Congratulations to Nicole!

Congratulations to our very own Nicole Wilkins on her recent graduation from the YLNI Leadership Institute! Nicole is a great talent at the Chamber and her expertise shines brightly through all of her efforts as Communications Manager.

Thank you Nicole - we are proud of you and look forward to sharing many more milestones with you!

Congratulations Angel Corps!

Chamber member, Angel Corps, just shared with us they are the first business in Northeast Indiana to meet the licensure requirements for Personal Services Agencies from the Indiana State Department of Health as of April 17, 2008.

Angel Corps is locally owned by Dorian and Richard Maples. Angel Corps is a provider of in-home services for older adults and disabled individuals.

For more information on Angel Corps contact Dorian Maples at (260) 426-4357 or click here.

"If I Were A Dinosaur" Contest

Chamber members - Memorial Coliseum and Majic 95.1 let us know they are sponsoring an essay contest for local school children.

The essay contest for local school children will send four kids and their families to a performance of Walking with Dinosaurs on Thursday, May 29. Winners will also receive an exclusive backstage tour after the show, where they can “meet” the dinosaurs up close!

To enter the contest, children should write an essay response to the following question…"If I were a dinosaur, what kind of dinosaur would I be and why?"

Responses can be entered at www.waji.com. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday, May 27 at 9 p.m. Winners will be notified by phone after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28. Entries should be 100 words or less and include the child’s name, age, grade level and school name and the name of their teacher.

The contest is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade and entries will be judged in two classes – K-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade. For more information on the essay contest click here.

Don't forget, Chamber members are eligible for a discount on Walking with Dinosaurs tickets! For more information about the Chamber discount call (260) 480-3722.

National Cancer Survivors Day is May 29

Chamber member Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana just shared with us that May 29 is National Cancer Survivors Day.

On that day be sure to join Cancer Services and the Embassy Theatre for Celebrate Life, a performance headlined by cancer survivor and motivational speaker Heidi Kramer and recording artist, singer-songwriter and pianist Kerri Sherwood at the Embassy Theatre.
The program supports and encourages cancer survivors and inspires people to live life to their fullest.

The event takes place May 29 at 7 p.m. For more information click here or please call (260) 484-9560.

Executive Reception Tonight: You are Invited!

You are invited to a reception honoring the new Chamber and Downtown Improvement District presidents. Tonight's event will welcome Kristine Foate, President/CEO of the Chamber and Rich Davis, President of the Downtown Improvement District (DID).

The reception to honor the new distinguished city leaders will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Atrium at the Hilton downtown. Thank you to Barrett & McNagny for sponsoring this special event.

To RSVP or for more information please contact Christy Drake at the Chamber (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or cdrake@fwchamber.org.

Best Places to Work in Indiana

Earlier this year we reported on the companies that had been chosen by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as "The Best Places to Work in Indiana." Last week the actual rankings for the companies were released at the third annual awards program.

Click here to see how several Fort Wayne companies were ranked...

Chamber Staffer Receives "Believe, Achieve, Inspire" Award from ITT

Kay Anthony, program manager of the Graduate Retention Program, was honored at ITT Technical Institute’s 3rd Annual Women’s Breakfast on Friday, May 16.

Kay was one of 14 women in the community to receive the Believe, Achieve, Inspire award.

Congratulations Kay!

DeBrand Fine Chocolates to Expand

Chamber member DeBrand Fine Chocolates announced today that the company is adding production capacity at its Auburn Park Drive facility here in Fort Wayne.

DeBrand plans to reinvest approximately $155,000 in new manufacturing equipment and a point of sale (POS) inventory control system. The project is expected to be completed by the end of October. It will directly support 33 production workers and indirectly support nearly 100 DeBrand employees companywide.

For more information click here.

Feet on the Street

by Teresa Royer

David Fikes of Office One Solutions celebrated the opening of his new business by throwing a Grand Opening office party last Friday. A few of us walked over to David’s location to help celebrate. Guests were treated to wine tasting, wonderful hors d’oeuvres, t-shirts and lots of good conversation.

Office One is located at 921 Barr Street; the office is first-class, as well as comfortable and inviting. You are made to feel welcome and can check out the variety of office equipment on display.

David is first-class as well. There is a motto on the wall of his office (and on his business card) that says: “Making it Happen ONE Customer at a Time.” With that in mind, I think clients will be treated to first-class service!

We wish David Fikes many years of success well into the future!

Don't Miss Graduate Retention Breakfast This Thursday

The Graduate Retention Breakfast will take place this Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Chamber. Richard Bottner the founder of the New England Internship Program will be speaking about effective internships. Bottner is also the author of Total Internship Management: The Employer's Guide to Building the Ultimate Internship Program. Don't miss out on this great event!

For more information or to RSVP please contact Heather Neilson at (260) 424-1435, ext. 241 or hneilson@fwchamber.org.