Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

Miche Independent Representative Manda Brown Pekin, IL 61554 309-620-4149  Manda Brown,  Independent Representative browny00.miche.com MICHE began in 2007 with a clear vision—to give a woman the opportunity to enjoy the latest fashion styles beautifully and affordably anytime she wants, in 3 seconds or less, with just one handbag. Our innovative magnetic handbags with interchangeable exterior Shells created a strong foundation for our company as we continue expanding our fashion brand. Today, MICHE is a social selling company offering a wide variety of high-quality fashion specialty bags, wallets and even jewelry—and it’s only the beginning! MICHE is fashion at the speed of life, with options for style as unique as you are.

Pekin Insurance is teaming up with D.A. Points, PGA TOUR professional, for a Birdies for St. Jude fundraiser. Sponsoring Birdies for St. Jude will transform your dollars into the reality of supporting the heroic efforts of St. Jude. With D.A.’s 2015 PGA TOUR season in full swing, this is the perfect opportuni tee to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer or other life-threatening diseases. CLICK HERE TO DONATE ABOUT ST. JUDE St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. With research and patient care under one roof, St. Jude is where some of today’s most gifted researchers are able to do science more quickly. The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder...

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McDaniels Marketing recently received two Excellence in Tourism awards for work developed on behalf of the Galena/Jo Daviess Convention & Visitors Bureau . The agency won awards for “Best Leisure Collateral” and “Best Marketing Campaign” as part of the 2015 Illinois Governors Conference on Tourism in Chicago. Each year, Illinois tourism businesses and related organizations are invited to submit entries for the Excellence in Tourism Awards , which honor innovative tourism marketing initiatives that promote destinations, attractions and events throughout the State of Illinois. “We’re proud of the creative campaigns we developed to promote Galena and Jo Daviess County,” Randall McDaniels, president and CEO, said. “More than that, we’re proud of the results that were achieved for this destination.” Both the awards were achieved in the Budget A category (total annual operating and marketing budgets over $700,000) and focused on motivating visitors to connect with activitie...

Banking veteran and Pekin resident Dennis Short has joined Pekin Community Bank to provide lending and cash management services for business and consumer customers. Until recently, Short was a Vice President at Herget Bank. “Dennis is a great fit for our Bank because he understands the needs of local businesses and consumers,” said Andrew J. Sparks, Executive Vice President of Pekin Community Bank. “As a resident of Pekin, as a Board Committee Member for the City of Pekin, as a Past President of the Pekin AMBUCS, as a past Board Chairman of Tazewell County Resource Center, and as past Treasurer for the Knights of Columbus, Dennis truly knows the Pekin Community,” said Sparks. Short’s prior responsibilities include business development, strategic planning, and product development/ implementation, to list a few. Prior to Herget, Short was a Branch Manager for South Side Bank & Trust in Peoria and Wells Fargo Financial in Louisville, KY. He graduated from the University of Il...

The Pekin Insurance Board of Directors has announced the promotion of Scott Martin, FLMI, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors.  The announcement was made at The Farmers Automobile Insurance Association Annual Subscribers Meeting, held on February 10, 2015. Scott began his insurance career with Pekin Insurance as an underwriter trainee in the Life Underwriting Department in September 1976. He advanced to various positions within the department before being promoted to vice president - administration and assistant secretary in May 1994. In January 2003, Scott was promoted to senior vice president of all Pekin Insurance companies and chief operating officer of Pekin Life Insurance Company. In 2006, he was promoted to president and chief operating officer of Pekin Life Insurance Company, and in 2008, he was given the additional responsibility of chief operating officer of the property/Casualty companies.  In 2010, he became President of all Pekin Insurance co...

