Take your business to a new level! Come see us at the 2013 Business Expo organized by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Business Expo is an easy, affordable way to give your company maximum exposure in front of thousands of people, as well as learn what goods and services are available for your business. This year’s show will be at the NC State Fairgrounds Jim Graham Building which offers ample free, convenient parking and is only a short drive away no matter which part of town you’re in.

So, come out and connect with more than 200 businesses that can provide products and services your company needs. Our Territory Manager Paige Woods will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the socially responsible and cost effective way to advertise outdoors on the highways of North Carolina. The Sponsor-a-Highway program will get your business in front of millions of motorists, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We make it easy! We remove the litter…you receive the recognition!

The 2013 Business Expo will be held on:

Click here to register for your free Diamonds Direct e-ticket. By using Diamonds Direct e-ticket for admission on May 1, you are automatically entered into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate to Diamonds Direct Crabtee. Click here for rules and regulations.

In the first quarter of 2013, AAHLRSA launched a campaign to support The Canopy Project lead by Earth Day Network. For every new sponsor in the Adopt/Sponsor-A-Highway programs, AAHLRSA committed to a donation to The Canopy Project. As first quarter came to an end, we were surprised to see so many socially responsible businesses joined in on our campaign. Our new sponsors were excited to contribute to this great project to protect natural land and preserve the environment. We want to take a moment to thank our sponsors for their support.

• Ramada Inn – Yonkers
• Snoqualmie Casino
• Delano Marketplace
• Batteries Plus
• Jefferies & Company
• Chick-fil-A Foothills Ranch
• Waterford Mobile
• Reproductive Medicine Assoc -New Jersy
• Prosperity Advisory Group
• Waterville Valley Resort
• Red Towing Inc
• Dime Bank
• Morongo Band Of Mission Indians
• Captain Lawrence Brewing Co
• Massage Envy – CT
• The Staenberg Group
• Devan Acura of Norwalk
• Rye Radiology Associates
• Don Sebastiani & Sons
• Rouge Fine Catering #3
• Green Energy lawn Care
• Ring Ring Marketing
• Pacific Marine Mammal Center
• Atlantic Shower Door
• P Morrissey Contracting
• AAA Hoosier Motor Club
• Indianapolis Concrete
• Grand Lux Realty

As part of its mission to protect natural lands and preserve the environment for all people, Earth Day Network developed The Canopy Project. Rather than focusing on large-scale forestry, The Canopy Project plants trees that help communities – especially the world’s impoverished communities – sustain themselves and their local economies. Trees reverse the impacts of land degradation and provide food, energy and income, helping communities to achieve long-­‐term economic and environmental sustainability. Trees also filter the air and help stave off the effects of climate change.

With the reality of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and more frequent and violent storms and floods, tree cover to prevent devastating soil erosion has never been more important. That’s why, earlier this the year, Earth Day Network made a commitment to plant 10 million trees over the next five year. A select group of valued partners and sponsors have joined us to help make this commitment a reality.

Over the past three years, The Canopy Project has planted over 1.5 million trees in 18 countries. In the US, projects to restore urban canopies have been completed in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Flint, and Chicago. In Haiti alone, where earthquakes caused landslides on deforested hillsides, leading to horrific devastation, Earth Day Network planted 500,000 trees. In three high-poverty districts in central Uganda, The Canopy Project recently planted 350,000 trees to provide local farmers with food, fuel, fencing, and soil stability.

Our tree plantings are supported by corporate sponsors and individual donors and carried out in partnership with nonprofit tree planting organizations throughout the world and in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme’s Billion Trees Campaign. Each tree planted is counted toward A Billion Acts of Green®.

Thank you to our Sponsors for Adopting/Sponsoring-A-Highway and for your support of the Canopy Project!!!

After three years with the Adopt-a-Highway Program, Subaru/KIA of Stamford continues to support clean highways in Connecticut. The team at Subaru/KIA of Stamford understands the value of social responsibility, devoting corporate budget to giving back to local communities. Their signs can be seen at Exit 8 on I 95 N and Exit 18 on I 95 S.

Located in Stamford, Connecticut, the staff at Subaru Stamford will help you find the Subaru vehicle you want. Subaru Stamford offers a searchable online inventory of new Subaru cars in Stamford, along with well-maintained used cars by today’s top manufacturers. Come on in and take a test drive! Their sales staff will help you find that new Subaru or quality used car that you have been searching for.

I truly feel that the Adopt A Highway program gives maximum exposure to my businesses on our busy highways for a fraction of the cost of billboards.  In addition, the goodwill that comes along with the program is a huge bonus and important to the local communities.

Join Subaru/KIA of Stamford and adopt a highway in Connecticut. Contact Joyce Urman at (800) 551-8576  or email her for more information.

