Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

WOW!  Can you believe it?  It is time for the 5 th Annual Uftring Auto Group Get in Gear Race benefitting the Central Illinois Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  The race is on September 30 th , 2017 at the Uftring Chevrolet in Washington, IL.  Start time is 8:00 AM.  If you would like to be part of this wonderful event, please go to the official site www.runthegig.com to register.  It’s that simple!   The Center is a non-profit organization that provides fellowship, education, rehabilitation training, and other services in order to help the blind and visually impaired continue to live independent lives.  The Center also provides a social outlet for those blind and visually impaired clients that reside in group homes. With your good will and support, our agency will continue to grow and serve those who depend on our services.  If you have any questions or are interested in stopping by for a tour of the Center, please do ...

FUSED GLASS ART CLASSES OFFERED BY PEKIN PARK DISTRICT You can spend hundreds of dollars on Fused Glass Art or you can make your own unique pieces that make exceptional gifts and memorable keepsakes!  Under the instruction of local artist Courtney Carmain, participants will learn the techniques of fusing glass at different temperatures in addition to working with a variety of glass fusing products and techniques. The classes are designed to meet all levels of instructions - beginning, intermediate and advanced.  DATES:                        Wednesday - September 20                         Wednesday - October 18                       ...

Mackinaw  Valley Vineyard & Winery September & October Newsletter  Summer isn't over until the Concerts End! Come out this weekend if you haven't already Still lots of FUN and WINE to be had! Ev ents August and September    8/26  United Groove Theory  9/02  Jamm...

The Center for Prevention of Abuse hosted its 29 th Annual Duck Race today at Eastside Centre where 25,000 rubber ducks raced down a giant 750-foot water slide. Attendees participated in free activities for kids including a photo booth, face painting, bounce houses, refreshments from Papa Murphy’s and Kona Ice before the race began at 2:00 p.m. The owners of the first 15 ducks to cross the finish line were awarded prizes. The first duck to cross the finish line and win the grand prize belonged to Jean Kenney of Peoria. This year’s full list of winner’s includes: Grand Prize $5,000 Sponsored by Associated Bank Jean Kenney, Peoria $2,500 Sherman’s Gift Card Sponsored by Sherman’s Birgitta Mackiewicz, Peoria $500 Kroger Gift Card Sponsored by Kroger Janet Roth, Peoria $500 Summer Savings Bundle Sponsored by Hy-Vee and Casey’s Perry Johnson, Peoria Date Night Bundle (Two Limelight Ticket Vouchers, $75 Gift Card to Darden Restaurants, and four hours of...

               Join Illinois Central College’s “Between the Lines” program as it explores Sinclair Lewis’ novel, It Can’t Happen Here, Can It? , on Tues., September 5 at 7 pm in the Arbor Auditorium on the Peoria Campus.                In 1935, with Fascism on the rise and on the march around the world, Lewis wondered how it might come about here, too. Even eighty-some years later, this novel, which was the first American winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, remains plausible and frightening. Join ICC Professor Jim Sullivan for the discussion. “Between the Lines” is a lecture series presented by the faculty members of the English, Humanities and Language Studies Department at ICC. The goal of the series is to offer literary presentations which will interest students and people in the community as well as promote reading literacy and scholarly study.   ...

               Illinois Central College’s 37 th Annual Landscape and Garden Day offers a variety of special programs and activities specifically designed for families with young children as well as the usual favorites for local gardening enthusiasts. This year’s theme is “Reclaim, Reseed, Regrow: An Adventure in Urban Horticulture”. The free event is set for Sat., September 9, from 9 am to 3 pm, at ICC’s Horticulture Land Lab on the East Peoria Campus. Free parking is available.                The event features topics and demonstrations of interest to gardeners of all ages and experience levels. The newest winners of the All-America Selection, which include the best and brightest new flowers and vegetables available for next year’s home gardens, will be showcased.                There will be seminars, ...

Attention CEOs, CFOs, HR Professionals, and Business Owners and Managers: Learn how UnityPoint Health can partner with you to reduce cost and improve overall health. Learn how more engaged and healthier employees drive better business results. You're invited to this free event on September 14. Click here to download the invitation and additional information.

Did you know you can add chamber and other events directly to your calendar? When you view chamber events on our calendar or when you click on the events listed in our weekly Chamber Connection there is a list of share options at the top right of the event page, just under the event title. Just click on calendar icon and you’ll download an .ics file that will let you save it to your calendar. Likewise, if you register online for one of our events you’ll be given the option to save the event to your calendar. Technology really is making our life easier!

by Bob Harris, CAE “Leaders are made, they are not born,” said football coach Vince Lombardi. So where does one find a good source for leadership development? Chamber boardrooms are ideal schools for leadership. Most volunteers join a board out of a sense of responsibility and passion. Few people consider that board service results in enhanced skills to support personal and career growth. If the nominating committee comes up short on candidates, be certain they are conveying the indirect value of board service. The Chair's  Perspective This was described by an outgoing chair.  “Board service has high rewards in a low cost environment with minimal risk,” he told the annual meeting. The experience is an opportunity for learning an array of leadership and business skills that will have long-term benefits. He described the lessons he learned while serving, stating there are not many forums in which one can learn so many lifelong skills. Account Retention – Focusing on...

