Last Wednesday, the Oceanside Chamber held its Annual Awards and Recognition Luncheon at the El Camino Country Club. The Chamber, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, recognized dozens of local businesses for their longtime support of the Chamber, including 75 year member, Weseloh Chevrolet.

Several businesses and community partners were also recognized with awards in ten different categories of excellence. Here's a quick look at our award winners:

Small Business of the Year: Ashley's Party Rental
Philanthropic Business of the Year: North County Lifeline
Green Partner of the Year: Green Oceanside
Patriotic Business of the Year: Pioneer Services
Arts & Culture Partner of the Year: KOCT
Innovator of the Year: Tri-City Medical Center
Community Partner of the Year: Genentech
Large Business of the Year: Gilead
Oceanside Chamber Citizen of the Year: Chuck Atkinson
Community Event of the Year: Kinane Events-Turkey Trot

by Jyotika Chand, RN

All healthcare organizations have medical records, whether paper or electronic. We have to follow all the new health care policies. Our government is constantly changing the rules and regulations for practices and it is very hard to keep up.
 
Recently, EMR’s have been a topic of discussion. Many offices still have not implemented an EMR nor do they plan on transitioning any time soon. Why? Because it is a headache and it’s costly. Sometimes it can slow the office down because it is so complicated.

by Quantal Langford

In Part 2 of the Inside Out series, we begin to go a little deeper into the branding process. In specific we are talking about the “character” of your brand. 
 
When you think of a company like Apple. What do you think of? What do they represent? Disruption of Status Quo? Innovation? Minimalist? When you walk into a Apple Store, how does the customer service approach you? How is the layout of the store? The communication of their marketing materials stays on brand with the character of their brand. When a company knows, from an inner knowing of their brand, who they are and what they represent and how they work; they build the brand loyalty and self-awareness with company and their audience.

​by Quantal Langford, Langfordesign

What exactly is a brand? It’s a very trendy word nowadays in the business world. Even the clients that I work with get confused with the actual concept of branding or brand development in regards to their logo. In this series I want to give you a different perspective on what the term “branding” actually is and how you can better connect your brand with your audience.

As a designer my job is to effectively communicate one’s vision and ideas into physical form and connect with a target audience in a way that increases the overall value of one’s brand. Take in mind that it may not result in a bottom line value at first. Through brand recognition, positioning, experience, meaning, character, and crafting the story of the brand in a way that connects with their audience emotionally, you will eventually convert that customer into your tribe. The way a person experiences your brand from first recognition, through their experience and story of the brand (website, marketing material, communications) even to customer service encompasses the vast spectrum of what branding is. 

First things first, identity thieves do not discriminate when deciding to hack into a company.  Large, small and everything in between are vulnerable.  They want the biggest bang for their buck with the least amount of risk.  So what are a few of the ways they invade?

1.    False invoices are sent to Accounts Payable in the hopes that those who are writing the checks will not verify their legitimacy.   This seems impossible, but these invoices appear real and are very nearly the same as others sent to the company and are not in amounts that would draw much attention.    

2.    Employees are contacted by what they think is their HR department telling them that there has been a change in their human resource status.  They use the link supplied in the email and are taken to a site that looks very much like the real HR site for their company.  As soon as they log in, the thieves capture that login information and go to the real site to gain access.  Once there, they redirect that employee’s paycheck by changing the direct deposit information to the thief’s bank account.

3.    Emails are sent to employees from thieves who are posing as their CEO, Supervisor or Manager requesting documents or sensitive data.  Because it’s coming from their “admin staff,” employees assume it’s legitimate and so don’t even hesitate to send this data off.  Prevalent is the request for an employees’ W2 information or horror of horrors the entire payroll spreadsheet.  This is on the rise and the W2 information is used to file fraudulent tax returns.  The IRS has issued an alert to Human Resource people to inform their staff of this particular scam.  Interesting results come up when Googling phishing and W2 scam.  You will be stunned.  

