Businesses Participate in "Earth Hour"

Businesses all over the area will stand in darkness as part of "Earth Hour" on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. In 2008 over 50 million people in over 35 countries around the world took part in this effort.

One such area business and Chamber member - Flat Top Grill is even inviting patrons to "dine in the dark" with them on March 28 during that time. Flat Top Grill is located at Jefferson Pointe Shopping Center near Rave Motion Pictures. For more information call (260) 432-4100.

For more information on Earth Hour visit www.earthhour.org.

Sneak Peak on April 9 of Parkview Field

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Foellinger Foundation Awards Grants for Youth Development

The Foellinger Foundation has approved grants totaling $458,600 to enrich the lives of young people and families in Allen County. Some of the grants are for specific programs, while others are for operating support. The grants fall under the Youth Development category, which reflects the Foundation's focus on children and their families, especially those with the greatest need and least opportunity.

The organizations receiving grants include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana, Center for Nonviolence, Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana, Lifeline Youth and Family Services, Metropolitan Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Fort Wayne and the Salvation Army.

Don't miss the Chamber's next Business Brown Bag!

Big Business on a Small Budget: How to Reach Your Customers in Tough Times will take place on Tuesday, April 21 from noon - 1 p.m. at the Chamber.

Learn how to reach your customers in difficult times through the use of advertising, marketing and public relations. A panel of experts from local advertising agencies will share their expertise and guide you through the tools you need to promote your business on a small budget.

Register now or pay at the door. The cost is $5 for Members ~ $10 for Non-Members. For more information contact Laureen Voirol at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or lvoirol@fwchamber.org.

Lilly Endowment Awards $20 Million To Promote Northeast Indiana Economy

At a news conference held at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne this morning, Lilly Endowment Inc. announced that it will provide a $20 million grant to accelerate the development of northeast Indiana’s workforce and talent resources.

The grant will be administered via a program, entitled Talent Opportunity Success (TOpS) 2015, which will develop education, training and talent initiatives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. TOpS 2015 -- an unprecedented collaboration in northeast Indiana -- will better prepare the region’s workforce to capture the high- quality job opportunities available in the near term and those of the future.

"This grant comes at a pivotal time for our region," said Kris Foate, President & CEO of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. "It enables us to provide the educational and training resources necessary to ensure that we can supply the 21st century workforce needed by Northeast Indiana employers. It will have a significant impact on the future economic success of our region."

Components of TOpS 2015 include support for the following critical initiatives:
Retraining at least 1,200 adult workers in northeast Indiana over the next three years;
Enhancement of the Advanced Manufacturing program at Ivy Tech – Northeast;
Expansion of the systems engineering and wireless technology programs at Indiana University-Purdue University- Fort Wayne (IPFW);
Creation of New Tech High Schools within school corporations in northeast Indiana, with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.

TOpS 2015 includes significant and targeted educational and workforce programs for the aerospace and defense industries. One immediate goal of TOpS 2015 is to prepare workers to assume more than 4,000 projected new and replacement jobs in these industries. The programs also will be relevant to the workforce development needs of other advanced manufacturing sectors in northeast Indiana. Northeast Indiana is home to over 160 defense/aerospace prime contractors and suppliers. During 2005 and 2006 the six largest firms in this sector received a total of $2 billion in prime contracts from the Department of Defense.

The grant will be made to an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Community Partnerships, Inc. (CPI), which will govern and provide oversight for the program. CPI is a supporting organization of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. The grant is believed to be the largest single private foundation grant ever awarded in northeast Indiana. Management of the program will be conducted by the Northeast Indiana Foundation, which is a supporting organization of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

During the past two years in response to the Endowment’s invitation, a broad coalition of regional partners, comprising business, economic development and government leaders, community foundations and representatives from K-12 and higher educational systems, came together to determine ways to align more strategically northeast Indiana’s workforce, education and worker training programs. Diverse interests collaborated to produce TOpS 2015, which will be a cornerstone of transforming the regional economy, providing economic growth opportunities and promoting high quality jobs in northeast Indiana.

Though the defense and aerospace industries will be directly impacted in the short-term, many project initiatives will have positive impacts across other regional target industries. Adapting to the world economy’s shift from industrial-based to knowledge-based markets, the effects of this broad-spectrum, skill enhancement effort will highlight the value northeast Indiana places on economic growth, innovation, lifelong learning and global competitiveness.

