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Oxford Lafayette County Chamber Makes Plans for 2017 Leadership Lafayette Program - Interested Individuals can acquire an application at www.oxfordms.com; Application Deadline is Monday, December 12, 2016

            Oxford, Miss.—Emerging community leaders of Oxford and Lafayette County once again have an opportunity to participate in the annual Leadership Lafayette program presented by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce.

The nine-month program, beginning in January 2017, is a series of training sessions and activities, designed for emerging community leaders.  It is intended to assure the continuity of leadership in Lafayette-Oxford-University community and assist already established community leaders, who seek more effective ways to contribute to the community.  In addition to the sessions, class members will also participate in a community based project.

            “Leadership Lafayette is a great opportunity for community leaders to engage in their community through networking, education and group projects. Each session is coordinated by alumni of the program who put considerable thought into making each year the best it can be,” said Torie White, Leadership Lafayette Program Chair.

The objectives of the program include identifying potential community leaders, developing individual leadership potential, acquiring knowledge about community and current issues in Lafayette County, creating dialogue and rapport among participants and current leaders, and promoting a sense of "community" through shared efforts benefiting the local community.

            Each month will involve an all day session from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  These sessions are packed with information about Oxford and Lafayette County and the needs of the community. Participants will acquire knowledge about current issues that surround them, as well as focused leadership training.

Leadership Lafayette participants will be selected by a steering committee on the basis of completed applications received by Monday, December 12, 2016.  Preference will be given to candidates who, in addition to their potential for leadership, would contribute to the overall diversity and strength of the class and have available time to commit to the program and future community service.  Program participation is limited to 25.  The program requires a tuition fee of $375 upon acceptance.

The 2017 Leadership Lafayette Steering Committee includes: Chair: Torie Marion White, University of Mississippi Alumni Association; Wayne Andrews, Yoknapatawpha Arts Council; Steven Ash, Oxford University Club; Quentin Brewer, BancorpSouth; Jennifer Eastland, Baptist Memorial Hospital; Ashley Frye, Executive Assistant to Dr. Thomas Fowlkes for Coleman Funeral Home; Amy Goodin, The University of Mississippi; Kelly Graeber, Oxford School District; Caitlin Hopper, Yoknapatawpha Arts Council; Hardie Meeks, Oxford Police Dept.; Kristi Peeples, Renasant Bank; Megan Prescott, Oxford Police Dept.; Jeremy Roberts, Coleman Funeral Home; Cassidy Shoemake, TeleSouth Communications; Ryan Upshaw, The University of Mississippi; Jessica Windham, Home Instead Senior Care.  All steering committee members are graduates of the Leadership Lafayette program. 

Individuals interested in the program are encouraged go to the Chamber’s website and view the application at www.oxfordms.com or call Pam Swain at the Chamber at 662-234-4651.



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.


#FamousChamber of Commerce Quotation:  (Leadership)


I believe the leader’s ultimate job is to spread hope - Bob Galvin (Motorola)



Chamber involvement: New Albany drafting new city plan

New Albany is asking for input on what its next 20 years of development will look like.

The city has started drafting a new comprehensive plan, which plots what improvements in transportation, housing, infrastructure and overall quality of life it would like to make over the next two decades. So far, the city has worked with an engineering and development firm to create a rough draft of the plan and has hosted stakeholder and focus group meetings, said city spokesman Mike Hall.

“The comprehensive plan is a guiding tool and reference that we can use to help move New Albany forward for years to come," said Mayor Jeff Gahan in a statement. "By working together, we can ensure that we make New Albany the best city it can be for all of us, and we can work towards making our shared vision a reality."

Leading the plan's formation is a 13-person steering committee, consisting mainly of city officials, developers and redevelopment representatives. Engineering firms Bean Longest and Neff and HWC Engineers, both based out of Indianapolis, were hired to draft the plan. Both firms have also been hired to work on other city projects including converting some of its one-way streets to two-way roads and the Mt. Tabor Road restoration project.

Wendy Dant Chessler, steering committee member and president and CEO of One Southern Indiana, said her role on the committee is to think about what businesses' needs will be in the future and what development areas the city can help with. One Southern Indiana is the Chamber of Commerce for Clark and Floyd Counties with a good portion of its members with businesses in New Albany, she said.

"It gives us a clearer picture of what the community wants," she said, "and we figure out from there who to market it to to get those types of companies." Read more: Courier-Journal



Town Square Chamber Publications: Valparaiso Chamber: Promises made, Promises kept!

Note from the Valpo Chamber 

I want to thank you for an outstanding map which you produced for our Valpo Chamber.In my 43 years as a CEO in the Chamber Field, it was the smoothest project I have ever seen done. You made all the deadlines, your print quality and cartography was second to none. And of course you paid us in exactly the time frame you said you would so we could count the Royalty Check towards our current year revenue.

Life is very good when dealing with Town Square Publications.

You have the right of first refusal to do our next map. You are a great partner for our Chamber. We are living proof that a printed map is still very much in demand by both advertisers and consumers.

It would be my pleasure to recommend Town Square Publications as a firm Chambers and Tourism Bureaus should use when considering a printed Map or other print publications.


