Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day --- by Michael Gelb; Madison County (Indiana) Chamber Success --- YEA! Young Entrepreneurs Academy entering second year; GMCC's Brandon selling Madison (Wisconsin) as 'innovation hub'; Kentucky Kyndle Event: Going Greek: ‘Pop-up' restaurant event will transport participants; Waterford (Michigan) Area Chamber: Marketing Your Business: Hosting "Perking Up"; Blytheville (Mississippi) chamber luncheon: Clif Chitwood: Website designed to lure residents to area; Fairfax chamber support: Edwards: Crowdfunding: A new approach for funding small businesses; Schaumburg Business Association Honored with Business Excellence Award; Phillips County (Arkansas) Chamber tickets now available online

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Good morning Chamber world! Today is going to be a GREAT day!

Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day --- by Michael Gelb

The self-help book that Leonardo never wrote, it offers a revolutionary approach to learning and creativity. Drawing on Leonardo’s notebooks, inventions and legendary works of art, this book introduces seven principles for thinking like history’s greatest genius. From the notebook’s celebration of an insatiably curious approach to life (curiositá) to the willingness to embrace uncertainty and paradox (sfumato) embodied in Mona Lisa’s smile, these principles will seem at once intuitively familiar and surprisingly powerful. Offering an abundance of interactive, entertaining exercises to help you master each principle, you’ll learn how to apply then at work, home, and everywhere else!

  
Michael Gelb--someone who makes his living teaching companies how to innovate--has written 13 books on creativity and innovation. His most famous, "How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day," has sold more than a half million copies and has been translated into 25 languages.

Madison County (Indiana) Chamber Success --- YEA! Young Entrepreneurs Academy entering second year

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a year-long program that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own REAL businesses. YEA! was developed at the University of Rochester in 2004 with the support of a grant from the Kauffman Foundation.
YEA! guides high school students through the process of starting and running a legitimate business or social movement over the course of a full academic year. YEA! has graduated almost 3,000 students over the past 10 years, who have started nearly 1,800 businesses and social movements! YEA! graduates started as students, and left the program as CEOs of their own companies!
The Madison County Chamber and host location Purdue University College of Technology, Anderson are excited to introduce YEA! to Madison County! MCC views the YEA! program as a way to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and business professionals in our community. MCC's partner in the YEA! program, Purdue University College of Technology, Anderson, will host the 2015 class in its Anderson location at 2705 Enterprise Drive.
YEA! and Purdue area natural fit with the university's emphasis on entrepreneurship. ”The YEA! program aligns well with our mission at the College of Technology,” says director Corey Sharp. “We are encouraging our students to be more innovative and entrepreneurial and YEA! will cultivate that mindset for the next generation.” For more information, please contact Angela Barbosa at (765) 642-0264 or angela@getlinkedmadison.com


 GMCC's Brandon selling Madison (Wisconsin) as 'innovation hub'






Zach Brandon, who took over as president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce more than two years ago, says Dane County needs more entrepreneurial-minded people like him.

"I am exactly what we want," said the 41-year-old Brandon, a former Madison city council member and state Commerce Department deputy who has started three companies and raised several million dollars from investors.

"We need more 25-year-old business owners from Ohio to look at Wisconsin, say 'I should put my next business there' and then fall in love with this place and stay here. I'm the prototype of what we need to find more of."

Brandon, who took over as head of the chamber from Jennifer Alexander in November of 2012, praised her leadership. He said he's now focused on adapting the chamber to an ever-changing marketplace, applying entrepreneurial thinking to a 102-year-old institution with 1,300 members and recruiting more high-growth- potential companies like Epic.

"We complement each other," said Brandon. "But I'm pushing us in directions that the chamber wasn't focused on before. We have different styles and are different leaders, but the success that we are seeing is very much due to the strong foundation she built. There's a Chinese proverb that says, 'When you drink the water, remember who dug the well.'" Read more: Wisbusiness.com

 Kentucky Kyndle Event: Going Greek: ‘Pop-up' restaurant event will transport participants

The beauty of the Greek island Mykonos with its distinctive food and décor blending with the equally distinct environment of downtown Henderson.

After Friday she won't have to leave it to her imagination.

A Greek taverna like one that might be found on Mykonos will "pop up" for one night in downtown Henderson at an event to benefit The Kyndle Education Foundation.

"Mykonos on the Ohio II" will take place in the ground floor of the Soaper Building at 145 N. Main St. (formerly Delizio's bar) at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Hadjisavva and her chef husband Doros, owners of the Acropolis Greek Cuisine & Spirits restaurant in Evansville and residents of Henderson, have "popped up" restaurants before, including last summer when "Mykonos on the Ohio" took place on the roof of the Pagoda in downtown Evansville, also as a benefit.

Kyndle President Brad Schneider was present at that event and mentioned to Hadjisavva that a "pop up" Greek restaurant in Henderson would be a welcome thing.

His words, specifically, were: "You have to bring this to Henderson."

It didn't seem like that big of a stretch to Doros and Ellada since the Acropolis has a catering arm and does events often in their hometown. In January they catered the Rotary Trivia Night at the Hugh Edward Sandefur Training Center.

The space for the latest event, which has been vacant since last August when Delizio's closed, still has its tables and a kitchen to work in.

"We love the pop-up restaurant idea," Ellada said. "I love the location and the building.

"For me, it's giving to the Henderson community," she added. "If we can open a Greek restaurant and share a little bit of our culture, it makes me happy." Read the FULL STORY online at TheGleaner.com

You're in Kyndle Country!

Henderson, McLean, Union and Webster counties in northwestern Kentucky make up Kyndle country – where the Kentucky Network for Development, Leadership and Engagement is the shared spark for economic development, industrial recruitment and business advocacy.


Waterford (Michigan) Area Chamber: Marketing Your Business: Hosting "Perking Up"

The Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce believes that networking builds solid relationships ultimately generating business referrals and growth. We provide several platforms to initiate and accelerate your opportunity to establish such relationships with local area business owners and decision makers. The Perking Up morning networking event is held monthly at a member's place of business on the first Tuesday of the month (except holidays) from 8:00 - 9:00 am. With an average of 60 attendees this is a terrific platform to showcase your place of business!

Host Sponsorship Marketing Advantages:

• Company Name in monthly calendar in WACC Newsletter, website and e-news until event occurs
• Insert in newsletter month prior to event
• Individual e-news with company logo and name week prior to event
• Follow up cover story and photo in WACC Newsletter after event

Sponsorship Fee: $50 and host provides continental breakfast and door prize of your choice.

Roster of all attendees including company name, address, contact, phone and email provided at event. Event venue will be facilitated if place of business can accommodate.

Space limited to 12 hosts per year and subject to first come, first serve. Reserve your space and contact marieh@waterfordchamber.org. or fax back our host agreement to 248-666-3325. Space fills quickly!


Blytheville (Mississippi) chamber luncheon: Clif Chitwood: Website designed to lure residents to area


Blytheville-area business leaders got an update on county economic development projects from economic developer Clif Chitwood during Monday's luncheon of the Greater Blytheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
One of the county's newest projects is a website, that will use photos, videos and other information to encourage people to move to Mississippi County.
"We're creating jobs. That will continue." Chitwood said. "The difficulty is getting people to come live with us."
Chitwood said the website will have two main sections, one dedicated to "working" in Mississippi County, and one dedicated to "living" in Mississippi County. Chitwood said the plan for the "working" section is to include a listing of every job opening in Mississippi County, from steel mill jobs to temp jobs to positions with small businesses. Read more: Blytheville Courier News

 

Fairfax chamber support: Edwards: Crowdfunding: A new approach for funding small businesses

“Crowdfunding” is an innovative way for small business to attract equity capital within a single state and create jobs. Entrepreneurs could use the Internet to attract interested investors in Virginia to fund business plans under Senate Bill 763, which I introduced in the Virginia Senate.

In recent years it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to secure capital. A number of entrepreneurs and small business owners, frustrated with limited options and the lack of available funding, see the Internet as a tool to establish businesses or expand existing ones. My crowdfunding proposal allows in-state-only solicitation among a larger number of small Virginia investors, thereby giving Virginia businesses more options to fund and to put their creative ideas to work.

Senate Bill 763 authorizes the State Corporation Commission to establish rules for soliciting unregistered securities on the Internet through a funding portal for small Virginia investors. Small, often start-up, companies could use the portal to solicit funding of up to $2 million from Virginia-only investors, with each investor providing no more than $10,000 per offer. This tool avoids the high cost of traditional investment offerings requiring expensive federal registration of financing solicitations.

The bill drew strong bipartisan support, and a companion bill sponsored by Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, was merged into mine. The combined bill was reported out of committee and passed the Senate and the rest of the General Assembly without opposition.

Among groups supporting the bill are solar energy firms, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park and other groups interested in job creation and innovative ways to stimulate business opportunities. Read more: Roanoke Times


Schaumburg Business Association Honored with Business Excellence Award



Twenty-three (23) suburban based companies and business organizations have been selected as honorees of the 25th Annual Awards for Business Excellence (AABEs). The AABEs are presented in recognition of business achievement, growth and community involvement. Honorees this year were selected in 11 categories of competition. The award recipients will be recognized at a reception beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2014, at the Medinah Banquets in Addison. The keynote speaker will be Dr. William Carroll, President, Benedictine University. The recipient companies and organizations will be profiled in a special publication of the Daily Herald Business Ledger published on April 13, 2015. To view your invitation and join us at this event, click here


“The SBA is thrilled and honored to be part of the distinguished list of award recipients.  It is very exciting to have the recognition for our work, and it is further encouragement to continue to operate to exceed the expectations of our members.  I also want to thank Jackie Camacho-Ruiz and the team at JJR Marketing for their nomination.” said Kaili Harding, President of the Schaumburg Business Association.

Phillips County (Arkansas) Chamber tickets now available online

Phillips County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Doug Friedlander has announced that tickets for the 79th annual banquet can be reserved and bought online at http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Chamber-Banquet-2015.

“You can purchase individual tickets or reserve entire tables through this interface, as well as use a credit card for payment,” commented Friedlander. “Of course, you can still email us as well, but those who prefer an online interface or want to take care of things outside of regular business hours (or on snow days), we are pleased to offer this option.”

According to Friedlander, the period for ticket sales to Chamber members only closed this past weekend. Currently, ticket sales are open to the general public.

Friedlander offered a reminder to Chamber members concerning nominations of a person and organization for the Citizen and Business of the Year awards. There’s two ways to submit nominations and both says the Chamber director are relatively easy.

First, you can nominate online by using the following links: Business of the Year – http://sgiz.mobi/s3/BOY-Nomination 2015 and Citizen of the Year: http://sgiz.mobi/s3/COY-Nomination –2015.

- See more at: Helena Arkansas Daily World