in the November 8, 2016, election to make sure there will not be an additional tax on services.
 
“A YES vote on Amendment 4 would protect Missourians from a new sales tax on services they use every day. Right now we only pay sales tax on tangible goods. If passed, this measure will not increase or decrease taxes.” said Erin Williams, President/CEO of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
 
Learn more about Amendment 4 at www.motaxpayerprotection.com or for information on the O’Fallon Chamber’s decision to endorse Amendment 4, please contact Erin Williams, President/CEO of the O’Fallon Chamber at 636-240-1818.

The O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries is committed to promoting the economic vitality of O’Fallon and the St. Charles County Region by engaging its members in networking and educational opportunities, while advocating for pro-business public policy.

​The O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries is now accepting nominations for their 2016 Awards. The winning business, organization or person will be honored at the Annual Awards Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 located at Whitmoor Country Club.
 
Awards winners in the following categories will be recognized:
 
Small Business of the Year
This award is open only to members of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce with 10 or less employees.
 
Business of the Year
This award is open to members of the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce with no less than 11 employees and no more than 100.
 
Large Business of the Year
This award is open only to members of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce with 101 or more employees.
 
Community Servant of the Year
This award is open only to members of the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce which are governmental or charitable agencies.
 
Sue Proost Person of the Year
The Sue Proost O’Fallon Chamber Person of the Year is awarded to a Chamber Member who has given back to the O’Fallon community and the Chamber of Commerce through their leadership, dedication and volunteerism.
 
Everyone is welcome to submit a nomination or even by completing the application by November 14, 2016. The award is open only to members of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries, self-nomination is welcomed.

​​September 16, 2016
Flat World Supply Chain
2342 Technology Dr #310
O’Fallon, MO 63368
636-265-1460

​September 20, 2016
Equity Missouri Properties
1555 Kisker Rd, Ste 122
St. Peters, MO 63376
314-322-4212

​September 22, 2016
Title Partners Agency
2507 Hwy K
O'Fallon, MO 63366
314-835-3625

​September 27, 2016
Walnut Grill
4401 Hwy K
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-685-0212

​A couple of years ago, at a roundtable discussion, a couple of our manufacturer members told us that they were having a terrible time finding and retaining qualified workers. From that event, we began hosting semi-annual Industrial Summits. Those events bring O’Fallon manufacturers together to learn and network together. At one of those Industrial Summit’s, an attendee stood up and asked that the O’Fallon Chamber get involved with Manufacturing Day. So here we are or were on Friday because our members asked the Chamber to get involved solving an issue that was hurting their business, we got involved, and on Friday celebrated the 4th Annual Manufacturing Day in St. Charles County.
 
Thanks to the St. Charles Community College and many other partners, the event was able to act as a free field trip for 360 area students to learn more about careers in manufacturing as well as an open house and job fair for 20 area manufacturers. The event was a great success and we look forward to being a part of the 5th Annual national event.
 
Continuing to look for ways to help this important part of our economy, the Chamber is proud to be a part of the planning of the first ProductCamp St. Charles County coming up this Friday. If you are interested in learning more about how important manufacturing is to our community, the Chamber has a website dedicated to just that, www.growmanufacturing.org.
 
Events like these are possible through folks like you who see the big picture of Chamber activities. Soon you will be receiving your packet of sponsorship opportunities for 2017. I encourage you to use the Partnership Program as an opportunity to promote your business while helping the Chamber continue to impact issues that are affecting their businesses.
 
Until next time,
Mark Crank
2016 Chairman of the Board

​You don’t have to have a PR person on staff to get the news about your business out to the media. If you have a new product, service, associate, location, or event happening in your business, consider writing and distributing a news release to help spread the word. 

Writing and distributing a news release for your local media is not a complicated task, but there are a few things you should consider when using this method to deliver your message.

AND THE POINT IS?
The most effective news releases are succinct, usually no more than one page. The document should cover the “5 w’s” - who, what, when, where, why and also include the how of what’s going on in your business.  It’s also important to establish a newsworthy angle in your release.  What about your story makes it worthy of coverage? Remember, the media is serving their audience, communicate to them the aspect of your story that you believe would be compelling to their readers, listeners or viewers. 

TARGET YOUR DISTRIBUTION
You’ll have a better chance of getting covered, if you reach out to the right reporters, producers and editors.  Is your story of widespread community interest? Is it more industry focused? Is it something that would be of interest to other business owners and professionals?  Identify, based on their specialties, the media outlets and media professionals that would be most likely to report your story and target your distribution to them. Update your media list at least once a year, so you are ready to go with a current list of contacts whenever you have news.

BE READY FOR YOUR CLOSE UP
Once you send your news release, make sure you are ready for coverage. Provide a contact name, phone and email on the release and make sure that person is ready, willing and available to respond if a reporter contacts them for an interview. Media outlets often work on daily, sometimes hourly, deadlines. If you want coverage, you may need to be willing to drop what you are doing to respond to an inquiry. A reporter may want to take photographs or video to accompany the story. Think about options in advance, so you can be ready to accommodate them if they need visuals.

NO LIMITS
The ultimate goal of a news release is to garner attention for something happening at your business.  Positive news coverage can help establish credibility and raise consumer awareness. And even though sending a news release is the traditional way of reaching out to the media, you should not limit your distribution to just them.  Post your release on your company website. Push it out on your social media platforms. Email it to your customer database. Also consider sending it to your trade association or any industry publications that might find your news relevant. 

News releases are a powerful but frequently overlooked tool that can be invaluable for just about any type of business. If you haven’t added news releases to your marketing mix, you may be missing out on one of the most cost-effective ways to get the word out about your business. 

Copyright - Chamber Speak LLC 2014