Madison Chamber neXXpo, Forward Festival kicks off Thursday; Chamber event: On visit to Elkhart, Gov. Pence calls on business leaders to 'tell Indiana's story,' help spur the state's economy; Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Reports Record Retail Sales; Paducah Chamber Kicks Off its Annual Membership and Total Resource Campaign; On the move: Gov. Phil Bryant touts growth at Southaven chamber luncheon; The Marion (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce Legislative Summit; Best Chamber practices: Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber - Experiences and Epiphanies via Chamber Internship; Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey

Happy Friday, Chamber world! Today is going to be a GREAT day!

Madison Chamber neXXpo, Forward Festival kicks off Thursday

Entrepreneurs of all stripes — and some of the investors who support them — are expected to come together to share ideas, socialize, sample good food and, perhaps, do a bit of imbibing at Madison’s sixth annual Forward Festival.

The eight-day confab, starting Thursday and running through next Thursday, offers 32 events, some free and some for a fee, scattered among 16 locations.

Originally aimed at the Madison area’s technology industry, Forward Fest has taken a wider scope in the past two years.

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce will hold its neXXpo business expo during Forward Fest this year. The daylong event includes two opportunities for startups to pitch their concepts to other entrepreneurs and potential investors: the Startup Showcase and Pressure Chamber.

Other new events at Forward Fest include a meet-up for people in the video game industry and a “parentpreneur” night, when children are invited to share in ice cream and games and parent-entrepreneurs can meet others who are similarly juggling business startups and family ties.  Read more: Wisconsin State Journal

Chamber event: On visit to Elkhart, Gov. Pence calls on business leaders to 'tell Indiana's story,' help spur the state's economy

Pence addressed a Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce group in a stop here and also visited Keystone RV in Goshen.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence wants you to email your friends to tout the state’s economy, draw in new business.

“My only last ask is this — tell Indiana’s story,” he told a group of Elkhart area business leaders Thursday, Aug. 13, at a Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

He spent much of his upbeat address touting the state’s economic successes — job creation and business growth — and said it’s up to “ambassadors” like the business leaders gathered to help get the word out to other states. 

“I just ask you before the end of the week, reach out. Send an email, send a text to someone you work with outside the state of Indiana, maybe it’s somebody you went to college with,” Pence said. Spread the word about the pro-business, pro-economic growth policies here ”and ask them if they’d ever be willing to talk to someone around here about bringing all or part of their business to the Hoosier state.“ Read more: Elkhart Truth

Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Reports Record Retail Sales

The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce is celebrating record profits today. 

The mid-year report shows sales in every locality in Central Virginia are up. As expected, revenues were the highest in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. From January to June this year, the 2 localities accounted for more than $1.2 billion in retail sales.

Of all localities, the City of Waynesboro actually saw the biggest jump in retail sales. It’s up more than 10 percent from a year ago.

President Tim Hulbert says the trend bodes well for the future. "In 2014, retail sales here finally eclipsed retail sales at the 2007 level, this year in 2015, it's up over 2014, and so things stay on track, 2015 could be and should be another record year for retail sales in our region."  Read more: WNBC 29

Paducah Chamber Kicks Off its Annual Membership and Total Resource Campaign

PADUCAH, KY, August 17, 2015 – The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off its annual Membership and Total Resource Campaign on Thursday, August 20, with a celebration at Auburn Place Hotel and Suites from 4 to 6 p.m. Texas Roadhouse and Walker Hall are also sponsors of the kickoff event.  All Chamber members, employees and guests are invited to the celebration.  

More than 100 volunteers are spending the next few weeks in the community recruiting new members and discussing the work of the Chamber in the community.  New members recruited during the campaign are eligible for “special perks” that include advertising specials with The Paducah Sun, WPSD, Comcast, SCORE, WKYX, WZZL, WKMS, Thunderbolt Radio, VUE Magazine, Purchase Area Family Magazine; subscriptions to local publications including Paducah Life; discounts from Socially Present; plus more.   

Bruce Wilcox with Henry A. Petter Supply and Chair elect of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, is serving as the Campaign Chairman.  Eleven area business leaders are serving as Team Captains for this year’s event.  The Team Captains and the business they represent include:

Brian Brown – Computer Services, Inc.; Janice Cleary – Paducah Bank; Whitney Denson – McMurry & Livingston, PLLC; Jill Harper – Capstone HR Services, Inc.;           Kathryn Joyner – Baptist Health; David Morse – KeeFORCE; Todd Myers – Community Financial Services Bank; Jessica Newman – Advantage Insurance Services, LLC; Sarah Suitor – US Bank;   Ali Wrinkle – Henry A. Petter Supply Co. LLC; and Tammy Zimmerman – Payment Plus.

