There were 144 new business licenses issued throughout the county in August, up from 125 in July and 143 in August last year.

So far this year, 1,267 new business licenses have been approved in the county, down from 1,419 new licenses at this point a year ago.

Pam Carnes, president of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, said it appears “there has been a little bit of a turn” in the economic environment.

Based on the amount of traffic seen in shopping areas and restaurants, she said, people seem to be spending more, which creates a better environment for starting a business.

Mark Goddard of Cobb EMC, chairman of the chamber board, said activity could increase further as the summer winds down.

“Now that the summer is over, people are taking the next step,” he said of new entrepreneurs. “Hopefully, this is a strong indicator.”

Cherokee County’s business license office filled 88 requests for new licenses last month, up from 78 in July and 83 in August last year.

Chad Corn, owner of Kernel Corn Kennels in Lathemtown east of Canton, said he has been watching after other people’s dogs for many years. After having some difficulty finding a job, he’s turning dog care into his profession.

“I decided to make it official,” he said about opening a kennel, adding that Cherokee has the potential for many new businesses. “There is room for a lot of growth. It depends on the business.”

The county office has issued 814 new licenses this year, down from 924 at this time in 2009.

Woodstock’s business license office approved 29 new licenses last month, up from 20 in July but down from 34 in August last year. This year so far, the city has issued 215 new licenses, down from 253 at this time last year.

In Canton, 19 new licenses were issued last month, equal to the number approved in July. The city department filled 18 requests for new licenses in August last year. So far this year, the city has approved 139 licenses, down from 165 through August 2009.

The business license office in Holly Springs approved eight new business licenses last month, a small increase from seven in July and up from four in August last year. The city has issued 100 new licenses this year so far, up from 55 issued at this time last year.

The City of Ball Ground didn’t issue any new licenses last month, the same as July, but did approve three in August last year. The city has issued 17 new licenses so far this year, down from 21 at this time a year ago.

The City of Waleska also didn’t approve any licenses last month, down from one in July and one in August 2009. The city has filled requests for two new licenses this year, up from one at this time last year.

The City of Nelson has not issued any new licenses in Cherokee County so far this year, nor did it approve any last year.

Cherokee County’s growth slowed down over the past year but was still the fourth-fastest in the 10-county metro area, according to a report from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

According to the report, the 10-county region added 31,500 new residents between April 1 of 2009 and April 1 this year, a rate “dramatically slower” than historic levels. Since the recession began more than two years ago, the region has added approximately 56,000 people, the slowest growth period in the region since the 1950s.

The ARC attributes the slowdown to the national economy, which it blames for slim job opportunities and the difficulty homeowners are having selling their houses.

Cherokee did see its population increase during the one-year time period from 205,900 to 209,100, a total increase of 3,200. That total was the fourth highest in the region, behind Fulton (12,300), DeKalb (6,900) and Gwinnett (4,500).

The average yearly change in the county from 2000-09 was 6,720 people, according to the report. Buzz Ahrens, chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners and member of the ARC board, said that the percentage of growth for the county has been at about 1.5 percent the last two years.

“I think we have hit the bottom on the percentage,” he said. “Or it may hold for another year. I don’t think it will go down to one.”

Ahrens said the growth could increase as a result of business opportunities in the county such as the Cherokee Commerce Center in southwest Cherokee and the Airport area. He said the Cherokee Office of Economic Development has a lot of prospects it is considering for the county.

“(Cherokee County) is a good place to be looking,” he said. “That is a really positive direction.”

ARC Board Member Dennis Burnette said some of the growth is natural, adding that Cherokee is having babies faster than people are dying. Outside of natural growth, he said, Cherokee is still attractive to outsiders.

“We have the most affordable housing within the closest commuting distance to major employment centers,” he said. “Cherokee is still very attractive from a housing standpoint.”

Waleska Mayor Doris Jones, a member of the ARC board, said she feels that the economy is turning around, which could free up some more job and housing opportunities.

