Chamber Closed for Good Friday Holiday

The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is closed today in observance of the Good Friday holiday. We will resume normal operating hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) on Monday, April 13.

New Exhibit Opens: Who was the real Lincoln?

The History Center commemorates the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth with the exhibit "The Faces of Lincoln, Part III: Idealizing the Image," on display now through May 15, 2009.

Viewers of this portion of the three-part exhibit are invited to consider "who was the 'real' Lincoln?" They are challenged to look closely at the images and try to determine what kind of images and symbols the printmakers used to convey their, and the nation's, feelings toward Abraham Lincoln.

For more information call (260) 426-2882 or visit fwhistorycenter.com.

Windy Energy Supply Chain Workshop

Don't miss out on this great event for anyone interested or a part of wind supply chain manufacturing.

Wednesday, April 22 at the Grand Wayne Center (120 West Jefferson Blvd.) from 7:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m. The cost is $40, lunch is included

Who Should Attend: Potential Suppliers and Manufacturers, Public Officials, Economic Development Professionals, Engineering and Design Firms.

A special session from 1:30-3 p.m. on Workforce Development includes a presentation from the Chamber of Commerce's own Tanya Young.

Hosted by American Wind Energy Association

Contact Doug Ahlfeld to register
(260) 693-9380
dahlfeld@ershigs.com

RSVP for the CEO Roundtable Kickoff

Join other CEO's, top-level managers and decision makers in a confidential peer advisory group to promote business success. CEO Roundtables provide timely help and peer-to-peer advice to meet the challenges of managing small to mid-size businesses.

You will hear Dave Kaverman, CEO Roundtable Chair, and current CEO Roundtable members highlight the benefits and rewards of this peer forum.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

7:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce

RSVP here or to hneilson@fwchamber.org. This event is FREE.

IPFW Adam Smith Symposium

On Friday, April 17 the Remnant Trust at IPFW presents "The Wealth of Today's Nations: Rediscovering Adam Smith" from 8:30-11 a.m. at Rhinehart Music Center. There is no cost to attend. The Chamber is a proud sponsor of this event.

Join keynote speaker Patricia Wehane and business leaders from the community as they discuss Adam Smith's relevance today.

Keynote Speaker: Patricia Werhane, Wicklander Chair of Business Ethics and Director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics at DePaul University, and Peter and Adeline Ruffin, Professor of Business Ethics and Senior Fellow at the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics in the Darden School, at the University of Virginia. She is the founder
and former Editor-in-Chief of Business Ethics Quarterly, the journal of the Society for Business Ethics.

Moderator: Marilyn Moran Townsend, CEO of CVC Communications- Business Storytellers

Panelists: Keith Busse, President of Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Kathy Carrier, President and CEO of Briljent
Ian Rolland, Retired Chairman of Lincoln National
Don Schenkel, Chairman of Tower Financial Corporation and Tower Bank & Trust Company
Scott Trumbull, Chairman and CEO of Franklin Electric Co., Inc.

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Help Keep America Beautiful with the Great American Cleanup

The City of Fort Wayne is taking part in the national Great American Cleanup program on Saturday, May 16, as part of Keep America Beautiful. Volunteers of all ages will focus on cleaning up litter and debris from the City's parks, roadways, trails and riverbanks. The City will provide groups with garbage bags, gloves and t-shirts.

A post-cleanup party with food, music and raffle prizes for volunteers will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Headwaters Park.

Neighborhood associations, businesses, faith-based organizations and other volunteer groups can register online for the event. Registrations are due by Friday, April 10.

Don't Miss Cc: me @ Parkview Field This Thursday

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They say in business it’s all about who you know…They were right! Discover what over 125 professionals did last month - Cc: me is the place to be!

Join us on April 9, 2009 at Parkview Field (1301 Ewing Street) from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. for a special first look for the general public at Parkview Field before the ballpark opens on April 16. At this sneak peak you will enjoy tours of Parkview Field, live music from Fort Wayne's own BonaFide, great food and much more. This is one event you will not want to miss this year!

Sponsored by Aptera Software and The State Bank and Trust Company. Brought to you by the Chamber, YLNI, DID and the TinCaps.

Cc: me is a new 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.

Women in Transition Series

Women's Enterprise, a program of the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau, is offering a 4-part series entitled "Women in Transition." The series is designed for all women, from homemaker to executive, and will help participants identify specific career goals and create a targeted resume and prep for an interview based on that assessment.

The series takes place Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ivy Tech (Coliseum Campus, 3800 N. Anthony Blvd.). Cost is $30 per class or $110 for the series.

4/09/09 - Module 1 - Take Responsibility for Getting Started
4/16/09 - Module 2 - Manage Your Job Search
4/23/09 - Module 3 - Writing an effective Resume
4/30/09 - Module 4 - Preparing for the Interview

Registration is required and seating is limited. To register contact Jo Ellen Pepple at (260) 424-7977 or jpepple@womensenterprise.org.

Fine Dining and Company on the Embassy Stage

Don't miss The Embatini Luncheon, a spring fundraiser on the Embassy Theatre stage, with fine food and cocktails, DeBrand chocolates, musical demonstrations on the Grande Page Theatre Pipe Organ, Embassy History and backstage tours and the first opportunity to purchase black and white Embassy photography by Tim Brumbeloe. Each guest will also receive a special Vera Bradley gift.

Seating on the Embassy stage is limited, so reserve a table now by calling the Embassy at (260) 424-6287. Reservations are $85 dollars, and must be received by Friday, April 10. For additional information and a menu visit fwembassytheatre.org.

Good News for GM as Buick Ranks at Top of New Automotive Reliability Survey

Buick and Jaguar shared first place for brands with the most-dependable vehicles in a study released today, ending Lexus's 14-year reign.

Buick climbed from sixth place last year in market research firm J.D. Power and Associates' Vehicle Dependability Study, and Jaguar soared from 10th. They were followed by Lexus, Toyota and Mercury in the survey of owners of 3-year-old vehicles.

“Buick's No. 1 ranking reflects General Motors' efforts to shake a reputation of poor dependability,” said David Sargent, J.D. Power's vice president of automotive research. "GM…has made a lot of strides recently," he said. "Maybe 10 or 15 years ago their vehicles weren't as reliable as some of the imports, but I think today they've virtually caught up."

Original owners of Buick and Jaguar models reported an average of 122 problems per 100 vehicles, four fewer than Lexus. In compiling the rankings, J.D. Power used surveys taken in October 2008 from more than 46,000 owners of 2006 model-year vehicles.

EGGSTRAVAGANZA! Kick Off This Saturday

Easter Seals Arc will host their EGGSTRAVAGANZA! kick-off with an egg hunt for children ages 2 – 10 on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 10am

The kick off takes place at Parkview Field at Harrison Square (1301 Ewing Street).

EGGSTRAVAGANZA! is Fort Wayne’s newest community-wide art project. Similar to Mastodons on Parade, EGGSTRAVAGANZA! is sure to serve up a healthy dose of protein with decorative eggs. More than two-dozen, 35-pound eggs, being sponsored by area businesses (including the Chamber) and completely designed by local and regional artists, will be “lost” throughout downtown Fort Wayne only to be hunted by children and adults alike. Already 600 tickets have been distributed for the kick-off egg hunt at Parkview Field.

Pictured above is the Chamber's sponsored egg for EGGSTRAVAGANZA! designed by Shad Igney of Rockhill Studios.