CEOs from Zoup, Mad Dog Technology and Pop Daddy Popcorn to Speak at Troy Chamber’s Annual Holiday Luncheon; Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Map; Multiple Awards for Business Excellence to be Presented in Carmel & Fishers; Chamber news: Holiday Happenings in Barrington: Window Display Contest, Girls Night Out on Nov. 16; The Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce Guide & Map; Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce plans Job Shadowing Day; Higgins: State needs to get creative on economic development to stay competitive; Chamber to host Wine Walk, Christmas by the Creek, Holiday Lights Parade; KY Chamber CEO to speak in Corbin Tuesday; 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!

CEOs from Zoup, Mad Dog Technology and Pop Daddy Popcorn to Speak at Troy Chamber’s Annual Holiday Luncheon 

The theme, “Homemade for the Holidays,” returns featuring a new panel of Made in Michigan brands

On Thursday, December 14 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., the Troy Chamber hosts its most popular event of the year – the annual Holiday Luncheon! Hundreds of local business professionals will gather at Napa Glen Banquet Center (2160 E Maple Rd., Troy 48083) for networking and an entertaining panel of company executives from Michigan brands such as Zoup, Mad Dog Technology and Pop Daddy Popcorn. The panel discussion will be moderated by Fox 2 Detroit anchor Charlie Langton and includes:

· Eric Ersher, Founder & CEO, Zoup

· Pete Karmanos Jr, Chairman/Founder, Mad Dog Technology

· Pop Daddy Popcorn, Founder & CEO, Pop Daddy Popcorn

“The history of some of the most well-known brands in the country is deeply rooted in Michigan,” said Ara Topouzian, President & CEO of the Troy Chamber of Commerce. “Their stories are fascinating and inspiring for any entrepreneur. This will be a luncheon not to miss!”

Cost to attend this event is $40 for Troy Chamber members and $52 for non-members. In addition to a high-quality event, each attendee will enjoy an elegant lunch and leave with a gift bag sponsored by Comcast Business.

This event is presented by Clear Rate Communications with support from: Detroit Pencil Company, Kelly Services, Ulliance and Hitachi Business Finance. Media sponsors include Corp! Magazine and DBusiness.

To register, call 248-641-8151, e-mail theteam@troychamber.com or visit troychamber.com/events.


Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Map


The new Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Map is available at the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber today! Thanks to Bob O'Callaghan and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!



Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber 2017 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.



Multiple Awards for Business Excellence to be Presented in Carmel & Fishers

(Hamilton County, IN) – Each year, OneZone recognizes companies and individuals for business excellence and impact at its annual awards luncheon. This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, December 13 at Ritz Charles in Carmel.

Award recipients are selected from nominations received from member businesses or others on their behalf in multiple categories that include business of the year for large and small businesses, young professional of the year, new construction and renovation projects in Carmel and Fishers, environmental sustainability and volunteerism. Special awards for lifetime achievement are presented to individuals in both Carmel and Fishers whose contributions have positively impacted their business communities over many years. 

OneZone invites chamber members and non-members, along with members of the community, to this annual event.

What:               OneZone December Luncheon
Topic:              Business Excellence Awards Presentations
Date:                Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Time:               11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location:          Ritz Charles – 12156 N. Meridian St. – Carmel, IN
Reservations:   Required by noon on Monday, December 11. Reserve at www.onezonecommerce.com or call 317.436.4653.
Cost:                $25 for OneZone members; $35 for non-members. 

Contact: Lisa Wirthwein, 317.436.4653, lisa@onezonecommerce.com


Chamber news: Holiday Happenings in Barrington: Window Display Contest, Girls Night Out on Nov. 16

Make November 16 an all-day holiday shopping event! After attending the Women's Biz Net Bliss Holiday Boutique & Luncheon from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at The Club at Wynstone in North Barrington, take part in Barrington's “Light Up the Night and Girls’ Night Out” event from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. in downtown Barrington. Village merchants will create holiday window displays for Barrington's first holiday window-decorating contest that will kick off on November 16. Shop at Barrington boutiques, sign up for a holiday drawing to win one of ten $50 gift cards to a local retailer, and click here to vote online for your favorite window display. Most stores will stay open late on Thursdays during the holidays, as well as on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.


The Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce Guide & Map

The Green Lake County Chamber of Commerce  Guide & Map is available at the Green Lake County Chamber! Thanks to the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

Green Lake map

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.

Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce plans Job Shadowing Day

The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce is working with Salem City Schools and Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia on a job shadowing day for the seniors at Salem High School on Wednesday, October 25.

The three organizations have been working on this day since January. The 300 seniors will either be job shadowing with a local business or visiting a college of their choice. More than 87 businesses are participating and there are 397 placement opportunities. Most of the businesses are members of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce.

