On the Airwaves Tomorrow

On the Chamber radio show tomorrow will be Beverley Danusis, Chief Creative Officer of Sophia Dolls.

The radio show airs at noon on 1250 AM and 102.9 FM. For more information on Sophia Dolls click here.

Homeownership & Preservation Expo

This June is National Homeownership Month. U.S. Senator Dick Lugar invites you to attend this special expo event dedicated to questions facing homeowners and prospective homeowners.

Topics such as first time homebuyer basics, foreclosure prevention, home rehab and repair will be addressed. The Expo will also include representatives and exhibits from local housing and consumer counseling agencies.

This event will take place Wednesday, June 4 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Allen County Public Library in downtown Fort Wayne. All events are free. For more information please contact the Lugar Community Service Center at (260) 422-1505.

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Open For Business: Tokyo Buffet

Tokyo Buffet International celebrated their grand opening this afternoon with a special ribbon cutting ceremony. News Channel 15 was also there to cover the event and we caught several reporters enjoying the sushi bar and other delicious specialties.

Tokyo Buffet International features the largest international seafood buffet, sushi bar and open grill in Allen County. The restaurant has over 350 items with something for everyone.

Tokyo Buffet International is located at 9230 N. Clinton between Chipotle and Scott's.

Passionate Managers Wanted!

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Street Survival Skills for Your Teenage Driver

Want to encourage your kids to be safer and more competent drivers? Have them take part in the Tire Rack Street Survival event this Saturday, May 17. Any licensed driver aged 16-21 can participate; parents are encouraged to attend with their teenager. The goal of the program is to teach students how their actions govern a car's responses, creating safe and more effective drivers.

Students will be accompanied by a driving instructor giving real-time feedback as students maneuver their cars through courses and exercises. Participants use their own cars or the vehicle they drive most to learn the particular behaviors and limitations of their vehicles.

The cost to attend is $60. The event is sponsored by Chamber members BF Goodrich, AAA and Lutheran Health Network. The school will take place at BF Goodrich's location at 18906 US Hwy 24 East in Woodburn.

For more information or to enroll please visit http://www.streetsurvival.org/

Morning Mix Tomorrow

May's Morning Mix will be hosted by SAFY, a local foster care and adoption agency. This event takes place tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Chamber.

May is National Foster Care Month; learn how you can help abused and neglected children in this community. For more info on SAFY please call (877) 422-7239.

Admission is $5. In addition, please make sure to bring a stack of your business cards. Included are free coffee, breakfast pastries and fresh fruit.

To reserve a space, contact Christy Drake at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or cdrake@fwchamber.org. You do not have to be a Chamber member to attend.

Senator Meeks Announces Retirement

State Senator Bob Meeks announced his retirement today at 1:30 p.m. in a press conference in the Senate Chambers. First elected to the Senate District 13 seat in 1988, the Senator has been a long time friend and partner to the Chamber. He has announced his decision after having dealt with a number of health issues during and since the 2008 session.

Meeks serves as the Chairman for the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. As Chair, Meeks was able to secure funding for several Northeast Indiana projects. In the last budget, the General Assembly authorized funds to plan and design the Library and Student Services Building at IPFW and the Technology Center for Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne. In the current biennial budget he helped authorize bonding to build the two facilities. In addition to these projects, the state budget included $5 million to expand the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center and $1 million towards the Regional Public Safety Academy.

As a key leader on Major Moves, his efforts provided over $86 million to important infrastructure improvements in Northeast Indiana.

“Senator Meeks is one of Northeast Indiana's most dedicated public servants. His absence at the statehouse will be missed by his constituents, the business community and the entire region. We sincerely thank him for his hard work, long hours, and continuous efforts on behalf of Northeast Indiana.” –Don Schenkel, Chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors.

Chamber Employee Receives Alumni Award of Achievement from Ball State University

The Chamber’s own Mike Landram has been selected to receive the 2008 FCS Alumni Award of Achievement on behalf of the Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Society and the Ball State University Alumni Association.

Mike was chosen to receive the award because of his wealth of professional accomplishments, service and community involvement.

A reception to honor Mike will take place this Saturday, May 17 at Ball State’s Alumni Center.

Congratulations again to Mike on this outstanding accomplishment. We are so proud of you!

Small Business Alert - Government Finance, Lender Training Seminar

Multiple government agencies will conduct loan training seminars for lenders throughout the state in May. The participating agencies include: U.S. Small Business Administration; U.S.D.A. – Farm Service Agency; U.S.D.A. – Rural Development; Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Meetings will be held from 9 a.m. to noon locally in Northeast Indiana:

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Whitley County Government Center
220 Van Buren Street
Columbia City, IN 46725

The loan training seminars will provide information about government loan programs offered through the multiple agencies and how they can benefit and grow your lending institution.

To register for these free seminars or for additional information, please contact:
Luann Lieurance, Lender Relations Specialist at SBA, (317) 226-7272, ext. 114 or luann.lieurance@sba.gov.

Old National Bank Opens a New Location Tomorrow

Old National Bank will celebrate the opening of their newest Fort Wayne location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception on May 13 at 4:30 p.m. They are located on 111 Chestnut Hills Parkway, off of Illinois Road.

Old National Bank is the largest financial holding company in Indiana. They currently serve the states of Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky with $7.8 billion in assets. The company provides a wide variety of financial services to a diverse audience.

For more information about Old National Bank visit http://www.oldnational.com/.

Announcing Graduate Retention’s 2008 Summer Schedule for Live, Learn & Intern

Please pass this information along to your new interns to help them experience all that Northeast Indiana has to offer! Tell other companies about these free social networking events!

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