Good morning #Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day!
Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done by Linda Byars Swindling
Turn constant complainers into productive contributors
Constant complainers take up resources, time, and mental bandwidth in the workplace. When you change a culture of complainers to one of contributors, you boost morale, increase productivity, and promote effective communication. In short, you get more done with less drama. In Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers, workplace communication expert Linda Swindling shares her expertise in negotiating tough situations in the workplace. Discover how to influence others to accomplish your purpose. Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers uses scenarios, engaging questions, and survey results to provide strategies that can be implemented immediately.
- Shows how to identify complainers and time drainers
- Provides forms to help prepare for discussions, suggested language to show up powerfully, and encouragement to apply strategies
- Offers concrete phrases and tactics to refocus a complainer and end unproductive conversations
#BestChamber Practices: Rapid City Chamber: Become a Business Champion
Dear Chamber Member:
The Rapid City Chamber of Commerce and its members are known throughout the state for taking bold action to improve the business environment of our city, region and state. We have helped to make lasting change to our government and business related policies that have impacted business, workforce development and education for the better of generations to come.
Successful impact:
- Increased municipal term lengths to allow better strategic planning by our elected officials.
- Bi-annual trips to DC to advocate for federal issues. Impacted Mountain Pine Beetle funding and mitigation, Sanford Underground Research Facility funding and development, Powder River Training Range expansion to ensure EAFB remains off the base closure list.
- Consistent lobbyist representation in Pierre during legislative session. Rapid City Chamber is the only organization representing business interests West River.
- Lead advocate for increased funding for education to enhance workforce development for our children and attracting new talent to the area.
- Coordinate and host many candidate and issue forums throughout the year to keep community members informed and civically engaged.
We are inviting you to join us in continuing our efforts on behalf of business and the community by becoming a Business Champion. For a $300 annual contribution you will be listed as a Business Champion on the Chamber website and receive exclusive updates during legislative session and as needed throughout the year. Business Champions will receive exclusive invitations to meetings with elected officials, as well as an special post-session gathering to provide an update on the activities of the legislature. With your help, the Chamber can continue to make impressive impact on the local, state and federal level in regards to business issues and community impact.
There is always more we can accomplish. With the partnership of Business Champions we can take our advocacy efforts even further.
For your convenience, this voluntary contribution can be added to your annual membership billing each year. If you are interested in becoming a Business Champion, please contact Lynn at 718-8480, or you can visit our website to submit the form online.
Be a change agent, make a difference, become a Business Champion!
Sincerely,
Linda Rabe, IOM CCE
Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map
The Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map is available at the Rochester Regional Chamber today! Thanks to Sheri Heiney, Maggie Bobitiz 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 guide or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
SBA Illinois Success Story: A bright idea: SBA Seasonal CAPLines program helps maker of holiday light repair tool fulfill orders
In spring of 2016, Glenview, Illinois-based Ulta-Lit Tree Company was entering into its busiest time of the year when owner John DeCosmo learned that the company’s purchase order line of credit was not going to be renewed. But when DeCosmo tapped into his longstanding relationships with First American Bank in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, he learned of a valuable opportunity: the SBA’s Seasonal CAPLines Program. Within a few weeks, the company had closed on a SBA-guaranteed loan from First American Bank worth $1.5 million. “I don’t know where we’d be without that loan,” DeCosmo said.
The SBA’s CAPLines program provides loans up to $5 million to help small businesses meet their short-term and cyclical working capital needs. The Seasonal Line of Credit Program, one of four distinct loan programs under the CAPLines umbrella, supports the buildup of inventory, accounts receivable or labor and materials above normal usage for seasonal inventory.
Ulta-Lit was well suited for... Read More
SBA Illinois Lenders Bank List from Daily Herald Business Ledger 12/12 issue
Daily Herald Business Ledger E-Edition
NKY Chamber Eggs ‘N Issues focuses on real estate and development accomplishments, opportunities
The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce December Eggs ‘N Issues discussion focused on real estate and development in the region.
Pat Frew, executive director of the Covington Business Council, moderated the discussion at the Receptions events center in Erlanger.A panel that included Chuck Ackerman of Colliers International, Jeanne Schroer of the Catalytic Fund and David Heidrich of the Zalla Companies talked about accomplishments in the past year and provided some projections for the future.
As brokerage senior vice president, Cincinnati Colliers International, Chuck Ackerman is responsible for advising clients, including sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants in matters related to commercial real estate.
Ackerman said if the assessment of the region’s occupancy rate was a report card, it would be a perfect paper, especially with industrial and office properties.
“We’ve seen in industrial since 2010, a shrinking vacancy each and every year and basically the same thing for office,” Ackerman said. The numbers are in the 4 percent (range) for industrial in both the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati region and about the mid-teens for office.
Retail is about 8 percent vacant in greater Cincinnati, but only about 4 percent in Northern Kentucky.
