Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Chamber Excitement: Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Announces Iron Chef Meets Taste of Williamsburg; Kentucky Chamber asks for business community input on workforce development and credentials; #BestChamber Practices: (Leadership) Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber program: Leadership Gulf Coast Applications Now Available; Chamber Chuckle - Wacky Wednesday Weirdest Chamber Requests; Pontiac Area Chamber celebrates 99th Annual Banquet, fetes honorees, students; #BestChamber Practices: (Branding) Rochester Regional Chamber Awards: 2016 Sunrise Pinnacle Award Nominations; Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Guide & Map; Chamber awards: St. Joseph County businesses honored; Rhinelander Chamber event: Ideas for promoting downtown presented; Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Re-Location Guides and Custom Maps



Good Morning Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day!



Chamber Excitement: Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Announces Iron Chef Meets Taste of Williamsburg


– The Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance is again joining with the Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association to bring Iron Chef Meets Taste of Williamsburg and moving it to a new date. This year the event will be held on June 9th, 2016 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Williamsburg. The two organizations want to bring this combined event to the community to help promote area restaurants to not only locals, but the many tourists that visit the destination this time of year. “We are thrilled to work in partnership with WARA again to bring an amazing culinary experience to our residents and visiting guests,” said Karen Riordan, CEO of the Alliance.

This will be the 23nd year for Taste of Williamsburg, the 7th year for the Iron Chef Wine and Food Expo, and the second year the two are blending together to form one big culinary extravaganza! The Taste of Williamsburg event offers food and beverage establishment members of the Alliance the opportunity to showcase their talents to the community. The highlight of the evening features the presentation of several prestigious awards to four winning participants judged by a respected panel of judges and the attendees. The Iron Chef event offers a chance for spectators to watch 3 teams of celebrated area chefs battle it out in the arena to prepare mouthwatering dishes that are judged by an esteemed panel of judges. Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. For more information visit our website at williamsburgcc.com. Media Contact: Patrick Quinn 757.476.6820 Patrick@williamsburgcc.com



Kentucky Chamber asks for business community input on workforce development and credentials


FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 16, 2016) — The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is participating in the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board’s (KWIB) Education and Business Alignment Committee. The committee’s goal is to help improve the state’s workforce by increasing efforts to align the education system with employers’ needs.

As a part of its efforts, the committee is conducting a survey relating to credentials that students can pursue to show their readiness go on to work or to post-secondary education.
The Chamber is asking for help from members. A survey has been created to gather input that will help the Education and Business Alignment Committee understand if and how specific credentials are used by business.
The survey is short and will assist the Chamber’s work on the committee.


As an employer, please take a moment to complete this short and important survey regarding industry credentials. If you are unfamiliar with this topic, pass it along to the person in your company who is best equipped to respond.

The survey can be found here.

Learn more about the Kentucky Chamber’s efforts on workforce development and the problems faced by the state here.

Source: Lane Report




#BestChamber Practices: (Leadership) Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber program: Leadership Gulf Coast Applications Now Available




Leadership Gulf Coast (LGC), a program of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, Inc., has announced that applications for the incoming 2016-2017 class are now available.

Leadership Gulf Coast is a program designed to prepare the area’s current and potential leaders for the future. The goal is to create a communication network among present and emerging leaders dedicated to the improvement of the Mississippi Gulf Coast through understanding real issues and opportunities within our community. The program began in 1990 and has graduated nearly 900 leaders.

“This year, Leadership Gulf Coast will celebrate 25 years of nurturing leaders through a series of educational sessions that work to enhance one’s leadership skills and knowledge,” said Angie Juzang, chair of the 2016-2017 Leadership Gulf Coast Board of Trustees. “25 years in existence is a testimony to the success of the participants and organizers of the program. I am proud to be a graduate because it has been an invaluable part of my personal and professional development. If you think you know everything there is to know about coast life, think again. Having access to speakers and resources one otherwise would not have access to is irreplaceable. I look forward to meeting this year’s class and celebrating their successes.”

Applications can be downloaded from www.mscoastchamber.com under the “Leadership Gulf Coast” tab. To be considered for next year’s class, the application must be received by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, Inc. office no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 6.

For additional information regarding LGC, contact LGC Liaison, Olivia Munn at 228-604-0014 or olivia@mscoastchamber.com. More information about LGC is available at www.mscoastchamber.com.


Chamber Chuckle - Wacky Wednesday Weirdest Chamber Requests



Are there alligators under the cars there? (from a Wisconsin chamber)







Pontiac Area Chamber celebrates 99th Annual Banquet, fetes honorees, students


Thursday night saw the Pontiac Area Chamber of Commerce celebrating its 99th annual banquet, during which awards recognizing honored members of the community were presented. The recipients each expressed their gratitude at being feted by the Chamber with short speeches.

Following dinner and the student recognition portion of the evening held at the Pontiac Elks Lodge, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mindi Terrell kicked off the night's main event by setting the stage for the evening's honorees.

The evening's first honor was presented to Rose Smith, who received the Pontiac Kiwanis Club Educator of the Year Award. Smith serves as the Assistant Director of Livingston County's Special Services Unit, and is retiring this year after 36 years in education. She was introduced by Pontiac Dist. 90 Supt. Jon Kilgore.

