Christian County Chamber event: McConnell speaks on defense, foreign policy challenges; #BestChamber Practices: Virginia Peninsula Chamber: Young Entrepeneurs Academy (YEA!); Clarkston Area Chamber: Light Bulb Moment of the Month; Volunteer Dysfunction - guest article submitted by Bob Harris and Connie Hanner; Carroll County Chamber event: Thousands can't get enough Delphi bacon; Troy Chamber president wins state economic development award; Walking on Water: Coast Young Professionals makes an impact across the Gulf Coast; Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) has promoted a Sun Prairie woman as vice president of operations and finance; 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!

Christian County Chamber event: McConnell speaks on defense, foreign policy challenges

Whoever is elected president in November will face significant issues with defense and foreign policy, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said to a group at the Christian County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

The Republican senate majority leader criticized how the policies have been handled under President Barack Obama’s administration, adding he can’t think of a single place in the world that is better off today than they were at the beginning of Obama’s administration.

“I don’t have much good to say about the way the defense and foreign policies have been conducted in this administration,” McConnell said. “… We’ve been trying to restore defense spending, but the challenge there is that for every dollar of defense we put back, our Democratic friends want to put a dollar in the domestic fund.”

He went onto to say if voters are happy with how the country is running, they should vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. McConnell then said Republican Donald Trump “is the only thing that offers an opportunity to go in a new direction,” and later told the voters to “turn off the personality contest.”

“When you look at the polls, people don’t seem to like either one of them,” he continued. “But this is a choice. So what I recommend to all of you, if you want to turn off the personality contest, just ask yourself whether you’re satisfied with where America is. If you are, you ought to vote for Hillary Clinton. If you aren’t, you shouldn’t.”

McConnell said the country’s allies in the Middle East no longer trust the United States, and that along with vacuums left by war directly contributed to the rise of ISIL.

He did, however, compliment the president on his decision to leave troops, around 9,000, in Afghanistan to help prevent “any back tracking.” McConnell did slid in a dig though, saying it took some pushing to get the president to make the decision. Read more: Kentucky New ERA

#BestChamber Practices: Virginia Peninsula Chamber: Young Entrepeneurs Academy (YEA!)

• What is YEA!

  The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a year-long program that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own REAL businesses.  YEA! was developed at the University of Rochester in 2004 with the support of a grant from the Kauffman Foundation.  The Virginia Peninsula Chamber Foundation is excited to introduce YEA! to the Peninsula business community!

  YEA! guides students through the process of starting and running a legitimate business or social movement over the course of a full academic year. As of 2013, YEA! has graduated 1,394 students who have started over 1,000 businesses and social movements!  YEA! graduates started as students, and left the program as CEOs of their own companies!

  Check out the Businesses from our YEA! Class of 2016 graduates!

         

                                  

      

  
  If you would like to join their ranks, then apply for YEA! Class of 2017! 
  

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  Overview of the Program

  What can students expect to do over the course of the program:
  

  • Brainstorm business ideas
  • Write a business plan
  • Interact with business professionals
  • Pitch their business plan to potential “investors” (think of ABC’s “Shark Tank”!)
  • Obtain funding
  • Legally register their businesses
  • Participate in a Trade Show
  • Actually launch their own businesses or social movements

  
  Why Apply?
  This program offers students the chance to:
  

  • Develop the skills necessary to launch their own business or social movement (hands-on entrepreneurial experience!)
  • Learn about real businesses - why they succeed or fail.
  • Hear from local entrepreneurs.
  • Launch their own business or social movement!
  • Become more confident in their ideas and their abilities

  Organization of Program

  YEA! classes will meet October through May, for three hours weekly. Applications will be accepted from students in grades 6-12.

  There are no classes during regular school holidays and recesses. Students are taught by an instructor, but are exposed to guest lecturers, successful entrepreneurs and business mentors. The class goes on field trips to a variety of local businesses. Finally, the students participate in three major events throughout the year: the Investor Panel, Trade Show and a formal graduation ceremony.
  
  Student Selection Process

  To apply for YEA!, students must:

  • Fill out the YEA! application
  • Complete the essay and the short answer questions
  • Submit their transcripts
  • Submit a letter of recommendation

  
  

  Once the completed application packet is received, students will be asked to come in for an interview. Acceptance in the program is based on all aspects of an application, as well as the personal interview. Prior experience with business is not required! Read more: Virginia Peninsula Chamber

Clarkston Area Chamber: Light Bulb Moment of the Month

Two Men and a Truck

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® of North Oakland County will host Movers for Meals® from November 1 - December 15. They are partnering with the community to collect household items and gently used clothing to donate to Oakland Hope. With the opening of their thrift store to help self-fund their food pantry, Oakland Hope will need a heavy stock to have a great selection for their store. Funds raised from these items will go directly to helping end hunger in Oakland County.


