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Chamber of Commerce Daily News
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce Receives Rare 5-Star Accreditation
“I couldn’t be prouder of our incredible team,” said Tim Daman, president and CEO, LRCC. “This recognition is a true testament to the relentless dedication to our members and the mid-Michigan region. We’re always striving to do and be more for our community and create positive change, and this designation just proves that.”
The accreditation is valid for five years and the only program of its kind that recognizes chambers for their achievements in operations and programs.
Earlier this year, the LRCC completed a thorough self-review of its policies, organizational procedures and community involvement and submitted it to the U.S. Chamber. As a result, the LRCC achieved a perfect score in four categories – governance, human resources, communications and facilities. The organization was also recognized for providing professional development opportunities for its staff, as well as its advocacy and political action committee efforts, multiyear strategic plan and marketing and communication tactics.
Local chambers can be recognized as Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars or 5-Stars. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, which is a committee comprised of U.S. Chamber board members. Accredited chambers represent an elite status and only 3% of chambers in the nation.
“The LRCC earning the highest, 5-Star Accreditation shows that the organization serves as the voice of business in the Lansing region and is a bold leader that advocates for important issues, and continually drives change and economic growth,” said Patrick Dean, chair, LRCC Board of Directors. “It also demonstrates the LRCC’s impact on the region and how hard it works to help the business community grow and thrive daily.”
Oxford Nationally Recognized as Top Retiree Destination
Oxford has been selected as a top retirement destination by “Where to Retire,” the only magazine in America geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions. The city is profiled in the January/February 2020 issue, available nationwide now.
“Where to Retire” Editor Annette Fuller said Oxford possesses qualities important to today’s retirees.
“Galleries, eateries and an 1872 courthouse dot downtown’s Oxford Square, which also hosts a homegrown radio show. Area forests, lakes and golf courses provide outdoor activities and the town’s calendar is full of festivals as well as exhibitions and cultural events on the University of Mississippi campus. One must-see is the hubbub on Ole Miss game days when alumni, students and guests cheer together.“Greatness gathers in Oxford, from Ole Miss football to famous authors to restaurants touting James Beard Award-winning chefs,” Fuller said.
Rosie Vassallo serves as the Retiree Attraction Program Director at the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce. She said she and others at the Chamber love showing Oxford off to potential retiree settlers.
“New residents are constantly singing our praises to their friends and family which is a huge testament to our community. Oxford has been highlighted in over 90 different news commentaries, publications, and websites as one of the top retirement destinations in the country with an outstanding quality of life,” Vassallo said.
Vassallo said she only hopes to grow the retiree base, and thanks to the great partnership the Chamber has with Ole Miss, Oxford and Lafayette County have a lot to offer.
“Since the Retiree Attraction Program’s inception in 1993, the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, Inc. has been successful in attracting retiree households from across the country that now enjoy a cost of living well below the national average and tax abatements that make retirement in Oxford extremely attractive and affordable,” she said.
“We never made friends faster than we did here,” one retiree reported in the magazine. “This town is full of people like us.”
According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 700,000 Americans relocate to new towns in retirement each year.
Florida continues to reign as the No. 1 destination for retirement relocation, followed by Arizona, South Carolina and North Carolina. The most popular region is the Southeast, claiming eight of the 17 states showing increases in total net retiree migration. This research and the latest census data is detailed in “Where to Retire’s” four-part series on retirement relocation. Read more: HottyToddy.com
Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce Community Guide & Directory
The Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce Community Guide & Directory is available at the Pekin Area Chamber today! Thanks to Bill Fleming, Renna Hadsall, Manda Brown 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.
Cedarburg Chamber Event: Ladies Who Lead
Help the Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce celebrate local, female leadership, and inspire others to become leaders in our community.
Ladies Who Lead is proudly presented by U.S. Bank.
Entrepreneur Sponsors:
AdvocateAurora Health
11:30 a.m. Arrival
11:45 a.m. Lunch from Out & Out Catering
12:15 p.m. Keynote Speaker, Sara Meaney, Wisconsin State Tourism Secretary-Designee
12:45 p.m. Leadership Awards
honoring the following women:
Professional Services: Cori Rice Kaminsky, White Rice Advertising
Non-Profit: Julie Cosich Collins, Cedarburg Education Foundation
Retail: Laura Armstrong-Goss. Stacie Nowak, & Amanda Goss, Amish Craftsmen Guild
Restaurant/Hospitality: Wendy Porterfield, Washington House Inn
Cedarburg Legacy Award: Christy Mertes, City of Cedarburg
Professional Services: Cori Rice Kaminsky, White Rice Advertising
Non-Profit: Julie Cosich Collins, Cedarburg Education Foundation
Retail: Laura Armstrong-Goss. Stacie Nowak, & Amanda Goss, Amish Craftsmen Guild
Restaurant/Hospitality: Wendy Porterfield, Washington House Inn
Cedarburg Legacy Award: Christy Mertes, City of Cedarburg
Location:
Ozaukee Pavilion
W67 N890 Washington Avenue
Cedarburg
Date/Time Information:
Tuesday, February 18, 2020; 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Contact Information:
Lynn Neumann, Programs Coordinator
Fees/Admission: $30 per person or $300 for a reserved table of 8 with signage. R.S.V.P. to programs@cedarburg.org or (262) 377-5856 or register online at cedarburg.org by February 7.
