92.3 The Fort and Fort Wayne Nissan Collecting “Coats for a Cause”

92.3 The Fort and Fort Wayne Nissan are asking for help – donate to “Coats for a Cause” Monday, November 10 through Saturday, November 15. 92.3 The Fort and Fort Wayne Nissan are collecting new or gently used coats and jackets to give to those in need this winter. All clothing will be donated to INASMUCH Ministries. The goal is to collect 923 coats.


Elvis and Hammer of 92.3 will broadcast live from the collection site at Fort Wayne Nissan Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fort Wayne Nissan is located at the corner of Lima and Producti0n Road, across from the Golden Coral.

Chamber Member Ivy Tech Names Building for Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Ivy Tech Community College–Northeast will name its newest building the Steel Dynamics Keith E. Busse Technology Center. The name was announced at a brief ceremony at the building’s construction site today, November 14. At the same time, Keith E. Busse, President and C.E.O. of Steel Dynamics Foundation, Inc., presented a gift of $1.2 million to Ivy Tech Chancellor Mark A. Keen, Ph.D. The Steel Dynamics Keith E. Busse Technology Center will be the first named building on the campus of Ivy Tech Community College–Northeast.

The Steel Dynamics Foundation, Inc. gift is the largest corporate gift received by the Transforming Tomorrow’s Workforce–Changing Lives, Changing Northeast Indiana Capital Campaign.

The Steel Dynamics Keith E. Busse Technology Center will house most of the academic programs in Ivy Tech’s School of Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology and its School of Technology. The 107,000 square foot building is slated to open for classes in January, 2010.

Upcoming BusinessKillers Presentation

You are invited to attend a private workshop entitled "Avoiding the 6 Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Business & Your Future."


Sponsored by: WestPoint Financial Group and Katz, Sapper & Miller, Certified Public Accountants

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Time: 7:30 AM - 9 AM (Networking/Continental Breakfast @ 7:00 AM)

Location: 900 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240

First Floor Conference Room

Free for all business owners

This program is designed to assist business professionals in planning and protecting their business. Space is limited, so please make your reservations early by calling Lindsay Johnston (317) 705-8109 or by emailing lindsayjohnston@finsvcs.com . Please provide your name, company name and the name of the person/organization who invited you to the workshop.

businessKillers® is a trademark of Lighthouse Strategic Projects Group, Inc.

In This Issue...

In this issue...The Chamber's Emphasis magazine (Nov. 14, 2008)

Find out how you can help Fort Wayne receive the "All America City" award for 2009.

Need a financial advisor? WestPoint Financial talks about their services.

Internships can help grow your business

Get involved with the latest community art project - Eggstravaganza!

As always the latest business news and information for Northeast Indiana is in the Chamber's Emphasis magazine, appearing biweekly as the center section of the Fort Wayne Business Weekly.

Want to have your business featured? Contact Nicole Wilkins at nwilkins@fwchamber.org.

See You Tonight for Meet Me @ 5

Go "Back to Your Childhood" at tonight's Meet Me @ 5. The Dome will host a special Meet Me @ 5 tonight, November 13 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

This evening's exciting event features miniature golf, batting cages, great networking, prizes and much, much more. The Dome is located at 5702 Engle Road, Fort Wayne IN, 46804.

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 Teresa Royer at (260) 424-1435, ext. 265 or troyer@fwchamber.org. Register online at fwchamber.org. Hope to see you there!

Fort Wayne Photographer's Club

Check out Chamber member Fort Wayne Photographer's Club and their blog of the same name!

About FW Photographer's Club:

We consider ourselves ordinary people that gather for the love of photography and happen to be good at it. The skill level of the club ranges from the person that has purchased their first camera, to the seasoned professionals who have been in "the business" for many years. We meet to advance our knowledge base and practice the science and art of photography.

Chamber Member Holiday Inn Celebrates Grand Opening

Today is the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for Fort Wayne’s first full-service hotel in 25-years, the new Holiday Inn IPFW & Coliseum. Tours of the hotel will be given following the 1:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting.

