Mark Your Calendars, Stay Informed

We hope you have marked your calendars for Wednesday, December 9. One of our goals here at the Chamber is keep you, our members, informed of legislation that could impact your business. We act as a "watchdog," so to speak, keeping an eye out for policies at the local, state and federal level that will impact you. We are not only reactive, but proactive. The Chamber has a registered lobbyist, Joni Howell, VP of Government Affairs (left); during state legislative sessions Joni practically lives at the Statehouse, advocating a pro-business agenda.

All of that to say... we are getting ready for the 2010 legislative session. The Chamber is finalizing our agenda for this session, and along with the Northeast Indiana Chamber Coalition and local legislators, we will present that to you at the Legislative Preview reception on December 9. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres included. Register now at fwchamber.org.

Announcing... St. Joseph Hospital's New CEO

Congratulations to Chamber member and fellow downtowner, St. Joseph Hospital - they have announced the hiring of their new CEO, Dawn Rudolph. Ms. Rudolph comes from another Chamber member, Dupont Hospital, where she currently serves as COO. She was the first person to be hired at Dupont in 2000, and helped to hire more than 200 individuals for the hospital's opening in 2001.

Ms. Rudolph will come to St. Joseph on December 1st... and she is no stranger to the hospital! She began her 15-year healthcare career at the St. Joseph, where she started out working in patient registration. From there she continued to be promoted, until she finally served as the administrator of the hospital's ambulatory surgery center. Now that's a great success story. Congrats to Ms. Rudolph and St. Joseph Hospital, for what is sure to be a great reunion!

Three Chamber Members Work Together for a Great Cause

Habitat for Humanity checks another accomplishment off their list. Tomorrow, Saturday the 21st, they will dedicate a new home for a grateful family... a home which happens to be #134 in their list of achievements. This particular accomplishment has more than one Chamber member involved, however... In addition to Habitat for Humanity's efforts, the completion of this home was made possible by a $10,000 donation from Wells Fargo, and volunteers provided by Wells Fargo and fellow Chamber member, the Fort Wayne Area Association of Realtors. This is the 7th year that Wells Fargo and the Association of Realtors have worked together to help build a new home. What a great gift for a family in need, just in time for Thanksgiving...

Feet on the Street

by Teresa Royer
Member Relations Specialist

A few weeks ago my travels took me to Roanoke territory to Laws Country Kennel. I delivered a New Member packet to owners, Deb and Bill Law – a mother & son team.

I knew right away that they must be doing something right because when I told a few people what my plans were, I heard basically the same comment. “Oh, I take my dog there.”

Therefore, I was expecting a nice, professional facility and I was not disappointed. Throw in professional, friendly, and welcoming as well.

Deb started the kennel approximately 26 years ago and Bill has been working there since he was a child – other than the time he went away to college.

Bill took plenty of time to speak with me and give me a tour of their very clean facility. Deb joined us as she was able—many times she needed to answer the phone and care for the dogs, of course…….

I first met a fairly new border, “Ruby” a small Pomeranian – she was very quiet and a little nervous – as the kennel was all new to her, but Deb took her out of the kennel and held her while we chatted and I noticed Ruby calming during our conversation.

Next, I saw “Biggie” a “frequent-flyer” to the kennel. Biggie was quite at home lying down, he was so relaxed he didn’t even bother to lift his head when we went past, but he did make sure to do a couple wags of the tail, just to say “hello” – which I think is very thoughtful.

We then toured their other building which houses more kennels – all of them are “clean as a whistle.” They are gearing up for the holiday season as that is their peek time in boarding. They can care for up to 75 pets at a time. Laws employs approximately 15 employees to ensure their operation is operating smoothly at all times.

In addition to boarding dogs and some cats, they also have a rabbit that comes to visit from time-to-time and even have been asked to board a ferret and a few birds.

Laws go to great lengths to make sure your pets are made to feel at home, comfortable and loved, so you can leave for vacation, business travel, etc ., and not have to worry about your family member.

They have quite a bit of property with more than ample room to take the dogs for walks. They will even take their photo to have available for purchase should you want it for a keepsake.

You can learn more about Laws Country Kennel at www.lawscountrykennel.com. So if you’re ever in need of boarding and/or grooming your pet, you will be all set to go!

Happy Traveling!

SCORE Celebrates 45 Years of Serving Small Businesses

Congratulations go out to SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” as they are celebrating 45 years of volunteer service. SCORE is dedicated to helping small businesses nationwide start up, grow and succeed. To date, SCORE has assisted 8.5 million clients since they began in 1964. That's a pretty impressive number.

You might ask, how can I afford business mentoring when I am just starting out? That's one of the elements that sets SCORE apart. They offer free and confidential business mentoring, along with low-cost workshops.

As a national organization, SCORE helps create more than 25,000 new jobs every year. In response to the recession, SCORE launched "Accelerate Your Success," which provides a new online toolkit for small businesses each month. Our local SCORE chapter, a Chamber member, was selected as Chapter of the Year last year!

