Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Speak at Paducah Chamber Business Luncheon; Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber’s Kay Burton starts next chapter after retirement; #BestChamber Practices: Rochester Regional Chamber: Membership Input prior to Strategic Planning; Career opportunity: President and CEO of the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce - via Shelli Williams of ICEA; BACC, Barrington 220 welcomes around 40 new teachers; Hopewell/Prince George Chamber program: If you ‘Dream it’ you can ‘Do it'; Kenosha Area Chamber stresses engagement as local group holds 100th annual meeting; Town Square Publications Chamber Publications and Maps

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

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Speak at Paducah Chamber Business Luncheon

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the featured speaker at a Paducah area business gathering later this month. Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a public policy luncheon August 15. 

McConnell will speak about Congressional issues and answer questions concerning the regional business community. The event is sponsored by Fluor and Swift & Staley and will be held at the Walker Hall Events Center at 11:30 a.m.

The event is open to the public. Registration is required by August 10. The cost is $20 per person. Register online here. Read more: WKMS

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber’s Kay Burton starts next chapter after retirement

Retirement plans were in Kay Burton’s future, but she hadn’t expected to be saying good­bye to her co­workers at the Brookhaven—Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce so soon. Her 4 ­year ­old granddaughter in Virginia was diagnosed with leukemia in January and Burton made a choice. “I either had to retire or not help them,” she said. “I chose to help them.”

Burton divides her time between home and Virginia, making the 16 ­hour drive often. She said as soon as her granddaughter is better, Burton plans to continue her involvement with community projects. “I’m not really saying good­bye, I’m saying see you later,” she said. Burton will be honored at a reception at the chamber today from 4­-6 p.m. The public is invited. Chamber Ambassadors will be hosting the event. The Chamber is located at 230 Whitworth Ave. Burton, who celebrated 19 years with the Chamber in February, will be missed. “The Brookhaven-­Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce cannot adequately express its appreciation for Kay’s decades of service,” said executive director Garrick Combs. “Her time at the Chamber was punctuated by tireless work on behalf of our community. Her impact on Brookhaven and Lincoln County will be felt for years to come. We wish her well in her next steps in life and we will always be grateful to her time here.” Read more: Daily Leader

#BestChamber Practices: Rochester Regional Chamber: Membership Input prior to Strategic Planning 

