Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance Earns 5-Star Accreditation
The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance is a five-star accredited chamber for the third straight time.
It is the highest accreditation given by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which happens over a five-year cycle.
The Alliance received the honors in 2006 and 2011 and it's only one of 13 chambers to have done this for three accreditation periods, according to alliance officials, putting the alliance in the top 1% of all chambers across the country.
Alliance CEO Megan Lucas says this shows they are working for the region to succeed.
"I think it should give them confidence that they are not throwing their money down a gullet, their money is being properly managed for programs and planning that impact the economic ecosystem of our region," Lucas said.
Mayor Foster declared Tuesday as Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance Day in honor of the accreditation. Read more: Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance
Chicago Fed: Midwest Economic Growth Picked Up in February
The Midwest Economy Index (MEI) increased to +0.27 in February from +0.01 in January. The relative MEI increased to +0.08 in February from –0.09 in January. February’s value for the relative MEI indicates that Midwest economic growth was slightly higher than what would typically be suggested by the growth rate of the national economy. Read more: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
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.
ADP’s Williamson a key innovative cog in Hattiesburg area development programs
Valencia Williamson has overseen the creation of innovative new programs including those designed to improve the work-force preparedness of high school graduates since she was hired six years ago to head the Area Development Partnership Chamber of Commerce Division as executive vice president.
“Valencia is a leading minority executive in Greater Hattiesburg and serves as a shining star for women in the workplace,” said ADP President Chad Newell. “She is a loyal leader with a wonderful array of skills. Valencia has developed numerous programs during her tenure at the ADP, including a multi-pronged K-12 initiative that encompasses JumpStart, Mission Possible, and Teachers in the Workplace. JumpStart is an interactive Career Fair for 9th graders, Mission Possible teaches various soft skills for juniors and seniors including how to dress for success, cover letter and resume writing, interviewing skills, etc. Teachers in the Workplace exposes teachers to workplace realities in order to help guide their classroom initiatives. This is a team effort with Daniel Jayroe, our community development director.”
Newell said Williamson has also recently helped launch diversity programs in an effort to encourage women and minorities to become even more engaged in the chamber and give them an opportunity network for success.
The Chamber of Commerce Division encompasses membership recruitment and retention, membership development, marketing/communications, retiree and physician recruitment, leadership programs, and education initiatives. Their education programs are designed to help connect K-12 students to workplace realities, thus preparing them for post-graduate success.
“A few years ago we commissioned a study to show us where the gaps were with regards to K-12 schools and meeting the needs of the business community. What we found is while there are great programs at the K-12 level, there is a disconnect between students making choices that best suit their plans for the future regarding their path after high school. We discovered that students often didn’t know all of the available options.”
Williamson said it is important to have education and business communities working in synergy.
One effort to address that issue is the JumpStart to Success program for 9th graders that exposes students to various opportunities available to them in the region with regards to needs of the workforce. Thirteen business sectors ranging from health care to manufacturing are represented in the program that involves doing hands-on activities with students.
“We want to better prepare students to make the right choices based on what is best for them,” she said. “There are many options out there in addition to attending a two-year college or a four-year university. One of the things we found through this study is voc-tech programs have gotten a bad rap for being the alternative school, and that is not the case. Those programs help prepare students and give them an idea what they want to do. If a student is really good at a certain skill, and has an interest in something offered on the vocation level, they can get certification and go into the work force after graduation.” Read more: Mississippi Business Journal
Chicago Southland Chamber, along with their Government Affairs Committee, invite you to attend Illinois Manufacturers' Day
Where manufacturing meets with elected officials to drive home our message of job growth and prosperity. Business Day offers IMA members and their associates the opportunity to meet with their elected officials to help them understand the impact of their actions on Illinois manufacturing.
Register Here
Chamber news: Rochester Named in Top 10 Best Places to Retire in Michigan
The City of Rochester was recently named the 4th Best Place in Michigan to Retire by SmartAsset. To help retirees find the best places in Michigan to retire, SmartAsset looked specifically three factors in their analysis: tax-friendliness, medical care and social life.
