Chamber Issue: $15 an Hour passes the Illinois Senate: Letter from the Illinois Chamber
Dear Illinois
Businesses,
First off, THANK YOU
for contacting your state Senator and voicing your concern to the proposed
minimum wage hike. We heard from Senators that the volume of constituent
outreach from the business community was overwhelming.
However, the Illinois Senate just passed SB 1 (Lifghtford/Guzzardi), a bill to increase the
state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 and $13 for those under 18 by 2025.
The bill passed today also includes a complex payroll deduction tax credit for
employers of 50 or fewer employees and retains the tip credit for restaurants.
Unfortunately, the Senate did not grant the business community’s
request of a proposed geographical minimum wage that would soften the blow to
suburban and downstate communities.
Next Steps: Given today’s action in the Senate, the bill now
heads over to the House for their turn to vote or amend the bill. The House can
vote as early as next week on this proposal. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU FOCUS
YOUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS ON YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES TODAY AND TELL THEM TO VOTE
NO ON ANY MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE EMPLOYER
PROTECTIONS.
Our grassroots action
letter now shifts the attention to members of the Illinois House of
Representatives. You can send a quick letter here or by sharing this link: ilchamberaction.org/engage/15minimumwage . It is also important to follow up your
letter with a call to their district or Springfield office.
We'll be in touch with
any developments next week.
Thanks,
Tyler Diers
Director of
Legislative Relations
Illinois Chamber of
Commerce
#BestChamber practices: Ribbon cutting event: Make the most of it
Whenever you get information from your chamber customer for a ribbon cutting (name address, phone number, time of event, etc.), ask this GREAT question at the end:
Please recommend two businesses that you think would benefit from being in the chamber:
Very smart, and the chamber from Florida that came up with this idea said it accounts for 35 members a year.
New Richmond Chamber annual dinner and awards gala set
Newly merged Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias discusses future
A newly-merged chamber of commerce’s members learned more Thursday about new programs and new committees that will be serving businesses in Mercer County and Tazewell County, Va.
In December 2018, the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater-Bluefield Chamber of Commerce merged to become the new Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias. The new countywide chamber is keeping the former chambers’ Bluefield and Princeton offices. Members had the opportunity Thursday to visits the downtown Bluefield office and the offices in Princeton’s McNutt House to learn more about how the new chamber is being organized.
Joshua Cline, who is the merged chamber’s president and CEO, said the meetings were an open forum where members could relax and talk about the upcoming year and 2019 membership. The Chamber of the Two Virginias now has an information packet including a tentative calendar of events, new committees, and new offering to the chamber’s members.
For example, the new Ambassadors Club will allow the new chamber’s past chairs of the board of directors to continue working on its projects, Cline said. This organization will be under the Executive Division.
Another new division is the Community Engagement Division. Cline said this division was created by combining the Special Projects and Community Life Divisions of the former chambers. This division’s volunteers will focus on the community calendar, the Mountain Festival, Autumnfest, lemonade promotions, baseball nights, Shrimpfest and the the Chamber Classic Golf Tournament. The new Business & Professional Development Division will focus on the Bluefield Coal Show, business expositions, Women’s Extravaganza, technical events, and the Young Professionals Network.
Cline said there is also a subcommittee on education under the new chamber’s Education Division.
“We really want to connect with our education partners in K-12, technical education and higher education,” Cline stated. “We want to connect them to our businesses that are members of the chamber.”
Cline said the “biggest thing” for the West Virginia members is access to a health insurance plan that is being sold by local agents. Members can also now decide how much they want to invest in the chamber. In the past, what level of membership a business could have was based on the number of employees. Now members can select their level of participation. The levels range from Primary for $225 to Premier for $2,500. With each level comes more access to chamber services, according to the new chamber’s information packet. Read more: Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce 2018-2019 Business Directory and Resource Guide
The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce 2018-2019 Business Directory and Resource Guide is available at the Virginia Peninsula Chamber today! Thanks to Bob McKenna, Suzy Johnson and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) 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 at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
Whitney Waara: Small business is a big deal in northwest Michigan
Some things can’t be said or emphasized often enough. One of them is the importance of small business to Northwest Michigan’s economy.
The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce 15 years ago launched the annual Small Business Celebration to recognize, underscore and thank our small business sector for its role in powering our region’s economic engine. The events and resulting awards allow us to put our local entrepreneurs front and center as we celebrate their creativity, grit, dedication, and the enormous impact that thousands of small businesses play in growing business and building community.
Businesses like Superior Physical Therapy owned by Dr. Andrew Gorecki. Like many entrepreneurs, he forged the business based on his own life experiences, learning what did — and didn’t — work for him to heal from a back injury. His business is dedicated to meet a growing demand for natural solutions to pain without medications, injections or surgeries. The business was strong and had a great team. Then, in 2018, Superior Physical Therapy was honored with the Chamber’s Hagerty Small Business of the Year Award.
