8/15 - Ribbon Cutting ~ The Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

8/16 - Young Professionals Network of Central Oregon

8/17 - Learn & Earn Workshop: Building & Improving Employee Evaluation Systems

8/17 - Ribbon Cutting ~ Pegasus Chocolate

8/18 - Good Morning Bend ~ Bob Thomas Car Co.

8/22 - Ribbon Cutting ~ DedicatedDakota.com

8/23 - Business After Hours ~ Get Wireless

8/29 - Ribbon Cutting ~ Chimps, Inc.

8/31 - Ribbon Cutting ~ Goods-Bye Auction, LLC

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Member Columns
To submit a column of 400 words or less, contact Jeff Nielson, 382-3221 or jeff@bendchamber.org

Is Your Network Ready to Adopt VoIP?
By Sandy Morse, Cascade Telecommunications

While the cost savings and new applications of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are rapidly attracting many small- to mid-sized companies to this popular communication solution, it may come with a significant price to your network.
Not only must your network carry more traffic, but VoIP traffic demands very high performance and is more sensitive to normal network problems like delays and choppy communication. Even modest levels of impairment, unnoticed by users of most data applications, will cause significant caller frustration and will not sit well with your customers, business partners, or even your own employees.
Before investing in a large-scale VoIP deployment or even in a small trial, you need to know how well your network infrastructure will handle the additional, quality-sensitive voice traffic. Many seemingly well-planned trials encounter delay after delay, exceed cost estimates, and are eventually cancelled when the network proves unable to meet the unique requirements VoIP places on it.
However, these business issues can easily be avoided if your telecommunication provider properly assesses your network ahead of time to truly understand the scope and type of work required to ensure a successful transition to VoIP.
An estimated 85 percent of networks are not ready for VoIP. Moreover, 75 percent of companies that do not perform a pre-implementation analysis of their network infrastructure will not realize a successful implementation.
Without conducting a network assessment with a quality assessment tool, the potential for wasting time and money is extremely high. Whether your company is about to take the plunge into VoIP or has already gone down that path, it is critical to deploy a tool that can accurately analyze your network.
Surprisingly, most companies overlook this integral component of the VoIP implementation process and the research clearly shows its negative impact. As you tap into this relatively new communication solution that's changing how business gets done, make sure you ask yourself this question: What is my telecommunication provider doing to create a network environment that enables my company to take full advantage of VoIP? If network assessment is not included in the response then something is definitely wrong.
For more information on Cascade Telecommunications, call 541-388-5158 or visit www.cascadetel.com.

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The High Street Band
Join The High Street Band, Bend High Desert Rotary Club and Habitat for Humanity for the Westside at Lakeside dance. Set to the theme of West Side Story at Lakeside Lumber, this is sure to be a great party. The High Street Band is high energy and everyone is sure to have a great time dancing under the stars. Not to be missed! This is a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity and the High Desert Rotary Club to be used for projects like a playground at Healy Heights, dictionaries for local third graders and more! Tickets are $35 and available at www.highdesertrotaryevents.org, Boomtown or SELCO Community Credit Union.

Jones & Roth, P.C. celebrates 60 years
Jones & Roth, P.C., a Bend certified public accounting and business consulting firm, is celebrating its 60th year of serving Oregon clients. As part of the celebration, teams of Jones & Roth employees will donate their time and energy for day-of-caring projects suggested by local United Way organizations. The firm traces its roots back to 1946, when Bill Haggerty and Archie Roff first founded an accounting firm in Springfield. After several mergers and name changes, the Jones & Roth name was adopted in 1982. Jones & Roth now is a full-service accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Bend, Hillsboro and Eugene and 85 employees, including 41 Certified Public Accountants.

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Free Seasonal Shuttle Service for Sunriver Resort Empoyees
Sunriver Resort, a AAA Four-Diamond award winning property, has announced a new and extended free seasonal shuttle service for its employees. Two 14-passenger vans now cover two routes in Bend and the La Pine area, picking up and dropping off at six locations, 10 times daily. In the busy summer season more than 900 people are employed at Sunriver Resort, creating a large demand for the shuttle service. After riding the shuttle from Bend for one month, a full-time employee can save more than $150 in gas costs and avoid putting almost 800 miles on their car.

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Summer Swarm at Umpqua Bank
Umpqua Bank has begun "Summer Swarm," which runs through Aug. 31. Summer Swarm provides new and existing customers with products such as mobile phones, Caribbean cruise packages and Disney vacations. Giveaways are based on opening a free checking account, enrolling in online Bill Pay and adding other types of accounts or services. In addition, existing Umpqua customers will be entered into a drawing in each store for a Carnival cruise, and current customers who open an additional account will receive a Motorola Razr phone or Blackberry. These promotions are subject to applicable regulations, rules, and restrictions.

