Dear Members:

As ECCI’s President and CEO, I invite you to attend a 70th Birthday Celebration for former Board Chair Dee Longfellow at Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187 on Sunday, May 5, from 2 to 6 p.m.  Cash bar, with complimentary food and desserts.  No registration required.

Umbrella Sky Elmhurst
Elmhurst City Centre, in conjunction with the City of Elmhurst’s Public Arts Commission, celebrated the official opening Umbrella Sky Elmhurst for 2024—only the sixth city across the United States to host these colorful displays—with an April 27 jazz concert and public gathering.

ECCI members Community Bank of Elmhurst, Elmhurst Bank and Lakeside Bank, all with downtown Elmhurst branches, sponsor the Umbrella Sky displays, respectively, in the Schiller Street Walkway, North York Street Plaza and Cottage Hill Avenue Cultural Campus.

Our Chamber’s April 28 Facebook photo of Umbrella Sky in the Schiller Walkway has generated some 34,300 impressions and views, along with nearly 285 likes and loves.

Illinois Paid Leave Law
The State of Illinois’ new Paid Leave for All Workers Act is among a half-dozen, pro-employee labor laws passed in 2023 and in effect for 2024, along with amendments made to five existing labor laws, it was reported during the Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Chamber Day at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield on April 10.

In his presentation, titled “Death by ‘820’ Cuts: The Sequel,” Illinois Chamber Board of Directors member Peter Steinmeyer, an attorney with the Chicago law firm of Epstein, Becker & Green, reported that Illinois labor laws are the most onerous among the Midwest states and the second worst in the United States behind only California.

The Paid Leave for All Workers Act requires businesses to provide full-time workers (40 hours per week) with one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, track each employee’s paid leave on their pay stubs and allow employees to roll over unused paid leave from year to year.  Paid leave days can be used instead of vacation days, sick days or personal days.

Explore Elmhurst Trolley Returns
As of today, our Chamber has sold all 24 display advertising spaces inside the Explore Elmhurst Trolley, which will run 16 weekends from June into September and five Saturdays in November and December.  The cost is $1K, or $27 per trolley ride day.

March DuPage Hotel Stays Strong
Metrics on hotel stays in Elmhurst and across DuPage County in March showed increases for room demand, average daily rate and revenue totaling $30.6 million, up 3.5 percent from the prior year and 8.6 percent of pre-pandemic March of 2019, according to data release by the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Nationally, leisure and hospitality employment reached pre-pandemic levels for the first time, with 49,000 jobs added in March.

22nd Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon
A “Sold Out” crowd of more than 300 businesspeople heard Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President and CEO Austan D. Goolsbee’s moderated Q&A on the United States’ economy at the 22nd Annual Multi-Chamber Economic Outlook Luncheon Networking and Business Expo at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center in Oak Brook on April 4.

The 20-chamber event was co-hosted by the Westmont Chamber of Commerce and ECCI, which first teamed up back in 2003, with Elmhurst Bank as an Event Sponsor and Bartlett Wealth Management as a Logo Sponsor.

105th Annual ECCI Awards Gala
Click HERE to watch Elmhurst TV video coverage of our Chamber’s 105th Annual ECCI Awards Gala at Elm West Banquets on March 22 as sponsored by Elmhurst Bank and Eva Sanchez of See Your House Right Here, and click HERE to view photo page as sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor – Kevin Kost.

Alan Energy Services Air Conditioning and Heating Company was recognized as the A.J. “Toche” Terrones Business of the Year for 2023, Endeavor Health’s Colin Dalough received the Chairman’s Award, Eva Sanchez was the first repeat Ambassador of the Year and Dan Gibbons of the Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot Foundation became the 34th ECCI Civic Hall of Fame inductee.

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.

John DeVries of DeVries Animal Hospital won $44 at the April 11 Business After Hours hosted by Lakeside Bank in downtown Elmhurst.

Happy Anniversary
Seven members celebrated Chamber anniversaries in April as follows:  30 yearsJim Dhamer Plumbing & Sewer; 20 yearsEdible Arrangements (now under new ownership); 15 yearsWisdom Eldercare; 10 years—Lakeside Bank; and 5 yearsABC Communications, Hyatt House Chicago Oak Brook and Lewis University.

New Member
The following business and not-for-profit organization joined our Chamber in April:  Aunt Tina’s Kitchen and T-Mobile for Business.

Dropped Members
The Chamber dropped two members in April as follows:  Chicago Communications and McGrath Lexus Westmont.