Good morning Chamber world! Today is going to be a GREAT day!
Southern Illinois chambers deliver value: Electric consortium schedules meeting
Benton/West City Area Chamber of Commerce members will now be able to join chamber members from 14 other Southern Illinois chambers in securing bulk electricity and natural gas rates for the commercial electric and natural gas accounts.
Benton/West City Area Chamber of Commerce joins the existing purchasing group comprised of Jefferson County, Marion, West Frankfort, Carbondale, Carterville, Centralia, Salem, Herrin, Murphysboro and others.
Mt. Vernon-based Affordable Gas & Electric is the coordinator of the Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Electric & Natural Gas Buying Group and has guided over 500 participating commercial chamber members in securing lower, long-term rate certainty and protection in the face of pending regulatory changes that are expected to increase overall electricity prices in the next few years.
Participating members in the existing group range from city and county government buildings to schools, to larger industrial manufactures who all benefit from the larger group purchasing power. Additionally, small business owners who are the core of most chambers, benefit by combining themselves with these larger entities insuring “big box store type pricing” even for the smallest of businesses.
“Benton/West City business owners will now be able to join our group's purchasing power. AGE currently manages over 450,000,000 kwhs of electricity on behalf of our participating members. Even the largest of electricity users benefits by participating in our buying group, but we are especially excited when small business owners are able to gain significant economies of scale that simply aren’t possible when negotiating on their own,” stated Jeff Haarmann, managing partner of AGE.
“Chamber members can rest assured that their chamber membership is providing exceptional value by delivering sound energy strategies to its members and allowing the business owners to do what they do best; run their business and take care of their customers.” Read more: Benton Evening News
Chamber Workforce Development: Hanover Business Council of the Greater Richmond Chamber: Ready. Set. Hire.
Ready. Set. Hire. On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Workforce Development Committee of the Hanover Business Council of the Greater Richmond Chamber organized the event that was hosted at The Hanover Center for Trades and Technology.
It brings together businesses, students, parents and key workforce stakeholders to highlight the benefits of the education and job skill training offered by the region’s career and technical centers.
“Hanover’s successful model inspired this year’s series, which also kicked off in Henrico [County] last Wednesday and Chesterfield’s Ready. Set. Hire [event] is in February of next year,” Mark Creery, chair of the Hanover Business Council of the Greater Richmond Chamber, said. “We started this program several years ago in Hanover. It’s been a success and other counties are doing similar things.”
During Ready. Set. Hire. students were given the opportunity to talk with local business partners that already work in the industry to help prepare them for a successful career in the field of their choosing.
Employers at the event also were able to meet and make connections with students that may one day be employees. Read more: Richmond Times Dispatch
2016 Where We Stand Event To Unveil Northern Kentucky Chamber Legislative Agenda On December 10th
Enrique Conterno Named Chair of Indy Chamber
One day after laying out its 2016 legislative agenda, the Indy Chamber named new leadership for its board of directors. Enrique Conterno of Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) will serve as chair.
Conterno has served as president of Lilly Diabetes since 2009. He also serves on the board of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Board of Visitors for Duke's Fuqua School of Business.
The Indy Chamber elected its corporate officers Wednesday. Along with Conterno as chair, the 2016 corporate officers include:
- Vice Chair, Brian Sullivan, Shiel Sexton
- Vice Chair-Elect: Connie Bond Stuart, PNC Bank
- Treasurer: Lisa Schlehuber, Elements Financial
- Secretary: Rafael Sanchez, Fineline Printing Group
- President: Michael Huber, Indy Chamber
"The Indy Chamber has a 125 year history of strong corporate leadership in our community and the breadth of our impact over the course of those years is a direct reflection of the strength of our members." said Michael Huber, president and CEO of the Indy Chamber. "We are eager to continue this great work under the direction of our new Board leadership as we all work to have the greatest impact we can on our members and our community."
