Todd Maisch: Illinois Chamber of Commerce: Seize the opportunity
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is calling on state policymakers to seize an historic opportunity. They can settle the unsettling stint of gridlock in Illinois government by reaching a compromise on a budget that includes essential reforms to promote economic growth and job creation.
With a growing economy, Illinois would begin to generate more tax revenue to stabilize its serious budget pressures. However, if state lawmakers don’t push to reinvigorate the Illinois economy, the state will continue its seemingly endless cycle of deficit spending.
In Illinois’ current fiscal state, employers from startups to globally-respected companies suffer from policies that hurt their ability to grow — and leave them less competitive with employers in other states. The Illinois Chamber looks for policy progress in four areas to help move Illinois forward.
1. Pass pro-growth legislation.
The Illinois Chamber remains a strong proponent of pro-growth policies — including workers’ compensation reform — that would help Illinois businesses of all sizes. However, the state should give special attention to small businesses, which create the most new jobs in Illinois and the nation.
Initiatives targeting small business growth, such as a new investment tax credit, would reward small businesses for investing in Illinois. It would authorize an immediate additional 2 percent investment credit of the amount of expense claimed as a federal income tax deduction.
2. Reject job-crushing legislation.
Illinois needs policies that will move the economy forward, not more job-crushing obstacles.
Consider this: Startups continually face shortages of capital — raising taxes on investment management services that Illinois-based startups need would reduce investment options for private companies, innovators and small firms getting on their feet.
HB 3393 and SB 1719 pending in the Statehouse would create a 20 percent gross receipts tax on partnerships and S corporations engaged in the business of conducting investment management services.
These bills are job crushers. And they are not the only ones.
SB 1502 and HB 2774 would place a tremendous burden on small businesses through extensive website regulation drafted to benefit trial lawyers more than consumers.
3. Prioritize infrastructure investment.
The Illinois Chamber supports investment in roads, bridges and transit. If implemented, the Transportation for Illinois Coalition’s Funding Plan would offer an immediate dose of needed investment in infrastructure projects over the next three years. Investing in infrastructure would help keep Illinois competitive with other states.
4. Tackle the bill backlog.
Policymakers need to ensure Illinois’ expenditures don’t exceed its revenues. Lawmakers should pass a budget that demonstrates spending restraints.
Our state’s financial outlook — and its vendors’ checkbooks — must not continue to be dragged down by a massive backlog of unpaid bills. Illinois’ bill backlog has reached $14.3 billion. The state needs a plan with a dedicated revenue source that would create a pathway to pay down this backlog.
Working together for economic opportunity, job creation, more investment and common sense regulatory issues should be the priority for the next two weeks — and always.
Working together for economic opportunity, job creation, more investment and common sense regulatory issues should be the priority for the next two weeks — and always.
Once the budget stalemate is resolved, we urge lawmakers to turn their attention to keeping young people from being left behind in today’s economy. Illinois needs to implement a statewide strategy for workforce participation. This is vital to long-term growth potential — both for our state and for our people.
The Illinois Chamber believes in the economic promise of Illinois and its employers. By encouraging policymakers to support pro-growth reforms and reject anti-competitive proposals, Illinois can make important economic progress and generate revenue for long-term budget stability. As lawmakers conclude their work, they must seize this opportunity — this historic opportunity — by working together to do what’s best for Illinois.
— Todd Maisch is president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Source: State Journal Register
Volunteer for the #1 Food Festival in Northern Virginia!
Volunteer at Taste of Reston on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17!
We started with 300 volunteer slots to fill and only have a few remaining for Friday and Saturday evening.
Grab your group or a friend, join us, enjoy some great local food and beer, and listen to some amazing music!
Taste of Reston relies on the amazing support of our community volunteers to run smoothly. We look forward to working with over 300 volunteers each year to make this event a success!
We count on Corporate Teams and Individuals to fill our volunteer needs.
Corporate Team Info:
We count on Corporate Teams and Individuals to fill our volunteer needs.
Corporate Team Info:
Teams are eligible by providing at least 4 volunteers to cover at least one volunteer shift. We thank our Corporate Teams for participating in this fun weekend by listing their company name on the event website and signage, offering 12 tickets per volunteer to enjoy at Taste of Reston, and an event t-shirt for each volunteer on the team. We encourage our Corporate Teams to show off their company spirit by wearing their company t-shirts and colors!
Individuals are welcome too!
Not a part of a Corporate Team? That’s ok! We encourage individuals to sign up and join in the fun too! Individuals volunteering for Taste of Reston will receive 12 tickets and an event t-shirt!
Thank you to our 2017 Corporate Teams to Date!
Austin Westin Center
BEI
Bechtel
Cornerstones
CST Group
First Baptist Church
Guernsey
Intelligent Office
JLL
Omicron Kappa Kappa
Qlarion
Sprint
Star International Movers
For more information on volunteering please email Alicia at AliciaL@restonchamber.org
Front Royal Warren County Community Profile & Membership Directory 2017
The Front Royal Warren County Community Profile & Membership Directory 2017 is available at the Front Royal Warren County Chamber of Commerce today! Thank you to Niki Foster and Pam Riffle and the Chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Town Square Publications (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.
Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber Event: Village Fair returns to Birmingham
It's a rite of spring – actually the 54th rite of spring in Birmingham – that the Village Fair will fill the downtown streets with rides, carnival games, food, and fun, from Thursday, June 1 through Sunday, June 4.
The Village Fair will take over Birmingham's Shain Park and all of the streets nearby as Tilt-a-Whirl, the carousel, ferris wheel, fun slide, and so many more carnival rides populate the city to entertain kids of all ages. Admission to the fair, a fundraiser for the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, is free to the public, with tickets available for purchase for rides.