Learn more and nominate someone for  Light Bulb Moment on the Month


Volunteer Dysfunction - guest article submitted by Bob Harris and Connie Hanner

 

Boards who wish to manage Chamber. Volunteers who are out of touch.  Board leaders who want to micromanage the staff.  Chances are great you may have dealt with a dysfunctional board. Don't jump ship if you are currently having some challenges at your chamber.

Click here for expert tips from nationally recognized expert in organizational structure Bob Harris with guest in from Connie Hanner, M.Ed., a doctoral candidate in Nonprofit Organizational Leadership and President of the Colleyville (TX) Chamber of Commerce. - ICEA September newsletter


Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Guide & Membership Directory

The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Guide & Membership Directory is available at the Rapid City Chamber today! Thanks to Linda Rabe, Kristina Simmons and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

Rapid City Directory

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.

Carroll County Chamber event: Thousands can't get enough Delphi bacon

From television commercials to T-shirts, the slogan is everywhere.
Bacon makes everything better.
If this now-ubiquitous catchphrase is in fact true, then there was no better place to be Saturday afternoon than on Main Street in Delphi.
On a day that occasionally threatened rain but consistently delivered copious amounts of grease, an estimated crowd of more than 10,000 people converged on downtown Delphi for the third annual Indiana Bacon Festival of Carroll County.
The festival, which also drew Indiana Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, is held each summer to celebrate Carroll County's standing as one of the top pork-processing counties in Indiana.
"When we started this, we expected a lot of people because of the bacon, but we had no idea there would be so many," said Julia Leahy, executive directer of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

"We had 6,000 the first year, and it rained the whole day. We had 10,000 last year, and our goal this year is 13,000. It really has become something special, and 100 percent of it is for nonprofits. I think that's just great." Read more: Lafayette Journal and Courier


Troy Chamber president wins state economic development award

Farmington Hills resident Ara Topouzian, President and CEO of Troy Chamber of Commerce, received the Robert Sieghart Award for Enthusiasm for the Economic Development Profession during the annual meeting of the Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) held August 25 in Detroit.

“Ara has been a great cheerleader for all things economic development. He has built a strong and respectable relationship in our industry and for MEDA,” organization president Stephanie Carroll, City of Auburn Hills, said in a press release.

Topouzian received the inaugural award named after Robert Sieghart, who was considered a champion for economic development. A retired executive from Consumers Energy, Sieghart served as the President of the Village of Brooklyn for 14 years, and a past President of MEDA in 1987. He passed away last year.

“I am honored to be the first recipient of the Robert Sieghart Award, especially as this is recognition from my peers. I am an ardent supporter of not only MEDA, but anything related to the economic development profession and humbled to be compared to Mr. Sieghart,” said Topouzian. Read more: Farmington Voice

Walking on Water: Coast Young Professionals makes an impact across the Gulf Coast

As part of Coast Young Professionals’ Board of Director’s vision for 2016, the organization wanted to give back to the local community on a larger scale through its 9^th Annual Walking on Water: Bridge Walk & Canned Food Drive.

For the past nine years, Coast Young Professionals has held Walking on Water: Bridge Walk & Canned Food Drive and raised roughly 2,000 pounds each year. The event was created to serve as a reminder of the resilience of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Through a partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast, formerly Bay Area Food Bank, the organizations were able to surpass their initial goal of 2,500 pounds. Together they raised over 7,500 pounds which converts to nearly 6,500 meals.

"Walking on Water has been an outstanding outreach event that gives each individual on the coast an opportunity to come together for a great cause which supports the entire Gulf Coast, said Coast Young Professionals Community Service Co-Chair, Jakavious Pickett. “This event has brought individuals of all cultural demographics together to honor our past while we advance towards our future." www.mscoastchamber.com

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) has promoted a Sun Prairie woman as vice president of operations and finance

WMC President/CEO Kurt R. Bauer announced the appointment Tuesday, promoting Katie Yeutter to serve as vice president of operations and finance of the state's chamber of commerce.

Yeutter joined WMC in January as the senior director of finance and administration for the 3,800-member WMC, where she has overseen the financial, organizational and regulatory aspects of the organization.

She will ensure WMC maintains its leadership in public policy advocacy in her new executive position.

"Katie has demonstrated invaluable leadership skills since joining WMC, and she will play a critical role on the management team as we move WMC and our commitment to policy advocacy forward," Bauer said.

Yeutter had previously worked as the managing director of operations and finance at the Madison Chamber of Commerce. Yeutter was hired by Madison Chamber President Jennifer Alexander, who had served as a cabinet secretary for Governor Tommy G. Thompson and Governor Scott McCallum.

"Katie's business talents will be critical to ensuring the WMC organization runs like a well-oiled machine as we drive the business agenda and make Wisconsin the most competitive state in the nation," Bauer said. Read more: HNG News.com


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 chamber publication or map proposal, Contact Town Square Here