Summer/Fall 2015 - Greater Ishpeming

Chamber Chatter
A LOOK AT WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO...
Summer/Fall 2015 | Vol. 5, Issue 2
Vegas Comes to Ishpeming was held Saturday, May 16th
and proved to be a successful, fun evening of casino style
games. There were prize drawings held throughout the
evening, ending with the Grand Prize winner snagging a trip
to Las Vegas. There was also a spa area with massages, pedicures, manicures by All About You Salon in Ishpeming and
jewelry cleaning by Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers.
The Michigan DNR opened a new Off Road Vehicle (ORV)
route between Ishpeming and Republic. The DNR, in conjunction with the Iron Ore Heritage Trail Authority and the
Greater ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce,
hosted a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, May 19th at the
intersection of Stoneville Road and the Ishpeming to
Republic ORV Route in Tilden Township.
On Thursday, June 18th, business and community leaders
had the opportunity to tour the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum.
Tours, which are normally $10, were conducted free of
charge and provided an interesting and informative look into
the past for all who attended.
The Huron Mountain Bakery of Ishpeming celebrated a
ribbon cutting and open house on Wednesday, July 1st in
conjunction with the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area
Chamber of Commerce to mark its new location and also to
showcase its new, wood-fired pizzas.
The Marquette Chamber of Commerce
celebrated a ribbon cutting Wednesday,
July 29th at its new office location. The
Marquette Chamber officially established
an office location on Third Street in downtown Marquette, across the street from
The Pasta Shop and 3rd Street
Border Grill.
Marquette Chamber Executive Director,
Jason Schneider and the Marquette Chamber Board paired with the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Kori Tossava,
Marketing Coordinator, Ashley Geist, and
Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce board
members for the event.
Hilltop RV hosted its annual summer Business After Hours event on Wednesday, July
22nd. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and music by Centerline filled
the parking lot. Thanks to Hilltop RV for a fun summer evening. We hope everyone had a
good time!
The U.P. Dance Academy celebrated a Ribbon Cutting with the Greater IshpemingNegaunee Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, September 2nd to celebrate
its new location in downtown Negaunee. U.P. Dance Academy seeks to fill a need for
dance classes in the West End of Marquette County with this studio, which is located
inside the Negaunee City Center in downtown Negaunee on Iron Street.
THINKING ABOUT HOSTING A BUSINESS AFTER
HOURS OR RIBBON CUTTING?
The Chamber has opening for the fall and winter for Business After Hours,
Ribbon Cuttings, or Grand Openings.You do not have to be a Chamber Member
to utilize these Chamber services.
Business After Hours, Ribbon Cuttings, and Grand Openings are all FREE of
charge. We will work with you to plan your event to make it successful and tailor it to your needs.
If you would like to schedule an event with us, please call (906) 486-1111
or e-mail: ginccmarketing@gmail.com.
NORTHERN LIGHTS RAVE RUN
The 2015 Northern Lights Rave Run, held on Saturday, August 22nd, has officially wrapped up a successful second year. 200 racers came out to Al Quaal Recreation Area and participated in the Kids’ 1K or
5K, turning Al Quaal into a sea of neon. The weather was beautiful, the music was pumping, and smiles were
seen all around.
The Rave Run, which is held as a fundraiser for the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of
Commerce, raised about $3,000 for our organization to put towards things like Party in the Park during the
Ishpeming 4th of July, our Be Local, Buy Local media campaign featuring Chamber Member Businesses, informational Chamber Luncheons, and more community based programming.
The majority of our racers came from Michigan, (one family drove seven hours to get up here from
down state just for the run), but we also had racers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, and one racer even
came from Ontario, Canada.
The Rave Run is also a race we like to keep local. Our t-shirts, posters, banners, DJ, photographer, racer
goodies, and more were all provided by area businesses. The only thing we brought in from outside the area
was our lighting company, Glow Vibe, a small company headed by two brothers that specializes in glow lighting. One brother lives in South Carolina, and one lives in Kentucky. They carpooled and drove all the way to
the U.P. for our event. It was their first time to Ishpeming, and they both said they felt welcomed with open
arms and enjoyed their stay. They look forward to coming up next year.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with the race and to everyone who participated in
the race. We are so happy that you came out and RAVED with us.
