April 2015 - Effingham County IL Chamber of Commerce

April 2015
Employee Appreciation Luncheon
Effing-Ham Jam Is Back!
Bev Soltwedel of Land of Lincoln Credit Union will be the featured
speaker at the 2015 Employee Appreciation Luncheon on Friday,
May 1 at the Keller Convention Center. This annual event provides
an opportunity for employers to express their appreciation to
their support staff for helping make the business run smoothly and
efficiently.
…….And, we are going to be in downtown Effingham! Mark
your calendar for Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 and come
out to enjoy the Hometown Throw-Down local BBQ competition,
in addition to the Kansas City BBQ Society State Championship
Cookoff, a Cornhole tournament, old-fashioned ice cream social,
lots of great music, BBQ and other fun.
Soltwedel’s presentation will be on “Etiquette
– It’s Not About the Fork!” Bev works in
community development for Land of Lincoln
and is studying to become a certified trainer
in proper etiquette and protocol. She is on the
speaker’s bureau for the Illinois Farm Bureau
and a Court Appointed Special Advocate for
CASA of Effingham County. Bev is a.member of Toastmasters,
Noon Rotary and Faith Lutheran Church, Shumway.
The Kansas City Barbecue Society is the world’s largest
organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts and sanctions
over 400 barbeque contests coast-to-coast throughout America.
Legacy Harley Davidson has hosted a sanctioned state
championship event for the past four years, bringing around 100
grillers and as many as 50 official certified barbeque judges to
Effingham for the two-day event.
The 2015 Employee of the Year will be announced at the
event and is given to an outstanding full-time employee who
demonstrates a high level of professionalism and commitment.
There will also be great door prizes, so bring your team and show
them your appreciation for a job well done!
Make plans now to close the office and bring the staff to this very
special event. Call the Chamber office to make your reservation at
(217) 342-4147.
The Chamber joined Legacy as hosts in 2014 to make this truly
a community event and to raise funds to support the Chamber
Community Scholarship Fund for area graduating high school
seniors and adults for continuing education. This year’s event
is being organized by the Chamber Foundation of Effingham
County, making sponsorships and donations to the event tax
deductible, as well as supporting a good cause.
There are great sponsorships available and we thank Joe’s Pizza
and Pasta, Scrubby’s Pub and Effingham Performance Center
as our first “official” Ham Jam sponsors. Be watching for more
information and activities planned for this year’s EffingHAM JAM!
Chamber Golf Outing
Friday, May 29, 2015
Effingham County Club
What are you waiting for? It’s time to sign up for the Chamber Golf
Outing – coming FRIDAY, May 29 at the Effingham Country Club.
Our Best Ball Team Scramble tees off at 12:30 p.m. with skills
contests scattered throughout the course and special promotions from
our Exclusive Hole sponsors.
Then, stick around for the ParTee on the Green in the newly
renovated Effingham Country Club. We’re searching for a few good
men and women for the Celebrity Dunk Tank. There will be live
music, great hors d-oeuvres, drink specials and a whole lot more!
Sign up as a sponsor, sign up your team, and bring your gang out to
the ParTee.
Thanks to our Presenting Sponsors - The Equity, HSHS St. Anthony’s
Memorial Hospital and Sarah Bush Lincoln Healthcare – our Golf
Cart Sponsor, J & J Ventures Gaming and our Beverage Sponsor,
Bonutti Clinic. Check out more great sponsorship opportunities on
our website – all come with wonderful marketing opportunities for
your business.
Effingham County Career Fair
Following the great success of 2014’s Job Fairs, the Chamber
will host two Career Fairs in 2015 and the first one is coming up
Wednesday, May 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at
the Effingham Knights of Columbus Building.
An extensive marketing campaign in a 50-mile radius will bring
a variety of job applicants and potential employees to learn
about local job opportunities.
Chamber members and Effingham
County businesses are invited to
set up a booth. New this Year!
Resume assistance will be offered
to job seekers and short videos
highlighting successful approaches
to job searches will be shown
throughout the event.
See the flyer in this mailing for
more details and get your business
signed up for the Effingham County
Career Fair.
Chamber Destinations
Islands of New England!
Explore New England’s charms, from Providence, RI to Boston, MA
and Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Hyannis Port from
October 19-26 on this trip sponsored by the Chamber and Effingham
Performance Center.
The trip includes transportation to and from Effingham, round trip
airfare, overnight accommodations in just two hotels, visits to some of
early America’s best-known historic places, visits to a cranberry bog
and 17th Century living history village and a traditional lobster feast.
Informational brochures are available and time and space is limited!
There are only 20 seats available for this trip and the deadline to
make reservations and obtain the $100 per person discount is April
23.
April Member of the Month
Congratulations
From the time Boris Bonutti opened Village Wine Shop in 2000,
next door to Bonutti Clinic, his goal was to locate the business in
downtown Effingham. He was able to fulfill that dream in 2011
and now 15 years later, is preparing to expand into the former
Dorothy Chrysler building.
