Club Soda Presents "Home Made"

Chamber member Club Soda is currently running an art exhibition entitled "Home Made" showcasing the work of 6 local artists who make work which connects them both to the Midwest and to the current international voice of contemporary art. The show runs through August 6 from 5-8 p.m. each night with drink specials and hors d'oeuvres

For more information contact Dan Swartz at (260) 417-8846 or d.h.swartz@gmail.com.

Be On Target with Comcast's Upcoming Seminar

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In This Issue...

In today's issue of the Chamber's national award-winning Emphasis magazine (published bi-weekly as the center section of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)...

Find out about the Chamber supported "Professional Connections" job seekers networking group for the unemployed business executive...

"What's New & Hot in Higher Ed Series?" Trine opens a virtual campus...

HR Best Practices...

And the state latest internship numbers are great news for Indiana and much more.

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

Fort Wayne Creates Census Committee

The City of Fort Wayne unveiled a local committee Wednesday that will help ensure all residents are counted in the 2010 Census.

Nineteen volunteers will work with groups that traditionally are under counted, including minorities, children, and immigrants and refugees, to communicate the message that the Census is important and safe, according to a city statement.

Census figures determine congressional representation, and federal grant amounts and program funding. Members of the city's 2010 Census Complete Count Committee will not go door to door to find people who did not fill out a Census form. They will employ other outreach strategies to increase participation.

Palermo Galindo, the city's Hispanic-immigrant liaison, and Ngozi Rogers, creative services director at Indiana's NewsCenter, are co-chairing the committee.The Census Monitoring Board estimated about 47,000 people in Indiana were not counted during the 2000 Census.

Chamber Member Aqua Indiana Acquires Heir Industries, Inc.

Aqua Indiana, Inc. has acquired Heir Industries, Inc., a waste water utility providing service to approximately 300 residents near the Town of Borden in Clark County, Indiana for $135,000. The system was first developed in 1972 to serve the Southern Hills Subdivision, and a new 40,000 gallon per day treatment facility was constructed in 1996, which has capacity to serve nearby planned residential developments. Aqua Indiana provides water and waste water service to 110,000 people throughout the state.

“Aqua looks forward to serving our new Holiday Estates and Heir Industries customers, and continuing to serve our Spring Hill customers,” said Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis.

Grow Your Business in This Economy? Think Global!

Chamber Academy presents:

July 29 - "Grow Your Business in This Economy? Think Global!" will be presented by Charles Replane of Charles Replane Consulting & Business Services. Markets outside of North America demonstrate opportunities for growth. Discover how to engage new business opportunities and adapt your product to a new market and business culture.

All Chamber Academy sessions are just $19 and take place from 8-10 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. To RSVP visit fwchamber.org. If you are interested in being a presenter for a future Chamber Academy session contact Katelyn Jacquay-Daniel at (260) 424-1435, ext. 270 or kjacquay@fwchamber.org. You do not have to be a Chamber member to attend.

Legislative Wrap-Up

With the conclusion of the General Assembly session, the Chamber held our annual Legislative Wrap-up Breakfast this morning in the Anthony Wayne Room at the Chamber. Members of the Northeast Indiana Legislative Delegation reviewed the recently concluded special session and the newly passed biennial state budget with members.

Several recent legislative stories of interest in the news for members to review:

CBO: Health care reform to increase federal cost (The Washington Times)
Canadians Warn Against Card Check Bill (US Chamber Magazine)

Here are a few pictures from this morning's event:

Again, special thanks to today's breakfast sponsors: GAI Consultants, NIPSCO, and WaterFurnace International.

Back to School Event Hosted by Sen. Lugar & Covington Plaza

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Upcoming Live, Learn & Intern Events

The Chamber's "Live, Learn & Intern" program presents free summer events for college or graduate interns.

Upcoming dates include:

- July 24, 7-10 p.m., FairPlay Beach Volleyball Bash.

- July 30, 7-9:30 p.m., Xbox Tournament@ Aptera Software.

- August 5, 7-9 p.m., Sycamore Hills Reception.

RSVP's are required for all events. For a full schedule visit fwchamber.org or contact Katelyn Jacquay-Daniel at (260) 424-1435, ext. 270 or kjacquay@fwchamber.org.

Federal Minimum Wage Increase on July 24

Important Reminder: The federal minimum wage is scheduled to increase from the current $6.55 an hour to the new rate of $7.25 on Friday, July 24, 2009.

For more information visit the U.S. Department of Labor Web site at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/flsa/.

Brown Bag Part 1 Tomorrow

Don't miss this informative 2-part seminar in the Business Brown Bag series! In sales or business development? 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!

Donate Simple Items for the Adopt a Soldier Campaign

Show your All-America spirit and donate items for the "Adopt a Soldier Campaign." MidWest America Federal Credit Union will be collecting items for care packages through Friday, July 31. Last year the Credit Union sent more than 40 boxes overseas with supplies not otherwise readily available to our service men and women.

Items will be assembled and care packages shipped to as many soldiers as possible. Monetary donations will also be accepted to purchase any remaining items not collected and will be used to help offset the cost of shipping the care packages.

Items needed include:



• Lip balm, sunblock, lotion
• Personal/baby wipes
• Shaving cream, razors, aftershave
• Toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash
• Shampoo, conditioner, body wash
• Foot powder, socks
• Deodorant, facial cleansers, Kleenex
• Hard candy, gum, canned foods (tuna, chicken)
• Beef jerky, breakfast bars, etc.
• Powdered drink mixes or anything made with water such as Ramen Noodles
• Books, movies, games, puzzles
*Please do not send any aerosol items or items that contain alcohol.

MidWest America Federal Credit Union has 9 branches in Fort Wayne and New Haven and additional offices in Decatur, Huntington, and Columbia City. For more information call (260) 482-3334.

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Celebrates Open House at New Location on Wells Street

The newly relocated Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Habitat’s building materials thrift store, is ready for business at its new site, 3837 N. Wells St. in Fort Wayne. To officially mark the ReStore’s opening, an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this morning.

Here are photos from this morning's event:

The Fort Wayne Habitat ReStore is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Free Concert Tuesday at Foellinger Theatre

Check out Foellinger Theatre's new sound system at a free summer concert event on Tuesday, July 21 at 8 p.m. The Fort Wayne Area Community Band will perform “Back Home Again in Indiana,” a musical cruise through the songs of our Hoosier composers. The event is brought to you in part by Arts United and the Indiana Arts Commission.

Get Set to Tee Off!

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.