Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce - President's Corner; Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar offers commentary on the start of the 2021 Indiana General Assembly Jan. 4th; Statement from Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tim Daman; Chamber serving Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County: REDI Community Input Session; The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 2020 Voice of Business; Marion Chamber: Stream the Chamber Virtual Awards Ceremony, Invite the Public and Finish with a Live Concert; Hartford Area Chamber Annual Dinner: Virtual 2021 - Nominate today for 2020 Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Awards - Nominations Open Until January 15, 2021; Fox Cities Chamber adds three to professional staff; Greensburg-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce Community Map; Mequon Thiensville Chamber: Attention Ozaukee County Businesses: Get FREE Marketing Assistance; Monroe County Chamber: SBA Re-Opening Paycheck Protection Program to Small Lenders on Friday, January 15 and All Lenders on Tuesday, January 19; Biewer Lumber Opening New Sawmill in Winona, Creating 150 Jobs; Greater Owensboro Chamber: Upcoming Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A with GRDHD Director Clay Horton; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps, Apps, Quarterly Magazines, Digital Directory Sales and Community Profiles: The no cost, no risk best Chamber Publishing Partner in the USA!

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

Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce - President's Corner

By Kara Beer, IOM, MPA

We’ve never faced a pandemic of this scale in our lifetimes. Add to that global economic impacts that will likely linger for months or even years.

What has become clear is that the role and value of chambers of commerce has never been more crucial. Not just to get our communities through the pandemic, but to help drive economic recovery far into the future.

While referencing the 2020 adopted strategic plan of the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce,
I’m reminded of how while the strategies and tasks may be adjusted now, we here at the Chamber are
having impact with the community on a multitude of ways daily.

IMPACT STATEMENT OF THE BATTLE CREEK AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce connects and empowers business and community professionals to have the courage and confidence to be catalytic leaders in addressing their business 
and communities’ greatest issues.

Our 4 Key Priority Areas

• Be a Center of Excellence for Business. Be the number one resource for best practice and innovative resources and information for the business community in the greater Battle Creek region and Calhoun County.

• Storytelling. Help business professionals craft their narratives, and serve as a community platform and megaphone for business success stories.

• Community Advocacy. Provide the information, connections and services that will help businesses and organizations proactively address the greatest challenges within their businesses/organizations, so they can best promote, serve, and grow within our region.

• Organizational Excellence. Ensure the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce is the best organization it can be for staff and members.

So many of you have been innovating through these challenging times. Our team is inspired. And, we know continuing to share best practices and innovations - and connecting as a community to build our future - will make us all stronger. Our Chamber team will continue to need grit, passion, innovation, and a collaborative mindset to move the economy and community forward.

I will go more into detail of each of our key priority areas and how we’re having or looking to have impact in our community over the next year throughout this publication.

#ChamberExecutive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: (Via Jack Klemeyer <jack@gybcoaching.com>)

My friends at eti performance improvement have started sharing complementary lessons on Tuesday and they're calling them 2-Minute Tuesday! You might enjoy subscribing to 2-Minute Tuesday to increase your learning in 2021. From time-to-time, I'll be sharing resources that will add value to you and your business. Watch for more great resources.

Capture Data Like a Pro with Drop Down List In this video we explore how to create a drop down list in Excel. Learn how to populate a drop down list wth data. add a tooltip and keep your team on track with custom messages WATCH NOW! Editor's note: I love this website...If you are a chamber person, that learned Word or Excel on the fly, this is a handy learning tool that takes 5 minutes a week. C

Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar offers commentary on the start of the 2021 Indiana General Assembly Jan. 4th

“The unique circumstances and unknowns will undoubtedly figure into what and how things get accomplished. We are hopeful for a productive legislative session because there are plenty of issues for lawmakers to address that are closely or tangentially tied to the pandemic and how it’s altered business and the workforce.

“At the top of our priority list is protecting businesses and institutions from legal liability if someone contracts COVID-19 after returning to work or school, or after visiting a health facility. These protections would be for those employers and places that have made a good faith effort to follow recognized safety guidelines.

“Two long-term goals have improved odds in 2021. Those are raising the cigarette tax and the state implementing a work share program.

