Good morning #Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day!
Greater Springfield Chamber proposed location: $8.5M project planned at former downtown church
Conversion of the former First United Methodist Church, 501 E. Capitol Ave., also is the first project for an initiative launched in 2014 through The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and The Springfield Project, a not-for-profit community development group.
The plans for chamber office space and more than two-dozen apartments - including a request for $985,000 from a downtown tax increment financing district - are scheduled for an initial review Tuesday at the city Economic Development Commission.
Work expected to take about a year includes restoration of the historic look of the former church. The group hopes to take the project to the Springfield City Council for approval in January and to begin construction in the spring. The church has remained vacant since 2008.
"The overall significance of this project is we're going to take a building that's been sitting empty in a prominent location and redevelop it," said chamber President and CEO Chris Hembrough. "This is crucial for downtown Springfield."
As part of the redevelopment, the church sanctuary will be remodeled as office space for the chamber and The Springfield Project. Chamber offices moved in 2009 from longtime space on Old Capitol Plaza to the current site at 1011 S. Second St. Read more: State Journal-Register
#BestChamber Practices: Clarkston Area Chamber: Support Local Businesses by going out to lunch!
We're rallying to support local businesses by going out to lunch! Chamber staff goes out once a week and you're welcome to join us for a meet up! Can't make our Lunch Rally? Start one of your own. Go out to lunch with your clients,co-workers, customers, family and friends. Pick a day, pick a place and support local restaurants!
NEXT Lunch Rally
December 20 @ Andiamo --- 11:45am-1pm
More information - Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce <info@clarkston.org> - Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce
December 20 @ Andiamo --- 11:45am-1pm
More information - Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce <info@clarkston.org> - Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce
Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Profile & Directory
The Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Profile & Directory is available at the Plainfield Area Chamber today! Thanks to Tasha Kitson, Mari Edmondson, Vitella Barnes, Kellie Wujek and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Town SquarePublications (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.
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce CEO talks right-to-work, chamber priorities in Ashland
Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson on Wednesday said “two earthquakes” shook the state on Election night.
The political tremors were the election of Donald Trump and the resounding flip of the state House of Representatives, now controlled by a super majority of Republicans for the first time since 1921.
“It’s a very, very new day,” said Adkisson, noting the GOP also has control of the state Senate and governor’s office.
Adkisson spoke to a crowd of mostly local business owners and public officials at the Bellefonte Country Club. The annual gathering is part of a cross-state tour by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, an agency that lobbies on behalf of more than 62,000 employers.
The new Kentucky General Assembly will convene for a 30-day regular session in January. Adkisson noted that the chamber is bipartisan, before conveying a list of chamber priorities nearly identical to the agenda of the majority of GOP legislatures and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin.
Adkisson said the top priorities are pension transparency and tax reform.
“We’re in a pretty deep hole in terms of the state’s public pension problem,” said Adkisson. “Some progress was made in the last legislative session, but to make the entire system sustainable, we must focus more on other issues such as transparency.”
The chamber also sides with the majority of the GOP on right-to-work, advocating for the controversial legislation at the top of its listed goals pertaining to jobs. Kentucky is the only southern state without the law in place.
“I’m convinced it’s costing us several thousand jobs a year,” said Adkisson. “I think this will move quickly.” Read more: Daily Independent
MMAC issue: Future of Milwaukee’s cultural assets still needs to be addressed
It is exciting to see the progress on construction of the new arena in downtown Milwaukee. Structural steel is now rising out of the ground for the project, which will be complete in 2018.
The arena, and the other development planned around it, will bring new life to what had been a dead part of downtown Milwaukee. It will ensure the future of the Bucks in Milwaukee, give the Marquette men’s basketball team a top flight facility to show off to recruits and hopefully attract more concerts and other events than the BMO Harris Bradley Center has been able to.
With the arena project moving forward, it’s time to turn our attention to Milwaukee’s other key cultural assets that are in need of investment in order to preserve them for future generations and maintain the region’s quality of life.
This is going to be a huge challenge. The cost to maintain our cultural institutions will be significant.
The future of the Mitchell Park Conservatory Domes is in serious doubt. The Domes were closed earlier this year because of falling chunks of concrete. The county made repairs to the Domes and they have been re-opened, but this is seen as just a temporary fix.
A task force was assigned to recommend a long-term plan for The Domes, built in 1967. The recommendations range from a new $15 million conservatory to a $75 million full restoration of the iconic Domes. A mix of public and private funds would be necessary.
The Domes are nice to have in our community, but their attendance pales in comparison to major sports or other more popular cultural institutions in Milwaukee. Is this really where we want to invest public and private dollars?
Bigger picture, last year a task force convened by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce concluded that additional public funding is needed to preserve and protect the region’s signature cultural and entertainment assets, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and the Milwaukee County Zoo. Read more: BizTimes.com
Loudoun Chamber Seeks Valor Award Nominations
Loudoun Chamber is asking for Valor Award nominations to honor the worthiest of fire, emergency rescue and law enforcement personnel.
The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 32nd Annual Loudoun County Valor Awards, which honor career and volunteer emergency first responders and ordinary citizens for their courageous, often lifesaving actions in 2016, according to a Loudoun Chamber of Commerce announcement. Nominations are due by January 6, 2017.
In the spring of 2017, the Chamber will honor the worthiest of these fire, emergency rescue and law enforcement personnel at the 32nd annual Valor Awards ceremony.
All career and volunteer law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel from agencies within Loudoun – including the Towns, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Virginia State Police – and citizens who live or work in the County are eligible for a Valor Award.y.
“The Annual Valor Awards is the Loudoun County Chamber’s proudest tradition, because it provides our members the privilege of honoring our community’s emergency first responders and those ordinary citizens whose heroic and selfless actions, often in the face of great peril, have saved lives and kept our community safe,” said Chamber President Tony Howard. Read more: Patch.com
#BestChamber Practices: Area Development Partnership: Leadership Pinebelt
Since 1989, Leadership Pinebelt has trained emerging and existing leaders in Greater Hattiesburg. Designed to broaden the base from which emerging leadership is derived, Leadership Pinebelt serves as a catalyst for increasing diversity among future leaders. Each class session focuses on enhancing leadership skills and garnering a better understanding of the roles of Healthcare, Cultural Arts, Economic Development, Military and Industry in Greater Hattiesburg.
Leadership Pinebelt comprises a network of leaders and community volunteers who are committed to shaping our community. Each class encompasses a very diverse group of professionals who have attained leadership positions in their fields and are likely to be tapped for greater community responsibility. Through Leadership Pinebelt, each class learns ways to make a positive contribution to the community, develop and practice their leadership skills, and gain a more comprehensive background on the contemporary issues concerning the region. More information: Area Development Partnership
Dearborn County Pre-Legislative Luncheon: State Lawmakers: “Everybody Wants More” In Budget Session
As many as 1,000 bills could be filed in the Indiana House of Representatives during the 2017 legislative session.
Only one must be passed. That’s the next state budget.
The budget and many issues tied to it were the center of discussion between the audience and southeast Indiana’s state lawmakers at the Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce’s Pre-Legislative Luncheon. The event sponsored by The Bright Beacon was held Thursday at Ivy Tech Community College in Lawrenceburg.
State Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg), rushing out early to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. where he will attend a transportation conference, said the state’s next two-year budget will total around $31 billion.
State Sen. Chip Perfect has been appointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee for the 2017 session, meaning he will have a slightly bigger say than other lawmakers in crafting the spending plan. Read more: Eagle Country 99.3 FM
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 Here
