Dear Members:
If you have not already done so, please vote in the November 5 Presidential Election. Voting is your most-influential right of being an American citizen…the pen being mightier than the sword.
ECCI’s Board of Directors at their September 10 meeting voted to endorse the Elmhurst Park District’s $89.95 million referendum to fund replacement of the 1950s-built Joanne B. Wagner Community Center with a state-of-the-art facility ($84,950,000) four times as large, bandshell installation at Wilder Park ($2M), new turf field installation at Helmut Berens Park ($1M) and construction of heated restrooms at three parks (Crestview, Eldridge and Wilder) and along the Illinois Prairie Path ($500,000 per location).
Veterans Day Ceremony
Military veterans and those currently serving at home and around the globe will be honored at Elmhurst’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Wilder Park on Monday, November 11, starting at 10:30 a.m., as presented jointly by the City of Elmhurst, Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187, Elmhurst Park District and our Chamber.
For the 25th year, yours truly will have the privilege and honor of reading the names of veterans who have died since last May’s Memorial Day Parade and Post-Parade Military Ceremony.
Small Business Saturday
Holiday shoppers alienated with the traditional bedlam of Black Friday should support Small Business Saturday by shopping locally on November 30—whether done in person or online. You can find an amazing mix of unique gifts and exceptional services to purchase for family and friends, while contributing to the well-being of your community’s economy.
From its 2010 inception by American Express and co-sponsored by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) since 2011, Small Business Saturday has generated some $201 billion in consumer spending. In 2023—despite economic factors ranging from higher inflation to an increased cost of goods and services—an estimated 59 percent of consumers shopped and/or dined on Small Business Saturday, generating $17 billion in spending, only $1 million less than 2022’s revenue ($17.9B), according to its annual Consumer Insights Survey.
Survey responses for 2023 indicated that 61 percent of responding consumers reported they found a small business or independently-owned restaurant that they would patronize in the future, with 41 percent shopping with family, friends or neighbors. A total of 86 percent shopped in-store, while more consumers (53 percent) shopped online at a small business as compared to those (34 percent) who shopped online with large retailers.
Today, small businesses (500 employees or less) account for nearly 33.2 million U.S. businesses (99 percent of all businesses), employ 46.4 percent of those working in the private sector (61.7M) and create two out of every three new jobs.
For many communities, sales taxes account for a municipality’s largest source of budget revenue, often offsetting any need for a property tax increase. Home-rule municipalities like Elmhurst benefit even more from local taxes on food and beverage, retail, motor fuel, etc. More importantly, 68% of every $1 spent at a local small business stays in the community, as compared to 44% from a big box retailer.
State of Tourism Industry
The DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau (DCVB) will present on the STATE OF THE INDUSTRY: INSIGHTS, INITIATIVES AND INTERNATIONAL CUISINE during its Annual Meeting at The Drake Hotel Oak Brook on Wednesday, November 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. Ticket cost is $30 per person. Click HERE to register.
Buck-A-Duck Raffle
During 2024, a single Buck-A-Duck winner will split the pot collected at each of our Chamber’s monthly networking events and other selected events. Ralph Pechanio won $55 at the October 30 Halloween-themed Business After Hours hosted by Elmhurst Bank, while Cathy Bajkowski of CB Health Insurance won and then donated back $60 from the October 15 Membership Breakfast hosted by The Indigo at Elmhurst.
Happy Anniversary
Four members are celebrating their Chamber anniversaries in November as follows: 30 years—David King & Associates and My Friend’s Place Salon; 20 years—GreenMan Theatre Troupe; and 5 years—Adapt Chiropractic.
New Member
The following four businesses and two not-for-profit organizations joined our Chamber in October: Chicago House AC Soccer Team, Coffee Supply Group, Greater Chicago Cage Bird Society Rescue, MBA Confidante, Visitation Catholic School and Vista National Insurance.
Reactivated Members
Duly Health and Care, Courtyard by Marriott Elmhurst, All Suburban Plumbing & Sewer Service, Floofins & Co. and Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church reactivated their memberships in October after respective hiatuses of five months, six months, one year, 10 years and 21 years.
Dropped Members
The Chamber dropped eight members in October as follows: Chicago Water & Fire Restoration, Daily Herald Media Group, MA3 Insurance, My Car Wash, Pike Lagree, Pinstripes, Weiss-Kuntz & Oliver and York Furrier.
York Furrier’s downtown Elmhurst property has been purchased by downtown Elmhurst-based Peerless Development, while the Mehta family has sold My Car Wash, which is adjacent to Tony Gambino’s redevelopment of the Silverado Grill property on Spring Road for Parlor Pizza.
Gone, But Not Forgotten
It is with heartfelt regret that I report on the death of former Chamber membership volunteer Dean J. “Jerry” Sletten, a longtime Elmhurst resident and former Washington Street neighbor of mine, at the age of 96. He was a member of the Elmhurst Parks Foundation and Knights of Columbus, and Immaculate Conception Parish volunteer.