 Ashland Business Association |
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The ABA
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Events & ProgramsOngoing Membership & Community Support ProgramsBusiness Card Racks Display your business cards for FREE at the following locations if you have joined the ABA and paid your annual dues. Please note that individual agents at the same real estate agency, insurance agency, etc., need to join the ABA to take advantage of this opportunity. It's OK to display at more than one place, but each member is responsible for replenishing his or her own cards. If you don't find a space for your cards in at least one location, or if you have room for a rack at your business or organization, please contact your ABA officers.
Business Slideshow on AshlandFirst.com A slideshow featuring up to 5 ABA member businesses continuously runs on AshlandFirst.com, our website for helping consumers search and find ABA member businesses. Each slide clearly indicates the business name and is clickable to that members' profile. The new set of featured businesses will be selected at our next meeting on September 7, 2010. We have not yet decided how we will select each new set; possibly by drawing at each meeting. To be featured in the slideshow you can provide your own image correctly formatted for the web or contact suggested members for their services:
Holiday Lighting Goodies Each December holiday season the ABA supports the Holiday Tree Lighting in Montenegro Square by supplying and distributing FREE cookies and hot chocolate to attendees. We purchase cookies with ABA funds while hot chocolate is donated, brewed and delivered by Sunnyside Cafe. If you would like to volunteer to hand out the goodies this coming season please contact an ABA Officer. LinkedIn Group To encourage communication among members, we have started a group on Linked In. Follow this link to join Linked In and the Ashland Business Association group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1950802. Feel free to start and lead ABA-relevant discussions. Contact Ed Furey at 508-231-1331 if you have any questions. Map of Ashland In 2008 and 2010 the ABA, with Art by Herring Design Services, coordinated the development and distribution of a Map of Ashland to all residents. We will continue this program bi-annualy as an advertising opportunity for members and as a public service to the Ashland community. If you would like FREE copies to display and/or distribute through your business, or would like to advertise in the next issue in 2012, please contact the ABA Officers. Member Spotlight on WACA-TV Channel 8 WACA-TV Channel 8 has a program designed to spotlight ABA member businesses. This is locally concentrateded and reaches many Ashland residents. Call Bob DePeron at 508-816-3312 or Bill Gath at 508-989-0181 -- and one of them will help you get YOUR business or organization on the air. There are three ways for your business to be spotlighted:
Member to Member Discounts Some members provide special discounts, free services or referral fees to other ABA members. These are randomly listed from our database at Member to Member Discounts. Members that would like to offer member to member discounts can do so by locating and editing their profile through the business directory. Print Advertising - Ashland Directions, Ashland TAB and The MetroWest Daily News The ABA sponsors ads in local newspapers that promote the ABA, ABA events or individual member businesses. Each month an ABA business is featured in "Spotlight on Business" in Ashland Directions, Ashland TAB and The MetroWest Daily News. It is free on a first come, first served basis. You are required to submit an article of about 250 words. For more information contact Mike Kane vp@ashlandbusinessassociation.com or call him at 508-881-8882. Scholarships Each year the ABA awards at least 1 scholarship to a high school senior residing in Ashland who is graduating in that year and has been accepted to an accredited school for further education. This is a unique opportunity for graduating seniors, as they are not judged on GPA, class standing, or CEEB scores. The scholarship will be awarded to the student who best demonstrates good work ethics, motivation, creativity, and business/community interests. Application forms are available at the high school counselor’s office or download and print an application. Completed applications for 2011 must be received by Monday, May 16, 2011. They can be mailed to ABA, P.O. Box 510, Ashland, MA 01721, or they can be given to Tina Hunter at the high school by that date. Please pass the word along to your friends and neighbors in Ashland. Testimonials Testimonials ..... Publicize testimonials about your business, from any two of your satisfied customers. E-mail the Publicity Coordinator up to three lines of wording for each of your two best testimonials, and it will be added to the listing. Also, we'll draw a name at each ABA meeting to see which member's testimonials will be showcased on the first page of the Web site that month as a Featured Member. Note that these testimonials may be permanently moved to the member profiles in our business directory. You must come to the meeting to participate in the drawing. Welcome Baskets Members can reach 250+ residents with free advertising distribution each year. The ABA sends welcome baskets (recycling containers) with gifts, welcomes and business literature to new residents each year. Ashland presently experiences between 250 and 300 new residents each year. What better way to introduce them to your business? Insert an advertisement, a trinket with your name on it, a little something that says to the newcomers - “Welcome to Ashland, Try out my Business”? Inexpensive items work great - a pencil with your name, a pen, a key chain, there are lots of possibilities. A clever advertisement can be enough. To add something to the baskets or volunteer to help with the packaging and our next distribution contact the ABA Officers. |
