2015 Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce Biz-Ness Expo will have about 100 exhibitors from Michiana; Prince William chamber PAC Announces Endorsements for State/Local Elected Offices; Ken Grunke: West Suburban chamber dares to imagine; Danville-Boyle County Chamber initiative: Educators explore local industries on Magical Manufacturing Mystery Tour; Chamber interest: New website seeks to enhance Mississippi business recruitment; Michigan Chamber-Championed Garnishment Reforms Effective October 1; Town Square Publications: We know local

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

2015 Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce Biz-Ness Expo will have about 100 exhibitors from Michiana

The business community of Elkhart County will be in full swing Wednesday during the 2015 Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce Biz-Ness Expo.

The expo will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Northern Indiana Event Center in Elkhart. This year’s theme is “Harvest Your Resources” and is open to the public. Booths will be set up by Michiana-area businesses, giving them an opportunity to connect with the local community and fellow businesses, and to showcase their services and products

“We have about 100 exhibitors this year,” said Denise Polachek, vice president of development for the chamber. Participants will include The Indiana Whiskey Co., Concord Mall and Centier Bank, which is sponsoring the event. Read more: Elkhart Truth

Prince William chamber PAC Announces Endorsements for State/Local Elected Offices 

PRINCE WILLIAM, VA - The Prince William Chamber Political Action Committee, the political arm of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, announced its endorsements of candidates for the Virginia General Assembly and Board of County Supervisors. 

Candidate endorsements were determined through a questionnaire and interview process and an evaluation and comparative analysis of the policy platforms and records of each individual as they related to that of the region’s business community.

Potomac District - Maureen Caddigan               

Coles District - Martin Nohe                                

Neabsco District - John Jenkins                      

Occoquan District - Earnie Porta                                

Woodbridge District - Frank Principi                      

28^th Senate District – Richard Stuart    
39^th Senate District – George Barker
2^nd House District - Mark Dudenhefer
31^st House District – Scott Lingamfelter 
40^th House District – Tim Hugo
50^th House District – Jackson Miller

51^st House District – Rich Anderson

52^nd House District – Luke Torian                                                                                   

87^th House District – John Bell                                                                                   

“Prince William County is blessed to have so many strong candidates, willing to dedicate their time and service to elected office,” said Brian Gordon, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Apartment and Office Building Association (AOBA) of Metropolitan Washington, and the Chairman of the Prince William Chamber PAC.  “The candidates endorsed by the Chamber PAC demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the region’s economic challenges and put forward substantive plans and proposals for improving our local business climate.”

Contact:  Brian Gordon, Vice President,  Apartment and Office Building Association (AOBA) of Metropolitan Washington

Chairman, Prince William Chamber PAC,  (703) 307-0564

Ken Grunke: West Suburban chamber dares to imagine

John Lennon’s hit song, "Imagine," reminds us about living life beyond borders – letting go of ego and everything in our lives, which prohibit and limit us from opening up our hearts and our minds in order to make a greater connection.   

Now take that same thought and “imagine” if our communities and businesses equally looked at existing and functioning beyond borders in order to create innovative, meaningful, collaborative opportunities; opportunities where workforce development and skills training programs are provided to an aging demographic, those with disabilities, the homeless, disadvantaged populations and individuals requiring retraining in various industries – opportunities that bring municipalities to partner more with each other in order to make a greater economic impact – opportunities in which regional and national partners support a larger voice to advocate for business rights (non and for-profit alike) – opportunities that create tourism; a destination for a population outside of our area to play and stay. To me, all of this (and more) is what makes up a true regional chamber, and I’m proud to say that today, the WSCCI (West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Industry) is all of that and more.

While the WSCCI has been dedicated to serving eight communities in the near west suburbs of Chicago through advocacy, access to leadership, economic development, regional and innovative connectivity and critical education for over 100 years, it is just recently that the WSCCI has become more responsive than ever to the many changes facing the survival of businesses and communities today – with special attention to small business.  Read more: MySuburbanLife.com

Danville-Boyle County Chamber initiative: Educators explore local industries on Magical Manufacturing Mystery Tour

Area educators were offered a rare opportunity to explore Boyle County’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities Friday during the first ever Magical Manufacturing Mystery Tour in the John Hill Bailey Industrial Park.

