Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership Releases its Fourth Annual General Assembly Legislative Scorecard; New Castle-Henry County Chamber event: Avoiding interview, hiring mistakes; Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber to host Q&A with superintendents; Hurricane Harvey evacuees find safety in Oxford; #BestChamber practices: Batavia Chamber of Commerce - Recognizing ambassadors in your newsletter every month: August Ambassador of the Month - Jessica McGrail Birmingham Bloomfield 2016-2017 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide: Wauwatosa Chamber more valuable than many realize; Leadership Owensboro 2018 Class Announced; City of Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce 2016/2017 Community Map; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S;

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



Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership Releases its Fourth Annual General Assembly Legislative Scorecard


Partnership of Loudoun, Reston, Dulles, and Mount Vernon Lee Chambers Created Scorecard to Track General Assembly Members’ Votes on Key Business, Economic Priorities

Northern Virginia – The Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership today released its fourth annual Virginia General Assembly Legislative Scorecard, a report that details the voting records of the Partnership’s Senate and House of Delegates members on the bills outlined in the Partnership’s 2017 Legislative Agenda.

Comprised of the Dulles Regional, Greater Reston, Loudoun County and Mount Vernon Lee chambers of commerce, the Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership completed its eighth year of working in Richmond to represent the economic and quality of life interests of the businesses and residents in Loudoun and western and southern Fairfax Counties.

“The businesses and the communities we represent want to know how our state legislators are voting on the issues that will impact the future of our economy and our quality of life in Northern Virginia. We are proud that so many legislators, from both parties and both Chambers of the General Assembly, earned high marks for their voting records on the Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership’s priorities, for this demonstrates that the Partnership’s hard work in Richmond is paying off for our members,” said Loudoun County President & CEO Tony Howard.

The Scorecard reflects votes taken by the House of Delegates and Senate and, in a few cases, by the subcommittees and committees on which a legislator served during the 2017 General Assembly session. Prior to every vote, the Partnership communicated its position on each bill and reminded the legislators that these bills would be included in the Scorecard.

“Scorecards are a valuable tool to communicate to our members how their legislators vote on issues important to the business community in a quantifiable way. This year, the members of our four chambers chose, as areas of importance business taxes/regulation, economic development, healthcare, and transportation. We believe this Scorecard approach is the most straightforward format of identifying legislator’s support for the Partnership’s initiatives,” said Greater Reston Chamber President & CEO, Mark Ingrao.

“Our effort is laser focused on Development and Transportation because of their impact to our businesses and communities. Workforce development and economic development were two of those areas that were evaluated. With the rocket growth in Loudon and Fairfax County we expect these elected officials to support smart growth with smart legislation.” said Dulles Regional Chamber President and CEO John Boylan.

The purpose of the Scorecard is to help Northern Virginia’s business leaders recognize those legislators who support the Partnership’s efforts to improve the business climate and quality of life in Northern Virginia and to promote a dialogue with those legislators whose votes don’t align with Partnership priorities.

“The results of this year's Scorecard show that the Partnership is fostering greater cooperation in Richmond between representatives from our areas on key economic issues in Northern Virginia. Our members greatly value the transparency that the Scorecard gives to the legislative process.” said Holly Dougherty, Executive Director of Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce.

To view the complete Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership 2017 Scorecard, please click here.

The Northern Virginia Chamber Partnership is a collaboration between the Dulles Regional, Greater Reston, Loudoun County and Mount Vernon Lee chambers of commerce. The Partnership collectively represents more than 2,800 businesses and 100,000 jobs, providing an unparalleled voice for Northern Virginia’s business community in Richmond.

Contact: Mark Ingrao (Reston) - 703.930.6518
John Boylan (Dulles) - 571.323.5301
Tony Howard (Loudoun) – 571.209.9020
Holly Dougherty (Mount Vernon Lee) – 703-360-6925



New Castle-Henry County Chamber event: Avoiding interview, hiring mistakes


Finding, interviewing and hiring a new employ can be tricky business. Friday, the New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Reid Family Care of New Castle, provided Chamber members with a chance to hear from a human resources expert.

Cindi Kiner is a consultant who owns The HR Connection, a Henry County business that specializes in hiring and employment practices. She also teaches at Ivy Tech Community College and serves on the Chamber’s board of directors. Kiner shared several tips and suggestions during a Chamber-sponsored luncheon Friday at Henry County REMC’s headquarters on Ind. 3 south of New Castle.
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Kiner said there are a myriad of federal and state laws an employer must be mindful of when interviewing and hiring a prospective new employee. Those laws, regulations and guidelines dictate what an employer can and cannot do without risking a penalty or even litigation.

Preparing for and properly conducting an interview is one of the most important steps in the process, she said. A detailed and accurate job description should be developed, specifics regarding the position being offered should be advertised, and the employment application should not contain any improper questions that might give an applicant grounds for claiming he or she was discriminated against.

“Being consistent with what you ask and expect from a job applicant can help an employer avoid a variety of problems,” Kiner said. “It’s best to evaluate an applicant based only on their skills and abilities. Don’t ask personal questions about their family, for example.”

