Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago: Economic Perspectives on Small Business Lending; Geneva Chamber of Commerce brings the flavors of fall;13th Annual Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber Vine & Dine: Top chefs come together to support Gleaners; Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Guide & Membership Directory; Paducah Chamber partnership: The Second Annual Meet the Artists Event is set for Thursday, Sept. 15th.; East Troy Bluegrass Festival celebrates 23 years; Interim Chamber head tells Rotarians about Lowndes Young Leaders; Clay County Chamber of Commerce -- Spotlight on Business; Salem-Roanoke County Chamber roundtable is Sept. 15; Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Re-Location Guides and Custom Maps

Happy Monday, Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT week!



Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago: Economic Perspectives on Small Business Lending


Small business lending after the financial crisis: A new competitive landscape for community banks Community banks face growing competition, but also opportunities to partner with alternative lenders using technology to find borrowers and underwrite loans. Read more

Geneva Chamber of Commerce brings the flavors of fall

Reading the paper or watching TV, you can hardly miss all the back-to-school ads that have been trying to capture our attention since July 5.

Is this your sign that autumn is approaching? Or is it when the kids officially started school? Maybe it’s the colors changing or perhaps when you wear that favorite sweater for the first time during the season. I am a combination of all, but I certainly know fall is upon us when Festival of the Vine rolls around.

For 35 years, the Geneva Chamber of Commerce has been inviting all who enjoy fantastic food, exquisite wines, energizing entertainment and a great time to this “tasteful” event, Sept. 9 to 11.

Twenty-three Geneva restaurants will be creating a culinary display of specialties from Italian to Mexican, savory appetizers to delectable desserts, at the Flavor Fare. This year brings new menus and new eateries. What a delicious way to sample many of our local restaurants in one convenient location. There will be free entertainment all three days on the main stage as well.

Since Festival of the Vine stemmed – pun intended – from anything grown on a vine, wine of all varieties is a fruitful part of the festival. Twenty-five wines are being offered at the wine tent for purchase by the glass. Read more: Kane County Chronicle

13th Annual Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber Vine & Dine: Top chefs come together to support Gleaners

The area's top chefs are gathering under the same roof for one of the tastiest fundraisers of the year.

Tickets are now on sale for the 13th annual Vine & Dine, a gourmet fundraiser hosted by theBirmingham Bloomfield Chamber to benefit Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. This year’s event will be held 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills.

“We are honored to once again partner with Gleaners Community Food Bank to help feed literally thousands of needy families in Oakland County,” said Chamber President Joe Bauman. “And we could not do it without the incredible support we receive from our member restaurants and wine wholesalers and retailers who donate not only their product for the event, but staff time as well.”

Vine & Dine offers guests an outstanding selection of domestic and imported wines, combined with a strolling buffet featuring the finest restaurants. Back by popular demand, director of NUCLASSICA, violinist and Cranbrook graduate Jordan Allen Broder will provide entertainment for the evening, offering an eclectic mix of modern music played on classical instruments paired with a live disc jockey.

Consistently a sell-out event, Vine & Dine has become the new tradition for wine and food aficionados. Tickets are $85 per person in advance, with special pricing available for bulk tickets of 12 or more. Complimentary valet will be included and guests are encouraged to dress to impress.

Food and wine participants this year will include: Bill’s, Café ML, Roadside Bar & Grill, Mandaloun Bistro, The Bird & The Bread, Forest Lake Country Club, Cameron’s Steakhouse, Mitchell’s Fish Market, Townhouse Birmingham, The Stand Gastro Bistro, BIGGBY Coffee – Bingham Farms, Granite City Food & Brewery, Hills Fine Wine & Spirits, ML Spirits, Eagle Eye Brands, Birmingham Wine & MI Grape & Wine Industry Council.

“We love participating in this event because it supports such an incredible cause,” said Bill Roberts of the Roberts Restaurant Groups. “The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber does a fabulous job in putting this together every year, and the Cranbrook Science Museum is a great location. Everyone in the community always has a great time – and most importantly, we’re helping out Gleaners.” Read more: Hometown Life

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.

Paducah Chamber partnership: The Second Annual Meet the Artists Event is set for Thursday, Sept. 15th.

The fourth event in the Creative Collaborations series developed by the Paducah Arts Advisory Committee will be held Thursday, Sept. 15. On that date, enjoy the second annual Meet the Artists, A Celebration of Art & Community from 4 until 8 pm at the Paducah School of Art & Design’s new 2D/Graphic Building (recently rehabilitated historic Kitchens Building) located at 905 Harrison Street. Free parking is available.