Team Captains recruit 10 volunteers. Volunteers are asked to bring in at least one new member to the Chamber. Great prizes are awarded to the top individual and team producers as well as random prizes for the hard working volunteers - last year's winner won a trip valued at $2500!

The Chamber conducts an annual Total Resource Campaign to generate new members and budget reduction items.  It’s always an exciting and FUN time of year for the Chamber and over 100 business volunteers. The chair for the campaign is next year's Chamber Chair-elect - this is always a good way for them to familiarlize themselves and interact with our volunteers!

Team Captains recruit 10 volunteers for their teams for a total of 100 volunteers. Team Captains for this year's campaign will be announced at a later date.

Volunteers are asked to bring in at least one new member to the Chamber. Great prizes are awarded to the top individual and team producers as well as random prizes for the hard working volunteers - last year's winner won a trip valued at $2500!

The Paducah Chamber is the region’s largest business advocacy organization and is the fifth largest Chamber in the state with over 950 businesses as members.  The Chamber has a strong partnership base with local businesses – both small and large, manufacturers, industries, local governments, non-profit organizations and individuals. About two-thirds of the Chamber members represent businesses with 15 employees or less. 

         

In 2011 the Paducah Chamber was awarded the Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.  The Paducah Chamber also is a 4-Star Accredited Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This prestigious honor puts the Chamber among the top 10% of chambers nationwide. The Paducah Chamber is also a Kentucky Certified Chamber.

If you are interested in participating or in donating a top prize or random prize, please call the Chamber at 270.443.1746 or info@paducahchamber.org  For more information about joining the Chamber or about the campaign, contact the Chamber at (270) 443-1746 or info@paducahchamber.org.

On the move: Gov. Phil Bryant touts growth at Southaven chamber luncheon

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant touted successes in Southaven, while intermixing some of his own accomplishments as governor, during Wednesday's address to the Southaven Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon at the Landers Center.

Bryant, having easily passed through the Republican primary vote Aug. 4, now starts a push for re-election on Nov. 3. The one-term incumbent governor faces challenges from Democrat Robert Gray and Reform Party candidate Shawn O'Hara in November.

Bryant started his talk to a well-populated group of business leaders at the Landers Center by noting the surge in population that has brought Southaven to become the third-largest city in the state of Mississippi.

"If you look at a state of three-million people, that's quite an accomplishment for what used to be a small suburb of Memphis," Bryant said. "You're doing very good, Southaven, you ought to be proud of yourself." Read more: DeSoto Times-Tribune

The Marion (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce Legislative Summit

The Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Summit will be held on Friday, August 28 at 11:30 a.m. at Kokopelli.

The event will include a buffet-style lunch (cost $13 to Kokopelli), followed by networking, updates by your Legislators, and then a Q&A session moderated by a member of your Legislative Affairs Committee.

RSVPs are required.

Here are a few Legislators who plan to be in attendance:

• U.S. Rep. Mike Bost
• 117th District Representative John Bradley
• Illinois 59th District Senator Gary Forby
• Williamson County Commissioner Ron Ellis
• Marion Mayor Robert Butler
• Marion Commissioner John Goss
• Marion Commissioner Angelo Hightower
• Marion Commissioner Anthony Rinella
• Marion Commissioner Jim Webb

The Legislative Affairs Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month at 8 a.m. at South Porte Bank in Marion. The Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee serves as a research and advisory committee for the Chamber's Board of Directors. The goals of the Legislative Affairs Committee are to monitor governmental matters that could impact the community or local business, present recommendations to the Chamber's Board of Directors, and to assist in the initiation of the appropriate action. The Legislative Affairs Committee is a non-partisan organization and shall neither endorse candidates for public office nor political parties.

Best Chamber practices: Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber - Experiences and Epiphanies via Chamber Internship

Experience can’t be taught, or so I am told.

It is a widely spread idea that the only proper way to learn a skill with any real merit is to experience it firsthand. During my time at the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber as the communications intern, I have gained my share of experiences and I could not be more grateful to continue learning the lessons I have through them.

While internships sometimes get a bad rep for only allowing the intern the critical experiences of coffee runs and copy machine assistance, my internship at the chamber has been anything but. I have been offered the opportunity to gain knowledge and improve my skills on a daily basis by being made responsible for myself. My responsibilities have included writing and editing press releases, composing and scheduling social media posts for multiple platforms and designing and updating fliers for events.

As I am about to graduate from Oakland University with a major in communication and a minor in writing and rhetoric, I am trying to accept and embrace any and all opportunities to gain knowledge and experience before I officially enter the business world for myself. With this in mind, I was more than thrilled to have the chance to shadow at Brogan & Partners, many thanks to the chamber. Read more: Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber

Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey

RULE #113     Demand the best technology and use it.