Downtown Improvement District Offers Free Concert at Parkview Field

The Downtown Improvement District will present a free concert to the public this Saturday, July 11 at Parkview Field as part of the Parkview Cycling Festival. Four bands from Northeast Indiana will be featured including Brother, Teays Vein, Lee Miles and the Illegitimate Sons and the Todd Harrold Band. The bands will play from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each band has a loyal local following and has previous or future openings for national acts as well.

August 27 - Get Your Game On for the Chamber's "Golfopoly"!

Hop on board for the Chamber's Annual Golfopoly, taking place Thursday, August 27 at Autumn Ridge Golf Club. Morning and afternoon tee times are available. In addition to golfing, there will be lots of fun new games, including a special Hole-in-One chance to win a New Car from O'Daniel Automotive!!

Register now at fwchamber.org as an individual or in teams of four. Morning tee time is 7:30 a.m. and afternoon tee time is 1:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Closing reception with hors d' oeuvres, cash bar and a chocolate fountain and cheese fountain from Fort Wayne Chocolate Fountain will begin at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in promoting your organization through a sponsorship or by donating an item for the silent auction or raffle, please contact Laureen Voirol at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or lvoirol@fwchamber.org.

Thank you to our Silver Sponsors, Comcast Business Class & ROCK104 and our Beverage Cart Sponsor, PHP.

In This Issue...

In this issue of the Chamber's award winning Emphasis magazine:

Learn about the ChamberPERKS program and its benefits plus how to become a participating vendor...

Q&A with local sports complex The Plex...

How to survive an ISO Certification...

And what's new at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo plus much more.

For questions about Emphasis please contact Nicole Wilkins at nwilkins@fwchamber.org. To view past issues click here.

Science Central Introduces Crop and Craft Nights for Craft-Lovers

This month Science Central will become a place not just for hands-on science fun, but a place for hands-on craft fun! Gather your ribbon, glue and scissors and get ready to make a glittery mess with other craft lovers.

Science Central will be hosting crop and craft nights beginning this Friday, July 10. Participants are asked to bring their own supplies and will be given 4 feet of table space to create their masterpieces. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Do you have too many unused craft supplies? There will be a swap table to exchange unwanted craft supplies for new ones to add to your collection.

Crop and Craft Nights will take place on the 2nd Friday of each month until January 8, 2010. This event is for Adults 18 and older and costs $8 per session.

Local Department of Health Offers Preparedness Training for Businesses

September is National Preparedness Month. On Wednesday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health is offering a special training opportunity for businesses to come and hear about important preparedness ideas and planning. Keynote speaker Ted Kwiatkawski of AEP will speak on Pandemic Preparedness for Businesses.

For more information contact ACBusinessSummit09@co.allen.in.us. The event is sponsored by the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Medical Response System, Community Emergency Response Team and the Medical Reserve Corps.

Selling Thru Service

Don't miss this informative 2-part seminar in the Business Brown Bag series!

In sales or business development? Then this series is a must! Learn how to identify those who can benefit from your services and make cold calls that will lead to productive relationships.

Part 1: Sales Development · Wednesday, July 22

Learn the six steps to building a successful inventory of prospects - Featuring an expert panel on sales development, Part 1 will prepare you to make that first connection with a prospect.

Part 2: Getting to the Decision-Maker · Wednesday, August 5

Discover the tools for making a successful cold call - From first introductions to winning an appointment and beyond, develop the skills to create an engaging pitch that will lead to future sales.Each seminar takes place from Noon - 1 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. Cost for each session is $5 for Chamber members and $10 for non-members.

For more information contact Laureen Voirol or register online now!

Just Announced: July 30 – Cc: me at Club Soda.

They say in business it’s all about who you know…They were right!

Build lasting connections while enjoying an evening at Club Soda (235 Superior Street) on Thursday, July 30 from 5-7 p.m. Enjoy an evening of networking with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

Cc: me is an after-work event designed to create opportunities for you to build lasting relationships with other Fort Wayne professionals and find out the latest business buzz without being bombarded with sales pitches.

Admission is $5 for Chamber members, $10 for non-members. For questions please contact Laureen Voirol at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or lvoirol@fwchamber.org.

Attend Free Seminar and Become a Green Certified Business

Click on the image for a larger view.

Green City Business Program Receives Award

The City of Fort Wayne’s Green City Business Program received the Technology Solutions Award presented by Public Technology Institute. The Washington D.C. based group recognized Fort Wayne’s Green City program for its efforts to merge ecological, economic and social factors in an effort to create a sustainable community.

