Chamber interest: City of Chicago Financial Resources
For Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Welcome to the City of Chicago's resource hub for small business owners seeking financial assistance.
The City of Chicago wants to play an active role in helping our small business thrive. Below, you will find information about financial assistance resources available throughout Chicago
| LOANS | GRANTS | TAX CREDITS | WORKSHOPS |
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Financial Assistance Counseling
To speak with someone about what financial resources would be most beneficial for your business, and for help accessing those resources, please reach out to any Illinois Small Business Development Center or SCORE Chicago. All services are free of charge. Your local neighborhood business development centers may also be able to assist you.Programs to Access Capital
Chicago Microlending Institute Update
Know Before You Get a Loan
Seed Chicago
Virginia Peninsula chamber event: Langley Air Force Base 100th Anniversary Gala
This year the 100th Anniversary of Langley Air Force Base is being celebrated by the City of Hampton and Join Base Langley-Eustis. Langley Air Force Base is one of the earliest military bases in America specifically built for air power. Today Langley is the oldest continually active air force base in the world, and is the oldest airfield in Virginia.
In partnership with the City of Hampton, the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce will be presenting the Langley Air Force Base 100th Anniversary Gala to be held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center on Saturday, September 17, 2016. This is a Black Tie Optional event, which will include cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, and keynote speaker General Herbert J. “Hawk” Carlisle, Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Full Spectrum – The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band will be performing a musical tribute, and DJ Gator will provide the entertainment for the evening.
Tickets to the Langley Air Force Base 100th Anniversary Gala are $65.00 each, and can be purchased at http://www.virginiapeninsulachamber.com/events/details/langley-air-force-base-100th-anninversary-gala-6553. For more information visit www.VaPeninsulaChamber.com or contact Jaime Harris at jaime@vpcc.org or (757) 325-8165.
Birmingham Bloomfield chamber signature fundraiser: Vine and Dine turns up the heat on flavor and fundraising
There’s no shortage of great places to dine in the Birmingham-Bloomfield area.
But the best place to grab a bite is without a doubt the annual Vine and Dine celebration at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, where all of those amazing restaurants will be gathered in one place to treat guests to a night of fantastic flavor.
The event, now in its 13th year, is a signature fundraiser hosted by the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce to benefit Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, which distributes about 95,000 meals a day to hungry people in the community.
Always a sellout, the evening will be packed with live music, a chance auction, carefully selected domestic and imported wines, and — of course — the well-known strolling buffet featuring some of the area’s finest restaurants Sept. 21.
“The success of the event is unquestionably accredited to the restaurants and wine distributors who participate, along with the generous donations of auction items from local businesses,” Joe Bauman, president of the chamber, said in a prepared statement.
Restaurants slated to be at this year’s Vine and Dine include Café ML, Roadside Bar & Grill, Mandaloun Bistro, Forest Lake Country Club, Cameron’s Steakhouse, The Stand Gastro Bistro and plenty more. Biggby Coffee, Granite City Food & Brewery, Hills Fine Wine & Spirits, ML Spirits, and Birmingham Wine will be among those serving up sips to guests.
Chef Paul Doptis, of The Bird & The Bread, said the restaurant is always happy to participate in the event and support such a worthy cause, and of course to think of tasty creations to wow guests. Read more: C and G Newspapers
Town Square Chamber Publications: Valparaiso Chamber: Promises made, Promises kept!
Note from the Valpo Chamber
I want to thank you for an outstanding map which you produced for our Valpo Chamber.In my 43 years as a CEO in the Chamber Field, it was the smoothest project I have ever seen done. You made all the deadlines, your print quality and cartography was second to none. And of course you paid us in exactly the time frame you said you would so we could count the Royalty Check towards our current year revenue.
Life is very good when dealing with Town Square Publications.
You have the right of first refusal to do our next map. You are a great partner for our Chamber. We are living proof that a printed map is still very much in demand by both advertisers and consumers.
It would be my pleasure to recommend Town Square Publications as a firm Chambers and Tourism Bureaus should use when considering a printed Map or other print publications.
Rex G. Richards, CCE
President
Valpo Chamber of Commerce
St. Joseph County chamber interest: Notre Dame's Innovation Park ready to expand
The University of Notre Dame has received a $5 million gift for construction of the second phase of the park, which opened in 2009 at 1400 E. Angela Blvd.
The gift is from the late Thomas H. Quinn and his wife, Diane, the university announced Monday. Thomas Quinn, of Lake Forest, Ill., was a 1969 Notre Dame graduate who died April 29 at age 68.
The Thomas H. and Diane G. Quinn Hall for Innovation & Change will be a 40,000-square-foot, three-level facility near the existing Innovation Park south of campus. Construction is expected to begin late this fall or early winter.
Quinn Hall will provide space for 25 to 30 startup companies, offering themed pods for collaboration between teams and prospective investors from particular commercial technology sectors, according to the university.
