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RMA e-NEWS

 July 2007

Upcoming Events

Click here for all upcoming RMA Events >>

Member Chapter Meetings!

Open to all members and future members. Please refer to our online Calendar of Events for chapter meetings and locations.

Wednesday, July 25 and Tuesday July 31: "Map the Lifestyle, Success and Balance You Want ...Finally!!"
The Growth Coach® Orientation Seminar

Business Owners!

  • Do you often feel like a prisoner to your business?
  • Are you a "lone ranger" making your business decisions with no sounding board for new ideas?
  • Does a long term vision drive your plans and goals?

Our Strategic Mindset® coaching process provides an objective perspective to elevate your performance and results! More information >>

9:00–11:00 a.m.

Location: Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Avenue
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

Cost: Free with reservation. Call 804-601-2482 or Info@TheGrowthCoachRichmond.com to register.

Thursday, July 26: Preventive Health Screenings

Life Line Screening will be at RMA July 26 to give screenings to prevent Stroke, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Peripheral Arterial Disease and Osteoporosis. With the use of Ultrasound and Doppler equipment, Life Line Screening can view your arteries to look for blockage, aneurysms and plaque build up.

8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Location: Retail Merchants Association
5101 Monument Avenue
(804) 662-5500
Directions >>

Cost:
• Complete Vascular Package: 3 Tests = $109 (Stroke/Carotid Screening, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Peripheral Vascular Disease)
• Complete Wellness Package: 4 Tests = $129 (The vascular package plus an osteoporosis screening)
• New Tests: Complete Blood work package: 3 Tests = $99 (Complete Cholesterol, hs-CRP, glucose)

Pre-registration Required: Early appointments go quickly, so call today for your appointment: 1-800-324-1851 or Jill Dynia at 804-869-3078.

Tuesday, July 31: Connect @ Carvel

5:30–7:00 p.m.

Location: Carvel
10209 Southpoint Parkway
Fredericksburg , VA 22407
(540) 891-2444
Directions >>

Cost: $7.00

register online >>

Title Sponsor

Tuesday, August 7: Retail Marketing Expo

Exhibits, Continental Breakfast, Educational Sessions, Keynote Speaker Luncheon, Door Prizes, Networking and Much More.

9:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m.

Location: Greater Richmond Convention Center
403 N 3rd St
(804) 783-7300
Directions >>

For more information, visit RetailMarketingX.com!

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RMA News

Don’t Miss the Retail Marketing Expo on August 7th

There is no charge to attend the event or the three seminars, and parking is free in the 3rd & Marshall deck, but please pre-register at retailmarketingX.com.

You may also make reservations and pay for the VIP luncheon with keynote speaker, Richard Sharp, chairman of Crocs and former chairman of Circuit City and CarMax.

Click here and here to view TV commercials for the Expo.


Connect @ Cold Stone Creamery on Libbie Ave.

(from left) Bill Baxter, David Mills, Bob Fischer, Kevin Sharples, Todd Bradbury, Sherry Smith, Upton Martin and Dan Jones.

Thanks to our hosts, Su and Bob Fischer, owners of Cold Stone Creamery, Central Virginia Bank, 2007 Connect @ event sponsor, Kevin Sharples, dj for the evening, and Robert Thomas, Robert Thomas Photography for the photos.

Click here to see more.

NEW! Advertise for the Sales Tax Holiday

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is offering a special advertising package for the upcoming Sales Tax Holidays (Aug. 3-5 and Oct. 5-8)).

Run three identical ads within 7 days (between July 28 and August 5th for the upcoming holiday) and get one of the ads at no charge. The free ad will be the least expensive ad. Contact your account executive or call 804-649-6251.

RMA member ads will be under the banner of the Retail Merchants Association AND will receive Ad-vantage credits (You receive a 20% credit on your RMA account for the cost of your ad.)

You may only advertise your sales tax free event fourteen days prior to the event. Surveys conducted after the 2006 sales tax holiday concluded those retailers who advertised were notably more successful.

August 3-5 Sales Tax Holiday click here for rules

Tax-exempt items for the August 3-5 holiday will be clothing and footwear valued at $100 per item or less and school supplies $20 per item or less.

Any retailer may include non-tax exempt items as tax free if they pay the 5% sales tax to the Commonwealth.

Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday-October 5-8, 2007

Energy Star qualified products with a sale price of $2,500 or less per product purchased for noncommercial home or personal use are sales tax exempt Oct. 5-8, 2007.

Energy Star products include any dishwasher, clothes washer, air conditioner, ceiling fan, compact fluorescent light bulb, dehumidifier, programmable thermostat, or refrigerator, the energy efficiency of which has been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy as meeting or exceeding each such agency's requirements under the Energy Star program.

On Both Sales Tax Holidays:

  1. You must sell the qualified items that are exempt by law as tax free
  2. You may pay the sales tax for your customer on any other products you wish to include the Sales Tax Holiday event.

NEW! Preventive Health Screenings Offered at RMA - July 26

See calendar for details. Make your appointment today.

Check Out Recent First Friday Forums on Retailmerchants.com

If you miss a First Friday Forum, you can get a summary by going to retailmerchants.com and clicking on the event.

Reminder: There is no First Friday Forum in July or August.

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Member News

Cold Stone Creamery Re-Grand Opening on Libbie Avenue.

Cold Stone Creamery will celebrate July 21 with free ice cream from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., free caricatures from noon – 2 p.m., a Ribbon Cutting with Jessie Buckman, Miss Greater Richmond at 2:15 p.m. and live music. A percentage of the day’s sales will go to Comfort Zone Camp, a non-profit organization that sponsors bereavement camps for children.