In addition to opening the business downtown, a major
renovation of the historic Register Building, at the corner of
Banker and Jefferson, was completed. The additional space will
also be renovated to bring more value and beauty to downtown
Effingham.
Village Wine & Gift Shop brings unique products to the community
at affordable prices and hosts many events to bring more
customers and shoppers to their business and the downtown area.
They are the only Moet Hennessey USA Gold Member in
downstate Illinois and have been voted Best Wine Selection in
Effingham Daily News’ People’s Choice Awards multiple times.
Illinois Chamber Seminar Partnership
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce works together with the Effingham
Chamber of Commerce to provide training to the member businesses
of Effingham County and the surrounding areas.
The Illinois Chamber brings Illinois attorneys to Effingham to provide
the local employers with the up-to-date knowledge they need to
be compliant with the latest legislation out of Springfield and
Washington D.C. Seminars are held throughout the year, ranging
from topics such as Forms for Illinois Employers to Workplace
Violence Issues to Payroll Updates and more. In addition, over 80
webinars are offered each year to offer a quick resource to learn
about everything from Tips and Tricks for utilizing Microsoft products
to Ebola and Infectious Diseases in the Workplace.
Our partnership with the Illinois Chamber gives Effingham Chamber
members discounted rates for all of these training opportunities, as
well as access to the go-to experts in their fields. The Illinois Chamber
of Commerce very much appreciates their partnership with the
Effingham Chamber and looks forward to continuing this effort for
many years to come.
They host live music on Friday nights, allowing them to work
with VH1 and William Hill’s Save the Music to support music
education. Their popular Wednesday Open Mic nights draw talent
from a wide area and ever growing crowds of music lovers.
Village Wine hosts several community events and participates in
the Effingham Central Business Group downtown activities. They
actively participate in Chamber activities, including the Fall Social,
Annual Business Recognition Gala, Women in Business and
YBNext.
For more information, visit their website at www.villagewine.biz.
Fall Social - Save the Date
Friday, October 23, 2015
Lake Sara Pavilion
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Promote your Business at this Fun-Filled Event! Be a Playoff or Super
Bowl Sponsor! Seeking 2 more teams to compete in the bartending
challenge. Call the Chamber at (217) 342-4147.
Hot Deals Available!
NEW! ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY
Promote your business with a business
card ad placed in our monthly newsletter.
$50 for one
$40 per ad for 3 or more
Send print ready version. Size: 3.5” x 2”.
Contact Becky at the Chamber at (217) 342-4147.
Attention Chamber Members!
Take advantage of this great opportunity to post
your Spring and Summer Hot Deals. Simply
use your ChamberMaster Login to post your Hot
Deals. Did we mention that its FREE!
Check out our NEW Website at www.EffinghamCountyChamber.com
for a list of newly posted Hot Deals.
Our Chamber is Growing
We are pleased to welcome the businesses that have recently
joined the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce!
Ann Deters
700 E. Evergreen
Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-9888
(Community Supporter)
Welcome Home Redesigns
2504 S. Veterans Drive
Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 622-8550
Kimberly Rhodes, Owner
(Design Consultation/Home Makeovers)
The Chamber Board welcomes two
new Ex-Officio Board members:
Rich Hartke of Hartke Financial,
representing Teutopolis Community for Progress
Greg Bushue of Washington Savings Bank,
representing YBNext
Thank You!
• Chamber Board Meeting Host: Effingham Community Unit 40
• Candidate Forum Sponsors: Effingham Community Unit 40,
Tom Jamison & The Cromwell Radio Group, Jeff Long & Effingham
Daily News, Herb Meeker & Effingham & Teutopolis News Report,
Greg Sapp & Premier Broadcasting Company
• Chamber Morning Buzz Hosts: Lisa Kingery & Hodgson Mill;
Dan Patton & Patton Printing and Graphics
• Business after Hours Hosts: Effingham Ambulatory Surgery
Center, Teutopolis Community for Progress, Village of Teutopolis,
Legacy Harley Davidson, Effingham Surgical Associates, Roses
from Linda and Effingham Country Club.
• Seminar Sponsors: Consolidated Communications, ServPro,
Effingham Elks Lodge, Heartland Dental, Probst Auto Body, HSHS
St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and Tod Lancaster.
YBNext Welcomes...
YBNext welcomes Gina Willenborg of J & J Ventures as the board’s
new President Elect; Stephanie McMahon of First National Bank of
Dieterich as Treasurer; and Kelsey Gengler of First National Bank
of Dieterich as Secretary.
For a list of upcoming Mix-N-Mingles, Professional Development
Luncheon and other events, visit www.ybnext.com or find us on
facebook.
Good News Department
Chamber Congratulations:
• Phil Webster, owner of Webster Tire and
Auto Service received the Master of Shop Management Award
from Management Success, a national organization, supporting
the automotive repair industry.
• Prudential-Rich & Angie Hartke are pleased to announce
construction of a new office at the corner of Fayette and Second
Street, with a target relocation scheduled for late summer. The new
construction will also contain 1,300 SF of available office space
for lease, including a shared break room and conference room.
Interested parties can contact Angie Hartke at (217) 347-8801.