CEO Roundtable Kickoff

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In Washington Today...

Specter delivers death blow to labor union bill

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced today he will not vote for cloture on card-check, giving an apparent death blow to the most important congressional issue to organized labor.

Specter made the announcement in a floor speech. His opposition to cloture means Democrats can count on a maximum of 59 votes to move the bill forward, one short of the 60 required to clear Senate rules.

Winning 59 votes would require Democrat Al Franken to win his contested election with Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota. Democrats also would have to count on holding the rest of their votes, and several centrists have raised doubts about the bill.

Specter, who is expected to face a tough primary challenge and a general-election battle in 2010, was the only Republican to vote in favor of a cloture vote on card-check in the last Congress.

Chamber Member Equity Investment Group Acquires American Wire, Rope & Sling

Chamber member Equity Investment Group announced today the completion of the acquisition of another Chamber member - American Wire, Rope & Sling (AWRS), www.awrsling.com.

The investment group, led by Managing Member, George Huber, purchased a majority interest in the AWRS business in February, 2008. Today, it announced the acquisition of the remaining ownership of the company.

"We are impressed with what we've seen at American Wire, Rope & Sling over the past year as part of the ownership group, and are excited about this opportunity to acquire the remainder of the company and its prospects for growth going forward," stated Huber.

With 45 employees and fabricating facilities in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Mishawaka, Indiana, AWRS has been a national fabricator and supplier of wire rope slings, chain slings, nylon slings and other related lifting products for over 70 years. AWRS is a national supplier of rigging products to OEMs, construction, industrial, railroad, and utility companies. Included in AWRS's client-base are companies such as Steel Dynamics, Nucor Steel, Caterpillar, Norfolk and Southern and American Electric Power. AWRS products have gained national industry accolades for their safety features and innovative design.

$2 Mad Ants Tickets on Sunday, March 29

Have you considered bringing employees, clients or a group to a Mad Ants game this season? If so, there is no better game to host your group than Sunday, March 29 because tickets to this game are only $2!

Also, March 29 is, "I Love the 80's Night," so break out your leg warmers and Members Only jackets and enjoy the music of the 80's All Night Long. A special performance by Red Panda Acrobat, a national half time act, will take place at the game that evening as well.

Call Melissa, at (260) 469-4667 x 104 today to book your reservation and get the best seats possible. Game time is 6 p.m. and doors open at 5 p.m.

Upcoming seminars

Here are the details on two interesting workshops, both slated for April 22: 2nd Annual Growth Capital Symposium and the Northeast Indiana Wind Supply Chain Workshop. The goal of both workshops is to increase regional knowledge on these important topics.

The Northeast Indiana Wind Supply Chain Workshop is designed to inform regional suppliers and manufacturers of opportunities available in the growing wind energy market and to help communities understand the potential for "green collar" job creation in northeast Indiana associated with renewable energy. For more information call Doug Ahlfeld at 260-437-1478 or email dahlreld@ershigs.com.

The annual Growth Capital Symposium is organized to provide information on resources available to assist entrepreneurs and information to challenge community leaders regarding the priority that needs to be attached to entrepreneurial development as part of our community and economic development strategies. If you are interested in attending the 2nd annual Growth Capital Symposium, please follow this link for more information or to register online.

Free Business Seminar for Downtown Businesses with Rick Segel

The Downtown Improvement District (DID) is bringing business expert Rick Segel back for a free seminar on March 30th from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

With 25 years experience as a successful entrepreneur, Segel delivers a high-content, on-target seminar filled with innovative ideas to re-energize and re-strategize during these tough economic times.

The seminar will focus on how Downtown area businesses can thrive during economic downturns and recessions if they know the right strategies to use.

For more information, visit the DID website. Space is limited so RSVP today.

YLNI Announces Advisory Council

Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana (YLNI) has announced the formation of the YLNI Advisory Cuoncil, which is made up of eight members representing various businesses and organizations. The Council serves as advisors for YLNI on key issues in the region and further promotes the YLNI mission to their respective audiences.

The members of the YLNI Advisory Council are Mike Packnett, Parkview Health; John Stafford, community Research Institute; Janet Chrzan, Leadership Fort Wayne; Scott Glaze, Fort Wayne Metals; Pete Eshelman, American Specialty; Kristine Foate, The Chamber; Vince Robinson, INK Newspaper/Fort Wayne Reader; and Kirk Kemmish, Northeast Indiana Corporate Council.