Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message - by Tara Mohr; Naperville Chamber luncheon: Pradel praises 'teamwork' during his 20 years leading Naperville; Plymouth (Michigan) Chamber focus: Plans for high-tech business park taking shape; Chamber event: Officials: Virginia needs to continue diversifying its economy; Indiana Chamber Comments on Governor Pence’s State of State Address; Arkansas State Chamber - 21st Annual Business Forecast Luncheon set for Friday; Chamber assist: Kentucky schools benefiting from program with support of business community; Chamber support: Paralympic Nordic Ski World Championships Open in Cable, Wisconsin; Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Series 2015

Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message - by Tara Mohr

A groundbreaking women's leadership expert and popular conference speaker gives women the practical skills to voice and implement the changes they want to see--in themselves and in the world
In her coaching and programs for women, Tara Mohr saw how women were "playing small" in their lives and careers, were frustrated by it, and wanted to "play bigger." She has devised a proven way for them to achieve their dreams by playing big from the inside out. Mohr's work helping women play bigger has earned acclaim from the likes of Maria Shriver and Jillian Michaels, and has been featured on the "Today "show, " CNN, " and a host of other media outlets.
Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" gave many women new awareness about what kinds of changes they need to make to become more successful; yet most women need help implementing them. In the tradition of Brene Brown's "Daring Greatly," "Playing Big" provides real, practical tools to help women quiet self-doubt, identify their callings, "unhook" from praise and criticism, unlearn counterproductive good girl habits, and begin taking bold action.
While not all women aspire to end up in the corner office, every woman aspires to something. "Playing Big" fills a major gap among women's career books; it isn't just for corporate women. The book offers tools to help "every" woman play bigger--whether she's an executive, community volunteer, artist, or stay-at-home mom.
Thousands of women across the country have been transformed by Mohr's program, and now this book makes the ideas and practices available to everyone who is ready to play big. Read more: TaraMohr.com

Naperville Chamber luncheon: Pradel praises 'teamwork' during his 20 years leading Naperville

Naperville Mayor George Pradel's 20th and final State of the City address on Monday was an ode to the philosophy that carried him through two decades at the city's helm: teamwork.

The speech before a crowd of 500 at a Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon was part flashback and part celebration as Pradel illustrated the ways he has remained committed to the same ideals of leadership and service he adopted when he began as mayor in 1995.

"In my very first State of the City speech I said the following: 'We will continue to maintain the quality of life you expect by providing the highest level of service through a spirit of teamwork,'" Pradel said. "We've lived those words every single day for the past 7,211 days."

During that time, Pradel said he has led the city "my way," with plenty of praise and pride and always a smile. Read more: Daily Herald

Plymouth (Michigan) Chamber focus: Plans for high-tech business park taking shape

Plans are taking shape for a new advanced-technology business corridor along Five Mile in Plymouth and Northville townships.
Officials in the two communities, working with state and Wayne County elected and economic development officials, have formed the Michigan International Technology Center to market some 800 acres on either side of Five Mile between Beck and Napier, property they say is ideal for firms in the high-tech, life sciences and automotive fields that are looking for Detroit-area locations.
“It’s an exciting first step,” Plymouth Township Supervisor Richard Reaume said, one that took about 14 months of discussion to reach.
Parcels could be available later this year, Reaume said, though major construction isn’t likely until next year. Several firms, which he declined to name, have already shown an interest, Reaume said.
In a joint announcement, Reaume and Northville Township Supervisor Robert Nix said the acreage could support up to 5 million square feet of facilities, $620 million in investment and more than 9,000 jobs. The MITC, Reaume said, will be asking the Michigan Department of Transportation and Wayne County for upgrades to Five Mile in that area. Read more: Hometown Life

 

Chamber event: Officials: Virginia needs to continue diversifying its economy

To illustrate how Virginia must reduce its dependence on government-related jobs to remain economically competitive, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones gave a sports allusion.
“Our big risk is similar to that of the Denver Broncos,” Jones told Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce members at a Jan. 23 breakfast meeting in Merrifield. “If Peyton Manning has a good day, Denver can’t be beat. If Peyton Manning has a bad day, they can’t beat Langley High School.”
The Department of Defense is Virginia’s biggest employer, and 13 of the commonwealth’s top 20 job providers are governmental agencies or public-sector contractors, Jones said. Last year, Virginia was ranked 48th nationally for economic growth, ahead only of Maryland and the District of Columbia, which ranked 49th and 50th, respectively. Read more: Leeburg Today

Indiana Chamber Comments on Governor Pence’s State of State Address

Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar comments on Governor Pence’s State of the State address:

"We agree with the Governor that many accomplishments over the last decade have distinguished Indiana as a place for companies to relocate, bring jobs and make investments. But more importantly, we agree that there is a lot more work to do to both keep pace and to stand out from the rest. We need to be bold and move farther faster in order to reach the goals in ​Indiana Vision 2025 (the Indiana Chamber's long-range economic development plan for the state; http://www.indianachamber.com/2025).

"We particularly applaud the Governor's focus on career and technical education. In addition, there needs to be an emphasis on retraining our adult workers so they can secure the higher skilled jobs that are available and pay higher wages. Read more: Indiana Chamber

Arkansas State Chamber - 21st Annual Business Forecast Luncheon set for Friday

Twenty-First Annual Business Forecast Luncheon Slated for January 30th The Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business will present their 21st Annual Business Forecast Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 30th at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center, which is located in the World Trade Center District in Rogers. For ticket information, click here or call 479-575-4151.Register here: Arkansas State Chamber

Chamber assist: Kentucky schools benefiting from program with support of business community

As Kentucky continues to seek to find ways to improve education in the state, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals has proudly graduated another group of educators who will take their new skills home to their districts.

Since the start of the program in 2011, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation has raised and spent more than $2 million to help principals in the state receive CEO-level leadership training at no cost to the educator.

The Leadership Institute for School Principals uses the generous donations of individuals and businesses across the state to allow principals to attend for free a three-day session in Greensboro, North Carolina and another four day training at the Kentucky Chamber headquarters where they are trained by a nationally acclaimed provider of executive education. Read more: kychamberblog

Chamber support: Paralympic Nordic Ski World Championships Open in Cable, Wisconsin

Opening ceremonies are taking place Friday night for the Paralympic Nordic Ski World Championships in Cable, Wisconsin.
Events include sprint and distance cross country ski races, and biathlon that combines skiing and target shooting.
Event support chief and Cable Chamber of Commerce Director James Bolen is expecting thousands of spectators this weekend.

“It’s going to be an extremely busy 10 days.  So there’s a lot of people around, there’s a lot of traffic.  We have about 20 countries here competing, so you see a lot of national flags and team jackets and stuff – it’s a really cool international event.” Read more: WXPR.com

Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Series 2015

The first in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Series 2015 is "Workforce Motivation" from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday.
It will be at the Knight Nonprofit Center, 11975 Seaway Road, Gulfport, and admission is free.
Cindy Duvall with Mississippi Power Co. will present a program about how engagement, taking action and strategic productivity can reshape your professional future. Read more: SunHerald.com