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JANUARY OF THE MONTH
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE JANUARY MEMBER OF THE MONTH, EFFINGHAM TRAVEL AGENCY.
The Effingham Travel Agency...your travel resource.
• Winner of MLT Vacations Star Agency award for the area.
• A full service agency with 6 agents.
• One of a select few Disney Ear-Marked Agencies.
• New web site, www.effinghamtravel.com, keeps customers up-to-date with travel specials and offers an on-line newsletter.
• 30 years in business and as a Chamber member
• Participates in the Chamber’s Future Fair and is a sponsor of the Annual Banquet by providing vacation packages for prizes.
• Active supporter of in Effingham County United Way, Catholic Charities and St. Anthony and Sacred Heart schools.
Effingham Travel Agency...a strong supporter of the community and the Chamber.
CHOICES PROGRAM
Facilitators are needed for the third annual CHOICES Program that will be offered to more than 420 Effingham County 8th grade students. The program provides students with the opportunity to get a first-hand look at how the academic decisions they make today will have a lasting impact on their future. This knowledge will be gained through a volunteer-led program offered by the Chamber and the CHOICES organization.
CHOICES is a two class period interactive seminar designed to help students with time and money management and instill personal motivation for teens to complete their education. Students can learn how decisions they make now will shape their future.
A minimum of 10 local business people to serve as the instructors are needed. A training video is available for anyone interested that outlines how the program is taught.
The effort is partially funded by a grant from the Effingham County Community Foundation, but added sponsorships are needed to help complete the program’s funding. The cost to offer this very important program to the 420 Effingham County eighth graders is $5 per student. For $150, your company can enable 30 students, the equivalent to an entire classroom, to take part in the program. It is a great opportunity for your business to support educational efforts in Effingham County.
For more information about being a CHOICES sponsor or to volunteer to be an instructor, call Pat at the Chamber office at 217/342-4147.
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NEW CHAMBER BOARD OFFICERS/DIRECTORS
Bob Ferguson, broker and co-owner, Professional Advantage Inc. Realtor, has been elected Chairman of the Board of the Greater Effingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 2008.
Serving with Ferguson on the Executive Committee are Chair-elect and Vice President Community Development Ray Rieck, Vice President of Business Development, Lake Land College; Vice President Business Development Jeff Mefford, Community Bank President, Midland States Bank; Vice President Membership Development Bob Bray, Manager, Bray Title Company; Vice President Resource Development Angie Hartke, Implementation Manager, Patterson Dental Supply; and Vice President Workforce Development Laura Stephens, Human Resource Manager, HN Automotive Inc.
The new directors elected by the membership and serving from 2008-2010 include:
Chad Armstrong, Project Manager/Estimator, AKRA Builders, Inc.
Jeff Bloemker, Vice President, Mid America Motorworks
Jean Bohnhoff, Executive Director, Effingham City County Committee on Aging
Dr. Ryan Jennings, President, Marshall Clinic Effingham
Terry Meyer, Corporate Secretary, Meyer Oil Company
Retiring from the Board are Bob Willenborg, J & J Ventures, Inc; Blake Linders, Linders Limited LLC-McDonald’s and Ken Murray, J. C. Penney Company.
2007 Board Chairman Eric Zeller, Effingham Ophthalmology Associates, will remain on the Board as Immediate Past Chairman.
The remainder of the Chamber Board of Directors includes Jeff Mihlbachler, Agent, Mihlbachler Insurance Agency; Dave Ring, President, Job Match Inc.; John Wright, Vice President, Wright’s Furniture; Dr. Dan Clasby, Superintendent, Effingham Community Unit #40; and Patty Greene, Director of Sales, Keller Convention Center.
Together these individuals will work to make your Chamber fit your needs and help make Effingham County a great place in which to do business and live.
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ENERGY COOP UPDATE
Many of our Chamber members joined forces with members of the Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Decatur and Lincoln Chambers this past year to pool the buying power to procure energy at the best available competitive market price.