“Indiana’s smoking rate is the fourth highest in the country. A big reason is that our cigarette tax is the lowest in the Midwest and among the lowest nationally. We are advocating for a $2 per pack increase because it’s proven to be the one action to successfully reduce smoking and health care costs. It could also possibly bolster depleted state revenue.

“Work share is a safety net during economic downturns, like the current pandemic. Employers can reduce hours without full layoffs, and then over time, employees can be returned to full-time status once circumstances improve. It’s unfortunate Indiana did not have such a program in place in 2020. A new study by the Brookings Institution estimates that Indiana lost as much as $100 million in federal unemployment insurance funding in 2020 because it was not a work share state. Indiana simply can’t afford to be unprepared again.

“Additionally, incentives around remote workers and further preparing all areas of the state for new technology are no longer an option but required. Broadband connectivity is becoming as important an infrastructure need as water and electricity.

“We expect legislation to be introduced on all of these issues and will be advocating for them to be heard in committees and advanced to the House and Senate floors.”

As the legislative session unfolds, the Indiana Chamber will update its online policy center at www.indianachamber.com/policy.

Statement from Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tim Daman 

 "As we monitor the potential for protests in capital cities across the country, the Lansing Regional Chamber stands with Lansing Mayor Andy Schor on his request to Governor Whitmer to activate the Michigan National Guard. We believe it's essential to protect our historic Michigan Capitol building and the businesses, offices, and neighborhoods surrounding it. Lansing welcomes visitors each year to exercise their First Amendment rights. However, we will never condone nor view violence as acceptable."

Contact: 

Contact: Ashley Sandborn
Lansing Regional Chamber of Co mmerce 
(517) 342-4549
asandborn@lansingchamber.org