To avoid potential claims of discrimination, employers should remember that employment decisions should never be made based on race, gender, national origin, religion, age, color, military or veterans status, a disability, pregnancy, or marital or family status. Read more: Courier Times

Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber to host Q&A with superintendents

Residents of two local school districts will have the chance to learn about the districts and to express their concerns at an upcoming question-and-answer seminar.

Each year, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce hosts a question-and-answer session with the superintendents of the Birmingham Public Schools district and the Bloomfield Hills Schools district.

The Q&A session offers residents — both those with and those without students attending one of  the districts — the chance to examine what direction the community is headed in and to get a response to any concerns they may have.

“We first started hosting the event in 2011 as part of the chamber’s mission to be deeply rooted in the community,” explained Andrea Foglietta, director of marketing and events for the chamber.  “We wanted to provide educators, residents and businesses with services and let them know we are a resource. We like putting on a Q&A with the superintendents and let (the public) have personal contact with them.”

The Q&A will take place 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at the Birmingham Public Schools administration building in Beverly Hills, next to Groves High School. The cost to attend is $10 for chamber members or $20 for nonmembers, and breakfast is included with the cost of admission.

The topics of conversation at the meetings vary based on what attendees ask, but Robert Glass, the superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, said they always get a variety of questions that get to the heart of the issues facing their districts.

“I’m not sure what topics will come up this year. You can’t really predict those,” he remarked. “We get questions often about what the district is doing and upcoming programs. Funding is always a topic people want to know about, as well as the topics of education policy and culture as a whole.”

With regular classes in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills districts starting back up after Labor Day, educators are hoping to engage more people in the process of teaching and bettering the lives of children.

“It’s important to keep an open dialogue and a transparent dialogue between all sectors of the community,” said Glass. “We have all sorts of people in the community — businesses, people with children, people without children — and we all have to work together and know what the others are doing to better assist each other and perform our individual functions better. We are all linked together.”

The chamber also invites the superintendents to its monthly meetings to encourage open dialogue. The hope is that this dialogue leads to improvements for all residents in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills area. Read more: C & G Newspapers

Hurricane Harvey evacuees find safety in Oxford

Mother Nature plays no favorites.

Tropical Storm Harvey has destroyed homes, flooded the streets and devastated people all over southeastern Texas, in places like Houston, Corpus Christi and Galveston.

Away from the immediate danger of the raging tropical storm, Oxford, has been a safe-haven for some evacuees. Relatives of Ole Miss alumni are collecting their most valuable belongings, packing up their lives and heading to Oxford.

Lisa Ganucheau is the mother of senior accounting major Mary Clare Ganucheau from Houston, Texas. As soon as Lisa heard the news about the incoming hurricane, she packed her wedding dress, photo albums and family documents, and drove herself to Oxford for shelter in their family condo.

“We know people on the coast who have lost everything and we know people in Houston who have lost everything,” Lisa said. “They kept saying to be ready, to be ready, to be ready, and people woke up Saturday morning with water in their houses. Poor people, wealthy people, everywhere around town — people have lost their homes. It’s because the bayou has risen.”

Meanwhile, social media has been working to help families all over Texas.

“It’s been a huge help. A huge, huge help,” said Lisa. “It’s the fear of the unknown that keeps you up at night. But when you can at least see pictures of what’s happening, that helps.”

According to the university’s Office of Admissions, more than 21 percent of the 24,250 students who attend the University of Mississippi are from Texas. The Ganucheau family is clearly not the only Ole Miss family affected by this tropical storm. Kathryn Abernathy, a junior journalism major from St. Louis, Missouri, has a brother who currently lives in Houston.

“My family tried to get him to leave the city and come to Oxford,” Kathryn said. “My mom kept calling him but he refused to leave. I don’t think he thought it was going to be this bad.”

The Oxford Chamber of Commerce is doing its part to help anyone affected by this disaster. David Guyton, director of the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, asked people to donate necessities like cleaning supplies, first aid kits, new towels, baby formula and dry pet food.

The chamber is also accepting monetary donations to cover the cost of a rental truck and gas in order to make the trip to Texas. The truck will leave town on Thursday, meaning everything must be donated by noon on that day. Read more: THE DM ONLINE

Birmingham Bloomfield 2016-2017 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide 

The Birmingham-Bloomfield 2016-2017 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide is available at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce today! Thank you to Joe Bauman and the Chamber team for their help and direction putting this together! 

2016-2017 Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide

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.




Wauwatosa Chamber more valuable than many realize


To the editor:

People often ask me if it is relevant to be a member of a Chamber of Commerce. Or I'll hear the response to a Chamber membership inquiry – we are so busy we don’t need the Chamber. It always surprises me that small business owners think they are busy because patrons have found them on their own or through just their individual marketing efforts and word-of-mouth.

Look at the progress made to ensure Wauwatosa is a vibrant community that supports its local businesses. We have many active areas of retail including; the Village, East Town, Mayfair Mall and the Mayfair Collection, Mid-town and 68th and Wells. This growth of restaurants and retail didn't happen overnight. It happened by us all working together to make our village and surrounding community healthy for residents, businesses and visitors.

