Image Up Advertising & Design

the better," he said. He believes it is okay to offer custombranded items for sale including t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc as long as you have the budget to do so. Conroy is open-minded to learning and states he learns something new every day. It has now been four years on the road of his first business adventure and he has a pretty good grasp on the retail business. He states "you have to place a value on your time. Figure out how much your time is worth, then compute your mental energy in the event to figure out if it's worth doing or not. Some things are an investment and some are for exposure. If it's exposure, you should double the cost for the time and energy you put into it." Conroy also advises to find a way to implement business analytics. He uses P&L (POS). He said, "Numbers never lie." He looks to see where he is losing money every month and corrects it. Conroy shared great incentives he uses for his employees, using "J" bucks. If his employees collect and turn in two J bucks they can redeem them for a free sandwich, five J bucks equals a gas card, fifty J bucks equals a $1 raise. His final advice was to avoid pitfalls of the economy – new businesses on a budget that "cheap out on location will do themselves a great disservice. In retail where you need foot traffic and visibility you cannot go cheap on your location." Conroy states he pays the highest rent in the shopping center to his father, but he is successful at his location "so it's worth it." He added, "The Chamber of Commerce is the cheerleader for business." He feels strongly that it is vital to be a Chamber member if you are doing business in the City of Yucaipa. ~ Pamela Emenger and Michelle Lopez Ribbon Cuttings Jeeperformace staff Jaime Clark and Buck Houck along with owners Pam and Stan Northington celebrate the grand opening of their Shop, Jeeperformance. They have recently expanded and are excited to offer a wide array of Jeep parts and services. Jeeperformance is located at 32215 Dunlap Blvd. and their phone number is 795-8008. Pamela Emenger and the Taco Village employees at the Taco Village Ribbon Cutting The Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for new Chamber member Big Mike's Rooter & Plumbing Co. Unfortunately, the owner, Mike Allen, was unable to attend, but his son, JimmyLee, and Marketing Manager Cheryl Choy represented him well. Big Mike's Rooter & Plumbing is a family owned and operated business for over 30 years. It is also a veteran owned business. Their services include septic, sewer line, video camera, hydrojetting, slab leaks, sewer lateral line connections, water heater repairs and installations, septic pump certifications, insurance repairs and leach line installations. They also offer 24 hour emergency service. Pictured left to right are: Cheryl Benton (NuSkin); Michelle Lopez (AVON); Jan Leja (Congressman Paul Cook); Chamber Chairman Jim Hammond (Comfort Keepers); Councilman Dick Riddell; Jason Ross (Law Office of Linda Roberts-Ross); JimmyLee Allen (Big Mike's), Paul Norwood (Safe Harbor Internet); Cheryl Choy (Big Mike's); Wayne Thatcher (Lighthouse Promotions); Debbie Harber (Sequoia Digital Marketing); Dora Ordonez (Asaderos); Marie Feuer (Life Path Healings) and Chamber President/CEO Pamela Emenger. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | OUR YUCAIPA | December 2013 7

• Cover