Chamber Executive Ongoing Education: If you read one book this spring, make it this: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less; Lafayette County Supervisors OK tax exemption for Blauer; 5 Star Chamber: Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Guide & Membership Directory; Virginia Governor and His Cabinet to Visit Hampton Roads Chamber; From the Greater Elkhart Chamber: Chamber Day helps connect Statehouse with community; Centralia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Is Retiring; State Budget Explained at Marshfield Chamber Forum; Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber: Exclusive New Program: Chamber Mastermind; State Chamber CEO: Illinois needs fiscal sanity; Hart County Chamber news: Movie to be filmed in southern Kentucky; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

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


Chamber Executive Ongoing Education: If you read one book this spring, make it this: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution.

The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s not about getting less done. It’s about getting only the right things done. It’s about challenging the core assumption of ‘we can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time’. It’s about regaining control of our own choices about where to spend our time and energies instead of giving others implicit permission to choose for us.

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown draws on experience and insight from working with the leaders of the most innovative companies in the world to show how to achieve the disciplined pursuit of less.

By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.

Essentialism isn’t one more thing; it is a different way of doing everything. It is a discipline you apply constantly, effortlessly. Essentialism is a mindset; a way of life. It is an idea whose time has come. More information: Your local bookseller.

Lafayette County Supervisors OK tax exemption for Blauer

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted Friday to grant a Free Port Warehouse Exemption for a local industry in hopes of keeping 150 jobs in Lafayette County and possibly creating more jobs in the future.

Representatives from Blauer Manufacturing Company, that also operates under SWM Company in the Max D. Hipp Lafayette County Industrial Park, asked the board to consider granting the company permission to apply for an exemption that would amount to about a $145,000 tax break for the year. The company is already receiving a five-year exemption from general ad valorem county taxes. The additional warehouse tax would come from what the company pays into county school taxes, which is about $175,000 a year.

However, Lafayette County Tax Assessor/Collector Sylvia Baker with an expected rise in property appraisals coming, the difference should offset the exemption and not cause a loss in the local school revenue.

Baker said there are 785 new parcels this year added to the tax rolls, along with 25 new subdivisions and condominium developments.

“This year is a reappraisal year and the state index changed and went up,” she said, adding that local property owners should expect to see an increase in their appraised property values.

Blauer has been located in Lafayette County since 1987 and employs about 150 people. The company is already receiving a five-year exemption from general ad valorem county taxes but continues to pay school taxes that total about $175,000 a year.

Mississippi law allows eligible warehouses, public or private, a license to operate as a free port warehouse and be exempted from all ad valorem taxes on personal property shipped out of state. In 2002, the state legislature granted local governing authorities the power to approve or deny the exemption.

While most of the supervisors expressed concerned about granting the exemption on Monday, the vote to approve it Friday was unanimous after Baker explained the rise in appraisals, which means more tax revenue being generated for the county.

Board President Jeff Busby said the board approved the exemption with Blauer agreeing to sit down with county leaders in the next three months to develop a long-term agreement to commit to staying in Lafayette County.

“Blauer could move to a number of other counties if we refused the exemption,” Busby said after the meeting. “That would have devastated 150 local families. We are going to sit down with them and come up with an agreement where we don’t ave to come back to the table like this every year.”

Busby said Blauer has shown commitment to Lafayette County and has continuously expanded its operations over the years, which has come with more jobs for local residents.

“A long-term agreement would not only give us and Blauer more security but the 150 employees as well, to know that their jobs will remain here in Lafayette County,” he said. “We are confident that Blauer will be a part of this community for many years.”

Jon Maynard, president and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation, said he was proud of the supervisors for their vote Friday.

“With the offsetting growth in Lafayette County, we can afford this to keep 150 jobs and grow in the future,” he said. “The board wants to make sure we attract and keep companies that provide quality jobs, that pay well. It was a tough decision, but the board is looking at protecting 150 jobs and growing more jobs in the future.” Read more: Oxford-Eagle

5 Star Chamber: Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Guide & Membership Directory

The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 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!