Students in the R. David Tebben Community Leadership Academy learned about the local media today with presentations from subject matter experts Shannon Sandoval and WEEK news editor Max Jacobs. Students also made presentations on the Boys & Girls Club, the Pekin to Peoria St. Jude Run, and were introduced to fellow class member Brian Byrne.  More pictures from this event are available at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber

The Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce believes it is important that Chamber members exercise their right to vote.  The chamber also believes it is important that chamber members be informed voters, particularly when it comes to issues that can affect the local business environment.  With that in mind, the chamber sent a questionnaire to candidates for the City of Pekin races.  The candidates' answers to those questions are available online at:  http://www.pekinchamber.com/Candidates2015/candidates.html The City of Pekin will elect a Mayor and three City Councilpersons this spring.  The April 7th ballot will also include candidates for the Pekin Park District Board of Commissioners and the District 108 and 303 School Boards. Information about voter registration, absentee ballots, early voting, polling locations, etc., is available from the Tazewell County Voter Registration departmen...

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2015 has gotten off to a flying start here at Champion Fitness Physical Therapy---lots going on and much more to follow. What's inside this issue: Two New Clinics Added to Champion Family Streator Patient Recovers from Lawn-mower Accident How Long Should I Go to my Therapy? Meet New Champion Personnel A Few Health/Fitness Tidbits You May Not Know And....an Irish recipe Just in time for St. Patrick's Day Something for everybody! Did You Hear the Story About the Lady and the Lawn Mower?     Strange Accident Leads to Challenging Rehab  It's not everyday that someone gets run over by a  lawn mower. Even rarer that the person gets run  over twice. And still even rarer that the individual  doesn't lose a foot or maybe even a leg in the  incident.  Follow Julie Ramza's unique story from last fall in  Streator and how the Champion team helped her in  her rehab. ...

While it is too cold to be outside, now is a great time to plan and work on upcoming promotions! It is still winter, which means winter jackets, hats & sweatshirts for clients & employees are still important, but it is also time to prepare for spring apparel (t-shirts, hats, windbreakers, etc.), spring & summer tradeshow and exhibits, and of course items to keep your customers thinking of you.    A visit to my website at  www.Arts-Ads.com will afford you an opportunity to browse about 250,000 items for ideas, from the comfort of your office or favorite chair in front of the fire! I encourage you to visit my web site today, and bookmark the page to make future product searches just a click away.  THIS MAY BE THE ONLY FLEXIBILITY YOU CAN FIND AT TAX TIME!     EDT86 - The Flexible "Press-Me" Colorful Calculator is an attention-getter with your logo right on top! This easy-to-use an...

The March Madness Experience is held at the Peoria Civic Center and gives local residents as well as visiting basketball fans from throughout the state a place to have some fun while at the State basketball tournament. It consists of games such as a Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Shooting Contest, Long Shot Contest, as well as a Kid's Zone for some of our younger fans. Since 1996 schools, local civic organizations and churches have helped us by providing volunteers to help run the games at this event. This year volunteers are needed on the mornings on Friday March 13th and Friday March 20th.  For more information please visit the Peoria Park District Volunteer webpage http://www.peoriaparks.org/join-our-team/volunteer-opportunities/volunteer-sign-up/ Or contact Drew Eilts here in Pekin at 346-2827 or drew.eilts@edwardjones.com

Beginning in 2015, the 3 year Mission of the Kiwanis Club of Pekin is to "Help Improve the Wellness of Children". Each year has a different focus and the grants will be given out based on that years focus. Year 1 (2015): Focus on children’s physical health Year 2 (2016): Focus on children’s mental health Year 3 (2017): Focus on maintaining wellness throughout the life of the child and building a healthy family environment. Grants from the Kiwanis Club of Pekin are given for direct services and programs that align with our 3 year mission, more specifically the focus of the year. Grant amounts generally range from $100 to $1000. In October of 2014 the club opened up the grant application process and charities were able to fill out grant applications with the deadline of December 31, 2014. The Club received about 15 applications for grants.  On February 24th, 2015 The Kiwanis Club of Pekin will be donating nearly $6,000 to 8 diff...