Members of this coop received a 29 month contract offer on October 30, with a two tiered pricing structure of 6.999¢ per kWh for five months from December 2007 to May 2008; then a 24 month contract of 7.355¢ per kWh through May 2010. The current Ameren default rate is over 7.45¢ per kWh. The Ameren default rate is expected to go up May 2008 when the next reverse auction price is announced. The 7.355¢ contract offer will provide continued savings to the members when compared to the Ameren default rate and the rate is locked in for ongoing budget stability.
Locally, we had a 93% response rate from our group of 73 businesses and 93.4% of the entire coop group signed the contract offer on November 2, 2007.
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RESOLVE TO RECYCLE IN 2008!
We want to thank our members for their commitment to recycle in 2007. Your recycling of printer cartridges helped the Chamber AND provided a cleaner environment in 2007. Now is a great time to make a resolution to continue to recycle those cartridges or to enroll in the program if you haven’t done so.
It is easy to participate. Once enrolled, prepaid labels are provided to you by Recycle Rewards to ship your cartridges. You can even request shipping boxes but if you ship your cartridges in your own boxes, you earn an extra $2 per box for the Chamber. There is no cost to your business and you will be doing the environment...and the Chamber a big favor. Call the Chamber office for more information.
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FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
LET’S MAKE IT A GREAT 2008!
There’s much to look forward to in 2008 – on the national and world scene, we’ll be electing a new President, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and watching the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. little closer to home, there’s the possibility of a new sports and recreation center being built in the city of Effingham, the first mile of TREC is scheduled to begin construction and new industry and infrastructure projects will make Effingham an even more attractive place for people to live and work.
The Chamber Board will undertake some major initiatives to move toward our vision of increasing Effingham County’s value as the Midwest center for business and travelers and creating a more secure future for the Chamber organization.
The Chamber Board’s first step toward a Great 2008 was to provide an endorsement for the City of Effingham’s plans to build the sports and recreation center and we encourage you to support this initiative by participating in informational meetings, talking to city council members and familiarizing yourself with the physical and financial details of the sports center plan.
What plans have you made to ensure that 2008 will be a great year for your business?
“If we want to accomplish more, we need to dream bigger.In order to dream bigger, we must believe that we can achieve what we want.”Lou Tice, founder of The Pacific Institute, reminds us that we can dream big dreams – and achieve them.
We’ve got a great opportunity for you to start down the road to a Great 2008.
On Monday, February 4, Laural Manegre, senior project director for The Pacific Institute, author of “The Energy of Networking” and Canada’s 1994 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, will be in Effingham educating business leaders on how to implement and achieve improved performance, increased profits and phenomenal business growth.Local educators and students will be sharing the positive results they have achieved by implementing these ideas in the classroom, at home, on the playing field and with their peers.
The registration flyer for this outstanding leadership event can be found elsewhere in your newsletter.
Achieving success takes change.Harnessing change takes skill.Skill requires knowledge. Put your knowledge to work and make it a Great 2008 – for you, your business, your family and your community.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
PROFORMA McLAUGHLIN MARKETING CONCEPTS
303 Larch Drive
Olney, IL 62450
John McLaughlin, Owner
618/302-7989
(Marketing, Printer/Publisher)
CASA OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY
307 Professional Park, Suite 1
Effingham, IL 62401
Jennifer Jansen, Executive Director
217/342-2266
(Social Services)
ALLSTATE INSURANCE
505 S. Maple, Suite A
Effingham, IL 62401
Brandy Holmes, Exclusive Agent
217/347-5113
(Insurance)
FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS
801 W Jackson
Altamont, IL 62411
Brett Gilsinger, General Manager
618/483-5300
(Telephone/High Speed Internet Services)
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BUSINESS CONNECTIONS
CHAMBER CONGRATULATIONS:
*Randy and Jane Ruholl, EFFINGHAM SEARS, who opened a new Sears store in Vandalia in November.
*Steve Garland, DALE CARNEGIE TRAINING/S. J. GRANT & ASSOCIATES, has received a Trainer Quality Index (TQI) score that places him in the top 15 of approximately 2,500 Carnegie trainers across the nation.
*HEARTLAND DENTAL CARE recently acquired 11 dental practices and opened one denova practice in the last half of 2007 bringing the number of Dental Care offices to 210.
*Fireman Ken Hayes, EFFINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT, was selected 2007 Firefighter of the Year.