The event, which was spearheaded by the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee, was conceived as a way to draw attention to National Manufacturing Month, which is celebrated during the month of October.

National Manufacturing Month is intended to highlight the importance of manufacturing to the local, regional and national economies, and to draw attention to the many rewarding high-skill careers available in today’s modern manufacturing businesses.

“We wanted to show educators that modern manufacturing is different than the dark, dirty and dangerous image many still hold,” said Workforce Development Committee Chairman Steve Rinehart. “This image discourages many of our best students from exploring careers in manufacturing.” Read more: the Advocate Messenger

Chamber interest in Wisconsin: Bill saves Sun Prairie BID’s Wine Walk event

Local business owners say a toast is in order as lawmakers last week saved wine walk fundraising events after a state agency threatened to shut them down for being illegal.

The “Save the Wine Walks” bill -- expected to be signed by Gov. Scott Walker -- will allow municipalities to issue up to 20 temporary “Class B” licenses for one-day events.

Last April, the Wisconsin of Department of Revenue told local chambers and businesses that wine walk events were illegal.

But the turn of events will soon have wine walk participants raising their glass as the bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate with strong bipartisan support.

Joe Van Tassel, owner of Cannery Wine and Spirits in downtown Sun Prairie, said he is glad wine walks can continue.

“It’s a good way to get people to downtown businesses and see what they have to offer,” he said. “It’s a good economic stimulus and encourages people to buy local.”

Wine walks are popular fundraisers for chambers of commerce and groups like the Downtown Sun Prairie Business Improvement District (BID), which sponsored the annual spring event in the city. Read more: HNGnews.com

Chamber interest: New website seeks to enhance Mississippi business recruitment

Businesses scouting Mississippi as a potential location have a new tool that state officials hope will give them an edge.

YallBusiness is a new website that aggregates economic, census and consumer data in an effort to make research by business prospects a little easier.

"If you are a business looking to come to Mississippi, YallBusiness does all of your research for you," Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said in touting the website, YallBusiness.sos.ms.gov. "YallBusiness is a positive step toward promoting job creation and economic development."

Job growth has been a major theme of Gov. Phil Bryant, who told the Southaven Chamber of Commerce in August that more than 35,000 jobs have been added statewide since he took office in 2012. Mississippi has become one of the top 10 states nationally for economic development, according to Bryant.

Hosemann, whose office launched the YallBusiness site this week, said it will help continue job creation by providing in-depth research on a variety of topics in a way that Hosemann said is not offered by any other state. Read more: The Commerical Appeal

Michigan Chamber-Championed Garnishment Reforms Effective October 1

October 5, 2015

October 1 marked the effective date of significant reforms to Michigan’s wage garnishment system.  The legislation was championed by the Michigan Chamber after we received numerous complaints from members about various administrative issues, costs and legal snarls associated with administering garnishments.    

Under the old system, employers received a one-time $6 payment and in return were expected to process employee garnishments, respond to court orders, calculate and withhold from employee’s paychecks for 182-days, and make payments to creditors. One small administrative mistake could expose an employer to the risk of being held liable for the entire bad debt of an employee, former employee or even someone they’ve never met – plus court costs and attorney fees.

House Bills 4119 and 4120, now Public Acts 14 and 15 of 2015, addressed several of these issues. The bills: 

• Put an end to the practice of allowing creditors to pursue a default judgment against the full bad debt of an employee by requiring several notices to the employer of its failure to garnish and now allow employers ample opportunities to cure their errors and begin garnishing. Read more: Michigan Chamber

Town Square Publications: We know local

Town Square Publications, a division of the Daily Herald Media Group, is a national chamber custom publishing group that specializes in developing partnerships by producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications along with other added value programs dedicated to creating relevancy for local chambers of commerce and other membership focused organizations interested in raising non-dues revenues.

Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, contact John Dussman directly at Email address: <jdussman@tspubs.com> with the subject line: Chamber Directory Request For Proposal (RFP).