The Virginia Association Of Chamber Of Commerce Executives (VACCE) Announces 2018-19 Officers And Board Members
The 2018-19 Executive Committee members are:
President – Susan Spears, Fredericksburg Regional Chamber
VP – Programs – Mark Ingrao, Greater Reston Chamber
VP – At Large – Teresa Hammond, Alleghany Highlands Chamber VP - Finance – Karen Riordan, Greater Williamsburg Chamber
VP - Membership – Danielle Fitz-Hugh, Chesterfield Chamber
Immediate Past President – Frank Tamberrino, Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber
VACCE has placed the following members on its Board of Directors:
District 1 – Gloria Williams, Gloucester County Chamber
District 2 – Robie Marsh, Eastern Shore Chamber
District 3 – Sylvia Haines, Hampton Roads Chamber
District 4 – John Brandt, Colonial Heights Chamber
District 5 – Joy Stump, Farmville Area Chamber
District 6 – Annette Medlin, Greater Augusta Regional Chamber
District 7 – Gina Hilliard, Luray-Page County Chamber
District 8 – Kate Bates, Arlington Chamber
District 9 – Sharon Scott, Montgomery County Chamber
District 10 – Grafton deButts, Loudoun Chamber
District 11 – Debbie Jones, Prince William Chamber
At Large Director – Angie Cabell – Powhatan Chamber
At Large Director– Alexis Ehrhardt – Danville County Pittsylvania Chamber
At Large Director– Josh Cline – Greater Bluefield Chamber
At Large Director– Richard Kennedy – Top of Virginia Regional Chamber
At Large Director– John Boylan – Dulles Regional Chamber
At Large Director– Beth Rhinehart – Bristol Chamber
VACCE is an alliance of chamber executives representing large and small chambers of commerce from localities throughout the state. VACCE strives to develop the professional skills of chamber executives, staff and volunteer leaders. The Association also provides a forum for integrating the work of the local chambers of commerce to contribute to the growth and development not only of local communities but also to our Commonwealth.
Crossroads Regional Chamber School Supply Initiative
This month, the Chamber looked to benefit our local schools. Crossroads Connects, Inc.(a 501(c)3 Corporation that was formed in 2015 with the purpose to raise, manage and render financial support for key initiatives that build a strong and sustainable future for our region) teamed up with Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys (you might know him from his billboards all around NWI) and supplied students of Miller Elementary in Merrillville with the school supplies they needed. 360 students between the grades of kindergarten and fourth grade are on free or reduced lunch. This initiative was able to provide these students with backpacks filled with folders, pencils, crayons, notebooks, highlighters, pencil boxes, dry erase markers, glue, and scissors.
The Chamber, alongside Glen Lerner, agree that no child should ever have to worry about school supplies. These 360 students received 95% of the supplies needed from this project.
Not only did we get the chance to help out children, but we were able to get out of the office and put these backpacks together. It was a win win More information: Crossroads Regional Chamber
#FamousChamber Of Commerce Quotations: - (Leadership)
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: try to please everyone”. Herbert B. Swope
Ridgeland, MS: Local Leadership
Longtime Ridgeland Alderman Chuck Gautier
The City of Ridgeland sees continuous growth, both commercial and residential. Much of what gets done is spurred along by those who are elected to work for the city.
Chuck Gautier, a Pascagoula native, was first elected to serve on the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen in 2001 and has served ever since. However, his work for the city began long before that.
After graduation from Mississippi State University, Gautier moved to the Jackson area for a job in retail.
At MSU, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. He now works as a Realtor in Ridgeland and specializes in commercial sales and leasing.
While working in this business, Gautier has seen a shift in the way businesses work in the area.
“I think that business continues to be strong in the area,” he said. “I do see some shifts in the way businesses react to the public. For example, I see more interaction with online and experience-driven businesses.”
In his day-to-day work, Gautier has been given the opportunity to be the primary salesperson for the township in Ridgeland.
“I help answer phone calls for people who are interested in spaces there,” he said. “I work with clients locally to find commercial businesses and creating their space or looking at their space, either through fit-up or build-out or buying or selling land for commercial businesses.”
Gautier came to the area for work, but he stuck around once he got involved in the city.
“I got active in the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce, and through that I saw a strong, positive business climate, and I saw a mayor who had a great personality but also believed in a strong business climate,” he said. “I started getting interested in everything from chamber meetings to getting asked to serve on some committees like planning and zoning.”
The first committee he served on was one called the Trails and Green Space.