“The big dog in office this year in Northern Kentucky was CTI leasing 125,000 square feet in RiverCenter II,” Ackerman said. “St. Elizabeth Healthcare was in the news, as it (transformed the former METS Center into an) Education and Training Center in Erlanger. They are building a 149,000 square foot behavioral health hospital with 197 beds, also in Erlanger.” Read more: Northern Kentucky Tribune
Chamber Supporter: ARC Of Indiana Thanks Muncie Community For Teaching Hotel
A year ago this week The Arc of Indiana opened its doors in the Muncie community for the first of its kind Training Institute and Teaching Hotel. We have had a year of wonderful success and memories and want to take a moment to thank all of the Muncie community for their support, patronage and vision in making our dream a reality.
When we started on this path in the winter of 2011, we were not sure who all of our partners would be and what our end project would look like. We started with the dream of a father who wanted more for his young son after high school. Jeff and Jan Steck Huffman planted their idea of training people with disabilities in hospitality services with The Arc of Indiana, knowing we had the vision, relationships and tenacity to do something with it. The Arc under the leadership of John Dickerson, then Executive Director, and our Board of Directors tasked myself and Jill Vaught, Executive Director of The Arc of Indiana Foundation, to deliver a business plan that would lead to success.
We set out on a path to learn why this had never been done before. We knew people with disabilities were working in the hotel sector. We knew there were some hotel brands wanting to hire people with disabilities. Why were we not seeing long term success and seeing our unemployment numbers for people with disabilities drop? Time and time again we heard about the importance of choosing the right partners. Choosing people who believed in the goals of the project, not just people who were expert in their fields. Once we embraced the importance of our partners and created OUR vision, the rest simply fell into place, though not as easily as that sounds.
The one partner that made sense to us from the very beginning was Mayor Dennis Tyler and the Muncie community. Once we met for that first time, I think Mayor Tyler saw the possibilities for his community even clearer than we did. Joann McKinney, President and CEO of the Horizon Convention Center and Vicki Veach, Executive Director of the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, were diligent about answering our questions and leading us to the right people to make connections and convince us that Muncie was the spot to be.
The downtown community as a whole, especially the Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor’s Bureau and certainly the City Council and EDIT Board, all deserve a heartfelt thank you in embracing this project and taking a bold leap in creating opportunities for your community.
We also could not have done it without the generosity of the Ball Brothers Foundation, the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Shafer Foundation. Their belief in our project launched our capital campaign.
As far as success. Yes we have seen it. We have had 38 graduates from the Erskine Green Training Institute. We have nearly 40 already signed up for classes in 2017. Graduates are getting jobs, moving out on their own and gaining the independence we dreamed of. We have seen an increase in business for the Horizon Convention Center and the hotel is performing above originally projected budget. The restaurant is gaining ground and we are hoping for a fantastic 2017. Read more: Muncie Journal
Rochester Regional Chamber support: Genisys provides scholarships to students this holiday season
Genisys Credit Union is committed to giving back to the students in their community. This December alone, Genisys has awarded scholarships to six local students.
“Genisys Credit Union is honored to sponsor these scholarships to acknowledge the outstanding youth within our communities,” said Jackie Buchanan, Genisys President/CEO.
Holiday Extravaganza presented by Genisys Credit Union and Oakland County Michigan Works, was a collaborative event between the communities of Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Waterford, and White Lake that took place on December 3. As part of this collaboration, Genisys provided a scholarship to one student of each community. The selected students were given the title of Holiday Extravaganza Junior Grand Marshal in addition to the scholarship.
Junior Grand Marshal Margaret McDonald, of White Lake, was presented the Fran Anderson Scholarship Award of $1,000. Junior Grand Marshals Grace Casolari of Waterford, Malika Jones of Pontiac, and Adam Mansfield of Auburn Hills were each awarded a $500 scholarship.
This year’s Holiday Extravaganza drew the largest crowd and the most volunteers the parade has ever seen. The 35thHoliday Extravaganza is comprised of the WinterFUN Festival and the parade down E. Caesar Chaves to Saginaw Street. The parade included twelve professional floats, five professional balloons, seven marching bands and more than 100 of your favorite costume characters.
This event would not be possible without their Corporate Sponsors: Advanced Disposal, Art Van Furniture, Lee Industrial Contracting, Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency, Oakland County Sherriff Department, Oakland University, The Crofoot, The Oakland Press, and United Healthcare.
