Dear Members:
For more than two decades, ECCI has participated as an active and integral member of the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce Executives (WSCCE) peer group serving DuPage County and several neighboring counties.
The WSCCE provides chamber leaders with a proven platform for partnering on mutually-beneficial networking event and educational programming, for enhancing professional development staff-wide, and for sharing “best practices” for the enrichment of each member.
The majority of WSCCE members and their chambers are actively involved in the United States Chamber of Commerce, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE).
ECCI and fellow WSCCE members will join chambers from around the globe at the 2022 ACCE Annual Convention at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, from July 26-29, as hosted by the Indy Chamber, which was named ACCE’s 2021 Chamber of the Year for its Accelerate Indy strategy to advance the Indy Region as the top market in the Midwest.
In May, WSCCE members, ECCI among them, joined more than 40 chambers from across the state at the IACCE’s inaugural Leadership Summit in Bloomington to discuss how to develop a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within their organizations and communities.
ECCI and the GOA Regional Business Association co-hosted a June 23 Business After Hours at McGrath Lexus in Westmont that also included members from Chamber 630 (Downers Grove and Woodridge) and Schaumburg Business Association, while ECCI’s July 21 BAHs at Innovation DuPage will include Chamber 630 and Bolingbrook Area Chamber of Commerce.
In conjunction with Chamber of Commerce Week in Illinois last September, the WSCCE debuted “Join Your Chamber Now,” a 40-second promotional video produced in partnership with Glen Ellyn-based Innovation DuPage, a not-for-profit venture that unites start-up founders and small business owners with the people, resources and programs to help them grow.
Civic Hall of Fame Fundraising
In June, the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP’s Capital Campaign, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-designation 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, officially surpassed its Civic Hall of Fame public memorial fundraising goal of $50,000, thanks to a generous five-figure donation from the 2020 HOF Inductee couple of Scott and Charity Ahlgrim, former Owners of Ahlgrim Funeral Home.
The Ahlgrims donated “in recognition John’s 30 years plus of dedication and service, and countless hours of tireless work to help the businesses of Elmhurst survive, grow and thrive.”
The Civic HOF Fund is part of the NFP’s one-of-a-kind $250,000 Capital Campaign, which was created in celebration of ECCI’s 100th Anniversary in 2018. To date, the Ralph P. Pechanio Student Internship Endowment Fund at Elmhurst University has doubled its $150,000 goal and the Second Century Fund has exceeded its $50,000 goal.
Civic HOF fundraising officially kicked off in July 2016 with a tax-deductible donation from Charity Ahlgrim, then serving as Second Vice Chair of the ECCI Board of Directors.
In August of 2021, the NFP purchased more than $15K in TouchPros hardware and software for development of a Civic HOF public memorial, which will feature a TouchWall interactive, touch-screen TV monitor (65 inches) on which users can view biographies, photographs and video clips of each of the inductees. A Civic HOF website will go live later this year and the TouchWall is expected to be installed at a temporary site by year’s end.
Since its creation in 1992 as part of the Opening Ceremonies at Elmfest, the Civic HOF has inducted 32 businesspeople, community volunteers and elected officials. Since Elmfest’s end in 2009, inductees have been honored at ECCI’s Annual Awards Gala in all but one of those years.
The Ahlgrims were inducted into the Civic HOF at ECCI’s 102nd Annual Awards Gala in the Normandy Banquet Room at Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187 on September 8, 2021.
Mark Your Chamber Calendar
“Networking on the 9s,” our Chamber’s 74th Annual Golf Outing, will tee off at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park on Friday, September 23, as part of ECCI’s annual September Chamber of Commerce Month activities. Members of the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce also will participate. Click HERE to register as a sponsor, golfer or lunch guest.
New Members
Our Chamber welcomed five new members in June as follows: Elmhurst Bank – City Centre, UOTR – Construction and Restoration, Sunbelt Rentals, Vertical Chimney Care and Westside Children’s Therapy.
Reactivated Member
Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley, Lexington Square of Elmhurst and New York Life Insurance Company reactivated their memberships in June.
Happy Anniversary
Nine members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in July as follows: 50 years—Fruitful Yield; 25 years—Vital Signs; 20 years—Chicago Records Management; 10 years—HB Jones, Simplex System Controls, United Community Concerns Association and York Township; and 5 years—Healthstyle Chriopractice and Wellness.
Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following four members in June: DuPage Cycling Foundation, Elmhurst Bank-Lake Street, Groom for Gentlemen and Titan Contracting Company.