“Rose, I think our committee did an excellent job of selecting you,” he said. “Thank you so much.”

Smith thanked Kilgore for his kind words, and reflected on the secret of being a good educator.

“Over the years, I've had a lot people ask me what my secret was to love what I do and to be passionate about what I do,” she said. “And I've always said there's no secret, I just do what I do … (But) I've really been reflecting (since the nomination), and I've discovered the secret is that it's not about me — it's about the kids.”

The second award, Bill Edwards Agribusiness Person of the Year, went to Cindy Kridner, a program technician for the Conservation Reserve Program. She was introduced by Tim Fogarty, owner of Fogarty's Garage, and the award's recipient in 2012. Fogarty praised Kridner as one of the often unheralded behind-the-scenes workers in the agriculture community.

Upon taking the stage, Kridner talked about the privilege of working with farmers.

“I just want to say that visiting with farmers is very interesting to me,” she said. “I've learned so much from them. Farming is really a way of life and it's why I love working with farmers, so thank you again for the honor and the privilege.”

The penultimate award for the Volunteers of the Year went to Revs. George and Rubye Russell, who are very active with the Livingston County Food Pantry. The couple were introduced by the previous year's award recipient, Harold Schook, a longtime volunteer at the county's Humane Society. Shook gave the Webster's Dictionary definition of a volunteer, and felt that the Russells were “perfect examples.” Read more: Pontiac Daily Leader


#BestChamber Practices: (Branding) Rochester Regional Chamber Awards: 2016 Sunrise Pinnacle Award Nominations











2016 Sunrise Pinnacle Award Nominations are currently being accepted. Click here to download the form. Nominations are due on or before April 8, 2016.

Award Categories
Advocacy Award
Ambassador of the Year
Arts & Cultural Award
Board Member of the Year
Business of the Year
Business Woman of the Year
Community Builder Award
Creative Excellence Award
Customer Service Award
Diversity Award
Economic Development Award
Educator of the Year
Excellence in Dining
Healthcare Professional of the Year
Innovative Corporate Culture Award
Leadership Greater Rochester Graduate
Lifetime Achievement Award
Nonprofit Achievement Award
Outstanding Community Service
Philanthropy Award
Small Business of the Year
Steady Growth and Profitability Award
Young Professional of the Year

More information : Rochester Regional Chamber






Chamber awards: St. Joseph County businesses honored



According to the Census Bureau, there are more than 20,000 businesses that call St. Joseph County home. Last week the Chamber had an opportunity to call special attention to the work of three of those businesses at our annual Salute to Business luncheon. (We wrote about the individuals who were honored in a separate column.)

The Big Idea Co. was presented with the Small Business of the Year Award. The award is presented to a small business that demonstrates leadership, innovation, economic growth and capital investment.

Big Idea is a marketing and public relations firm that began as a boutique agency when broadcast executive Lou Pierce, who spent a career at the University of Notre Dame-owned television and radio properties, headed out on his own in August 2001.

Since then, Big Idea has helped its clients tell their stories and stand out among their peers. Today, Big Idea Co. serves clients as diverse as The Howard Buffett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, agencies that serve public employees across the state of Indiana, school systems, a national not-for-profit retirement company, regional medical specialty groups and foundations, and the South Bend Cubs.

In doing this work, the company has traveled as far as war-torn Afghanistan as part of a delegation inspecting and reporting on American economic investment in rural communities across the country.

The firm has earned 18 Emmy nominations and six Emmy awards for executing big ideas on behalf of its clients over the past eight years, experiencing an average of 14 percent year-to-year growth since being founded in 2001. Back then, the firm had one full-time employee. Today, it employs eight communications professionals and hires additional staff during peak seasons for particular client needs.

Great Lakes Capital/Bradley Co. were presented with the Economic Impact Award, recognizing the company’s strategic vision and its sustainable capital investment in the St. Joseph County economy.

Look around the many new developments across St. Joseph County, and it’s a good bet that Great Lakes Capital (GLC) and the Bradley Co. are somehow involved in the project. Ignition Park Catalyst I & II, including the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Facility, the JMS Building renovation, GrandView Flats and Townhomes, the South Bend Distribution Center I, and the Residences at Toscana Park are examples of commercial and residential projects adding to the quality of place in the county. Read more: South Bend Tribune



Rhinelander Chamber event: Ideas for promoting downtown presented


Former Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. executive director Maggie Steffen was among several people who pitched ideas for promoting the Rhinelander business district during the estimated $9.79 million downtown infrastructure improvement project.


Steffen recommended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the construction because the city's moving forward.

"Involve the whole community so that they realize it's a big deal and a positive thing," Steffen said.

The ideas came out of a brainstorming session the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce held Wednesday morning at the Hext Theatre.

Thirty people, including representatives from the city, chamber of commerce and DRI, along with merchants, attended the session.

Bill Clow, executive director of the chamber of commerce, expanded on Steffen's idea of making the downtown project a positive event.

"We need to create a sense of curiosity about the downtown and bring people in," Clow said. "We don't want to say, 'pardon our dust.' They're going to be able to see that." Read more: River News Online




Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Re-Location Guides and Custom 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 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



Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Guide & Map


The Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Guide & Map is available at the Green Lake County Chamber! Thanks to the Green Lake County chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!











Town SquarePublications (ww.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community profile or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.





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