The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin is Back! #MadeInWis; #FamousChamber Of Commerce Quotations: (Living and Learning); Sauk Valley Area Chamber Week Celebration: Welcome Again Town Square Chamber Partner: Appomattox Chamber; You'll never know until you apply... Applications Open for 2019 Best Places to Work in Indiana Program; Oakland County Network Fall Mixer Date: September 11, 2018; Mississippi Development Authority delegation learns more about Vicksburg during visit; Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner to speak at Chamber luncheon; Economic development officials present Loudoun, state outlook at chamber breakfast; 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!

The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin is Back! #MadeInWis

This morning, WMC Director of Communications & Marketing Nick Novak was featured on WKOW Channel 27 in Madison previewing a contest happening all across the state: The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. Novak says, "We have a vibrant manufacturing industry in the state, and nearly 1 in 5 workers work in the manufacturing industry in Wisconsin. To be completely honest, we just make some really cool things here." This contest is a great way to not only highlight Wisconsin's rich manufacturing industry, but also to show off all the really cool things companies make in the state every day.  You can participate in this contest right now by visiting www.madeinwis.com to nominate a company and product that's made in Wisconsin. The nomination period ends on August 31 and voting will begin in September.

Click Here to Nominate a Product

#FamousChamber Of Commerce Quotations: (Living and Learning)

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Makatma Gandhi

Sauk Valley Area Chamber Week Celebration

The SVACC has joined the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce in celebrating the contributions chamber of commerce make to Illinois civic and economic life. Please join us for appetizers, beverage specials, and door prizes as we celebrate our SVACC members who make the Sauk Valley such a great place to live and work!

Date: Thursday, September 13, 2018
Time: 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM CDT
Location:
The Factory Pub and Grub
103 West 3rd St.
Sterling, Ill

Contact: Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. 815-625-2400 or chamber@essex1.com
Email: office@saukvalleyareachamber.com

Date/Time Details: 4:30-6:30pm
Fees/Admission: There is no cost to attend. Registration is requested; please RSVP by 9/10/18

Click Here for More Information
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Welcome Again Town Square Chamber Partner: Appomattox Chamber 

Appomattox Chamber 

We love being part of your business strategy!


You'll never know until you apply... Applications Open for 2019 Best Places to Work in Indiana Program

Companies with an Indiana presence can now apply for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s annual Best Places to Work in Indiana program.

In its 14th year, this program honors top companies in the state as determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys.

Companies need to have at least 15 Hoosier employees to be eligible. Out-of-state parent companies are also eligible to participate if at least 15 full-time employees are in Indiana.

Winners are selected in four groups: small companies of between 15 and 74 U.S. employees; medium companies of between 75 and 249 U.S. employees; large companies of between 250 and 999 U.S. employees; and major companies with 1,000 or more U.S. employees.

The application deadline is Friday, November 16. To apply, visit www.bestplacestoworkin.com.

Employers complete a questionnaire and employees fill out an anonymous engagement and satisfaction survey. All companies that apply will receive a thorough report analyzing strengths and opportunities for improvement in their workplace culture.

The Best Companies Group, which oversees similar programs in other states and large cities, is responsible for the selection process.

The selected companies will be honored on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at the Best Places to Work awards dinner at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. Winners will also be recognized via a special supplement to the Indiana Chamber’s bimonthly BizVoice® magazine and through Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick – both of which reach statewide audiences.

Program partners with the Indiana Chamber and BizVoice® are Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, the Best Companies Group, HR Indiana SHRM and Wellness Council of Indiana.

The Best Places to Work in Indiana dinner sponsor is Ivy Tech Community College; platinum sponsor is Moser Consulting; silver sponsor is Smithville. Additional sponsorships are available by contacting Tim Brewer at tbrewer@indianachamber.com or call (317) 496-0704.

Top Best Places to Work in Indiana winners for 2018 in the small, medium, large and major categories were: Bloomington-based Hanapin Marketing; technology consulting firm E-gineering of Indianapolis; Blue 449, an Indianapolis-based open source media company; and investment firm Edward Jones, with branch offices throughout the state. More: Indiana Chamber

LUM Wins GMCC Startup Pitch Contest, Earns Shot at Silicon Valley VCs

Live Undiscovered Music, a Madison, WI-based startup whose software helps users discover new music and share it with friends, captured first place in one of the state’s more closely watched pitch competitions Thursday.

The startup, which goes by LUM for short, won a contest known as “Pressure Chamber,” which is put on by the Great Madison Chamber of Commerce. The event is one of more than 50 being held as part of Forward Festival, a yearly entrepreneurship-focused conference in Wisconsin’s capital city.

By virtue of its win, LUM gets a spot on an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco in October to meet with Silicon Valley investment firms.

On Friday, LUM’s app for iOS devices became publicly available in the App Store, co-founder and CEO Max Fergus said.

