| Wabash Area Chamber of
Commerce BUSINESS CHRONICLE April 2001 Galen Bremmer, Editor |
111 S. Wabash St. Wabash, IN 46992 http://www.wabashchamber.org e-mail - info@wabashchamber.org phone: (219) 563-1168 fax: (219) 563-6920 |
Do we have a deal for you! Are you always getting caught by your staff informing you that it is secretary appreciation day? Do you then make a mad dash for the florist? Then to find just the right card? Then wonder what the rest of the staff will think? This year, why not let us do all the hard work for you while you get the credit for looking ahead and providing a fun noon celebration for your entire staff. Michelle Smith, Snelling Personnel, has planned a fund raising event for your Chamber that is just the ticket. Wednesday, April 25 there will be a celebration created just for our great support staffs from 11 AM to 2 PM. The beauty of this event is that the celebration will be a come and go as you please schedule. Therefore, you can send your entire staff and still have your office covered all day. Luncheon tickets are being sold for the 11:00, 12:00 or 1:00 hours. Door prizes will be given away throughout - and do we have some great gifts. Vanessa Miller, queen of Oldies 106 Morning Jam will be our Mistress of Ceremonies. More and more fun is on the way for this girls noon out event.
Simply fill out the return slip on the flyer, created in the Chamber office, or call 563-1168 to take advantage of this exciting offer. (ed note - the chamber staff is extremely appreciative of the fine job that Michelle has done putting this event together and apologizes to her for not involving her in the creation of the flyer.) SEE YOU SECRETARY'S DAY!
Back by popular demand, the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce has invited the top 20% of this year's graduating class from Wabash City, Wabash MSD, and Emmanuel schools to a luncheon to be held Monday, May 21 at 11:30 am in the Honeywell Center Lobby. The purpose of this gathering is to give our area businesses an opportunity to greet these students and ask them to consider using their skills in Wabash during the summers, breaks and possibly after they have completed their educational efforts. That is where you, the business comes in. Send someone from your business to extend this personal invitation to the students. We have some very talented young people in Wabash! Maybe either now or later they will consider making their home here. This luncheon was a tremendous success last year. Linda Mirante will again be our keynote speaker using the topic "Roots and Wings". Her message fits perfectly with our theme. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only graduation activity that brings ALL THE HONOR STUDENTS TOGETHER from the Wabash School Systems. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! There will be approximately 80 students invited, and we also need sponsorship for the lunches for those students. If you can't make it yourself, would you consider sponsoring a couple students? The price of the lunch is $15 for either student sponsorship or attending. Beverly Ferry, Staffing Resources, and Nathan Dockter, GDX GenCorp are heading the efforts for this project. If you have any questions, please call the office at 563-1168 or either of these people. If your business would have any nice gifts for these students, that would be appropriate also. Let's take the first step
to stopping the Brain Drain in Indiana - ask them to stay and make them an offer. Call 563-1168 to be included.
Congratulations to Glenn Lightner, SMURFITT STONE CONTAINER CORPORATION, on his recent promotion to include some duties nation wide for his company. To relieve him of some of the daily strain locally, Al Nichols has been brought to Wabash as General Manager of the Wabash facility. WELCOME AL. We are also pleased that Glenn will be staying in our community.
The Chamber would like to welcome returning resident Tony Link as Administrator of MILLERS MERRY MANOR - WEST. Tony is no stranger to Wabash having served Millers in another capacity here in 1994. Let's welcome him back to this new challenging role.
PHYSICIANS HEALTH PLAN OF NORTHERN INDIANA (PHP) has concluded its 2000-2001 scholarship program honoring Adrian T. Harvey, Churubusco, and Arooj T. Sami, Fort Wayne. Both students will be pursuing Biology in their undergraduate studies. Additionally, Garet Schalinske, DeKalb High, Sean Agler, Homestead High, and Zachery Weber, Carroll High, also received scholarships. This is the 12th year PHP has provided scholarships to seniors pursuing a health-related career.
The Peru-Miami County Chamber of Commerce will be having their Home Show Saturday, April 14 from 10 AM to 5 PM in the Circus Building downtown Peru. Take a few minutes to run over to Peru and support our neighbors. The Easter Bunny will be in attendance for pictures from 1-4 PM.
Have you seen the new offices for MANPOWER, INC? They are now comfortably settled in at their new address 1146 N. Cass Street in the Shopper's Mart. Stop in and welcome Bev Holmquist and her crew in their new office.
