Indiana Chamber: Submit Your ‘Best Places to Work’ Application Now; Mississippi Gulf Coast chamber event: Hancock Bank will host special Katrina Business After Hours; #BestChamber Practices: Heart of Wisconsin chamber event: EMV credit card compliance primer set; #Chamber Best Practices: Leadership Battle Creek launches October 12, 2015; Chamber event: A diner's delight at Lake Zurich's Taste of the Towns; Chamber interest: Verona antique mall named largest in country, 225+ dealers; Frankfort Area Chamber To Host Inaugural Tailgate Party for Kentucky State Football

Indiana Chamber: Submit Your ‘Best Places to Work’ Application Now

The Indiana Chamber is now accepting applications for the state’s annual competition naming the “Best Places to Work in Indiana.” In its 11th year, this program honors top companies in the state as determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys.

Companies need to have at least 15 Hoosier employees to be eligible. Out-of-state parent companies are also eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

Winners are selected in four groups: small companies of between 15 and 74 U.S. employees; medium companies of between 75 and 249 U.S. employees; large companies of between 250 and 999 U.S. employees; and major companies with 1,000 or more U.S. employees.

The application deadline is Friday, November 20. To apply, visit www.bestplacestoworkIN.com.

Mississippi Gulf Coast chamber event: Hancock Bank will host special Katrina Business After Hours

In 2005, Hancock Bank hosted the first post-Hurricane Katrina Coast Chamber's Business After Hours in a tent near the bank's gutted Gulfport headquarters. On Thursday -- 10 years after the storm -- the bank will again host Business After Hours.

This gathering of local leaders will be a celebration of the region's resilience and a decade of recovery. The meeting will be 5:30 from 7:30 p.m. inside the bank's restored corporate complex, One Hancock Plaza, in downtown Gulfport. Admission is free for members of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and affiliates, potential members, Hancock Bank associates and guests.

"Ten years ago, we came together as a business community to make sure folks were safe and to figure out our strategies for moving forward," Hancock Bank President and CEO John Hairston said. "That event was an emotional occasion for all of us.

"This month's After Hours will likely be emotional, too. We'll tell stories. We may cry a little bit, but most of all, we'll honor and give thanks for the people who gave and continue to give so much to make South Mississippi a great place to live, work and raise families."

He recalls returning to the headquarters bank to find it battered by Katrina. A waterspout generated by the storm had destroyed its roof, sending sea spray, rain and debris down its 15 floors.

The bank launched its restoration efforts within days of Katrina. It asked to host the chamber event on the corporate campus to reunite and encourage local business people.

"Communication was very difficult in the first 30 to 60 days after Hurricane Katrina," said Kimberly Nastasi, CEO of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce. "Many of us were still not sure if our peers and friends from other businesses were safe. People on the Coast needed a chance to come together, and Hancock Bank created that opportunity. Read more: Sun Herald

#BestChamber Practices: Heart of Wisconsin chamber event: EMV credit card compliance primer set

Associated Bank and First Data will host an EMV compliance information session on Sept. 2 for businesses that process credit cards.

Any business not EMV compliant by Oct. 1 can be liable for any and all damages incurred if there is a security breach of its system.

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa and is a global standard for cards equipped with computer chips and the technology used to authenticate chip-card transactions, according to www.creditcards.com.

Card issuers in the United States are migrating to this new technology to protect consumers and reduce the costs of fraud, according to the website. For merchants and financial institutions, the switch to EMV means adding new in-store technology and internal processing systems, and complying with new liability rules. For consumers, it means activating new cards and learning new payment processes, the website said.

Unlike magnetic-stripe cards, every time an EMV card is used for payment, the card chip creates a unique transaction code that cannot be used again, according to the website. Read more: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune

Chamber Best Practices: Leadership Battle Creek launches October 12, 2015

We have made major changes to the Chamber's leadership development program for the 2015–2016 year, first is the name: Leadership Battle Creek. Some of the biggest changes are the programming and the cost–it will be offered for $1,000 per participant this year (this is a $1,500 savings from last year). Click here to see the curriculum outline of the program for you to review. Our goal is to have 26 participants for this year’s class and would appreciate any assistance in helping us achieve this goal.

An application is available online for you to share with individuals. The new deadline date for applications is September 30, 2015. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Kara Beer at kbeer@battlecreek.org or 269-962-4076.

We will be reaching out to each of you after September 30, 2015 with further details in the process. Thank you all for your support, this is going to be outstanding! Read more: Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber event: A diner's delight at Lake Zurich's Taste of the Towns

Some of the best culinary delights Lake Zurich has to offer were available for discerning diners Sunday as the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce held its ninth annual Taste of the Towns in Paulus Park.

This year's free public event featured about 30 local food and beverage vendors showcasing their signature items. 

Menu choices ranged from herb mascarpone and shrimp arancini from Biaggis to a variety of pizza from Domino's, Hawaiian Shaved Ice from My Flavor It! Place, craft beers from Beelow's Steak House and Binny's, and more.

Special activities included a walking parade around the park, presentations and recognition of many longtime residents of the area, performances by a ragtime band and a barbershop quartet, special games and activities reminiscent of the early 1900s.

Proceeds help to fund programs and services provided by the chamber, such as the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Read more: Daily Herald

Chamber interest: Verona antique mall named largest in country, 225+ dealers

The large 121,000-square-foot building is like a maze of history. Around each corner is a new find and something to discover.
"If it isn't in here, why, I don't know where it would be," said customer Craig Hamilton. "There's always a treasure somewhere."
The Factory Antique Mall in Verona has been named the largest antique mall in the country and boasts more than 225 dealers within its walls.
During a press conference on Wednesday, county and state officials gathered to announce the mall's new status and boast about its previous history.
"This is a tourist destination and a place to look for that certain piece of history," said Linda Hershey, president of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Resale malls are a multibillion dollar a year industry." Read more: San Francisco Chronicle

Frankfort Area Chamber To Host Inaugural Tailgate Party for Kentucky State Football

The Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce will host its inaugural community tailgate event on Sept. 12, at Kentucky State University’s first season football game. Chamber members are welcome to set up for free and showcase their products, services, food and apparel to community members, students and game attendees. 

Bring a picnic basket and chairs and enjoy an afternoon getting to know fellow members and introducing businesses to Frankfort’s university students and staff. For more information, call 502-223-5942. Read more: The State Journal