Dear Members:
On March 2, I will travel to Springfield to meet with members of the Illinois legislators and fellow chamber of commerce executives from across the state for the first time since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, as part of Chamber Day 2022 with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE).
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emmanuel “Chris” Welch of Westchester (7th District) and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs (82nd District) will speak with chamber representatives gathered at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in downtown Springfield, as will Illinois Sheriff’s Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk.
Ryan Gleason and Laura Manion, Great Lakes Regional Managers for the United States Chamber of Commerce, will provide an update of federal legislation the morning after U.S. President Joseph R. Biden’s State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress.
Congresswoman Newman Visits Chamber
The ECCI Governmental Affairs Committee hosted a Meet and Greet with U.S. Congresswoman Marie Newman (IL-3rd District), a freshman member of the U.S. House of Representatives who serves on both the House Committee on Infrastructure and Transportation, and House Committee on Small Business, in the Chamber office on the early evening of February 25.
Congresswoman Newman is running for election against fellow Representative Sean Casten (IL-6th District) in the 2022 Democratic Primary for the newly-remapped 6th Congressional District, which now includes Elmhurst (formerly in the 5th District) and neighboring DuPage County communities such as Downers Grove, Lisle, Lombard, Villa Park and Westmont.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker last June signed a measure to move the state’s 2022 primary elections from March 15 to June 28.
Governor Lifts Indoor Mask Mandate
Based on the continued decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations (down 50 percent) and increase in available Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds (up 24 percent), Gov. Pritzker lifted the state’s indoor mask requirement, effective on February 28.
More than eight million people in Illinois are fully vaccinated with an average of approximately 16,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered each day, including more than 4,600 first doses daily.
25th Annual Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Elmhurst’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade down Spring Road will return for its 25th Anniversary on Saturday, March 5, kicking off at 12 noon, with the Elmhurst Armpit Orchestra serving as the Grand Marshal and 2020 ECCI Civic Hall of Fame inductee Charity Ahlgrim as EAO’s Queen.
The crew at ElmhurstTV will provide local cable access television coverage of the parade, with Ken Bartels of Community Bank of Elmhurst and yours truly serving as the parade announcers.
“State of Our City” Mayoral Address (Rescheduled)
Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin will deliver the Annual “State of Our City” Mayoral Address at a rescheduled Membership Breakfast hosted in the second-floor Hammersmith Community Room at Community Bank of Elmhurst on Thursday, March 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Seating is limited to 100. Click HERE to register.
Click HERE to access my State of Our Chamber Address for 2021 as published on January 20, which was the original event date before COVID-19 concerns resulted in its rescheduling.
COVID in DuPage Multi-Chamber Luncheon
Elmhurst is among eight chambers of commerce participating in the “COVID-19 IN DUPAGE COUNTY: What we know, What we have learned and What can DuPage County Health Department do to support business and the community now and in the future” Multi-Chamber Luncheon at the Crown Plaza, 1250 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn, on Tuesday, March 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click HERE to register.
Multi-Chamber Danube River Cruise
Our Chamber is among a dozen West Suburban Chamber of Commerce Executives (WSCCE) members partnering to host an Amazing Danube River Cruise aboard the 5-star MS Amadeus from October 12-21, 2022, along with an optional pre-cruise, three-night stay in Prague.
New Members
Our Chamber welcomed four new members in February as follows: Garage Experts of Chicagoland; Harlo Grill, Mario Caruso – Allstate; and Rise N’ Thrive.
Reactivated Member
Elmhurst Family Dental reactivated its Chamber membership in February.
Happy Anniversary
Eight members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in March as follows: 55 years—Alan Heating Air Conditioning and Republic Services; 50 years—Elmhurst Park District; 20 years—Panera Bread, The Stevens Group and Timothy Christian Schools; and 5 years—TransNational Payments and Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.
Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following five members in February: @properties (Kouf), CustomFACE, Diplomat West Banquet Halls, McGrath Lexus of Westmont and Redeemer Lutheran Church.