www.decaturchamber.com May 2011

Chamber NewsA QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE GREATER DECATUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce and Herald &Review hosted over 900 visitors to the 2011 Chamber BusinessExpo on Wednesday, April 6, at the Decatur Civic Center.

The VIP Preview Party, held on Tuesday, April 5, had over 350attendees who enjoyed live music from DreamVizion Productionsand food from The Beach House.

The Chamber Business Breakfast featured Mayor Pro-TemPatrick Laegeler who spoke to over 175 attendees andcongratulated the winners from the local election. Laegeler gavethe State of the City Address which provided insight into plans tospur local job creation and recruit retail establishments,downtown streetscape development and lakefront development.

On the day of the Expo, over 100 businesses were showcased,including sponsors Neuhoff Media, St. Mary’s Hospital andWAND-TV. Donations were taken at the door that resulted incontributions made to Catholic Charities, Decatur Family Refuge,the Good Samaritan Inn and the Salvation Army.

The following business booths were recognized in theirrespective categories:

• St. Mary’s Hospital - Premium Expo booth• Workforce Investment Solutions - Upgraded Expo booth• Events Plus - Standard Expo boothOver 35 door prizes valued at over $1,250 were handed out,

including an Ipod Nano from Consociate Dansig, a party atScovill Zoo from the Decatur Park District and a $50 giftcertificate to the Avon Theater from Brintlinger & Earl FuneralHomes.

The Taste of Decatur featured 17 restaurants and caterers fromthe area and over 500 visitors sampled and voted on theirfavorite. Beverages were provided by Marquis Beverage andRefreshment Services Pepsi. The winner of the Taste of Decaturwas McGorray's Golf & Grille who served Austin Blues pulledpork that featured mustard vinegar coleslaw with a chipotle aiolisauce and grilled pineapple. It can be ordered off McGorray'smenu as a "pulled pork sandwich" that has flavors native toMemphis and New Orleans.

The Expo was a huge success that couldn’t have been donewithout the support from sponsors, volunteers, committeemembers and business owners.

A special thanks to the 2011 Chamber Business Expo Committeefor its hard work!

Led by Chairwoman Marie Klemm of C&K Custom Signs, theBusiness Expo Committee included Jackie Schoby of Kuddles andKare Pet Sitting, Charlotte Dipper and Susan Head of CorporateImage, Bob Norman of Decatur Civic Center, Ralf Pansch of theHerald & Review and Chamber staff members David Fishel,Shellie Klink and Jessica Martin.

Businesses Shine at Expo

www.decaturchamber.com May 2011

The Greater Decatur Chamber ofCommerce was one of 16 areaChambers that participated in thesecond annual CIRCLE (Central IllinoisRegional Chamber Legislative Effort)Legislative Day in Springfield on March29.

The event hosted approximately 100attendees, representing over 8,000employees across Central Illinois.CIRCLE is comprised of the Chambersin East Peoria, Peoria, McLean County,Canton, Chilicothe, Jacksonville,Lincoln/Logan, Manito, Morton, Pekin,Peoria Heights, Springfield, Washington,Decatur, Champaign and Clinton.

CIRCLE works together to advocatefor a common agenda with the IllinoisGeneral Assembly. To do this, panels ofIllinois senators and representativesaddressed issues including workers’compensation reform, state of Illinoisstructural deficit, public pension reformand education reform along with severalpresentations of testimonials from thebusiness community. Armed withknowledge about these major legislativeissues, business owners throughout thestate of Illinois can contact theirlegislators to express the importance ofmaking decisions in favor of improvingour business climate.

More on Illinois workers’ compChamber members who do business

in other states consistently report thatIllinois is the highest cost state when itcomes to workers compensation.According to a representative from G &D Integrated, their cost related toworkers’ compensation claims inIndiana was seven times less than inIllinois last year. Illinois’ costs are thesecond highest in the country, second toAlaska. In order to attract and retainbusinesses, reform must address themajor reasons for this cost difference.

These cost drivers include: * Requiring the workplace to be the

principle cause of injury (causation).* Use American Medical Association

guidelines.* Compensation rewarded only if

injury was free of drug/alcoholintoxication.

* Full implementing the 2005 fraudprovisions (restoring the fraud unitbudget).

* Giving employer’s choice ofphysicians.

In a testimonial from Mark Flannery,corporate council for Caterpillar Inc., hestated, “It’s not the odd fraud claim thatraises cost for our company; it’s the

hundreds of thousands of claims thatadd up. In order to be businesscompetitive, Illinois must move awayfrom awarding compensation whenwork isn’t the main cause of injury.”

The issues pertaining to workers’compensation are across the board,affecting all industries including non-profit, small, medium and largebusinesses throughout Illinois.

Mark Collins, risk management forCore Construction, cited that whencomparing claim costs between theiroffices in Illinois and Arizona, thedifference is seen in their bottom line.“The average cost of a claim in Arizonaover the past five years was $6,200. InIllinois it was $32,000 per claim.”

