La Porte Chamber Awarded 5 Stars from U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Chamber partnership: Planning group for Hopewell/Prince George area focuses on drawing tourists; Chamber event: Swedish Days fills Geneva (Illinois) with music, entertainment; 200,000 expected to attend; North Little Rock Chamber partnership: Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Inductees, including Hilary Rodham Clinton; Lieutenant governor candidates to speak in Paducah Chamber forum; Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President John Fleming to Speak at Upcoming Chamber Luncheon; Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Survey shows worker shortage getting worse, holding back economy; Jackson Chamber sponsor: Air Force band to perform at Mississippi Museum of Art; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation: (Leadership)

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

La Porte Chamber Awarded 5 Stars from U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Good news! The Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that after a comprehensive self-review, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded us with 5-Star Accreditation. "This prestigious honor puts us among the top 1% of chambers nationwide," stated Michael B. Seitz, IOM President of the Chamber. This rating demonstrates the high commitment from our board of directors and staff to provide excellence in our program of work and services to our members.
Highlights included:
-The chamber continued to do an excellent job of recognizing its volunteers for their efforts on behalf of the chamber.
-The chamber has created a comprehensive Personnel and Administrative Policy Manual. It was also recognized for its practice of providing additional funds to staff through HSA contributions.
-The chamber achieved a perfect score in the Communications and Facilities sections.
This past year, the staff and the board of Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce spent countless hours completing the Accreditation process. Our task: demonstrate competency in 9 core areas ranging from finance to facilities. The result of our hard-work is evidenced by this impressive rating. "We should all be extraordinarily proud of this milestone achievement. It was a true team effort, but special recognition should go to Vice President Rita Mrozinski for her countless hours and contributions she made to the accreditation process that led us to achieve the 5 star rating," said Seitz. Read more: La Porte County Life

Chamber partnership: Planning group for Hopewell/Prince George area focuses on drawing tourists

Members of a tourism planning group for the Hopewell/Prince George area are unanimous on the need for a river-front development that would be a draw for tourists. The decision came after taking a series of three tourism development workshops facilitated by the Hopewell/Prince George Chamber and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
“These DRIVE Tourism workshops helped us to focus on the assets we have and those we need to develop to succeed in a competitive travel and tourism market,” said Becky McDonough, CEO of the Hopewell/Prince George Chamber.
McDonough referenced Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s recent announcement that Virginia’s tourism revenues reached $22.4 billion in 2014 – a 4.1 percent increase over 2013. Tourism supported 216,000 jobs and $1.5 billion in state and local revenue last year. Local statistics for 2014 are not yet available.
The Hopewell/Prince George community, which held its third workshop on June 11, is the ninth locality to complete the DRIVE Tourism workshops in 2015. More than 50 individuals from local groups in Hopewell/Prince George and the surrounding region completed homework and attended the three-session workshops. The individuals represented local government administration, economic development and recreation and parks; local historical societies; entertainment, real estate and hospitality sectors; the Hopewell Downtown Partnership; Appomattox Regional Library System; Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART); Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR); VSU students; elected officials; as well as area residents and students. Read more: Progress-Index

Chamber event: Swedish Days fills Geneva (Illinois) with music, entertainment; 200,000 expected to attend

Swedish Days, one of the biggest festivals in the Fox Valley, will return for its 66th year featuring its usual lineup of crafting events, historical tours and live music.

The six-day festival opens Tuesday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 28.

One of the main events taking place earlier in the week is the Geneva's Got Talent Semi-Finals, set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24. Twenty contestants will take their turn onstage in the hopes of advancing to the finals and winning a $1,000 cash prize.

Talents will span a variety of genres and styles, including vocalists, musicians, pianists, dancers and bands.

The competition is presented in partnership between the Geneva Park District and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. The partnership came in hopes to revitalize a fading battle of the bands competition and merge it with the chamber's existing talent competition. Read more: Daily Herald

North Little Rock Chamber partnership: Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Inductees, including Hilary Rodham Clinton

The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame on Monday announced its inaugural 11 inductees, including four historic figures and one organization.
The nonprofit organization, born out of a partnership between the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Business Publishing Group of Little Rock, will honor the group during a ceremony Aug. 27 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
The first class of contemporary inductees are:

• Mary Ann Ritter Arnold, the first woman mayor of Marked Tree and the former president of agribusiness and communications firm E. Ritter & Co.
• Betty Bumpers, former Arkansas first lady who led a statewide immunization program for childhood vaccinations.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Arkansas first lady, first lady of the U.S., U.S. senator from New York, and U.S. Secretary of State.
• Dr. Mary Good, founding dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, and former under secretary for technology for the Technology Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
• Johnelle Hunt, co-founder of publicly traded J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell, one of the largest transportation and logistics providers.
• Dr. Edith Irby Jones, medical doctor, educator, philanthropist who was the first African American to attend and graduate from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
• Alice Walton, founder and board chairman of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

Historic inductees are:

• Daisy Bates, civil rights activist, writer and publisher who played a leading role in the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock.
• Hattie Caraway, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
• Hester Davis, a leader in the development of cultural resources management legislation and programs who blazed a trail for women in archeology.
• Roberta Fulbright, a prominent Fayetteville business leader and former publisher of the Northwest Arkansas Times who championed the University of Arkansas, fought corruption and advocated for women’s equality.