Dear John, We are asking you to fill out a very brief survey that will assist us with our strategic planning process. If you complete the survey by Friday, August 12, 2016 we will place your name in a drawing for a free membership!  Please note that your information will be kept confidential!     Take this survey (Link removed by JCD, see note below) Thank you for your feedback, your input matters!    Sincerely, Sheri Heiney Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce Note: Survey questions available by email info@rrc-mi.com - or calling RRC at (248) 651-6700. Career opportunity: President and CEO of the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce - via Shelli Williams of ICEA President and CEO - Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce Please send resumes and salary requirements to: President Search Committee La Porte Chamber of Commerce 803 West Washington Street La Porte Indiana 46537 Website: www.lpchamber.com Email: seitz@lpchamber.com. Position Summary: The Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce located in La Porte Indiana is seeking a full time professional to lead the Chamber in day-to-day operations and set goals for the future of the La Porte Chamber. The President & CEO of the Chamber is the Chief Executive and Administrative officer of the Chamber and is responsible to the Board of Directors for the full range of activities, including coordination of the program of work, organizational structure, and procedures; motivation of volunteers; managing income and expenditures; maintenance of membership; employment, training, and supervision of staff; interpretation of policy; execution of short term plans; and development and execution of long-range planning and setting Chamber's public policy goals for the state legislature. About the La Porte Chamber of Commerce: The La Porte Chamber of Commerce is located in the north western portion of Indiana. This Chamber proudly serves just over 300 member businesses and is a 5 star accredited chamber by the United States Chamber of Commerce The collaborative efforts of this very effective Chamber with member businesses, state and local governments, along with the volunteers serving on 8 committees of the chamber have produced results on par with those of much larger Chambers. www.lpchamber.com for job description. Barrington Area Chamber Women’s Biz Net Hosts “Christmas in July” Food Drive              The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) Women’s Biz Net (WBN) Council hosted a successful “Christmas in July” Food Pantry Drive that gathered hundreds of food, household and personal care items to benefit the local food pantries. During July the WBN reached out to BACC members and the community to help them stock the shelves at both the Barrington and Cuba Township food pantries. The response was well received, resulting in a variety of important items to help local families in need. From canned and boxed goods to paper products and household supplies, the WBN Council delivered the items on July 28. The Barrington Township food pantry is available to qualifying Barrington Township residents, many of which are seniors on a fixed income. Donations of non-perishable food items are always appreciated. For more information, visit www.barringtontownship.com. The Cuba Township food pantry is available to any Cuba Township resident in need. Items from the pantry are available once a month, and in the summer fresh produce pick-up is available weekly from local gardeners. For more information, visit cubatownship.com. For more information, contact BACC President Suzanne Corr, 847-381-2525 or Suzanne@barringtonchamber.com . Batavia Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Guide & Membership Directory The Batavia Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Guide & Business Directory is available at the Batavia Chamber today! Thanks to Holly Deitchman and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together! Town SquarePublications  (www.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. Hopewell/Prince George Chamber program: If you ‘Dream it’ you can ‘Do it' The projected growth of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs from 2008-2018 is 17 percent, according to the Department of Commerce. Students are moving away from liberal arts degrees and going into the technical schools. Dream It. Do It. Virginia (DIDIVA) is a program designed to train students to qualify for today’s technology-driven manufacturing careers and is hosted by ITAC in Chester. This year 37 students from around the area compete to win a $500 scholarship towards a STEM education. “We started this camp because we saw a need for skilled labor in the area and it is very valuable to give the students an education at a young age and show that there are career opportunities that do not require a four year degree,” ITAC Project Administrator Rachel Pest explained. Students from Dinwiddie, Hopewell, Prince George, and private schools are split up into four teams and are assigned two coaches. These coaches are local engineers, marketing experts, and/or are in a STEM career. The students are split up into either marketing or engineering but, are given equal education from both sides. Frank George is an electrical engineer with Service Center Metals and is in his second year of coaching for the ITAC camp. “The Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Manufacturers Association reached out to Service Center Metals for help with the camp,” George said. “My son even competed in the second year of the camp.” The camp consist of education in marketing, introduction to manufacturing and design, field trips to local companies, and a final production competition. “The teams do team based exercises that teach them basics and skill sets. The competition and camp also consist of building a marketing program, designing a logo, building a production line, and loging out the parts while budgeting,” Coach George explained. The camp is done through the Virginia Manufacturers Association and they have applications online for possible students. The ages are from rising 9th graders to rising 12th graders. “The camp is good because I think that manufacturing is very important to Central Virginia and this will open up a lot opportunities for them. STEM careers always have opportunities and it is important to the future of the country,” George stated. There is a wide arrange of students in the program but, all have some interest in a pursuit of STEM career opportunities. Abby Volk, Ryann Rowland, and Pinckney Wilson are all high school students in the area and students of the camp. Read more:   The Hopewell News Kenosha Area Chamber stresses engagement as local group holds 100th annual meeting The 100th edition annual meeting of the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce featured many of its regular elements. But it also illustrated how the community and its businesses engage with each other and the greater community around them. The chamber unveiled a new mission statement for a new century: “To provide opportunities to engage and connect our members with the greater community.” Chamber president Lou Molitor admitted it sounded simple. “But this is at the heart of what we want to accomplish,” Molitor said. The chamber expanded its number of annual scholarships from four to five this year. “Usually, we award scholarships to four (high school seniors), but this year the field was just too good,” said Manoj Babu of Gateway Technical College, vice chairman of the KACC board of directors and chairman of the scholarship committee. Among the numerous recognitions presented at the noon luncheon Wednesday at the Club at Strawberry Creek was the annual beautification award. Waterfront Warehouse, 3322 Sheridan Road, was honored for the rehab job accomplished by Dino Katris and his partners. “We are excited to be in town,” Katris said upon accepting the award. “We came to town five years ago with La Fogata. We decided this time to show off our American side. It was a good time building it, but we’re more excited to be open.” Read more: Kenosha News Town Square Publications Chamber Publications and Maps  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 chamber publication or map proposal, Contact Town Square Here