3rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival This Weekend

The 3rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival takes place Sunday, May 31 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Allen County Public Library (900 Library Plaza). The event is free to the public, though donations are accepted. The Opening Ceremony will take place at noon in the Great Hall of the ACPL, and will include music, dance and the City Proclamation by Mayor Tom Henry.

Activities will take place throughout the day, including music and dance, a Japanese Tea Ceremony, martial arts and other demonstrations as well as a variety of contests. Authentic Japanese food will be available for purchase.

Musician Yoko Reikano Kimura will be featured as part of the Festival for the second time. She is internationally known for her musicianship with the Koto (Japanese 13-string harp) and the Shamisen (Japanese "banjo"), as well as for singing.

Yoko Reikano Kimura will also be featured in an additional solo concert on Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Meeting House. Hikaru Tamaki, Principal Cellist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, will be her guest artist.

For more information contact Dorothy Kittaka at (260) 704-3985 or Dkkittaka@verizon.net.

TinCaps Host Family Fun Fest This Friday

Join the TinCaps for a fun evening at Parkview Field! Tonight's game includes fireworks and the FREE Principal Financial Group "Family Fun Fest." The worlds largest traveling baseball festival is completely free and completely geared around the family experience

Family Fun Fest travels around the country to minor league ball parks from Charlotte to Reno bringing with it a 4,000 sq ft midway featuring over 20 baseball themed family attractions. Fun Fest features everything from a baseball museum, a video game trailer, batting cages and pitching cages, a bounce house, bungee run and more.

Family Fun Fest takes place from 4-7 p.m. on Friday before the game, which starts at 7:05 p.m.

In This Issue...

In this issue of the Chamber's Emphasis magazine (center section of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)...

Find out why 1st Source Bank is ranked one of the most trustworthy firms in the nation...

Who won the recent Artie Awards at the Chamber sponsored Bravo Breakfast...

The latest in Business News & Chamber Events...

For questions about Emphasis contact Nicole Wilkins at nwilkins@fwchamber.org.

Last Chance to Register for "Dale Carnegie's" Sales Advantage!

The Chamber is proud to offer our members Dale Carnegie's "Sales Advantage" Program. This is the very same program that Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, John Deere and Boeing use to increase their sales teams' productivity by 20%. This four day course taught by Certified Master Trainer, Dr. Dale Ferrier, examines the strategic answers to today's make-or-break selling issues. Click here for full session-by-session details of the "Sales Advantage" program.

"The Sales Advantage" will take place over four Wednesdays in June: June 3, 10, 17 and 24 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost is $1,195 for Chamber members and $1,295 for non-members. Group Pricing (4 or more from the same organization) is also available. Does your company offer tuition assistance? The Sales Advantage program also qualifies for most tuition assistance programs as it is approved for undergraduate college credit through the University of Central Missouri.Space is limited so be sure to register today at fwchamber.org.

For more information contact Laureen Voirol at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or lvoirol@fwchamber.org.

Register Now: DC Fly-In Next Week

The Chamber's Annual DC Fly-In will take place June 2-3, 2009 in Washington DC.

Each year the Chamber takes issues impacting our business community to The Hill. This year we will be focusing on the biggest change to federal labor law since 1935 - the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA.)

This highly-controversial bill would effectively strip employees of a private ballot in union organizing drives, hand the federal government power to dictate workplace pay and benefits, and force unfair mandates on business.

Join us as we meet first-hand with members of our Federal Delegation, get briefed by national experts on the impacts of EFCA and network with local business and community leaders.

Registration Deadline is this Friday!!!
Cost to participate is just $600/person for Chamber members, $750/person for non-members. (Covers travel expenses, accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and most meals.)

To register click here. To learn more about the DC Fly-In contact Keith Knepp at (260) 424-1435, ext. 228 or kknepp@fwchamber.org.

Alliance Names New President

Andi Udris has been named president of The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance. His background includes president and chief executive officer of Union Station Kansas City Inc. and the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City. Udris was also director of the Department of Economic Development for both Cincinnati and Cleveland. He will begin his new duties June 8.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance is an organization that furthers the base employment of Allen County. It is supported by the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, Allen County, the City of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority. For more information on the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, visit www.theallianceonline.com.

Participate in the Lapper 2009

The Lapper is designed for all those that have been affected by cancer. It is an opportunity to participate in a walk or run - up to twenty miles - that pushes one past their comfort zone just as people with cancer do every day. The walk/run is Saturday, June 6, 2009 at beautiful Foster Park, Pavilion #1. This year the course will also be marked at 3K, 5K and 10K for runners. Check-in is at 8 a.m. and the event ends at 1 p.m. Runners will begin at 8:30 a.m. and walkers will start at 9 a.m.

All proceeds benefit Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana. Cancer Services’ mission is to provide resources, education, and support to individuals diagnosed with cancer, to their families, and to the community. Last year, Cancer Services provided practical and emotional support for 2,978 people.

To register visit www.cancer-services.org/lapper.php For more information contact Brenda S. Betley, Development Director at (260) 484-9560 or bbetley@cancer-services.org.

And don't miss out on "Cancer Survivors Day." In conjunction with the Lapper, Cancer Services will be celebrating National Cancer Survivors Day, Sunday, June 7, 2009 at the Marriott Hotel on Washington Center Road. International Humorist and Cancer Survivor, Mack Dryden will be the guest speaker. The event is free, however, reservations are required. Bring the whole family – children’s activities are planned. Visit http://www.cancer-services.org/ for more information.

The Stimulus Revealed

Last Thursday’s conference at the Chamber on the Stimulus package was certainly revealing! Baker & Daniels team of nine professionals from their Washington D.C., Indianapolis and Fort Wayne offices provided key insights on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Being in the queue for direct funding is best; however, the route for businesses in Northeast Indiana will most likely be indirect. So you follow the money trail – the agencies receiving allocations, the specific projects and programs that are funded, the requirements the projects and programs must meet, the companies most qualified to win the business and their suppliers. Successful Northeast Indiana businesses will be standing by the door when it opens – anticipating rather than reacting to the Stimulus. The main opportunities discussed during the morning presentations were Energy and Environment, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation, Health & Life Sciences, Education, Defense, and Small Businesses. We wrapped up the day by summarizing take-away’s from the lively afternoon round table discussions. For instance, the Stimulus offers numerous incentives for organizations to think (and act) ‘Green’. It was a long day for the B&D team who had held a similar program with the State Chamber in Indianapolis the prior day. Mike Landram opened the morning, John Sampson from the Regional Partnership (and sponsor) joined the forum after lunch and OnCallPSN Advisors moderated the forum and round tables.

-- Rob Drummond, President, OnCallPSN, LLC

Survive or Thrive

Chamber Academy presents on June 9: "Survive or Thrive: Change Tips for Turbulent Times," presented by Chris Battell of Mid-West Consulting Group and Kris Taylor of K. Taylor & Associates from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce.

Leading during these turbulent times is unsettling and unnerving, even for the very best executives and managers. Come learn the dynamics of change leadership and how to build engagement, hold people accountable, and help your organization move forward.

Cost is just $19. To register, click here.

For more information about Chamber Academy call Heather Neilson at (260) 424-1435, ext. 241 or hneilson@fwchamber.org.

YWCA to Honor 100 Good Men on Father’s Day

As part of the effort to combat family violence, the YWCA is sponsoring its second ”100 Good Men” project to honor those men who set positive examples in the community by their actions in support of women, children and families.

Nomination forms and details are available on the YWCA’s web site: www.ywca.org/fortwayne. The names of honored and memorialized men will be published on Father’s Day in local newspapers.

For more information, call (260) 424-4908, ext. 254.

Habitat for Humanity Open House Tomorrow

Want to get involved with kids from other area schools in an exciting new program? Want to make a difference in Fort Wayne? Come to the Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity Youth United Open House on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Habitat office, 629 E. Washington Blvd. Hear about how you can get involved to help make a difference by building homes to eliminate poverty housing and helping people with affordable home ownership in Fort Wayne.

For more information about Habitat and Youth United, and to RSVP for the Open House, please call HABITAT (260) 422-4828, email ckeplar@fortwaynehabitat.com or visit the Web site.

Business Challenge for Clean Air

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is asking businesses to create new projects to improve air quality. Ideas must be submitted to IDEM by June 5. Up to six proposals from northwest Indiana, central Indiana, Clark and Floyd counties, South Bend, Fort Wayne and Evansville and up to two from other areas of the state will be selected.

IDEM is encouraging Hoosier businesses to take action to improve air quality this summer. IDEM's new Clean Air Indiana Business Challenge offers Indiana businesses unique recognition opportunities for voluntarily reducing air emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone pollution.

To participate, businesses must complete and submit a project proposal to IDEM by June 5, 2009. Project proposal forms are available through the Clean Air Indiana Web site at www.idem.IN.gov/6262.htm. Proposed projects must be implemented within 12 to 18 months. Projects should focus on producing reductions in ozone-contributing emissions, such as volatile organic compounds and/or nitrogen oxides.

For additional information about the business challenge, contact (317) 234-5286 or (800) 988-7901. The Clean Air Indiana Web site can be found at www.idem.IN.gov/cleanair.

Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony at Memorial Coliseum

The public is invited to support the Allen County Council of Veterans during the annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum today.

The parade, which begins at the corner of Parnell Avenue and State Street, will start at approximately 11 a.m. and end at the Coliseum. After the parade, there will be a Memorial Day ceremony just outside of the Coliseum’s Memorial Hall.

For more information about the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, contact Patricia Allison at (260) 413-0827 or Roy Allison at (260) 749-5135.

Memorial Day Observed

The Chamber of Commerce will be closed in observance of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25, 2009. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, March 26 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.