Schaumburg Business Association promotes Lisa Goranson Gilbert to President; Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest Kicks Off Monday; Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Profile Guide; MBA: Taking Care of Business!; Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Expo; EMBDC's Casey Holladay graduates from Institute for Organization Management; Muncie-Delaware County Chamber - Academy for Community Leadership; Front Royal Warren County Community Profile & Membership Directory 2017; New tech upstart aims to help Frankfort thrive in digital age; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

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


Schaumburg Business Association promotes Lisa Goranson Gilbert to President

Lisa Gilbert officially takes the “Interim” qualifier off her title as of today. Having served in the role as President since May of this year, Gilbert now ascends to the role in her own right, and she has set a vigorous agenda for the continued growth and prosperity of the 800-company organization. The Schaumburg Business Association’s Board of Directors conducted an executive search to assure a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape. In the end, it was Gilbert’s wealth of technical knowledge and deep portfolio of experience that earned her the final nod.
Beyond her five years of service to the SBA, her previous experience managing not-for-profit organizations is characterized by year-over-year growth and strong advocacy for members. Her experience prior to joining the SBA— nine years in roles progressing to the Director of Membership for the University Club of Chicago—was highlighted by the acquisition and retention of more than 3,400 members and annual growth averaging 10%. Gilbert has also worked with not-for-profit organizations as diverse as the Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre, the Swedish American Museum Center and the Metropolis Performing Arts Center.
During her tenure as SBA’s Vice President of Membership, the organization has grown by more than 30%. The variety of programs offered by the various committees within the SBA has expanded significantly—a reflection of the thriving corporate environment in the greater Schaumburg area. Advocacy has blossomed during this time, as well, with efforts that have engaged agencies at local, national, and global levels.
In addition to her formal training, a master’s degree in arts, entertainment & media management from Columbia College in Chicago, Gilbert credits her own entrepreneurial experience as crucial to her understanding of SBA members’ priorities. She is an owner of the Tuscan Market & Wine Shop in Arlington Heights, a wine bar, gastropub, and retailer that is also an SBA member.
“I also think about my very first job, helping my father at his manufacturing firm,” Gilbert adds. “I was eight years old, but I could already appreciate his entrepreneurial spirit. I think about that strength every day; it leads me to have conversations with businesses of all sizes about how they do business and what a chamber such as the SBA can do as their advocate.”
Gilbert has set an ambitious agenda for her first year as President, and the themes are clear: Connect member businesses of all sizes with one another, provide programming that is responsive to their evolving needs, and ensure that the local, regional, and national levels of government hear members’ concerns with an unequivocal voice.
“The Schaumburg Business Association’s strength lies in its members,” Gilbert says. “We represent the second-largest economy in the state of Illinois and have the strength and stability our membership deserves. That is a testament to my predecessors, our staff, our Board of Directors and the Village of Schaumburg. Because we are strong and stable, we are also nimble enough to shape and mold our services—always improving, always staying relevant to our members as they grow and our membership grows.”
The 2019 strategic plan will bring greater clarity to programing with regard to different market segments, business sizes, and levels of management represented in the SBA membership. “There will be new outlets and services for small businesses. There will be new channels for the leadership of larger corporations to connect. Decisionmakers will have even better, more direct access to one another. It’s certainly about generating leads and opportunities, but a greater emphasis will be brought to deeper collaborations,” Gilbert explains. Source: SBA

Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest Kicks Off Monday

August 17, 2018

Nominations will be accepted Aug. 20-31

MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group will begin accepting nominations for the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest on Monday, Aug. 20.

The rules are simple: any product manufactured in Wisconsin qualifies for the contest. To nominate a product, please visit: www.madeinwis.com.

Last year, roughly 150 products were nominated, and nearly 200,000 votes were cast. The winner claiming last year’s trophy went to Oshkosh Corporation and their Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. A myriad of products were nominated across the Badger State ranging from cheese, boats, food carts, iron castings, beer, motors, snow blowers and much, much more.

The contest will house the same rules as last year, beginning with a popular vote to determine the Top 16 products. From there, the Top 16 will be placed into a bracket-style tournament called, Manufacturing Madness. Products will compete against one another in head-to-head match-ups and the products who receive the highest votes in each match-up will advance to the next round.

Here’s the breakdown:

Aug. 20 to Aug. 31 – Nominations Accepted

Sept. 10 to Sept. 16 – Popular Vote to Determine the Field of 16

Sept. 17 – Announce the Top 16

Sept. 18 to Sept. 23 – 1st Round of the Bracket

Sept. 24 – Announce the Top 8

Sept. 25 to Sept. 30 – 2nd Round of the Bracket

Oct. 1 – Announce Top 4

Oct. 2 to Oct. 9 – Final Round

Oct. 9 – Winner Announced

The winner will be announced on Oct. 9 at WMC Foundation’s State of Wisconsin Business & Industry Luncheon at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison.

