Chamber hero: Ocean Springs' Miller retires with accolades, tears; State Of The Region Report: Metro Detroit Economic Growth Returning To Normal Levels As Resurgence Slows; South Bend region one of three chosen for $42 million Indiana Regional Cities grant; Best Chamber Practices: Geneva, IL Chamber: The 12 Days of Chamber Benefits (On the 9th Day of Benefits the chamber gave to me...); Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Brand Launch; Chamber recipient: Rhinelander Tourism & Marketing Committee allots $6,575 in grants; Get Into Business: Leadership Central Kentucky Visiting Tomorrow; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directory, Community Maps; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directory, Community Maps

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

Chamber hero: Ocean Springs' Miller retires with accolades, tears

There were tears and hugs and accolades and more tears, hugs, smiles and a toast to the woman whose name is synonymous with Ocean Springs.

Beyond all the awards and board memberships, she is best known for shepherding the Peter Anderson Festival.

Margaret Miller, retiring at the end of the month, was honored Friday afternoon for 28 years with the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce. She is the retiring executive director of not only the chamber but also Main Street and the Tourism Bureau. She wore three hats, and taking her place will be her second-in-command, Cynthia Sutton.

The reception was elegant at the city's Community Center next to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.

READ MARGARET MILLER'S BIOGRAPHY

City leaders gave her credit for the city's success on many levels, but she seemed especially proud of helping to grow the tax base and leading Ocean Springs from being a bedroom community relying heavily on homeowner property taxes to being a city known for its retail shops and restaurants.

Friday, she wore a purple orchid corsage with a sparkling No. 28. People stood in line to hug her.

With her husband, Greg, her children -- she raised five -- and her many grandchildren, she told the crowd theirs was "a love affair with a town that continues to be incredible."

There were proclamations. The mayor said Miller instilled in the city a vision of what it could be and it rose to that vision.

The festivals she started, the organizations she helped charter were too many to fit on the plaque.

Stacy Pair with Mississippi Main Street brought a letter from the governor. Pair commented on Miller's influence on beautification in the city, saying, "Walk downtown and you're seeing Margaret Miller, her style and class."

The governor's letter praised her work, calling Ocean Springs a city often seen as a model for others. Sun Herald

State Of The Region Report: Metro Detroit Economic Growth Returning To Normal Levels As Resurgence Slows

Today, the Detroit Regional Chamber released its second annual State of the Region report comparing metro Detroit’s economic performance to its peer regions. The report shows that while Southeast Michigan’s economy is stronger with growth rates that led the nation following the Great Recession, they have begun to return to normal levels and are comparable with current national averages.

“The Detroit region has roared back since 2009, leading our peers and outpacing the nation in so many key economic categories, from GDP to income and job growth,” said Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah. “However, that momentum is starting to slow and we need to prepare as a region for what comes next. There’s a lot to celebrate, but given the region’s long-term deficit of economic growth, normal levels are not enough.”

The Chamber released the report to its membership at its annual meeting at The Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit. The report includes data on key economic indicators for the 11-county, 7,061-square mile region that is home to 5.4 million people and more than 300,000 businesses, including 13 Fortune 500 companies. Highlights of the report include:

• Between 2009 and 2014, Detroit’s gross domestic product growth outpaced the national average by 7 percentage points.
• Private sector job growth outpaced the national average by 4 percentage points since 2009.
• In 2013, the Detroit MSA was awarded 3,000 utility patents, the most ever in a single year for the region.
• The region’s industrial vacancy rates have declined by 9 percentage points since 2010 and are now on par with the national average.
• Detroit led its peer regions in median home value growth at 2%, between 2013 and 2014.
• In 2014, 109 foreign-held companies announced investment of nearly $3.9 billion in Michigan facilities, creating 15,000 jobs.
• Detroit leads its peer regions in STEM occupation growth at 8% since 2009. Read more: Detroit Chamber

South Bend region one of three chosen for $42 million Indiana Regional Cities grant

Money can’t buy love, but can it make the South Bend region a place more people would love to live?

Today in Indianapolis, big ideas earned big money in the hopes that big dreams would come true.

“This is big. This is a big deal in Indiana, and I believe it's part of a third century strategy for growth that will pay dividends for generations,” said Governor Mike Pence, (R) Indiana.

Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative promises to pay $42 million to a multi-county consortium made up of St. Joseph, Elkhart, and Marshall (the North Central Region). As the winners were announced today, consortiums in the Fort Wayne and Evansville regions were also promised $42 million dollar grants of their own

Funding was denied to four other county consortiums that submitted applications.