The retail and dining partners are supported by numerous large employers in the city. We are lucky to have the membership investment of the City of Wauwatosa, the Wauwatosa School District, Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Hospital of WI, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Research Park and Technology Innovation Center and General Electric– just to name a few!


We all have driven through small towns that once must have had an active downtown and retail base that look like ghost towns today. Thank God this has not happened here! Wauwatosa is active, full of life and healthy! Our “10 Days in Tosa” promotion is a perfect example of the restaurants in the area working together with the Wauwatosa Chamber to bring people into the area and encourage visitors and locals to taste, sample and enjoy the many dining offerings.

We offer many benefits to becoming and staying a member of the Chamber – networking, social media, business after hours to name a few. We offer the strength in numbers to see that we continue to thoughtfully grow and prosper. Most important, we celebrate the value of continuing to live, work, play and invest in Tosa. It’s a wonderful community!

Terry Estness
Executive Director
Wauwatosa Chamber of Commerce

Source: Journal Sentinel Online

Leadership Owensboro 2018 Class Announced

Owensboro, KY – The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce proudly announces the Leadership Owensboro Class of 2018. Thirty-one applicants have been selected to participate in the leadership development program.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to work with such a strong group,” said Candance Castlen Brake, Chamber President and CEO. “Owensboro continues to grow leaders who are interested in contributing to our community and making a difference. I look forward to a great class this year, learning from them and with them!”
“It’s wonderful to see that Leadership Owensboro continues to attract outstanding class members who are interested in the future of our community,” Helen Mountjoy, Charter Class Member of Leadership Owensboro shares. “This spirit of giving back, of making a difference, is one of the things that makes Owensboro and Daviess County such a great place to live and work!”
“We are excited about the quality pool of applicants we received for the program,” said Jessica Kirk, Executive Director of Leadership Owensboro. “Each class brings new backgrounds that further enrich the tradition and demonstrates that Leadership Owensboro stands the test of time.”
The class has will kick off with a retreat on September 28-29.

Class participants and their professional affiliation for 2017-2018 include:


Tara Boling - Matthew 25 AIDS Services, Inc
Lindsey Boone - Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service
Emily Cadiz - Hospice of Western Kentucky
Steven Caudill - U.S. Bank
Melissa Evans - Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission
Rachael Faulkner - U.S. Bank Home Mortgage
Shari Flagg - Estes Elementary
Sara Fleischmann - Riney Hancock CPAs PSC
Chris Gendek - Owensboro Courtyard Marrriot
Karen Glenn - First Security Bank
Jaclyn Graves - Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
Lauren Greenwell - Myriad CPA Group
Will Higdon - Van Meter Insurance Group
Lori Hoagland - UniFirst Corporation
Sgt. Adam Johnston - Owensboro Police Department
Dr. Jeremy Luckett - Vineyard Primary Care
Brooklyn Maple -  Kentucky Legend
Brad Moore - Kentucky Wesleyan College
Tori Morgan - Beltine Electric
Britney O'Bryan - MPD, Inc.
Lauren Osowicz - Brescia University
Amanda Owen - Puzzle Pieces
Harry Pedigo - St. Benedicts Shelter
Dan Reeves - U.S. Bank
Matthew Thompson - Owensboro Municipal Utilities
Scott Tucker - Independence Bank
Lee Underwood - WKU–Owensboro
Mario Vizuet - Old National Bank
Erin Waller - Daviess County Public Library
Det. Brad Youngman -  Daviess County Sheriff's Office
Emily Zoglmann - Owensboro Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau

For more information, contact Executive Director, Jessica Kirk at 270-926-1860



City of Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce 2016/2017 Community Map

The new City of Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce 2016/2017 Community Map is available at the City of Ridgeland Chamber today! Thanks to Linda Bynum, Sandy Baas and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

City of Ridgeland Chamber Community Map

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. 

#BestChamber practices: Batavia Chamber of Commerce - Recognizing ambassadors in your newsletter every month: August Ambassador of the Month - Jessica McGrail

Congratulations to our August Ambassador of the Month, Jessica McGrail, owner of Dollar & Sense Bookkeeping! The Batavia Chamber is so fortunate to have such an amazing person as an Ambassador and as a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors. Jessica became actively engaged in the Chamber immediately after joining the Chamber in 2015. She is a committed member of the Ambassador Committee, sharing the Chamber's mission and recruiting new members. Jessica has brought two new members to the Chamber this month alone by speaking about the benefits the Chamber provides to local businesses. Jessica naturally makes representatives feel welcomed and appreciated at our event. By being such a positive force, Jessica builds strong relationships which in turn benefits her exceptional bookkeeping business, which provides bookkeeping, payroll and administrative assistant services for small business. Because of Jessica's amazing abilities, The Daily Herald has noticed and is awarding Jessica the Young Entrepreneurs Under 40 Award in September. Not only does Jessica faithfully volunteer for the Chamber, she is active in many community organizations and events demonstrating her true and unselfish commitment to Batavia. Jessica's terrific effort is valued and deeply appreciated by our members, the Board of Directors, and Chamber staff! Congratulations and thank you!

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps 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