The streaming service will feature only musical artists that LUM views as up and comers, and for now the company doesn’t plan to pay performers or songwriters who agree to let LUM to stream their songs. For artists, the upside of joining LUM is broader exposure, Fergus said. Read more: Xconomy

Oakland County Network Fall Mixer 
Date: September 11, 2018

Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT
Registration: Register Now

Event Description:
We are excited to announce a joint networking mixer, hosted by six Oakland County Chambers, including Orion Area, Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Oxford, Rochester Regional and Waterford.

All Members of the Oakland Chamber Network are invited to Parker's Hilltop Brewery on Tuesday, September 11th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm for an evening of good food, drink and conversation.

Delicious appetizers will be served and there will be a cash bar.

Bring lots of business cards and an appetite for a great time!

More information: Rochester Regional Chamber

Mississippi Development Authority delegation learns more about Vicksburg during visit

A state delegation of economic development officials recently had the opportunity to learn more about Vicksburg and what Warren County has to offer.

The Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership hosted the state and executive team of the Mississippi Development Authority for what local officials described as a “vision and familiarization tour” of Vicksburg and Warren County, allowing the MDA officials to spend a day and a half in in the city, where they enjoyed dinner at Anchuca, visited historic sites, gained more insight into the strategic plan developed by the VWEDP, and learned in detail about the strategic assets that differentiate Warren County from the pack in terms of economic development.

“MDA was able to see firsthand the phenomenal progress we’ve made in our community in terms of growth and economic development,” Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr., said. “The collaboration and commitment from all entities in the city of Vicksburg have significantly contributed to our success.”

Learning about Vicksburg

The delegation, which included Mike McGreevy, deputy director of MDA, and Jamie Miller, deputy director of Governmental Affairs and Chief Innovation Officer, spent half a day at ERDC and met with representatives of numerous laboratories.

They learned from the Chamber of Commerce and EDF about the tech transfer initiatives being developed by the community (including the Hardware Building Innovation Project), and were treated to amazing performances by the Warren School District teachers and students at the 2018 convocation ceremony.

“The delegation learned that in Vicksburg and Warren County all entities are aligned to support economic and workforce development,” Pablo Diaz, president and CEO of The Partnership, said. “Representatives were witness to the unique alignment that exists between the K-12 education system, the community college, the business community, and the economic development offices in Warren County.”

Diaz said the state officials realized Vicksburg has much to offer than they had imagined and there is much in the community that can help them sell Mississippi go global investors. Read more: Vicksburg Post

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner to speak at Chamber luncheon

Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles will be the guest speaker at the Boyle County Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Danville.

Chamber Executive Director Jeff Jewel said Quarles will be discussing several agricultural topics, including the future of hemp production in Kentucky.

Jewell said years ago, the hemp business “was huge here.” And since this area is well suited for hemp production, the crop could have a positive impact on our local economy.

Another topic Quarles will discuss is agri-tourism. “I’m really gung-ho about agri-tourism,” Jewell said.

The chamber wants to reach out more to members of the agriculture business community, Jewel said, and having Quarles as the speaker is a way to do that.

Jewel described Quarles as a “very dynamic person,” who has many interesting positive ideas involving agriculture. For example, he’s created the Kentucky Hunger Initiative through the agriculture commission, Jewel said.

“He’s made really important agriculture policies.”

According to the chamber’s website, “Under (Quarles’) direction, the KDA continues to look for more opportunities for Kentucky farmers to grow domestic and international markets.” Quarles has also “supported the expansion of Kentucky’s diverse agricultural portfolio to include industrial hemp, kenaf, and hops.” Read more: Advocate Messenger

Frank J. Kenny: New Chamber Pro Industry Articles:

The Beginner’s Guide to the Chamber Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Website: Frank J. Kenny Economic development officials present Loudoun, state outlook at chamber breakfast Leaders from state and local economic development organizations laid out the economic outlook for the commonwealth and touched on plans to establish Virginia as the top place to do business at a Loudoun Chamber of Commerce event Friday. Stephen Moret, president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, said that while Virginia is “a premier place” to do business, it has fallen in several rankings where it once held top spots. Among Virginia’s selling points are its excellent public education system, advantageous mid-Atlantic location, relatively low tax rates on existing companies, infrastructure, a diverse group of employers and dozens of federal laboratories, Moret said. Moret also said Loudoun – and northern Virginia in general – is particularly well-situated for growth. He noted collaboration between jurisdictions and a strong education system helped northern Virginia secure a spot on the shortlist for Amazon’s HQ2. But the commonwealth is facing several challenges, such as a slowdown of growth, in part caused by larger tax burdens for new investment, road congestion, bad rural roads, a high reliance on federal government activity, a meager inventory of mega-development sites, a lack of customized workforce development incentive program offerings and insufficient graduates in technology fields, Moret said. “Virginia, in my opinion, is America’s premier state, and the very best state, but there are some things we can do a little better at,” Moret said. Young people are also migrating out of Virginia at larger rates than they are moving in. Loudoun County Department of Economic Development Director Buddy Rizer stressed the importance of housing in attracting and retaining workers. Moret and Rizer outlined several goals and initiatives underway. Rizer said the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a larger marketing budget for the county, as did the General Assembly for the commonwealth. Read more: Loudoun Times

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