Commissioners, Chamber, Council supporting Greensburg Stellar push
The Decatur County Board of Commissioners will put a total of $300,000 over the course of the next five years toward the City of Greensburg’s Stellar Community Designation Program, if the city is successful in attaining the honor this fall.
Board President Rick Nobbe and fellow Commissioners Jerome Buening and Mark Koors agreed to offer the financial support, in addition to authoring a letter detailing the importance of the Stellar program and how it will help the city – and by extension – the county as well.
Nobbe explained that the first of five $60,000 appropriations would become available in 2019.
The announcement came after Greensburg Mayor Dan Manus briefed the board on the city’s continued efforts, which included a well-received test run for a dog park last weekend.
The mayor said officials involved with pursuing the state designation, which opens up new funding avenues for a variety of community improvement projects, are meeting weekly. They plan to submit a Strategic Investment Plan detailing facets of the project for state officials by Friday’s deadline.
Greensburg was chosen as a finalist for the designation in May. The winner among Greensburg, Vincennes and Madison will be announced in November.
Either way, the mayor said the city will move forward with projects. Speaking to the commissioners Monday, he outlined several planned efforts, including improvements of curbs and sidewalks that lead into the walking trails near Rebekah Park, an amphitheater, new ‘pickle ball’ courts, and a children’s play place that resembles the popular Commons in Columbus.
The mayor said the play place would pay homage to Decatur County’s agricultural roots.
Manus said the city has pledged $2 million toward the effort, with additional financial assistance from Decatur County Visitors and Recreation, Main Street Greensburg, the Economic Development Corporation of Greensburg-Decatur County, and others.
Main Street, the EDC, Visit Decatur County, Inc., the Greensburg-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce, and the Decatur County Community Foundation are leading the project. Collectively, they are called “Partners for Community Progress.” Read more: Greensburg Daily News
Multi-chamber event: Not your usual Chamber lunch and learn! Portillos at the podium and on the plate
- Event Description:Are you ready for some Portillo's! This isn't your usual Chamber lunch and learn! From the speaker to the food, this is an all-in Portillo's experience!
Crossroads Connect: Backpacks loaded with school supplies go to elementary kids
Backpacks in a rainbow of colors covered every available space in one room at Edgar L. Miller Elementary School on Wednesday as classes began for this academic year.
Each of those 368 backpacks was chock full of school supplies, including pencils, crayons and paper, waiting to be distributed to students in kindergarten through 4th grade from low-income families. And it was all made possible through a partnership between Crossroads Connects, the charitable arm of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys with offices in Merrillville.
The supplies in the backpacks were specific to each grade, based on the items teachers requested, said Sue Reed, president/CEO of the chamber of commerce.
“This partnership allows for every child in need to get 95 percent of the items requested by their teacher. There will be no shortage of pencils this upcoming school year!," Reed said about the $10,000 donation that was split between Crossroads Connects and Glen Lerner law firm.
“We haven’t done anything of this magnitude,” Reed said. “Our goal is to work with more schools.”
Coming from humble beginnings, Glen Lerner understands the struggles that can deter people from their dreams, said Josh Polanco, community outreach coordinator for the law firm that has had offices in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana for the last six years.
“Glen grew up in a single-parent family, on welfare,” said Polanco about the attorney originally from Boston. “He is very committed to giving back to schools in the same neighborhoods where his clients come from.”
The law firm regularly does community outreach and decided this year to adopt one school, Polanco said. Read more: NWI Times
Birmingham Bloomfield 2016-2017 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide
The Birmingham-Bloomfield 2016-2017 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide is available at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce today! Thank you to Joe Bauman 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.
Salute Saturday Chili Cook-Off Team Entry Forms are Now Available
Members of the Christian County Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee are busy with exciting plans for this year's Salute Saturday Chili Cook-Off presented by Budweiser of Hopkinsville, Rogers Group, Kentucky New Era Media Group, and Fortera Credit Union, a historic and treasured Christian County community event. Team entry forms are now available!
Each year, Downtown Hopkinsville is alive with competition among region-wide businesses and military teams for the honor of the best chili around. Teams composed of up to 6 members vie for bragging rights and several cash prizes, including the $1000 Grand Prize. Other prize categories include: 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, Best Theme, and Crowd Favorite.
Military Teams are also entered to compete in the event's Brigade Challenge. A prize of $100 per team up to $1000 total for the brigade is awarded for the brigade with the most teams participating in the Chili Cook-Off.
The Chili Cook-Off has remained an integral part of and time-honored tradition in the annual Christian County Salutes Fort Campbell Week. Additional events include military discounts from participating community businesses, the MAC Gala, Sunday Salute Services at participating area churches, and the Spouses Luncheon and Tour of Homes.