“That was back in the late ’90s, when if you asked for it, you could get those things funded 100 percent by the Department of Interior,” he said. “You just had to engineer them and maintain them and that became the start of the trail system in Ridgeland.” Read more:Northside Sun
5 Star Chamber: Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2018 Community Guide & Membership Directory
The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce 2018 Community Guide & Membership Directory is available at the Rapid City Chamber today! Thanks to Linda Rabe, Lynn Kendall, Shiloh Francis 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.
Chamber of Commerce: Working for a great Southern Illinois
We are small-town, rural America.
When you drive down any of the roads in Saline County, you may as well keep your hand raised in a friendly wave as you will likely know each passerby, whether they be in a car, truck, bicycle or side by side.
Call it a blessing. Call it a curse. We call it home and we are proud of it.
We are growing. As the president of the Saline County Chamber of Commerce and the business development specialist for the Small Business Development Center at Southeastern Illinois College, I can say that Saline County has go-getters, innovators, and people who are ready to evolve and advance both established and new businesses in our small community. To see firsthand how dedicated and excited we are as a community to keep driving forward is an honor and something I do not take for granted.
The Saline County Chamber of Commerce works to facilitate a place for marketing, networking, and connecting our businesses to work together and promote one another. We provide a common ground and give our members opportunities to educate, advance and learn from each other. We become advocates for one another. We co-brand. We fight to keep our communities moving forward.
We provide our members with events such as our annual banquet, annual business expo, annual golf tournament, Scare on the Square every Halloween, and participate in Small Business Saturday to feature our area's businesses and encourage our county to shop locally. We host special events such as Wing A Ma Jig in previous years and GoGo Golf, a mini-golf tournament held at local business sponsors and ending with a celebration at Outlaw Motorsports this August. We have a monthly luncheon that is held at area restaurants and often sponsored by our members. We host ribbon cuttings, sponsor career fairs, promote our local youth CEO program for area high school students, and work to market our area and the businesses that invest back to promote growth and development for the citizens of Saline. Read more: The Southern
Draft of Cottage Grove brand book presented
A semifinal draft of the Cottage Grove Brand Book and community survey results were shared June 18 with the Village Board by Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paula Severson and Kristin Runge, community development specialist with the UW-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development.
Runge said survey respondents talked about the people, the relationships and the care community members have toward one another when describing Cottage Grove. Residents are also sensitive to wanting to be separate from Madison and not a suburb of the city, she added.
For the past 18 months, the Cottage Grove Branding Committee, the chamber of commerce and UW-Extension researched and drafted the brand strategy. In 2017, the committee conducted a community identity survey through the UW-River Falls Survey Center.
According to the Cottage Grove Brand Book, the goals of developing a community brand identity are to appeal to residents and stakeholders, differentiate Cottage Grove from the other communities within the greater Madison and Dane County region, encourage and welcome potential residents and stakeholders to invest in Cottage Grove, improve public and private community assets within Cottage Grove, help Cottage Grove attract and retain business and retail development, and leverage existing municipal and private investments in the community.
Modern newcomers said, through this survey, they found the village to provide a warm welcome. Cottage Grove attracted new residents at a 6.5 percent rate from 2010-17. This is higher than Dane County, which was 5.6 percent, and the state of Wisconsin, which was 1.9 percent. Seventy-three percent of the residents in the village have remained in their current home for more than eight years.
Residents reported people in the community are friendly, trustworthy and watch out for one another. About 77 percent of survey respondents living in the community for fewer than five years reported spending social time with neighbors several times a year, and 45 percent reported social time with neighbors several times a month.
The other key aspects to the brand of Cottage Grove is it provides a high quality of life and is close to education, government and business entities.
Runge and Severson said they would like to have the town and the village work together for the community brand.
The next steps are to create and approve a final draft of the brand book. Read more: HGN News
#BestChamber Practices: Midland Area Chamber of Commerce: GREAT Overview of Events and Programs
Events
CEO Roundtable: A quarterly gathering of CEOs and top-level managers to network with each other and have an opportunity to engage with national business leaders.
Business After Hours: Hosted by a different Chamber member each month, these casual, friendly networking events attract a crowd averaging 100 attendees who find these get-togethers to be an effective resource for making contact with both current and prospective clients. Held the third Wednesday of most months from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Party: Annual holiday celebration that normally attracts more than 450 member representatives
Issues and Answers: To help keep the membership informed on local, state and national issues and legislation, the Chamber conducts quarterly meetings that feature speakers providing in-depth information on a variety of legislative issues that affect the business community.
Great Lakes Bay Regional Business After Hours: Every June, we partner with the Bay Area, Mt. Pleasant Area and Saginaw County Chambers for this popular networking event that draws almost 1,000 member representatives from throughout the region.
