MACOMB AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION P.O. Box 274 Macomb, IL 61455 (309) 837-4855 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

TAXES JUNE ‘13 JUNE ‘14 Sales Tax $242,293.79 $236,261.97 Bed 23,253.77 22,938.93 Motor Fuel Tax 49,047.59 49,926.11

AIRPORT

Landings 448 461 Fuel Sales (gallons) 8,111 13,872

BUILDING PERMITS

Total Issued 66 54

REAL ESTATE JUNE ‘13 JUNE ‘14 (Macomb residential & local subdivisions plus duplexes & townhouses)

Listings Sold 18 18 Volume Sold $2,063,150 $2,279.000 Average Sale Price $114,619 $126,611 Avg. Days on Market NA 257

LABOR FORCE MAY ‘13 MAY ‘14 Labor Force 16,358 15,921 Employed 15,236 15,006 Unemployed 6.9% 5.7%

Valuable Local Statistics

DO NOT THROW THIS AWAY, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH YOUR CO-WORKERS!

August 2014

Macomb Area Chamber o f Commerce & Downtown Development Corporation

Inside This Issue:

Page 2 From the Chairman’s Desk

Flags of Love

Page 3 2014 CUPP Table Fair

Committee Reports (cont’d)

Page 4 MACCDDC Events Calendar

MDH Receives Geriatric

Psych Approval

Page 5 New Members

Members on the Move

Correction -

Alzheimer’s Walk Date

Page 6 Committee Reports

Page 7 MACCDDC New Emails

Members Choose Members

PAS Gala

Business After Hours

Page 8 Announcements & Opportunities

Upcoming Events

Valuable Local Statistics

1600 E. Jackson St. 309-837-9917

Full Service Meat & Seafood Department

Food Court, Bakery, Floral Pharmacy, Liquor, Fuel

“Providing Your Complete Staffing Needs”

Phone: (309)836-3300

Fax: (309)836-1008

Cell: (309)255-0050

Email: melindam@uniquepers.com

1024 E. Jackson St.

Macomb, IL 61455

www.uniquepers.com

The Macomb Area Advantage

News from Around the Square and Beyond

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● Advanced Dentistry of Western Illinois, P.C. is happy to announce that we will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary this month. Dr. Van Vleet, his staff and family are happy to be part of the Macomb community and look forward to being a part of this community for many years to come. We utilize the latest technology and techniques to provide our patients with top quality, comprehensive dental care. Dr. Van Vleet and his staff are here to assist you and your family in maintaining a healthy mouth for a lifetime. Information about the services we provide can be found on our website at http://www.adwipc.com. Be sure to like us on Facebook: Advanced Dentistry of Western Illinois, P.C.!! ● Illinois Tactical Firearms Training Institute, Inc. is offering 16/8 hr Illinois/ Florida Concealed Carry Class Aug 16th & 17th from 8am - 5pm at Crooked Creek Outdoors in Macomb. ● On November 1, 2014, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Warren and McDonough Counties will hold its annual Bowl for Kids Sake event at Digger’s College City Bowl (123 East Adams Street, Macomb). BBBS currently supports 35 one-to-one mentoring matches in Macomb, and a total of 44 in the two counties. We have quadrupled the number of matches in the last 12 months, and the children in our program have shown marked improvements in academics and social skills. Bowl for Kids Sake is our primary fundraiser every year and we need the continued support of our community to do this good work. There are numerous ways you, your business, and/or your organization can participate: get together a team of bowlers and raise pledges, donate prizes or auction items, sponsor a team of Bigs and Littles, or just make a tax-deductible donation to BBBS. Please call the office at 309-837-5437 to discuss the possibilities.

August 6th &

13th

Announcements & Opportunities

2014 Chamber/Downtown Golf Outing

Farmers’ Market Thursdays & Saturdays

7am-1pm Brown Bag

Concert Ser ies Noon in

Chand ler Park

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Al Sears Jazz Festival

2014

September 19 - 21

Downtown Macomb

13th

Annual!

Saturday, August 2

Featuring: Eternity Road

6-9 pm

Friday,

Sept. 5

Featuring:

American Pie

6-9 pm

Additional Winners:

THANK YOU to all sponsors, players and contributors.

You helped make the MACCDDC’s only fundraiser a HUGE success!

