Loudoun County Chamber's Tony Howard Earns Statewide Recognition For Chamber Leadership
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony Howard is the 2015 Executive of the Year, as named by the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
The award was announced June 25 at the VACCE annual meeting in Roanoke.
The award not only recognized the Loudoun Chamber’s role as a business advocate, but also its success in growing membership. Last year, the Chamber’s roster grew by 19 percent, to more than 1,300 members, the highest membership total in over a decade. The VACCE also cited the Chamber’s BizVotes Election Education Campaign to increase the influence of businesses in local public policy and the issues that impact the overall quality of life.
“He began as the chief cook and bottle washer of a small—and financially troubled at the time of his hire—Chamber of Commerce in 2006,” noted Scott Hamberger, who served as Chamber chairman in 2014. “Since then the Chamber has grown to the second largest in Northern Virginia with a full time staff of 10, supporting 100 plus events per year and 14 permanent programs.”
Howard was lauded for playing an instrumental role in leading post-recession small business growth in Loudoun, successfully rallying support for the Dulles Metrorail expansion, and getting more non-profit organizations involved with the Chamber through the Non-Profit Initiative and the launch of the Connect Northern Virginia website. Read more: Leesburg Today
Greater Madison Chamber connection: Applications due for pitch contests
Entrepreneurs in the Madison area will have two chances to pitch their products and services at the Forward Festival, Aug. 20-27.Pressure Chamber, organized by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, will feature six startups vying for a chance to make a presentation to Silicon Valley investors. This will be the second year the Chamber is holding the event with an all-expenses-paid California trip as the prize.
Startup Showcase, presented by Capital Entrepreneurs and Accelerate Madison, will give another six young companies a chance to strut their stuff, and some past presenters will provide one-minute updates on their progress. Read more:Madison.com
Hancock County Chamber Good News: South Mississippi has seen millions of dollars of development so far this year; millions more to come
South Mississippi can boast two new casino hotel towers, a new minor league baseball stadium and several new restaurants and stores this year -- and we're only halfway through 2015.
The cranes are operating and the phones are ringing in cities across the Coast as developers look for new opportunities.
They abound. Only one miniature golf course has been operating in Biloxi since Hurricane Katrina, but two more will be opening this year. Banana's Mini Golf on Pass Road in East Gulfport is coming soon and a 36-hole championship course with an "erupting" volcano is part of the Scarlet Pearl Casino that will open in D'Iberville in December.
Other projects are equally captivating. Fishbone Alley promises to transform a rundown alley in Gulfport into a social hot
spot modeled after Printer's Alley in Nashville. A newly proposed festival boardwalk is envisioned along Restaurant Row in Biloxi, where The Salty Oyster eatery just opened at Shaggy's and two more restaurants, Baja Beach Biloxi and Spinnakers beach bar, will open soon.
Several hotels are under construction and grand plans for shopping centers are being discussed.
"It's nice to see things coming back," Biloxi Councilman Felix Gines said. "Developers are showing interest, especially in the downtown area. The baseball stadium was the cornerstone," he said, and he sees business growing there and expanding down the Coast.
It isn't just businesses that are returning. Homes are going up across the Coast and Gines said in Biloxi, "we're getting real close to our pre-Katrina numbers in residential."
David Parker, Gulfport's development director, keeps a list of major projects on his cell phone: the recently completed $58 million Island View Casino expansion; the $60 million expansion of Memorial Hospital at Gulfport; Anchor Plaza's four hotels; Centennial Plaza's three phases and the expansion of the SportsPlex to increase sports tourism.
"I've three times that many I can't talk about yet," he said.
Laurie Toups, who started work as Gulfport's Main Street director in January, said she immediately got to work with the economic-development department.
"We stay so busy," she said. There is no magic formula for attracting business and developers. "They contact us, we contact them," she said.
The Hatten Building, whose first floor will house TrustMark Bank, is completely renovated and Toups said the man who bought the old Cadillac building is ready to start a big renovation with two floors of commercial topped by two floors of residential.
Other commercial buildings are available downtown, she said, "although they're going fast."
In D'Iberville, construction in nearing an end on the Interstate 10/110 intersection, providing a network of roads leading to the Academy Sports and other new businesses coming to Sangani Boulevard.
Signs of a stronger economy are seen across the Coast in casino revenue and sales tax for the cities and the highest prices for home sales since 2009 -- and development is following. Salvetti's moved back to downtown Ocean Springs and although Salmagundi's gift shop closed, Poppy's gift shop and art gallery quickly opened on Washington Street.
The waterfront and downtown Bay St. Louis are booming as businesses return, festivals draw people to the town on weekends and Coast Transit Authority launches its new Bay Trolley.
Lulu's on Main just expanded in the former Maggie Mae's, Purple Banana is in a new building, and Tish Williams, director of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, said more restaurants are coming on the beach and one on Main Street. Read more: Sun Herald
Eagle River Area Chamber host: Miller & Krelle Win Professional Muskie Tournament Trail Qualifier In Eagle River
Despite a full field of 132 teams, a pair of local anglers won the second leg of the 2015 Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT), in Eagle River, Wisconsin. The Mercury Marine Summer Challenge, hosted by the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce, was held June 27-28 on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. Anglers were greeted by calm wind, sunny and warm weather conditions on Saturday before turning partly cloudy and breezy on Sunday.
Tim Miller of Sugar Camp, Wisconsin, and Brian Krelle of Eagle River caught three muskies up to 42 1/2 inches to win the tournament by a narrow margin of only 5 points. The pair used dark-colored BullDawgs and twitched the baits hard in and around thick patches of weeds in four feet of water or less. They earned the first place trophies and a check for $20,000.
In second place were Nate Osfer of Marathon City, Wisconsin, and Matt Raley of Minocqua, Wisconsin — who had won the PMTT qualifier in Eagle River in 2014. Osfer and Raley used Medussas in shallow weeds to catch three muskies up to 41 1/2 inches and won $5,000.
Placing third with three muskies to 37 1/2 inches were Dewey and Jonathon Stewart of Pawnee, Illinois, who used Rizzo Wiz spinners on weed edges and in the thickest weeds while keeping their boat in seven feet of water. Read more: Musky Hunter
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today applauded the Michigan Senate for their leadership in passing a comprehensive plan to fix Michigan's roads.
"Voters have been consistent that they want legislators to work together to fix the roads by reprioritizing state spending, raising any needed revenue through user fees, not general tax increases and ensuring that the tax dollars we send to Lansing to fix the roads are actually spent on the roads," noted Tricia Kinley, Senior Director of Tax & Regulatory Reform for the Michigan Chamber. "The Senate plan accomplishes all three."
"The Senate plan is a responsible solution to the road funding crisis," noted Jim Holcomb, Senior Vice President for Business Advocacy & General Counsel for the Michigan Chamber. "Under the plan passed by the Senate, it is estimated that Michigan drivers would pay about $7 more per month to fix the roads." Read more: Michigan Chamber
Oak Lawn Chamber Tees Up Annual Golf Outing
The Oak Lawn Chamber will hold its annual Golf Outing on Wednesday, July 15th , at Stony Creek Golf Course, 5850 W. 103rd Street. The Golf Outing is the chamber’s largest fundraiser.
This year’s chamber golf outing is sponsored by Standard Bank & Trust Co. The fee of $125 per person includes 18 holes of golf, lunch, dinner and drinks. Other packages include $80 for golf and lunch or $55 for dinner and drinks.
The chamber will offer miniature golf beginning at 4 p.m. The cost is $70 per person for miniature golf and dinner or $15 for miniature golf only.
Golf registration begins at 11 a.m., followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m., and a shot-gun start at 12:30 p.m.. An open bar will begin at the conclusion of golf followed by a buffet dinner.
Advance reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The outing will host a special and grand raffle.Read more: Patch.com
Paducah Chamber/McCracken County Youth L.E.A.D.
Click here for the 2014-2015 application!
#ChamberMonday - Famous Chamber of Commerce Thoughts & Facts:
“The United
States has over 7,000 chambers of all types…”
“Most of
them (chambers) divide up their activities in four or five main areas:
Government relations/lobbying, membership, communications, events and other
activities such as affinity programs (offering health insurance or other
products to members) or economic/tourism development.”
- Chris Mead, The Magicians of Main Street, America and its Chambers of Commerce from 1768-1945
