Good morning Chamber world! Today is going to be a GREAT day!
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Virginia Peninsula Chamber of
Commerce Graduates Inaugural Class of Young Entrepreneurs Academy
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy
is a yearlong program that teaches middle and high school students how
to start and run their own businesses.
Newport
News, Va.- The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of
Commerce's Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is pleased to
announce the graduation of the first class of students who are now CEOs
of their very own companies.
On
May 13, more than 25 parents, friends and mentors watched seven local
middle and high school students accept their diplomas as the first YEA!
graduating class of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
This
was the first year that YEA! had been introduced to the Peninsula
business community. Since its inception in 2004 at the University of
Rochester, YEA! has graduated 1,394 students who have started more than
1,000 businesses and social movements. And now, that number has grown
with seven more.
"The
small business culture in Hampton Roads is rich, but there is a spirit
of entrepreneurship that we are looking to develop," said Jemal
Harris, the Program Manager for YEA! "We want our students and
this spirit of entrepreneurship to grow alongside our small businesses
and give them the tools to further enhance the business environment in
this area."
The
program allows students, with the direction of business professionals
and mentors, to brainstorm business ideas, write a business plan,
obtain funding and actually launch their own businesses or social
movements.
This year, 14-year-old
Caleb Lafferty was selected as the YEA! Virginia Peninsula Winner and
YEA! Semi Finalist for his Flash-Go Storage business concept the
Media
Copy Pro, which qualifies him to
compete in the YEA! Southern Regionals in Florida.
"We've
crossed a lot of bridges this year and we're most proud of these young
people," said Mike Kuhns, President/CEO of VPCC. "We would
love to keep local talent in the area, and hope that this program will
continue to encourage and equip students, and that they would someday
choose to live, work and relax here."
In
addition to Lafferty, the student businesses included:
- Sakiah Gatling-Brown, a 17-year-old junior at Warwick High School, who invented "Foxy Guard," a clip that attaches to a woman's bra that when activated if in danger can send a text message to alert someone.
- Dominic Ageyenkov, an 11-year-old sixth grader at Booker T. Washington Middle School, created "Revers-A-Tie," an interchangeable necktie and bow tie for men.
- Devin Fields, a 17-year-old junior at Hampton High School, developed "Striend," which allows friends to communicate through mobile screen sharing.
- Rash'd Bernard, a 16-year-old freshman at the Achievable Dream High School, invented "TARA: The Game Extender," a wireless game extender that allows gamers to play games in different rooms without having to move the game system.
- Kaylie Crews, a 16-year-old sophomore at Poquoson High School, created "Cool Play," a series of customized grips that go over video game controllers.
- Imani Gaston, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Hampton Christian Academy, and Sigrid Perkinson, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Booker T. Washington Middle School, developed "Delightful Creations," an assortment of customized lotions and liquid soaps. Together, Gaston and Perkinson earned a $500 Sam's Club award and were funded an additional $1,500 from the investor panel to start their business.
YEA!
is now accepting applications for the Fall of 2015. For more
information, visit http://www.virginiapeninsulachamber.com/pages/YoungEntrepreneursAcademy/.
Members of the Coast legislative delegation had Alabama and taxes on their minds Wednesday morning. And for the most part, they don't care much for either of them.
Alabama got on their radar in the last week as they learned the neighboring state was considering casinos as a way to deal with its budget shortfall.
When District Attorney Joel Smith, who led the legislative update for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce at the Golden Nugget, asked what was the biggest threat to Coast casinos, state Sen. Tindell of Gulfport pointed east to Alabama.
3-hour drive to gaming
"When we started gaming back in 1992, us, Atlantic City and Vegas were the three major destinations," he said. "Now you are within a three-hour drive, in the Southeast, if you want to go to a casino.
"A lot of it is staying ahead of the curve, making sure that we don't just have casinos. You have to have unique offerings to attract families to make it a destination."
He said the Coast has a big advantage in its experience and the number of offerings other areas can't match.
"We have beautiful beaches," he said. "We have ecotourism. We have baseball. We're going to have an aquarium soon in Gulfport. All these things create a synergy that make us not just a gaming destination but a tourist destination." Read more: Sun-Herald
Northern Kentucky Chamber to participate in national program
Impact NKY, a foundation of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, was recently named one of seven regional organizations to participate in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management initiative.
The initiative’s goal is to close the nationwide gap between workers’ skills and employers needs for better educated and credentialed workers.
“Here in Northern Kentucky, we’ve been working on a marketing plan to raise awareness of manufacturing jobs in the region,” said Rhonda Whitaker, Duke Energy Kentucky’s district manager for government and community relations, who also chairs the area workforce initiative. “For instance, we’re working with a group of manufacturers and schools (namely Gateway Community and Technical College) to fast track workers into positions that need to be filled.”
“We’re coming up with a common agenda to work towards common goal,” Whitaker said.