Winning Teams:

Closest to Pin (#3) Tanner Tate

Closest to Pin in 2 (#17) Jason Kilburn

Longest Drive Men (#10) Justin Lundgren

Longest Drive Women (#9) Cathy Early

Longest Putt (#1) Joel Hebard

1st Place - Ramsey Financial

L-R: Mark Tibbitts, Spencer Conlin, Ben Pratt, Rick Coursey

#1 2nd Place -

1st Bankers Trust

L-R: Jason Kilburn, Lane Glick, John Walter, Rod Huston

#2 3rd Place -

Arnold Bros & WGEM

L-R: Brian Kinman, Brian Arnold, Broc Hampshire, Tommy Bell

#3

Eighty golfers participated in the 2014 MACCDDC annual golf outing and enjoyed warm weather, good food and lots of great times at the Gold Hills Golf Club. Congratulations to all of the winners shown here as well as those that won the raffled Corporate Baskets.

September 5 & 6 Macomb Balloon Rally

September 3

WIU Local Business

Fair

MDH Golf Outing September 6

CUPP

PARTY

Sept. 10

Mission Statement: The purpose of this organization is to promote the development

and growth of the Macomb area and to serve as a catalyst for the business, professional and educational community’s collective efforts to enhance the economic climate and quality of life for all our citizens.

From the Chairman’s Desk

PAGE 2 THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE PAGE 7 THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE

STAFF

Alexandra Geisler - President Sarah Wallick - Downtown & Community Outreach Coordinator Marilyn Sears - Admin. Assistant Kathy Waters - Admin. Assistant BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eric Moe - Chairman McClure Engineering

John Maguire - Past Chairman McDonough District Hospital John Armstrong - Vice Chairman First Bankers Trust Julie Bland - Secretary Heartland Bank & Trust

Jeremy Benson - Treasurer Terrill Title Company, Inc. Matt Glaser American Family Insurance Lisa Johnson R&R Spa Ray Bunch Citizens Bank Terry Sparrow Jackson Street Market Velvet Powell Spoon River College

Chuck Laird Farm King

Suzanne Fouts Simply Suzanne Tom Claudon MidAmerica National Bank

Tim Rice TJR Designs

John Biernbaum Western Illinois University

CONTACT INFORMATION: TELEPHONE: 837-4855 FAX: 837-4857 E-MAIL: info@macombareachamber.com

www.macombareachamber.com

214 North Lafayette Street P.O. Box 274 Macomb, IL 61455

Hours: M-F 8:30 AM-4:30 PM

“An agricultural grassroots organization -

devoted to ensuring the quality of life for

our county Farm Bureau members –

today and tomorrow."

1601 W. Jackson St., Suite 100, Macomb

309-837-3350

http://mcdonoughcountyfarmbureau.org

CountyCountyCounty MarketMarketMarket

Thanks to Buffalo Wild Wings for the nice Business After Hours in July. We had a lot of fun and a great turnout. The refreshments were outstanding! Also, thanks to U.S. Cellular for hosting Business Before Hours. These are fantastic opportunities to network with other Chamber members while learning more about the hosting businesses. We hope you all look forward to attending BAH and BBH along with all of the other fun events the Chamber/Downtown has scheduled. Please note that the August Park N’ Cruise is scheduled for a Saturday night this month – Saturday, August 2nd – featuring one of the local, favorite bands - “Eternity Road.” Despite a little rain at the July event, there was a nice crowd and a lot of really beautiful cars and trucks. The band was great and one lucky person won a Harley!! While you are downtown on the Square, stop in for a bite to eat at one of our great restaurants and make it an evening out! Sadly, the Wednesday lunch-hour, Brown Bag Concert Series will be coming to a close this month. On August 6th, we have our own, talented Maggie Dexter. Then, another member of this multi-talented family, Bryce Dexter, will close out the season on the 13th! The 13th annual Al Sears Jazz Festival is fast approaching, September 19th -21st! Sponsorships are still available and take a look at the lineup on the website www.searsjazzfestival.com. Cool!! It won’t be long before the college students will be returning for the fall semester and school will be back in full swing. Consider participating in the WIU Local Business Fair on Wednesday, September 3 from 3-5 pm. This is a great opportunity to promote your business and/or services to new as well as returning students. This Business Fair is one of the most well-attended events of the school year.