"Now in its 54th year, we love hearing stories from residents who tell us about how they remember going to the Village Fair with their parents and grandparents, and now they are bringing their children and grandchildren to what really is a community celebration," said chamber president Joe Bauman.
In addition to being the chamber's major fundraiser, Bauman said more than 15 local non-profits also receive proceeds from the fair through a grant process. In addition, many local schools and non-profits man the carnival games that are scattered throughout the fair.
"We have distributed nearly $100,000 to local non-profits in the past six years, and we could not do this without the generous support of our presenting sponsor, United Shore Financial Services and the carnival operator, North American Midway Entertainment," Bauman said. "And we are grateful to the city of Birmingham for allowing us to use Shain Park and downtown Birmingham as the most incredible backdrop for the fair." Downtown
Indy Chamber: Tech on the Move
IndyCars weren’t the only thing on the move this month in Indy. Our technology sector added some major wins garnering international attention and further solidifying our growing reputation as an emerging tech hub.
On May 20, Salesforce commemorated the grand opening of Salesforce Tower with a celebration downtown. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett were on hand to welcome Salesforce with unmatched Hoosier Hospitality, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced their commitment to Indy. As part of that commitment, Benioff says Salesforce will commit over 800 new jobs to fuel economic development in Indy, implement an apprenticeship program to train 500 workers for a career in tech, and expand access to education by volunteering in public schools.
On May 23, India-based technology giant Infosys announced that they will locate their first U.S. tech and innovation hub in Indy, investing more than $8.7 million and hiring up to 2,000 workers by 2022. Moving to a space in the OneAmerica Tower downtown, Infosys will contribute to the thriving tech ecosystem in downtown Indianapolis and create a culture that contributes to entrepreneurship and tech start-ups.
To wrap up an already stellar week, cloud-based software provider myCOI announced plans to expand its headquarters by creating up to 185 jobs, and Galvin Technologies is adding up to 37 new, high-wage jobs to bolster their Salesforce consulting activities.
These latest announcements only add to what we already know: tech innovation in Indy is thriving. In the annual ‘Tech Thirty’ report released Fall 2016 by commercial real estate firm CBRE, Indy ranked 5th among major metros for tech employment gains over the last two years, outpacing even Silicon Valley. According to SmartAsset, Indy was ranked the fourth best city for women in tech in 2017, up one spot from 2016. In 2016, Forbes called Indy an emerging “tech hub on the move,” while the Brookings Institution reports that Indy is adding high-tech computer systems and data jobs at twice the rate of other big cities.
Also speaking to the culture in Indy, these announcements show that Indy is a place that attracts talent. The Indy Region offers a diverse mix of urban and suburban neighborhoods and lifestyles. Within a 30-minute drive of the Salesforce Tower, employees and their families can choose a walkable urban neighborhood (served by a growing array of public, magnet and charter school options), a suburban community, or find a little more breathing room with affordable property values. With a vibrant downtown at its center, the Indy Region offers plenty of attractions that engage and delight.
Additionally, these announcements recognize that the entrepreneurial spirit in Indy helps contribute to tech growth and innovation. With resources and community connections readily available, entrepreneurs find that the Indy region fosters small business development. The Indianapolis business community is filled with start-ups and small businesses: One of every three local firms is less than five years old, and 90% of metro Indy companies have less than 50 employees; corporate, civic and elected leaders are focused on supporting homegrown enterprise in their own communities, and working together to help them succeed across the region.
To learn more about opportunities for tech companies in the Indianapolis Region, please contact Maureen Krauss, Chief Economic Development Officer at the Indy Partnership, at 317-464-2234 or mkrauss@indychamber.com. Our Team looks forward to showing you why this is the hottest region in the U.S. for tech growth.
Jefferson Chamber: Ladies Night Out!
Ladies Night Out is quickly approaching! Have you cleared your calendars for June 9th?
Jefferson Chamber of Commerce is excited to sponsor Ladies Night Out! Come out with your girls and shop from our rich local businesses while enjoying refreshment and samples.
The night will start at the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce where you will be given a bag for you to shop with and a guide of the businesses participating for you to get stamped along the way. You will then be given til 7pm to shop the businesses, where you will be given raffle tickets to be put into a drawing at the end of the night for prizes. To be entered into the grand prize you must have your guide completely filled out. At the end of the night we will all gather at Vetro Winery to pull raffle prizes and to pull for the grand prize, a $100 chamber gift certificate you can use at many of the businesses in Jefferson. To win the raffle prizes and the grand prize you must be at Vetro Winery.
CONTACT THE CHAMBER - Executive Director, Leigh Price Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
director@jeffersonchamberwi.com
Kyndle Celebration of Education Seeking Educator Nominations
Teachers at Henderson County public or private schools from pre-kindergarten to post-doctorate — including Henderson County Schools, Holy Name School, Henderson Community College’s Henderson campus and Murray State University’s Henderson campus — as well as administrators, child-care workers, professionals, administrators, etc., are eligible to be nominated.
Two forms must be submitted: a nomination form filled out by the nominator and an application filled out by the nominee. They should be submitted together.
The nomination and application forms are available at kyndle.us. The deadline for nominations is noon on July 6.
The recipient will be honored at their organization’s convocation at the beginning of the next school year later this summer.
Kaila Moran named the Coast Young Professionals director and Leadership Gulf Coast liaison
Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce has named Kaila Moran the Coast Young Professionals director and Leadership Gulf Coast liaison. The Gulfport resident had been programming coordinator for the chamber. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi as a Luckyday Scholar with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. Read more: Sun Herald
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