“I have that feeling that when you go out, you see more people shopping,” she said. “There is a different atmosphere now.”

September 2, 2010

Cagle's Corn Maize Ribbon Cutting

355 Stringer Road
Canton, GA 30114

http://www.caglescornmaize.com

Agri – Tourism

www.CherokeeChamber.com

Did You Know?

We should do everything we can to conserve energy as we keep cool during the hottest days of the summer.В  That means treating our air conditioners the same way we treat other energy-demanding appliances: by using them wisely and keeping them running efficiently.

Use an enery-efficient air conditioner.
If you’re buying a new air conditioner, choose one for maximum energy efficiency.В  New air conditioners come labeled with an Energy Efficiency Rating (EER), a standard that lets you calculate how much electricity the air conditioner will consume.В  The higher the EER, the less it will cost you to operate the appliance to achieve the same level of cooling.

Avoid overcooling.
Don’t use or buy more cooling equipment capacity than you actually need.В  If you decide on central air conditiong, select the most energy-efficient unit that will cool the size space you have.В  Bigger is not better.В  A larger unit than you need will cost more to run and may not remove enough humidity from the air, the feature that some consumers like most about air conditioners.

Keep your cooling system well tuned.
Have it professionally maintained, and ask how the energy efficiency of the system may be increased.

Install a whole-house ventilating fan.
This can be put in your attic or in an upstairs window to cool the house, even if you have central air conditioning.В  According to Consumer Reports, a big fan working under the right conditions can cool and ventilate an entire house for about the energy cost of running an air conditioner in one room.

Set your thermostat as high as possible.
78 degrees F. is often recommended as a resonably comfortable and energy-efficient indoor temperature.

www.Earthshare.org

VisitВ CherokeeChamber.com/green.htm for more useful links & resources

September 1, 2010

Park Pediatric Dentistry of Woodstock Ribbon Cutting

1816 Eagle Dr
Suite 200-C
Woodstock, GA 30189-8274

http://www.pediatricwoodstockdentist.com

Dentists (Pediatric)

www.CherokeeChamber.com

Just a few years ago, many were complaining that development was out of hand in Cherokee County.

So out of hand, that several slow growth candidates took over the county commission.

Current Chairman Buzz Ahrens was one of them.

“We had some 25,000 to 30,000 homes already permitted and ready to be occupied basically, 3 & В˝ years ago,” Ahrens told 11 Alive News on Thursday.

Then the bubble burst and the booming economy wilted.

Many of those homes remain unbuilt or unsold.

Many new retail spaces remain empty or vacated.

Right now no one is even asking for any rezoning permits in Cherokee County and yet, there is a bright sign in the county’s development department.

Building permits are on the rise again.

“I think that’s really good news,” says Commission Chairman Ahrens.

“We’re talking 20 to 30% mix of residential and commercial, both kind of balance and that’s really good news,” he adds.

While many remain cautious, some businesses, like bicycle retailer Trey Richardson, say sales are starting to pick up.

“The traffic out here has been increasing,” Richardson tells 11 Alive News, “We’ve seen some growth and we’re starting to see more of that come into our store.”

Cherokee County’s Chamber of Commerce saw memberships drop off from a high of 1,300 a few years ago to about 1,000.

They also reduced their 250 new member goal to 175 this year.

But now they say those memberships are on the rise again.

“We’d like to think as an organization that is, of course, pro business, that business is still on the upswing and the economy is heading in that direction here in Cherokee County,” says Chamber President Pam Carnes.

But she also admits some business people may be joining the Chamber to increase the possibility of networking, which they may not have thought was as important when times were better.

Everyone we interviewed said a big concern remains the difficulty of getting financing from tight-fisted banks.

They are also wary about talk of another possible double-dip recession and the uncertainty of the November elections.

But Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens says when the recovery comes, Cherokee County expects to be ready.