*Jodi Moomaw, telecommunication manager for the EFFINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, was elected President of the Midwest the SunGard HTE Users Group.
MEMBER WELCOME:
*Chuck Deters, new Vice President at FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DIETERICH-NATIONAL TRAIL BANKING CENTER.
*Carole Mitchell, new Human Resource Manager, and Emily Miller, Sales & Operational Development of Background Screening, at BUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES.
MEMBER MILESTONES:
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MEMBER CHANGES AND NOTES:
*A local group of investors has announced the development of Villas on the Hill, a new community located at the southeast corner of Willenborg Avenue and Technology Drive. Visit www.villasonthehill.com for more information.
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LOOK WHAT’S ON THE CHAMBER’S WEBSITE
Did you know that the Chamber has a wide variety of community and demographic information available at your fingertips through the Chamber’s website at www.effinghamchamber.org?The best news is that most of the information is free to our members and can be downloaded to your computer.
You can also place an order and have printed information mailed to you or a business associate, family member or anyone needing information on Effingham and Effingham County.You can also stop at the Chamber office and pick up more phone books, maps and other community information.
Among the publications available are a community profile, manufacturers and distributors directory, clubs and organizations lists, sales tax charts, city, county and state maps, Illinois and federal required employment posters and information on starting a business.
New information and updates are added frequently, so you’ll want to check back often. Be sure to check out the Publications Link located in the left column of the website and get the community information you need, when you need it.
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The Chamber continues to provide our nearly 500 members with benefits and opportunities to help their businesses. While every member is unique, member benefits are designed to help each of our members in some way.
We are happy to offer these new opportunities to our members:
Chamber Conference Room Use - The Conference Room at the Chamber office is now available for use free of charge to our members for meetings, interviews, etc. The room will accommodate small groups and audio/visual equipment is available, thanks to the Crossroads Workforce Centers. Of course, Chamber functions have priority but if the facility is available, it is a great place for our members to use.
Advertising in the Business Intelligence Report - We have already informed our members of the opportunity to advertise in the bi-weekly Chamber E-Mail Update distributed to our members. Now we are offering the opportunity to advertise in the Effingham Intelligence Report, a nationally distributed, quick-read resource that provides the latest business strategies, trends, tips and business news. The publication is included with your membership and is e-mailed monthly to about 800 local business persons. The cost to advertise in the Report is $50 per issue.
For more information on these new benefits, call the Chamber office at 217/342-4147.
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Effingham, Illinois -
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC INDICATORS
JANUARY 2008 |
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NOVEMBER
2007
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NOVEMBER
2006
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CITY BUILDING PERMITS:
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Month, Commercial
Month, Residential
Year To Date, Total
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5/$ 1,150,200
6/$ 461,700
153/$ 39,927,095
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9/$ 298,700
13/$ 1,278,034
182/$ 36,240,571
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LABOR MARKET - COUNTY:
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Total Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Eff. Co. Unemploy. Rate
Illinois Unemployment Rate
US Unemployment Rate
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18,828
18,071
757
4.0%
4.8%
4.5%
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18,052
17,473
579
3.2%
3.7%
4.3%
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ANNUAL AVERAGE:
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2006
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2005
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Total Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Eff. Co. Unemploy. Rate
Illinois Unemployment Rate
US Unemployment Rate
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19,319
18,490
829
5.4%
4.7%
4.6%
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17,967
16,962
1,005
4.7%
4.8%
5.1%
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CITY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS:
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Total Assets - 3rd Qtr. '07
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$712,726,925
(Total 10/9 Banks Reporting)
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$662,615,561
(Total 10/9
Banks Reporting)
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RETAIL SALES:
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2007
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2006
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City - (2nd Qtr. 07/06)
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$165,698,831
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$147,856,582
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County - (2nd Qtr. 07/06)
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$192,771,773
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$173,567,298
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Total Sales-City (FY 07/06)
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$632,252,828
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$640,059,399
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Total Sales-Cou.(FY 07/06)
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$730,579,295
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$738,111,687
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Total Sales-City (CY 06/05)
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$637,203,441
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$614,981,194
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Total Sales-Cou.(CY 06/05)
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$736,155,035
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$711,699,526
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