4.    Even churches are in the crosshairs.  An email is sent to the person who is in charge of the books that appears to come from the pastor or a senior church official.  The email requests a bank-to-bank transfer for an urgent and confidential matter.  Because this type of request is plausible in the context of church business, there’s no question and the transfer is made, right into the thief’s bank account.

by Isabella Janovick, Marketing  Manager, Anacomp, Inc.

Even with all the digital technology and the advancements of the cloud and its capabilities, businesses are generating more paper than ever before and continue to try to manage this paper in a digital world. The transition from paper to digital is easier than one might think, and the cost savings after the conversion is the greatest benefit of all. While there are many scanning devices that offices can use in-house for smaller jobs, larger jobs are quite often outsourced to professional scanning companies who not only have the ability to scan any type of image (i.e. paper, microfilm, microfiche) but have the software for document management, data extraction, indexing and classification. With the assistance of this key technology, organizations can be left to manage core business functions full time. Here are some of the top reasons on how organizations can reduce costs with document scanning and a digital workflow.

by Jyotika Chand,
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If you just joined a chamber or going to networking events you know that sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming. You walk in and there are so many people in the room. You meet a few people, introduce yourself, and maybe even throw out your pitch. You don’t remember everyone and you didn’t have time to get a good feel for those you did meet. Don’t worry you’re not alone.

The Oceanside Chamber has found a way to make networking less stressful and more intimate for its members. They call it Plates for 8. A member of the chamber hosts the networking luncheon for 8-10 members from 11:30am-1:00pm at a restaurant. This allows the experience to be beneficial to everyone. You get to speak about yourself and your business so others can get to know you at a more personal level and know how to help you grow successfully.

by Jyotika Chand, RN,

Are you a small business owner? Did you just start a new business? Did you just move to Oceanside and looking to meet new people?
 
Whatever the reason for coming to Oceanside, being a part of Oceanside Chamber of Commerce is the place to start. They provide 1st and 3rd Tuesday coffee meetings that are fabulous for meeting new people and entrepreneurs like you. These meetings allow everyone to make a brief introduction of themselves and their businesses, as well as create new relationships in a non-stressful environment. There is always coffee and yummy breakfast treats-How can anyone be stressed? 

by Isabella Janovick, Anacomp, Inc.
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Every business, whether large or small, has a primary goal of having a strong business model that will grow repeat business and result in financial success. But is that enough? Business management and the understanding that client needs will evolve over time will make it necessary for a successful business to evolve to survive.

Continuous process improvement is a fundamental tool for business management and growth. Business processes and an efficient workflow enhance quality, productivity and response time of business processes by removing any actions and costs that are not adding value to the business. However, before a successful process can be implemented, a business needs to identify their existing processes and costs using effective tools and analytical methods in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

​by Kristi Hawthorne

Mike Napoli grew up in an Italian family in Los Angeles. One of his earliest memories is standing on a soda box at the age of five running the cash register at the family business, Tony’s Market and Laundry Mat. 

Today he and his wife Cheryl are the proud owners of their own family business, Port of Subs, since 2003. And while it may be a franchise, the Oceanside restaurant is just one of two in San Diego County. 

By Lori Lawson

​After spending hours doing battle with piles of paperwork, you have finally compiled and organized them.  You put them in a folder and drive to your favorite tax preparer.  They complete your tax return and electronically file it with the IRS.  So far it’s all as it has been in the past.  It’s when they call you the next day to tell you that the IRS has not accepted your return because your Social Security number has already been used to file another return, that your world tilts.  You realize this isn’t a joke.  No matter how hard you try to reset the situation, nothing changes.  Someone else has filed a tax return using your social security number! 
OR
You attempt to file your return online and although in past years everything was fine, but for some reason this year, it just doesn’t work.  Yes, it could be a technical glitch, but it also could mean that someone has already filed using your social. 

by Emily Crisman
 
Located right off the 78, on the corner of Grapevine Road and West Vista Way you will find the used car dealership, Classic Chariots. Known in the community for its dependable, affordable, serviced, pre-owned cars and trustworthy employees. Classic Chariot’s most frequent customer comes from locals in the Tri-City area. Their loyal customers speak volumes to the commitment Classic Chariots has made to serving and being immersed in the Tri-City community.
 
