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Table of Contents
Letter from the President & CEO
Welcome to New Communications!
Downers Grove
National Bank Chamber Choice Awards
Chill Out with YPN &
the Cubs!
Belmont Underpass
Update
Successfully
Starting Your Own Business: A Women's Business Council
Panel
Report from
Springfield
Save the Date!
Chamber & EDC Open House
Office Space
Available!
Thank You!
Members in the News
From the
Desk of Laura Crawford...
I wish I had some ‘change’ for every change at the
Chamber. It is with mixed emotion
that the Board of Directors accepted the resignation
of John Randall of the Hickory Ridge Marriott
Conference Hotel as Chairman of the Board. As John
retires from his 28 year career at Marriott, he
opens a door to begin a new venture with a
Marriott vendor, White Lodging. As a visionary and
facilitator of the strategic plan, he will be
greatly missed by the Chamber. On behalf of the
Chamber as well as on a personal note, I would like
to thank John for all that he has contributed to
this community. He has left his mark on our ongoing
strategic efforts. The Chamber is a very different
organization today, than it was when John first took
the helm. He accomplished a great deal in a very
short period of time. Thank you John, for all
you’ve done!!
In accordance with the bylaws, Vice Chairman Valerie
Bruggeman of AT&T will step into the vacated
position. The Board unanimously voted on Director
Bill Murphy, principle of Maclyn Group as the new
Vice Chairman. I offer congratulations to both and
very much look forward to working with them. As we
turn the page to a new chapter in the Chamber, I
know it will be filled with a high level of energy,
excitement and creativity. I can’t wait to see what
happens next!!
lcrawford@downersgrove.org
630-968-4050 x14
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Welcome to
New Publications!
March is the
beginning of spring and for the Chamber, the
beginning of two new publications, one in your inbox
and one in your mailbox. First, welcome to
BizWord, the new weekly email newsletter!
We have retooled this regular piece into a richer,
more informative communication filled with news you
can use to advance your business. There are
also more ways for our Members to get the word out
with new advertising options.
You will see in
your mailboxes in March our new monthly mailer -
info@downersgrove.org. It's full color and
filled with Member advertising, Chamber events and
highlights. Plus, this exciting new piece
gives our Members the opportunity to advertise in
color for reasonable rates. Look to
info@downersgrove.org to provide you with a
complete calendar of Chamber events as well as
Member profiles, statistics, and features.
Don't forget to hang it on your office bulletin
board!
You can find more
about all of our marketing options
HERE or contact
Heather Prince at
hprince@downersgrove.org or 630-968-4050 x14.
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Downers Grove National Bank Chamber Choice Awards
There were laughter and tears at the Downers Grove
National Bank Chamber Choice Awards on March 12.
The Management Association swept the awards and
walked away with the top honor, the Overall Business
Excellence Award. With tears in his eyes, Gregory B. Beggs accepted
the Lifetime Achievement Award from his longtime
friend, Jim Russ, Sr. of Downers Grove National
Bank. Bill Nienburg of Sara Lee Corporation was
surprised and delighted to accept the Young
Professional Award. The Downers Grove Area Chamber
of Commerce & Industry honored many companies at
their inaugural awards banquet. SEASPAR won the
award for Community Contribution by a
Not-for-Profit. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
accepted the award in the Large Business Division
and Sara Lee Corporation was honored as Outstanding
Philanthropy for their contributions locally and
abroad. In the Small Business, Professional
Category, The Management Association took the title.
In the Small Business, Retail Category, Heritage
House Florists took the honor and IHM Remodeling
Repair Contractors won for Small Business, Service
Category.
“We had more than 50 businesses enter
the
Downers Grove National Bank Chamber Choice Awards
and our judges had a tough time deciding winners.
There are so many wonderful companies in Downers
Grove. We at the Chamber are thrilled to be able to
honor our deserving Members and it was a spectacular
event,” said Laura Crawford, President & CEO.
