Congresswoman Barbara Comstock Shares Vision for 10th Congressional District with Prince William Chamber Members; Ryan Carley named new Bay Area Chamber of Commerce president, CEO; Indiana Chamber Week means new member discount for Greater Greencastle Chamber; Chamber interest: Elgin Development Group to hold seminar on exporting; Christian County chamber honored at KCCE spring conference; Conway Area Chamber: 34th Annual Toad Suck Daze Festival; Chamber delight: Wisconsin Department of Tourism: Visitor spending up across state; Glenn McCullough chosen new economic chief for Mississippi Development Authority;

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

 

Congresswoman Barbara Comstock Shares Vision for 10th Congressional District with Prince William Chamber Members

Congresswoman Barbara Comstock joined the Prince William Chamber of Commerce for lunch to discuss her vision for the 10^th Congressional district and the Northern Virginia Business community. The lunch, sponsored by NOVEC-Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, was hosted by Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, VA.

Stan Feuerberg, President and CEO of NOVEC-Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, made the introductory remarks to Congresswoman Barbara Comstock’s speech. His introduction, featuring NOVEC’s biomass waste plant and NOVEC’s reliability as an electric cooperative, transitioned well into the Congresswoman’s remarks about increasing certainty in energy policy, transportation projects, and decreasing government regulation.

Congresswoman Barbara Comstock began her speech by praising free enterprise as the best anti-poverty measure and as an ideal whose certainty she will always fight to maintain. She said that local enterprises like Lockheed Martin expressed to her a desire for predictability in how Congress develops the national budget, in how government operates, and in affordable, reliable energy sources.

Congresswoman Comstock outlined several free market initiatives. She spoke about the Help Hire Our Heroes Act to make it easier for employers to hire veterans, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, and an “All-the-Above” energy strategy to improve the affordability and accessibility of diverse energy sources. She expressed a desire for business leaders and local chambers to help their representatives find better ways to utilize the Washington Dulles International Airport. Comstock is also working to maintain certainty in Virginia for small businesses by protecting Virginia’s “right-to-work” status. The Congresswoman indicated that she would like to see the Research and Development Efficiency Act pass the Senate in order to cut down on government red tape and “let researchers do research.” Read more: Prince William Chamber

 

Ryan Carley named new Bay Area Chamber of Commerce president, CEO

A veteran banker who has been involved with the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 16 years has been named the organization's president and chief executive officer.

Ryan Carley, who most recently worked as the statewide director of retail banking for FirstMerit Bank, formerly Citizens Bank, was named chamber president and CEO Monday, May 4. Carley, 39, replaces Michael Seward, who retired from the post in January, and Keith Markstrom, who has served as interim CEO for the past four months.
"I'm very honored to have the opportunity to follow someone like Mike Seward, who did such an amazing job for this community," said Carley, who volunteered as a chamber ambassador beginning in 1999 and has served on various committees through the years.
Carley is to be formerly introduced to the community during the chamber's Eye Opener Breakfast Tuesday, May 5, at Bay Valley Resort and Conference Center, and start work Monday, May 11. Read more: M Live

Indiana Chamber Week means new member discount for Greater Greencastle Chamber

May 4-8 is Indiana Chamber of Commerce Week, and the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has announced that the organization will celebrate by offering local small businesses (who are not currently members) the opportunity to join the GGCC at a discounted price for this week only.
From Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8 an annual GGCC membership will be discounted by $50. So the annual base rate membership of $185, for a business with 10 or less employees, will be just $135.
The Greater Greencastle Chamber has been supporting Greencastle and Putnam County since 1954, helping grow both local businesses and the local community.Read more: Banner Graphic

Elgin Development Group to hold seminar on exporting 

The Elgin Development Group, a division of the Elgin Area Chamber, in conjunction with the Illinois Small Business Development Center, has planned a free seminar on exporting from 3-5 p.m. May 7 at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Building E, and Room 107.

There are more than 3 billion internet users worldwide and over 40 percent purchased something online in the last year. That translates into nearly $1.5 trillion in sales. Every business should have a strategy in place to access these customers. Zachary Person, Illinois International Trade Center Program Manager at College of DuPage's Center for Entrepreneurship, will lead the seminar.