August 27, 2010

Cherokee Stone Center Ribbon Cutting

3819 Holly Springs Pkwy
Holly Springs, GA 30115-7454

http://www.cherokeestonecenter.com

Stonework

www.CherokeeChamber.com

August 25, 2010

Dress Barn #711 Ribbon Cutting

132 Woodstock Square
Woodstock, GA 30189-6500

August 19, 2010

Abundant Life Senior Care Ribbon Cutting

217 River Park North

Woodstock GA, 30188-7835

http://www.abundantlifeseniorcare.com

In Home Care Services

www.CherokeeChamber.com

August 18, 2010

Michael Realty Group Ribbon Cutting

310 Paper Trail Way
Suite 106
Canton, GA 30115-5204

http://www.michaelrealtygroup.com

Real Estate

www.CherokeeChamber.com

Everyone is at a different level of knowledge, and in a different situation.В  Therefore, information that may be “old news” to one person can still be revelational to another person who is not that advanced.В В So make sure that every post, podcast and page offers something of value to the people that will consume your content.В 

Tip #9

Make every word and post count.В  Give people something of practical value to use immediately every time you share something.В  And don’t assume that they already know what you know – they probably don’t!В  Gary Susman shares the following:

If you’re blogging or podcasting to promote a business or your own personal brand, the questions you should be asking yourself are:

What can I post that will add value for the reader?

What do my readers want to know that I am equipped to tell them?

Which ongoing discussions of issues would be enhanced by the addition of my 2 cents?

Blogging, like any other social-media activity, is really participating in a conversation; it requires listening as well as speaking. That said, the adding value part is pretty easy, even if it’s just a quickie post linking to something posted elsewhere that you think would interest your readers.

You don’t have to be eloquent or long-winded, just enthusiastic about your subject. Whatever is topical in your field will keep you supplied with subject matter. It’s not important to blog frequently, just often enough so that readers know you’re engaged in what’s happening in your field, and that you have something new to offer whenever they visit.

- Gary SusmanArts and Entertainment Journalist/Social Media Consultant, http://popculturewarrior.wordpress.com

Remember that what youВ post today could change someone else’s life tomorrow.В  It could provide their “aha” moment andВ alter their business or personal direction.В  SoВ make the most of your knowledge, and shareВ it as often as possible.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

We are bombarded by tons of information every day, but sometimes something just sticks out and you suddenly pay attention to it.В  Personally, I believe that our subconscious is always at work, seeing everything and filtering out the things we don’t want to pay attention to.В  In the previous tips we talked about changing your mindset to see things you normally don’t see.В  In this tip, we’re talking about following your instinct – and a topic – that just seems to come to you.

TIP # 8

Go with your gut (and interests) and start there.В  Then cluster related words and expand your ideas.В  Before you know it, you’ll have a series in the works!

There’s never a lack of subjects to write about. Keep your eyes open and trust your instinct. If something interesting jumps out at you, take note. Literally.

Read the newspaper and circle “faits divers” noteworthy items that catch your eye. Ask yourself why it is those particularly snippets of news made you stop. See if there’s a link to an area of expertise you, or someone else has, take it from there.

“Clustering” helps. Circle a word and write as many associative words around the central one. Next do the same for each of those words. Go on until there’s a shift in your consciousness, the AHA! moment – the instance when you know what it is you want to say.

If you want to stay ahead of local reporters, read newspapers of countries in a different time zone. Always trust your guts and instinct and you’ll hook’em baby!

Judith Van Praag author/journalist, artist/designer, public speakerhttp://hopefilledjars.blogspot.com/

I like Find-A-Word puzzles – always have, since I was a kid.В  I like to look at all of the words in the list and then look at the puzzle to see what “jumps” out at me.В  I clear out as many words as possible that way.В 

Then, I systematically look for each individual word, BUT I do it with the thought that my subconscious has already seen that word, and will show me approximately where it is.В 

95% of the time, it works, so I know the subconscious is accumulating information that the conscious mind is not paying attention to.В  So why not put that to work in your content creation?