Quinn Hall will include dedicated space for the IDEA Center, a new initiative designed to bring Notre Dame faculty and student ideas and innovations to market. The IDEA Center will provide technical services and expertise for idea development, technology translation, business formation and commercialization.
Innovation Park is part of the university's increased emphasis and funding for research and commercializing new ventures.
The park is a place for entrepreneurs and startup businesses to work, with access to Notre Dame faculty and researchers. Some businesses have "graduated" from Innovation Park and become commercial ventures in the South Bend area and elsewhere.
Innovation Park is part of a two-site state-certified technology park. The other site is Ignition Park near downtown South Bend.
Since Innovation Park's opening seven years ago, 59 new ventures have launched there, 29 companies are currently operational, 38 Notre Dame faculty members are working there, 67 Notre Dame student interns are employed by ventures and 15 companies have secured significant outside funding, according to the university. The occupancy rate is 90 percent.
Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce, said Notre Dame's announcement fit in with the scope and progression of the efforts that began with Innovation Park. Read more: South Bend Tribune
EMBDC recognizes August Ambassadors of the Month
The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation (EMBDC) recently presented its August Ambassadors of the Month awards to three very deserving participants.
In first place was Mary Atterberry with Rush Health Systems, second place went Derron Radcliff with MSU Riley Center, and third place went to Fannie Johnson with Love’s Kitchen. Also, winning the red ticket drawing was Channing Peebles with American Cancer Society. The red ticket drawing is from the pool of ambassadors who have attended EMBDC events over the past month.
This committee of dedicated volunteers assists with numerous membership activities and events throughout the year including ribbon cuttings and ground breakings conducted by the EMBDC. They work to secure new members and increase membership retention by building relationships and maintaining communication with existing and prospective members. This group consists of a limited group of people. The EMBDC would be unable to do all that it does without these dedicated volunteers. To find out more about becoming an Ambassador for your community, contact the EMBDC at 601-693-1306. Read more: Meridian Star
Southern Kentucky Chamber interest: Whitley, Knox make progress toward ‘work readiness’ certification
Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Hal Heiner announced August 18, 2016 that Knox and Whitley Counties have been certified as a Kentucky Work Ready Community in Progress.
The Kentucky Work Ready Community certification program from the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (KWIB) and the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet assures employers that a local workforce has the talent and skills necessary to staff existing jobs and to master the innovative technologies new jobs will require.
“We are excited to designate Knox and Whitley Counties as Kentucky Work Ready Communities in Progress, and we look forward to certifying many others in the future,” said Kurt Krug, chair of the Kentucky Work Ready Communities Review Panel and vice president of North American human resources for INOAC.
“We are excited to receive this certification for Whitley County,” said Pat White, Jr., Whitley County Judge Executive. “It truly demonstrates what a great opportunity our area offers businesses through our qualified and dedicated employees.”
J. M. Hall, Knox County Judge Executive, said, “This is an essential element for economic development in Knox County and demonstrates our community commitment to assure both established employers and new industry that our local workforce has the ability to compete in the local and global economy. Thank you to the committee members for their work on this project.”
“I would like to thank Maggie Bill from EKU and the committee members for their hard work, time and dedication”, said Bruce Carpenter, Executive Director of the Southeast Industrial Development Authority and the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “Both Knox and Whitley Counties look forward to continuing this process, the ultimate goal is for both counties to become Work Ready Certified Communities.” Read more: News Journal
Governor Scott Walker emphasizes importance of tourism
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said Monday that the state’s rapid response to dealing with flood damage caused by torrential rainstorms last July was in part a recognition of the crucial role tourism plays in the state’s economy.
“It was critically important, because for us to have roads that were closed, it’s not just a transportation issue, it really becomes a barrier to tourism, and we wanted to make sure that there were no barriers along the way, that people knew that even if a county road might be closed, that there were alternatives and viable ways to get around, and we needed access to that information quickly,” he said.
“We not only had the web site up, but we had Facebook, Twitter, other forms of electronic media going,” he said, observing that the Department of Tourism had ”blasted” the message that northern Wisconsin was still “open for business.”
Walker made the remarks Monday as a part of “Cabinet on the Road” events taking place throughout northwestern Wisconsin this week. The visits featured the Governor and members of his cabinet as well as other high-ranking administrators, totaling 36 state officials, making over 100 stops in Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Rusk Sawyer and Washburn counties.
Walker was visiting Garmisch Inn near Cable where he talked with local business and tourism officials about recovering from the floods.
“We are going to continue being here over and over again, working with local officials on everything from individual assistance, all the way through the trails and other things that are the next step that will be critically important to businesses this fall, gearing up for the winter season,” Walker said.
It was a message that was well received by tourism representatives.
“Truly, it has been remarkable, the response of this governor and his administration, for what they done for our economy, our people, the residents of northwestern Wisconsin,” said James Bolen, executive director of the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce. Read more: Ashland Daily Press
Town Square Publications Chamber of Commerce Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Re-Location Guides and Custom Maps
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