"With 5 million vacant jobs in the United States, the frustration level has understandably reached a new high among businesses desperate for skilled workers and with students who want to know that their education and skills training will lead to a good job and future success,” said Cheryl Oldham, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s vice president. Read more: Cincinatti.com
Congratulations and good luck to all of the recent college graduates! Finding and starting a career after college can be a challenging pursuit, but luckily, Indianapolis is the best place to do it. Here are the Top 10 Reasons why!
Buying
locally provides many benefits to our community. The Flint &
Genesee Chamber of Commerce celebrates local industries that make,
assemble and sell consumer products. We encourage Members to think local first when making purchasing decisions.
When you buy locally made products, you are actively
• Investing in and strengthening the community
• Encouraging local prosperity and potential job creation
• Reducing environmental impact
The made in Flint & Genesee County products listed below are sold through a retail chain, their manufacturing facility or a fully operational website.
For companies to be included they must:
Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce gets a check for $20,000 from Wisconsin Tourism
The Central Baptist College Professional Adult College Education (PACE) program will celebrate its 15th anniversary in the fall 2015. CBC hosted a kick off event on Friday with CBC administrators cutting cake for Leadercast attendees.
The program has seen more than 1,200 students go through PACE since its inception. PACE began in 2000 with 39 students.
CBC will celebrate the anniversary with events throughout the year. At the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Administrative Professionals Day luncheon in April, CBC gave six $1,000 scholarships to Conway businesses to start the PACE celebration. Other events include Lunch & Learns, radio remotes featuring PACE graduates and special events during Homecoming 2016.
The PACE program offers working adults the opportunity to work full time and obtain their college degree.Read more: theCabin.net
Chamber issue: Mississippi Coast delegation aware of Alabama's threat to casinos
Members of the Coast legislative delegation had Alabama and taxes on their minds Wednesday morning. And for the most part, they don't care much for either of them.
Alabama got on their radar in the last week as they learned the neighboring state was considering casinos as a way to deal with its budget shortfall.
When District Attorney Joel Smith, who led the legislative update for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce at the Golden Nugget, asked what was the biggest threat to Coast casinos, state Sen. Tindell of Gulfport pointed east to Alabama.
3-hour drive to gaming
"When we started gaming back in 1992, us, Atlantic City and Vegas were the three major destinations," he said. "Now you are within a three-hour drive, in the Southeast, if you want to go to a casino.
"A lot of it is staying ahead of the curve, making sure that we don't just have casinos. You have to have unique offerings to attract families to make it a destination."
He said the Coast has a big advantage in its experience and the number of offerings other areas can't match.
"We have beautiful beaches," he said. "We have ecotourism. We have baseball. We're going to have an aquarium soon in Gulfport. All these things create a synergy that make us not just a gaming destination but a tourist destination." Read more: Sun-Herald
Northern Kentucky Chamber to participate in national program
Impact NKY, a foundation of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, was recently named one of seven regional organizations to participate in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management initiative.
The initiative’s goal is to close the nationwide gap between workers’ skills and employers needs for better educated and credentialed workers.
“Here in Northern Kentucky, we’ve been working on a marketing plan to raise awareness of manufacturing jobs in the region,” said Rhonda Whitaker, Duke Energy Kentucky’s district manager for government and community relations, who also chairs the area workforce initiative. “For instance, we’re working with a group of manufacturers and schools (namely Gateway Community and Technical College) to fast track workers into positions that need to be filled.”
“We’re coming up with a common agenda to work towards common goal,” Whitaker said.
"With 5 million vacant jobs in the United States, the frustration level has understandably reached a new high among businesses desperate for skilled workers and with students who want to know that their education and skills training will lead to a good job and future success,” said Cheryl Oldham, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s vice president. Read more: Cincinatti.com
Top 10 Reasons Why Indy is the Best Place to Launch a Career
Congratulations and good luck to all of the recent college graduates! Finding and starting a career after college can be a challenging pursuit, but luckily, Indianapolis is the best place to do it. Here are the Top 10 Reasons why!
- Top 10 Best Cities to Start a New Career
In 2014, Time compiled a Top 10 list of cities to start a new career based on affordability, career opportunity, and demographics. Indy boasts a low average rent of $946 and a high density of people aged 25 to 29.
- #1 City for College Graduates
In 2013, CreditDonkey.com conducted a study to determine the best cities for college grads to begin their professional lives. Indy has an unemployment rate of 1.9 percent for people with bachelor’s degrees, and has the lowest cost of living. Get your shades out, because your future is looking bright.
- #3 Best Downtown
The 2015 Top 10 Best Downtown list from Livability is out, and Indianapolis ranks as third. Due to neighborhoods in the downtown area evolving into hip destinations, abundant cultural amenities, and plentiful attractions, 23 percent of homeowners in the downtown area moved here in the last five years.
- #2 Best City for Culture
In 2014, Business Insider set out to determine the best cities for culture, and found that in Indy, there is one cultural attraction for every 705 people. Our six cultural districts don’t lie, Indy takes arts to the next level.