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.


Virginia Governor and His Cabinet to Visit Hampton Roads Chamber

Chesapeake, VA –“Hampton Roads is a critically important region of Virginia. Feedback from its business community is a necessary component to building our new Virginia economy,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe in regards to his upcoming Governor and His Cabinet On the Road event scheduled for April 13th at noon at the Chesapeake Conference Center.

The Hampton Roads Chamber is proud to have been asked by Governor McAuliffe to host this prestigious event where the Governor will give an address discussing his priorities for the next nine months, while each cabinet member hosts individual tables of Hampton Roads Business leaders from their industry. This is a unique opportunity to interact with members of the cabinet who are working on issues that relate directly to the day-to-day lives of our local professionals.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Hampton Roads Chamber in this event to engage the local business community. We’ll be talking to these key stakeholders in the region to listen, hear feedback, and identify new opportunities to grow our economy,' said Governor McAuliffe. The Governor and his cabinet members will be are taking this opportunity to truly engage with the community and gather information that will help shape the future of Virginia and Governor McAuliffe's legacy.


The Governor and His Cabinet on the Road
Date: Thursday, April 13th
Time: 11:30am-12:00 Networking
12:00-1:00pm Program

Cost: $40 (Members), $55 (Non-Members)
Where: The Chesapeake Conference Center
700 Conference Center Dr.
Chesapeake VA 23320

Day of Contact: Priscilla Monti, - pmonti@hrchamber.com 757-470-6805
hamptonroadschamber.com

From the Greater Elkhart Chamber: Chamber Day helps connect Statehouse with community

For a moment, I held the control of the state in my hands.

As part of Chamber Day at the Statehouse, the Indiana Chamber Executive Association (ICEA) invited Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, Senate Appropriations Chair Luke Kenley and House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown to participate in a panel to discuss the legislature. I was asked to moderate the panel.

In the audience were 250 chamber members from communities around the state. The local chambers had invited their own state legislators to join them.

In my hand was a microphone. I was asking questions about the legislature to help our local communities get a glimpse into the workings of the state legislature. But the state legislature was scheduled to convene soon. It could not convene without the speaker of the House or the Senate president pro tempore. Bwa ha. The power was mine!

OK, so the lawmakers could get up at any time to head to the Statehouse to convene the session. I didn’t really control the fate of the state. But being the good legislators they are, they honored their commitment to speak to our group. They stayed as long as they could and they were very informative.

As I shared in an earlier column, the Chamber Day at the Statehouse is a way chambers of commerce can connect their members to the legislative process. By all accounts, it was a successful event. South Bend Regional Chamber President Jeff Rea started the festivities with welcoming comments.

After I released my control of the legislative leaders, Gov. Eric Holcomb joined us for a discussion led by Greenwood Chamber President Christian Maslowski (who is originally from South Bend). Holcomb was very gracious with his time and shared how his visits to communities around the state help him serve Indiana. He was in South Bend recently and representatives from most local chambers attended that event. Read more: South Bend Tribune

Centralia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Is Retiring

The Executive Director of the Centralia Chamber of Commerce is retiring.

Bob Kelsheimer has held the position the last 12 years. When he steps down at the end of May, he hopes to do some consulting work on his own schedule that will give him more free time.

Kelsheimer says the chamber has had a number of accomplishments during his tenure.

"One of our biggest highlights was the ability to keep Amtrak trains rolling all the way from Chicago to New Orleans really. We were able to keep Amtrak alive when it was literally in jeopardy. It was our Chamber of Commerce here that alerted everybody along the line including Senator Durbin and others who later credited this organization for keeping Amtrak service."

Kelsheimer is also pleased with the roll the organization played in helping save Murray Center and that Balloon Fest remains alive and doing very well. He notes a number of new chamber programs were also started.

Kelsheimer says he will remain in Centralia during retirement and looks forward to keeping up friendships and aquaintences made while at the chamber.

