Chamber Executive Michigan Digest
December 2015
Good Morning Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day!
Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, Midland
Tomorrow name William Allen as new CEO
William “Bill” Allen has
been named the president and CEO of the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce and
Midland Tomorrow umbrella organization, with his tenure beginning in
mid-January 2016. The new umbrella organization creates a partnership between
the chamber and Midland Tomorrow designed to strengthen Midland County’s
economic development efforts and maximize resources.
Allen is currently the
president and CEO of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce in New Mexico.
He has a background in chamber management and has been active in the Mesilla
Valley Economic Development Alliance. Allen’s other involvement with the
industry and community includes an education advisory council, legislative
coalition, regional marketing committee, as well as the affordable housing land
bank and trust advisory committee.
He also was involved in
the Western Association of Chamber Executives, and was honored with its Russell
J. Hammer Award in 2014. Prior to his current position, Allen was the executive
director of the Royal Oak (Mich.) Chamber of Commerce and built an extensive
background in operations, sales and management with the Xerox Corp. and in the
real estate industry.
The extensive national
search for the person to fill this position was overseen by both the MACC and
Midland Tomorrow boards of directors. Read more: Midland Daily News
Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber wins Outstanding Chamber of Commerce
award
A chamber of commerce in
the region has been recognized by a statewide association for its
organizational excellence.
The Michigan Association
of Chamber Professionals, or MACP, presented the 2015 Outstanding Chamber of
Commerce Award to the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce for the fourth
time during the association’s Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting last
month.
The Muskegon chamber won
the award in the large chamber category.
Bob Thomas, director for
the MACP, said the chamber’s accomplishments included leadership in state and
local policy issues, its role in the “Watch Muskegon” image campaign and
community development and its best practices in leadership development.
The Muskegon Lakeshore
Chamber of Commerce received the award based on its accomplishments in a number
of categories: leadership and governance, financial stewardship, business
advocacy and membership programming. Read more: Grand Rapids Business Journal
Dearborn and Dearborn Heights
Mayors to Address Local Leaders on the State of the Area at Chamber’s Annual “A
Tale of Our Cities” Luncheon
Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and Dearborn Heights Mayor
Daniel S. Paletko will address local business and community members and leaders
at the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual “A Tale of Our Cities”
Business Builder Series luncheon on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 from 11:30 am –
1:30 pm at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course in Dearborn.
The event, sponsored by Comcast, is open to the public and will
include lunch and networking, to be followed by an enlightening and
informational presentation by Mayors O’Reilly and Paletko. Both mayors will
give a business recap of 2015 and a brief forecast for 2016 followed by a
question and answer session.
“I am looking forward to hosting both of our community-minded
mayors at this important event designed to inform our members and the public
about the health and happenings of the Dearborn area community,” commented
Jackie Lovejoy, president of the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is
one of our most anticipated events of the year. It’s rich with important
information shared by our local leaders and we’re delighted that both mayors
are accessible for this great forum!”
Space is limited and registration is required for this event.
Early bird pricing is only $30 for Chamber members, and $45 for potential
members and the general public. To register and for more information, please
visit the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce online at
www.DearbornAreaChamber.org or by phone at 313-584-6100.
Be sure to follow the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce on
Facebook at facebook.com/DearbornAreaChamber, on Twitter @DbnAreaChamber and
the Chamber website for all the latest Chamber news and events. For more
information on Comcast, visit www.xfinity.com.
The Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce provides 600+ members with
the opportunities and resources to engage and network with other businesses,
enhancing financial growth, professional development, and the ability to
contribute to a thriving community environment.
Photo Caption: Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and Dearborn Heights Mayor
Daniel S. Paletko will address local business and community members and leaders
at the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual “A Tale of Our Cities”
Business Builder Series luncheon on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 from 11:30 am –
1:30 pm at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course in Dearborn. Both mayors will give a
business recap of 2015 and a brief forecast for the upcoming year.
For More Information, Contact: Ron Hinrichs, Director of
Events & Media Relations
Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce Tel: 313-584-6100
Chamber President Tim
Daman: 10 years of growth in Lansing reason to celebrate
This
year marks the 10th anniversary of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Celebration of Regional Growth awards. It has been rewarding to watch this
program grow during the past decade. The pride the Chamber team has in this
program is a reflection of what the celebration says about the economic growth,
diversity and the entrepreneurial spirit that is moving our region forward.