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

Sure, some topics are timeless, and people will always want to know “how to” do something. But other topics cause spikes in interest AND in search engine hits, and capitalizing on those areas of interest can help bring more traffic to your content.

TIP #7

So find out what people are talking about and searching for and try to incorporate that topic into your post.В  Remember when Britney Spears shaved her head?В  If you put “bald Britney” in your posts, you would have gotten hits you otherwise wouldn’t have had at that time.В  Just make sure that the lesson you attach to the time-sensitive topic is NOT time-sensitive, and will make sense and be relevant when people find your post at a later date.В 

But don’t take my word for it – listen to these experts:

“Topical and timely topics get a lot of reads, so before you blog, ‘cast or write, do some reading. Check out your Twitter feed to see what your community’s buzzing about. Read your local paper and a few industry rags. Then get to work with comments, observations, additional insight, etc.”

Margot Carmichael Lester writer, consultant, activist, rabblerouserhttp://www.thewordfactory.com

I use social media sites like Twitter to see what people are talking about. It usually sparks an idea for me, often several of them. I also subscribe to many RSS feeds, and they help me with research and idea generation.

Someone might post in their blog about how to find a good graphics designer. That might jog my memory, reminding me of how I shopped around to find a great PHP developer. That might prompt me to right about tips for finding a good web developer. It might also help me find a person to network with who might be willing to do a guest post on my blog.

Finally, I think the fear of running out of ideas is worse than the experience of it. So I keep a notebook where I jot down random ideas that occur to me, ones I don’t intend to act on right now. When I feel stuck, I turn to my notebook and find that an idea has been hiding in there, just waiting to be explored.

Monica Willyard Research Assistant at Veterans AdministrationВ  http://scannersguild.com/

So keeping abreast of timely topics can give you great content creation ideas.В В And if you keep the lessons timeless, but the topics relevant, you can double your visibility and hits.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

These are cost directly associated with originating, processing , underwriting and closing the loan.

Some of the common Closing cost include:

Origination fee: This is the fee that that is charged by the firm that takes the loan application and starts the loan process. It is out of this fee that the loan originator is paid.

Loan Discount points: Typically this is a charge by the lender to offer a lower interest rate.

Underwriting, Document Preparation, Tax Service, Administration fees are charged by the ultimate lender typically at closing. These fees will vary from lender to lender.

In Georgia, state law requires an attorney actually close a loan transaction. There will charge fees to search the title of the property, provide owners and lenders title insurance and a binder for the policy at closing. The attorney will pass along any direct charges such as courier fees to mail payoff's of existing liens (such as mortgages), recording fees and pay taxes on the property or the transaction (such as the intangible tax and transfer taxes).

Pre-paid charges

This typically falls into two areas today Interest and Insurance.  Interest is always paid in arrears (after you have used the money).   If you close the loan on June 20th, your first mortgage payment will not be until August 1st. The August 1st payment pays the July interest. This creates a situation that the lender still wants to collect interest from June 20th until June 30th. This is done at closing.

As to insurance, the lender wants to make sure that you keep the property insured.  If you are buying a home, the lender will require you to come to closing with a one year paid insurance policy. This is good for you as well.

Escrow charges

This establishs a savings account with the lender for your next property tax bill and the renewal on your homeowners insurance policy. You will pay 1/12th of your property tax bill and homeowners insurance along with the mortgage payment to the lender. This is helpful, so when these items come due, you forward them to the lender to pay out of the escrow account.

The key to this whole process is to get the lender to give you choices. Insist on them providing you an estimate on the "no closing cost" option compared to one where you pay the closing cost. Make sure it dicloses not only the cost, but the interest rate and monthly payments as well. You are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate to review the cost of the transaction. If there are no cost then they should provide a Good Faith Estimate with no charges to you on the sheet. If they say they do not need to provide a Good Faith Estimate continue to shop until you find a lender that will provide you one.

Next time a description of Closing cost, Prepaid items and Escrow Charges.