We also want to thank our sponsors: A. Lindberg and Sons, Auto Value of West Ishpeming, Coke, Country Village, Eagle Mine, Gauthier Insurance, HONOR Credit Union, Lake Effect Entertainment, Mather Nursing Center, mBank, McDonald’s of Ishpeming, Northern Michigan Bank and Trust, Travel Marquette,
TruNorth Federal Credit Union, U.P. Catholic Credit Union, U.P. Health Plan, U.P. Health System—Bell,
U.P. Home Health, Hospice, and Private Duty, UPPCO, and Wilderness Sports.
Thank you to our Chamber Rock Stars: Eagle Mine, Eagle Radio Group, Magic 97/Moose Country 102.5,
Mining Journal, TV6, UPPCO, and WJMN Local 3.
#DISCOVERTHEWESTEND
The Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of
Commerce recently began a campaign called
#DiscovertheWestEnd.
Marketing Coordinator, Ashley Geist, began working on a
photo and video tour of the West End of Marquette County to encourage people to visit the area and discover how
much there is to the West End.
The campaign was also developed as a way to engage residents and tourists to share photos on social media during
their travels in the West End. If using Facebook or Instagram, hashtag your photos with: #DiscovertheWestEnd.
This will group photos of our beautiful area together on
these social media sites and apps, making it easier for
people to see and learn more about the West End of
Marquette County!
Ashley has been, and will continue to be through fall,
visiting places of interest and scenic landscapes or scenic
areas to put into this project. If you have somewhere in
mind you would like her to visit, please e-mail:
ginccmarketing@gmail.com.
THANK YOU TO OUR
MEMBERS
Auto Value of West Ishpeming
Brogie’s Tavern
Carpet Specialists, Carpet One
Elder Agency
FOX Negaunee
Grandchamp, McBride, and Prophet
Little Friends’ Children’s Center
U.P. Home Health and Hospice
Wautier Wellness
Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers
Wilderness Sports
WELCOME TO OUR
NEW MEMBERS
- Hennessy & LaForais LLC (Lowenstein's
Antiques, Birdcage Antiques, Birdcage II)
- Mather Inn
- Michigamme Shores Campground
- Natural Escapes
THANK YOU TO OUR RENEWALS
Anytime Fitness of Ishpeming
Bell Forest Products
Big Brothers, Big Sister of Marquette County
Central UP Insurance Agency
Cliffs Natural Resources
Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum
CrossFit 906
EZ Duz It
G.E. Builders INC.
Gossard Building (Pioneer Square)
Grace Episcopal Church
Graybill and Mead
HONOR Credit Union
Irontown Pasties
Ishpeming Business Association
Ishpeming High School
Kroon Forest Products
Larry’s Heating and Cooling
Main Street School of Cosmetology
Michigamme Moonshine Art Gallery
Negaunee Housing Commission
Pioneer Kiwanis
Pizza Hut
Rob’s CARS
Signs Now
Superior Design
Thrivent Financial
Tino’s Bar and Pizza
Travel Marquette
TruNorth Federal Credit Union
Venice Pub and Pizzeria
Western Marquette County Health Foundation
YMCA of Marquette County—West End Facility
WHAT’S UP?
GET IN TOUCH WITH US:
GINCC
U.S. Highway 41 West
Ishpeming, Michigan 49849
(906) 486-1111 | www.gincc.org
www.facebook.com/GINCC
Follow us on Instagram: DiscoverTheWestEnd
ginccdirector@gmail.com
ginccmarketing@gmail.com
Visit our online events calendar to keep
up to date with what’s going on in the
West End of Marquette County! Visit
www.gincc.org and click
EVENT CALENDAR at the
top of the page.