Great Lakes Bay Regional Summit: A regional collaboration of the Bay Area, Midland Area, Mt. Pleasant Area and Saginaw County Chambers. Join us for the regional summit to widen your network to more area business people, see the annual regional business awards presentation and hear from an outstanding speaker.
Membership Luncheons: Provides the opportunity for extensive information sharing on topics of critical interest to the community, such as the annual State of the City address, other timely topics as well as networking opportunities.
Midland’s Young Professionals Network (MYPros): Program designed to attract and retain talented young professionals by creating business opportunities, supporting community involvement and fostering an overall investment in the future of Midland. Luncheon meetings, Government Issues and social events are held throughout the year.
Small Business Breakfast: The content for these breakfasts is driven by the Small Business Leadership Committee and made up of business owners with 25 employees or less. The topics are relevant to small business, such as marketing, ask the experts, social media, and much more.
WakeUp! Midland: Fun networking with entertainment in a “talk show” format featuring high-quality speakers, allows Chamber members to enjoy and learn while attending this program. Each month an average of 250 community leaders gather at the Great Hall Banquet & Convention Center (at the Valley Plaza Resort) for this 7:30 a.m. event. The program occurs on the first Friday of most months, except July and August. Speakers address issues of interest to business people and the community-at-large.
Programs Open to the Public
Global Networking: Visit Spain and Portugal with us during Spring Break of 2017.
Midland Area Farmers Market: We operate the Midland Area Farmers Market every Wednesday and Saturday, May through October, at the end of Ashman St. in Midland.
Midland Blooms: A community volunteer project that involves over 500 volunteers from many area businesses to gather and plant thousands of flowers along Eastman Avenue.
Partnerships for Education: Programs link the needs and resources of businesses with those of our schools.
Career Search – juniors meet with participating business representatives to explore careers. (Not a job fair)
Ready, Set, Get Hired! – Annual program (Feb.); volunteers administer mock interviews to high school students.
Reality Store – 6-10 per school year; volunteers work one-on-one with students to teach everyday expenses.
Programs for Members Only
Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast: The Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast is an opportunity for members to review the accomplishments for the year and learn what’s in store for the upcoming year. In addition, attendees are the first to hear who the recipients are for the Excellence In Business Awards, the J. Kermit Campbell Award, the ATHENA Award, Ambassador of the Year and the coveted Chairman's Award.
Committees: Members may participate in any of our active, dynamic committees, covering a wide range of interests such as Ambassadors, Governmental Issues, Leadership Midland, Partnerships for Education Council, MYPros, Midland Blooms and many programs and events committees.
Leadership Midland: Leadership Midland is a community leadership development program that provides exposure and insight to people who will occupy leadership positions in our community.
Mulligan Masters Golf Outing: Held in September of every year, this sold out event raises money to support the Partnerships for Education program of the Midland Area Chamber Foundation.
Sales Lead Roundtable: Participation with a Sales Lead Roundtable is a great way to network with a group of business people committed to helping you grow your business. Groups meet Tuesday 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Thursday 7:15-8:30 a.m. Sales Lead Roundtables Roundtables are made up of representatives from different professions and organizations. Click here for more sales lead roundtable information.
Seminars: Sponsored throughout the year by the Midland Area Chamber, these events feature speakers addressing critical area topics that will impact businesses and the community. Attendees have gathered information on staff development, marketing, record keeping and many other business growth subjects while networking with other business leaders. More information: Midland Area Chamber of Commerce
CEO Roundtable: A quarterly gathering of CEOs and top-level managers to network with each other and have an opportunity to engage with national business leaders.
Business After Hours: Hosted by a different Chamber member each month, these casual, friendly networking events attract a crowd averaging 100 attendees who find these get-togethers to be an effective resource for making contact with both current and prospective clients. Held the third Wednesday of most months from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Party: Annual holiday celebration that normally attracts more than 450 member representatives
Issues and Answers: To help keep the membership informed on local, state and national issues and legislation, the Chamber conducts quarterly meetings that feature speakers providing in-depth information on a variety of legislative issues that affect the business community.
Great Lakes Bay Regional Business After Hours: Every June, we partner with the Bay Area, Mt. Pleasant Area and Saginaw County Chambers for this popular networking event that draws almost 1,000 member representatives from throughout the region.
Great Lakes Bay Regional Summit: A regional collaboration of the Bay Area, Midland Area, Mt. Pleasant Area and Saginaw County Chambers. Join us for the regional summit to widen your network to more area business people, see the annual regional business awards presentation and hear from an outstanding speaker.