Later this month, Business After Hours will be at the Tri States Public Radio, 320 W. University Drive, on August 20th. Mark your calendars and join us for another great networking event. On August 27th, you can show support of McDonough District Hospital by attending their open house of the new Bushnell Clinic facility. Keep in mind that Chamber Gift Certificates are always available at our office, 214 N. Lafayette Street, or at many of the local banks. Chamber Gift Certificates make great gifts for special occasions or just to show your appreciation to others. Chamber/Downtown members are always welcome to join any of our various committees. We appreciate member ideas and encourage diversity in our committees. A list of our committees can be found on our website at the bottom of the membership tab. Also, here is a reminder to forward your updated website information to our staff so it can be included as a link in the Chamber’s member business portion of our website. Thank you!! Keep up the great effort and thanks for supporting your local businesses!! Eric C. Moe, Chairman of the Board

New Email Addresses

The Chamber & Downtown staff have new email addresses. The old “numbering” addresses that you knew previously (chamber1, 2, 3) will soon be deleted and the mail will no longer be forwarded. If you have not already done so, please update your contact information for the Chamber/Downtown NOW so that we will continue to receive your messages. Our new email addresses are: Alex Geisler, President: alex@macombareachamber.com Sarah Wallick, Downtown Development & Community Outreach: sarah@macombareachamber.com Marilyn Sears, staff: marilyn@macombareachamber.com Kathy Waters, staff kathy@macombareachamber.com

Members Choose Members

Flags of Love Your Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce & Downtown Development Corporation is

responsible for displaying the Flags of Love in Chandler Park on Labor Day, September 1st. Volunteers will be needed at 6 a.m. to put the Flags up and again at 6 p.m. to take them down. Any assistance you can give will be greatly appreciated. If interested, please show up in the park at either time to

help.

Business After Hours

Wednesday August 20

4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

320 W. University Drive

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New signage was recently installed at 1400 E. Carroll Street where new Chamber member, Dr. Nicholas Doll, D.M.D., is opening a

general dentistry office. Dr. Doll chose Steve Heard of Signmaker of Macomb and Mike Cox of Cox Electric, both long-time Chamber members, to design and install his sign. When one Chamber member has a project to do and chooses other Chamber members to complete it, THAT’S “shopping local” and helps keep our economy growing. Thank you Dr. Nick Doll, Steve Heard and Mike Cox for a job well done!!

PAGE 3 THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Advisory reports were given. Sarah gave a final recap on the 2014 annual member golf outing. Although the number of golfers was smaller than last year, the golf outing still generated a generous profit after expenses. Sarah also reported that she has been working on a proposal for Macomb to host the 2015 combined conference for Illinois Main Street Association and Illinois Historic Preservation Association. This would bring in approximately 200 attendees to Macomb for three days in June 2015. The Illinois Main Street Association will also be hosting an educational session in Macomb on September 23rd. Alex sought the Board’s input and approval on staff spending authorization limits. Currently there are no limits to what the President can spend without first seeking approval from the Board. She also gave the Board an update on the new Chamber Master software implementation. The software and new website is set to launch at the end of July, with training for Chamber/Downtown members on August 5th and 6th at City Hall. The July billing was performed using the new software and new Quickbooks Company. The President’s report was given by Alex, including information on the upcoming Legislative Luncheon. She also reported on her community outreach efforts, recruitment visits and information on new Chamber members. Sarah gave her Downtown and Community Outreach Coordinator report including an event update, more information on the conference proposal and a report on her committees. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 20, 7:30 am in the boardroom at Citizens Bank. AMBASSADORS The Committee met and welcomed Ryan Riggins as a new Ambassador. Josh Anderson had submitted his application and it was reviewed and approved. The appointment