The AWHOF also chose to honor one organization, the Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC), a Civil Rights-era committee formed in Little Rock in response to Gov. Orval Faubus’ efforts to close the city’s four public high schools.
A selection committee chose the women from 73 nominees based on their contributions to the state and their respective fields. Nan Snow, president of the AWHOF board, announced the class during a news conference on the steps of the state Capitol. Read more: Arkansas Business

Lieutenant governor candidates to speak in Paducah Chamber forum

Both candidates for Kentucky lieutenant governor will participate in a candidate forum in Paducah on Oct. 1, the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday.
The chamber said it will move its monthly breakfast to a luncheon for the forum. The Power in Partnership luncheon will be held in the Julian Carroll Convention Center, with a buffet beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the Chamber program beginning around noon.
“We are thrilled to be able to host this event so voters in western Kentucky will have the opportunity to meet these two candidates,” Paducah Chamber President Sandra Wilson said in Tuesday's announcement. “Our local citizens are eager to hear their thoughts on issues important to our community and the state.”
Republican nominee Jenean Hampton and Democratic nominee State Rep. Sannie Overly will each make opening comments before a question and answer session with a local media panel, and concluding remarks by each candidate. Read more: WPSDlocal6.com


Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President John Fleming to Speak at Upcoming Chamber Luncheon

John Fleming, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs at Ford Motor Company will be joining the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce as the guest speaker at the Chamber’s upcoming Business Builder Series. The luncheon will take place on Wednesday, July 15, beginning at 11:00 am at The Henry, An Autograph Collection Hotel, located at 300 Town Center Drive, in Dearborn. Fleming is the third speaker for the Chamber’s 2015 Business Builder Series, a Chamber program designed to help local businesses and community leaders grow and enhance their organizational goals. Speakers this year have included the mayors of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, and a prestigious panel of area executives joining in a U.S. Chamber sponsored discussion of women in business leadership. Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley is scheduled to wrap up the 2015 series at the 4^th Quarter event in October. For More Information, Contact: Ron Hinrichs, Director of Events & Media Relations Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce -Tel: 313-584-6100E-mail: rhinrichs@dearbornareachamber.org

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Survey shows worker shortage getting worse, holding back economy

The shortage of qualified and/or willing workers is getting worse and is holding back Wisconsin's economy, according to a semi-annual survey conducted by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state chamber of commerce. The survey of 306 top business executives also shows concern about rising health care costs on the eve of full implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Seventy percent of survey respondents reported having trouble hiring employees, up from 64 percent in January and 53 percent a year ago. A lack of qualified applicants was the top reason given at 52 percent. Thirty-two percent say they are having trouble finding employees for all levels and fields.
Labor shortage was the No. 1 concern of business leaders when asked two separate questions on what is the top public policy issue facing Wisconsin (26 percent) and what is the top concern facing your company (27 percent). Health care affordability was second for both questions, but it was the top response when executives were asked to identify "what one thing state government could do to help your business." Twenty-eight percent said "make health care costs more affordable," 25 percent said "reduce/reform regulations" and 21 percent said "reduce taxes." Read more: BizTimes.com

Jackson Chamber sponsor: Air Force band to perform at Mississippi Museum of Art

The City of Jackson, along with numerous other sponsors, will host the Independence Day Weekend First of July Celebration featuring the United States Air Force West Concert Band Performance at 6 p.m. July 1 at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Art Garden.
Also performing will be Cade Chapel Voices of Love. The event will be free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase via food trucks. The rain location will be Thalia Mara Hall Performance Center.
Formed in 1941, The United States Air Force Band is the Air Force's premier musical organization. Each member is proud to represent all Airmen, whose selfless service and sacrifices ensure the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.
"The Jackson CVB is excited about the opportunity to partner with other agencies to produce this exciting event in Jackson," said Rickey Thigpen, executive vice president for the Jackson Convention and Visitor's Bureau. "This activity and others like it strengthens the quality of life for our citizens and enhances Jackson as a true visitor destination."
Sponsors of the event include the city of Jackson, the Jackson Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the Mississippi Museum of Art, Visit Mississippi, the Greater Jackson Arts Council, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, the Mississippi National Guard, and Downtown Partners. Read more: Hattiesburg American

 
Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation: (Leadership) -

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. —Warren Bennis