Not that I don’t love shopping at anytime of the year, but summer is probably my favorite. There’s just something about hopping in the car — no coat needed — buzzing around from shop to shop, checking out the bright colors and cool items I didn’t know I needed until I spotted them. There’s no better time to shop your local stores.
As a small local business ourselves, we at TH Media believe whole-heartedly in the shop local mantra. It’s local stores that support us with advertising and keep the tri-states’ best local news source vibrant and thriving. This summer, we thought we’d have some fun with the shop local theme and have come up with an idea to get local residents out and about and into local stores — and you might even win some cash.
Our marketing team has come up with Capture that Code, a QR code scavenger hunt. A list of participating businesses will appear daily in the Telegraph Herald and on TelegraphHerald.com. Your goal is to visit one location from each business between July 10 and July 23, scan the unique QR code at the business, submit your information, and take advantage of the great promotions some businesses offer. There’s no purchase required, and you don’t have to be a TH subscriber to play.
The unique QR code at each business can be scanned only once by a player and must be scanned on location.
(You’re probably used to scanning QR codes by now since their presence ballooned during the pandemic. But if you’re unsure, you just open the camera on your phone, hover over the code as if you were going to photograph it, and voilà, a link shows up you can click.)
That’s all there is to it. And the player with the most QR code scans by 11:59 p.m. on July 23 will win $1,000. A drawing will be held in case of a tie. Also, be on the lookout in the Telegraph Herald and TelegraphHerald.com for the Business of the Day. When you scan the unique QR code at the Business of the Day, you will receive double scans for that business.
Even if you don’t think you will get enough scans to win, just scan what you can and you will be automatically entered into a drawing to receive one of three gift baskets we’re putting together.
Winners will be announced July 30 in the Telegraph Herald. So get shopping local, get scanning and enjoy your summer in the tri-states.
Help us honor local fabulous females
For the sixth year in a row, we are planning a fall event celebrating strong women in our community. Our Salute to Women Awards champions the successes of women at various stages of leadership.
Here’s your chance to shine a light on some of the incredible women in our community. Nominees should be women who are influential in their companies (or schools) and communities.
Awards will recognize women in four categories: Woman of the Year, Woman Who Makes a Difference, Woman of Innovation and Woman to Watch. Think about women who are mentors to others, women who shine as entrepreneurs, women who work tirelessly for important causes while seeking no praise or up-and-coming women making their mark.
The awards breakfast is set for 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Diamond Jo Casino’s Harbor Room.
Visit TelegraphHerald.com/salute for award details and the nomination form. Don’t wait — deadline is Friday, July 28. That is also the place to submit biographies and photos for our annual Salute to Women profiles in Her and BizTimes.biz magazines.
Help us inspire the next generation of women by identifying leaders in our community.
Writer dad might look familiar
Regular readers might have spotted a familiar face in an unfamiliar role on the Lifestyle page on Tuesday. Jeff Montgomery, former business reporter and editor at the Telegraph Herald, has debuted a column on a different subject: parenthood.
An award-winning writer, Jeff worked for us for several years covering local business and was the original author of our popular Biz Buzz column. Jeff knows a lot about news coverage of business and industry, a lot about sports (especially his Chicago teams) and now, he’s learning all about parenthood. With a 2- and 4-year-old, Jeff’s still in the crash course phase of parenting, and he’s willing to take readers along with him for the ride.
I’m happy to get Jeff’s voice back in our paper, and I look forward to hearing about his adventures, insights, and well, faceplants. Hey, my kids are in their 20s now, I am going to enjoy this. A warm welcome back to our TH pages to Jeff Montgomery, writer dad.