Carbondale Chamber Seeks Nominations for Annual Awards
The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce is soliciting nominations for the annual awards to be presented at the organization's Annual Banquet, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020.
The Chamber will honor recipients in several categories, including:
Business of the Year which recognizes a Carbondale business which exemplifies excellence in growth, innovation, civic leadership, impact on the community and involvement in the Chamber of Commerce.
Regional Business of the Year to a Southern Illinois business that contributes significantly to the Carbondale community and the Southern Illinois region as a whole. Nominated businesses must be active in the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.
Business Leader of the Year, recognizing a Chamber business leader who best exemplifies the principles of business and community leadership through service to the community, respect for employees and dedication to customer service.
Citizen of the Year which honors an outstanding citizen who has made significant contributions outside of his/her chosen profession, not for personal gain. Nominees should reside in the Carbondale area. The nominee’s accomplishments or achievements must have been within the past five years and should have directly impacted on Carbondale.
Young Professional of the Year is awarded to a Carbondale Chamber of Commerce business leader who is 40 years old or younger who best exemplifies the principles of business and community leadership through service to the community, respect for employees, and dedication to customer service.
Nominations are being accepted from business leaders and the general public and can be made online at www.carbondalechamber.com. All nominations must be received by noon, Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Contact: Carbondale Chamber of Commerce
618-549-2146
The Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce Community Map
The Valparaiso Chamber Community Map is now available at the Valpo Chamber today! Thanks to Rex Richards, Danielle Oeding and Kurt Gillins and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Valparaiso Chamber map
Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community guide or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
James Gang robbery depicted in ornament
This year's ornament is of the James Gang Bank Robbery. This ornament is a numbered collector's edition. It follows up last year's Carrico Park Square. Other ornaments featured at the tourism office include the historic Logan County Courthouse and Duncan's Drug Store.
The ornaments are available for purchase at the tourism office located on the first floor in the historic Logan County Courthouse, Logan County Chamber of Commerce on the Russellville Square or the Russelville branch of Lewisburg Bank. For more information, come by the office or call 270-726-1678.
"We are so pleased to be able to offer such beautiful ornaments that memorialize scenes all around our county," said Dee Dee Brown, executive director of tourism. "These make awesome Christmas Gifts. Get yours before they are gone."
Merchants Bank of Indiana and Four Day Ray Named OneZone Businesses of the Year
Merchants Bank of Indiana and Four Day Ray shared the honor of being named Business of the Year at OneZone’s December 11th awards luncheon at Ritz Charles. Business of the Year awards were given to recognize a small- to medium-sized business and a large business.
Awards were also presented for young professional of the year, volunteer of the year, new construction, renovation and, green award. There was also the Harold Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award and the Difference Maker Award.
Business of the Year Awards
Business of the Year is presented to businesses based on their success in growth and stability, commitment to quality, creative and unique solutions to challenges, entrepreneurial spirit and overall contribution to the community
The Business of the Year award for a small- to medium-sized business was presented to Four Day Ray. Four Day Ray is a local craft brewery in Fishers. They opened their doors in 2016 with the focus on their community and making Fishers a world class city.
Merchants Bank of Indiana was honored with the Business of the Year award for a large business. Merchants Bank of Indiana was Founded in 1990, Merchants Bancorp is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana operating multiple lines of business, including Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) multi-family housing and healthcare facility financing and servicing; mortgage warehouse financing; retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking; agricultural lending; and traditional community banking.
Young Professional of the Year Award
The Young Professional of the Year Award recognizes a business person between the ages of 21 and 40 who has demonstrated leadership and passion for making a difference in his community based on leadership, mentorship, community involvement and entrepreneurship.
Erik Braden, Braden Business Systems, received the Young Professional of the Year award. Erik spent much of his early career on Wall Street, specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions and working in a competitive and challenging environment. It was there that he cut his teeth in the business atmosphere and returned to his home in central Indiana. Erik joined Braden Business Systems 4 years ago. During his time at Braden he successfully led the project to build their new headquarters in Fishers, led four acquisitions to increase headcount and revenue, while expanding the organization's footprint further into the Midwest, and is involved with a local Young Presidents Organization which has proven very successful.
