Good morning #ChamberWorld! It's going to be a great day! The Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Germantown Announce a New Partnership Which Will Enhance Both Organizations’ Already Successful Programming The Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce has entered into an agreement with Leadership Germantown to work in partnership on their already successful leadership development program. Leadership Germantown will become a program of the Germantown Chamber and will continue to offer leadership skills enhancement and community awareness building to develop leaders within the Germantown community.
While both organizations are already well-established and successful, (The Germantown Chamber recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. Leadership Germantown has celebrated 20 years as a self-sufficient, stand-alone organization run entirely by volunteers.) this collaboration offers advantages to both. The Germantown Chamber will be adding value to membership in programming and Leadership Germantown will be able to utilize Chamber resources to raise awareness and recruit class participants.
This partnership is a natural fit for these two organizations as the initiative for Leadership Germantown was brought to fruition by several directors of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce in the late 1990’s who saw a need for the development of future leaders who would contribute to the advancement of the Germantown community and within their professional workplace. Many communities’ Chambers of Commerce have a leadership development program.
Today every organization needs to continue to provide value if it wants to continue to grow. They also need involved and engaged individuals to help do the work. As staffing shortages have crippled business, it has also affected their ability to commit their employees to representing the business in the community. There is also a shortage of volunteers.
This partnering of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Germantown provides the opportunity to share each other’s unique resources and strengthen their ability to continue offering value to members and quality programming to participants.
“The Germantown Chamber of Commerce is honored to be able to partner with an organization as successful and respected as Leadership Germantown. As an alumnus of Leadership Germantown, Class of 2007, I am familiar with the quality content of the skills development/enhancement and appreciative of the community awareness component. It will be exciting to see what new possibilities this opens for the Germantown community,” said Lynn Grgich, Executive Director of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce.
Leadership Board Member Scott Hefle shared, “Leadership Germantown plays an important role in developing leaders for its supporting sponsors and companies, along with creating goodwill in the Germantown community through class community projects. I have been involved with Leadership for almost 12 years on the board, and am also a graduate of the second class, Class of 2002. Our board is very appreciative of the tremendous support the Germantown Chamber has given us over our 20+ year history, and we believe this symbiotic partnership will further expand our reach to the community and Chamber members.”
Kevin Nash, Board Member since 2000 and a Leadership alumni offered, “Leadership Germantown has played an important role in the growth of Germantown since its inception in 2000. Linking everyday citizens, local businesses, and governmental agencies have allowed them to work collaboratively in understanding the needs of our growing community. Many longtime residents who have participated were surprised how much more they learned about the Village. Leadership Germantown also works to develop the base of local volunteers. You would be hard pressed to find a volunteer organization within the Village such as Kiwanis, Oktoberfest, the local 4th of July festivities which doesn’t have a Leadership Germantown alumnus. Get involved; Germantown needs you! We invite you to participate in the Leadership Germantown program!”
For more information contact the Germantown Chamber office for details and to register. For more information about the Germantown Chamber of Commerce, the Leadership Germantown program or upcoming class, visit
www.germantownchamber.org or send an email to
executivedirector@germantownchamber.org or call the Chamber at 262-255-1812.
Dubuque Chamber of Commerce: Inside the Chamber Lobby: LEGISLATIVE UPDATELast Monday, City Council approved city staff to draft a referendum to bring to the voters regarding an updated Five Flags Civic Center, set for March 2023. An the amount for the referendum will be set at a later date Dubuque City Council also approved the appointment of Amy Scheller as the incoming Fire Chief. Scheller previously served as Deputy Fire Chief in Naperville, IL.
The Senate debated on Monday last week, and the House held no floor debate. On Monday, Governor Reynolds signed 26 bills into law. The complete list of bills signed can be found
here.
