WBA Meeting Minutes
Waxhaw’s Downtown Development Manager, Curt White, addressed the Waxhaw Business Association with a town development update and announced Waxhaw’s upcoming Downtown Vision Forum, to be held September 19 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the Nivens Price building.
White hailed Waxhaw’s NC Main Street Community status and stated that downtown Waxhaw is the heart of our community. He also spoke of the town’s 21 restaurants, upcoming improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks and infrastructure, and continued residential development.
The Downtown Vision Forum is geared toward downtown business owners and residents to have a discussion and give input on how the next five years should look in the evolution of Waxhaw’s downtown / Main Street area. If you’d like to attend, you must RSVP to cwhite@waxhaw.com by August 31.
Featured Speaker
Matt Villmer, a business attorney at Weaver Bennett & Bland spoke about business law and shared seven important tips every small business owner should know and do to protect their business.
Three Key Takeaways
1) Set up a business entity. Whether you create an LLC or an S-Corp, doing so gives your business legitimacy and protects the owner’s personal property from business debts. You can hire someone to help you set up your business or you can easily do it yourself on the Secretary of State website.
2) Contracts. If you sign a lease for your business, put it in the business’ name, not your own. If you are in a partnership, it’s imperative to have an owner’s agreement, by-laws, shareholders agreement, and clearly outline who owns what, how are profits and losses distributed, what happens if someone dies, how you’ll handle disagreements and how you’ll part ways.
3) Protect your intellectual property. Regarding brand names, taglines, logos, and trademarks – if you used it first, you may have claim to it but you should still go to trademark office and register it. The same is true for copyright – anything you put into the world is copyrighted, but you can go to the copyright office for more protection. Decide if it makes financial sense to protect a tagline or logo and do a market test before filing for an expensive patent to make sure your idea is marketable.
If you weren’t able to attend the meeting but would like to learn more about how you can protect your small business from a legal standpoint, contact Matt Villmer at mvillmer@wbbatty.com to schedule an appointment.
Member News
Congrats to WBA VP, Tony Garshnick, and his team at Atlantic Bay Mortgage on the grand opening of their office in Waxhaw Professional Park. The occasion was celebrated with a ribbon cutting by the Union County Chamber of Commerce followed by a taco bar and margaritas!
What’s Coming Up?
Labor Day Weekend – The DreamChaser’s Brewery Labor Day Party with 4 Food Trucks – visit Dreamchaser’s Facebook page to confirm date and time
September 11, 7:30 AM – Day of Remembrance Ceremony at the Military Wall of Honor
September 23 – Project2Heal’s Putt for Pups Golf Tournament at Firethorne – form a team and register online at project2healgolf2019.com
Check the Town of Waxhaw and Waxhaw Business Association Facebook pages to keep informed about upcoming events in the town and with town businesses!
New Members
Steven Garcia, NerdsToGo
Ashley Danehy, Benchmark Physical Therapy
Rachel Martinez, BizGeek Solutions
Jami Greene, Panera Bread Catering (Indian Trail, Union County)
Sandra Petrizzo, Project2Heal
Find all of our members online at http://bit.ly/wbamembers
ABOUT THE WBA
WHO WE ARE
The Waxhaw Business Association is a non-profit membership organization created to promote and advance the commercial and economic interests of its members and to promote the Town of Waxhaw as a place that’s open for business.
OUR MISSION
To encourage, support, and promote Waxhaw’s thriving business community through education, networking, and communal gatherings. To strengthen Waxhaw’s business environment through personal relationships and to make Waxhaw a better place to live, work, and play.
OUR VISION
To create an environment for Waxhaw’s retailers, restaurants, service providers, and non-profit organizations to meet, collaborate, and foster relationships. To enhance the experience of all those who visit Waxhaw and our commercial establishments.
COMING UP
The WBA’s next meeting is September 18, 2019, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at The Dreamchaser’s Brewery. Join us for a light breakfast and networking. Get the latest on what’s happening in the Waxhaw business community and learn from an engaging speaker! Unfortunately, coffee will be the strongest beverage served.
If you’d like to join us as a first-time guest, reach out to a current member and ask to be invited to our monthly breakfast meeting. Membership is affordable at only $150 for the year for businesses and $75 for non-profits. WBA membership is tax-deductible.