The Indy Chamber also added new members to its board of directors. They include:
- Mark Kugar, BMO
- Doug Brown, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
- Toby McClamroch, Bingham Greenebaum Doll
- Chris Yeakey, Cushman & Wakefield
- Mary Boelke, Deloitte
- Dr. Charles Miraglia, Indiana Blood Center
- Keith Rudemiller, Kroger
- Randy Reichmann, Old National Read more: Inside Indiana Business
2016 Where We Stand Event To Unveil Northern Kentucky Chamber Legislative Agenda On December 10th
FORT MITCHELL, KY–The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the 2016 Where We Stand Reception, Presented by Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky. With over 1,400 member employers, the Chamber is the leading regional voice for businesses large and small. Please join our members, including the Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, and Business Advocacy Council on Thursday, December 10, 2015 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky located in Devou Park (200 Home Road, Covington, KY 41011)for a presentation unveiling the Chamber’s 2016 Priority Legislative Agenda.
In our Advocacy Committees, Chamber members have spent many months discussing the most pressing issues for business. We believe many of these legislative goals can be accomplished by the actions of the 2016 General Assembly. During the program, our leadership will spend a few minutes outlining these issues and answering any questions you have.
The cost to attend the event is $25 for NKY Chamber members and $50 for future Chamber members. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be provided. Reservations can be made by calling 859.578.8800 or online at web.nkychamber.com/events. Pre-registration is preferred. The 2016 Where We Stand Presenting Sponsor is Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky. Supporting Sponsors are Delta and St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Event Sponsors include Thomas More College and Woolpert, Inc. - See more at: Northern Kentucky Chamber
Chamber genesis: The story behind South Mississippi's Christmas tradition
Deck the hulls with boughs of holly and pilot all around the Mississippi Sound. This weekend marks the annual blending of Christmas with Mardi Gras, watercraft and fireworks.
With Biloxi's Christmas on the Water boat parade turning 30 on Saturday, South Mississippians are now accustomed to seeing giant candy canes and plastic reindeer floating by on a fleet of fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico during the yuletide season.
Christmas on the Water, Biloxi's annual parade of boats covered with Christmas lights and other holiday decorations, has in many ways become a unique staple of the Coast.
The parade first appeared in 1986, but the idea dates to 1984 with a group of mariners sitting around a dinner table at Mary Mahoney's Old French House restaurant.
Rusty David, chairman of the Christmas on the Water committee, remembers how it all started.
David said Mary Mahoney, who was president-elect of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce, wanted to do something unique for Christmas.
"We planted the seed in '84," David said. "It was a bunch of us sitting around Mary's restaurant, and she wanted to do something different because she was the first female president of the Biloxi Chamber."
The group of seafarers, which included David, were looking for an excuse to use their boats during the winter, thus the idea of a Christmas parade on the water was born.
"We don't normally use our boats in the wintertime," he said. "It was an opportunity to put people together on the boats during Christmastime and have a real nice family event." Read more: Sun-Herald
Chamber interest: 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
Door County heart: Baileys Harbor Community Association Dinner benefits Sturgeon Bay woman
The Baileys Harbor Community Association is using its community Thanksgiving Dinner to raise funds for a Sturgeon Bay woman with cancer.
The fifth annual Baileys Harbor Community Thanksgiving Dinner is being used as a fundraiser for Tasha Ustianowski, 40, a single mother diagnosed with synovial sarcoma over the summer.
Ustianowski found a lump on the back of her leg last December. After doing some research, she concluded it was a baker's cyst and nothing to worry about. The lump continued to get worse, and in June she went to the doctor. The doctor also thought it was a cyst but ordered an MRI as a precaution. The lump turned out to be a possible mass and a second scan was done. Eventually Ustianowski was advised make an appointment at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee.
Since her diagnosis she has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. The treatments are in an effort to shrink the tumor ahead of surgery.
Each chemo treatment causes her to miss about a week of work and recovery from surgery is expected to take about eight weeks, Ustianowski said. There are risks of complications from the surgery. Read more: Green Bay Press-Gazette
Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey
RULE #122 Think
of inactive members as Patriots
Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles
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 Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications
Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your publication proposal, Click here
Town Square Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications
Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your publication proposal, Click here
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