April 2011
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JOLIET BOULEVARD BANNER...ORDER YOURS TODAY!!!  They're going fast...call Mary at the Chamber TODAY to reserve your banner and/or for more info- great locations are still available, but don't wait too long.  Call 815-727-5371.

TOP STUDENT RECOGNITION BANQUET - Monday, April 11, 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Joliet Hotel & Conference Center, 411 S. Larkin Avenue.  The top 25 students from Joliet West, Joliet Central and Joliet Catholic Academy will be honored.  Cost to attend is $30 pp.  Please call the Chamber to register.

VELOCITA TECH SUMMIT 2011 - Co-sponsored by the Joliet Region Chamber.  Thursday, April 14, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn - Larkin Avenue & I-80, Joliet.  FREE ADMISSION!  Learn about Cloud Computing, Disaster recovery, Video surveillance, Digital signage, and much much more.  Register for free at www.vtjoliet.com.

MEMBER LUNCHEON - The April Member Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 20, 11:30 a.m. at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in the Wallin Conference Center.  (Please use the Springfield Avenue parking deck).  Guest speaker for the luncheon will be Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas.  Cost for members is $30 and reservations are required.  You may reserve by going to jolietchamber.com.

SPRINGFIELD DRIVE-DOWN - The Chamber's annual Springfield Drive-Down will be held on May 4-5.  All legislative meetings will take place on May 4, followed by a cocktail hour and dinner, which all the area legislators are invited to.  Cost is $135 pp which includes everything except your hotel reservation!  A block of rooms have been set aside for the night of May 4 at the Holiday Crowne Plaza.  Please call the Chamber for more info or to reserve.  You are responsible for making your own hotel reservation by calling calling 217.529.7777 before April 22 and mention that you are with the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce.

MEMBER NOTES & NEWS BRIEFS

Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center has been named among the best metropolitan-area hospitals on the first list of its kind compiled by U.S. News & World Report.  Of 46 Chicago metropolitan area hospitals listed, including the far suburbs, academic medical centers as well as community hospitals of varying sizes, Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center earned the 15th spot.

Joliet Area Community Hospice - Ladies, grab your Derby hats and gentlemen put on your seersucker suits, it's time for the Joliet Area Community Hospice 4th Annual Run for the Roses Luncheon on Sunday, May 1st from 11:a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet.  There will be a silent and live auction with fabulous items, a Ladies' hat contest, and much, much more. Derby attire is encouraged!  Ticket prices are $100 per person and some sponsorship opportunities are available.  Please call Jodi Wulff at 815-531-3553 or email jwulff@joliethospice.org for more info.

Silver Cross Hospital - Silver Cross Hospital is excited to support Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) and the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) as they join forces to reduce Illinois hospital readmissions through a new quality initiative - Preventing Readmissions through Effective Partnerships (PREP). 

For the seventh straight year, Silver Cross Hospital was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters Healthcare, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare.    The award is given to hospitals that have achieved excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, financial performance and operational efficiency.  Silver Cross is the only hospital in Illinois to win the award every year for the past 7 years.

Law Office of Jack L. Zaremba, P.C. - The Law Office of Jack L. Zaremba, P.C. has moved to 116 N. Chicago Street, Suite # 201, Joliet, IL.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARGE FRANCHINI for receiving the "OUTSTANDING CITIZEN" AWARD from the Spanish Community Center on March 10th.

The Housing Authority of Joliet will be hosting a workshop on Tuesday, April 19 to provide information concerning its Section 3 certification process and opportunities for local companies to do business with the Housing Authority and other federally funded local entities.

In addition, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center at the College of DuPage will be providing workshop participants with information on how to complete the DBE certification process. Other presenters include the SBA, a surety bonding agent, the Small Business Development Center at JJC and ACCION Chicago, a microlender.

The workshop is targeted at local (Will County), low income businesses that are the subject of the Section 3 program.

The workshop agenda is as follows:

Overview of Certification Process

Includes 12-1pm reception for lunch

Presentations from 1pm-5pm

Please contact Dr. Angela Scott at 815-823-8750 or acott@hajoliet.org in order to register.

Member Spotlight

SIGNS BY TOMORROW

Signs By Tomorrow is located at 16200 S. Lincoln Highway in Plainfield. They are a full service sign and graphics shop that specializes in business identity solutions.  No order is too small or too big for their creative and helpful staff. Their large format digital printing expertise and technology is put to use every day for their clients in a variety of fields including retail point of purchase, custom vehicle graphics, event signage, trade show graphics, architectural signage, and more.

