Attorney General Schuette talks Michigan's future at Midland Chamber's annual meeting
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette emphasized the importance of jobs, safety and education for the future of Michigan during an address this morning at the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce’s 76th annual meeting.
“Michigan’s tomorrows can be better and brighter and safer than ever before,” Schuette said.
To make that happen, leaders need to address inequalities in each of those three areas, he said.
Schuette said the states with the most jobs are those where taxes are lowest. He said Michigan needs to be at the top of the pack for job creation.
Safety also matters, he said.
“Everybody needs to have safety in their streets, schools and neighborhoods,” Schuette said, regardless of where they live.
Schuette stated the safety equation is solved through more cops and tougher laws. Read more: Midland Daily News
Chamber pride: Leadership Lake Cumberland graduates 26 students
After 9 months of hands-on learning, 26 local leaders have graduated from the 2013 Leadership Lake Cumberland Class.
Facilitated by the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lake Cumberland (LLC) is designed to take community leaders on a nine month journey learning more about themselves, expanding their professional and social networks, developing an understanding of how our community works and examining important issues that impact Pulaski County’s future.
The goal of LLC is to identify, motivate and develop potential community leaders. Through this charge, LLC has graduated over 500 individuals since its inception. The list of past graduates is full of community leaders who serve on various boards and committees throughout the Somerset-Pulaski County area.
“The Chamber is proud to present the 2014 LLC graduating class, one of our signature programs for the past 20 years,” said Bobby Clue, Executive Director of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce. “The graduates have put in time, energy and effort to develop their leadership skills by going through the LLC program and are now prepared to serve our community.” Read more: Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce
Chamber interest: Special Report: Recruiting Young Professionals to Central Wisconsin
To stay or to move? Its a question many Central and Northcentral Wisconsin natives face as they graduate from college or job training. While many believe that larger cities offer more opportunities when growing a career, several local organizations and businesses are beginning a renewed effort to show young professionals the advantages of remaining close to home
.Professional photographer Emily Voss, 23, knows firsthand what positives can come with starting a career in Central Wisconsin. The Wausau West High School graduate has lived all around the country, including in New York City and Alaska. However, when the time came to open her own photography studio, she decided the best move both professionally and personally was to return to her hometown.
“Starting off in a big city at my young age would have been extraordinarily difficult. Wausau has been an amazingly supportive community.” says Voss.
The opportunity to have success
as an entrepreneur is something Voss says played a substantial role in her decision to return to the area.“I think I was able to get my name out more in the Wausau area just having grown up here. Then, I have just had so much support from community members.” Voss says.
It is entrepreneurial spirits like Emily’s that Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce CEO Aaron Kapellusch says they want to highlight. He believes that sending a message that Wausau is a great community to foster small business
development is something that can set it apart from larger cities around the nation. Read more: WSAW TV 7Valpo chamber hosts 400 at Annual Meeting
On
January 28, the Valpo Chamber hosted its Annual Meeting with 400
business professionals and community members at Valparaiso University's
Harre Union.
At the event, sponsored by Porter Health Care System,
the Valpo Chamber celebrated its successses of 2014
and recognized Charles Conover and David Lain for their contributions to
the residents of Porter County and their leadership example throughout
their service as public officials. Mayor Jon Costas followed the
recognition with the presentation of his "State of the City" address. Click here to read The Times coverage of the Annual Meeting.
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce honors business leaders
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce honored area business leaders for their successes, entrepreneurial spirit and community commitment during its annual awards banquet and gala Friday.
The winners are:
Marstel–Day/Stafford Printing Green Frontier Award:
Silver Ridge Farm, a Virginia Century Farm and a Virginia Clean Water
Farm in southern Stafford County, has a no-till, crop-cover system that
enhances soil and makes it more drought resistant, as well as cutting
erosion and chemical runoff.
In 2013, the Silver family worked
with Stafford to place 88 acres of historic, environmentally sensitive
land into a perpetual conservation easement. Silver Ridge also has taken
steps to prevent surface water contamination by its livestock
operations, and runs a recycling operation.