Dr. Gorecki cites the award as the driver to boosting his business by more than 30 percent in less than a year. It has opened new doors and opportunities for his company. “I think the biggest impact it’s had on our business is that it’s really boosted the culture and morale of our staff,” Gorecki said. “Everyone is really proud of it.”
Why does the Chamber invest so much time and effort in highlighting small business? The numbers tell the story. According to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than 9 in 10 businesses in Michigan are classified as small businesses, and they employ about half the state’s workforce, totaling some 1.8 million workers. In Grand Traverse County, almost 70 percent of the county’s workforce is employed by small business, and that number is even higher in Leelanau, Antrim and Kalkaska.
Over the years, the Chamber has honored a wide range of businesses with its Hagerty Small Business of the Year award — service providers, medical professionals, small manufacturers — even a member-owned cooperative. Last year we added two new categories to highlight a wider spectrum of participants, including an Emerging Business Award to recognize micro businesses and start-ups, and a Summit Award focused on stable, high-impact local companies of up to 75 employees. The original Hagerty Small Business of the Year Award is centered on businesses with strong revenue an employee growth and demonstrated community involvement.
The Small Business Celebration continues to gain momentum thanks to the strong support from our program and media sponsors. The three primary sponsors — Priority Health, Northwestern Michigan College and Hagerty — are too large to even qualify for these awards. But they all understand the importance of small businesses to our region’s economic health and quality of life, and they are eager to support the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who will help grow and build our region.
The SBC media sponsors at the Record-Eagle, NewsTalk 580 and 9&10 News also have strengthened the competition by contributing invaluable media access and advertising/marketing services to help these companies tell their story and continue to grow.
We encourage everyone to be part of this year’s Small Business Celebration. Anyone can nominate a business, and members of the public are welcome to join in the events that showcase these businesses in the coming months. Read more: Record-Eagle
Whitney Waara is Executive Director at the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at whitney@tcchamber.org.
Vicksburg Plant Food plans $20M expansion, 20 new jobs
ECDC and the Rush County Chamber of Commerce to host workshop
The Rush County Economic and Community Development Corporation (ECDC) and Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a marketing workshop from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
“The purpose of these workshops is to help our small businesses become more attuned to marketing strategies and develop a stronger presence on social media,” Executive Director of the ECDC John McCane said. “We have great partners in the Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center. We will continue to hold workshops quarterly.”
The 2-hour Marketing: Basics for Your Business Success workshop will be held at the ECDC building, which is located at 210 U.S. 52 in Rushville.
The event is free and open to the general public. Those who want to attend should pre-register by Monday, Jan. 28, at www.ecisbdc.org.
The workshop is sponsored by the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center and funded in part through an agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The meeting will help business owners get their marketing programs on track to increase sales and improve their bottom line. It will also help owners understand the benefits of creating a marketing plan for their business and define marketing goals.
The workshop will also help businesses create a marketing calendar for the 2019 and beyond.
NKY Chamber sets annual legislative ‘Day in Frankfort’ for March 5; sign up in advance
#BestChamber practices: Ribbon cutting event: Make the most of it
Whenever you get information from your chamber customer for a ribbon cutting (name address, phone number, time of event, etc.), ask this GREAT question at the end:
Please recommend two businesses that you think would benefit from being in the chamber:
Very smart, and the chamber from Florida that came up with this idea said it accounts for 35 members a year.
New Richmond Chamber annual dinner and awards gala set
The New Richmond Citizen of the Year, along with a half dozen business and chamber awards, will be announced at the 2019 New Richmond Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner and Awards Gala at R and D Catering Wednesday, Jan. 30. The decorating theme this year is the Super Heroes.
The event, which annually draws more than 400 people, is the chamber's largest fundraising event of the year. In addition to a wine and spirits raffle, a silent auction, the legendary cake auction will again be part of the evening's festivities. As an added convenience for attendees, valet parking will be available.
New Richmond Chamber Executive Director Rob Kreibich said a major announcement will be made at the annual meeting about an upcoming spring event that could be "the largest ever" held in New Richmond and involves the state's most beloved sports team.
"The annual dinner is always a fun, festive event, but this year will be extra special with the big announcement pending and also the banner year the chamber enjoyed in 2018 that included 72 new members, record event attendance and WCCO TV coverage of New Richmond's favorable business climate," Kreibich said. "We are nearing our goal of 400 chamber members, a huge feat for a community under 10,000 residents."
Social hour, with complimentary hors d' oeuvres, takes place from 4:30-6 p.m., followed by dinner and a short program that will conclude by 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $45. A limited number of sponsorships remain. For more information or to get tickets or sponsorships, contact the NR Chamber at info@newrichmondchamber.com or call 715-246-2900. The event is open to the public. Read more: New Richmond News
The event, which annually draws more than 400 people, is the chamber's largest fundraising event of the year. In addition to a wine and spirits raffle, a silent auction, the legendary cake auction will again be part of the evening's festivities. As an added convenience for attendees, valet parking will be available.