Looking to bring green into your office space? Our new sponsor of Missouri’s Sponsor-A-Highway Program, Color Art Integrated Interiors has the answer for you. Color Art Integrated Interiors is a full service corporate interiors company.  Furniture, construction, flooring, technology, facility management, and healthcare services are all part of an ever growing list of products and services we offer to our customers.  Color Art has a long history of social responsibility and giving back to the St. Louis community.  Their Green Team is always looking for ways to improve efficiencies within the office and extend the mission to the area.  This message is delivered from the top down as CEO Gary Mindel states, “Being socially and corporately responsible for all of our actions is, in our opinion, a part of how every Company should conduct their business.  With respect to sustainability, our efforts to minimize our footprint on the environment will impact future generations, our planet, and the legacy we leave.  I have tasked our Organization to develop and measure or sustainability efforts to achieve our goals in this area.”

All of us at Color Art Integrated Interiors live and work in a way that minimizes our impact on the environment.  To lead and educate our team and our community through the examples we set and raise our voices together to encourage sustainability and reductions of our footprint for the benefit of future generations.

Color Art Integrated Interiors is sponsoring a highway in St. Louis. You can see their sign on Interstate 270 northbound near Olive Street. To join Color Art Integrated Interiors in the Sponsor-A-Highway Program in Missouri, contact Sarah Parkes at 800.540.8694 or email her.

January is almost over. Yes, you made your new year’s resolutions. You are hitting the gym, eating well and feeling great. Good for you! But what about your business? Did you make new year’s resolutions for your business? Is your business striving to contribute back to the community in 2013? Maybe you read an article or two about businesses becoming more socially responsible. Maybe you are realizing that businesses, like individuals can make a difference. No matter your reason, 2013 is the year to be green. Let’s explore some different ways a business can step up to lead the community to a greener environment and build customer relationships at the same time.

• Abandon Paper Advertising. First, we need to cut down on commercial waste. Have you done an ROI analysis on your paper advertising recently? Businesses are becoming increasingly aware that flyers, post cards, door hangers and other paper advertisements are not cost effective. Customers find these types of advertisements more of an annoyance than informational. So why not cut your cost and save a tree. Stop the plastering of unwanted flyers and postcards. Your customers will appreciate not having to deal with the annoying pieces of paper waste.

• Spread the Word. Perhaps you are not yet aware of the power that your business holds in shaping the opinions of your customers. This thinking should be dashed by Chick-Fil-A’s political stand last year and the swift actions and reactions caused by it. Your customers support you because they have a certain trust in your business. This kind of trust is powerful in bringing a positive change in our society. So tell your customers that you care about the environment and be a part of this positive change.

• Build Your Green Brand. Take the step above a bit further. Build an advertising campaign around your message of being green. Let your customers know that you are contributing back to the communities that support you. Your customers will subconsciously associate your brand with being responsible and wholesome. This subconscious association can make the difference when your customers have to choose between you and your competitor.

• Bring It All Together. Adopt a Highway. How exactly can a business do all of the above at the same time? By adopting a highway! Adopt a Highway Programs allow you to put your business name & logo in front of millions of motorists that drive the busy highways in the largest cities of America. The exposure your business will receive is unrivaled. When you adopt a highway, you are displaying corporate citizenship to your current and potential customers. Your business is contributing to a cleaner environment while bringing your brand to your customers. Your green advertising will give back to the community that supports your business. See what others say about Adopt a Highway Programs.

So what are you waiting for? Let 2013 be the year that your business commits to being green! Take the steps and bring positive change to your community. To find out more about Adopt a Highway Programs in your city, contact Adopt a Highway Litter Removal Service of America, Inc for pricing and information at (800) 499-2367.

AAHLRSA will be attending the 2012 Business Growth Conference & Expo, sponsored by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, on November 9, 2012. The 2012 Business Growth Conference & Expo is a place where serious B2B professional will connect with premier Valley companies. Couple this with outstanding seminar/panel presentations produced by YOB/Phoenix SCORE on issues that are impacting small to midsize businesses. Join us for a day of seminar training, tremendous trade show traffic and great networking opportunities.

Discover how your business can be seen by millions of motorists on Phoenix’s busiest highways, while contributing to a clean environment. An Adopt-a-Highway sponsorship can be the foundation for an “environmentally conscious” public relations campaign for your business.  Our Territory Manager, Andi Robertson will be on hand to show you how you can get grow your business with Phoenix’s Sponsor-a-Highway program.

For registration information, please go the event website. Tickets are $10.

Commercial Office Environments is committed to creating attractive, healthy, and productive environments for their community, whether that is through their many services they provide for creating work environments or through their numerous community outreach programs including the Sponsor-A-Highway Program of Indiana.

