Chamber interest: Senators Stabenow, Peters Introduce Bill to Recognize Historical Great Lakes Areas as National Marine Sanctuaries
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters today introduced bipartisan legislation to recognize historically significant underwater areas in the Great Lakes as National Marine Sanctuaries, which would increase tourism and boost Michigan’s economy. The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act would build on the success of Thunder Bay in Alpena, which was designated in 2000 as the only freshwater marine sanctuary in the country. More than 90,000 people visited Thunder Bay last year alone, adding millions of dollars to Michigan’s economy. “The Great Lakes are part of who we are and our Michigan way of life,” said Senator Stabenow, Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary has attracted families and divers from across the state and throughout the world to discover and explore our rich maritime heritage. This legislation will allow more areas in the Great Lakes to be recognized as sanctuaries, which will bring new visitors to Michigan and help preserve our national treasures for future generations.” “Tourism in the Great Lakes is vital to Michigan’s economy, and it’s critical that we continue to protect our state’s treasured natural resources for many years to come,” said Senator Peters, Member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “Designating more areas in the Great Lakes as sanctuaries will build on the success of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to bring more families, divers and explorers to see Michigan’s maritime history firsthand. I’m proud to join Senator Stabenow to introduce this bill that will boost our tourism industry and support local economic development across Michigan.” “The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary has had a profoundly positive economic impact on the Alpena area and the Northeast Michigan region,” said Jim Klarich, Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director of Economic Development. “The Sanctuary has introduced our maritime heritage to hundreds of thousands of visitors and is a catalyst in driving academic partnerships while embracing and driving economic vitality.” - See more at: Real EstateRAMA
Leadership Fairfax Accepting Applicants for Signature Program, Emerging Leaders Institute
Leadership Fairfax, an organization that “connects diverse leaders to one another and to community engagement opportunities,” according to its website, is currentlyaccepting applications for its Signature Program and Emerging Leaders Institute Class of 2016.
Classes are slated to begin in September of this year and the programs are each 10 months long, concluding in June of 2016.
The head of the program is Reston businesswoman Karen Cleveland, who serves as President and CEO.
The Signature Program and Emerging Leaders program include professionals from the business, nonprofit and government sectors, and provides them with leadership skills and with knowledge and perspective on issues impacting the region. Read more: Patch.com
MEC Chamber interest: Mississippi ports getting $3.8 million for upgrades
The Mississippi Transportation Commission has awarded $3.8 million in grants to seven of the state’s ports for upgrades, maintenance and repairs.
The work ranges from upgrading rail lines, improving docks, repairing roofs and general cleanup.
It was welcome news for Mark McAndrews, director of the Port of Pascagoula, which abuts the Pascagoula River at the Gulf of Mexico.
Pascagoula’s facility lost the use of one of its docks in a 2013 fire that destroyed an adjacent freezer. The dock at terminal 1-A has been out of service since the fire, McAndrews said.
The $950,000 the port will get — which is the largest of the seven awards — will bring that dock back into service. McAndrews said work should begin within 120 days, after demolition of the freezer, which held poultry for export until the fire. To go with poultry, the port’s primary export is lumber and craft liner board. Most imports are pipes and similar commodities, McAndrews said.
The work will get the port back to its pre-fire allotment of 10 operating docks, he added.
“It won’t rebuild the freezer, but it’ll allow us to use that dock again because right now it’s not safe to use,” McAndrews said. Improvising without the dock has not been easy, McAndrews said. Ships and barges have to be tied at an adjacent dock, which can cause congestion and delays. “It’s not a very efficient operation,” McAndrews said. “This will allow us to continue to handle large volumes of mostly Mississippi-originated products.” Read more: Clarion Ledger
Crossroads Chamber Indiana Welcoming Teachers - Linking Education and Business
The Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce held the annual New Teacher Luncheon at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake on August 10, 2015.