In response to the testimonials, Rep.Elaine Nekritz said that the issue ofworkers’ compensation is because of"bad actors." Sen. Kyle McCarter saidthey exist in the system but the root ofthe problem is "bad law" that lets "badactors" jump on the stage anytime theywant.

If these issues are addressed, it willmean lower costs to business, make

Illinois more competitive and create anenvironment that is conducive to jobgrowth. While McCarter’s workers’compensation reform bill (SB 1349)failed to get enough votes in the Senateto pass, the Chamber wants to remindyou that it is vitally important that yourbusiness keep up to date on legislativeissues that may affect your bottom line.

Members of the panel who attendedthe Worker’s Compensation sessionwere:

• Sen. Kyle McCarter-R-51st District• Rep. Dan Brady-R-88th District• Rep. Elaine Nekritz-D-57th District• Darin LaHood-R-37th DistrictTo wrap-up the day, the group went to

lunch at the Inn at 835 at which keynotespeakers, including Sen. John Cullerton,Sen. Christine Radogno and DougWhitley, president and CEO of theIllinois Chamber, presented informationon the state budget and our businessclimate. To view video of theirpresentations, go to the IllinoisStatehouse News YouTube channel atwww.youtube.com/ILStatehouseNews.

A note fromthe president

It has been an excitingfirst couple months aspresident of the GreaterDecatur Chamber ofCommerce. We havecelebrated numerousmember businessachievements, attended aCentral Illinois RegionalChamber LegislativeEffort (CIRCLE)legislative day inSpringfield, hosted the2011 Chamber Business Expo, and are lookingforward to our Awards/Installation of OfficersCeremony and golf outing.

A big idea is usually how businesses are introducedto the business community. With that big idea comessacrifice including time, energy and finances. Successin business is more than deserving of recognition andpraise, which is why the awards ceremony is soimportant.

Each year, The Greater Decatur Chamber honorsbusinesses and individuals in the greater Decaturarea. Chamber members are invited to nominatethemselves or another business to receive recognitionfor outstanding business efforts including:Outstanding DLI Alumnus, CommunityCollaboration, Downtown Impact, Ambassador of theYear, Outstanding Young Professional, OutstandingDevelopment, Entrepreneur of the Year, MaryGladney Micro-Business of the Year, OutstandingSmall Business of the Year and the Citizen of the YearAward.

These coveted awards will be announced along withthe installation of our new and returning Chamberboard of directors on the evening of May 19th at theAwards/Installation of Officers Ceremony.

I am inviting all members of the community tocome out in support of businesses and leaders that aresetting the standard for excellence. To purchasetickets, please go to www.decaturchamber.com or callthe Chamber at 422-2200.

With our mission to be a pro-business networkproviding service, political advocacy, and leadershipto strengthen education, community image, and localbusinesses, we are working diligently to put ourmembers first and exceed expectations. To achievethis, we are conducting an Annual MembershipSurvey to identify priorities for the futuredevelopment of member benefits, events andprograms. Your feedback is extremely important tothe results of this survey, please take a few momentsto respond.

Best regards,

Mirinda RothrockPresidentGreater Decatur Chamber of Commerce

Seeking a better business climate

MEETthe leaders and staff

2011-2012 OFFICERSChairwoman ................................Carla Brinkoetter

president, Brinkoetter & Associates

Vice chairman ......................................Kevin Kast chief executive officer, St. Mary’s Hospital

Treasurer ........................................Erik Brechnitzsenior vice president, Brechnitz Group

of Raymond James & Associates

Secretary ....................................Darren Reynoldssenior vice president and general manager,

Consociate-Dansig

Assistant secretary/treasurer ............Gretchen Murphy senior vice president, Soy Capital Bank & Trust

2011-2012 DIRECTORS

Wole Adeoye, owner, Victory Pharmacy of Decatur, Inc.Gary Birschbach, owner, Decatur Area McDonald’sKeith Casteel, attorney, Miller, Jackson, Schroeder &

Sly Law OfficesPhil Cochran, principle/owner, Cochran EngineeringCraig Coil, president, Economic Development Corporation

for Decatur and Macon CountyGloria Davis, superintendent, Decatur School DistrictCindy Deadrick-Wolfer, owner, Shop on Main

and Events PlusDan Delatte, owner, Culver’s of Decatur, and chairman

of the Small Business CouncilJ. Richard L. Dunsworth, vice president for enrollment,

Millikin UniversityRandy Earl, vice president, Brintlinger & Earl

Funeral HomesTy Hildum, national account manager, Norfolk

Southern Corp.Steve Horve Sr., president, Horve BuildersWalt Hupe, general manager, Caterpillar, Inc.George Justice, manager-Division III, AmerenRobin King, chief executive officer, EPL

Bio-Analytical ServicesDave Moran, general manager, Refreshment Services PepsiTodd Nelson, publisher, Herald & ReviewTony Nestler, senior vice president, Hickory Point

Bank & TrustChris Olsen, director of community

and government relations, Tate & LyleDave Oppenlander, senior vice presidnet and CFO,

Decatur Memorial HospitalTom Pistorius, president, Bendsen Signs and Graphics, Inc.Ron Pulera, vice president and general manager, WAND-TV Gayle Saunders, president, Richland Community CollegeDavid Tyrolt, president and CEO, Dunn Company Dave Weber, president, Macon-Shelby market, Busey Bank

We would like to thank the following retiring boardmembers for their service to the Chamber:

• Mark Avery• Patrick Dienslake• Phil Hazenfield• Beth Stringer.