Committee Reports

PAGE 6 THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE

of Josh fills the Committee to capacity. The next meeting will be held on Monday, August 18, noon, in the Community Room of City Hall. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Spoon River College President, Curt Oldfield, gave the committee an update on the community college. He reported that while enrollment is currently down approximately 8%, not unlike most higher education institutions, SRC is still continuing to add more programs and initiatives. There are currently working on expanding the welding program into the Macomb area and are pursuing a USDA Rural Development Grant to help do so. SRC is also introducing a new cyber security program that will produce “while hat hackers” to combat the increasingly prominent issues of identity theft and security breaches. A third program being introduced is an industrial maintenance program that will not only focus on repairing machinery, but preventative maintenance, as well. In terms of legislation currently affecting SRC, a bi-partisan higher education resolution was just passed by both the federal House and Senate, and now goes to the President for approval. This would ensure that there is a community college seat on the workforce board and also emphasizes establishing business partnerships in the community. As always, federal financial aid discussions affect SRC students, as over 80% receive some sort of financial aid. In the state realm, SRC is dealing with a lower revenue from the state of Illinois. They currently receive the same revenue as they did in the year 2002. When the community college system was introduced, 1/3 of the revenue was to be provided by the state, 1/3 generated by tuition and 1/3 from taxes. In reality, only 16% is being generated by the state, while 34% is provided by taxes and over 50% is supplemented by tuition. Oldfield also spoke about SRC’s plans for the facilities located in Macomb. They are planning on launching a capital campaign to cover expenses for the college to move from their current Johnson Street location to their facility

WGEM & Macomb…Better Together!

Call Michelle Hagerbaumer 217-228-6623

or Erica Mitchell 217-228-6674

located on Jackson Street. Approximately 1/3 of the money needed to do this relocation would come from the capital campaign, while another 1/3 would come from a capital bill and the remaining 1/3 would come from federal grants and bonding. Oldfield said they are working hard with their legislators to campaign to include this project in the capital bill. This new facility would add more classrooms, house 4 additional labs, have a student services shop and allow for networking space for students. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, August 7, noon at Western Illinois Business and Technology Center, 510 N. Pearl. TRANSPORTATION Bill Butcher reported that the Macomb Municipal Airport had 2000 people at their annual fly in breakfast held during Heritage Days. This is the largest crowd the event has ever had. An update was given by the Illinois Department of Transportation on the progress and status of local and state level road projects. Committee chairman, Bruce Biagini, spoke with the group about several editorial articles addressing highway funding. He also spoke about the President’s recent comments on the potential of highway funding by tolling interstates. There was discussion on how this would affect the Illinois toll way system. Biagini proposed that the group stay informed about the issue and potentially examine the possibility of sending a resolution in support of the topic, if made into a bill. He emphasized ensuring that Illinois receives a portion of the money generated from the initiative, instead of the entirety going to the federal highway trust fund. The group will discuss the matter more as information becomes available. The next meeting will be Thursday, September 18, noon, Aurelio’s back room. DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT The Downtown Development Committee finalized the business recruitment packet and

(cont’d on page 3)

Join the 2014 CUPP Table Fair at WIU! On the lawn in front of Sherman Hall

Wednesday, September 10th 5-7 p.m. (table set-up is at 4:30 p.m)

Music - Games - Raffle Prizes - Free Food

This is a great opportunity to expose your business to faculty, students & community. The CUPP Party is intended to bring together WIU students & faculty with residents of Macomb for entertainment, food, prizes and more. The CUPP Table Fair allows Chamber & Downtown members to introduce their products and services to this audience. This event is FREE to both the public and the WIU community.

As a Chamber & Downtown member, your participation is free and creativity is encouraged. You could: ● set up displays ● give away brochures, coupons or other items ● play interactive games ● provide demonstrations ● do whatever you feel best highlights your business. Each participating business that pre-registers will be provided a table and 2 chairs.

If you are interested in participating in the 2014 CUPP Table Fair, please contact the Chamber/Downtown Office (309-837-4855) or email alex@macombareachamber.com no later than September 3rd. You MUST provide the following information: Business name along with the contact person’s name, email and phone number. Also, please indicate if you will be donating a prize for the general raffle.

If your business is unable to participate in the CUPP Table Fair but would like to donate a prize for the general raffle in order to make this audience aware of your business, please also contact the Chamber/Downtown office with that information.

