VISITOR & TOURISM COORDINATOR TO RECEIVE
ELMHURST CHAMBER CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
ELMHURST, Ill., January 5, 2007 – Marlene Tegmeyer, the first Coordinator of the City of Elmhurst’s Visitor & Tourism Department, will receive the 2006 Chairman’s Award at the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 88th Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon at the Waterford Banquet and Conference Center at the Quality Inn on Wednesday, January 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“I am very honored to receive the recognition for the work I do for the City of Elmhurst,” said Tegmeyer. “I have loved being a part of this community for 46 years and it has made me happy to help others enjoy what Elmhurst has to offer.”
Traditionally, the annual award is given to a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for his/her outstanding service to the Board, Chairman and President/CEO, but can be presented to a non-Director for praiseworthy contributions or performance.
Outgoing Board Chairman Jim Dinkle will present the 2006 award to Tegmeyer, who worked alongside Dinkle during the formative years of the former Elmhurst Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) in the mid-1990s.
“Marlene was of great benefit to me as Chairman of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry this past year by providing me with her counsel and insights,” said Dinkle. “Her love for this community and its citizens is immeasurable, and I am pleased to honor her with this recognition.”
The EEDC was established in 1993 as a public/private partnership with a mission to retain, expand, promote and attract business and industry within Elmhurst to increase the value of commerce, create employment opportunities and increase the city’s tax base.
In January of 1994, shortly after his appointment as Executive Director of the EEDC, Dinkle hired Tegmeyer away from a Bensenville-based manufacturing firm to serve as his Administrative Assistant. When Dinkle left for a job in Mayor Daley’s Administration in Chicago, Tegmeyer ran the not-for-profit organization in his absence and then assisted new Executive Director Gary Skoog through 1998.
When creating the Visitor & Tourism Department, city officials tabbed Tegmeyer as a natural choice to fill the new Coordinator’s role, which she did in January of 1999.
Since then, Tegmeyer has worked diligently with area hotels, businesses and organizations in attracting visitors and tourists through mutually beneficial promotion of the city’s museums, theaters, concerts, cultural life and special events. Her duties involve partnerships with the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chamber and other entities.
In addition to chairing the Elmhurst Visitor & Tourism Advisory Committee, Tegmeyer serves as an Ex-Officio member of Elmhurst City Centre’s Board of Director, and active with both the Spring Road and York and Vallette Business associations.
Tegemeyer also is a member of both the Board of Directors and Financial Committee for the Elmhurst Symphony Association.
Prior to her city-related work, Tegmeyer enjoyed a 21-year career in the manufacturing industry as a Director of Human Resources and Executive Secretary. She was an active member of the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association (IMA) and chaired its Workers Compensation Committee in 1987 after two years of committee service.
Tegmeyer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education (1954) from Ohio’s Denison University. Over the years, she has continued her education with business classes at Chicago’s Roosevelt University and from the American Management Association (AMA), and an economic development course at Ball State University.
An Elmhurst resident since 1960, Tegmeyer and her husband, Jack, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last May. They grew up a block apart in the Austin area on Chicago’s Westside, first met in Kindergarten at Byford Elementary School and started dating while students at Austin Hugh School.
The Tegmeyers are the parents of one daughter, Paula, and grandparents of two teenage girls, Rachel (15) and Emily (12).
“Marlene is a pillar of Elmhurst,” said Dinkle. “She and her husband and their daughter and their granddaughters have very deep roots in Elmhurst.”
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.