The Chamber would like to thank our
terrific sponsors: Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital,
Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation,
American Chartered Bank, Sound Check Entertainment,
Heritage House Florist, Modern Image Studio, Mallard
Press, and J. Murray & Associates.
Sponsored by:
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Chill
Out with YPN & the Cubs!
Are you ready for baseball fever? Get
your tickets to the Young Professionals Network Cubs
Rooftop Game on Tuesday, April 22 at
Beyond the Ivy at 1010 Waveland.
Early Bird tickets are just $100 this week only!
After March 14, tickets are $125.Take the bus for $10 and avoid the hassle of parking and
driving.
A portion of ticket sales will be contributed to a new
Young Professionals Network scholarship fund benefiting
students at Downers Grove North and South High Schools.
Click HERE for tickets.
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Belmont Underpass
Update
Laura Crawford,
lcrawford@downersgrove.org
The Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry
welcomed DuPage County Chairman, Bob Schillerstrom to
their Legislative Committee meeting held last Monday,
March 17th. The Chairman requested to be
included on the agenda after
receiving a letter from the
Chamber asking for funding of the Belmont Underpass.
The letter sent to Chairman Schillerstrom was consistent
with the Chamber’s Legislative Platform of supporting
regional transportation initiatives. Senator Dillard,
present at the February Legislative Committee meeting,
reiterated support and recommended a letter be sent the
County as well. Senators Dillard and Cronin as well as
our State Representatives Bellock, Pihos and Biggins
have spent many hours working to secure the funding
necessary to complete the underpass, the most ready
project in the State of Illinois. With this project in
mind, the Senators supported the RTA Act which included
an additional ¼% sales tax increase allocated to
counties for infrastructure and public safety.
Chairman Schillerstrom estimated the County will receive
approximately $20 million this fiscal year from this new
source of revenue. He designated $10.5 million to
public safety, diverting the County staff layoffs. He
stressed the need to work together to ensure a capital
bill is passed this year in Springfield. It was noted
that the Chairman has recently been appointed by
Governor Blagojevich to the bipartisan working group,
IllinoisWorks Coalition. This Coalition will focus on
passing a statewide infrastructure plan for Illinois.
As expressed in the meeting, the Chairman’s
participation in the IllinoisWorks Coalition gives us
hope for passing a capital bill and we thank him for
participation and commitment in this Coalition.
However; we feel the passing of a capital bill is
directly contrary to the messages heard by the five
business organizations participating in ‘Regional
Business Day 2008’ held in Springfield earlier this
month. This effort was initiated by the Downers Grove
Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry and included the
Greater Oak Brook Chamber, Bolingbrook Area Chamber of
Commerce, Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the
Plainfield Economic Partnership. The goal of this group
was to impress upon all elected officials in the State
the importance and urgency of our regional
transportation needs as well as specific local issues.
During office visits, a reception and a private dinner,
over forty elected officials, on both sides of the
aisle, heard our appeal for a capital bill, including
House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Chief of Staff Steve
Brown. The response was overwhelming luke-warm at
best. The prospect of a land casino generating revenue
to fund a capital bill seemed to be the only option
under consideration. Without a capital bill the State
risks losing matching federal funds. Hopefully,
Chairman Schillerstrom can inspire those in Springfield
to finally work together, just as he did,
to all those in attendance at our Legislative
Committee. The Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce &
Industry will work with an open mind and offer any
assistance to the Village, County and State elected
officials to help pass a capital bill or identify
funding sources for the much needed regional
transportation initiatives in the Downers Grove area.
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Successfully Starting Your Own Business: A Women's
Business Council Panel Discussion
Discover the challenges
and rewards of working for yourself. The Women's
Business Council will host a panel discussion on
Wednesday, March 19 beginning at 11:30 am in the
Chamber office. Diana Conley of Advotek Inc., Laura
Malke of Strategic Solutions & Services, and Mattine
Gallentine of MG Computer will share their experiences
leaving the corporate world and forming their own
companies.
