Important H1N1 Messages

As an employer, you are understandably concerned about H1N1 flu and its impact on your workforce. We have gathered the information below from the Buncombe County Health Center and Mission Hospital:

• MOST IMPORTANT: DO tell your employees to stay home or go home immediately if they have fever and flu-like symptoms such as head or muscle aches, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and in some cases, GI symptoms.
• MOST PEOPLE should be able to care for themselves at home. If they have questions or concerns they should contact there health care provider by phone before visiting their office. Emergency rooms should be saved for those people who have flu like symptoms and are pregnant, having difficulty breathing, or have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk for complications.
• Please DO NOT ask the hospital or doctors to provide documentation that a person does not have flu.

• DO encourage and support your employees in getting seasonal flu shots now, and H1N1 flu shots when they become available.
• DO provide opportunity for employees to wash hands frequently while at work. DO provide hand sanitizer, and instruct employees to sneeze into their sleeve, NOT their hands.
• DO post the attached information at your work site.
• DO provide and use these numbers for further updated information:

Buncombe County Health Center Flu Hotline: 828250.6400

CDC Information Line: 1.800.232.-4636 (Information & questions answered 24-7 by a live person)

Saving Green By Going Green
Is your business overflowing with information and having trouble managing it all? Companies are becoming more and more wasteful every day through the unnecessary use of power, paper, labor or travel back and forth to the office. Your time and money are valuable to you so come and learn about how a paperless office can increase productivity and efficiency around your work place while at the same time helping the environment. Other cost-cutting and time-saving technologies will be discussed and two lucky attendees will come away with free copies of Microsoft Office 2007. Green Practices for Your Office is presented by the Advocates for Small Business and takes place Thursday, October 1, from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at the Asheville Merchants Corporation Boardroom in the Chamber building.  For additional information or to register for the program, please visit the Chamber events webpage.

Doing Business with Local, State, and Federal Government

The United States government alone spends more than $450 billion annually on various products and services. Yet each year, thousands of contracts totaling billions of dollars bypass small firms that do not know about or understand government procurement. During this seminar you will learn:

• How to identify the codes you need to do business with government agencies
• How to register your business with federal and state governments
• How to market to government agencies
• How to search for opportunities
• How to prepare a bid

This session takes place September 25 from 9 - 11:30 a.m. at the Asheville Merchants Corporation Boardroom in the Chamber Building and is presented by the Advocates for Small Business.  To learn more or to sign up for the program, please visit the Chamber website.

Nominations Now Being Taken for the Sky High Growth Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 Sky High Growth Awards presented by Advanced Business Equipment in conjunction with the Advocates for Small Business.  The Sky High Growth Awards is an annual event recognizing the area's fastest growing small businesses for their outstanding achievements and contributions to our region's economy. The event is the October Business After Hours on October 29 at the North Carolina Arboretum but nominations are being accepted now.  Learn more about the awards, the event, and nominations by visiting the event website. The Business After Hours are presented by Clear Channel Asheville.

Golden Eagle Log Homes Open House

Golden Eagle Log Homes is pleased to announce a national open house event with approximately 100 homes being open for tours across 25 states. Locally, Chestnut Cove Log Homes, a Golden Eagle authorized dealer, will participate in the event with an open house on October 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The home is located at 4276 Pickens Hwy, Rosman, NC. Call 828.862.8126 or click here for additional information.