Dear Members:
I am sending you my President’s Message a few days earlier than usual because I want to encourage you to celebrate the New Year’s weekend in Elmhurst with family and friends.
Dine at your favorite restaurant. Toast at the neighborhood bar. Watch a holiday movie on one of the 10 big screens downtown. Host a house party with food and beverages purchased from local merchants or catered in town. Get it? Got It!
Got It! in Elmhurst
City of Elmhurst officials and our Chamber are discussing options for continuing the Got It! in Elmhurst campaign beyond its Fourth Quarter of 2011 timeline—including development of smart phone apps for shopping, dining and entertainment.
Got It! in Elmhurst has done its best to spread the message to residents and businesses alike that their consumer spending habits dramatically impact our community’s economic health.
For the past three months, we have championed the importance of Shop Elmhurst First to residents and businesses alike, using via a variety of print and web advertising, event sponsorships and marketing, promotional signage and product giveaways.
During my time on the campaign trail, I have been stopped or approached by residents, business owners, elected officials, you name it, all of them wanting to share personal stories about how Got It! has had a positive impact on them or someone they know.
So, if you have an inspiring Got It! story to tell, you can share it with me, the Chamber and the rest of Elmhurst by mailing to 242 North York Street, Suite 102), e-mailing to info@elmhurstchamber.org or texting to 630-846-6060. Thanks in advance.
Holiday Sales Solid
Independent Elmhurst retailers whom I have talked with reported solid sales during the holiday season, ringing up better numbers than they did a year ago.
The automobile industry has continued a recovery that began last spring and many of Elmhurst’s dealerships continue to exceed their monthly sales numbers from 2010.
If It Sounds too Good
An Elmhurst business reportedly is among a growing number of merchants worldwide to close due to financial woes caused by online daily-deal offers that can attract locust-like bargain hunters at the expense of building customer loyalty.
“State of Our City” Mayoral Address
Elmhurst Mayor Peter DiCianni will deliver his third “State of Our City” Address at the Chamber Membership Breakfast hosted by Community Bank of Elmhurst (330 West Butterfield Road) on Tuesday, January 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Seating is limited and by reserved ticket only. Click HERE to register.
The program will be taped by Elmhurst Our Kind Town for rebroadcast in February on Channel 6 of Comcast.
93rd Annual Awards Gala
Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare will be honored as the A.J. “Toche” Terrones Business of the Year for 2011 at the Chamber’s 93rd Annual Awards Gala at the Diplomat West Banquet Halls (681 West North Avenue) on Wednesday, January 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. The dinner cost is $50 per person (cash bar). Click HERE to register.
Individual honorees include Civic Hall of Fame inductee Rick Grodsky, retiring Elmhurst Park District Executive Director; Ambassador of the Year recipient Ralph Pechanio, a 20-year member of the Chamber green coats; and Chairman’s Award winner Charity Ahlgrim, Vice President and Business Development Officer at Community Bank of Elmhurst, and an elected member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
The program will be taped by Elmhurst Our Kind Town for rebroadcast in February on Channel 6 of Comcast.
The Net(working) Effect
Networking done in-person through a Chamber is more effective than networking done online, in a women’s club and in service clubs, according to a recent survey of 12,000 businesspeople worldwide, as reported by Entrepreneur.com.
The State of Sears
Despite state officials offering tax incentives to keep Sears headquartered in Illinois, Elmhurst could be directly impacted by the retailer’s plans to sell 120 Sears and Kmart stores due to lower-than-expected, holiday-based sales for the Fourth Quarter of 2011. The Kmart-turned-Sears-turned-Kmart store—where the Quigleys did some of our holiday shopping—is in a great location at Elmhurst Crossing and could be viewed as a valuable asset either to keep on the books or to sell off for a needed influx of cash.
On the Political Front
If the courts uphold federal legislative redistricting as expected, the majority of Elmhurst, along with Oak Brook and Hinsdale, gets pushed east into Cook County and Chicago as part of the U.S. Congressional District held by Democrat Representative Mike Quigley (no relation). A sliver of northwest Elmhurst will fall in the redistricted United States 8th Congressional District, where the incumbent Republican Representative William Joseph “Joe” Walsh will take on the winner of the Democratic Party race between Tammy Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi.