Free Hands-Only CPR Training Offered During 3 Rivers Festival

Mayor Tom Henry in cooperation with the Three Rivers CPR Task Force will offer free hands-only CPR training as part of the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival.

“Don’t Miss a Beat” training will be available to the public July 15 at the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Community Center (233 W. Main St.). Classes start at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The one-hour class will train community members ages 12 and older how to give effective chest compressions – using manikins or special kits – to adults who have suffered a heart attack. The classes are taught by trained and experienced CPR instructors who volunteer their time for this program.

Compression or hands-only CPR focuses on chest compressions only, no breaths, to keep blood moving in an adult victim whose heart has stopped beating. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as research has shown it to be effective in helping to save lives.

Anyone completing the training July 15 will receive a “Bring a Friend for Free” coupon for those paying for a CPR certification class through the American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana.

The buy one, get one free certificate, a $50 value, can be used for the Red Cross’s adult, child, infant CPR training class through December 31, 2009. The certificate does not have to be used by the person who attends the July training.

During 2005 and 2006 Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA) responded to 452 cardiac arrest cases that happened outside a medical setting, according to numbers from the Emergency Medical Services Foundation here in Fort Wayne. Of those, only 17 percent of victims received bystander CPR. According to research, early bystander CPR is among the major components necessary for greatest survivability, along with early access to 911 emergency dispatch, first responders with AED capabilities in 4 minutes and advanced life support-capable ambulance in 8 minutes.

To register for the training or to find out more, visit 3RCPR.org, call 427-1164 or e-mail 3rcpr@cityoffortwayne.org. Space for each session is limited to 90 participants so pre-registration is encouraged. Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space allows.

Chamber Observes July 4th Holiday Today

The Chamber will be closed on Friday, July 3rd in observance of the Fourth of July holiday.

Regular office hours will resume on Monday, July 6 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Chamber's Legislative Wrap-up

Legislative Wrapup Breakfast
With the conclusion of the General Assembly session, we have scheduled our annual Legislative Wrapup Breakfast for Wednesday, July 22, at 8:00 a.m. in the Anthony Wayne Room at the Chamber. Members of the Northeast Indiana Legislative Delegation will review the recently concluded special session and the newly passed biennial state budget.Cost for the breakfast is $5.00 per person and is open to all Chamber members. Please RSVP to Keith Knepp at kknepp@fwchamber.org or call (260) 424-1435 x228.Special thanks to our breakfast sponsors: GAI Consultants, NIPSCO, and WaterFurnace International.


General Assembly Passes Budget
After months of debate and negotiations the Indiana General Assembly passed a biennial budget on June 30th, with a few hours to spare before the midnight deadline. The budget spends $27.8 billion while leaving $1 billion in reserves. The most dividing factor of school funding is increased by 1.1 percent in 2010 and .3 percent in 2011. It flatlines higher ed, but does appropriate money for capital projects. It will allow for summer study committees on the school funding formula as well as gaming issues, including a Fort Wayne referendum.


NIIC Project Receives $10 Million
The recently passed state budget includes an appropriation for the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC) for a project that will add a Global Design & Technology Center as well as a Center for Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Performance. This project was a Chamber priority this session.

This initiative will....

• Create 35 new jobs with average annual salaries of $80,000
• Build out the infrastructure of the Innovation Park to attract more new innovative ventures
• Expand IPFW's research capacity and community engagement
• Provide support for a major new Park anchor client
• Become a magnet for affiliated ventures, supply chain partners, and high technology engineering talent
• Engineering talent is expected to be recruited from IPFW students (creating a localized brain gain)

Unlike other technology business incubators, the NIIC has achieved its current level of success without the benefit of a major coroporate anchor. This project will grow its commercial capabilities, global presence and employment base in our community while leveraging its master research agreement with Purdue University and strengthening its cooperative recruitment efforts for talent with IPFW.

Allen County Bridge Language in Budget
Also making it in the budget was language allowing the Allen County Commissioners to use the major bridge fund for repair and maintenance of smaller bridges (under 200 ft). The language also states that the commissioners are responsible for bridges in all of the county including municipalities.


Budget Comparison
See how Indiana fared compared to other states.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/24811.html


Governor to Push Local Govt Reform
Gov. Daniels said he will renewefforts to enact local government reform in the 2010 legislative session (Howey PoliticsIndiana). 'I hope we make more forward progress next year. We should never ever skip anopportunity or a session, short or long, to try and make positive change, and we'll be thinkingabout that starting right away," said Daniels.