WHO: Rob Evans, General Manager of the new Holiday Inn, and his staff

WHAT: Host a grand opening and tour of new 151-room, full-service hotel

WHEN: Thursday, November 13, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Holiday Inn at IPFW and the Coliseum
4111 Paul Shaffer Dr., Fort Wayne
(North side of Coliseum Blvd., at traffic light
directly across from the Memorial Coliseum.)

WHY: Celebrate the completion of the new hotel; provide media interviews
and chance to tour the grand new facility.

NOTE: High-res photos and press kits will be available for media at the event.

Jefferson Pointe Chick-fil-A® Celebrates 6th Anniversary

Chamber member Chick-fil-A® at Jefferson Pointe will be celebrating its 6th anniversary today, Thursday, November 13.

Join Operators Jeff and Sharon Hoffman as they celebrate six years of business with a special Anniversary Cake, which will be available from 11 am-2 pm and from 5 pm-7 pm.
Customers will also be able to register to win one of six Chick-fil-A® Nugget Catering Trays.

The Chick-fil-A® at Jefferson Pointe is located on 1725 Apple Glen Blvd. Congrats!

Community Helps Santa Carry On

The well-known light display of Santa and his reindeer on the National City Bank building has seen its fair share of ups and downs. But this year several businesses from the community are working together to ensure the Santa display carries on and is better than ever.

The English, Bonter, Mitchell Foundation has assumed responsibility for the preservation of the display and is providing a grant to fund the replacement of Santa’s 24,717 incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs. The new LED bulbs will prove to be more energy-efficient by using 90 percent less power while at the same time providing a brighter display. While the old bulbs lasted 2,000 hours, the new LED bulbs are expected to last around 80,000 hours, which translates to 177 holiday seasons in optimum conditions. The new bulbs are also expected to fare better during assembly and disassembly of the display, with less breakage. The old bulbs will be turned into commemorative ornaments for sale to benefit local charities.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 305 and apprentices of Fort Wayne Electrical Joint Apprentice Traning Committee (JATC) are donating labor for the task of replacing the bulbs. Shambaugh and Son is assuming responsibility for ongoing maintenance of Santa and his reindeer, and will oversee the project. Martin Inc. handles the installation of the display and Do it Best Corp. donates storage space to house Santa. National City Bank will continue to host and sponsor Santa and his reindeer every year.

Some fun facts about Santa:

• Santa and his reindeer made its historical debut on the Wolf & Dessauer department store on Thanksgiving Eve, November 20, 1940.


• At that time, it was considered the second largest display of its kind in the country.


• In February 1959, Wolf & Dessauer moved to a new location and the Santa began 20 years in storage.


• A restored Santa was debuted on Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 1980 on the Fort Wayne National Bank building.


• Santa and his reindeer are 155 feet long and weigh 5.5 tons.

Arts United Community Mosaic

The structurally simplistic and sleek grey concrete walls of the Arts United Center on East Main Street provide the perfect space for a public art project according to planners. Arts United is excited to facilitate a community mosaic project which will be unveiled at the kickoff of the annual Arts United fund drive. The public reception will take place Thursday, January 29 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Arts United Center.

This is an opportunity for members of the community to create colorful renditions on the theme “Everyone. Everyday. Everywhere. – What do the arts mean to you?” For one person, art is expressed through beautiful fall photos of Fort Wayne trees, while for another it may be an image of a street musician leaning on an alley wall. For a corporation, the arts could be demonstrated by a landmark architectural design on their building. Everyone is touched in some manner by the arts, every day and practically everywhere. Traditional forms of arts such as music, dance, films, writing, or theatre can be expressed on the wall panel or the interpretation can be abstract.

Individuals, businesses, schools, social clubs and arts groups are encouraged to depict what the arts mean to them in a manner that can be represented on a 3’x3’ panel. The panels will be labeled, arranged in a colorful mosaic and displayed in the Arts United Center’s lobby from February through April. Prizes will be awarded based on viewer’s choice votes between the unveiling and April 10.