“Rochester is honored to receive this ranking of Top Places to Retire,” stated Mayor Cathy Daldin. “Rochester embraces this community with a first-class medical facility at Crittenton Hospital and a world class senior center with the Older Persons’ Commission (OPC). We have so much to offer to the retirement community and we welcome them to our city.”
To find the best places to retire, SmartAsset gathered data on three separate regional factors that affect the quality of life for retirees. First, state and local tax rates, considering two types of taxes: income and sales, calculating effective rates based on a typical retiree, earning $35,000 annually and spending disposable income on taxable goods. Second, the number of doctors’ offices, recreation centers and retirement centers per thousand residents in each area. Lastly, the number of seniors in each area as a percentage of the total population.
For complete Best Places to Retire in Michigan, visit https://smartasset.com/retirement/retirement-
Fox Cities Chamber April Breakfast Bytes focuses on identity theft
The Fox Cities Chamber’s monthly educational program, Business Breakfast Bytes, will focus on identity theft at the April morning session.
The upcoming session, “Don't Let Identity Theft Hurt Your Employees or Harm Your Business” will feature two experts that will provide information regarding the ramifications of identity theft to employees as well as businesses. Facilitating this event is Lisa Taylor, Founder of Strategic Partnerships LLC and Jeff Jordan, Sr. Security Specialist, Level 3 Communications.
It will be held 7:30-9 a.m. April 18 at Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton. Read more: Post Crescent
Paducah Chamber of Commerce Launches Jobs Website
The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce has announced a new resource for employers and job seekers - an online jobs board. The site is available at paducahchamber.org and also through jobspaducah.com and workinpaducah.com.
Chamber members are able to post their open jobs at no cost, gaining exposure to individuals looking for jobs in the area. Non-Chamber members may also utilize the jobs board for a small fee. Each listing includes information about the job and details about how to apply for a position.
Job seekers are able to access information about available jobs free of charge.
The jobs board also includes an option to list available internship openings. The site paducahinterns.com will also direct potential employees to the new jobs board.
“This is an important step to help ensure that connections are being made between employers and the workforce through this new Chamber Jobs Board,” said Chamber President Sandra Wilson. “It’s a simple way to allow our members to stretch their recruiting talent and for our local workforce to make connections. We hope people looking to relocate to Paducah will also use the site to find openings here. Finding skilled workers is imperative to the success of the area’s economy.” Read more: WestKentuckyStar.com
Indiana Chamber Pushing For International Flight
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is joining Governor Eric Holcomb in pushing for $10 million in a new state budget to help secure nonstop service from Indianapolis to Europe. Chamber Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brinegar says the money could support carriers that would provide the service until the flight became self-sustaining. He says only a small amount of similar funding was needed to help attract nonstop service to San Francisco.
The money would provide a revenue guarantee to an airline until a flight drew enough passengers to sustain itself. He says the state used "very little" money appropriated for the San Francisco flight because "passenger counts took off very rapidly."
Brinegar says London is such an important destination because it is "the gateway to the rest of Europe." He says several London-based companies that operate in Indiana would also benefit. Despite competing priorities for state money, including infrastructure improvements and expanded state-funded pre-k education, Brinegar says he is "reasonably confident" that lawmakers will approve some funding to help attract the high-profile flight.
London has long been a target for Indianapolis International Airport. In 2015, Indianapolis Airport Authority Executive Director Mario Rodriguez told Inside INdiana Business that the airport had started conversations with airline partners for a direct flight into London Heathrow.
In March, the airport announced new daily service to San Francisco through Alaska Airlines. That came days after Frontier Airlines added a Las Vegas nonstop, and months after Alaska Airlines announced new nonstop service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Airport leaders say IND serves an average of 143 flights per day and has a total of 46 nonstop destinations. Read more: Inside Indiana Business
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.
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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 Chamber Proposal
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