Established in March of 1987 by Sara Cook, COE is proud to be a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and is celebrating 25 years of business, growing to a company filled with an experienced staff providing professional services for the planning, management, installation and maintenance of attractive and productive work spaces.

COE is the largest dealer in the State of Indiana to represent Haworth, the second largest office furniture manufacturer in the industry.  Haworth is an award winning leader in the development of ergonomic and environmentally sustainable office furniture. Along with Haworth, COE represents over 450 other commercial manufacturers, consisting of commercial furniture, architectural products and interior products, to create a workspace tailored for the needs of today, yet adaptable for the requirements of tomorrow.

Dedicated to their community and providing attractive environments, COE participates in the new Sponsor-A-Highway program to help keep Indianapolis streets clean with budget-friendly advertising that reaches thousands daily.

To learn more about the Sponsor-A-Highway Program in Indiana, please contact Sarah Parkes at (800) 540-8694.

A long-time sponsor of the Adopt-A-Highway Program on Highway 10 in Santa Monica, Jade Mills Estates continues to be a champion for a clean environment. As Jade and her team serve the ultra high-end real estate market of Beverly Hills, they also focus on building a relationship with the community that supports them.

For the last decade, Jade Mills has been the top-grossing real estate agent in the ultra-competitive market of Beverly Hills, California, and its adjacent neighbourhoods, such as Holmby Hills, Bel Air, Beverly Park, Beverly Hills Flats, and Trousdale Estates.

In 2009, Jade Mills was ranked No. 24 in total sales volume by the Wall Street Journal with over $79,000,000 in total sales. This is higher than any other real estate agent in Beverly Hills. In 2010 Jade ranked Number 10 in total sales for the year with over $153,000,000 in total sales. Jade has been listed Number One on the Wall Street Journal – RealTrends.com list three times in the past 10 years. Jade is consistently Number 1 or 2 in the nation in total sales volume for Coldwell Banker, along with her colleague, Chris Cortazzo in Malibu.

To join Jade Mills Estates in the Adopt-A-Highway Program in California, please contact Lisa Goode via email or call her at (800)665-4821.

Greenability is Kansas City’s only green magazine and is the most sustainably produced publication in the area. As a forum for community events and accomplishments, the magazine tells the stories of Kansas Citians who go above and beyond in environmental initiatives.

Each issue is full of resources and ways that readers can get involved in eco-friendly practices and activities. Story topics range from recycling, energy efficiency and local foods, to repurposing, renewable energy and green jobs.

This year, Greenability added a digital magazine edition to its website at www.greenabilitymagazine.com. It also started a Greenability Job Network to help connect job seekers with green employers through a job search website, www.greenabilityjobs.com. Readers can stay connected with weekly news through the free Greenability E-News.

Greenability was recently awarded the Green America second place national recognition for its sustainable paper practices. It has also received awards from Bridging the Gap, Sierra Club and Missouri Small Business Development and Technology Center. For the past four years, the magazine has been nominated for the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award.

Greenability is produced on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified

paper, which is 100% recycled and contains 60% post-consumer waste. It is printed using soy-based (not petroleum) ink, and the electricity used in the paper production and printing processes is all offset by renewable energy credits. The paper is also Ancient Forest Certified.

In each issue, Greenability publishes an environmental benefits statement outlining the resources saved by its printing practices. Since 2007, Greenability has saved:

• 510 trees
• 226,620 gallons of water
• 150 million Btu of energy
• 13,770 pounds of solid waste
• 47,040 pounds of greenhouse gases.

We’re excited to be partnering with Adopt-a-Highway to help clean up our urban environment,” said Julie Koppen, publisher.

Pitstop Appliance Repair has teamed up with Adopt-A-Highway Litter Removal Service of America to clean up Route 287 in New Jersey. The professional team at Pitstop is dedicated to putting in the extra effort that other appliance service companies lack. By joining the Sponsor-A-Highway program in New Jersey, they are committing to a clean environment and giving back to the community that supports them.

Pitstop Appliance Repair is a Basking Ridge based business offering same-day appliance repair services with two hour appointment windows. The business offers professional refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, stove, oven, icemaker, microwave and freezer repair services. Pitstop Appliance Repair was formed by hard working individuals who, after many years working for other companies, realized together they could offer better service than the ‘industry standard’.

AAHLRSA is proud to be working with such a dedicated team as Pitstop. The glowing reviews from their customers are further testimonies that Pitstop is here to service their community and their neighbors. If you have any appliance repair needs, schedule an appointment at their website www.PitstopApplianceRepair.com.

To join Pitstop and other sponsors in giving back to your community in New Jersey, contact Michele Waldron for more information on the Sponsor-A-Highway Program.