Congratulations to SCORE for 45 years of serving the small business and entrepreneur. Keep up the good work!

Christmas Comes Early for Study Connection

Fort Wayne Community Schools and Jefferson Pointe are providing the opportunity to do a good deed, and save money at the same time! At the Magical Day of Giving at Jefferson Pointe this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., all you have to do is buy a $5 ticket for entrance, and you will be eligible to win door prizes, and have access to exclusive discounts (up to 40 percent) at name-brand stores including Aeropastale, Coldwater Creek, Justice, Old Navy and others (see a full list of discounts here).

At the Magical Day of Giving you will also see Santa's arrival, a tree lighting ceremony, and other holiday entertainment. That's great for me, you say, but what's the part about a good deed? The best part is that 100 percent of proceeds from ticket sales will go to local non-profit organizations, including FWCS's Study Connection.

The Study Connection is a nationally recognized tutoring program that was founded 20 years ago by Don Wolf, former CEO of Do It Best Corp. (another one of our members). The program matches students with a volunteer study partner who meets with them for one hour a week. We like this program not just because it helps struggling students succeed, but introduces them to a business mentor who can teach them about career opportunities they can find in our community (and we are all about a stronger workforce).

So, we encourage you to tackle your holiday shopping this weekend at Jefferson Pointe, and support Study Connection and other worthy programs at the same time. You can pick up your tickets anytime between 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Study Connection office, which is located right here in the Chamber building (826 Ewing Street).

Air Service, Business Travel, and Cookies!

Every once in a while, we just like to refresh your memory about what we are doing here at the Chamber. One of the unique aspects of the Fort Wayne Chamber is our Air Service Development Division. This initiative, led by Dave Young (pictured), has two main goals:

1) Promote Fort Wayne International Airport to existing and potential airlines in an effort to increase markets served, decrease fares offered, and otherwise support the customers of the airport.

2) To develop the overall marketing campaign for the airport.

To make it simple, Dave's job is to promote and market the FWA to current and potential customers, both within and outside the Fort Wayne market. As we all know, having a travel hub here in Fort Wayne is essential for economic development - the easier it is to travel quickly in and out of our community, the better we will be able to develop business connections with those in other parts of the country, and the world! As always, if you have any questions about our work at the airport, please let us know. Shoot Dave an e-mail or give him a call at (260) 747-4146.

Our airport is known as the "friendliest airport in the United States." This is due in large part to the enthusiastic group of volunteers who welcome travelers with yummy cookies!

Speaking of cookies… Keep your eyes open for some sweet news at the FWA in the next few weeks…

You Can Always Talk to a Schenkel

One of our members, Schenkel & Sons, Inc., just completed a special project we wanted to let you know about. Schenkel & Sons renovated a 12,000 square foot facility for the Mustard Seed Furniture Bank, which provides household furnishings to families and individuals who have suffered from natural disaster or personal tragedy. The furniture bank just moved into the space at 3636 Illinois Road. This is one of many projects for Schenkel & Sons in the Fort Wayne area. Some of the projects they have worked on include the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Glenbrook Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Club Soda, and Harrison Square, to name a few.

Schenkel & Sons is a family-run construction business that began in 1890. The Schenkel's mission is to construct quality, cost-effective and functional buildings that will last. And, you can count on a personal element when you work with them. Schenkel & Sons catch-phrase is, "you can always talk to a Schenkel." If you are getting ready for a commercial or industrial project, keep them in mind. Learn more about Schenkel & Sons at www.schenkel.com.

Morning Mix Tomorrow!

Don't forget that tomorrow morning, here at the Chamber from 7:30 to 9 a.m., we are holding the next Morning Mix! The Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center will be our host. At the Morning Mix you will experience fast-paced, lead-generating opportunities. You will have the chance to sit at three different tables for 20 minutes each, where you will be able to share your "unique selling proposition" with everyone else at the table! This is a fun and structured setting for developing sales leads.

Bring $5 for admission, a stack of business cards, and be prepared to find some leads (and eat some breakfast)! If you have any questions contact Laureen today!

Chamber to take part in Southtown Area Advisory Committee

We are pleased to say our own interim President and CEO, Mike Landram, will take part in the new Southtown Area Advisory Council. The purpose of the council is to advise Mayor Henry on how to best increase private investment, commercial development and job opportunities in the Southtown Centre in southeast Fort Wayne. Mike will be part of a group of more than a dozen business and community leaders. Ted Williams of McDonald's Restaurant, and John Dortch of The Preston Joan Group will be co-chairs of the committee.

Mike and the other committee members will work to encourage private investment in the area, identify areas of potential development, and work to utilize the large group events and training held at the Regional Public Safety Academy to draw economic growth and jobs to the area.

I asked Mike to share his thoughts on the committee, and he told me he is looking forward to working with this group on behalf of the Chamber (don't forget that you, the members, are the Chamber!). He also said he feels the committee is a great example of both private and public entities working together towards a common economic goal. Click here to read more about the committee.