Signs By Tomorrow products include retail point of purchase signs and displays, window lettering and menu boards .Event Signage from banners to directional signs to schedules. Architectural Signage that consists of dimensional signs, illuminated signs, and cast lettering on buildings. Vehicle Graphics like vehicle wraps (truck wraps, van wraps, and car wraps), magnetic vehicle graphics, and custom vehicle graphics.Trade Show Graphics, Signs by Tomorrow can help you create trade show graphics for your company and products that are eye-catching and awe-inspiring.

Owned by Jodi and Jim Murray, they have over 20+ years of experience in the digital printing field to help you out. You can check out their web site at www.SBTplainfield.com or look them up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SBTplainfield.

Sponsors

Please contact Mike or Trish at the Joliet Chamber for more information. This spot is a great opportunity to get your message out to nearly 2,000 individuals.

Photo Gallery

National Center for Integrative Medicine (NCIM) Laser and Aesthetics Center Ribbon Cutting

Monday, February 28

Great Teachers Award Dinner

Thursday, March 10

Member Luncheon with Senator Radogno

Monday, March 21

Business After Hours at Hollywood Casino Joliet

Thursday, March 24

Ribbon Cutting at Easter Seals

Monday, March 28

Business Showcase - Wednesday, April 13, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. @ Just Toni's (formerly Brown's Chicken), 2301 W. Jefferson St., Joliet.  FREE ADMISSION.

LBA Community-Business EXPO - Thursday, April 14, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. @ Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Banquet Hall, 205 E. Jackson St., Joliet.  FREE ADMISSION

CWW Night Out - Wednesday, April 20, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. @ Maggie's Place, 339 Vertin Blvd., Shorewood, IL.  $2.00 Cover Charge.

Business After Hours - Thursday, April 28, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. @ Harris, N.A., 78 N. Chicago St., Joliet.  FREE ADMISSION-FREE HORS D'OEUVRES AND OPEN BAR!

TCBY Grand Opening - The grand opening for TCBY will be held on Saturday,April 30th, from 12pm-8pm. 

They will be giving away an I-pad, shuffles, t-shirts and more.  They will also offer your first 3 ounces of yogurt free and a balloon artist in the afternoon.  The new location is opening at 930 Brookforest Avenue/Rt. 59 in Shorewood (corner of Rt. 59 and Black Rd. in the Shorewood Crossing Plaza).

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View The Chamber Staff

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The Ambassadors are a group of volunteers who help the chamber through various activities.

Learn more about becoming
an Ambassador

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View our list of NEW members
View a list of member renewals

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A. BARR SALES INC.

Abri Credit Union

AT&T

Berman Capital Management & Research

Brodnicki Group / Market America

D Oxley Construction, Inc.

Hometown National Bank

Joliet Area Historical Museum

Mortenson Construction

NextMedia Radio Group

NICOR Gas

Nowacki Insurance Agency

NuMark Credit Union

R. Berti Building Solutions

Senior Helpers Caring In Home Companions

Senior Suites of Joliet

Servpro of Joliet

Smithereen Pest Management Services

Turk Furniture

Vitas Innovative Hospice Care

Wingate by Wyndham

Exciting New Announcement !!!

We are excited to announce that our members can now access our new Business / Membership Directory as well as a new Calendar / Online Registration page. 

First, when you visit our Chamber home page you can easily click on Business/Membership Directory and you will be taken to a newly designed search page.  From here you may search for members by company name and/or business categories.  A full category drop down menu is available as well as an improved key word search function.  Once a business or category has been displayed, new options appear as well in terms of business information. A scrolling list of new members appears on the right sidebar and you now have a feature that allows you to start your own list and/or roster to save for future reference. 

Second, we have added a brand new and easy to use Calendar of Events page that now allows all members to register and pay for their luncheon, dinner, etc online with a credit card or opt for an invoice to be sent out.  No more faxing or mailing or calling in a reservation (we'll still gladly accept) as you can now complete your registration and receive confirmation right away.  You can view the entire calendar in a special view and print out. Also, now you can set up a reminder to be sent directly to your inbox for an event.  Finally, you now have the option to import the events directly into Microsoft Outlook which is especially useful in this time of smart phone use. 

Take some time and check out both of these new features and we suggest that you utilize them to their fullest capabilities. You can feel free to contact us if you need help in one of the areas.