Genesee County economy 'moving forward,' chamber says; Chamber interest: Indiana Regional Cities funds in doubt; Tysons Regional chamber event: Barbara Comstock continues efforts to promote leadership among girls; Kentucky Chamber launches ad campaign for road fund stabilization; urges lawmakers to pass P3; Oxford-Lafayette Chamber news: Allen Kurr completes the 2015 TVA Rural Leadership Institute; Chamber award winner: Ridgefield Playhouse a boon for business; Chillicothe Chamber honors local businesses; Winfield (Arkansas) Chamber to host candidate forum; West Allis West Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce 2015 Business Directory; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Facing change)

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

Genesee County economy 'moving forward,' chamber says

Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce officials are optimistic when it comes to economic prospects this year.
"We truly are moving forward," Chamber CEO Tim Herman told a crowd of more than 450 during the group's annual meeting at the Gateway Centre.
Herman highlighted several key accomplishments from throughout the year as he looked forward including:

• A total of $879 million of investment supported by the chamber which resulted in 761 jobs created and retained and 41 investment projects that generated an estimated $41 in annual payroll.
• A tourism economic impact from hotel room rentals of $128.6 million throughout the county.
• Hired 627 teens through the Summer Youth Initiative and graduated 742 students from the TeenQuest leadership and pre-employment training program.
• Major projects in the area including the Flint Farmers Market, General Motors' new paint facility, American SpiralWeld and a new building for Spud Software in Grand Blanc. Read more: M LIVE
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Chamber interest: Indiana Regional Cities funds in doubt

An effort to improve quality of life in Indiana’s cities has created excitement among business leaders here, even though the General Assembly hasn’t committed to funding the state’s share of the program.

Professionals from government, private companies and nonprofit organizations in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties met Thursday morning for an update on the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative. They talked about projects that could make the region more vibrant, prepare residents for better job opportunities and, ultimately, convince more people to live here.
But another topic of conversation was money.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s assignment for communities is to plan a series of projects that will have at least a $1 billion impact annually for eight straight years. As proposed, the IEDC would fund up to 20 percent of selected projects’ costs in two regions. Local governments would pay up to 20 percent as well, and private funding sources would be expected to cover the final 60 percent or more. Read more:  South Bend Tribune

Tysons Regional chamber event: Barbara Comstock continues efforts to promote leadership among girls

Consider it a “Lean In” Circle – junior edition.
Inspired by the book and TED Talk by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Barbara Comstock established the Young Women’s Leadership Program three years ago as a Virginia delegate to urge middle- and high-school girls to be courageous enough to meet their full potential.

“Everything she talked about in her book resonated with me,” Comstock – now a member of Congress – said in a recent interview, referring to “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” that’s been called this generation’s feminist manifesto.

“I wanted to start the program to expose young girls to leaders in a variety of fields, so they could start picturing themselves as leaders,” Comstock (R-10th) said.  Read more: InSide NOVA

Kentucky Chamber launches ad campaign for road fund stabilization; urges lawmakers to pass P3

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Chamber sent a memo to all members of the Kentucky General Assembly, urging them to pass two urgent pieces of legislation before the close of the Kentucky General Assembly next week.
“We urge you to demonstrate strong leadership by stabilizing the state’s road fund and passing the public-private partnership (P3) legislation embodied in HB 443 that passed the House by a wide, bipartisan margin earlier this session,” Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson said in the memo. “These measures, taken together, are the two most impactful ways the legislature can act in the final days to support Kentucky jobs.” Click here to read the memo.

Oxford-Lafayette Chamber news: Allen Kurr completes the 2015 TVA Rural Leadership Institute

Oxford, Miss. – The Tennessee Valley Authority Rural Leadership Institute is a training program designed to teach upper-level employees how to become more effective leaders. Allen Kurr, vice president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, was selected to attend the leadership institute in order to further his education and gain skills to better serve the Oxford-Lafayette community, and he received a Certificate of Excellence for the successful completion of the 2015 program.
"The TVA Rural Leadership Institute was an excellent program that educated our class on a number of new techniques and best practices in the realm of rural economic development,” Kurr said. “By being a part of a class that included economic developers, utility providers, and chamber of commerce leaders, I was given a unique opportunity to not only learn from the instructors but from my peers as well. Overall, this experience gave me a better understanding of the tremendous potential in our rural communities and why the future is looking bright for the TVA region." For more information about the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, call 662-234-4651 or visit the website www.oxfordms.com.

Chillicothe (Illinois) Chamber honors local businesses

The Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce commemorated its 69th year of service when it held its Chamber Banquet on Saturday at Pearce Community Center with the theme, “Committed.” Master of Ceremony Tasha Rhodes and Chamber Facilitator Patty Pierson led the evening’s program.
The banquet began with a social hour and a game of Business Bingo. The Rev. Ron Martz gave an invocation before the banquet. The featured speaker was Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Griffin, who gave an update on the Peoria Chamber’s activities.
Formerly from Wooster, Ohio, where he served as its Chamber of Commerce president for about five years, Griffin has served as Peoria’s president for about one year. Peoria’s chamber has approximately 1,100 business members and approximately 75,000 employees working for those members. Griffin said the vast majority of them are small family businesses that were started locally and have 20 or fewer employees. Read more: Chillicothe Times

Winfield (Arkansas) Chamber to host candidate forum

The legislative committee of the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Cowley First, and the Arkansas City Chamber of Commerce will hold a candidate forum for the USD 465 Board of Education candidates April 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center at Baden Square.  

All 10 candidates for the USD 465 board of education have been invited to attend.  Candidates include: Lyle Weinert, Tim Nihart, Michael Rozell, Jamie Kaiser, Brad Fox, David Dougherty, Brent Wolf, David Hofmeister, Edward Loeb and Bryan Richardson.  Greg Thompson, chairman of the legislative committee, will moderate the forum.  

Candidates are being asked in advance to prepare their thoughts on the following topics: 

•Their view of all that has recently happened with school funding, and their perception of state and local funding for schools. Read more: Winfield Daily Courier


West Allis West Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce 2015 Business Directory

Our newest publication, the West Allis West Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce 2015 Business Directory is available at the West Allis West Milwaukee Chamber today! Thanks to Diane Brandt and her chamber team for their work in putting this together!

For further information about how Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's map or gloss publication needs, please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.

Chamber interest: Ridgefield Playhouse a boon for business

Musical acts, first-run movies, live theater from the Metropolitan Opera House, and outreach programs that aim to make the arts accessible to everyone — the Ridgefield Playhouse boasts a little something for everyone.

And that’s why the Chamber of Commerce recognized the nonprofit performing arts center with its Business of the Year award at its annual State of the Town ceremony at Silver Spring Country Club on March 13.

“I can personally attest to the Playhouse skillfully fulfilling its mission to serve the Ridgefield community and neighboring areas by fostering an appreciation for the arts through enrichment and entertainment programs,” said Christy Kinsman, owner of The Little House Shoppe, in her introduction of the venue.

“As a mother of an aspiring actress, I applaud the Playhouse’s efforts to coordinate programs that meet their constituents’ varied interests, such as the summer theater program that my daughter attends,” she said. “As a fan, I applaud them for becoming one of the most sought-after venues in Fairfield County for artists to play. Read more: Ridgefield Press


Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Facing change)

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." (James Baldwin)