Advotek
Inc., formerly known as ComputerLand Downers Grove, was
established in 1978 as a retail business. In 1988,
Diana changed the concept of the company from a retail
store, to an outbound technology consultative selling
organization and service organization. Advotek is a
multimillion-dollar company that sells and supports
computer automation for businesses and schools in the
Chicagoland area.
Strategic Solutions &
Services is a
minority owned corporation offering companies assistance
to achieve and/or exceed their business goals. They
deliver an overview of the company's current status
while identifying risks and provide business solutions.
In addition, they assist clients with their customer and
employee retention strategies as well as work with
businesses on their current and long term business
plans.
Seeing a lack of woman owned
technology companies, Mattine Gallentine started MG
Computer in 2000. The company has focused on small
to medium size businesses who need computer
assistance, but do not want a full time computer
person on staff. By taking care of its
customers’computer networking, training, databases,
and web sites, MG Computer’s customers are able to
focus on their core business and not on their
technology. Mattine has trained over 1,000 people,
been selected for the Business Ledger Young
Executive Award, and sits on several community
groups and boards. She is graduate of Luther
College in Decorah, IA.
Click HERE to RSVP.
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Report from
Springfield
Laura Crawford,
lcrawford@downersgrove.org
A contingent of Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce &
Industry Members joined four other regional
organizations on the first ever Regional Business Day
trip to our State Capitol. Our goal, along with The
Greater Oakbrook Chamber of Commerce, Bolingbrook Area
Chamber of Commerce, Plainfield Chamber of Commerce and
the Plainfield Economic Partnership was to reach out to
all the elected officials in the State of Illinois to
increase awareness of our regional transportation needs
and individual local issues.
The group started with a gathering in the Senate
Conference Room to hear a legislative briefing from Vice
President of Government Affairs for the Illinois
Chamber, Todd Maisch. We then tunneled our way into the
Capitol, each equipped with specific offices to visit,
ensuring our message was heard by parties on both sides
of the aisle.
The message focused on the need for a capital bill and
importance of matching the federal funds received two
years ago. We also voiced concern over the proposed SB
2288-Education Funding/Property Tax Swap. This bill
would increase the state corporate income tax from 4.8%
to 8% and the personal income tax from 3% to 5%. The
total cost of the tax increase on business is $1 billion
in the first year with an additional 2.5% Personal
Property Replacement Tax. You may recall past forms of
this bill, usually labeled SB/HB750 or the tax swap
education funding bill. We heard from lobbyists that
this year, this bill may have ‘legs’ since the service
tax (included in former versions of this bill) was
removed. Our concern with SB2288 is that it does not
address budget deficit issues, guarantee a freeze on
future tax hikes or provide for any other long-term
spending reforms. It also authorizes automatic annual
funding increases for education purposes, possibly
allowing the spending to outpace the revenues
collected. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing about a
few more versions of this bill before it proceeds.
It wouldn’t have been worth the trip if we couldn’t talk
about the great Village of Downers Grove. There was not
legislator that crossed our path that did not hear about
the need to fund the most ready transportation and
public safety project in the State of Illinois, the
Belmont underpass. With a dismal chance for a capital
bill passing, we will continue to work with DuPage
County, the fiduciary of State infrastructure and public
safety funds secured through HB656 commonly known as the
RTA bill.
Between our arranged meetings, office stops and our
March Madness reception, we personally spent quality
time with the following legislators: Representatives
Tom Cross, Sandra Pihos, Patti Bellock, Brent Hassert,
Bob Biggins, Jim Meyer, Joe Dunn, Jim Durkin, Mike
Fortner, Dennis Reboletti, Ed Sullivan; Senators A.J.