Entrepreneur of the Year:
Billie Armstrong, founder and owner of Salon 730, was recognized for
successfully planning and executing a business proposal to fill a
regional economic niche. She founded Salon 730 five years ago to offer
women and men a complete line of hair and cosmetic services. Read more: Fredericksburg.com
Chamber Tweet of the Day: Virginia Chamber
Virginia Chamber @VAChamber
Chamber interest: Mississippi Main Street organization to tour areaChamber Tweet of the Day: Virginia Chamber
Virginia Chamber
View our bill tracking system, "Bills We're Watching" http://www.vachamber.com/advanceblueprint/2015/02/12/bills-watching-2-12-15/ …
Mississippi Main Street officials from across the Magnolia State will get a guided walking tour of the historic Hernando Square and other parts of one of the state's fastest growing cities today.
The Mississippi Main Street Association is holding its February board meeting in the City of Hernando for the very first time.
Guests are staying at the newly-opened Hampton Inn in Hernando.
The meeting will include a regular board meeting and lunch as well as a downtown walking tour at 1 p.m. led by Mayor Chip Johnson.
"I am excited to have this distinguished group of leaders from across Mississippi join us in Hernando," Johnson said. "I am hoping that they can take some of our ideas and spread them to other communities across the state while giving us their professional input so that Hernando can continue on the path of preserving and expanding our beautiful downtown area."
The City of Hernando has been a certified Mississippi Main Street community since 1997. Johnson is now in his second year serving on the Board for Mississippi Main Street Board.
"I'm honored to be on the Mississippi Main Street Board," Johnson added. "For them to hold their board meeting in Hernando will serve two purposes. We'll get to show off Hernando and all the great things that we have to offer. I want to walk those people around Hernando and get their advice. You can't beat advice, especially free advice. You are able to get a fresh look at your town through other's eyes. To have them put their eyes on Hernando will be great."
The Hernando Main Street Chamber of Commerce has been accredited as a National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Read more: Desoto Times Tribune
Best Practices: Bryant Chamber project provides information for city’s new residents, promotes ‘community’
For Rae Ann Fields, executive director of the Bryant Area Chamber of Commerce, “community” is more than a word found in the dictionary — more than the population of a town or its spirit at a Friday-night football game.To Fields, “community” is what the town does for its people to make them feel at home.
Fields, who is starting her 17th year with the chamber, moved to Bryant 30 years ago and has continued a nearly 20-year tradition of handing out welcome bags filled with information on local businesses and organizations to those who are new to the area.
Fields said the bags help the residents know they “are welcome.”
“When people come here from somewhere else, they have disrupted their buying habits and need to establish new patterns,” she said. “It’s important that we put them very quickly and comfortably with our business people, and it’s important to our businesses that they connect with these new people coming into town. We want everyone to get plugged in and give our local businesses a boost, too.”
However, newcomers are not the only ones who benefit from the welcome bags. See more: Arkansas Online
Chamber good news: Palatine (Illinois) leaders seeing signs of business recovery
Palatine business and village leaders say
there are signs of recovery among businesses in Palatine, despite
several large sites that remain unused.
Among the larger sites without
tenants are the two former Dominick's locations at 615 E. Dundee Road
and 720 W. Euclid Ave., the old Menards store at 1775 N. Rand Road, and
the Whole Foods and TJ Max Home Goods stores located at the Park Place
shopping complex at Rand and Dundee roads.
Mayor Jim Schwantz said there have been talks about new businesses going into those locations.
"I'm excited about the things on the horizon," Schwantz said. "But I've been excited before and things haven't happened."
Schwantz said there have been
times when projects are almost at the finish line before something on
the private side happens and they fall apart.
Schwantz said developers planning
on building anew at the old Anthem Grill restaurant at 704 W. Euclid
Ave. canceled their plans when the nearby Dominick's closed just a month
before they were to turn in their application to the village.
"So the things we do control, we
are doing as good as we can do them," Schwantz said. "We are providing
the best services in water, electricity, police and fire." Read more: Daily Herald
Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey
RULE
#52 Turn the phone off in every
meeting
