Good morning Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day! Madison Chamber interest: Tech and Biotech: Madison gains a health IT company; Exact Sciences' Cologuard draws national attention; Richlands Area Chamber delight: Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board receives grant; Michigan chambers, Business leaders ‘hungry to help’ Flint; Mount Pleasant 2016 Community Guide; #BestChamber Training: Effingham County Google Docs Workshop; Chamber, Biloxi celebrates Keesler AFB 75th anniversary; Brownsburg, Avon Chambers assistance: Small businesses continue to find support; Tammy Tinsley hired as director for Logan Chamber; Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories

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


Madison Chamber interest: Tech and Biotech: Madison gains a health IT company; Exact Sciences' Cologuard draws national attention

Another health care IT company is laying down roots here.

National Decision Support Co. has opened an office in the Jackman Building off the Capitol Square, 111 S. Hamilton St.

It’s the first actual office for National Decision Support (NDSC), which has operated as a virtual company since it was founded in 2012, said Tom Conti, vice president of product and technology.

The role of National Decision Support Co. is to help make sure that physicians are ordering the right medical tests for their patients, based on recommendations of medical specialty societies.

“Because medicine is very complex,” Conti said. “From a patient’s side, it’s getting the best care. A certain amount of health care is, somewhat, going down a rabbit hole.”

The company’s software product, CareSelect, compares the patient’s symptoms to the medical organization’s guidelines. So far, National Decision Support is working with the American College of Radiology and the American College of Cardiology, and it is in talks with several other organizations, Conti said.

The company has about 40 employees, with about half in Madison and the rest scattered around the U.S., Conti said.

Founder and CEO Michael Mardini, in New York, said more than 100 health systems are using the company’s technology, with more than 2 million transactions a month, and NDSC is growing rapidly.

Why choose Madison for an office?

“By creating a dedicated R&D headquarters in Madison, we’re able to attract top talent and create the collaborative atmosphere required for an agile development team,” Mardini said.

“We’ve had people in Madison the whole time,” added Conti. “We’ve found really great talent here. Epic (Systems Corp.) has, obviously, helped with health care knowledge and there are other companies in the health care space.”Conti was a software developer, specializing in radiology, for 11 years for Epic, one of the nation’s biggest electronic health records developers, based in Verona.

Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, said the company is a good addition to the health information technology cluster of companies. Madison.com

Richlands Area Chamber delight: Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board receives grant

A large state grant announced Friday could help small businesses in Southwest Virginia with employee training and other necessities, local officials said.

“The Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board just received wonderful news that we have been awarded a $150,000 grant for Workforce Area 1,” Ginger Branton, executive director of the Richlands Area Chamber of Commerce said.

“This grant is geared towards supporting the small businesses in our region by assisting employees with credentialing and skills training, and will consist of a partnership effort between the Workforce Development Board and the local community colleges,” Branton said.

Aleta Spicer, executive director of the Workforce Development Board, worked to get the grant, Branton said. Spicer was unavailable Friday for additional comment. Southwest Virginia Community College near Richlands is among the institutions working with a new Incumbent Workforce Training program.

“These new grants will help us attain our statewide goal of awarding 50,000 STEM-H Workforce Credentials per year by taking the credentialing process out of the traditional classroom setting and into the workplace,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a press release. “There is no better way to ensure that our workforce has the certifications and licenses demanded by business than to partner with those businesses to deliver training and credentials to their own employees on the job. These new grants are just one more way we are using workforce credentials for jobs and business growth.” Read more: Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Michigan chambers, Business leaders ‘hungry to help’ Flint

Michigan’s top business executives are preparing to launch a major offensive on behalf of the troubled city of Flint.

In two weeks, some of the state’s top business minds will converge on the city for an intensive, firsthand look at the challenges Flint faces, and to figure out how their expertise and the resource of their companies can hasten its recovery from the water crisis.

“The business community is hungry to help,” says Mark Davidoff, chairman of the Detroit Regional Chamber, who will announce the Flint Day initiative Thursday at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference. “Unless you’ve spent time there, you don’t have a full understanding of the totality of what Flint faces.”

The initiative is part of the response to critics of the annual conference who accused the chamber of ignoring Flint in putting together the agenda for this week’s gathering. When a featured speaker scheduled for Thursday canceled, a panel on Flint was added that includes Mayor Karen Weaver. The Flint Challenge had raised nearly $100,000 Wednesday afternoon in relief funds.

Davidoff, managing partner of Deloitte’s Michigan office, volunteered for a month in Flint to help Weaver with special projects related to the city’s recovery from the lead poisoning of its water system. He realized how much Flint needed beyond donations of bottled water and other relief measures.

The city needs a strategy for the long term, he says. So he’s rallying the Detroit chamber, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids chamber to join the Flint chamber on June 14 to meet with city and civic officials. Read more: Detroit News

Mount Pleasant 2016 Community Guide 

The Mount Pleasant 2016 Community Guide & Membership Directory is available at the Village of Mount Pleasant today! Thanks to Anna Marie Clausen, Logan Martin and the village team for their help and direction putting this together!

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

#BestChamber Training: Effingham County Google Docs Workshop

Struggling with Google Docs? Join us on Friday, June 17 from 8 - 11 am for a hands on seminar on Google Docs!