STAFFMirinda Rothrock, president

David D. Fishel Jr., director of marketing and communications

Shellie Klink, director of operations and human resources

Jan Mohr, audit and finance manager

Karalee Misner, public and government affairs manager

Michael Ammons, information technology coordinator

Jessica Martin, events and meetings manager

CHAMBER MISSION STATEMENTThe Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce is a pro-business networkproviding service, political advocacy, and leadership to strengthen education, community image, and local businesses.

SAVEtheDATE

AAA-ChicagoRamon Al-Amin

1610 S. Neil St. Champaign, IL 61829398-3621

Apt FotoTravis Lickey

3434 Burt Dr. Decatur, IL 62526586-3333

DG ManufacturingMatt Endsley

1181 S. Route 121 Mount Zion, IL 62549864-5835

Innovative Staffing Solutions Karen Lay

727 W. Pershing Road Decatur, IL 62526872-8300

JLH Risk ConsultingJennie Houk

8 Fair Oaks Dr. Decatur, IL 62526413-8844

Lake Sara MarinaKate Bilbrey

500 Keller Dr. Effingham, IL 62401342-6344

McDonald’sDwight Miller

962 W. Eldorado St. Decatur, IL 62523422-8149

Mutual of Omaha Chad Venters

5130 Hickory Point Frontage Road, Ste. 102Decatur, IL 62526

791-6969

NovanisRachel Dasenbrock

3161 W. White Oaks Dr., Ste. 100 Springfield,IL 62701698-0999

Olive GardenDonald Szutenbach

3795 US Route 51 North Decatur, IL 62526877-7470

Ray Eldridge JewelryTempest Grader

3012 N. Water St. Decatur, IL 62526875-0505

Sew Koalaty, Inc.Jessica DeVore

1425 Hickory Point Mall Forsyth, IL 62535875-0001

Slumberland FurnitureJon Bleed

265 E. Ash Avenue Decatur, IL 62526877-0900

Tom’s Bar and GrillLauralee Jones

1856 N. Main Decatur, IL 62526309-750-3159

Ty HildumNorfolk Southern

1735 E. Condit St. Decatur, IL 62521425-2052

Walker Limousine ServiceAnthony Walker

6335 U.S 36 E. Suite A Decatur IL, 62524422-6078

NEW MEMBERS

May 4

Chamber Business Breakfast7 a.m., Decatur Club

This month’s keynote speaker is CindyDeadrick-Wolfer, who will share details aboutthe Come Together-Let’s Walk event. Ticketsare $10 in advance, $12 at the door and$15 for non-Chamber members.

The Chamber Business Breakfast takes placethe first Wednesday of each month andbrings over 100 business professionalstogether for breakfast and the opportunity tolearn about important community issues first-hand from informative and timely speakers.

May 5

Electric Co-Opinformational meeting3-4:30 p.m., Greater Decatur Chamberof Commerce

The Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerceis accepting applications for the next round ofthe Chamber’s Electric Co-Op. CQI will behosting this informational meeting, giving youan opportunity to learn about the benefitsalready being realized by over 200Chamber members.

May 10

Spring Ag Café 12-1:30 p.m., Decatur Club

Ag Café is a quarterly luncheon to highlightand enhance Decatur’s position as America’sAgribusiness Center. Jason Bunting, from theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation of YoungFarmers and Ranchers Committee, will speakabout "Farming for our Future: SharingAgriculture’s Message Today." Tickets are$20 and include lunch. This quarter’s event issponsored by Archer Daniels Midland Co.

May 11

Business After Hours5-7 p.m., Consociate Dansig,2828 N. Monroe St.

Business After Hours events are casualnetworking opportunities that are held atChamber member businesses. The events giveindividuals the opportunity to discuss andshare ideas while learning about other localbusinesses in a relaxed, social setting. Theseearly evening events are ideal for meetingfellow professionals and establishing long-lasting business relationships. This is a freeevent.

May 19

Awards/Installation ofOfficers Ceremony

5:30-8:30 p.m., Decatur Conference Center& Hotel

Coveted awards will be announced alongwith the installation of new and returningmembers of the Chamber’s board of directors.Awards include: Outstanding DLI Alumnus,Community Collaboration, Downtown Impact,Ambassador of the Year, Outstanding YoungProfessional, Outstanding Development,Entrepreneur of the Year, Mary GladneyMicro-Business of the Year, Outstanding SmallBusiness of the Year and the Citizen of theYear Award.

JJune 324th annual Chamber Golf Outing

11 a.m., Hickory Point Golf Course

See the back of this quarter’s Chamber Newsfor more details.

For more information or toregister for an event, go to

www.decaturchamber.com