This event welcomes and shows appreciation for the teachers and administrators, joining the Crown Point and Merrillville School Corporations for the first time. Over 80 new Teachers were supported by Chamber members who sponsored tables included A Positive Approach to Teen Health, Centier Bank, Chick-fil-A, fIRST Financial Bank, First Midwest Bank, Grand Canyon University, Hall Chiropractic Pain Relief Center, Indiana Ballet Theatre, Indiana Professional Educators, Inc., Indiana Wesleyan University, L’abri Medi Spa, Merrillville Breakfast Kiwanis, Merrillville Education Foundation, Methodist Hospitals, Natural Wellness, LLC, Phil & Sons Security Specialists, Pretty Woman & Gentlemen’s Touch Hair Salon, Rosemary’s Heritage Flowers, Ryland Homes, Saint Matthias Church, Skillman Corporation, and Southlake Animal Hospital.
The relaxing atmosphere during the luncheon was created by the musical stylings of “All Strings Attached” students from Crown Point who included Nick Burrell, Maddie Edwards, Vanessa Garcia, and Lauren Massow as well as the “Merrillville High School Quartet” of Timoya Bryant, David Hinton, Maxwell Moore and Steffan Santiago. After words of encouragement from Dr. Teresa A. Eineman, Superintendent of the Crown Point Community School Corporation and Dr. Tony Lux, Superintendent of the Merrillville Community School Corporation, there was a delicious lunch, gift bag and door prize presentation. The new teachers and administrators left the luncheon with smiling faces, thanking the Sponsors and Chamber Representatives for their generous effort to toast them as they start their new school year.
The New Teacher Luncheon is organized by the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce Education Division. The Chamber has a strong belief that by linking education and business now, children of today will be prepared with the skills to make business in the Region flourish in the future.
To learn more about the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce and upcoming events please visit www.crossroadschamber.org.
Chamber Best Practices: "Become an Ambassador" at Plainfield Area Chamber
What is an Ambassador?
The Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Club is a membership outreach and retention program designed to involve and inform all Chamber members and prospective members. Ambassadors are volunteers who, on behalf of the Chamber, make goodwill calls to encourage membership participation and actively support Chamber programs. Ambassadors generate excitement and enthusiasm through participation in ribbon cuttings, grand openings, and other Chamber networking events and functions.
Ambassadors receive points for attending and volunteering at Chamber events, assisting in bringing in new members and helping with member retention. These points accumulate to give each Ambassador the opportunity to receive Special Recognition Awards.
Interested in becoming an Ambassador?
Attend a monthly meeting! Meetings are held once a month on the first Wednesday of each month at 4:00 pm at the Plainfield Chamber office. Come see what we are all about...
Heart of Wisconsin Chamber is the Heart of Wisconsin.
Achieve Balance Between Working and Living -- We don't sacrifice quality for quantity here; instead we strive to have both in harmony. Our riches are many - stable, dynamic economies; robust arts; excellent school systems; beautiful parks, lakes, rivers, forests and trails; great public services and roads - and yet, our costs of living and doing business are surprisingly low. People who move here tend to stay here. They put down roots, make friends, raise families, build futures and become participants in their community and partners in progress. That's what people do when they've found real quality of life. Forbes Magazine rates Wisconsin Rapids as the Fifth Best Small City to Raise a Family! Click here to read more .
Former Kentucky chamber manager will lead membership, investor development for Greater Louisville Inc.
A day after it announced the hiring of a new economic development leader, Greater Louisville Inc. on Thursday said it has hired Brian Jones to head membership and investor development.
Jones comes from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, where he was the assistant vice president for investor development, according to a news release.
Before that, he coordinated Louisville area membership development for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
In his new role at GLI, Jones will be responsible for attracting and retaining members and investors, the release said.
"Brian's prior development experience in the Greater Louisville market with the Kentucky Chamber is a real plus," GLI president and CEO Kent Oyler said in the release. "He has already hit the ground running and started building relationships with GLI members, investors and volunteers." Read more: BizJournals.com
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