• Catholic Charities 2015 Vineyard Award winners are John
& Dolores Kingery of Kingery Printing Company and Dan &
Madonna Patton of Patton Printing & Graphics.
• Washington Savings Bank has once again earned the 5-Star
Superior rating from BauerFinancial, the nation’s premier bank
rating firm. The bank has earned the 5-Star Superior rating for the
most recent 107 consecutive quarters and earned the added title
of “Best of Bauer Bank” for receiving the 5-star rating for 25 years
or longer.
Member Welcome:
• Dr. Jennifer Maneja, internist and geriatrics, at Marshall Clinic.
• Kelsey Bierman has been named Vice President at KTD
Computers.
• Donna Rouleau, an Adult Protection Services representative, for
SWAN.
• Annie Wendt is now the Executive Director and Shirloene Plante is
the Assistant Director at Brookstone Estates; Emily Lawrence is
the Executive Director for Brookstone Suites.
Changes & Notes:
• HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s home care and
hospice recently changed their names to HSHS Home Care
Southern Illinois and HSHS Hospice Southern Illinois. The name
change results from the growth and expansion of the home
care and hospice services into the southern Illinois region and is
a collaborative effort with hospitals in the HSHS Southern Illinois
Division located in Belleville, Breese, Effingham and Highland.
Home Care and Hospice services now operate in 22 counties in
southern Illinois.
• Artisan Depot will relocate to 123 E. Jefferson as of April 22.
• Effingham City-County Committee on Aging has a new
website and web address: www.seniorservices-eccoa.org.
• Clearchoice Mobility has been purchased by Spring Mobile
and their new website is www.springmobile.com. The business is
managed by Daniel Borries and remains at 1300 Thelma
Keller Boulevard. The phone number is (217) 342-9594.
• Meyer Funeral Home now has a toll-free number,
844-MEYERFH and their website is www.meyerfh.com
• Express Employment Professionals has opened an
Effingham office located at 813 North Third Street, Unit 1. The
local phone number is (217) 347-2224 and the website is http://
ExpressPros.com/EffinghamIL.
Member Milestones:
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Kathy Soltwedel, Mary Kay Cosmetics, 30 Years in Business
Culture, 1 Year in Business
Effingham Express Care, 1 Year in Business
Orr Law, 1 Year in Business
Fujiyama Japanese Steak House, 1 Year in Business
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
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Employee Appreciation Luncheon
Golf Outing
Effing-Ham Jam
Effingham County Career Fair
April Member of the Month
Good News Department
Effingham County, Illinois
Community Economic Indicators
JANUARY
City Building Permits:
Month, Commercial
Month, Residential
2015
4/$14,970,567
0
2014
5/$1,490,606
2/$170,950
$1,595,851,000
$1,416,293,000
Labor Market (County):
Total Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Eff. County Unemployment Rate
Illinois Unemployment Rate
U.S. Unemployment Rate
18,416
17,354
1,062
5.8%
6.1%
5.7%
17,738
16,276
1,462
7.0%
8.6%
7.6%
Annual Average (County)
Total Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Eff. County Unemployment Rate
Illinois Unemployment Rate
U.S. Unemployment Rate
2014
18,367
17,345
1,022
5.6%
7.1%
6.2%
2013
18,055
16,796
1,259
7%
9.1%
7.4%
Retail Sales
City (2nd Qtr. FY15/14)
County (2nd Qtr. FY15/14)
Total Sales - City (CY 14/13)
Total Sales - County (CY 14/13)
Total Sales - City (FY 14/13)
Total Sales - County (FY 14/13)
$172,315,635
$195,739,925
$650,403,126
$742,670,315
$633,761,707
$723,204,627
$163,549,395
$186,259,755
$623,401,535
$711,910,732
$611,498,592
$698,185,923
County Financial Institutions:
(As of June 30, 2014 - 11 banks reporting)
Mark Your Calendars
April
May
17 - Chamber Radio Days - WCRC 95.7
23 - Business After Hours: Walks Auto Body
24 - Heartsaver: First Aid/CPR/AED Training
24 - Downtown Health Fair
27 - Reception Honoring Jim Schultz & Craig Lindvahl
29 - CEO Tradeshow
1 - Employee Appreciation Luncheon
1 - First Friday Luncheon
2 - Ribbon Cutting: Advanced Veternary Care LLC
6 - Coffee & Connections
8 - Skilled Trades Day
8 & 9 - Artisan Fair
9 - Effingham Central Business Group: Spring Fling
7 - Business After Hours: Stang Art Studio & Gallery
11 - Ribbon Cutting: Factory Connection
13 - Effingham County Career Fair
13 - Chamber Morning Buzz
21 - Business After Hours: Family Care Associates
29 - Chamber Golf Outing
See our online calendar at
www.effinghamcountychamber.com
for additional event details, set a reminder,
and share with others!
SOURCES: Illinois Department of Revenue: www.revenue.state.il.us, Effingham City Building Official - www.effinghamil.
com, Illinios Department of Employment Security - www.lmi,ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm, Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation - www.fdic.gov