Dear Members:
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s August 30 indoor mask mandate—applicable to both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents statewide—will not deter the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry from safely conducting daily business and events as usual.
Throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, our Chamber has kept the office doors open, avoided staff layoffs or cutbacks, and staged monthly networking gatherings and special events in compliance with federal and state guidelines—unlike the vast majority of our peer West Suburban Chamber of Commerce Executive (WSCCE) members.
On August 25, our Chamber and a dozen WSCCE members staged a Launch Party in Downers Grove to announce 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.
Chamber of Commerce Month
Gov. Pritzker and Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin have formally issued proclamations designating September 12-18 as Chamber of Commerce Week across the state and in Elmhurst, respectively.
Expanding on the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE) Chamber Week, our Chamber is staging a month of special activities in September, including a unique Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) membership solicitation campaign.
In August, nearly 19,700 postcards (9”-by-6.25”) designed by The Stevens Group were EDDM-delivered in hopes of soliciting businesses to join (or rejoin) our Chamber and promoting resident and business donations to the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP to support the development of a Civic Hall of Fame public memorial (see Civic HOF below).
New Director of Member Services Grace Bagnole visited with members, prospective members and inactive members in both the Spring Road and York and Vallette business districts in August and will continue her in-person stops in Elmhurst City Centre and elsewhere in September.
Chamber of Commerce Month events will feature our 102nd Annual Award Gala as a breakfast event in the Normandy Banquet Room at Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187 on Wednesday, September 8, and “Networking on the 9s,” our 73rd Annual Golf Outing, at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park on Thursday, September 23.
Civic HOF Fundraising
The ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP has contracted with Barrington-based TouchPros, the maker of the interactive touch-screen for the proposed Civic Hall of Fame public memorial, to pre-purchase the hardware, software, installation, cloud hosting (five years), site creation (data, photo and video uploading) and extended warranty (five years) at an initial cost of $15,125.
The Civic HOF memorial will feature a 65-inch TouchPros Touch Wall through which users can view biographies, photographs and video clips of each of the inductees.
August’s country music concerts partnership between our Chamber, Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187 and the NFP generated an addition $2.1K in tax-deductible Civic HOF donations—putting the fund at more than $19K of its $50K goal.
Summer Concerts Partnership
Special thanks to ECCI member Community Bank of Elmhurst and an anonymous member for their sponsorship of Freebyrd, a local Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band with Elmhurst ties, and Whiskey Creek, which performed at Post 187 on August 14 and 28, respectively. The concerts were staged in part thanks to City of Elmhurst Explore Elmhurst Grant Program funding support to offset the cost for engineering and advertising.
Second Nashville Songwriter Fundraiser
Thanks in part to City of Elmhurst Explore Elmhurst Grant Program funding support, our Chamber and Post 187 will co-host the Second Annual Nashville Songwriter Fundraiser in the Normandy Room on Saturday, October 16, from 6 to 10 p.m. Click HERE to purchase an $85 ticket, which are limited, and/or join in as a $500 Blue, $250 Red or $100 White sponsor.
The Nashville Songwriter event will feature the return of country singer/songwriter Jason Sever, a native Texan who has worked the past 20 years in Music City U.S.A, as a headlining solo artist, studio musician and ensemble performer, along with acclaimed singers, songwriters and record producers Frank Myers and Ralph Anthony Smith.
Former member of the duo Baker & Myers, Myers is a three-time American Country Music (ACM) and County Music Academy (CMA) award nominee for “Duo of the Year.” His success spans more than four decades in the music industry, including a dozen No. 1 hits—starting with “You and I” in 1982 and including 1994’s “I Swear”—and 20 Top 10s charters. He has written and produced songs recorded by a Who’s Who of more than 50 country and pop artists.
Ralph Anthony Smith has more than 250 of his songs—including “If That Ain’t Country” in 2002—recorded by Nashville artists ranging from Geogre Strait to Blake Shelton, from Tim McGraw to Rascal Flatts, and from Trace Adkins to Faith Hill.
New Members
Our Chamber welcomed four new members in August as follows: Groom for Gentlemen, LifeStance Health, Ryan Companies US and Uptown Eatery.
Reactivated Members
Beerhead Bar & Eatery and Knights of Columbus Council 1911 reactivated their membership in August.
Happy Anniversary
Seven members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in September as follows: 55 years—Pedersen-Ryberg Mortuary; 20 years—Riley’s Gathering Place; and 5 years—Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp (NMLS #2289), Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Lizzy Lift, New Home Star Corporation and NEXT Yoga.
Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following five members in August: Chrysalis Custom Hair, Fifth Third Bank, His Grace Montessori House of Oakbrook Terrace, Kristin Petro Interiors and Orangetheory Fitness.