Rex G. Richards, CCE
President
Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce

Local efforts rewarded at Sturgis Chamber of Commerce dinner

When it comes to commerce in Sturgis, there’s been “no horsing around” the past couple of years, according to Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Cathi Garn Abbs. In fact, commerce is “alive and well” in the city, she said.

That was the message as the Chamber held its 2016 annual dinner Tuesday at Rusty Spur Ranch at Rouch World.

It was a night full of award presentations.

First, participants in this year’s Leadership St. Joseph County program were introduced. A few spoke briefly of the program, which Sturgis and Three Rivers chambers plan to implement again.

Next, Chamber past president Ned Haylett was honored, as were outgoing board members Brad Rockey and Mike Stiles.

The Chamber Participation Award went to the city of Sturgis, of whom Abbs said not a single department is not working behind the scenes during events like Sturgis Fest, for example.

Special Recognition awards went to the St. Joseph County Commission for their efforts in securing senior citizen facilities and sports and recreation facilities, among others. Special Recognition went to the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging as well.

The Phoenix award, which recognizes improvements to a facility, was presented to Wings Etc. Nominees had included A&K Printing & Pools, Biggby Coffee, Buffalo Wild Wings, Kroger, Sturgis Indoor Golf and Meijer.

The Outstanding Customer Service Award went to Central Meat Market. Nominees in this category had included Fiesta Mexicana and Meyers Automotive Service.

The Outstanding Community Service Award went to Mike Stiles, who received a standing ovation.

To conclude, all Chamber Ambassadors were called to the stage and the Ambassador of the Year was announced. 

This year’s honor again went to Josh Singleton. Read more: Sturgis Journal

Kyndle news: South African aluminum firm to build 90-job manufacturing plant in Henderson


Henderson County can expect 90 new jobs in the community possibly as soon as the end of 2017. And, according to one official, that's just the start.

Hansens Aluminum LLC , a company based out of South Africa, announced Thursday that they plan to build an $18.4 million manufacturing facility at the Henderson County Riverport.

"We're trying to open up to a broader market by being in Henderson," said Jared Pudney, Hansens' business development manager. "This is not the last announcement in Henderson for Hansens Aluminum. This is just phase one."

The aluminum extrusion facility, which includes a machining operation, will be up to 75,000 square feet and will supply customers throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Working with Kyndle for more than a year, Hansens decided to build a facility in Henderson due to its central location and their ease working with Kyndle. Pudney referenced the other aluminum manufacturers in the region, such as Hydro Aluminum, along with the availability of gas and electricity providers. Pudney also cited the migration of automotive manufacturers from the north of the United States to the south, which made Henderson's central location appealing to Hansens.


"All our dealings with Kyndle have been great," said Pudney. "It was Kyndle's combination of efficiency and friendliness with their southern hospitality that really sold us on Henderson."

In a Kyndle press release, Pudney stated, "We see great opportunities to supply our existing customers from Kentucky and to add new clients. The Henderson operation will expand our global capacity and allow us to add new automotive products to our range. The support we have experienced at a local and state level from both elected officials and economic developers has truly exceptional. This certainly influenced our decision towards Kentucky." Read more: The Gleaner

Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce honors local small business

The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce held its Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon at the Best Western Plus Waynesboro on Thursday.

The program recognized  well-deserved small businesses for their achievements and contributions to the economy in the Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro communities.  These awards celebrated the fact that small business owners make up more than 92%of all employers in the USA – and also more than 90% of the Chamber’s membership.

Keynote Speaker, Shawn Boyer, Founder and CEO of DieHappy, an intentionality app that helps you do things for and with your most important people spoke on the value of Small Businesses.  Prior to DieHappy, he founded and was CEO of Snagajob, the nation’s largest marketplace for hourly workers and employers, from 2000-2013, and then Chairman of the Board through 2015.  Boyer directed Snagajob’s rapid growth from an idea to a marketplace that now has over 70 million members and over 50,000 employers.

Snagajob has been named to Fortune Magazine’s Great Place to Work® Best Small & Medium Workplaces list for eight straight years (including 5 top 10 finishes and a #1 ranking in 2011) and was a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company for five consecutive years. Read more: Augusta Free Press

Lee Nerison receives Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Chamber award

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state’s Chamber of Commerce, recently honored Rep. Lee Nerison with the prestigious Working for Wisconsin Award for fighting for job creation and supporting pro-growth policies. The award was presented at Miniature Precision Components, Inc. in Prairie du Chien.

The award is given to legislators who stand up for jobs and improve the state’s business climate by voting 80 percent or greater in support of the pro-jobs position on the WMC legislative scorecard. WMC reports that Nerison voted 96 percent of the time to support job-creating legislation.

“Rep. Lee Nerison is a visionary, courageous leader in the battle for job creation policies at the state Capitol,” said Kurt R. Bauer, WMC president/CEO. “Rep. Nerison stands up for the families in our state who want jobs, growth, hope and opportunity.”

WMC is presenting 82 legislators with the award and has released “How They Voted,” a legislative scorecard for pro-business votes in the 2015-2016 legislative session. Read more: LaCrosse Tribune

Town Square Chamber Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Re-lo Guides and 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