Salute Saturday Chili Cook-Off Team Entry Forms, for Civilian Teams and Military Teams, are available on at www.christiancountychamber.com/pages/MilitaryAffairs . Download, fill out the form, and return it to the Christian County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee via the email address or mailing address below.
For additional information on this year's Chili Cook-Off
and Salute Week activities,
Contact:
and Salute Week activities,
Contact:
Katie Lopez, Director of Military Affairs
Phone: 270-885-9096 / Fax: 270-886-2059
Address: 2800 Fort Campbell Blvd.
Hopkinsville, KY 42240
BREWS and BOOs at Busch Gardens! Celebrate Oktoberfest 2017 with the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance!
Williamsburg, VA – Mark your calendars for one of the most anticipated events of the season! The Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance will be hosting the 44th Annual Oktoberfest Celebration in the Germany area of Busch Gardens on Thursday, October 12th from 6-9pm. Join us for a fun evening of thrilling rides, games, prizes, food and drinks, a revamped Night Beats show, and the brand new “Frostbite” haunted maze at Howl-O-Scream! This event is always a fun and exciting way to spend an evening networking with friends and get into the Halloween spirit!
A limited number of sponsorships are available, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible! Please contact the Alliance office to find out how your business can be highlighted as an event sponsor or as a door prize donor. There are sponsorship levels to suit all of our member businesses! Call 757-229-6511 or visit the website at www.williamsburgcc.com.
Tomah celebrates Wisconsin Main Street Day
Twelve communities across the state celebrated Wisconsin Main Street Day with a visit from state officials to highlight the importance of downtown business districts in Wisconsin’s economy.
Locations were chosen from members of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Wisconsin Main Street Program and Connect Communities Program — which assist communities and organizations dedicated to revitalization efforts.
Ninety-five communities in the state are part of the programs — 34 Main Street and 61 Connect Communities.
Tomah is a member of Connect Communities.
Tricia Braun, deputy secretary and chief operating officer of WECD, said Tomah was chosen for its hard work and commitment to improvement.
“It’s also a commitment to the state,” she said. “We appreciate that.”
Tomah celebrated the day at the site of the former Tee Pee Supper Club, where redevelopment plans were unveiled for the site.
Tina Thompson, executive director of the Tomah Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, said the building project will be the catalyst for change in the city’s downtown.
“All eyes have been on this project,” she said. “I think once people see this project taking off, it’s going to spur more investment throughout the entire downtown corridor. Everybody is going to want to be here, and everyone’s going to want to be part of this energy. It’s going to be infectious, I know that.” Read more: La Crosse Tribune
Jackson County ANCHOR Awards presented
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce recently presented its 9th Annual ANCHOR Awards. The ANCHOR Awards honor, reward and celebrate the achievements of small businesses and non-profit organizations in the community.
The 2017 winners and nominees of the 9th Annual ANCHOR Awards were:
Small Business Category 1: Compton Engineering, Inc. (winner); Audiowave Car Stereo; Aztecas Restaurant & Cantina; Belk of Gautier; Cable One, Inc.; Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty, Inc. – Pascagoula “CBAR”; Compton Engineering, Inc.; Floor Trader; Gibson Electric Motor Sales & Service, Inc.; Gulf Coast Marine Supply; Island Winds Title Company, LLC; Perkins Tire & Polaris, Inc.; and Southern Belles Like Big Bows.
Small Business Category 2: Community Bank (winner); Community Bank; Hancock Bank; Keesler Federal Credit Union; and Team Waste Gulf Coast.
Rookie Category: Whimsy Books & Toys, LLC (winner); Nura Juice; QuadMed, Ingalls Family Health Center; State Farm Insurance – Brenda Thompson; and Whimsy Books & Toys, LLC.
Non-Profit Category: Feeding the Gulf Coast (winner); Dream Program, Inc.; Feeding the Gulf Coast; Jackson County Civic Action Committee; Jackson County Literacy Council, Inc.; Jackson-George Regional Library System; Kiwanis Club of Pascagoula; Mississippi Power Community Connection Jackson/George Chapter; Pascagoula River Audubon Center; and Second Baptist Christian Academy. Read more: Mississippi Business
President/CEO of Troy chamber elected to state association
Ara Topouzian, president and CEO of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, was elected for a three-year term to the board of directors of the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE). MSAE is as an information resource and professional network for more than 700 executives in Michigan’s association and nonprofit communities. Topouzian is currently pursuing a Certified Association Executive designation. For more information, visit troychamber.com.
New Castle-Henry County Chamber event: Avoiding interview, hiring mistakes
Finding, interviewing and hiring a new employ can be tricky business. Friday, the New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Reid Family Care of New Castle, provided Chamber members with a chance to hear from a human resources expert.