New Richmond Chamber Executive Director Rob Kreibich said a major announcement will be made at the annual meeting about an upcoming spring event that could be "the largest ever" held in New Richmond and involves the state's most beloved sports team.
"The annual dinner is always a fun, festive event, but this year will be extra special with the big announcement pending and also the banner year the chamber enjoyed in 2018 that included 72 new members, record event attendance and WCCO TV coverage of New Richmond's favorable business climate," Kreibich said. "We are nearing our goal of 400 chamber members, a huge feat for a community under 10,000 residents."
Social hour, with complimentary hors d' oeuvres, takes place from 4:30-6 p.m., followed by dinner and a short program that will conclude by 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $45. A limited number of sponsorships remain. For more information or to get tickets or sponsorships, contact the NR Chamber at info@newrichmondchamber.com or call 715-246-2900. The event is open to the public. Read more: New Richmond News
Newly merged Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias discusses future
A newly-merged chamber of commerce’s members learned more Thursday about new programs and new committees that will be serving businesses in Mercer County and Tazewell County, Va.
In December 2018, the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater-Bluefield Chamber of Commerce merged to become the new Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias. The new countywide chamber is keeping the former chambers’ Bluefield and Princeton offices. Members had the opportunity Thursday to visits the downtown Bluefield office and the offices in Princeton’s McNutt House to learn more about how the new chamber is being organized.
Joshua Cline, who is the merged chamber’s president and CEO, said the meetings were an open forum where members could relax and talk about the upcoming year and 2019 membership. The Chamber of the Two Virginias now has an information packet including a tentative calendar of events, new committees, and new offering to the chamber’s members.
For example, the new Ambassadors Club will allow the new chamber’s past chairs of the board of directors to continue working on its projects, Cline said. This organization will be under the Executive Division.
Another new division is the Community Engagement Division. Cline said this division was created by combining the Special Projects and Community Life Divisions of the former chambers. This division’s volunteers will focus on the community calendar, the Mountain Festival, Autumnfest, lemonade promotions, baseball nights, Shrimpfest and the the Chamber Classic Golf Tournament. The new Business & Professional Development Division will focus on the Bluefield Coal Show, business expositions, Women’s Extravaganza, technical events, and the Young Professionals Network.
Cline said there is also a subcommittee on education under the new chamber’s Education Division.
“We really want to connect with our education partners in K-12, technical education and higher education,” Cline stated. “We want to connect them to our businesses that are members of the chamber.”
Cline said the “biggest thing” for the West Virginia members is access to a health insurance plan that is being sold by local agents. Members can also now decide how much they want to invest in the chamber. In the past, what level of membership a business could have was based on the number of employees. Now members can select their level of participation. The levels range from Primary for $225 to Premier for $2,500. With each level comes more access to chamber services, according to the new chamber’s information packet. Read more: Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce 2018-2019 Business Directory and Resource Guide
The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce 2018-2019 Business Directory and Resource Guide is available at the Virginia Peninsula Chamber today! Thanks to Bob McKenna, Suzy Johnson and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) 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 at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
Whitney Waara: Small business is a big deal in northwest Michigan
Some things can’t be said or emphasized often enough. One of them is the importance of small business to Northwest Michigan’s economy.
The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce 15 years ago launched the annual Small Business Celebration to recognize, underscore and thank our small business sector for its role in powering our region’s economic engine. The events and resulting awards allow us to put our local entrepreneurs front and center as we celebrate their creativity, grit, dedication, and the enormous impact that thousands of small businesses play in growing business and building community.
Businesses like Superior Physical Therapy owned by Dr. Andrew Gorecki. Like many entrepreneurs, he forged the business based on his own life experiences, learning what did — and didn’t — work for him to heal from a back injury. His business is dedicated to meet a growing demand for natural solutions to pain without medications, injections or surgeries. The business was strong and had a great team. Then, in 2018, Superior Physical Therapy was honored with the Chamber’s Hagerty Small Business of the Year Award.
Dr. Gorecki cites the award as the driver to boosting his business by more than 30 percent in less than a year. It has opened new doors and opportunities for his company. “I think the biggest impact it’s had on our business is that it’s really boosted the culture and morale of our staff,” Gorecki said. “Everyone is really proud of it.”
Why does the Chamber invest so much time and effort in highlighting small business? The numbers tell the story. According to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than 9 in 10 businesses in Michigan are classified as small businesses, and they employ about half the state’s workforce, totaling some 1.8 million workers. In Grand Traverse County, almost 70 percent of the county’s workforce is employed by small business, and that number is even higher in Leelanau, Antrim and Kalkaska.