From U.S. Department of Defense
Raytheon Co., Network Centric Systems, Fort Wayne, Ind., was awarded in Jun. 26, 2009 a $ 21,746,737 cost-plus-fixed-fee and fixed-price contract for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the generation Network Centric Radio System (NCRS), with additional capabilities and an assured affordable price to the user. DARPA envisions two critical technologies for achieving these new goals: 1) a backbone radio architecture that enables a versatile IP networks and a radio gateway that enable legacy analog and digital communications systems to be internetworked. As with NCRS, the MAINGATE enables heterogeneous groups of radios to be integrated into a heterogeneous network tolerant to high latency and packet loss. The technology development for the program will permit affordable, tactical, real-time, high fidelity video, data, and voice services to be deployed in a network environment to support tactical operations in either maneuver or dismounted operations. A MAINGATE node consists of the gateway hoc network (MANET) IP radio, WAN port, LAN port, and operator console for a recurring production unit cost target (sell price to government) of $ 60, 000 (constant FY09$) per unit for a volume purchase of 1,000 units after the successful satisfaction of the base program objectives. Work is to be performed in Fullerton, Calif., (19.54 percent), Fort Wayne, Ind., (25.88 percent), Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., (7.19 percent), Vienna, Va., (3.20 percent), Cambridge, Md.,(7.02 percent), Columbia, Md., (22.45 percent), and Melbourne, Fla., (14.72 percent), with an estimated completion date of September 2012. Bids solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (HR0011-09-C-0083).
Source: U.S. Department of Defense

Celebrate Fort Wayne's Musical Traditions with "Follow the Pipes" Musical Tour

Celebrate the beauty and diversity of the Fort Wayne area with its historic churches and proud musical tradition as the History Center offers the "Follow the Pipes" Tour.

Visit three churches each day to hear the unique sounds of each location's historic instruments, learn about each church's history, and conclude at the Embassy Theatre to hear the Grand Page pipe organ. All tours begin at the first church site and end at the Embassy Theatre. Participants must have their own transportation.

“Follow the Pipes” daily schedule is as follows:
-Tuesday, July 14, 6 - 9p.m. - St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, St. Jude's Catholic Church, St. Charles Catholic Church, and the Embassy Theatre.

-Wednesday, July 15, 9 a.m. - noon - Zion Lutheran Church, Redeemer Lutheran Church, St. Patrick's Catholic Church, and the Embassy Theatre.

-Thursday, July 16, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Parkview Hospital Chapel, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Forest Park United Methodist Church, and the Embassy Theatre.

Presented by the History Center and the Fort Wayne Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Sponsored by John and Jane Higgins and the Barr Street Irregulars. Free to the public. For more information call the History Center at (260) 426-2882, ext. 309.

Develop a Customer Loyalty Strategy

Chamber Academy offers members the opportunity to share their expertise with others in the form of two to four-hour seminars designed to help members grow their business. All sessions are just $19!

Chamber Academy is proud to present:
Developing a Customer Loyalty Strategy by Jerry Hogan of The Resource Development Group
Tuesday, July 14 · 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. · Chamber of Commerce

Do you know what a loyal customer is worth to your business? Develop a customer loyalty strategy and increase sustained profitability:

• Discover why your organization needs loyal customers.
• Differentiate between customer satisfaction versus customer loyalty.
• Determine your perceived value as defined by customers.

Register online now

Live, Learn, & Intern - Sweetwater Dinner, Tour & Dave Elwert Concert

Encourage any college or graduate interns you know to RSVP for this upcoming event:

July 16, 2009 ~ 6:30 p.m.

Come join us for a tour of one of the most innovative and creative companies in the world, Sweetwater, Inc. We'll start with dinner at the Downbeat Diner, followed by a tour of Sweetwater, and a Dave Elwert concert in their amazing auditorium/performance hall. It is sure to entertain! To RSVP, please click here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Live, Learn, and Intern events are free summer events for interns in NE Indiana hosted by Graduate Retention, a program of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce.

Historic Barr Street Farmers Market Offers Local Produce and Family Fun

Don't miss out as the historic Barr Street Market opens for the season! The market opens on Saturday, July 11 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Each summer the History Center in partnership with Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, hosts a Saturday Farmers Market at the historic marketplace on the corner of Wayne and Barr Streets. The Market offers a diverse selection of fresh and unique produce from the surrounding area, along with family-oriented entertainment and activities for children. The Market will be open every Saturday, July 11 to September 12, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Free parking is available in the History Center parking lot at 302 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne. Bikers are also encouraged to ride and park at a corral within the market. Free to the public.

For more information, call (260) 426.2882 or visit http://www.fwhistorycenter.com/.

Taste the Difference at the Jefferson Pointe Local Farmer's Market

Click on the image for a larger view.

Live, Learn, & Intern - Crazy Pinz Bowling & Pizza

Encourage any college or graduate interns you know to RSVP for this upcoming event:

July 8, 2009 ~ 7 - 10 p.m.

Come join us for THREE HOURS of bowling and pizza at CRAZY PINZ ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. All you can eat pizza buffet will be provided. Cash bar is also available for interns (21 and over). To RSVP for this event, click here. We can't wait to see you there!

Live, Learn, and Intern events are free summer events for interns in NE Indiana hosted by Graduate Retention, a program of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber Publication Receives National Award

The Chamber is proud to announce its bi-weekly newsletter publication, the Emphasis, has received the “Award of Excellence” from the 2009 APEX National Awards for Publication Excellence. The Emphasis was the only publication in the One to Two Person-Produced Magapapers & Newspapers category to receive an Award of Excellence. The APEX Awards are judged on graphic design, editorial content and overall communications.

