Merchants Meet, Learn Valuable Info Through Chamber, Library Collaboration

Nearly four dozen local merchants came together Tuesday morning for a networking breakfast at the Holiday Inn that not only gave them the chance to mingle but also supplied them with some valuable information about a resource tool that can be beneficial to their business.

The Hasbrouck Heights Chamber of Commerce and public library teamed up to put this event together. Mimi Hui, library director, explained that the Heights library believes in collaboration and partnership.

Since the library offers many resource through its BCCLS (Bergen County Cooperative Library System) she invited Bill Loges of ReferenceUSA to present the companies research tool that can be used to identify potential customers, competitors and so on.

She explained this type of information is something many may tend to pay a lot of money for information that may not be so accurate. All one needs is a library card to access the ReferenceUSA database through BCCLS, she explained.

Loges walked the audience through what ReferenceUSA does and who it supplies it’s information to. Among some of their biggest clients are Google, Yahoo  and GPS technology companies such as TomTom.

ReferenceUSA, based in Omaha, Nebraska, has 400 employees researching daily to keep their information updated, said Loges. He explained the many ways their researchers use to find information on businesses to continuously update their databases. All information is verified via a phone call, he explained. Information is updated monthly and the company is currently working to make their updated information available in real time, he said.

Loges explained that New Jersey is unique because it is the only state that can access this information supplied by ReferenceUSA through public libraries. It was made possible thanks to a former state librarian who purchased the use years ago and made it available to all public libraries and universities in the state, he said.

Loges went over how the site  can be accessed by entering one’s library card number into JerseyLinks.com website which can be found on the BCCLS site. He explained the many ways one can do a search what type of information one may wish to focus on such as companies with less than 50 employees.

He also presented an example of how to find how many credit union services are located in one area. He or she can do a search based on the city or zip code, and how to expand or reduce the search by narrowing things down by searching within a 3-mile radius. The data found can then be exported to an Excel spreadsheet.

Ray Vorisek, president of the Heights Chamber of Commerce, said the organization usually hosts a networking breakfast once a year but are now looking to offer this type of event a few times throughout the year instead of having quarterly night meetings.