Tonight: Cheer on the Wizards for a Great Cause

Tonight is Easter Seals ARC's "Disability Awareness Night" at the Fort Wayne Wizards. The Wizards game kicks off at 7 p.m. Special recognition will be given to those with disabilities.

Local mother Heather Sosenheimer, who has four children with disabilities, will be honored with the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award (named after the founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent magazine) which signifies the remarkable accomplishments that can be achieved under difficult circumstances. Heather’s four children all have special needs and chronic health conditions ranging from Autism to Asthma.

For more information contact Tony Belton at Easter Seals Arc at (260) 469-2777 or tbelton@esarc.org.

Who's the Best?

Fort Wayne Newspapers has rolled out the nominations for the 2008 reader’s picks for the "Best of" in Fort Wayne.

Vote for your favorite restaurant, doctor, salon, grocery store or any of the other categories. Many Chamber member businesses are featured!

Click here to cast your vote or visit www.fortwayne.com! The polls close July 27 with the results being revealed on September 25 and 26.

Go "Over the Top" on Monday

One of the city's largest networking events, Over the Top, will take place Monday, July 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the north plaza of the City-County Building in beautiful downtown Fort Wayne.

This is a great opportunity for City and County employees, neighborhood associations, networking groups, faith-based and community organization leaders, businesses and elected officials to connect and interact in a casual setting during the 40th Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival.

For more information, please contact Denise Porter-Ross, Office of the Mayor, (260)427-2603 or citizens@cityoffortwayne.org.

Small Business Financing Seminar

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Indiana Most Improved State for Business According to CNBC

News media outlet CNBC recently released their list of America's Top States for Business. Texas is ranked number one on the list. This year's Most Improved State for Business is Indiana.

The Hoosier state jumped 13 spots to number 13 on the list. CNBC says Indiana improved in 8 of 10 categories used to calculate the rankings.

Read the full report here.

Meet Me @ 5 Tonight at Hyatt Place

July's Meet Me @ 5 will be hosted by Hyatt Place, located at 111 W. Washington Center Rd. tonight from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. The cost to attend is $5 plus a business card for Chamber members or $10 plus a business card for non-Chamber members.

For more information, contact Christy Drake at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or cdrake@fwchamber.org.

Barr Street Market Starts Saturday

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Feet on the Street

by Teresa Royer

Member Relations Specialist

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many businesses the past few weeks and would like to share some points of interest I’ve learned along the way:

The Sleep Inn on Dupont Road: William Whippie, General Manager moved to Fort Wayne from Arizona sight-unseen. How so, you ask? William and his family wanted to be closer to their family in Illinois but weren't sure exactly where they wanted to live—as a result of some online researching, they learned about Fort Wayne. They liked what they saw and decided to move here with no employment or housing in place. He and his wife have since found employment, housing and other aspects of a home and are very happy. William said the Sleep Inn gets many guests specifically visiting Fort Wayne for the attractions we have! William especially likes the cost of living here.

Small Business Forum Next Thursday

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Members: Executive Assistant Job Opening at Chamber

Full time executive assistant needed for Chamber president. Skills desired: 2+ years experience, excellent communication and computer skills. Members: if you know of any potential candidates please send interested referrals to Christy Drake at (260) 424-1435 or cdrake@fwchamber.org.

Olympic Ice Skating Coach at McMillen Ice Arena July 7-8

Do you have a budding ice skater at home? Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation & McMillen Ice Arena will host Kathy Casey, World and Olympic Coach to Ice Skating champions and Kelley Morris Adair, President of the Professional Skaters Association and Master Rated Coach, at the McMillen Ice Arena Monday and Tuesday of this week.

McMillen is holding a seminar for skaters of all levels. The event takes place July 7 -8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McMillen Ice Arena, 3901 Abbott St.

Kathy Casey’s most famous student skaters include: Scott Hamilton, Scott Davis, Nicole Bobek, Lily Lee, Shelby Lyons and many more. She teaches clinics and workshops throughout Europe, North America, China and Australia. She has also served on the U.S. Olympic Coaches’ Committee and numerous committees of the U.S. Figure Skating Association.