Volunteer of the Year Award
The Volunteer of the Year award was established to celebrate and recognize outstanding volunteer contributions by individuals who also work full time.
This year’s recipient is Adam Aasen, Donatello’s Italian Restaurant. Adam is a small business owner in downtown Carmel. Adam has been an active volunteer for organizations including, Carmel Rotary Club, Humane Society of Hamilton County, Chaucie’s Place, the Carmel Education Foundation, and helps organize the Hamilton County Young Republicans Annual Toy Drive.
New Construction Award
Nominees for new construction and renovation were judged on the quality of work, appropriateness of the construction to its surroundings and the contribution of the project to the overall look of the community.
This year’s winner of the New Construction Award is KAR Global. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR has more than 15,000 employees and maintains business units across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the UK and Europe. The 13-acresite, 250,000 square-foot office building features an open floorplan and broad collaborative workspaces. The building was designed to reflect both the company’s rich auto auction history and their international and technology-driven growth. Contributing to the project were RATIO Architects, Shiel Sexton, Gaylor Electric, Ice Miller, Ginovus, CBRE Group, PURE Development, US Realty.
Renovation Award
This year’s winner of the Renovation Award is The Bluffs at Conner Prairie. In April 2019, Conner Prairie reopened the restored Chinese House with two important additions: the Lilly Legacy and The Bluffs at Conner Prairie. The new Lilly Legacy Room reflects on Mr. Lilly’s passion of preservation, and his blending of Western and Eastern cultures to create a place of harmony that has had a lasting impact on Conner Prairie. The Bluffs at Conner Prairie is a 275-seat banquet facility that expands the Lilly legacy of Conner Prairie as a special gathering place. Contributing to the project include RATIO Architects, Brandt Construction, and Ritz Charles.
Green Award
The Green Award recognizes an organization, company or association that is solving environmental challenges using innovative and green practices or by setting up creative partnerships to enhance the environment.
This year’s award was presented to Hamilton Southeaster School District. HSE installed 4,800 solar panels in 2019. These arrays have an annual predicted production of 2,385,600kWhs. This will power three of the 23 in the district. The solar arrays are projected to help save the district over $7 million dollars over 20 years. The incorporation of solar arrays will also help HSE avoid releasing 1,318 metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly. The arrays are also being utilized in the curriculum. Hamilton Southeastern’s Energy Manager has spoken to over 2,000 students this year about the opportunities the solar arrays have provided for the school.
Lifetime Achievement and Difference Maker Awards
The Harold Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual from Carmel and the Difference Maker Award is presented to an individual from Fishers in recognition of their commitment to business in these communities.
The Harold Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an individual from Carmel, was presented to Mark Westermeier, Former Director of Parks at the City of Carmel. Westermeier was named Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation Director in 2004. During his 15 years at Parks Director he has been a part of the Extended School Enrichment at Carmel Clay Schools; helped open the Monon Community Center and added Central Park, Hazel Landing Park, Founders Park, and West Park. During his time as director the Carmel Clay Parks achieve 100% cost recovery.
Mike Reuter, was presented the Difference Maker Award for Fishers. Reuter has been the Chief Financial Officer for Hamilton Southeastern Schools since 1994. During his time at HSE he has seen the school district grow to be the fourth largest in the state of Indiana. A valued expert on school funding, Reuter has played instrumental roles in the district’s referendum success.
Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce Announces New Love Chairs in Robert N. Reed Downtown Waterfront Park
Since the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce acquired a set of 4 oversized Adirondack Chairs in 2014 – spelling the word LOVE — from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, thousands of folks young and old have enjoyed them as the backdrop for photos to commemorate weddings, engagements, family reunions and other special occasions. The chairs have become a downtown icon and are often filled when concerts or movies are held in the park. They are frequently featured in paintings, on postcards, shirts and other souvenir items. Children must surely imagine they belong to giants!
VTC initiated a marketing campaign in 2012 to create LOVEworks across the Commonwealth to further the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand. After the first two sets of chairs succumbed to weather and either rotted or were destroyed in storms, the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce decided to rebuild them in poly lumber this time. The new chairs arrived from Pennsylvania just in time for the 40th Annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade and were installed in the park on December 6 by the town’s Public Works Department.
The chamber would like to thank the Town of Chincoteague, Historic Main Street Merchants Association, Chincoteague Cultural Alliance, and Virginia Tourism Corporation for helping bring this project to completion. Make the LOVE Chairs a part of your Chincoteague experience as you participate in downtown events or just to take a rest from shopping or while enjoying one of our fabulous sunsets. We look forward to seeing your photos as you share them on social media using #LoveCIVA, #ShareWhatYouLove, and #LoveVA.
Visit www.chincoteaguechamber.com for a listing of events and activities throughout the year.
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