HELP PLEASE! We are looking for policy making individuals who might have an interest in serving on the WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD (WIB). Contact the Chamber office to find out more about this important board that in partnership with local elected officials will provide the region's workforce development vision, system design, oversight, and resource generation.
THE WABASH COUNTY HOSPITAL will host a Roundtable Breakfast Thursday, April 19 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM in the Forum Room. Dave Hunter will highlight the hospital's 2000 accomplishments and outline goals for the coming year. Call 569-2254 to make your reservations.
WE ALL LIKE TO READ NEWS HERE - SO COME ON, LET US KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR BUSINESS!
The HONEYWELL CENTER has announced the following activities during this newsletter period:
Saturday, April 21 8:00 p.m. Marvin Hamlisch presented by WVMA
Tickets are priced $25 for adult and $12.50 for student
Friday, April 27 8:00 p.m. Glenn Miller Orchestra
Tickets priced at $18, $15, $12, and half priced for youth
Friday, May 4 8:00 p.m. Lazer Vaudeville
Tickets priced at $12, $10, $8, and half priced for youth
Thursday, May 10 7:30 p.m. Crazy for You
Tickets priced at $28, $25, $20, and half priced for youth
All events will be held at the
Honeywell Center, 275 West Market St., Wabash.
For more information or to
order tickets, call 563-1102 or 800-626-6345 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
3RD HOUSE SESSION BRIEFS WABASHIt didn't take long for Senator Potch Wheeler and Representatives Bill Friend and Bill Rupple to convince the respectably full Forum room that there are money problems in Indiana. They also were quick to point out that there were no easy solutions emerging from either side of the isle. The proposed budget that the legislators were working with at the time was clearly totally unacceptable as it was unbalanced by amounts that frightened even the best businessmen. Many of the items that the three were questioned on from the audience were answered in very simple terms - lack of funds. There are many things and programs that deserve attention in the legislature, but until a way can be devised to save existing programming, new programs just don't stand a chance. The inventory tax is one exception. With a proposal to offer counties the option of increasing their option tax to compensate for lost revenues from the phase out of the inventory tax, that idea was still breathing. Our three legislators were extremely convincing in their concern for the end results produced by this session. Program cuts seem inevitable, but nobody wanted to speculate on where they would come. Schools and education was a concern expressed by both the speakers and audience. Stay tuned to our leaders for the rest of the story. Thanks go to our three legislators for giving of their weekend and Shelly Neal, Government Affairs Chairperson for organizing the event. MARS AND VENUSIN THE WORKPLACE April 18 is the day we will all learn the difference between Mars and Venus in the Workplace. Courtesy of the Small Business Development Center in Kokomo, and your Chamber, Karen Hayes and Ken Gardner of Harmony Communications of Indiana, LLC will be presenting a workshop based on the popular teachings of Dr. John Gray, the best selling author of Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus. It is a proven fact that males and females see the same situation differently. Why should it be any different in the workplace than it is at home. Well, it isn't. Times have changed and now virtually every workplace puts men and women side by side in working relationships. This seminar is for everyone in that situation. Gals, take up a collection to send that boss or male counterpart, and then don't forget to come yourself. Learn how to open communication and to keep those lines open. The insights offered will benefit both sexes. This is a fun and educational meeting that will improve morale in your work area. Register today by calling the Chamber office at 563-1168. Don't let this one pass you by. Cost is only $25. April 18 may change your perspective. BULLETIN - NEW POSTERSAs you are aware, you are required to place informational federal and state labor law posters up in a place accessible to employees in your business. The Indiana State Chamber has just completed updating these postings. A new rule allows local chambers who are members to pass along the member pricing to their members who want to purchase. The only catch is that they have to be ordered by the Chamber. Therefore, I will order a quantity of these required posters. The cost for the 24X36 all-in-one laminated posters will be $30. They do also offer a standard paper poster for $20. Call the office today at 563-1168 to order! |