Two new exhibits open on August 23 at the Illinois Central College art galleries, located on the East Peoria Campus. An exhibit of ceramics by Matt Ziemke opens in Gallery 336B, located in the Academic Building. In addition, an exhibit of photography by Jody Brown opens in the ICC Performing Arts Center Gallery, located in the lobby of the facility. A reception for the artist is scheduled for August 29 from 5 to 7 pm in the gallery. Both exhibits will be on display through noon on September 22. Matt Ziemke Ziemke earned a bachelor degree in fine arts from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2007 and a master’s degree in fine arts from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 2011. Ziemke currently is a full-time lecturer at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He has exhibited work in numerous group and solo exhibitions across the country, including venues at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Carbondale Clay Center, Santa Fe Clay, Th...

Facet Technologies announces graduation of Jacob Stafford with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Illinois Central College. Pursuing his degree with a focus on electronics technology, Jacob learned how to work on and design a variety of electrical systems. Among other areas, he learned about wiring circuit boards, wiring houses, working on industrial motors and equipment and hydraulic systems. As a capstone project, he and a team of peers designed a self-contained Raspberry Pi arcade system for retro Atari games with a tabletop controller. Everyone at Facet is proud of Jacob for his efforts in earning his certification, and is excited to see what projects he will pursue in the future!

Illinois American Water is accepting applications for its 2017 Firefighter Grant Program. Through this program, the company provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas. According to Bruce Hauk, president of Illinois American Water, the Firefighter Grant Program is another opportunity for Illinois American Water to support fire protection efforts. He said, “This program allows our team to build on our partnership with our local heroes and contribute to their hard work. Since 2010, we’ve had the privilege of awarding over $342,000 for over 350 grants to our community firefighters.” The maximum grant amount is $1,000. Fire departments-districts are eligible for one grant per calendar year. Only uniformed professional and volunteer fire departments serving Illinois American Water’s service territory are eligible to receive funding. Grants of up to $1,000 will be considered to cover the costs associated with the following:  ...

Jakob Loescher , a financial advisor with Savant Capital Management , a leading independent, nationally-recognized fee-only wealth management firm, has been named to Forbes’ list of America’s Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors . The first-ever ranking features 500 millennial advisors, naming Loescher #13. Loescher has spent his entire financial services career with Savant. In 2007, he served as an intern, primarily responsible for assisting planners and advisors in the analysis of client investment portfolios. He joined the firm as a financial advisor the following year. Since 2008, he has been responsible for managing all aspects of the financial planning and investment process for Savant’s clients. In October 2016, Loescher became one of 47 employee-members of the firm.  Savant has more than 140 employees based throughout its 12 offices across the country. Forbes is an American business magazine and a leading source for reliable business news and financial information. ...

The August 11th Puttin' On Pekin breakfast was attended by 70 chamber members and their guests.  It was held at the Avanti's Dome Banquet Center.  Jay Hall from Excalibur Seasoning was the first to arrive, earning the early prize.  The Spotlight on Business was presented to Owen Miller on the 100th anniversary of Niemann Foods.  Tom Tow, the store director at Valu Check, received a Blue Ribbon Award for the recent remodeling at that store.  A second Blue Ribbon Award was presented to Nathan Schmidgall from Gro Up Gardening for his improvements to the building at 229 Court Street.  Brigitte Harper accepted the Sunshine award on behalf of Pekin Insurance in recognition of their employee volunteer program.  Terri Gambetti, owner of Leo's Art Studio, and Bill Fleming, Executive Director of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, presented the program on Fourth Fridays.  Finally, Sue Nolan, a barber at  Jake's Place, was the last to arrive and recei...

            The Illinois Central College Guest Artists Series opens the 2017-2018 season with a concert by Dogs of Society, the ultimate Elton John rock tribute, on August 19 at 7:30 pm in the ICC Performing Arts Center, located on the East Peoria Campus.             Driven by the stellar musicianship of the five-member band, including the spot-on vocals of “Elton Juan”--lead singer John Gore-- the all-live, '70s rock concert experience by Dogs of Society stays faithful to the spirit of classic, early Elton John recordings from his biggest smash hits to his most-loved deep cuts. Audiences will never be this close to Elton...but they will think they are when seeing and hearing Dogs of Society-the ultimate Elton John rock tribute.             Gore said the performances by the group focus on the music of Elton John rather than on some of the eccen...

Heartland Health Services celebrates the opening of the East Court location in Pekin, IL. Open Monday- Friday and offering OBGYN and Pediatric services. Providers at this site include Mary Tisdale, Certified Nurse Midwife and Annie Parkin-Cohen, MD (pediatrics). A ribbon cutting and celebration will be held on August 14th at 10am with remarks and tours of the facility to follow. Open to the public and all community partners. EVENT : Pekin East Court Open House DATE : Monday, August 14, 2017 LOCATION : HHS- East Court 3422B Court Street Pekin, IL TIME : 10:00AM For more information please contact Jamie Messmore, VP of Marketing, at 309.680.7608 or jmessmore@hhsil.com.

Liberation Software 329 Court Street Pekin, IL 61554 1-309-282-6249 Matt Stribley Liberation Software offers help desk support online, on phone and onsite. They design and build highly available network infrastructures and server architectures. They support, host and install voice over IP phone systems. Liberation is able to provide the highest level of uptime and performance for any type of virtual server.

The August Business After Hours was held at the Northside Community Center at 715 N. 11th.  Three chamber members got together to jointly host the event:  Pekin Daily Times, KZBEME Fingerprinting, and North Parkway Assembly of God.  Everyone enjoyed plenty of good conversation, refreshments and a chance to win door prizes.  You can see a few more pictures from this event at:  https://goo.gl/photos/9h7VkER9ewR5Ebtu7