Classic Chariot’s Founder and CEO, Mehdi Chitgari is a visionary with honorable character who has forged a new path in the car dealership industry. Classic Chariots is involved with the Oceanside Chamber, Vista Chamber, and the Navy League. Mehdi served as the president of the Navy League for two years, and is currently a board member. He is also the vice president of the Independent Automobile Dealers Association of California. Apart from titles, Classic Chariots participates in the local elementary schools, prizing winners of essay contests, and providing families with Thanksgiving dinner. ​

By Scott Ashton
You only have to spend a few minutes with Joshua and Rebekah Van Orden to understand why they started their business, Oceanside Therapy Group. It's impossible to not recognize the passion they have for family and children. Since December of 2009, Oceanside Therapy Group has provided a much needed "one stop shop" for Pediatric Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, mostly for children of military families.  

Prior to opening their own business, Rebekah was working as a speech language pathologist in Chula Vista and Joshua had just completed his licensing to become a financial advisor with Edward Jones.  Around this time they had their first child, a daughter, and Rebekah took 6 months off from work to be with her. When the six months were over, Rebekah found that leaving her daughter to go back to work was not an option for her. 

By Kierstin Hill
The impact San Diego Spine and Rehab has made on the North County community cannot be measured.  Over the last five years they have helped countless individuals recover from any ailment or injury and help them to live pain free.  They see upwards of 150 patients in their Oceanside office each day for specialized physical therapy treatment.  SDSR also attends 25-30 community events per month where they offer free chair massages and teach individuals about how their services can help people live pain free.  Let’s face it, almost everyone has a bad something – back, neck, hip, shoulder, anything. 

SDSR is passionate about their mission to educate people about the benefits of integrated medicine; they combine chiropractic, physical therapy, massage, along with other specialized treatments to help their patients feel better, get better, but most importantly, stay better.  San Diego Spine and Rehab is completely dedicated to helping patients succeed.  Not only does the staff give patients a customized treatment plan to help heal any ailments, but they also educate the patients on exercises that can be done at home so the healing process can happen more rapidly. 

By Lauren Alvey
Oceanside Abbey Carpet is celebrating their 55th anniversary this year. Current owner Chuck Ward acquired the business in 1993 and since 2003 he has quadrupled their sales! Chuck credits Oceanside Abbey Carpet's strong reputation of high quality craftsmanship already established. It was by maintaining this quality and bringing in well-respected contractors that he attributes the business' recent success. He advises that in business it is also always good to have a five-year plan mapped out. With Oceanside Abbey Carpet this is how he has been able to attain the stability they have today.

“Survival” he claims, “is the new success story"

Oceanside Abbey Carpet currently employs 17 people and the crews they work with have been with them, on average, for 14 years. Chuck holds loyalty in high regard, and it shows in the loyalty of those he continues to work with today

By Scott Ashton
Angel Printing was one of the first businesses to open an office in the Ocean Ranch Corporate Centre. A business that began in the home of Vladimir Medvinsky several years earlier, Angel Printing now services over 3,000 customers nationally and internationally.

Medvinsky started as a graphic designer in the early 1990's, managing graphic and print projects for a variety of clients. One of Angel Printing's first customers, the City of Encinitas, is still a customer 20 years later. Three times per year, Angel Printing designs and oversees the production and mailing of the Encinitas Recreation Guide, a publication reaching approximately 30,000 residents. According to Medvinsky, managing a project of this caliber early on in his career helped Angel Printing establish credibility that attracted other customers.