The Senate passed eight bills, most of which were human resources related, including
House File 2127. HF 2127 creates a new code subsection allowing child care providers to collect the difference between the state child care assistance reimbursement rate and the rate the provider would typically charge a private-pay family, provided the provider and family agree to the additional payments. HF 2127 is the second childcare-related bill to be sent to the Governor this session. In April, the legislature also approved House File 2198, which allows 16-year-olds to work in childcare centers without supervision and increases the adult staff member to child ratios. The Chamber supported the ratio bill and the legislation allowing 16-year-olds to work without supervision.
The Iowa Legislature held the first inaugural slow-pitch softball game on Sunday, with Governor Reynolds throwing the first pitch. House and Senate Democrats raised money for the Iowa Food Bank Association, and House and Senate Republicans raised money for the Puppy Jake Foundation. Over $27,000 total was raised for the two organizations. Republicans defeated the Democrats with a final score of 27-16.
This week, Senate and House leadership will continue to work towards a final agreement on the Fiscal Year 2023 budget and remaining policy priorities, including the Governor’s education bill.
The Chamber has engaged the BAC to discuss potential engagement regarding the USICA/America COMPETES conference committee. This legislation will impact trade regulations and potentially impact the current supply chain issues driving up consumer and business prices. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) were appointed as conferees.
Feel free to reach out to Ryan Sempf, VP Government & External Affairs with any questions:
RSempf@DubuqueChamber.com(319) 270-7462
HEADLINES from the Dubuque ChamberIowa Democrats offered to change the caucus process Wednesday, part of a bid to retain the state’s first-in-the-nation status amid opposition from the national party. The DNC voted last month to reconsider the presidential nominating calendar, potentially knocking Iowa from the lead-off spot. The new calendar will prioritize diversity, competitiveness in a general election and the fairness, inclusivity and transparency of the process. States, including Iowa, may apply for an early spot. More from the Iowa Capitol Dispatch on
Iowa and
New Hampshire's bids to remain first.
Dubuque City Council members on Monday approved taking an expansion proposal for Five Flags Center to voters next year. Council members voted, 5-2, to have city staff draft language for a public vote on March 7 asking residents if up to $92 million should be borrowed to fund the project, following a recommendation made last week by the city’s Civic Center Commission. Council Members Danny Sprank and David Resnick cast the votes in opposition. The proposal calls for the demolition of the current Five Flags Center and the construction of a larger facility that expands across West Fifth Street and increases the number of seats to 6,400, along with making improvements to Five Flags Theater. The Chamber has not taken a position on the referendum at this date.
More from the TH.At a press conference Monday, chamber leaders from Wausau, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield said workforce shortages experienced across the state are especially acute in the central region. Statewide, Wisconsin's unemployment rate hit a record low of 2.8 percent in March, and the state’s labor participation rate of more than 66 percent is well above the national average. And the unemployment rate in recent years has tended to be lower and the labor force participation rate higher in central Wisconsin than the statewide averages.
More from Wisconsin Public Radio.Dubuque Zoning Advisory Commission members voted, 6-0, to recommend rezoning an 80-acre parcel, on which developers propose constructing 105 single-family dwellings. The parcel is located just off the Northwest Arterial, near West 32nd Street and Tiffany Court. The development will feature homes varying in size from 925 to 1,830 square feet, with prices ranging from the $200,000s to the mid-$300,000s and will come pre-wired for an electric vehicle charging station and pre-engineered for solar panel installations if desired. The structures will operate entirely on electricity, utilize LED lighting and building materials made from recycled content and have driveways made with permeable materials. Switch Homes presents an innovative solution to help meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the Dubuque area.
More from the TH.
Is Your Michigan Business Export Ready? A Conversation with the Michigan Small Business Development CenterAlyssa Tracey, director of the MEDC International Trade program, speaks with Josh Billington, Assistant State Director of Strategic Innovation operations with the Michigan Small Business Development Center, on how small businesses can gain success by expanding to global markets.
International trade supports Michigan's economy more than almost any other state in the country. 33% of Michigan’s GDP comes from inbound and outbound trade, ranking No. 4 nationally. Overall, Michigan businesses achieved $55 billion in export sales in 2021.
