Cubs owner Tom Ricketts at suburban multi-chamber luncheon Jan. 27
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts will talk about the state of his ball club at a multi-chamber luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Avalon Banquets, 1905 E. Higgins Road, Elk Grove Village. Ricketts will be introduced by Daily Herald sportswriter Barry Rozner. Tickets are $35 and the deadline to sign up is Jan. 20. Must pay before event. Call (847) 398-3730 or visit rmchamber.org.
Chamber Best Practices: Conway Program gives preschoolers better chance
Dr.
Charlotte Green of Conway Public Schools believes all children should
have an equal start, and so she founded Arkansas Preschool Plus.
Housed
at Conway Adult Education, the small nonprofit organization provides
professional development for pre-kindergarten teachers, support for
parents and teaching materials. The organization was founded in response
to the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Conway 2025 initiative, which
determined private daycare centers needed more support so all children
could access a quality preschool experience. Arkansas Preschool Plus
exists through a partnership between the Conway Public Schools and the
Conway Area Chamber of Commerce. It also receives some funding from the
United Way of Central Arkansas. Read more: Log Cabin Democrat
Bowling Green chamber news: Region, Kentucky seeing job growth
The region will likely have a stronger economic year in 2015 than 2014.
Kentucky is on the road to economic recovery, with last month’s jobless rate dropping the most it has in more than 30 years. Warren County and the surrounding counties have also seen positive growth that will likely continue, according to Ron Bunch, president and chief executive officer of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve been really fortunate in our area to have economic development over the past several years,” Bunch said.
Warren County’s November unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, Bunch said. The chamber announced nine economic development projects this year, creating 653 new jobs. Although it’s good that jobs are open in manufacturing and more jobs are opening in health care, Bunch said there’s still work to be done for unemployed and underemployed people in our region. Read more: Bowling Green Daily News
Chamber economic news: Klohs drives economic development through strategic planning, rigorous measurement
Apply at chamber: Washington County (Virginia) offers competitive business challenge with more than $10,000 in prizes
The
Town of Abingdon, the Washington County IDA, Highlands Union Bank and
several participating partners of Virginia Highlands Small Business
Incubator, have announced the second annual Washington County Business
Challenge.
The
Business Challenge program is an ambitious business plan competition
designed to attract entrepreneurs with new technology, value added
agriculture, outdoor recreation and retail/support service businesses to
locate their start up or to expand their existing business within
Washington County. (1) One start up and (1) one existing business will
win $5,000 each towards implementing their winning business strategy.
Read more: SwVAtoday.com
Bowling Green chamber news: Region, Kentucky seeing job growth
The region will likely have a stronger economic year in 2015 than 2014.
Kentucky is on the road to economic recovery, with last month’s jobless rate dropping the most it has in more than 30 years. Warren County and the surrounding counties have also seen positive growth that will likely continue, according to Ron Bunch, president and chief executive officer of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve been really fortunate in our area to have economic development over the past several years,” Bunch said.
Warren County’s November unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, Bunch said. The chamber announced nine economic development projects this year, creating 653 new jobs. Although it’s good that jobs are open in manufacturing and more jobs are opening in health care, Bunch said there’s still work to be done for unemployed and underemployed people in our region. Read more: Bowling Green Daily News
Chamber economic news: Klohs drives economic development through strategic planning, rigorous measurement
Birgit Klohs’ career has been full of many firsts.
Before ever joining The Right Place Inc.,
Klohs led a team of West Michigan executives on the first organized
foreign trade mission to her native Germany, which landed a commitment
from Behr Industries to invest in building a plant on 7 Mile Road in
Comstock Park.
When
Klohs excitedly agreed to serve as president and CEO of The Right Place
in 1987, she effectively became the first woman executive to lead an
economic development organization in the state of Michigan, and one of
only a handful to do so across the country at that time.
She
continues to add to the ever-growing list of firsts as Klohs was
selected by a panel of judges to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award
as part of the inaugural MiBiz Best-Managed Nonprofit Awards program.
For people who’ve known and worked with Klohs over the years, her career feats come as no surprise.
“She’s established herself as the dean of economic development officials,” said Milton Rohwer, the former president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, the founding executive leader of The Right Place and one of Klohs’ closest mentors.
- See more at: MI BIZChamber asset: 7 national parks in Nebraska, Iowa pour more than $23 million into local economies
The
Niobrara’s scenic river designation has a huge economic benefit to
Valentine, a north-central Nebraska community of 2,700, said Dean
Jacobs, executive director of the Valentine Chamber of Commerce and
Cherry County Tourism.
“There’s
no question that having the Niobrara National Scenic River here as part
of the national park system helps. It’s probably our biggest tourist
draw,” he said.
The
Park Service report attributed $2.9 million in visitor spending in the
Valentine area to the Niobrara National Scenic River in 2013. Spending
by nearly 72,000 visitors supported 40 jobs.
“We
do a lot of marketing to get the word out about the river,” Jacobs
said. “There are a lot of outdoor recreation reasons to come here, but
Valentine is known for the national scenic river.” Read more: Omaha.com
Missouri Chamber: State faces
economic challenges
Missouri's
Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted its first regional
initiative in Cape Girardeau on Thursday to discuss the state's future.
Nearly
20 people gathered at the Drury Lodge to hear Karen Buschmann, vice
president of communications at the state chamber, and Ted Abernathy,
leader of the initiative, speak about their findings.
The
initiative is part of the chamber's "Missouri 2030: An Agenda to Lead,"
which is formed around discussing Missouri's sustainability and how
business leaders intend to help the state become a leader in economic
growth over the next 15 years. Abernathy cited a recent survey of more
than 1,000 employers.
Missouri's
job growth from 1994 to 2014 increased 12 percent, he said, while its
manufacturing jobs have fallen 29 percent. The number of 25- to
44-year-olds remaining in the state fell 6 percent during that period.
Read more: Southeast Missourian
With a more than $1 billion surplus, state legislators say the prospect of a government shutdown over the 2016/2017 budget is unlikely.
South Dakota chamber president to speak at legislative luncheon
The
Government Affairs Committee of the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce
will preview the 2015 South Dakota legislative session at a noon
luncheon on Jan. 9 at the Ramada Convention Center.
David Owen, president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will speak. Read more: Aberdeen News
Chamber challenge: 9 key issues facing the 2015
Minnesota Legislature
Chamber challenge: 9 key issues facing the 2015
Minnesota Legislature
With a more than $1 billion surplus, state legislators say the prospect of a government shutdown over the 2016/2017 budget is unlikely.
But
it's not going to be a cakewalk, either. That $1 billion may seem like a
lot, but it only barely covers spending increases under current law —
and there are plenty of people and groups competing for a piece of this
relatively small pie for what they argue are deserving issues.
Senate
Majority Leader Tom Bakk and House Republicans are already tempering
expectations, saying that spending increases — if there are any — will
likely be small. And legislators should expect to see spending cuts in
some areas as well.
With
a billion-dollar cushion, Gov. Mark Dayton says that he won't propose a
general tax increase but will propose new revenue to pay for
transportation projects.
Meanwhile,
House Republicans say they want to cut taxes to make the state
friendlier to business. That's a position held by the powerful Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce as well, which has suggested reducing the corporate
tax and lowering taxes for businesses that pay through their income tax
filings. Read more: Minnesota Public Radio News
New Year's Resolution Quotation: Mark Twain
"New Year's Day now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." -- Mark Twain
New Year's Resolution Quotation: Mark Twain
"New Year's Day now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." -- Mark Twain