Chamber serving Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County: REDI Community Input Session The public is invited to join us, along with our jurisdictional partners, for a virtual community meeting to provide input on how to drive success and create opportunities for economic development in our region by making the most of our resources. The session, scheduled for Thursday, January 21st at 1:00 p.m., will be facilitated by Leslie Schaller, ACEnet Director of Programs, representing REDI and USDA Rural Development. FREE. Register online. The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 2020 Voice of Business The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 2020 Voice of Business is available at the Chamber today! Thanks to Cynthia Schneider and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together! Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 2020 Voice of Business Town Square Publications  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 or call (847)-427-4633. Marion Chamber: Stream the Chamber Virtual Awards Ceremony, Invite the Public and Finish with a Live Concert  How to Stream the Virtual Awards Ceremony  We are excited to share this year's awards ceremony and auction with our members and Marion community FREE ONLINE! Please share this email with family and friends so they can login to support our honorees and cheer on the chamber as we begin 2021. We encourage you to log in early to  is a reminder of the Virtual Awards Ceremony. Please stay online to enjoy the After Party hosted by Pepsi Mid America with performances by 90s Kidz Band (featuring fellow board member Matt Reising)!!  The program will be broadcasted on:  Chamber's website homepage: https://www.marionillinois.com  Event Page: https://www.marionillinois.com/awards  Chamber Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/marionilchamber  Vimeo Link: (Will be updated on Thursday)  Please consider supporting one of our Local Chamber Restaurants as your celebrate our first (and hopefully last) virtual annual awards program.  If you have not already done so, please check out this year’s Online Silent Auction! Registering is fast and easy!  Silent Auction  This year’s auction is also going from January 5th – 18th, allowing for plenty of time to secure the perfect item and bid from the comfort of work or home. 100% of the proceeds from this year’s auction will go to the Chamber Foundation and our organization. If you have any questions, please contact the Chamber office at 618-997-6311.  After the 18th, winners of the auction items will be contacted to schedule a pickup time of their item(s) from the Chamber office. Non-local items can be shipped!  Hartford Area Chamber Annual Dinner: Virtual 2021 - Nominate today for 2020 Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Awards - Nominations Open Until January 15, 2021 Things look a little different this year regarding our Annual Dinner. We will be hosting a virtual award ceremony and need your help in nominating local Hartford individuals, businesses and organizations! The Hartford Chamber has added two new awards, Jim & Dorothy Algiers Award and the COVID Award. The Jim & Dorothy Algiers Award is presented to an individual or couple who have or has continuously gone above and beyond serving the Hartford community. The COVID Award is presented to a business that has successfully created a new way of doing business during COVID.  Please contact the Hartford Chamber to be sent the nomination form at info@hartfordchamber.org or stop in office to pickup!  Fox Cities Chamber adds three to professional staff Mary Jo Beschta, Kate Bruns, and Sharla Jens join Chamber team The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce is kicking off 2021 by officially welcoming three new full-time staff members to its team.  Kate Bruns, who joined the staff on a part-time basis in November 2020, is now the Chamber’s full-time Vice President for Marketing and Communications as of Jan. 4. On Jan. 11, the Chamber added Sharla Jens as Vice President for Investor Relations and Mary Jo Beschta as Administrative Assistant.  “As we enter 2021, I am very excited about the new ways we can serve our members and our community by adding these three talented individuals to our full-time staff,” Chamber President and CEO Becky Bartoszek said. “Each one of them brings a broad base of knowledge and a wealth of experience to the Chamber’s work and will help us make a real impact.” As Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Bruns will oversee the Chamber’s efforts in the areas of public and media relations, marketing and advertising, publications and communications, branding, and member publicity. Before joining the Chamber she spent 20 years overseeing a wide variety of marketing and communications projects at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and worked as a freelance writer and editor for clients across the Midwest.  As Vice President for Investor Relations, Jens will serve as the primary point of contact for the Chamber’s investors, working to understand their needs and steward their support to benefit initiatives in economic development, community development, and talent attraction. Prior to her work with the Chamber, Jens served in management and sales leadership roles with Multi Color Corporation (formerly WS Packaging Group), National Envelope , and State Farm Insurance, as well as spent 17 years managing critical business accounts across the Midwest for Alltel. As Administrative Assistant, Beschta will wear a wide assortment of hats at the Chamber of Commerce, bringing her legal and organizational background to special projects that range from community relations to organizational infrastructure. She will also serve as the primary liaison to the Chamber’s 27-member Board of Directors. Beschta spent 17 years at Adventures in Advertising (AIA) in Appleton, where she most recently managed AIA’s legal department for two years. Greensburg-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce Community Map  Greensburg-Decatur County Chamber map The Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce Community Map is available at the New Castle-Henry County Chamber today! Thanks to Jeff Emsweller and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!!! 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.  Mequon Thiensville Chamber: Attention Ozaukee County Businesses: Get FREE Marketing Assistance  Submit Your Application Today!  APPLY  Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University Wisconsin | Batterman School of Business  The Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University partners with select Ozaukee county businesses to provide marketing and business development services to foster economic development in the region. Ten qualified area businesses will receive FREE digital marketing and business development planning.  Eligible Businesses The Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University is accepting applications for businesses to become a part of our FREE program for winter 2021. Business should meet the following guidelines: • Less than 10 employees. • Revenue of less than $1 million annually. • Business is seeking help in developing a comprehensive digital marketing & associated business development plan strategy. • Business is willing to work with assigned intern students from Concordia University Wisconsin Batterman School of Business for a fall or spring semester. What Accepted Businesses Will Receive... • Business programs will start in January, 2021 and last for approximately 4 months. • Your business will receive approximately 100 hours of marketing and business development services from Concordia University Wisconsin marketing students under the direction of Vertz Marketing and Concordia University Wisconsin - all at no charge. • Your business will receive a FREE private consulting meeting with Vertz Marketing for marketing and business development growth planning.  • Your business will have access to business networking and mentoring opportunities through Vertz Marketing, Rotary International, Ozaukee Area Chamber of Commerce Organizations and Ozaukee Economic Development.  • Your business will have access to marketing and business development resources at Concordia University Wisconsin Batterman School of Business. Click here for more details about the program  Monroe County Chamber: SBA Re-Opening Paycheck Protection Program to Small Lenders on Friday, January 15 and All Lenders on Tuesday, January 19 The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, will re-open the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portal to PPP-eligible lenders with $1 billion or less in assets for First and Second Draw applications on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 9 a.m. EST. The portal will fully open on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 to all participating PPP lenders to submit First and Second Draw loan applications to SBA. Earlier in the week, SBA granted dedicated PPP access to Community Financial Institutions (CFIs) which include Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Certified Development Companies (CDCs), and Microloan Intermediaries as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to reach underserved and minority small businesses. On Friday, SBA will continue its emphasis on reaching smaller lenders and businesses by opening to approximately 5,000 more lenders, including community banks, credit unions, and farm credit institutions. Moreover, the agency also plans to have dedicated service hours for these smaller lenders after the portal fully re-opens next week. First Draw PPP Loans are for those borrowers who have not received a PPP loan before August 8, 2020. The first round of the PPP, which ran from March to August 2020, was a historic success helping 5.2 million small businesses keep 51 million American workers employed. Second Draw PPP Loans are for eligible small businesses with 300 employees or less, that previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will use or have used the full amount only for authorized uses, and that can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020. The maximum amount of a Second Draw PPP loan is $2 million. Updated PPP Lender forms, guidance, and resources are available at www.sba.gov/ppp and www.treasury.gov/cares. Biewer Lumber Opening New Sawmill in Winona, Creating 150 Jobs Biewer Lumber is constructing a new, state-of-the-art sawmill in Winona, Mississippi. The project is a $130 million investment and will create 150 jobs. “The growth of companies like Biewer Lumber in Mississippi sends a strong message that our state has a supportive business environment and a skilled workforce,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “Biewer Lumber’s construction and expansion of the sawmill in Newton and now the construction of a new sawmill in Winona and the creation of these jobs is a testament to that fact.” Biewer Lumber is a family owned company headquartered in St. Clair, Michigan. The company operates five sawmills: two in Michigan, two in Wisconsin and one in Newton, Mississippi. “My family’s passion for the lumber industry has prompted this expansion in the South,” said Tim Biewer, president and CEO of the company. “There is no better place to grow the business than the fiber-rich state of Mississippi.” The facility in Newton was built in 2016, and the company expanded in 2019, increasing its mill production by 100 million board feet per year and creating 45 jobs. The sawmill now has 175 employees, operates two saw lines and produces 350 million board feet per year. The sawmill in Winona will have the ability to produce 350 million board feet of lumber per year. MDA is providing an Industry Incentive grant to assist with road infrastructure and rail and site prep. MDA also is providing a CAP loan to Montgomery County to assist with public infrastructure. The company also qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate program, which provides a cash rebate to eligible businesses that create new jobs exceeding the average annual wage of the state or the county in which the company locates. Montgomery County is providing a fee-in-lieu of property taxes. “Montgomery County is proud to welcome Biewer Lumber to our community, and we look forward to watching the company grow and thrive in the years to come,” said Ron Wood, president of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. “A development of this magnitude will not only generate a great deal of new revenue and 150 new jobs for Montgomery County, but it will highlight the county as a premier location for future developments, especially with its central location, three major transportation corridors, and leadership committed to making Montgomery County an ideal locale to do business.” Sue Stidham, director of the Montgomery County Economic Development Council, said the new sawmill will benefit the entire area. “We are proud and grateful to welcome a new company and citizen to our community, Biewer Lumber,” she said. “The jobs they bring will fill a need in Montgomery County as well as the surrounding counties. We thank the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, the mayor and city of Winona and the Economic Development District and Council for making this a joint effort with the state of Mississippi.” “Just a few short years after opening its first sawmill in Mississippi, Biewer Lumber already is constructing another facility, one that will provide good jobs to the citizens of Montgomery County,” MDA Interim Director John Rounsaville said. “This new sawmill illustrates Biewer Lumber’s commitment to creating jobs in Mississippi and building stronger communities here. We appreciate the efforts of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, the Economic Development Partnership of Montgomery County, Entergy and Atmos Gas in making this possible.”  Click here for more information. Greater Owensboro Chamber: Upcoming Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A with GRDHD Director Clay Horton  On Thursday, January 21 at 2:30 p.m. we will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Update webinar with Clay Horton, Director of the Green River District Health Department. It will address many of the questions surrounding the vaccine's availability, distribution, and effectiveness. The webinar will be hosted via Zoom.  Horton previously led a COVID-19 Protocol webinar with us in November, which you can view now on our YouTube channel.  Register Now to Join via Zoom  Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps, Apps, Quarterly Magazines, Digital Directory Sales and Community Profiles: The no cost, no risk best Chamber Publishing Partner in the USA! 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 or email John Dussman with the subject line: Chamber Publication Proposal Requested. Thank you!