Meet the Artists is an opportunity for Paducah artists and art groups to connect and reconnect with the public, build relationships, share their stories, and show their art. The public will be able to mingle with the artists to talk about their work, the community, and their inspirations. This is a free event with more than 65 artists from around the region coming together to celebrate art and show their appreciation of the community that supports them.

Downtown Development Specialist/Paducah Main Street Director Melinda Winchester says, “The enthusiasm surrounding our 2015 debut event surpassed all expectations and encouraged us to continue to create more opportunities for artists to connect with the public. At this time, 65 local artists have committed to attend this free event for the public.”

Individual artists and art groups including the Paducah Arts Alliance, Yeiser Art Center, Bricolage Art Collective, Art Guild of Paducah, and PAPA Gallery will be in attendance. Paducah School of Art and Design faculty will also host an exhibit in the Bill Ford Gallery.

Winchester adds, “Paducah’s creative cultural community continues to enrich our city, enhance our personal lives, change perspectives, and broaden our horizons. By engaging the public with our diverse artists and crafts persons, we help foster education, promote community spirit, and create a distinctive city.”

Paducah Mayor Gayle Kaler initiated the creation of the Paducah Arts Advisory Committee to encourage the various artists and cultural entities to collaborate and create events that further promote Paducah’s creative industry. The committee consists of representatives from Paducah Main Street, the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Paducah School of Art & Design, and various Lower Town artists and business owners.

In addition to the Meet the Artists event, the Creative Collaborations series included this year New River Currents held on March 12, the Lower Town Arts & Music Festival Open Studios on May 13 and 14, and Working Together: Collaborative Exhibition on June 16.

The sponsors and partners for Meet the Artists are Paducah Main Street, the Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau, Paducah Economic Development, and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce. Read more: West Kentucky Star

East Troy Bluegrass Festival celebrates 23 years

The East Troy Area Chamber of Commerce will hold the East Troy Bluegrass Festival from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, at East Troy Village Square Park, 2888 Main St (highways ES and 120).

The festival will feature musical entertainment, a food court with local fare, and a marketplace with local crafters, artisans and farmers market vendors selling goods.

Staying true to the festival’s roots, local, emerging and popular regional bands will also be featured. The festival headliner on Saturday is Flatt Lonesome, a band that recently garnered five major award nominations from the International Bluegrass Music Association. On Sunday, the headliner will be Sideline. The lineup:  Read more: Journal Times

Interim Chamber head tells Rotarians about Lowndes Young Leaders

Bill Walker expressed a few reservations as he stood atop the ladder. 

Walker, a member of the Lowndes Young Leaders board, was on top of a step ladder with his back turned to six volunteers who waited, arms interlocked, to catch him. 

"Is this too high?" Walker asked as the gathered Columbus Rotary Club members looked on. "Do I need to come down a little bit?" 

A few moments later, Walker fell safely into the volunteers' arms. 

Lisa James, interim president and director of programs and events for the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, said the trust-fall exercise was a way to demonstrate for Rotarians gathered at the Lion Hills Center Tuesday some of the activities members of the Lowndes Young Leaders program recently experienced. 

"It's important for them to see hands-on what we're doing with the Lowndes Young Leaders," she said. "They can hear about it all day long, but when they actually get to try one of the team-building exercises, it leaves a lasting impression." 

Lowndes Young Leaders is jointly operated by the Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Rotary Club and Mississippi University for Women. The program draws about 20 students from schools across the county for leadership training. 

"We want them to go out and be well-rounded, well-educated citizens and productive and involved in society," she said. "The best way to do that is to teach them to be leaders."  Read more: The Dispatch


Clay County Chamber of Commerce -- Spotlight on Business

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Need an insurance agency in Brazil? For friendly insurance service in Brazil and Clay County call (812) 443-4251 today.

(Information provided by the Clay County Chamber of Commerce for its Spotlight on Business for August.) Read more: Brazil Times

Salem-Roanoke County Chamber roundtable is Sept. 15

The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business Owners Roundtable on Thursday, Sept. 15, at noon at Hollywood's Restaurant and Bakery, 7770 Williamson Road in Roanoke.

The event is open to all business owners who are current members of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce. Business owners will be able to join fellow chamber members to discuss topics affecting local businesses. Nonmembers are allowed to attend once as guests. The event is free to attend, all participants pay for their own lunch, and registration is required.

RSVP to info@s-rcchamber.org or call 387-0267 by Sept. 14. Source: Roanoke Times

Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories, Community Profiles 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