Please visit www.madeinwis.com for more information on the contest and to begin nominating a product on Aug. 20.

Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Profile Guide

The Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce 2017 Community Profile Guide & Membership Directory is available at the Greater Belleville Chamber! Thanks to Wendy Pfeil and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

Belleville IL Community Profile 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.


MBA: Taking Care of Business!

It’s been a busy and exciting time at the Midland Business Alliance (MBA). While you’re taking care of your business, we’ve been busy working to better take care of you! With the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, Midland Tomorrow, CBM Services, MITCON and the Innovation Center, the MBA can help businesses of every size, at every stage. But how do you bring together organizations?

This has been done through a whole lot of listening. Sarah Opperman was named the MBA’s Interim CEO earlier this year and immediately dove in to “listening sessions” with businesses throughout the community. Earlier this summer, the Boards of Directors from every MBA division met for a half-day retreat to dive deep into what Midland’s business community needs. This session yielded a lot of great feedback and direction.

As a result, we have developed a new, expanded Mission, Vision and Value Proposition for all of us who represent the MBA.

Mission: To support the attraction, development and growth of businesses throughout Midland County by providing an integrated portfolio of tools and resources.

Vision: The MBA leads our business community with a unified voice, creating an environment where business and the community prosper.

Value Proposition: The MBA is Midland’s fully integrated business hub, serving a vibrant community in which people, industry and businesses prosper. We are the voice for more than 3,000 businesses, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. The MBA is strategically aligned, helping businesses to:

· Boost innovation and entrepreneurship
· Attract business and talent
· Promote retention and expansion
· Advocate for business
· Provide comprehensive business services
· Convene resources to advance business/community priorities

We’re using this inspiring and inclusive foundation to build our plans and programs for 2019 and beyond. Stay tuned for more information about the MBA’s new strategic plan and how that will guide our programming. Spoiler alert: Things are going to be better than ever!

- Diane Middleton is the Executive Director of the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce. Diane can be reached at dmiddleton@macc.org. 


Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Expo

September 25: Non-Profit Expo

Location:         21 Enterprise Parkway, Suite 100 | Hampton, VA  23666

Time:               7:30 – 9:30 AM

Fee:                 $10 (Includes Breakfast) – Must register and pre-pay online!

- Connect with and gain knowledge about twelve different local Non-Profit Organizations

- Opportunities available to volunteer - Sign-up sheets will be available

Registration:    http://www.virginiapeninsulachamber.com/events/details/non-profit-expo-9-25-2018-9192

EMBDC's Casey Holladay graduates from Institute for Organization Management

Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, has announced that Casey Holladay, IOM, Events Coordinator, of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, has graduated from the program and has received the recognition of IOM.

Awarded to all graduates of the Institute program, the IOM Graduate Recognition signifies the individual’s completion of 96 hours of course instruction in nonprofit management. In addition, participants can earn credit hours toward the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) or Certified Association Executive (CAE) certifications. Read more: Meridian Star

Muncie-Delaware County Chamber - Academy for Community Leadership

Time to sign up for the 2018 sessions! This year's Academy for Community Leadership class is now forming. Classes will begin on September 6th-November 8th. This is a 10-week program where you will learn many new, exciting and interesting things about our community. 

Each week is a different session that has topics on our history, education, culture, healthcare and much more presented by top leaders in our community. It is not too early to get your spot secured as there is typically a waiting list for this exciting opportunity. 

Every Thursday from 7:30am-10:00am starting September 6th. LIMITED SEATING 

Cost per Chamber member is $300 and for non-members $350

Click here to register! 

Contact Nancy Norris at 765-751-9127 or

nnorris@muncie.com for more information.





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! 

Front Royal Warren County Community Profile & Membership Directory 2017

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.

New tech upstart aims to help Frankfort thrive in digital age


As the other aspect of the business, cybersecurity is essential for small businesses, the pair said.

Why? Because many business owners do not realize just how prolific cyber attacks are.

More than half of small businesses fall victim to a cyber attack each year, and half of those businesses will be forced to close their doors. That said, SimplifIT officials said they can help, at a minimum, limit the damage by helping companies to secure themselves.

“We want to help people understand what risks are out there and help mitigate those risks,” Willard said.

Right now, the company is looking to build momentum locally, not just in Frankfort but also in surrounding areas like Georgetown and Lexington.

One business owner said he views the company as part of an ongoing movement in the area.

“It is an exciting time to be part of the downtown Frankfort revitalization,” Taylor Marshall, owner of RE/MAX Commonwealth, said in a statement.  “A new energy, young and creative, is moving downtown Frankfort forward. Strategic partners like SimplifIT will be the leaders demonstrating outside of the box thinking to raise the bar in business and community development in our capital city.”

While SimplifIT is investing in the community, they also said plans for growth involve developing a national cybersecurity presence and selling to larger businesses.

For now, the immediate focus is on building in Frankfort, beginning with the businesses official Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at noon next Thursday, Aug. 16. Read more: State-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