Chamber Best Practices: Grand Rapids, Michigan Chamber; Chamber event: Governor Bryant talks state economy during annual chamber banquet; Second-generation leader bids North Little Rock chamber farewell; Indy chamber innovation: Hack Indiana Series Announces Winners; Chamber concern: NKY manufacturing fights for more workers; Danville Pittsylvania Chamber event: Local governments meet to discuss the Virginia General Assembly; Commission recommends Grayslake (Illinois) extend contract with chamber; River Falls Area Chamber production: Don’t miss ‘City on the Kinni’ premiere; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Leadership)

Good morning Chamber world! Today is going to be a GREAT day!

Chamber Best Practices: Grand Rapids, Michigan  Chamber



Offering trusted, informal advice in a confidential, peer-to-peer setting for over 27 years.

Registration deadline is March 27!

Could you use a dedicated group that gives you feedback on some of the tough business issues you are facing?

There is still time to register this month for the CEO & Management Roundtable Program from the Chamber.

• Discuss your opportunities and challenges in a non-competitive, confidential
   environment.
• Participate in conversations that help you decide the best course of action.
• Develop lasting relationships with other business owners and company leaders.

A rewarding program that brings participants back year after year, this program offers a suite of professional tracks and industry-specific tables designed to meet your needs for optimum discussion and peer-learning.

“The relationships with the people I’ve met in the program are real, the discussions we’ve had are relevant, and the insights we’ve shared are trusted.” – Richard Housekamp, Partner, VisitWorks

It’s your own personal group of “informal advisors” and one of the best ROI’s around—only $75 per year for Chamber members.

Spring roundtables will be kicking off in April, so enroll today! Visit www.grandrapids.org/ceo-roundtable to find out more and get started.

Questions? Contact Janet Wyllie at wylliej@grandrapids.org or 616.771.0331.


Chamber event: Governor Bryant talks state economy during annual chamber banquet

Governor Phil Bryant was the keynote speaker at the Grenada Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Annual Banquet, and selling the state’s image and economy was on his agenda.
   Hundreds were in the attendance at the Corey Forum at Holmes Community College Monday to see a PowerPoint presentation from Bryant, who is seeking his second term in office.
   Bryant began his speech reminding the audience of the snow-filled week in Grenada.
   “I arrived in Grenada and saw the amount of snow that you got,” Bryant said. “Let me tell you this, it’s not over.”
   Bryant arrived in Grenada from Philadelphia, where he was on hand for the opening of the Choctaw Medical Center.
   “Health care is an economic driver in this state,” Bryant said.   Read more: Grenada Star

 

Second-generation leader bids North Little Rock chamber farewell

The ratio of the Capital City's population to its own is about 3-1, but boy, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce can turn out a crowd. About 800 people turned out at Verizon Arena on Feb. 24 to sit in the ground-floor nadir of the giant bowl of a space and listen to the outgoing chairman of the board Mark Lay and new Gov. Asa Hutchinson speak.
By anyone's recollection, Lay completes the first second-generation chamber chairmanship -- his father, Lyndell, is a former chairman. He -- dad -- gave the night's invocation.
"He's always encouraged me to give back to my community," he -- son -- said. "He's always done that, in not just words but actions."
He also made mention of the newly formed Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame, whose inaugural banquet will be Aug. 27 across the river at the Statehouse Convention Center. Read more: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Indy chamber innovation: Hack Indiana Series Announces Winners

The winners of the #HackINvTX Challenge were revealed today at The Speak Easy in Indianapolis as the first event of the Hack Indiana Series comes to an end.
The series, powered by Techpoint and the Indy Chamber, named Red Alert as the winner of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) challenge, and the combined teams of Agency360 and RebornCode as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) challenge winners.
"Innovation and the desire to serve the public are both traits that Hoosiers share and they are definitely on display during this event," said State of Indiana Chief Information Officer Paul Baltzell. "We received many tremendous entries to solve problems that the State is encountering serving its citizens. The two winning solutions definitely offer a way for state government to deliver services in ways that better meet public needs." Read more: Indy Chamber

Chamber concern: NKY manufacturing fights for more workers

How can you convince an 18-year-old to go into manufacturing as a possible career?
That's the crux of the ongoing tensions between Northern Kentucky's manufacturing and the economic development community and the agency charged with training those potential new workers.
Those tensions have been building ever since Gateway Community & Technical College opened a brand new $26.8 million center six years ago, but has only been able to graduate about 200 qualified manufacturing workers a year – half the number it originally promised.
"Where does the relationship stand? Quite frankly, our manufacturing clients are not happy right now," said Dan Tobergte, president and chief executive officer for the Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-Ed), the region's primary economic development agency.
"But in some ways, it is a good problem to have. It means our industries are growing ... but they currently have a lot of openings they can't fill, and that is only going to get worse when we might need (to hire) up to 600 folks a year." Read more: Cincinatti.com


Danville Pittsylvania Chamber event: Local governments meet to discuss the Virginia General Assembly

Lawmakers who represent the southern part of the state gathered at Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Virginia Senator Bill Stanley spoke about health care and encouraging more doctors to the area.
Senator Stanley is working to find scholarships to pay off medical debt for doctors who make a commitment to be here for a minimum of five years.
"And that way once they come down, they will put roots down. They will see what a great place we know this place to be and they will stay here," 20th District Franklin County Republican Senator Stanley said. Read more: WDBJ7.com

Commission recommends Grayslake (Illinois) extend contract with chamber

Grayslake trustees are being asked to extend a contract with the local chamber of commerce to handle special events, marketing and other duties -- a move projected to be cheaper than having a full-time village employee in charge.

Members of the village's advisory economic development commission are recommending the Grayslake Area Chamber of Commerce should be paid $85,552 in the first leg of a three-year contract extension that would begin May 1. The village would pay another $20,000 to the chamber for special marketing services.

Long known for contracting services in an effort to conserve money, Grayslake is projected to save about $9,200 with the chamber deal over what it could cost for full-time village employees to perform the same 3,000 hours of work over a year. The village calculation came based on an executive assistant pay rate of roughly $32 an hour.

The village board, which gets the final say, is expected to vote on the tentative contract extension April 21. Read more: Daily Herald


River Falls Area Chamber production:  Don’t miss ‘City on the Kinni’ premiere

Not long after Hollywood rolled out the red carpet for the Academy Awards, River Falls is getting ready for a red carpet event of its own.

The River Falls Chamber of Commerce will welcome one and all to the Falls Theatre, 105 S Main St., next Thursday for a special premiere of a Discover Wisconsin TV show episode all about River Falls.
“City on the Kinni—River Falls” premieres March 21-22 across the Midwest on Discover Wisconsin.
The episode was produced in partnership with the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau and Discover Wisconsin. Read more: River Falls Journal


Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Leadership)

" By strengthening the Chamber, together, we can continue to grow the community."

Sherry Huibonhoa. Executive Director,  Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce