Indiana Chamber Seeks 'Best Places to Work' Applications; Chamber event: Oklahoma Governor Visits Grove; Michigan state leaders, academics to speak on economy; Minocqua Wisconsin Chamber names new director; Danville Chamber EDP staff receives scholarships totaling more than $2,700; Kansas communities, Lucas Area Chamber, individuals honored at Day of PRIDE; Nebraska DOL, U.S. Chamber: Hiring Our Heroes Fair set for Aug. 5; AT&T Announces Upgrade To 4G LTE, Donates To Ste. Genevieve’s Banner Project; Forest City Tractor Ride Set; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Leadership) Peter Drucker

Indiana Chamber Seeks 'Best Places to Work'

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the state’s annual competition naming the “Best Places to Work in Indiana.” In its 10th 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 Thursday, November 21. To apply, visit www.bestplacestoworkIN.com. 

Chamber event: Oklahoma Governor Visits Grove

The governor focused on how business is booming in the city. She says unemployment in Grove is only 4.5%. That's mainly because since 2011, 212 jobs have been added in the city and 5 billion in new investments have been added in the area. She says the growth is widely due to pro-growth and pro-business environment throughout the state. Read more: FourStatesHomePage.com

Michigan state leaders, academics to speak on economy

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Cato Institute Senior Fellow Michael Tanner and Michigan Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Richard Studley will join Northwood University economics faculty member Timothy Nash this coming weekend at Bay Harbor for a panel presentation analyzing the state and national economies.

The panelists will speak as part of a Northwood University Bay Harbor Policy Forum, "The Michigan and U.S. Economies: The Road Ahead," from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club, 4300 Vista Drive. The event is open to the public, with free admission. Rea more: PetoskeyNews.com

Minocqua Wisconsin Chamber names new director

The Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce will welcome a new executive director later this month. Krystal Westfahl will start at the chamber August 21st. She'll replace Kim Baltus who left to join the Howard Young Foundation. More information: WJFW Newswatch 12

Danville/Boyle County Chamber, EDP staff receives scholarships totaling more than $2,700

Three Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership staff members have received scholarships to attend various professional development opportunities.

Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jennifer Kirchner, Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paula Fowler, and EDP Communications Director Kasey Hill received scholarships totaling more than $2,700. Read more: The Advocate Messenger

Kansas communities, Lucas Area Chamber, individuals honored at Day of PRIDE

Improving a school playground or updating an aging downtown can be expensive, daunting tasks, especially in small communities with limited resources. But some Kansas towns have completed such projects and more. For their efforts, several communities and individuals have been honored with 2014 PRIDE Capital, Community Partners or Communities of Excellence awards.

The awards, given by the Kansas PRIDE program, http://www.kansasprideprogram.ksu.edu, were presented during Day of PRIDE 2014 events, held June 14 in Larned and Humboldt. The program is a partnership of K-State Research and Extension, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Read More: High Plains - Midwest Ag Journal

Nebraska DOL, U.S. Chamber: Hiring Our Heroes Fair set for Aug. 5

The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska National Guard and other sponsors to offer a Hiring Our Heroes Fair for veterans and spouses Tuesday, Aug. 5 at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte, 2102 South Jeffers Street. The hiring fair will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with an employment workshop at 8:30 a.m.

“All across the state, employers continue to present a wide range of career opportunities to Nebraska veterans,” said John H. Albin, Acting Commissioner of Labor. Read more: Syracuse Journal Democrat

AT&T Announces Upgrade To 4G LTE, Donates To Ste. Genevieve’s Banner Project

AT&T Missouri President John Sondag and Regional Director for External Affairs Craig Felzein last Friday announced the expansion of the 4G LTE network in Ste. Genevieve County. Sondag said the boost for 10 towers will offer faster service on those with LTE mobile devices in Ste. Genevieve, Coffman, Ozora, Lawrenceton, Bloomsdale, New Offenburg, McBride and Weingarten. By the end of 2014, every cell tower in Missouri is expected to be upgraded to 4G LTE. Read more: St. Genevieve Herald

Forest City Tractor Ride Set

The Forest City Chamber of Commerce and Heritage Park of North Iowa are sponsoring a tractor ride through North Iowa on Saturday, Aug. 9. The ride will start and end at Heritage Park in Forest City. The ride includes breakfast in Leland, a stop for a tour of Larson Manufacturing in Lake Mills, lunch in Scarville and an afternoon break at Winnebago Lutheran Church. The ride starts at 7:30 a.m. should end between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Read more: GlobeGazette.com

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Leadership)

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ~ Peter Drucker

- Forbes 50

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Kent Oyler Named President & CEO of Greater Louisville Inc.; AT&T's Paul La Schiazza to head Chicagoland Chamber board; Michigan Court of Appeals "Officer Liability" Ruling a Huge Victory for Taxpayers; Indiana State Chamber president says improving education still the top priority for the future; "Reaching Out to You" in Kansas City: A Small Business Workshop Hosted by SBA, FDIC and UFSC; Oklahoma Governor Fallin Signs Gross Production Compromise; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation (Leadership):

Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) announced... that Kent Oyler will become the business leadership organization’s new President & CEO, effective June 1.  Oyler most recently served as managing partner of OPM Services, Inc., a financial-services and investment firm and has founded or co-founded over 18 other businesses, including High Speed Access Corp., a broadband service provider. 
 “We had many strong candidates from both the private and nonprofit sectors. Kent Oyler was the ideal choice.” said Kerry Stemler, President, K.M. Stemler Company, Inc., and Chair of Greater Louisville Inc.’s Board of Directors.  “With Kent in place GLI is positioned to move forward and chart a new course of action for a truly regional approach to driving business growth and economic prosperity.” Read more: Greater Louisville Inc.

AT&T's Paul La Schiazza to head Chicagoland Chamber board

Paul La Schiazza, president of AT&T Illinois, will be named the new board chair of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce next week. He replaces PNC Bank Regional President Scott Swanson, whose term is wrapping up. The chamber's staff is headed by CEO Theresa Mintle. Read more: Crains Chicago Business

 

Michigan Court of Appeals "Officer Liability" Ruling a Huge Victory for Taxpayers

We are pleased to report that last week the Michigan Court of Appeals stood up for taxpayers by finding that the Michigan Department of Treasury had wrongly accused the widow of a corporate officer as being a tax evader. In Deena Shotwell v Department of Treasury, the Court recognized that the widow, upon the death of her husband, did not assume the role of corporate officer of her deceased husband's company despite Treasury’s allegation that she had. Read more: Michigan Chamber of Commerce Capitol Report

Indiana State Chamber president says improving education still the top priority for the future

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has never seen a session of the General Assembly that treated it better: More than 40 bills it supported were enacted, but none that it opposed became law, said the group’s president. But there’s still an enormous amount of work to do in state government to improve the state’s economic standing, said Kevin Brinegar, president and CEO of the Chamber.Read more: Fort Wayne News-Sentinel

 
"Reaching Out to You" in Kansas City: A Small Business Workshop Hosted by SBA, FDIC and UFSC
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Urban Financial Services Coalition (USFC) will host a small business workshop – “Reaching Out to You” on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street, Ste. 100, Kansas City, Missouri 64112 from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

This workshop is designed to promote community development by educating entrepreneurs to  resources that assist in starting, growing or expanding a business.   

The event will feature an expert panel on entrepreneurial resources, a credit report room (a valid ID will be required to visit the credit report room), as well as networking opportunities with SBA, SCORE, Women’s Business Center, Small Business Development Center and several other local business organizations and financial institutions.

This event is free and open to the public.  Registration is required. Please register by close of business Monday, June 23, 2014 by e-mailing ecaughey@fdic.gov.  Please include your first and last name, organization name and contact information.

Oklahoma Governor Fallin Signs Gross Production Compromise

The State Chamber of Oklahoma would like to thank Governor Mary Fallin for signing House Bill 2562 today, helping ensure Oklahoma’s economic future.  The bill, which sets a permanent, across-the-board gross production tax rate starting in July of 2015, provides certainty for one of the state’s leading job producing industries. Read more: State Chamber of Oklahoma

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotation (Leadership): 

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Forbes 16/50