He reports the chamber has formed a search team to find a replacement. Kelsheimer says they are accepting electronically submitted resumes only at the chamber e-mail address....gccoc-at-centraliail.com. More info: WJBD Radio

State Budget Explained at Marshfield Chamber Forum

The proposed 2017-2019 state budget would generally be good for business and commerce in the state.    

That's according to Jason Culotta, Senior Director of Government Relations for the group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, who made a stop at Marshfield's Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday with State Representative Bob Kulp to explain and talk about the proposed state budget.

Culotta said property tax cuts, investments in school tech. ed. and apprenticeship programs, and a proposed simplification of construction industry sales tax, are just a few of the things in the budget that bode well for business.    

"When it comes to elements included in the budget, continued property tax relief is a positive.  The education investment is helpful when it comes to dual enrollment, apprenticeships, tech. ed., things of that nature," Culotta explained.  Read more: WSAU.com

Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber: Exclusive New Program: Chamber Mastermind

The Chamber, in partnership with Riverview Health & Fitness and Pinnacle Sales is thrilled to be launching a 6-week, FREE JOHN MAXWELL CERTIFIED LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM for our members, which will be facilitated by Mike Kole, President of Pinnacle Sales, a Chamber Member himself. Mike is a Professor of Leadership at Northwood University, a Zig Ziglar Certified Trainer, and a John Maxwell Team Member. He is donating his time to this program to give back to the community, and to help Chamber Members enhance their leadership skills!

Mike will facilitate this group using the John Maxwell Book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”. Each week, the group (7-12 members) will meet for 60-90 minutes discussing various aspects of the book at the Chamber office. By bringing together ideas and opinions from like-minded individuals, the objectives are that you will increase your awareness and understanding on how to evolve into a more effective leader!

SPACE IS LIMITED for this exclusive, and popular program, valued at over $2,500 (FREE to members of the SWCRC!)

Program is scheduled to begin the first week of June, 2017!  Chamber members will be "accepted" on a first-come, first-serve basis! More information: Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber

State Chamber CEO: Illinois needs fiscal sanity

Illinois needs to "return to fiscal sanity" and pass a balanced budget, the president and CEO of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce told a Quincy audience Friday.

Todd Maisch was the guest speaker at the annual business leaders breakfast for state Rep. Randy Frese, R-Paloma. Maisch said the state budget impasse that has dragged on for two years has made bad government finances even worse.

"The state is expecting revenues of $32 billion and is spending $38 billion" in this fiscal year, Maisch said.

In addition, the state has about a $10 billion backlog on payments to vendors, caregivers, agencies and others providers of goods or services for the state, he said.

Although Maisch said years of overspending by the state produced most of the problem, the rulings of judges that the state has to keep spending at levels established in a budget adopted two years ago has made the problem worse. Income taxes were rolled back after that spending plan was drafted, reducing revenues by billions of dollars.

Maisch said the state chamber supports Gov. Bruce Rauner on most of his agenda to demand government reforms before passing a budget. Maisch wants to see the Legislature make some changes that will help the state live within its means.

"We need to fix worker's compensation. The huge issue is causation," which would tie injury claims to work, Maisch said.

Illinois is one of a few states where workers can get compensated for injuries that occur away from a job. Read more: Herald-Whig

Hart County Chamber news: Movie to be filmed in southern Kentucky

The seeds of a Southern Kentucky film industry are starting to bloom.

Several months after the Hallmark Channel movie “An Uncommon Grace” wrapped shooting in Hart and Barren counties, another shoot set to take place in southern Kentucky over the summer was announced at a Wednesday meeting of the Hart County Chamber of Commerce, according to Hart County Judge-Executive Terry Martin.

Branscombe Richmond, associate producer and stunt coordinator for “An Uncommon Grace” and advisory member of the fledgeling Southern Kentucky Film Commission, announced that independent production company Jax Productions LLC would be filming the movie in the area, Martin said.

As a member of the commission’s advisory board, Richmond has been communicating with Jax to bring it to the area, Martin said. Read more: Bowling Green Daily News

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

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 Chamber Proposal