Wilhemi, Randy Hultgren, Pam Althoff, Frank Watson and
the Chief of Staff from Speaker Madigan’s office, Steve
Brown. We also met with candidates for state office
including Mike Connelly and Darlene Senger. Several
lobbyists also heard the voice of business in Downers
Grove including Alice Woods and Joan Parker.
I’d like to thank the Chamber Members who took time away
from their businesses to travel to Springfield making
sure our message was heard. Heather Sobecki, Elmhurst
College, Bob Wilson, Wilson Rental, Val Bruggeman, AT&T,
Roger Hopkins, Choose DuPage and Greg Bedalov, DGEDC joined
this charter event. Without the generosity of our
sponsors, we would have been unable to host this event.
Many thanks to AT&T and Choose DuPage for sponsoring our
legislative efforts.
The next Legislative Committee meeting is Monday, March
17th at 4:00 p.m. in the chamber conference
room. Hope to see you there!
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Save the Date! Chamber & EDC Grand Opening
Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 17 from 5:00
to 7:00 pm as the Chamber and the Downers Grove
Economic Development Corporation celebrate their grand
opening. Sample the fine cuisine of Member
businesses, enjoy entertainment, and a chance to network
with colleagues, VIPs, and the businesses of the
Esplanade.
Interested in being a vendor? Contact Heather
Prince at 630-968-4050 x13 or
hprince@downersgrove.org. Sponsored by Hamilton
Partners, DoubleTree Guest Suites & Conference Center,
and our virtual
tenants, Wilson Rental and J. Murray & Associates.
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Office Space Available
The Chamber is very excited to offer both full and
virtual office space at the new location at 2001
Butterfield Road. Depending on the space chosen,
Members will receive:
· Mailbox
services - Have your mail delivered to 2001 Butterfield
· Receptionist
services
· Meeting
room - Use of our new conference room or huddle space
· Copier and
fax services - Why lease you own?
· A full
furnished luxury office with all the above services
Contact Laura Crawford at 630-968-4050 x14 or
lcrawford@downersgrove.org for more information!
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Thank You!
Thank you to Holiday Inn Express for hosting the
March Business After Hours.
Thank you to Mattine Gallentine, MG Computer,
Diana Conley, Advotek and Laura Malke, Strategic
Solutions & Services for their enlightening panel
discussion of leaving the corporate world and starting
their own businesses at the Women's Business Council
meeting.
Thank you to John Lynch
for a valuable presentation at the February general
membership luncheon and Wachovia for arranging
for John to speak.
Thank you to Bok Choy Cafe for hosting the
February Business After Hours.
Thank you to Events by Tommy R for providing the
luncheon for our New Member Orientation. Thank you
also to Ken Koger, A.G. Edwards for leading the
event, Leads Organization of Downers Grove Executives
for sponsoring, and the Ambassadors Committee for
hosting.
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Members in the News
Several of our Members participated in the annual Career
Exploration Days at Herrick and O'Neill Middle Schools.
President & CEO Laura Crawford gave advice on business
acumen and Marc Hausman, Maclyn Group, gave information
on the Select 58 Scholarship Awards available through
the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58.
Thank you to the following Members for participating:
Dean M. Pozarzycki
Downers Grove Reporter
Dream Interiors
Elite Electronics Engineering
Farnaus & Associates
Indian Boundary YMCA
JMS Environmental Associates
Maclyn Group
Midwestern University
welcomed more than 100 Illinois high school students for
a 'Health Sciences Career Day' in February.
Americraft, Inc. launched a new website:
www.americraft1.com.
Erin Seal joined Zed451 as event sales
manager.
Jimmy McJoynt joined ScotPress in their
sales department.
Congratulations to Ballydoyle Irish Pub for being
named as Best Irish Pub in the West Suburban Living
Magazine's Best of the West. Also congratulations
to Sam's Wines & Spirits for being named Best
Wine Shop and Tivoli Theatre, named Best Movie
Theater.
Send us your news! Email us at
info@downersgrove.org!
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