Jill Sluss, executive director of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce said, “We are looking forward to this day and are excited to be working with Salem City Schools and Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia on this worthwhile project that is an example of giving back to our community. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to make decisions regarding their chosen career whether they intend to continue their education after high school or not. Of course all of these students represent the future workforce so this day will definitely be helpful to the students and the employers. We are grateful to all of the businesses that are participating.” Read more: Roanoke.com

Higgins: State needs to get creative on economic development to stay competitive

At a luncheon of the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said Mississippi would have to get creative to compete with surrounding states like Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas. 

"Some of the neighboring states have got a little more vision than we have at the time, and they have implemented some programs that are making them more competitive," he said. 

Specifically those states, especially Arkansas, were "handing out routine ass-kickings to folks like us," he said. 

He mentioned losing a $700 million project to Georgia earlier this year. 

"Two hundred fifty-one jobs paying $61,000 per year," he said. "Those of you that are out there scoring, that would have been outright second place in the Golden Triangle behind the steel mill and ahead of PACCAR." 

While some of the reason for that is taxation laws, he said, those states are also better at displaying their workforce to companies that could potentially employ hundreds of workers. 

However, Higgins said, perception of the workforce is more of a problem than the workforce itself. Mississippi and particularly the Golden Triangle are quickly developing a well-trained workforce that will appeal to companies looking to put plants in the area. 

He indicated he has high hopes for the Communiversity, a $38 million workforce training center on East Mississippi Community College's campus. 

"We have to do something to make us different (than surrounding states)," he said. "... That Communiversity is going to serve that role. We're going to train new people to work, we're going to retrain older folks to work. We're going to have kids when they're in fifth and sixth grade going out there and seeing what the opportunities are and we're going to make that a show place." 

He said the Communiversity, combined with the Golden Triangle Early College High School that opened on EMCC's campus two years ago and which allows high school students to graduate with Associates' degrees, will show companies and investors the Golden Triangle is serious about providing a well-trained work force.  Read more: The Dispatch

Chamber to host Wine Walk, Christmas by the Creek, Holiday Lights Parade

Is the wine acidic? How does the body feel? Is it more aromatic or closed? How strong is the bouquet?

Such wine-tasting words, and more will be utilized at the Lodi & Lake Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce 2017 Wine Walk on Nov. 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Wine samplers from the Lodi area and from surrounding communities are invited to enjoy a stroll through downtown Lodi, while tasting red and white wines and appetizers at select chamber businesses – 20 to be exact.

According to Chamber Coordinator Taryn Latour, 275 tickets for wine-sampling sold out in as little as 40 minutes. Due to this demand, the chamber has made 100 additional tickets available online from Friday, Nov. 10 at noon to Saturday, Nov. 11 at noon, at eventbrite.com.

Each wine taster must be 21 years of age or older and will be carded upon receiving their wristband for sampling. Safe rides will be offered via Kobussen Buses or designated drivers signified by wristbands from 8:30-11:30 p.m., though businesses will only serve wine up to 9 p.m. When leaving a stop, wine glasses must be empty. Read more: Lodi Enterprise

KY Chamber CEO to speak in Corbin Tuesday

Dave Adkisson, President/CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, will be the featured speaker next Tuesday at the monthly membership luncheon of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

The event will begin at 11:45 a.m. at The Corbin Center at 222 Corbin Center Drive.

The luncheon is open to the public.

Adkisson is touring the state as part of what is being called the “Kentucky Chamber Legislative Road Show.” He plans to outline business priorities for the upcoming legislative session of the General Assembly in January.During his 13 years at the Kentucky Chamber, the organization has doubled in size, increased its staff to thirty professionals including five lobbyists, expanded its headquarters in Frankfort and placed a major emphasis on public policy, governmental relations and improving education.

Adkisson served as the 2010 Chairman of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), an association that represents more than 7,000 chamber professionals across the country. In addition, he was elected the 2014 chairman of the national Council of State Chambers. He served six years on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business association and chaired the U.S. Chamber’s education policy committee.

Adkisson is originally from Owensboro, Ky., where he began his career working for the local chamber of commerce. Later, at age 34, he was elected mayor of Owensboro and re-elected without opposition four years later. He was recruited in 1999 to become president of the Birmingham, Alabama Chamber of Commerce and served five years in that post before returning to Kentucky.

Bruce Carpenter, Executive Director of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, encouraged business owners to attend the luncheon because Adkisson’s would pertinent to them.

“Dave is important figures in the state’s business community and has his finger on the pulse of Frankfort. It will be an interesting discussion.”

Anyone interested in attending the luncheon should RSVP by calling 606-528-6390 or email info@southernkychamber.com. Read more: News-Journal

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