If
you review the list of all 56 recipients since 2006, you will see how our
honorees are a microcosm of what our regional economy is evolving into as part
of the 21st century economy. Greater Lansing has become the home of a dynamic
insurance and financial services sector that is fueling our knowledge-based economy.
We have become international leaders in advanced, high-tech manufacturing with
state-of-the-art production facilities and a skilled labor force that is second
to none. We’re on the cutting edge of world-class research and the home to 400
technology companies, many of which are rapidly growing and developing exciting
new products. We are leaders in healthcare, energy, transportation and
construction.
The
2015 Celebration of Regional Growth recipients are perfect examples of the
business leadership that is driving our region. Combined they have made
investments of $230 million, creating more than 2,000 jobs. Dart Container has
long been an industry leader, further solidifying its position with a $1
billion acquisition of Solo Cup. Jackson National Life Insurance Co. is an
industry leader and is just finishing a $100 million corporate headquarters
expansion. Magna International is an example of our key automotive supplier
base. Triton Industries is an “under the radar” success story that deserves
more attention. TOC Logistics & Port Lansing are representatives of our
region’s growth in global trade and logistics. Read more: Lansing State Journal
Chamber Executive Ongoing Education
Weekly New Idea: The Power of Full
Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and
Personal Renewal
By Tony Schwartz and Jim
Loehr
The number of hours in a
day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not.
This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live.
As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in
their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing
energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health,
happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded
in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles
and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them
perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful,
step-by-step program will help you to:
· Mobilize four key sources of energy
· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent
energy renewal
· Expand capacity in the same systematic way
that elite athletes do
· Create highly specific, positive energy
management rituals
The Power of Full Engagement is
a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more
skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized,
emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and
off the job. Read more: Amazon
Chamber
Best Practices: Become a Muskegon STAR and share what is special about this
town: Dave Alexander
I am a Muskegon STAR and you can
be too.
If you have been in Muskegon
County the past six months, no doubt you have seen the Watch mUSkeGOn branding
logo. That community image campaign launched this past Memorial Day and has
been picked up by businesses, local governments, organizations and residents
alike.
Community image – what we think
of ourselves and what others think of us – has been a problem in Muskegon for
years.
A community image campaign needs
to be much more than a catchy slogan, no matter how compelling and effective.
An ad hoc Muskegon County image committee has also focused on beautification
and education.
The United Way of the Lakeshore
Day of Caring in September took up beautification projects along Seaway Drive
and Sherman Boulevard. Now the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and West
Michigan Works have begun the STAR program to certify "community
information specialists."
ARE YOU A MUSKEGON STAR?
Here are five questions from the
Muskegon STAR assessment test given at the end of the four-hour program.
1. Name four major Muskegon
County festivals.
2. Where is there a dog beach in
Muskegon County?
3. There is one primary river in
Muskegon County, true or false?
4. Name three historic
ships in Muskegon County that can be toured.
5. The Lake Express is a small
cargo ship that uses the Port of Muskegon, true or false?
Switch
data center tax break bills clear committee, head to Michigan House
The
Michigan House Tax Policy committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that
would provide large tax breaks to cloud-computing data center companies,
including a Nevada-based firm that plans to open a Grand Rapids campus if the
package is signed into law.
Three
House bills, approved in a series of 8-5 votes that blurred party lines,
would exempt
data centers from state sales, use and personal property taxes.
As amended, local governments would have to sign off on any property tax
reduction.
"We're
trying to change tax code that was created 100 years ago and make sure it's
really a basis for what the economy is nowadays," said committee chair
Jeff Farrington, R-Utica. "We have a digital economy, we have a
service-based economy, and our tax code is really one that's set up from
products from the 1930s and 1940s."
The
legislation was inspired by Switch, which operates two major data centers in
Nevada and wants to convert the old Steelcase "pyramid" building in
West Michigan to a new two-million-square foot campus serving the eastern
United States. The company estimates that it, and co-located companies that
lease its servers, would invest a combined $5 billion and create at least 1,000
Michigan jobs in the next 10 years.
But
those plans are contingent upon passage of the tax break bills, which the
company says will create a "level playing field" with other states.
As
approved Wednesday, the legislation also would apply to the 40 or so data
centers that already operate in the state, costing the state $20 million to $30
million a year in tax revenue, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal
Agency.