Pre-framed canvas panels can be purchased through Arts United for $18. Arts United and Northside Galleries, Inc. will mount all the panels submitted. In order to know how many mosaic pieces to expect, please contact Courtney Wagner to reserve a spot or to order a canvas by November 21. Information is available on-line at www.artsunited.org.

Guidelines/Rules:
Contact Courtney Wagner to reserve a spot or to order a canvas by November 21 either emailing cwagner@artsunited.org or calling (260) 424-0646.

No suggestive subject matter – nudity, drugs, alcohol, etc. and no explicit language to be displayed. – Arts United reserves the right to screen artwork for appropriateness.

Artwork must be 3’x3’ (or 36 inches by 36 inches). Pre-framed canvas panels can be provided by Arts United or any medium is welcome that is 3’ x 3’ and is not over 5 pounds in weight.

Artwork must have the following information listed on the back of the artwork – Name, company/organization, day time phone number or cell phone number, address, and age if an individual. Please also note how you would like the piece titled and credited.

Completed artwork must be dropped off to the Arts United Center by Wednesday, January 14 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to insure time for mounting and display.

Artwork will be available to be picked up by the artists after April 30, 2009.

Participants submitting artwork are encouraged to attend the grand unveiling ceremony on Thursday, January 29 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Arts United Center.

Community Harvest Food Bank Receives Help from Local Businesses

The Community Harvest Food Bank has seen an upsurge in help from local businesses seeking to feed the hungry of Northeast Indiana through various fundraisers and food drives.

Artwork: The former S&K Menswear store at Jefferson Pointe will have artwork for sale by 25 different artists from November 8 through December 23. Proceeds benefit Community Harvest. Hours are Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Hams for the Holidays: WBCL radio will be accepting donations of hams on November 17 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kroger on Dupont Rd. and in Blufton at Wal-Mart on N. Main St.

Faces of Hunger – Bowls of Change: Northrop High School is hosting an evening of food and entertainment on November 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. A dinner of soup and bread will be served in handmade bowls and tiles that ticket holders are able to keep. Highlights of the evening include a silent auction, raffle, musical entertainment and poetry from Northrop students.

Tickets are $20 Adults, $10 Students (9-12 grades), $5 Students (K-8 grades), and free for children 0-4. Call (260) 413-3145 for ticket information.

USF Feeds the Fort: Faculty and students of the University of St. Francis are collecting food and funds through November 17 in efforts to raise 51,000 cans of food (the weight of the entire university faculty combined). Food can be dropped off in barrels on the USF campus (2701 Spring St.).

Community Harvest Holiday Ornament: Community Harvest Food Bank will send a cardstock holiday ornament to a person of your choosing for a donation of $15. Send to friends, colleagues, clients, and family and help feed the hungry of Northeast Indiana at the same time! Or, you can deliver your ornaments personally. Call (260) 447-3696 to order.

Pancake and Sausage Breakfast: The Fort Wayne Central Lion’s Club presents “The World’s Best Pancake and Sausage Breakfast” on Sunday, November 23 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The breakfast takes place at Community Harvest Food Bank (999 E. Tillman Road).

Fort Wayne Among Best Places to Raise Kids

BusinessWeek has ranked Fort Wayne the best place to raise kids in Indiana. The publication's second annual list weighted school performance and safety most heavily, but also gave strong scores to amenities and affordability. Indiana's second-largest city was chosen for its philharmonic orchestra, museums and 40-acre Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

Read the full story here.

Turnstone Annual Corvette Raffle a Success

Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities held their 5th Annual Corvette Raffle in October. Turnstone sold just under 20,000 raffle tickets, and grossed over $148,000. Proceeds support Turnstone’s therapeutic program and services for children and adults with disabilities.

Robert Derek Jr. of Fort Wayne was the lucky winner of this year’s raffle! After buying just one ticket the day before the drawing, Mr. Derek took home a ’67 Corvette Sting Ray.

Vendors: Show Off Your Good "Taste "

Restaurants, caterers and grocers are invited to participate in the Taste of the Chamber by offering samples of your specialty food items. It's a great way to gain exposure for your business!