Topics to be covered:

• Converting, Uploading and Storing Flies to Google Docs
• Sharing folders and permissions
• Operating Google Sheets
• Using Google Calendars
• And many more!

Registration is limited to 30 participants!

The Workshop will be taught by Charlie Niehaus, Altamont Unit 10 Technology Director.

Location:

Lake Land College Kluthe Center

1204 Network Centre Dr, Effingham

Date/Time Information:

Friday, June 17
7:30 - 8:00 am Registration and Breakfast
8:00 - 11:00 am Hands on Workshop

Contact Information:

Leah Orr

Send an Email

Fees/Admission:

$35 per person

More information: Effingham Chamber


Chamber, Biloxi celebrates Keesler AFB 75th anniversary

Keesler Air Force Base has been celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the year.

Friday was the first anniversary celebration outside the gates of Keesler Air Force Base, and the city of Biloxi’s chance to say thank you.

It was a trip down memory lane, and a time to recognize the impact Keesler has on the city of Biloxi and South Mississippi.

“I’ve got so many memories of things that we did while we were here at Keesler,” said retired Lt. Col. Clark Griffin. “Most of all, we had a good time.”

The former base commander knows as well as anyone the importance of Keesler’s 75-year presence on the Coast, and it’s not just the $1.67 billion economic impact.

“I drove the first pile in the first new dorm that went into Keesler here, and now there’s 12 of them out there,” Griffin said. “So make something happen, but make something last.”

Griffin, who is also a Biloxi Bay Chamber board member, liked Keesler so much he also retired here.

“Somebody says, ‘Why did you pick Keesler to retire at?’ And I say, ‘We picked the community,’" said Griffin. 

The celebration included nearly 100 people from Keesler and the community.

“The 75th anniversary is a huge milestone,” said Col. Michele Edmondson, commander of the 81st Training Wing. “But we really recognize, and we wanted to make sure the community recognized, that it’s a milestone for both the installation and for the community in the city of Biloxi.”

The ceremony was co-sponsored by the Biloxi Bay Chamber.

“They’re still here,” said Tina Ross-Seamans, executive director. “We want them to remain here, and we want to support them the best we can." Read more: WDAM TV

Brownsburg, Avon Chambers assistance: Small businesses continue to find support

Despite the competition of nearby big business, Hendricks County continues to be a supporter of small retail businesses, as well as small, locally owned commercial businesses.

The Avon Chamber of Commerce formed in 1987, Executive Director Tom Downard said, with the goal of improving the community and the area’s business climate.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of retail back in 1987, except for your basic needs,” Downard said. “In the early ‘90s, that’s when development began and it just kind of grew from there.”

While extensive retail growth in Avon is evident, Downard said the biggest change in local retail has been shifting away from those small mom and pop businesses and embracing big box retail.

“That’s what was so neat about Avon and retail back in the day,” he said. “It was still small. Now it’s grown and we have the big box stores — all good stuff, stuff to meet community needs — but it’s just not as personal as it used to be.”

In spite of big retail needs, Downard said there is still strong community and chamber support of those small, personal businesses in Avon. Today, 90 percent of the chamber’s more than 220 members are small businesses with 25 or fewer employees.

“We really try to help them succeed in any way we can, but it is getting tougher. It’s getting harder and harder for small mom and pops to succeed, but I still consider a franchise a mom and pop. It’s still local guys owning the business and that’s what makes it all roll,” Downard said.

Some new locally owned franchise businesses are coming to Avon soon, Downard mentioned, including a Jack’s Donuts and a Baskin-Robbins.

“At the end of the day, there’s still going to be a need for small business,” Downard said. “The nice thing about Avon is a lot of retail is already built. So I don’t think it’s about expanding and building new retail, I think it’s about maintaining what we have.”

The Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1982 and while its responsibilities have changed over the years, Executive Director Mike Arnould still strives to support small retail business development in the community.

“As Brownsburg has grown, more small businesses have started up in the community, which has given us a larger variety of goods and services to be able to be purchased,” Arnould said.

In the last three years that he has been with the chamber, Arnould said he’s seen tremendous growth in small business retail in Brownsburg with many success stories. With chamber assistance, small businesses can thrive. Read more: Flyer Group

Tammy Tinsley hired as director for Logan Chamber

Long-time Logan County resident, Tammy Tinsley has been hired and the Logan County Chamber of Commerce’s new executive director, announced 2016 Logan County Chamber President Joe Hendricks. The Chamber’s Board of Directors has unanimously confirmed Tinsley June 7, 2016.

Tinsley will begin her duties Monday, June 13. She has a Bachelor Degree from Western Kentucky University and comes to the Chamber from serving as a Primary Care Manager for Kentucky with the American Cancer Society. At the American Cancer Society, Tinsley had extensive experience in strategic planning, large community event planning and with the supervision of volunteers and staff.

Tinsley, through her efforts, partnered the American Cancer Society with large corporations and universities and secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds for cancer research. Prior to working for the American Cancer Society, Tinsley’s leadership was responsible for one of the most successful Relay for Life events ever held in Logan County. In her position with the American Cancer Society, she has also served as an advocate for legislation for the protection of health of public workers. Read more: News Democrat-Leader

Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories

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