Members On the
M-O-V-E
Please submit information by the 10th of the month. Photos need to be at least 300 dpi. Contact Jeff Nielson, 382-3221 or jeff@bendchamber.org

PEOPLE

Two professional recruiters have joined Express Personnel Staffing. Nathan Drake specializes in financial services and banking recruiting. He is a graduate of York College in York, Neb., where he received a bachelor's degree in education. Garrett Wales is a recent graduate of Linfield College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science. A Bend native, he specializes in engineering/manufacturing and construction industry recruiting.
Susan Stuemke has been named Manager of the Bluff Drive branch of South Valley Bank & Trust in Bend. She has more than two decades of management experience in the hospitality industry, and most recently was employed by the Pine Tavern Restaurant in Bend.
Shana Sleggs, MPT, MDT Cert., a Healing Bridge physical therapist, recently attended the "Osteoporosis - A Comprehensive Treatment Strategy - The Meek Method" course. Healing Bridge physical therapist Annette Cyr, PTA, attended the Advanced Receptor Techniques course. For information of free screening, contact Healing Bridge at 318-7041.
Three new employees have joined Sunriver Resort. They are Director of Engineering Craig Peterson, Executive Sous Chef Joseph Lee, and Marketing and Administrative Assistant Lauren Lewis . Peterson previously spent nine years with Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the largest holder of concessions contracts for the National Park Service in the country. Lee has more than 14 years of culinary experience at resorts and will be second in command overseeing Sunriver Resorts' restaurants and cafes. Lewis is a Bend native and a recent graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.
Jim Johnson, Principal Broker of Century 21 Gold Country Realty, has been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist designation by the Council of Residential Specialists.
Sortor Bushido Kai Karate congratulates August Student of the Month Austin Daugherty. Austin, 10, is a fifth grader at Vern Patrick Elementary School in Redmond and is being recognized for the great spirit and attitude he brings to his martial arts training. He will test for yellow belt in August. Information: ww.SortorKarate.com.
Lisa Canady of Eclipse Marketing in Bend has been awarded the media services contract for Oregon State University in Corvallis. She has more than 15 years of experience in advertising and founded Eclipse Marketing in Bend in 2001.
Greg Cross , who has worked for The Bulletin newspaper in Bend for 22 years as an illustrator and graphics designer, has joined Sublime Design Group. He will divide his time between The Bulletin and Sublime Design Group.
Linda Knight has joined Home Instead Senior Care as Human Resource Director. She has more than 25 years' experience in human resources.
David Quiros recently joined NorthWest Crossing Realty as a Principal Broker. Quiros has lived in Bend for 23 years and has a diverse career background that includes custom home building, hotel and resort management and restaurant operations.
Donna Evans has joined the Peace of Mind organizing team. She has nearly 20 years of office administrative experience at Stanford University. Office organizing and event planning are two of her specialities.
R&W Engineering, an electrical, mechanical and automation engineering firm, is expanding its operations in Central Oregon and has hired Tony Dickman as a mechanical engineer in the Bend office. He is a registered professional engineer in Oregon and Washington.
Steve Meyer, President and CEO of S. Meyer & Associations, Inc., Security Consulting, has earned two Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certifications, and now is certified to teach Unarmed Security Officers and Alarm Station Monitors courses. Information: 350-0018.
Shauna Quistorff, Executive Director of the Central Oregon Environmental Center, has been selected as an Oregon delegate to the National Nonprofit Congress, which will be held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16 and 17.
Ane Fonua has joined the accounting and business consulting firm of Jones & Roth in the firm's Retirement Plan Services Department. She is certified as a Qualified 401(K) Administrator and has more than 18 years of experience in pension plan administration and trust operations.
Adelle Dittman has joined Bend-headquartered ad agency Ralston360 as a graphic designer. She will work on the production of print advertising and collateral from Ralston360's Bend office.
Michelle Shooks of the financial services firm Edward Jones recently won several awards at the firm's summer regional meetings, including Top Producer and her second Triple Crown Award for Outstanding Performance. She also was a featured speaker on a panel.
Amie Schulz now is working at HSI Mortgage in Bend. She most recently was at Umpqua Bank Mortgage. She has been in banking and finance for over eight years.

BUSINESSES

Carlson Testing, Inc., has moved to a new office at 710A NE First Street. The phone number (330-9155) and fax (330-9163) remain the same.

ORGANIZATIONS

Cascades Theatrical Co., a not-for-profit company in Bend, needs to find storage space for costumes and properties at donated or reduced rent. CTC is a 501(c)3 organization. Information: 389-0803.
The Central Oregon Environmental Center has received a $100,000 grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust to develop new programs to engage citizens throughout Central Oregon to become educated on issues and take direct action to enhance the local environment.
Deschutes County is seeking one volunteer member to serve on the Deschutes County Budget Committee. Budget Committee Member applications are due Friday, October 6. Call Deschutes County's Personnel Office (388-6553) to pick up an application or visit www.deschutes.org and click on "Budget Committee Search" under Quick Links.