Cindi Kiner is a consultant who owns The HR Connection, a Henry County business that specializes in hiring and employment practices. She also teaches at Ivy Tech Community College and serves on the Chamber’s board of directors. Kiner shared several tips and suggestions during a Chamber-sponsored luncheon Friday at Henry County REMC’s headquarters on Ind. 3 south of New Castle.
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Kiner said there are a myriad of federal and state laws an employer must be mindful of when interviewing and hiring a prospective new employee. Those laws, regulations and guidelines dictate what an employer can and cannot do without risking a penalty or even litigation.
Preparing for and properly conducting an interview is one of the most important steps in the process, she said. A detailed and accurate job description should be developed, specifics regarding the position being offered should be advertised, and the employment application should not contain any improper questions that might give an applicant grounds for claiming he or she was discriminated against.
“Being consistent with what you ask and expect from a job applicant can help an employer avoid a variety of problems,” Kiner said. “It’s best to evaluate an applicant based only on their skills and abilities. Don’t ask personal questions about their family, for example.”
To avoid potential claims of discrimination, employers should remember that employment decisions should never be made based on race, gender, national origin, religion, age, color, military or veterans status, a disability, pregnancy, or marital or family status. Read more: Courier Times
Residents of two local school districts will have the chance to learn about the districts and to express their concerns at an upcoming question-and-answer seminar.
Each year, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce hosts a question-and-answer session with the superintendents of the Birmingham Public Schools district and the Bloomfield Hills Schools district.
The Q&A session offers residents — both those with and those without students attending one of the districts — the chance to examine what direction the community is headed in and to get a response to any concerns they may have.
“We first started hosting the event in 2011 as part of the chamber’s mission to be deeply rooted in the community,” explained Andrea Foglietta, director of marketing and events for the chamber. “We wanted to provide educators, residents and businesses with services and let them know we are a resource. We like putting on a Q&A with the superintendents and let (the public) have personal contact with them.”
The Q&A will take place 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at the Birmingham Public Schools administration building in Beverly Hills, next to Groves High School. The cost to attend is $10 for chamber members or $20 for nonmembers, and breakfast is included with the cost of admission.
The topics of conversation at the meetings vary based on what attendees ask, but Robert Glass, the superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, said they always get a variety of questions that get to the heart of the issues facing their districts.
“I’m not sure what topics will come up this year. You can’t really predict those,” he remarked. “We get questions often about what the district is doing and upcoming programs. Funding is always a topic people want to know about, as well as the topics of education policy and culture as a whole.”
With regular classes in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills districts starting back up after Labor Day, educators are hoping to engage more people in the process of teaching and bettering the lives of children.
“It’s important to keep an open dialogue and a transparent dialogue between all sectors of the community,” said Glass. “We have all sorts of people in the community — businesses, people with children, people without children — and we all have to work together and know what the others are doing to better assist each other and perform our individual functions better. We are all linked together.”
The chamber also invites the superintendents to its monthly meetings to encourage open dialogue. The hope is that this dialogue leads to improvements for all residents in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills area. Read more: C & G Newspapers
New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map
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| New Castle-Henry County Chamber map |
The New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map is available at the New Castle-Henry County Chamber today! Thanks to Missy Modesitt, Mary Campbell 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 guide or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
Who will be at the Clarkston Food Truck Rally?
The event is set to take place from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19. It will feature 16 food trucks and will take place in the Neiman’s Family Market back parking lot, 7121 Dixie Highway in Independence Township.
Food trucks will include:
• Delectabowl
• Shredderz
• Nosh Pit Detroit
• The Mean Weenie
• Monkey Business Concessions
• Crepe-Day-Twah
• Grillwich Tot Stop Foodtruck
• Drifter Coffee
• Streetside Sushi
• Cafe Cortina
• Marconi’s Pizza
• Hero or Villain Van
• Backyard Roasters
• The Salt & Sugar Co.
• Curbside Cuisine
• Matt and Mo’s
Local talent Sam Van Waggoner, a singer-songwriter who performs acoustic shows heavy in American roots music, and Red Herring, a four-piece rock band, will perform live on two stages. Read more: Oakland Press
Orion Area chamber: Donate to the Real Men Wear Pink Campaign!
Orion Area chamber: Donate to the Real Men Wear Pink Campaign!
Don't be alarmed when you see this on Lapeer Road for 24 hours this coming Monday!
Matt Pfeiffer, Owner of Northern Flooring and Interiors, will be sitting OUTSIDE, in this PINK chair, for 24 hours!
From Monday, August 28th at 11:00 am to Tuesday, August 29th at 11:00 am, stop by, honk, wave, go live, but most importantly, donate!
Donations can be made here: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/MattPfeiffer
Make a donation and we will plug your business, event or cause on Facebook! Anyone and everyone is welcome.
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