The Taste of the Chamber is "the" holiday party of the year in downtown Fort Wayne, offering complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bars, a beautiful display and silent auction of table-top Christmas trees that have been decorated by local businesses and networking opportunities with hundreds of area business professionals.

The Taste of the Chamber takes place this year on December 4 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce building in downtown Fort Wayne. Tickets are on sale now for $10 pre-sale and $15 at the door. For tickets call the Chamber at (260) 424-1435 or stop by the front desk. You must be 21 or older to attend.

To reserve a free booth space for the Taste of the Chamber please contact Member Relations at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or mailto:kholmes@fwchamber.org Space is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Home for the Holidays

Majic 95.1, WAJI is teaming up with the Fort Wayne International Airport and the Chamber to fly a member of the armed services - free of charge - back home to the Fort Wayne area! Imagine giving (or better yet, receiving) the gift of time with family this holiday season.

If you have a family member on active military duty and would like him or her to come home for the holidays, please submit your story to us in 300 words or less. Explain why your serviceperson should be selected. From all stories submitted, one winner will be selected and provided one free round-trip ticket to FWA, no matter where in the world they may be serving our country!*

Click here to submit your story and fly your soldier Home for the Holidays!

Fort Wayne to Use Federal Money to Stabilize Neighborhoods

Indiana is expected to receive $83 million from the Housing and Economic Recovery Act passed in July. Fort Wayne will get $7 million of it to help communities clean up vacant and abandoned homes, many which are foreclosed property.

Mayor Tom Henry is already in the planning stages of how to use the HUD dollars and is implementing a neighborhood stabilization program.

“I’ve long had a commitment to strengthening and stabilizing our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Henry. “As you look up and down this street, you can see the effort most property owners put into keeping their homes and yards well maintained and attractive. But then one house sits empty for too long, and it deteriorates into an eyesore that impacts the property value of everyone else on the block. That’s simply not right. This new source of funding will help us address houses like this one, either to tear them down or to rehabilitate them, and either way, the neighbors benefit.”

With foreclosures on the rise across the nation, Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act in July, 2008. Fort Wayne has been designated as one of the eligible communities to receive funds intended to help communities mitigate the negative impact of vacant and abandoned homes. Nationwide, nearly $4 billion is slated to be used for acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition of vacant and foreclosed properties.

The City of Fort Wayne is ahead of many other communities in the planning stage of how to use the HUD dollars. Soon after Mayor Henry took office, he directed community development staff to begin finding solutions to the problems of vacant and abandoned houses in the city, a problem made worse by the down turn in the housing market and the increase in foreclosures. The City's intentions for the funding are to continue to stabilize neighborhoods, increase home values and encourage investment in the City.

The public has until November 24 to make any comments on the plan, which HUD will take into account as it doles out the funding.

Get Involved: LEADS

Are you a young professional looking to get involved? Join LEADS - Leadership Experiences And Developing Success.

LEADS is for the young professional looking to grow their business through leads, professional development and relationship-building. The group is designed for young peers in non-competing businesses to meet monthly to share and gain practical knowledge and counsel on today's business challenges.

If your business is a Chamber member and you are a 20 or 30-something, mark your calendar for the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. RSVPs are required. Please contact Joe Gass at jgass@finsvcs.com or (260) 436-9980.

The next LEADS meeting takes place November 12 at 8 a.m. This meeting's speaker is David Fikes from Office One Solutions. Each meeting is held at WestPoint Financial Group, 6920 Pointe Inverness Way Suite 120, Fort Wayne IN 46804.

Centennial Communications Acquired by AT&T

Chamber member Centennial Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: CYCL) was acquired by AT&T for $944 million in cash. The company has customers in several areas of the state including Muncie, Anderson and Lafayette. The deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2009.

Mayor to Speak at Upcoming SCORE Meeting

Mayor Thomas Henry will speak at the upcoming monthly meeting for SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) on Tuesday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m. The meeting takes place at the Indiana Institute of Technology, 1600 East Washington Boulevard in the Abbott Hall conference room. The meeting will immediately follow an 8:30 a.m. board meeting.

For more information on SCORE visit http://www.score-fortwayne.org/.