So how can Michigan connect with export partners in international markets and experience the average 17% increase in profitability? Alyssa Tracey, director of the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) International Trade program, and Josh Billington, Assistant State Director of Strategic Innovation operations with the
Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC), discuss how small businesses can get “export ready” and be prepared for success in accessing new markets around the world.
See below for excerpts and key insights from the conversation and watch the full 20-minute conversation to learn more.
Getting Export Ready with the Michigan Small Businesses Development CenterAlyssa Tracey: What are some ways that your team at SBDC can help companies determine if they're ready to take this next step and exporting?
Josh Billington: Here at the SBDC we have consultants all throughout the state, servicing all 83 counties in Michigan. The first place to start is to register on our website
www.michigansbdc.org. We provide an early export online assessment to determine where your company is in starting the export journey. We've developed an online training module packed with resources to help businesses explore and get a better grasp of what's involved in getting their company involved in exporting. The training module is packed with good templates and resources. From there we connect you with one of our 10 export certified consultants, and help you start developing a business plan and a marketing plan to get you ready.
Tracey: What are some steps that your team takes to help businesses along within the module?
Billington: We discuss starting with developing an export business plan, reviewing the financials and the profit worthiness of your company, if you're in a good spot to start expanding into different markets. Then we start to develop expenses, or how much it would cost, to help you explore what it would cost to ship to certain countries. We help guide companies to get to the point to where they will be in a good spot to export.
Tracey: In your experience working with small businesses, do you have any examples or lessons learned that small business owners have shared with you, that could be helpful to other small business owners?
Billington: As a consultant, we find that a lot of folks will get very caught up in selling the product, getting the merchandise out, and let the business side of things go a little bit. Some of the best pieces of advice that we've come across is that when people really do sit down and dedicate a certain amount of time to work on their business, they're a whole lot more successful.
In addition to that, knowing your numbers is huge. Understanding financial statements and keeping good track of all the financials in your business helps give a good measurable to what is really going on, as opposed to how you feel things are going on. The quantitative analysis in the numbers is extremely important to learn.
Tracey: Can you tell us a bit more about the work your team does to help small businesses with website SEO?
Billington: One of the major export projects that we do is our international SEO. We have a team of graduate student assistants at Grand Valley State University that help evaluate your website and get it prepared for foreign markets. From there, usually the best next step is to refer you to MEDC for
MI-STEP Grant Funding.
It makes a nice transition of preparing your website and marketing materials, reviewing your products, pricing, export costs and fees all associated with that. Then getting the client ready to refer them to our partners at MEDC.
Finding the Right Resources Through the MEDC International Trade Team - Read more:
Michigan Business
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Midland Area Farmers Market opens for 2022 season this weekend at Dow Diamond
The Market operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays from early May through mid-November.
For the health and safety of our customers and vendors, no pets are allowed in the Market.
2022 Market Season
Opening day will be Saturday, May 7, 2022. The Midland Area Farmers Market will be located at Dow Diamond East parking lot for the 2022 season.
2022 Season & Hours
May 7 – October 29
7 AM – 1 PM on Wednesdays & Saturdays
First three Saturdays in November
9 AM – 12 NOON
2022 Market Information
One of the main goals of the Midland Area Farmers Market is to assist small businesses and entrepreneurs by offering them a vibrant place to sell their homemade and homegrown products.
The application window to apply to be a vendor in 2022 has closed. Thank you for your interest!
Please note: Multi-level marketing (MLM) companies of any kind are not permitted in our market at this time.
Rules & Regulations
View the 2022 MAFM Vendor Rules & Regulations.
Payment Options
The Midland Area Farmers Market is proud to partner with Isabella Bank to offer the token program for patrons to use their debit, credit or Bridge card. We will also be offering the Double Up Food Bucks Program again, which allows shoppers to get extra dollars to spend on Michigan-grown produce when using a Bridge card.
All types of tokens can be purchased at the Isabella Bank booth.
Good morning #ChamberWorld! It's going to be a great day!
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