#BestChamber Practices - "Front Page" Midwest City, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce; Owensboro Chamber Rallies Members in 'Call to Action'; Joliet (Illinois) Chamber Education Committee and JTHS Board Member Receive INSPRA Awards of Excellence for Service; Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce tabs citizen, teachers of the year; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation: (Leadership):

Midwest City, Oklahoma Chamber has information on their home page that is both inviting and provides essential information to prospective residents and businesses: 
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Midwest City, a suburb of Oklahoma City, is a great place to live, work and raise a family. To continually ensure this, city leaders have dedicated their efforts to seven quality of life essentials. 

1. Public Safety – Midwest City employs expertly trained, experienced and equipped police and fire personnel. (Midwest City’s police and fire departments are ranked among the best in the nation)  
2. Superior Schools – The Mid-Del School System is one of Oklahoma’s finest.  It is comprised of award-winning primary and secondary schools staffed by dedicated teachers and administrators. Midwest City is also home to Rose State College with an average enrollment of over 13,000 students. Nearly 60 degree and skilled-occupational programs are available at Rose State; many of which prepare students for completion of a bachelor’s degree.  
3. Quality Health Care – Midwest Regional Medical Center, located in the heart of Midwest City, is one of Oklahoma’s outstanding health care facilities. The J.C.A.H.O accredited 255-bed acute care hospital has recently completed a $25-million construction project that included the addition of 102 new in-patient beds. Midwest Regional has nearly 300 primary care and specialty physicians on staff. Patients have access to a full spectrum of health care expertise, including cardiac, pulmonary and orthopedics services, as well as internal medicine, OB/GYN and urology. Midwest Regional has Oklahoma’s most experienced robotic-assisted surgical team. 
4. Sustained Employment Growth – Midwest City’s community partnership with Tinker Air Force Base is one of the most successful in the nation. Tinker, one of Oklahoma’s largest employers, continues to offer employment opportunities. (A $22 million renovation of the former GM plant, located near Tinker, has been conducted in order to provide specialty facilities and equipment for aircraft engine maintenance.) 

Midwest City’s growing manufacturing, service, sales, and retail business communities have steadily increased their demand for employees. These are forecast to continue in growth over the next decade. 

5. Low Cost-of-Living – Midwest City has long been a favorite for retirees because of its low cost of living relative to price levels for housing, utilities, transportation, grocery items, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.
6. Community Churches – Midwest City is a community where worship and freedom of religion are valued.  The city has church denominations of nearly every faith.
7. Recreation, Restaurants and Shopping – Midwest City is proud of its many beautiful parks, and boast of its tree-lined, manicured fairways at John Conrad Golf Course. Retail shopping is abundant in Midwest City, and continues to expand, both on 29th Street, and in other areas of the community. Growth in the number of quality dinning establishments has accelerated greatly over the last few years.

Source: Midwest City, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Homepage


Owensboro Chamber Rallies Members in 'Call to Action'

A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet study into the feasibility of creating “spurs” off I-69 and I-65 that would utilize the Audubon and Natcher parkways, respectively, needs to be released. That’s the message of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce sent out to members in an email late last week as part of a “call to action.” Read more: surfky.com

Joliet (Illinois) Chamber Education Committee and JTHS Board Member Receive INSPRA Awards of Excellence for Service

The Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and Joliet Township High School Board of Education Member R. Dale Evans received Distinguished Service Awards of Excellence from the Illinois National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA) during a special ceremony held at Park Ridge Country Club on Friday, May 2.
The statewide INSPRA Distinguished Service Award program honors individuals or groups who have consistently gone above and beyond on behalf of their schools, and whose efforts have enhanced education and conveyed its importance to the community at large.Read More: TribLocal

Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce tabs citizen, teachers of the year

Rudy Farber was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce during its 97th annual banquet Thursday.

The chamber also recognized this year’s recipients of the Golden Apple Awards, which are designed to recognize excellence in the teaching profession and are sponsored by Empire District Electric Co. and Missouri Southern State University.

Winners were Wendee Hughes, a teacher in the gifted program at McKinley Elementary School; Emily Lone, a fifth-grade teacher at St. Mary’s Elementary School; Nancy Ohmart, a middle school history teacher at College Heights Christian School; and Kelly Pyle, a teacher in the business department at Joplin High School. Read more: Joplin Globe
 

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation: (Leadership): 

1. “The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority.” ~ Kenneth H. Blanchard

Forbes 2/50