The Regional Cities Initiative is aimed at the younger generation and giving those people more reasons to love—than leave the state.

“All the population estimates suggest our area is going to decline in population over time and what Indiana realizes is we need to do some things that attract young people and attract talent,” said St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Rea.

The money is geared toward quality of life projects ranging from economic development and job creation, to improved recreational and arts opportunities.

Every dollar of state funding will have to be met with four dollars of local in investment, meaning the North Central region could be in line for an investment of $200 million in about two years’ time. “So the Renaissance District in South Bend is a huge project renovating the former Studebaker factory and administration building into a technology park,” said Regina Emberton of Michiana Partnership. “Elkhart has a significant project with a natatorium and a wellness center along with multi-use housing and mixed use projects going on.”

Even Warsaw stands to get into the act as one of 12 counties in the Fort Wayne consortium. Plans call for an $11 million renovation and expansion of the Wagon Wheel Theatre. “It’s been a hallmark in this community for many years and the thought of taking it to the next level in this capital investment is really exciting,” said John Sampson with the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

The Regional Cities Initiative was originally designed to fund just two winning consortiums. When three solid proposals came forward, officials decided they’d rather try to bend the rules than break one region’s heart. A motion was unanimously passed to ask the Indiana General Assembly to fund three instead of two winners. Read more: WNDU

Best Chamber Practices: Geneva, IL Chamber:  The 12 Days of Chamber Benefits (On the 9th Day of Benefits the chamber gave to me...)




Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Brand Launch


Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce brand launch and breakfast reception.

• · Meet staff and members of the board of directors. 
• · Hear plans for future collaboration.
• · Learn about upcoming meetings and events where businesses can get involved

Registration is available online. The event is free and open to all Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce staff, board of directors, and representatives from member companies

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 8:30 – 10:00 AM

Silverline Center Atrium
7900 Westpark Drive
Tysons, VA 22102

Members of the media who plan to attend should contact Alex Chagouris, Fairfax Chamber Director of Communications and Marketing, achagouris@fairfaxchamber.org to register by Monday, January 4.

Chamber recipient: Rhinelander Tourism & Marketing Committee allots $6,575 in grants

The Rhinelander Tourism & Marketing Committee on Wednesday approved allocating $6,575 in winter grants to 13 non-profit organizations in the community.

The grants support programs and projects that will bring overnight visitors to the area.

The grants appropriated were:

• $275 to Northwoods Nordic Ski Club for promoting winter sports at Heal Creek

• $300 to Leathernecks of the North for its Fourth of July parade

• $300 to Northwoods Nordic Ski Club for maintaining its website

• $300 to WXPR Public Radio for its 2015-16 concert series

• $400 to Oneida County ATV Association for printing membership and maps flyers and trail patrol cards

• $400 to the Oneida County Fair for a petting zoo

• $400 to W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini-Triathlon for advertising

• $500 to the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce for promoting Ho-Drags on Ice

• $500 to YMCA of the Northwoods for marketing the Hodag Run

• $600 to ArtStart Inc. for producing and distributing its annual exhibitions and events brochure and rack card advertisement

• $700 to Rhinelander Ice Arena for a new website to promote tournaments and other activities

• $900 to Hodag Sno-Trails Inc. for publishing the 2016 snowmobile trail map

• $1,000 to the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce for promoting the Boom Lake Log Jam

The community grant program is funded through room tax collected by the city and the town of Pelican.

Each year, the committee awards community grants in the summer and winter.

In other business

The committee also approved renewing a three-year contract between the chamber of commerce and the city of Rhinelander and a one-year contract between the chamber of commerce and Pelican Promotions.

The contracts are effective upon approval by the city and the town of Pelican. Read more: RiverNewsOnline.com

Get Into Business: Leadership Central Kentucky Visiting Tomorrow 

Regional leaders from Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Scott, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison and Woodford counties will be visiting Frankfort and Franklin County for a Leadership Central Kentucky community visit. The Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce, 100 Capital Ave., will host the group of 30 for a day of community promotion from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.. If you are a business leader or owner and would like to provide goody bag items to the 2016 LCK class members, contact the chamber at 502-223-8261. Thirty items will be needed (they do not have to be the same), and a chamber member may retrieve them in this opportunity to promote a brand or business regionally and support educating local regional leaders. Read more: State-Journal.com

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directory, Community Maps 

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.
Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications

 To request your publication proposal, Click here

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article49377950.html#storylink=cpy