Committee Reports (cont’d from page 6)

analyzed a list of possible businesses to approach that would do well in the Downtown. They also discussed a retail incentive program and will have further discussion on it at a later date. The next meeting will be Wednesday, August 13, 8:00 am at Sullivan Taylor. LAMOINE VALLEY HUMAN RESOURCE ASSOCIATION Justin from OSHA presented to the group on the topics of compliance inspections, safety and

health programs /training and emergency action plans. Some topics he discussed in detail were stages of OSHA inspection, specific workplace scenario’s involving safety precautions to take, PPE, emergency action plans and documentation and training required in the workplace. Justin also provided the website information, www.osha.gov as a resource for the group. There were 27 attendees at the meeting. The next meeting will be Thursday, August 14, 11:30 a.m. at The Old Dairy.

YOUNG BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS Mick Cumbie, Director of Development, College of Fine Arts- WIU, spoke to the Committee about the upcoming BCA season, Performing Arts Society events and the new PAS building. Next month, Norine Hammond, Illinois State Representative, will speak to the group. Please feel free to bring a co-worker or friend to YBP on Wednesday, August 6, noon, at The Old Dairy.

PAGE 4 THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE THE MACOMB AREA ADVANTAGE

Keith Waller, Owner 1729 W. Jackson

Brian Waller, Owner Macomb, Illinois

PAGE 5

Chamber & Downtown Calendar

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McDonough District Hospital received official approval July 14 from the Illinois Health Facilities and Service Review Board to complete a 12-bed Geriatric Psych Unit for seniors on the second floor of the new emergency services addition to the hospital. The new unit is scheduled to open July 1, 2015 and will provide inpatient Psychiatric services for individuals above the age of 64. The primary service area for the proposed project is a 40-mile radius surrounding the hospital which has a total population of 41,716 individuals above the age of 64, based upon the 2010 Census. There are currently no hospitals in the proposed primary service area which offer any inpatient psychiatric services. In discussions with the senior citizens groups, the nursing home providers and the psychiatrists in the area, the need for Geriatric Psychiatric Services was determined to be an area of need which was not being met with existing services. “By establishing the proposed service at MDH it will be possible for patients from the service area to more easily access the needed Geriatric Psychiatric services,” said MDH CEO/President Kenny Boyd. The hospital has contracted with Horizon Health to manage the unit. Horizon Health is a national provider of Acute Mental Illness (AMI) services and will be able to assist in the recruitment and training of the staff for the proposed unit.

NICHOLAS D. DOLL, D.M.D., P.C. GENERAL DENTISTRY NICK DOLL 1400 E. CARROLL STREET, SUITE B MACOMB, IL 61455 309-421-3163 TROTTER COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING, INC. CHRIS TROTTER 820 W. JACKSON STREET MACOMB, IL 61455 309-836-5040 www.trottercontractinginc.com

Downtown Development 8 am, Sullivan Taylor

Ambassadors Noon, City Hall

New Members

MDH Receives Geriatric Psych Approval

Young Business Professionals

LVHRA 11:30am, The Old Dairy

Government Affairs Noon, MAEDCO

Exec. Board 8:15am, MACCDDC

Business After Hours 4:30-6:00 pm, Tri-States Public Radio

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am -

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm

Park ‘N’ Cruise

6 - 9 pm

Brown Bag Concert noon, Chandler Park

MACCDDC Board 7:30am, Citizens

Brown Bag Concert noon, Chandler Park

Members on the Move

BARNYARD GUITARS 115 S. SIDE SQUARE MACOMB, IL 61455 309-299-6810 www.barnyardguitars.com EDWARD JONES - PATRICK KOLATA 325 S. CANDY LANE #1 MACOMB, IL 61455 309-833-3664 www.edwardjones.com

What were we thinking?

MACOMB AUTO PARTS ERIC BLAKELEY 1215 W. JACKSON STREET MACOMB, IL 61455 309-833-2950 Complete auto parts supplier, both retail & commercial, full-time service shop, pick up & delivery of parts and machine shop needs.

Please note that the correct date for the 2014 McDonough County Alzheimer’s Walk will be September 20th. The Chamber/Downtown regrets the erroneous date printed in the July newsletter. Mark your calendars NOW so that you won’t miss this great event!

NISHA’S CUPCAKES 814 W. JACKSON STREET MACOMB, IL 61455 309-836-CAKE (2253) All of our baked goods are homemade, made fresh when you order them. We have a wide variety of flavored cupcakes as well as brownies, pies, cheesecakes and cookies.

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Farmers’ Market 7 am - 1 pm