Switch
and co-located businesses at its new Grand Rapids campus might save hundreds of
millions a year in sales, use and property taxes, according to a Senate Fiscal
Agency analysis of similar bills introduced in the upper chamber.
Supporters
say the bills will spur economic development in the West Michigan region and
around the state.
"If
we don't do it, they're going to go elsewhere," said Andy Johnson, of the
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, which supports the bills. "That's
really the reality right now." Read more: M LIVE
Chamber Chuckle -
Wacky Wednesday Weirdest Chamber Requests
"Can you come fix my outside light?"
Safety pays: Midland, Michigan
Chamber members earn $50,082 workers compensation dividend
More than 40 businesses will
share a $50,082 premium dividend thanks to safe work practices and their
participation in a workers compensation group dividend program available
through the Midland Chamber of Commerce.
The dividend amount returned
is based on each participant’s premium costs and range from $33 to more than
$7,762, with an average dividend of over $1,252.
The Midland Chamber group
dividend program also offers participating businesses a 5 percent discount on
workers compensation insurance premium rates.
“Encouraging safety in the
workplace while offering a Chamber plan that can provide real money back is
definitely a win-win for our members,” said Diane Middleton, interim manager of
the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce. “The Accident Fund Workers Compensation
Program is one of many innovative strategies we have put in place to help our
members more effectively control their costs.” Read more: Midland Daily News
Chamber recognition: Employees drive successes
at Dart in Lansing
Dart
Container President Jim Lammers recognizes something about the food-service
packaging business he’s been part of for 29 years: success is more about people
than plastics or styrofoam.
“You
could have great technology, innovation, and capital, but if you don’t have
great people I don’t think you’ll have sustained success as a company,” he
said. To that end, the Mason-headquartered business is focused on building a
culture that attracts and retains talent, whether that’s clearly communicated
expectations and goals — or a walkable campus.
Dart
Container is being recognized by the Lansing Regional Chamber for its
headquarters expansion and distribution facility in Mason. It’s also receiving
a nod for its 2012 Solo Cup acquisition, which meant more than 400 new jobs in
Mason.
Describe
the headquarters expansion and the vision behind that.
The
100,000-square foot distribution facility is a new-build distribution center.
We also built a new office building on campus, we significantly renovated an
existing office building, and we enlarged and renovated another existing
building. And that building, in addition to offices has — new to us — a
cafeteria and a fitness center. And we’ve also made our campus even more
pedestrian-friendly. Having a nice campus with different amenities (coupled
with financial stability and opportunities for career growth), we feel put us
in a strong position to attract, develop, and provide great career
opportunities to people. We very strongly believe that our biggest competitive
advantage is our people. Read more: Lansing State Journal
Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Positive Thoughts)
“The strangest and most fantastic fact about negative emotions is
that people actually worship them.” – Peter Ouspensky
State House
Abandoned Common Sense In Rush To Approve $1.98 Billion Health Insurance Tax
Increase On Individuals And Business, Says Michigan Chamber Of Commerce
The
Michigan Chamber of Commerce today issued the following statement in response
to State House passage of House Bill 5105 (Pscholka) – a $1.98
billion tax increase on individuals and business purchasing health
insurance.
"Michigan is
the only state in the country that imposes a penalty tax on individuals and
businesses that purchase health insurance," said Michigan Chamber
President & CEO Rich Studley. "Under current law, the state
health insurance claims assessment ("HICA" tax) is scheduled to end
on December 31, 2017. By extending this tax another seven years and nine
months, the State House in effect imposed nearly $2 billion in
additional taxes on individuals and business."
"The
sole purpose of this $2 billion money grab is to increase the size
and cost of state government to pay for social welfare programs," added
Studley. "We are extremely disappointed that Republicans in the State
House would abandon common sense and conservative principles to hastily pass
this anti-taxpayer and anti-business bill."
"Today,
the State House voted to put the HICA tax on auto pilot through the 2018, 2020,
2022 and 2024 general elections," continued Studley. "This
self-serving attempt to escape legislative accountability for a massive
increase in government spending is an insult to taxpayers, job providers and
voters across the state." Read more:
"We
strongly urge the Michigan Senate to oppose and kill this giant tax
hike," Studley concluded. Read more: Michigan Chamber
New Jackson National Life Insurance
headquarters latest investment in Lansing region
Whether it’s the newly expanded
headquarters in Lansing or the Development Zone in East Lansing, Jackson
National Life Insurance Company has its eyes on its people and their talents.