To register for the workshop, please contact Tony Lucenko at (847) 741-5660 or register online at www.ElginChamber.com. Read more: Daily Herald

 

Christian County chamber honored at KCCE spring conference

The Christian County Chamber of Commerce racked up the hardware at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives spring conference, winning more awards in Group V, which includes cities like Bowling Green, Lexington and Louisville, than any other chamber of commerce.

Among the awards won by the Christian County chamber were best e-newsletter, best publication and best event. The chamber was also recognized for its support of the Leadership Institute for School Principals program. Read more: Kentucky New Era

Conway Area Chamber: 34th Annual Toad Suck Daze Festival

Friday, May 01, 2015 3:30 PM - Sunday, May 03, 2015 5:30 PM

Downtown Conway
Conway , AR 72032
Downtown Conway

In its 34th year, Toad Suck Daze is one of Arkansas’s largest and most award-winning festivals. This three-day family festival takes place the first weekend of May in downtown Conway, Arkansas, and attracts approximately 160,000 people. From local and national entertainment to kids’ entertainment; from arts and crafts to anything you can eat on a stick; from the 5K/10K race to the World Famous Toad Races, Toad Suck Daze has something for everyone. In addition to food and fun, the festival provides funding for education initiatives. Since 1982, Toad Suck Daze has contributed more than $1.4 million to scholarships, scholarship endowments and pre-K education funding for students in Faulkner County.
In 2014 Toad Suck Daze received the following awards: 

• Gold for Best Children's Programming - International Festivals & Events Association
• Gold for Best Event within an Existing Festival - LaunchPad Business Start-Up Competition - International Festivals & Events Association
• Gold for Best Food and Beverage Program - International Festivals & Events Association
• Silver for Best Overall Merchandising Program - International Festivals & Events Association
• Bronze for Best TV Promotion - International Festivals & Events Association
• Bronze for Best Single New Sponsorship Opportunity - International Festivals & Events Association

Chamber delight: Wisconsin Department of Tourism: Visitor spending up across state

For the first time in four years every county in Wisconsin reported an increase in visitor spending in 2014, the state's Department of Tourism announced Friday, May 1.
Travelers contributed $18.5 billion to Wisconsin's economy last year, up 5.5 percent from the year before, according to a state tourism report released Friday. Visitor growth topped 102 million in 2014, an increase of 7 million visits since 2010.
The department cited improvements in the overall economy and moderating gas prices as reasons for growth in both day and overnight visitor volumes. Each grew by around 2 percent. The report also said per-trip spending increased as personal income and consumer confidence strengthened in 2014.
The department said direct visitor spending on food, lodging, transportation, entertainment and other services accounted for $11.4 billion, up 5.3 percent from 2013. Lodging was the biggest money-maker in 2014, accounting for 26 percent of tourists' spending. Food and beverage came in second at 25.4 percent.
Jackson County, in the west-central part of the state, saw the state's largest percentage increase in visitor spending at 11.8 percent. That number jumped from $32.2 million in 2013 to $36.1 million last year.
Chris Hardie, executive director of the Black River Falls Chamber of Commerce, attributed the increase to additional construction and industrial projects. Read more: The Star

Glenn McCullough chosen new economic chief for Mississippi Development Authority

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday named Glenn McCullough Jr. as the new director of the state's economic development agency, praising his past experience as Tennessee Valley Authority chairman, Tupelo mayor and Appalachian Regional Commission director.
McCullough, 60, will begin the job in June and will succeed Brent Christensen, 45, who is leaving the Mississippi Development Authority to become CEO of the Greensboro Partnership, a local economic development agency in North Carolina. Christensen had led MDA since April 2012, early in Bryant's term as governor.
Republican Bryant, who is seeking a second term this year, announced the appointment of McCullough on Thursday to more than 1,000 people during the annual meeting of the state chamber of commerce, the Mississippi Economic Council. Bryant said he specifically wanted to choose a new MDA director from inside the state. Read more: Sun-Herald

Famous Chamber of Commerce Inspiration -  (Meeting the membership)

“Time is not our own, and we must give a strict account of it” - Tiberius the Tireless, in 16^th century Peru, he traversed a 176,000 square mile diocese three times to attend to those in his charge.