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

Chamber Releases Top Recommendations for K-12 Academic Standards; Social Media Checklist; 6 takeaways from Saginaw business talk with Lt. Gov. Brian Calley; 24th Annual Arkansas Small Business Awards Luncheon Set for May 1st; Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotes: Glenn Shepard

Indiana Chamber Releases Top Recommendations for K-12 Academic Standards

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has taken a comprehensive look at academic standards in the state and beyond, producing suggestions to help elevate Indiana’s well-regarded standards to an even higher level.Early this year, the Indiana Chamber commissioned a detailed comparison of Indiana’s current standards (approved in 2010) and previous standards along with those from Massachusetts – which added state-specific adjustments to the Common Core State Standards base – and from two states (Virginia and Texas) that did not adopt Common Core. Read More: Indiana Chamber

Social Media Checklist

Arkansas's Small Business and Technology Development Center's Small Business Social Media Checklist can help small business owners think through why and how to participate in social media.


6 Takeaways from Saginaw Chamber Business Talk with Lt. Gov. Brian Calley

The so-called “skills gap,” the role agriculture plays in the region's economy and manufacturing in Michigan were just a few of the topics Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Steve Arwood and select Saginaw business leaders discussed at the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce.
The panel of leaders Wednesday, April 9, included Herb Spence, president of Spence Brothers; Dick Garber, president of Garber Management Group; Dr. Samuel J. Shaheen, president of SSP Associates; Tim Hausbeck, president and chief executive officer of Hausbeck Pickle Co. Read more: M LIVE

24th Annual Arkansas Small Business Awards Luncheon Set for May 1st

The State Chamber/AIA will host the 24th Annual Arkansas Small Business Awards Luncheon from
11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 1st at the Holiday Inn Presidential in Little Rock. This event honors recipients of awards presented by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

If your company is interested in being a sponsor for the Small Business Awards Luncheon or for
more information, contact Jeff Thatcher at 501-210-4205 or
jthatcher@arkansasstatechamber.com. Read more: Arkansas State Chamber

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotes:

If You'd Wear It to the State Fair, Don't Wear It to Work

Glenn Shepard 

100 Companies selected as an Indiana 2014 Best Place To Work; Canton (Michigan) Chamber Unveils Business-Boosting Initiative

A record-tying 100 companies, including 27 new honorees from last year, have been selected as a 2014 Best Place to Work in Indiana, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce announced today. Actual rankings for the companies will be unveiled at a May 1 awards dinner, presented in partnership with Hylant, at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. See the list of 100 companies at Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Canton Chamber Unveils Business-Boosting Initiative

Moving to help companies boost their profits, improve employee morale and enhance customer service, the Canton Chamber of Commerce is sending area business executives back to school.
Building on last year’s inaugural four-session Institute of Business Development, chamber President Thomas Paden has announced the debut 200-level course, starting Feb. 25 at the Schoolcraft College

VisTaTech Center. Read more at the Observer & Eccentric