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER MAY 2 AND 3National Day of Prayer ceremonies will be held across the Wabash community on May 2nd and 3rd. Mark your calendars and watch for more details. One special event will be a Business Prayer Breakfast held courtesy of the WABASH COUNTY HOSPITAL on Thursday, May 3rd at 7:00 in the morning. The length of the program will be limited to 45 minutes. Pull out the insert in this newsletter for details and to act as a reminder to celebrate this special event with your business associates. Continental breakfast will be compliments of WCH. If you would like to help with the Business Prayer Breakfast or have any questions please call Julie Wickham at Trinity Lutheran Church, 563-6626. CHILD LABOR LAWSTis the season for "CHILD LABOR." As summer approaches, this means that there is a whole new labor market out there. Many students are looking for summer employment. But, just how old do they have to be? What jobs can they perform? What are the restrictions? All the answers can be found in an insert in this month's newsletter from Tom Gondek, Senior Investigator, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. The Chamber has a great relationship with Tom. He truly wishes to work with businesses to prevent violations! Questions, don't be afraid to give him a call at 563-8766 and leave a message. We will keep some "extras" of his flyer in the office. CHAMBERBIZ - www.wabashchamber.orgHAVE YOU REGISTERED ON CHAMBERBIZ YET? This information source is growing and developing every day. We just received the 4th quarter report on users registered to the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Bev Holmquist of Manpower and the Clifton's of Tech Success for joining the list of registered users from your chamber. How about the rest of you? It only takes a moment to go to our web site at www.wabashchamber.org and click on the Chamberbiz icon to see how much information is available to you. This network is a great find for small business. Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked ChamberBiz as being among the top 100 web sites that help businesses make money and save time. Go check it out, and be sure to register as a Wabash Chamber member. ChamberBiz is a one-stop resource for business to help save them time and money, and to help them boost their bottom line. ChamberBiz has now partnered with over 350 chambers, including the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Chamber to deliver valuable services to communities across the nation. Expand your market by selling your products in the ChamberBiz Trading Network. Learn everything that you need to keep in compliance with government regulations. Get valuable marketing and business management tools. |
Village Profile, P.O. Box 354, Bloomingdale, IL 60108, Timothy Gravenstreter, Indiana Manager, phone: 630-582-8888 — URL www.villageprofile.com — primary business is publishing.
Glik's, 1305 North Cass, Wabash, IN, Angela Koffman, Store Manager, phone: 563-4450, men's women's and children's name brand apparel and footwear.
Lake City Bank, 1004 North Cass, Wabash, IN, Merrill Templin, Branch Manager, phone: 563-1196, full service banking.
Ball Furniture, 233 South Miami, Wabash, IN, Phillip Ball, phone: 569-1775, major brand name home furnishings at discount prices. Please compare there is a difference.
Greetings, Inc., 1337 Hilltop Court, Wabash, IN, Priscilla Etter, local representative, phone: 563-0490, greetings and gifts from business sponsors who care...we look forward to greeting you.
A light covering of about an inch of snow greeted those arriving at the Honeywell Center early March 17 to set up for the Wabash Home and Business Expo. All breathed a sigh of relief when the two inches Friday turned into slush, but winter was not done playing with Wabash yet. Thankfully, by opening time of 11:00 AM, the sun was shining brightly, and the only sign of the white stuff was left on the sidewalks, grass and Wabash Valley Chrysler trucks greeting the Expo visitors. All 63 exhibitors were ready and waiting to greet Wabash from their winter nap. Wabash did turn out - both Saturday and Sunday. Over 2100 people strolled through the isles created in the Honeywell Gym, Honeywell Room, west lobby and east lobby outside the theater. The event, chaired by Beth Miller, has been dubbed a great success based on comments from exit surveys taken at the door and exhibitor critiques. Beth enjoyed a fantastic working committee with Dick Rider, Greg Pettit, Larry Hoover, and Lynn Huber making sure those yellow signs were seen all over town. Fantastic door prize packages, and a grand prize package were secured by DeAnn Clifton, Wendy Leeka, and Vanessa McKinley. Publicity was handled by Brett Wynn and Jerry Banks. Beverly Ferry rounded out the group by helping the office with exhibitor recruitment. Lynn also helped us in marketing the outside areas available for display. Next year, there will be more found in that area. Once again, this event was a success on both sides - a service to our business community offering them a way to market themselves to Wabash and as a fund raiser vital to the Chamber budget. Thanks to all.
BOARD MEMBERS - 2001
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Board Chair: Jerry Banks Chair Elect: Steve Ford Vice Chair: Skip Daughtry Treasurer: Bill Foulke Past Chair: Brian Howenstine President: Galen L. Bremmer
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Ed Bellows Larry Hoover Lynn Yohe Tony Pulley Dick Rider Dee Byerly Kerry Heiser |
Glenn Lightner Brad Perrott Roger Cromer Rick Gray Dave Hunter JoEllen Lambert Joel Stein |
Brown Bag Seminar
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Business Before HoursDate: June 13 7 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Business Sponsors -
To include your business here call 563-1168 The next BBH (after June13) is August 8, 2001 |
April 18 Mars and Venus in the Workplace
April 25 Secretary's Day Luncheon
May 21 Honor Student Lucheon
June 6 WACC-Y Golf Outing