Local dignitaries joined representatives of the Tazewell County Museum to hold a ribbon cutting for the new Tazewell County Museum Special Collections Annex.  The facility is located in the Arcade Building across from the Courthouse on Capitol Street.  Items on display are from Abraham Lincoln, Tazewell County railroads, Senator Dirksen, Civil War artifacts, the coal mining industry and early county photographs.  More information about the museum is available at:   http://www.tazewellcountymuseum.com/     

Eighty chamber members and their guests joined us for the February 13th Puttin' On Pekin breakfast at the Knights of Columbus Hall. John McCabe earned the early prize while Scott Phegley was presented with the late prize. The Spotlight On Business was given to Pekin Community Bank. Terryl & Kathy Brawner, owners of Rhythm & Brews were presented with the Blue Ribbon Award and the PekinLions Club was recognized with the Sunshine Award.  You can see more pictures from this and other chamber events at http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber 

Costco Wholesale 301 W. Washington St. East Peoria, IL 61611 309-427-2930 Karla Anderson,  Marketing Manager www.costco.com We are a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing our members the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise. With hundreds of locations worldwide, Costco provides a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

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The R. David Tebben Community Leadership Academy learned about the court system this morning. In addition to hearing from Tazewell County States Attorney Stewart Umholtz and Judge Paul Gilfallin, the class participated in a mock trial, as Wylie E. Coyote sued the Acme corporation for injuries sustained using their products. You can see more pictures from this and other chamber events at:   http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber

The Peoria Area Association of Realtors ® (PAAR) has named Coldwell Banker Honig-Bell’s Mary Ann Ladendorf as 2015 Realtor® of the Year at an awards banquet that took place February 5, 2015. Since 1970, this award has been given to a PAAR member that has made outstanding contributions to the real estate associations and profession. Ladendorf’s journey as a Realtor® started in 1984, when she joined the Pekin Board of Realtors® / Pekin Association of Realtors® where she was involved on many committees and served as President. She became a member of PAAR in 1997 and also served on or chaired many committees including the Contracts/Forms Committee, the Governmental Affairs Committee, RPAC Awareness, Building Fundraising Task Force, Professional Standards Committee, the MLS Committee, the Finance Committee, and has been a valued member of the Board Of Directors (several times). In addition to her real estate involvements, Ladendorf has been very committed to her community and has m...

Nash FM 97.3 has finished collecting teddy bears for this year’s Teddy Bear Drive with the Children’s Hospital of Illinois sponsored by Bob Lindsay Acura. We would like to thank everyone who helped by donating. Teddy bears will be delivered to the Children’s Hospital of Illinois this Wednesday, February 11 th at 9:40 A.M.  That day, children will receive an early Valentine’s Day presents.  The rest of the bears will be stored and given out the rest of the year. 

Governor Bruce Rauner spoke to about 400 business and community leaders today in downtown Peoria. He outlined his goals for his first year in office. The event was organized by the area chambers of commerce (Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, Morton, and Pekin).  You can see pictures from this event at the chamber's photo site:  http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber

The Pekin Daily Times co-hosted the February Business After Hours with KZBEME Fingerprinting. Chamber members and their guests enjoyed good food and conversation on a cold winter evening.  You can see more pictures from this and other chamber events at http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber

Our repairs are coming along and we will continue to have open hours only during our events and classes until further notice.  Check out all of our events here! We are on Pinterest now!  Story Time at The Speakeasy with professional  story teller Tracey Brownell. Mark your calendars for our Opening Reception for EJ Miley's Opening Reception "Ars Gratia Caninae" Click here to Join! We are now offering Salsa Lessons at The Speakeasy. Ed and Beverly Caballero  will be offering lessons now along with the monthly Salsa event! Salsa is the 2nd Friday of each month! Thursday Night is couples night at Canvas & Cocktails. Terri has a couple ope...