- Top 50 Places in the World to Visit
You know we’ve made it big time when we are ranked on the same list as the Vatican. In 2014, the New York Times praised Indy for our Cultural Trail and public art, ranking the city 34 out of 52 places in the world to visit.
- Best Downtown Sports Scene in United States
Indy has a knack for hosting some epic sporting events. From the Superbowl to the Final Four, Indy has stepped up to the plate and has knocked it out of the park. In fact, Stadium Journey Magazine plainly stated, “Indianapolis has the best sports scene in the United States.” We consider that a home run.
- #1 Best Convention City
The people have spoken. USA Today’s readers have ranked Indianapolis as the best convention city. No doubt they fell in love with Indy’s restaurants and ease of access.
- Top 10 Bang for Your Buck Apartments
Make the most out of your paycheck with an apartment in Indy! According to Apartment Guide, Indy has a low rental rates and high amenities which makes downtown living easy.
- #6 Best State to Do Business
With business growth, workforce quality, and low tax rates, Indiana’s business climate ranks sixth overall in Chief Executive’s 2015 Best and Worst States to do Business and is the only Midwestern state to make the top 10.
- Top 10 Great Cities for Starting a Business
Do you have an entrepreneurial flair? Indy is the best place to be, with a burgeoning startup scene with a low price tag, putting Indy in Kiplinger’s top ten.
Chamber Best Practices: Made in Flint & Genesee County
Buying
locally provides many benefits to our community. The Flint &
Genesee Chamber of Commerce celebrates local industries that make,
assemble and sell consumer products. We encourage Members to think local first when making purchasing decisions.When you buy locally made products, you are actively
• Investing in and strengthening the community
• Encouraging local prosperity and potential job creation
• Reducing environmental impact
The made in Flint & Genesee County products listed below are sold through a retail chain, their manufacturing facility or a fully operational website.
For companies to be included they must:
- Be located in Flint and Genesee County
- Make, assemble and sell a tangible consumer product
- Their product must be available as a standalone product, not a component of a product
- Must be a business to consumer product
- Must be a Chamber member
Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce gets a check for $20,000 from Wisconsin Tourism
Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett was in Rhinelander
Wednesday to present a $20,000 Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant to the
Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce for promotion of the second annual
Boom Lake Log Jam. The money is the result of an extensive grant
application and will be used to promote the event in areas outside of
the Northwoods.
Klett also shared news that last year, tourism dollars were up $1 billion throughout the state, with Oneida county seeing a 5.5% increase in tourism revenue. For perhaps the first time ever, each of Wisconsin’s counties saw an increase in tourism spending in 2014. Read more: Star Journal
Klett also shared news that last year, tourism dollars were up $1 billion throughout the state, with Oneida county seeing a 5.5% increase in tourism revenue. For perhaps the first time ever, each of Wisconsin’s counties saw an increase in tourism spending in 2014. Read more: Star Journal
Conway chamber event: Central Baptist College celebrates 15 years of PACE program
The Central Baptist College Professional Adult College Education (PACE) program will celebrate its 15th anniversary in the fall 2015. CBC hosted a kick off event on Friday with CBC administrators cutting cake for Leadercast attendees.
The program has seen more than 1,200 students go through PACE since its inception. PACE began in 2000 with 39 students.
CBC will celebrate the anniversary with events throughout the year. At the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Administrative Professionals Day luncheon in April, CBC gave six $1,000 scholarships to Conway businesses to start the PACE celebration. Other events include Lunch & Learns, radio remotes featuring PACE graduates and special events during Homecoming 2016.
The PACE program offers working adults the opportunity to work full time and obtain their college degree.Read more: theCabin.net
Council to vote on Logan County Alliance (Lincoln/Logan chamber of commerce) contract extension
The renewal of a funding agreement between the City of
Lincoln and the Logan County Alliance (LCA) is expected to go to a vote
at the Council meeting on May 18.
If approved, the
yearlong agreement would grant the LCA $5,042 per month from May 2015 to
April 2016 for a total amount of $60,504.
The
drafted agreement that went before the alderman at their meeting Tuesday
night clarified that the LCA is "doing business as the Lincoln/Logan
Chamber of Commerce."
In the current fiscal year
budget, passed on April 28, the City approved $61,000 for the LCA, as
well as an additional $5,000 contribution to the Chamber of Commerce for
the Balloon Festival.
The agreement specifies 14 points of commitment that the City will receive from the LCA in exchange for the funding.
The
first point on that list is that the Alliance agrees to "employ an
Executive Director and such other staff as the LCA deems necessary to
provide development services for the City of Lincoln. This includes
providing continuing education and ongoing learning opportunities for
said staff." Read more: Lincoln Courier
#FamousChamber Person
Greatest Lesson Learned:
I grew up every day of my life
with my Dad telling us to practice the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you." It was a lesson his father taught him. If
our family had a crest, this would be its motto. -
- Pat MulQueeny, President/CEO - Eden Prairie (MN) Chamber of Commerce
(Source: www.chambermentor.com)
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