![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for six awards that recognize and honor individuals, businesses and organizations that have distinguished themselves through outstanding volunteerism, accomplishments and contributions in the community. The awards will be presented at The Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 7, 2023. Anyone in the community may submit nominations. The forms are available by visiting www.ChamberBloomington.org or by contacting The Chamber at 812-336-6381 or [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 24th at 5:00 p.m.
0 Comments
NOTE: This article that highlights The Chamber's Elect Connect: Mayoral Forum on Business event was published on April 11, 2023 in the B Square Bulletin by Dave Askins. Photos are provided by B Square Bulletin. At a forum for mayoral candidates hosted on Monday night by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, not a lot of new, additional daylight emerged between the three candidates as far as their known policy positions.
But a sharp difference in perspective emerged in response to a couple of the questions—one involving public safety and another involving the working relationship between city and county governments. Moderating the forum was Paul Helmke, who was a three-term mayor of Fort Wayne, and is a professor of practice at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. ![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is inviting interested parties for lunch and conversation on Justice Reform on Tuesday, November 15th at the Elks Lodge located at 400 N. Walnut St. in Bloomington. “This important discussion will inform the public on the many complexities of our local system of criminal justice including the need for a new jail facility in Monroe County,” said Eric Spoonmore, the Chamber’s President & CEO. What Justice Reform Entails. There will need to be a new justice center to replace the one built in 1985. According to the 2020 Criminal Justice & Incarceration Study conducted by the RJS Justice Services, “The jail facility is failing and cannot ensure consistent and sustainable provision of constitutional rights of incarcerated persons. The report goes on to declare, “daily inmate population exceeded the jail’s functional capacity on most days since 2004 and all days per year consecutively since 2015.” Beyond the new justice center, the study reveals that 75-80% of the daily 250-320 inmates have some sort of mental illness or substance abuse issue. The current facility does not have the space nor the staff of mental health professionals to address this issue. NOTE: This article that highlights The Chamber's Elect Connect event was published in the October 5, 2022 B Square Bulletin by Dave Askins. On Monday evening, several candidates for local and regional office made an appearance at a networking event hosted by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) at The Mill, a co-working space north of city hall.
Each candidate got a chance to deliver a quick three-minute stump speech. This B Square roundup is limited to candidates in contested, partisan races where both candidates appeared. That leaves out school board races, which are non-partisan. But one takeaway from Monday’s event was the position taken by school board candidates on the Monroe County Community School Corporation ballot referendum. Each of the three MCCSC school board candidates who attended Monday’s event expressed strong support for the levy increase that appears on the ballot. The three who spoke were: Daniel O’Neill (District 3); Ashley Pirani (District 3); and Erin Wyatt (District 1). If it’s passed, the referendum would set the school referendum levy rate at $0.185 for eight years, which would increase the average residential taxes paid to the schools by about 35 percent, according to the ballot question wording. The ballot language says the additional money will support the retention and attraction of teachers and staff and enhance programs in STEM, the arts, and special education. The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election is Oct. 11. Early voting for the Nov. 8 election starts on Oct. 12. In Monroe County, early voting will take place at the election operations building at 3rd and Walnut streets. The GBCC has set up a website with a roundup of information on candidates. An additional resource for information about candidates is the The League of Women Voters Vote411 website. ![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce today announced the ten young professionals who will receive a Ten Under 40 Award at this year’s celebration. The 11th Annual Ten Under 40 Awards will be held on Friday, July 22 at the Woolery Mill. The Ten Under 40 Awards, co‐hosted by The Chamber and its YPB (Young Professionals Bloomington) program, is an awards celebration honoring young notables under the age of 40 who are rocking the business world through professional achievement, leadership, and civic involvement. This year’s Ten Under 40 award winners are: Adam Beasley American Senior Benefits Kasey Butcher Williams Brothers Health Care Pharmacy Priscilla Cuevas Middle Way House Josh Dodds Evergreen Villages at Bloomington Kayla Dusseau Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington Lisa Greathouse IU Health Dr. Julius Hanks Indiana University Megan Holtsclaw German American Bank Emily Pike New Hope for Families Aubrey Williams Edward Jones ![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is inviting key stakeholders and interested parties for lunch and conversation on the future of Lake Monroe on Friday, June 3rd at the Golf Club at Eagle Pointe. “This discussion will help guide future planning for Lake Monroe,” said Eric Spoonmore, the Chamber’s President & CEO. “As the primary water source for the region, the lake is one of the most critical resources in the greater Bloomington area, and we must steward it accordingly.” What Lake Monroe Means. This body is the sole drinking water source for over 130,000 people and generates over $40 million in economic impact annually. The Lake Monroe watershed consists of over 440 square miles of land in Monroe, Brown, Lawrence, and Jackson Counties. ![]() Chamber members, their employees, and the public are invited to join the fun at PrimeTime Business After Hours on Thursday, April 21, from 5:00 – 8:00p.m. at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. The event, which debuted in 2013, is three events rolled into one: Business After Hours, a Business Expo and an exhibition of local food trucks. This year’s PrimeTime Business Expo will spotlight over 90 exhibitors in the exhibition hall. Businesses currently hiring will be marked by having balloons at the tables. Along with the business and community partner exhibits, a wide variety of local food-truck fare will be available in this year’s new attraction, Food Truck Frenzy. A beer and wine garden featuring local wineries and breweries will also be on site. Brother William Morris, host of Soul Kitchen, will emcee the festivities. “The Chamber and our members are very excited for the return of this year’s PrimeTime Business Expo,” said Eric Spoonmore, president and CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. “This is a terrific opportunity for the community to connect with our local businesses, enjoy delicious food, and have a great time together at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.” The first 250 people to arrive at the PrimeTime Business Expo will receive a food voucher to use at one of the food trucks in attendance. The PrimeTime Business Expo is open to all Chamber members, their employees, and the public. Those interested in attending should register at the event’s page at www.ChamberBloomington.org. There is no cost to register for the event. ![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce it is now accepting nominations for the 12th Annual Women Excel Bloomington (WEB) Awards. Each year, seven women are recognized for their outstanding leadership in influencing the growth of others in the community and/or in their professional organization. These prestigious business leadership awards will be presented at the WEB Awards reception scheduled for late May. WEB nominees serve as an inspiration, helping others to excel as they lead by example. They may be employed in either the business sector or a non-profit organization. Other criteria include:
![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Success School is proud to announce the recipients of the 21st Annual Educator of the Year Awards. For over two decades now, The Chamber’s Success School has championed excellence in education with the annual awards ceremony, which recognizes the best teachers and programs in accredited schools across Monroe County. This year eight educators, one educational program, and one lifetime achievement recipient will be honored in a community celebration at the 21st Annual Educator of the Year Awards to be held on the evening of Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington’s Shreve Hall. The program will feature student-led entertainment with a performance from the Tri-North Jazz Band. Presenting sponsors, Cook Group and Solution Tree, will also join the Chamber in presenting our honorees with their awards. Awardees are selected from a pool of nominees from across Monroe County by a committee composed of leaders from the public sector, business community, and education. The awardees for 2022 are as follows. ![]() Bloomington, IN – January 3, 2022 – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Legislative Preview next Friday, January 14th from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the American Legion Post 18. Every January the Chamber kicks off the year in advocacy with the Legislative Preview event, during which the Legislative Agenda for the year is presented and local legislators are invited to share with Chamber members what to expect from the upcoming session. The following legislators represent parts of Bloomington/Monroe County and have been invited to attend: State Sen. Eric Koch (District 44) State Sen. Shelli Yoder (District 40) State Rep. Jeff Ellington (District 62) State Rep. Bob Heaton (District 46) State Rep. Chris May (District 65) State Rep. Peggy Mayfield (District 60) State Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61) The program will begin promptly at 12:00pm with lunch being served at 11:15am. This event is open to the public, but registration is required. Members may register to attend for $25 while non-members may register to attend for $40. To register, visit www.chamberbloomington.org. |
Chamber NewsThis blog contains press releases, other news updates from the Chamber, news articles and radio interviews featuring interviews with the Chamber and team members, and much more! Categories
Categories
All
Archives
Archives
June 2024
|