The Lansing Regional Chamber of
Commerce is honoring Jackson for its $100 million headquarters project and an
expansion to its Lansing campus that puts its footprint at 600,000 square feet.
The new space allows the retirement products firm to attract quality employees,
President James Sopha said. Jackson plans to hire 1,000 new employees. Read
more: Lansing State Journal
New Niles Main Street bridge to open Thursday
The new Main Street Bridge opens
this week, ending more than year of construction and traffic detours.
Officials said Monday the bridge
will open to pedestrian traffic at 2 p.m. Thursday with vehicle traffic able to
drive across the bridge about 4 p.m. that day.
Work on the $10.6 million project
began in October 2014 when access to the former 94-year-old bridge was closed
prior to its demolition. Residents have had a front row seat to the project,
watching both the demolition of the old and the construction of the new bridge.
The new bridge has a slightly
different alignment on the west side of the St. Joseph River, has wider lanes,
sidewalks and lookout areas on both sides of the bridge. It also looks
different than the old bridge, having a retro appearance with a series of steel
arches lining the roadway.
It is the fifth bridge at the Main
Street crossing location, dating back to 1800s. The bridge demolished earlier
this year was repaired in the 1990s but was scheduled for replacement because
of problems with the bridge's foundation and footings.
Michigan Department of
Transportation construction engineer Chris Jacobs said last week that the
bridge was originally expected to be open to traffic in late November but a
variety of problems over the months caused the delay.
While the problem in November and
early December involved rain, snow and cold delaying the pouring of concrete
and other finishing work, other delays caused problems early on.
He said clearing the utilities away
from the old bridge delayed work for nearly two months, time that was later
caught up.
Jacobs said work crews will come
back in the spring to put the finishing touches on the bridge and surrounding
area, including permanent seeding, tree planting and rain garden installation
as well as restoring the area and painting the bridge and walls.
The rain gardens will be on the
eastern approach to the bridge and hold water-friendly plants that take
advantage of water captured from the road and sidewalks.
"There will be an information
sign about the little eco-systems," Jacobs said. "We're trying to do
more of them with our projects."
The work next spring shouldn't
cause any major traffic problem with only shoulder or one lane closures done
for short periods of time, he said.
Overall, he described the bridge
construction as a "very neat project" that not only has resulted in a
safer, better aligned bridge but also uncovered pieces of the past including
the remains of the 1840s era bridge.
While the bridge reconstruction has
been inconvenient, community leaders say that the downtown survived pretty much
unscathed. Efforts were made over the last year to promote the downtown,
ranging from special events to signs on highways informing people that downtown
businesses were open.
"It's been challenging, but
nobody's closed and several businesses are waiting to open on and near Main
Street," Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tyanna
Weller said. "A lot of things are going on." Read more: South Bend Tribune
#BestChamber practices: Muskegon
Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce holds workshop for would-be politicians
A
first stop for would-be politicians, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce
will host a Candidate Information Workshop Nov. 19 for those interested in
running for public office.
The
workshop, which is open to the general public, will introduce attendees to the
local political process.
All
who may be interested in running for school board, village, township, city,
county and state level positions now, or in the future, are encouraged to
register to attend. There is a $15 charge per person.
"The
Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce encourages citizens who are concerned
about the progress of our community to become involved," said Cindy
Larsen, president of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce.
The
nonpartisan workshop will give a general overview of campaign rules, marketing,
fundraising, the policymaking process and understanding local issues.
Experts
and community leaders will give presentations and lead interactive discussions.
Read more: M
LIVE
Flint
& Genesee Chamber of Commerce exec named Flint planning and development
director
Brian
Larkin, an executive with the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, has been
named director of Flint's Planning and Development Department.
Larkin,
31, was chosen for the job by City Administrator Natasha Henderson, who called
him "a very good fit for the position."
The
Flint native worked most recently as the chamber's director of core
initiatives, and he worked previously as associate director of the Michigan
Governor's Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives in Flint.
Larkin
will earn $92,000 in the city job, overseeing 24 full-time and two part-time
employees.
The
department includes the city's divisions of building and safety
inspections, blight elimination and neighborhood stabilization, community and
economic development, zoning and case management, planning, and parks and
recreation. Read more: M LIVE
Top Three Daily Postings in the last month at Midwest Chamber of
Commerce blog – click to go there or Google search “Midwest Chamber of Commerce
blog”
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