Over the years, the Chamber has honored a wide range of businesses with its Hagerty Small Business of the Year award — service providers, medical professionals, small manufacturers — even a member-owned cooperative. Last year we added two new categories to highlight a wider spectrum of participants, including an Emerging Business Award to recognize micro businesses and start-ups, and a Summit Award focused on stable, high-impact local companies of up to 75 employees. The original Hagerty Small Business of the Year Award is centered on businesses with strong revenue an employee growth and demonstrated community involvement.
The Small Business Celebration continues to gain momentum thanks to the strong support from our program and media sponsors. The three primary sponsors — Priority Health, Northwestern Michigan College and Hagerty — are too large to even qualify for these awards. But they all understand the importance of small businesses to our region’s economic health and quality of life, and they are eager to support the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who will help grow and build our region.
The SBC media sponsors at the Record-Eagle, NewsTalk 580 and 9&10 News also have strengthened the competition by contributing invaluable media access and advertising/marketing services to help these companies tell their story and continue to grow.
We encourage everyone to be part of this year’s Small Business Celebration. Anyone can nominate a business, and members of the public are welcome to join in the events that showcase these businesses in the coming months. Read more: Record-Eagle
Whitney Waara is Executive Director at the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at whitney@tcchamber.org.
Vicksburg Plant Food plans $20M expansion, 20 new jobs
ECDC and the Rush County Chamber of Commerce to host workshop
The Rush County Economic and Community Development Corporation (ECDC) and Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a marketing workshop from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
“The purpose of these workshops is to help our small businesses become more attuned to marketing strategies and develop a stronger presence on social media,” Executive Director of the ECDC John McCane said. “We have great partners in the Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center. We will continue to hold workshops quarterly.”
The 2-hour Marketing: Basics for Your Business Success workshop will be held at the ECDC building, which is located at 210 U.S. 52 in Rushville.
The event is free and open to the general public. Those who want to attend should pre-register by Monday, Jan. 28, at www.ecisbdc.org.
The workshop is sponsored by the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center and funded in part through an agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The meeting will help business owners get their marketing programs on track to increase sales and improve their bottom line. It will also help owners understand the benefits of creating a marketing plan for their business and define marketing goals.
The workshop will also help businesses create a marketing calendar for the 2019 and beyond.
NKY Chamber sets annual legislative ‘Day in Frankfort’ for March 5; sign up in advance
On Tuesday, March 5, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) will host “Day in Frankfort,” an annual event that brings constituents and elected officials together at the Capitol Annex (701 Capitol Ave., Frankfort) in Frankfort to discuss legislative priorities.
The daylong event will begin with light breakfast at the NKY Chamber offices, with bus departure at 8:15 a.m. Over the course of the day attendees will have the opportunity to meet with legislative leadership and members of the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus to advocate for issues critical to economic development and business growth in Northern Kentucky.
Attendees will return to the NKY Chamber around 5 p.m.
“Traveling to our state’s capital with business leaders is a critical component to our overall legislative strategy,” said NKY Chamber Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Kristin Baldwin.
“Advocating in person with top legislative leaders on our legislative priorities, including workforce, transportation, healthcare, and education, is something we look forward to doing every year during this event.”
Registration for “Day in Frankfort” is $55 for NKY Chamber members, $75 for future NKY Chamber members, $50 for NKYP Passport holders and includes transportation to and from Frankfort, light breakfast, and legislative luncheon with members of the General Assembly.
For additional information, and to register, visit this website. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.
Sponsors for “Day in Frankfort” include Title Sponsor Charter Communications, Premier Sponsors Delta and Duke Energy, and Supporting Sponsor First Financial Bank. Read more: Northern Kentucky Tribune
The daylong event will begin with light breakfast at the NKY Chamber offices, with bus departure at 8:15 a.m. Over the course of the day attendees will have the opportunity to meet with legislative leadership and members of the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus to advocate for issues critical to economic development and business growth in Northern Kentucky.
Attendees will return to the NKY Chamber around 5 p.m.
“Traveling to our state’s capital with business leaders is a critical component to our overall legislative strategy,” said NKY Chamber Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Kristin Baldwin.
“Advocating in person with top legislative leaders on our legislative priorities, including workforce, transportation, healthcare, and education, is something we look forward to doing every year during this event.”
Registration for “Day in Frankfort” is $55 for NKY Chamber members, $75 for future NKY Chamber members, $50 for NKYP Passport holders and includes transportation to and from Frankfort, light breakfast, and legislative luncheon with members of the General Assembly.
For additional information, and to register, visit this website. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.
Sponsors for “Day in Frankfort” include Title Sponsor Charter Communications, Premier Sponsors Delta and Duke Energy, and Supporting Sponsor First Financial Bank. Read more: Northern Kentucky Tribune
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