Membership Luncheons: Provides the opportunity for extensive information sharing on topics of critical interest to the community, such as the annual State of the City address, other timely topics as well as networking opportunities.
Midland’s Young Professionals Network (MYPros): Program designed to attract and retain talented young professionals by creating business opportunities, supporting community involvement and fostering an overall investment in the future of Midland. Luncheon meetings, Government Issues and social events are held throughout the year.
Small Business Breakfast: The content for these breakfasts is driven by the Small Business Leadership Committee and made up of business owners with 25 employees or less. The topics are relevant to small business, such as marketing, ask the experts, social media, and much more.
WakeUp! Midland: Fun networking with entertainment in a “talk show” format featuring high-quality speakers, allows Chamber members to enjoy and learn while attending this program. Each month an average of 250 community leaders gather at the Great Hall Banquet & Convention Center (at the Valley Plaza Resort) for this 7:30 a.m. event. The program occurs on the first Friday of most months, except July and August. Speakers address issues of interest to business people and the community-at-large.
Programs Open to the Public
Global Networking: Visit Spain and Portugal with us during Spring Break of 2017.
Midland Area Farmers Market: We operate the Midland Area Farmers Market every Wednesday and Saturday, May through October, at the end of Ashman St. in Midland.
Midland Blooms: A community volunteer project that involves over 500 volunteers from many area businesses to gather and plant thousands of flowers along Eastman Avenue.
Partnerships for Education: Programs link the needs and resources of businesses with those of our schools.
Career Search – juniors meet with participating business representatives to explore careers. (Not a job fair)
Ready, Set, Get Hired! – Annual program (Feb.); volunteers administer mock interviews to high school students.
Reality Store – 6-10 per school year; volunteers work one-on-one with students to teach everyday expenses.
Programs for Members Only
Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast: The Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast is an opportunity for members to review the accomplishments for the year and learn what’s in store for the upcoming year. In addition, attendees are the first to hear who the recipients are for the Excellence In Business Awards, the J. Kermit Campbell Award, the ATHENA Award, Ambassador of the Year and the coveted Chairman's Award.
Committees: Members may participate in any of our active, dynamic committees, covering a wide range of interests such as Ambassadors, Governmental Issues, Leadership Midland, Partnerships for Education Council, MYPros, Midland Blooms and many programs and events committees.
Leadership Midland: Leadership Midland is a community leadership development program that provides exposure and insight to people who will occupy leadership positions in our community.
Mulligan Masters Golf Outing: Held in September of every year, this sold out event raises money to support the Partnerships for Education program of the Midland Area Chamber Foundation.
Sales Lead Roundtable: Participation with a Sales Lead Roundtable is a great way to network with a group of business people committed to helping you grow your business. Groups meet Tuesday 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Thursday 7:15-8:30 a.m. Sales Lead Roundtables Roundtables are made up of representatives from different professions and organizations. Click here for more sales lead roundtable information.
Seminars: Sponsored throughout the year by the Midland Area Chamber, these events feature speakers addressing critical area topics that will impact businesses and the community. Attendees have gathered information on staff development, marketing, record keeping and many other business growth subjects while networking with other business leaders. More information: Midland Area Chamber of Commerce
Northern Kentucky Chamber to Host Eggs ‘N Issues: Why the Arts Matter
On Tuesday, August 21, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) will host Eggs ‘N Issues: Why the Arts Matter. The event will feature a panel of experts discussing the role the arts play in developing a strong workforce, retaining and attracting talent, and providing a venue to promote diversity of thought.
Panelists include J.R. Cassidy from the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Karen Etling from Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center, and Laurie Risch from Behringer-Crawford Museum.
“Northern Kentucky has a booming art scene,” said Brent Cooper, President and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “It’s important to discuss how we can leverage the arts to attract and retain top talent and promote the region as a great place to live and work.”
Eggs ‘N Issues will take place at Receptions Banquet and Conference Center – South (1379 Donaldson Road, Erlanger, KY 41018). The event will begin with check-in, breakfast, and networking from 7:30-7:55am, with the program running from 7:55-9am.
Registration for Eggs ‘N Issues is $25 for NKY Chamber members and $50 for future members. Pre-registration is required online at www.NKYChamber.com/events.
#Chambertechnology: Chicago Fed : Planning your next intercity visit?
Consider this: Peer Identification Tool
Thinking about where to go for your next intercity visit? Or looking for a new tool that identifies communities like yours? Check out the Chicago Fed’s Peer Identification Tool, which matches places based on categories like equity, resilience, outlook and housing.
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