The 65th Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade presented by Genisys Credit Union took place Sunday, December 4. Genisys has been the presenting sponsor of the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade since 2010. Over the years, the partnership between Genisys Credit Union and the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce has provided over $8,000 in scholarships for the Greater Rochester Community youth. This year’s Junior Grand Marshals, Andrew Smith and Sophia Shafkalis, were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
“We are thankful for this wonderful program and the support of Genisys Credit Union. Without their support this program could not exist,” said President Sheri Heiney of the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce. This parade wouldn’t be possible without the support of their North Pole Sponsors: City of Rochester Hills, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, and Oakland University. Read more: CU Insight
Former Halifax County chamber president tapped for Go Virginia post
Former Halifax County Chamber of Commerce President Nancy Pool didn’t stay retired very long.
On Friday, the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority board member informed fellow members she has been offered a part-time, paid position with Go Virginia, a regional organization promoting private-sector investment (as opposed to government-subsidized growth), a diverse economy, regional collaboration and the use of state government as a catalyst and partner diversity.
Pool, who says the opportunity is “very new” and that she will have more details after a first meeting with Go Virginia officials next week, will be part of the Go Virginia steering committee for Southern Virginia.
Pool, who has 35 years of experience supporting local businesses as president of the local chamber, says she believes she was chosen to represent this area because not only does she understand regional cooperation—she also knows many business leaders across the region and has worked with them one-on-one over the years.
IDA Chair Butch Blanks congratulated Pool on her new position, saying it was clear Go Virginia had made a wise choice in her appointment.
Board member W. W. “Ted” Bennett also congratulated Pool, saying “We’re more respectful of the leadership now that they’ve picked you.”
Bennett also said that Pool’s presence on the Go Virginia steering committee might allow IDA to “use them as a resource” and that Virginia Economic Development Partnerships in rural areas are more dependent on strong regional networks than localities boasting higher density populations. Read more: WORK IT, SOVA
Chamber supporter: Natchez Brewing company prepares
for big expansion
The Natchez Brewing Company is making a beer run — or move
—to a larger building where it plans to increase its production by 10 times.
“We can’t make enough
beer right now to sustain demand,” said Lisa Miller, who co-owns and operates
the company with her husband, Pat. The nearly 3-year-old brewing company is
moving from its Franklin Street location into a larger warehouse, located at
the corner of High and Canal streets to keep up with sales.
The couple is selling most of their current brewing system,
which includes Öve 100-gallon fermenting vats. When they start brewing at the
new location in January, they will be using six 1,000-gallon vats. The new
location will continue to sell the brewing company’s merchandise. Tours of the
new brew house will also be available.
The Millers moved to Vidalia in 2012 after living in
Asheville, N.C., which Miller said is a known craft beer haven. “It’s a huge
beer city,” she said. When her husband started home-brewing his own beer, the
couple had the idea to start a business near his hometown.
With the exception of Lazy Magnolia, which was established
in 2003, the vast majority of in-state breweries started Ölling beer pitchers
after 2012 because of a craft-beer bill signed into law that year. Once it was
legal to make beer with more than 5 percent alcohol, manufacture it and sell it
outside the state, the industry grew. Brewers in Mississippi produced more than
18,000 barrels of beer in 2013, a 25 percent increase from the year before,
according to the Mississippi Brewers Guild’s website. Miller said Natchez
Brewing was the only other craft beer brewer in the area competing with Lazy
Magnolia Brewery when they opened.
Currently, there are more than 13 established Mississippi
brewing companies. The closest Mississippi breweries to Natchez are more than
100 miles away on the Gulf Coast.
Miller said Natchez Brewing hopes to branch out to larger
markets in New Orleans and Baton Rouge as well as Tennessee.
Natchez–Adams County Chamber of Commerce President Debbie
Hudson said she is glad to see young professionals like the Millers succeed in
business. “I’m glad that they’ve had growth,” Hudson said. “We want to keep
that going,” Hudson said in a small town, having a brewery, a distillery and a
winery makes the community more interesting to prospective entrepreneurs. She
said it is also a great way to attract tourists to the area. Read more: Natchez
Democrat
Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award nominees announced
Twenty-six Wisconsin manufacturers have been nominated for the 29th Annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards.
The nominees showcase the strength and vibrancy of the manufacturing sector in our state that sustains high-wage, family-supporting careers. With nearly 500,000 state residents working in the manufacturing sector, Wisconsin is among the most manufacturing intensive states in the nation.
Area companies nominated include: Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation, Beaver Dam; Columbus Chemical Industries, Inc., Columbus; Octopi Brewing, Waunakee; and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Portage.
The MOTY program recognizes the state’s top manufacturers of all industries and sizes for their commitment to good business practices, innovative processes, and productivity enhancements to help drive Wisconsin’s economy. A total of four Grand Award winners will be chose from categories based on company size.
The accounting and advisory firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, the law firm of Michael Best, and the state chamber of commerce Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce sponsor the annual MOTY awards program. The sponsors will celebrate the nominees and reveal the winners at a black tie ceremony Feb. 23 at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.
Additional information can be found online at www.wimoty.com or by calling 800-362-7301. Read more: Portage Daily Register
Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.
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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
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