10th Annual Shockoe Tomato Festival – July 21

On Saturday, July 21, 2007 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ukrop’s Super Markets, Inc. and First Market Bank present the 10th Annual Shockoe Tomato Festival at the 17th Street Farmers' Market - a fun filled family event. To celebrate this momentous anniversary, the Shockoe Tomato Festival has a new layout, new music performers and lots of new vendors. The New Oldz Band is first up with down home regional roots music, followed by the Jazz Satterwhite Group from Washington, D.C., and don’t miss the juggling magician and the jump rope squad. And as for the new tomato dishes, don’t pass up the opportunity to taste homemade tomato fudge. Back again is the Tastiest Tomato contest which challenges professionals as well as backyard gardeners for the best tasting tomato within all of Richmond! To register for this challenge, call us at 804-646-0310. Also, don’t miss Zuppa’s gazpacho and Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama BBQ.

For further information, call 804-646-0310 or visit our website: http://www.17thstreetfarmersmarket.com. The 17th Street Farmers' Market is located at 17 th & E. Main Streets in the historic Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of Richmond’s River District. RAIN OR SHINE. FREE ADMISSION

Carytown Watermelon Festival – Aug. 12

RMA is pleased to again be a sponsor of the annual Carytown Watermelon Festival on Aug 12. Nine city streets will be closed to traffic in Carytown from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. There will be great sales, fun vendors, refreshing slices of Watermelon, lots of live music and a kid’s play area in Cary Court.

James River and Cary VIP Chauffeured Services Purchase Additional Vehicles

James River Bus Lines has purchased the following equipment in the past six months:

  • 6 Motorcoaches (47 and 55-passenger deluxe models, 2 with wheelchair lifts)
  • 4 black Minicoaches (24-passenger deluxe models)
  • 1 30-passenger Minicoach with wheelchair lift and large touring windows
  • 6 black Lincoln Town Car sedans with extended leg room
  • 1 black Ford Expedition SUV

Look up at the Night Sky as Nature Presents its Own Version of Fireworks

The Perseid meteor shower returns in August with as many as 60 meteors per hour. Astronomers expect the show to peak Sunday, August 12 — the same night as a new moon. Best viewing time is after midnight. “Find a dark, open sky away from the bright lights of the city and suburbs,” says Science Museum of Virginia Astronomer David Hagan. Find out more at the Science Museum’s interactive planetarium show LiveSky on Friday, July 20, at 6 p.m.

Join the Richmond Astronomical Society for Sky Watch on the Science Museum front lawn at 9 p.m. See Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter through telescopes provided by Richmond Astronomical Society members. Sky Watch is free and held weather permitting.
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FYI

Pandemic Influenza Summit

Henrico County Health Department is hosting a Pandemic Influenza Summit on Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at the Sheraton West on Broad St. There is no fee for this summit and breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge. However, pre-registration is required, as there is limited seating.

The target audiences for this summit include businesses, government agencies, healthcare providers, and faith-based and community organizations located in Henrico County OR that serve residents of Henrico County.

The registration information can be found here. Participants can register at https://va.train.org by creating an account at no cost. Persons needing additional information may contact Augustine Doe at 501-4643, or Mike Magner at 501-7250.

American Cancer Society’s 2nd Annual Cure By Design Event is August 18th at Toad’s Place

The American Cancer Society’s 2nd Annual Cure by Design event, presented by Bon Secours Cancer Institute, will be held at Toad’s Place of Richmond at 144 Virginia Street on August 18, 2007. The event was originally scheduled for June 9.

Give Your Input on Richmond’s Downtown Master Plan

The City of Richmond and Venture Richmond have collaborated in hiring an urban planning firm, Dover Kohl & Partners, to help update the Downtown Master Plan.

This will be getting underway July 20th–26th and public input is key to its success! This input can be provided at various events click here for dates and locations.

This is a unique opportunity for you to give input and have a positive impact on Downtown Richmond. See you there!

Virginia is for Lovers 2008 Travel Guide

Ads are being accepted for the Virginia Is for Lovers 2008 Travel Guide. A pressrun of 700,000 copies will be ordered. An additional 300,000 will be sent electronically.

Call Becca Mayberry at 804-269-0725 for all the details.

SIR to Conduct a “State of Aging” Study

SIR Research, the partner marketing research firm of the Boomer Project, landed the assignment to conduct a statewide “State of Aging” study for the Virginia Department on Aging. This study is the first time in ten years the state has collected consumer input on this topic and the study could serve as a model for other states preparing for the “age wave” of older Boomers.

JetBlue #1 in Consumer Reports Survey

JetBlue Airways topped Consumer Reports' latest customer service reader survey ratings of 18 major airlines.

About 23,000 readers reported on their experiences on more than 31,000 domestic flights in a survey in early February by the magazine's research center. A smaller, follow-up survey was conducted in April, with similar results.

The survey covered ease of check-in, seating comfort, on-time performance and in-flight service.

Three other airlines serving Richmond - AirTran Airways, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines - were also among the top ten airlines on the list.

From RIC OnTime e-news

Free Posters

Richmond ’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities has free posters promoting a healthy lifestyle. One shows parents playing with their daughter at a playground and the other is a woman with a kayak on the James River with the downtown skyline in the background. Both posters are available in English and Spanish. Click here and here to view the posters.The poster can picked up at the RMA office, 5101 Monument Ave. Call Patricia Vitsky at 662-5518 or e-mail patricia@retailmerchants.com to order.

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Welcome New Members!

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