The Emphasis is distributed twice a month as the center section of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. To see past issues of the Emphasis click here. For more information on the APEX Awards click here.

Embassy Harrison Street Windows Feature Downtown Fort Wayne Destinations

The Embassy Theatre has kicked off summer with a series of themed windows along Harrison Street.

The window scenes take onlookers through a colorful picture walk beginning with The Fort Wayne Art Museum and Firefighters Museum to scenes from the Three Rivers Festival and Chalk Walk, Fort Wayne Parks flora and fauna, Artlink and Science Central, iconic downtown eateries such as Club Soda, shots of the interior and exterior of the Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne city scenes and, of course, the new Parkview Field and TinCaps team.

The windows along Harrison and Jefferson will be open for onlookers to view until October 2009.

Spread the Word about Your Business

Take advantage of your Chamber membership and market your business at discounted prices: good for a LIMITED TIME only!

Get as much as 50% off when you purchase Chamber advertising in Emphasis magazine or Update email newsletter. Purchase by Monday, July 6 for the discounted rate. Offer is good for advertising through the rest of the 2009 calendar year.

For questions about Chamber advertising contact Nicole Wilkins, Communications Manager at nwilkins@fwchamber.org.

Seminar for Hoosier Businesswomen Comes to Huntington

Hoosier businesswomen take note: The Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in partnership with Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) will present "Advancing Hoosier Women in Business" on Tuesday, July 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The seminar will take place at Huntington University and is part of a series of four seminars being presented throughout the state.

Lt. Governor Skillman will be the keynote speaker. Hear success stories of how area businesswomen launched their entrepreneurial careers. Area presenters include Marlin Ann Boothby, president and founder of Big Fish Consulting in Upland; Kathy Carrier, president and CEO of Briljent in Fort Wayne; Lisa Compton, president and founder of SensoryCritters.com in New Haven; and Darlene Stanley, president of Johnson Junction, Inc., in Huntington.

The seminar will also provide Hoosier women with technical and educational resources for their businesses. A Business Resource Panel will include panelists Kristin Garvey of the Indiana Commission for Women, Karen Goldner of the Main Street Venture Fund, DeeAnn Hammel of First Federal Savings Bank, Suzanne Huffman of the Wells County Chamber of Commerce, Nicole McVicker of Dale & Huffman Lawyers, Jane Rich of the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center and Stacey Smith of Prairie Quest Consulting. Shirley Busack of Women’s Enterprise, a program of the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau, will serve as facilitator of the Business Resource Panel.

The seminar will also include a luncheon with Michelle Gladieux of Gladieux Consulting speaking on “12 Tips to Turn Up Your Power (in Business and Life).”

Registrations are now being accepted through the OCRA office at $20 per person, which includes lunch. Register by calling (800) 824-2476 or by visiting www.in.gov/ocra/2341.htm.

Feet on the Street

Image Air Charter

On Thursday May 14 I took a little road trip west to Warsaw to attend the open house of a fairly new Chamber member, Image Air Charter, a private charter company owned by former Indiana State Senator V. Richard Miller. Ben Markley the Director of Operations and Jan Markley the Director of Marketing are Fort Wayne residents.

I asked Dave Didier, the Chairman of our Ambassador Committee to attend as well. Dave’s travels take him to Warsaw quite often in his position at Perry Corporation. Dave and I were treated to a tour of their inviting office, welcoming lobby and CLEAN hanger where their jets are housed when they are not in the air. The floor was so clean you could serve Sunday dinner on it!

What impressed me most was the huge American flag proudly displayed on the far wall as you entered the hanger. I complimented Jan on flying “OLD GLORY” in such a prominent way. She informed Dave and I that Image Air Charter believes very strongly in supporting our troops overseas. Image Air sponsors a platoon of 15 soldiers deployed in a location she was not able to discuss to protect the lives of the soldiers. They consistently collect items for the platoon. Each month a package is delivered to them including cards and letters of support. Jan said a popular item with their platoon is anything NERF. Once again, actions speak louder than words; by this ongoing project; it’s quite evident how the Image Air team feels about supporting our troops. Jan urges that if anyone is interested in supporting a troop to contact http://www.adoptaplatoon.org/ they are a great organization to work with.

After we toured the hanger, we climbed in two of their four jets. Brandon Miller, their Chief Pilot shared his extensive knowledge of the jets and Image Air. Their typical passenger is a business traveler who prefers the convenience of chartered flights rather than commercial; thus saving valuable time. As Brandon noted, “TIME IS MONEY.” Their jets are open to the public as well---anyone can charter a flight with them. Image Air Charter can take you anywhere you want to go. Rest assured they do fly in and out of Fort Wayne.

If you are interested in checking out the details, feel free to check out their website at http://www.iacharter.com/ or give Jan a call at 1-800-776-3038 or on her cell at 574-527-5153.