Fort Wayne's program focuses on sustainability by training businesses to have better environmental practices that reduce operating costs. The Green City Business program offers live interactive training that help businesses understand what they can do to make their business more "green" and save money on energy costs. More than 30 Fort Wayne businesses were involved in the first training session and a second training session is scheduled for this month.

Fort Wayne businesses can attend a free training session on Wednesday July 15 from 12:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required by July 9. To register for the workshop contact Julia Gorrell at (260) 427-6059 or click here.

ChamberPERKS Discount Program Announces New Vendor: Ideal Office Source

As a member-driven organization, the Chamber works to serve the business community and promote economic development. Part of our extensive member benefits package includes offering our members opportunities to save money and increase revenue for their business by doing business with other Chamber members.

This B2B Chamber program, newly renamed ChamberPERKS (formerly Members Advantage) offers exclusive business savings that benefit your bottom line such as those now available to you from Ideal Office Source. With ChamberPERKS you can now save even more off of Ideal Office Souce's already low prices (which are up to 90% off manufacturer's list pricing.) Other values currently available to all Chamber members include discounts from PHP, Lassus Handy Dandy and Office Depot.

The Chamber is currently accepting applications from Chamber members interested in joining the ChamberPERKS program as vendors. Participating as a vendor is an excellent way to increase your marketing advantage and reach out to other local businesses.

To learn more about the ChamberPERKS program benefits or to receive a vendor application, contact Kristi Holmes, VP of Communications & Member Relations at kholmes@fwchamber.org.

Morning Mix Next Week at Hyatt Place

The next Morning Mix, hosted by Hyatt Place (111 W Washington Center Road) will take place Thursday, July 16 from 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

The Morning Mix offers fast-paced, lead generating opportunities and is designed for professionals who are involved in sales and business development. You will experience 20 minutes at three different tables, receiving the opportunity to present your "unique selling proposition" to a couple of dozen businesspersons in a fast-paced, fun and structured setting.

Admission is $5. In addition, please make sure to bring a stack of your business cards. Continental breakfast is included. For more information, or if you are interested in being a table captain for a Morning Mix, contact Laureen Voirol at (260) 424-1435, ext. 266 or lvoirol@fwchamber.org. You do not have to be a Chamber member to attend.

GM to Add Heavy Duty Truck Assembly

Fort Wayne's General Motors Plant has announced that the local plant will add a Heavy Duty truck assembly. The new models to be added on the assembly line will include 3/4 and 1 ton models. They will also begin to produce diesel models in 2010.

Aqua Indiana to Offer Soft Water to Customers

Soft water will flow through the pipes of Aqua Indiana customers in just over a year. Construction and installation for the $ 3.5 million project began in May and will take about a year to finish. The project has been contracted to Mishawaka-headquartered Peerless-Midwest which will upgrade three water plants.

Once softened water begins flowing, customers will benefit from a noticeable difference in water quality: soap will lather more easily, which will improve efficiency in appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers. With Aqua Indiana soft water delivery to homes, many customers will no longer require their current supplementary water softeners resulting in cost savings. A typical consumer water softener costs $500 plus $150 annually for salt, chemicals and upkeep. It is estimated that the average customer will pay only $1.50 per month to have Aqua soften their water.

Due to its parent, Aqua America, Aqua Indiana has an A+ rating and access to capital markets. Aqua Indiana serves more than 23,000 customers in Aboite Township and west Fort Wayne and more than 35,000 customers in 10 counties throughout Indiana.

Feet on the Street

by Teresa Royer
Member Relations Specialist

June 16 was kind of a special day for me --- I was celebrating my birthday! It seems like one’s birthday is a really big deal when you’re a kid and as you get older they are less of a big deal, but let’s be honest: it’s nice when people remember.

I had a great birthday as my work family and my home family made it very special!

In our department at the Chamber we celebrate birthdays by going out to lunch. We went to Casa Grande Mexican Grill, located in Northwood Shopping Plaza off Stellhorn Road on the NE side of Fort Wayne. The food was amazing; great atmosphere, great service and great company. After we enjoyed our lunch, paid the bill (thanks Kristi Holmes for picking up my tab, by the way) I thought we were ready to go. However, I was quickly reminded it was NOT time to go when I saw a parade of servers carrying a giant sombrero, birthday treat, clapping and signing heading my way. They promptly placed the special headgear on me and commenced to singing the Happy Birthday Song! Now if that doesn’t make you feel special, I don’t know what would!

I knew my family was planning to have hamburgers on the grill that night when I arrived home from work but we kind of turned it into an impromptu party inviting some of my family over to enjoy a wonderful cake I found hidden in our freezer! The day kept getting better and better and I was reminded how lucky I am!

Thanks guys and thanks Casa Grande Mexican Grill for adding to Fort Wayne’s great selection of restaurants; we’re glad you’re here!