S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8

Partnering for Success IN THIS

ISSUE:

PAGE 8

PAGE 6

PAGE 9

66th annual Fiesta Day Parade Saturday, September 15, 2018.

The Parade will begin at 1:00pm in Rock Falls on 10th street, traveling north on First Avenue in Rock Falls, cross the First Avenue bridge to Sterling. At the base of the bridge the parade will travel north on Locust Street to 4th and end at Grandon Civic Center in Sterling.

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 2

September 2018

Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Directors & Staff

Executive Committee President: Mike Loos

First Vice President: Mary White Second Vice President: Karen Voss

Past President: Brian Hawkins

Board of Directors Term Ends January 31, 2019

Jerry Binder, Whiteside Area Career Center Jim Cesarek, RE/MAX Sauk Valley

Steve Nunez, Sauk Valley Community College Claudia Sauer, CGH Medical Center

Karen Voss, Rock River Hospice and Home

Terms Ends January 31, 2020 Mike Loos, Edward Jones Investments

Sheila Martinez, US Bank Rick Turnroth, Turnroth Sign Company

Mary White, Community State Bank

Term Ends January 31, 2021 Brian Hawkins, Hawkins-Cassens Ins.

Tim Determan, Pinney Printing Steve Munson, The Medicine Shoppe

David Knie, Knie Appliance Lance Buser, Walmart D.C. #7024

Staff Executive Director ~ Kris Noble

Marketing Coordinator~ Dallas Knack Financial Specialist/Office Manager~Brandi Langner

September 5 Executive Committee

September 11 Board of Directors

September 13 Ambassadors

September 13 Chamber Week Celebration

September 14 HBLC

September 18 Agribusiness Committee

September 19 PWN Committee

September 11th-14th is Chamber of Commerce Week. We have joined the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE) and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce in celebrating this special recognition of the contributions chambers of commerce make to Illinois civic and economic life. To celebrate Chamber Week, we invite you to join us at our annual Chamber of Commerce Week Celebration event for members on Thursday, September 13th at The Factory Pub-N-Grub in Sterling. On behalf of our board of directors, it is a way to say thank you. Thank you for investing in us to help promote your business, or organization and this community; thank you for believing in and supporting the work we do; thank you for understanding and realizing that we are much stronger and better equipped to make change by working together. As an organization, we work with you to provide

citizens with a strong business environment that

increases employment, the retail trade and commerce,

and industrial growth to make the Sauk Valley a better

place to live and work. We encourage community

members to shop local and use local resources; as

we know this is a win-win situation for our businesses,

and the community as a whole. So much of the work

we do is about making connections and building

relationships, and we will continue to do this in order

to fulfill our mission: To Enhance the Economic Climate

and Quality of Life in the Sauk Valley Area.

A Message from the Director

Special Recognition

MEMBER RENEWALS

NEW MEMBERS

Member Update September 2018

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 3

We would like to give special recognition to the following groups who provide extra support to the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

This extra effort and support is truly appreciated. If you have the opportunity to express your sincere appreciation to these members,

please do so!

Compass Media-312-545-4784

Moeller, Myers, and Associates-815-626-8760

Investing over $1000 in Dues

CGH Medical Center Community State Bank

Farmers National Bank - Morrison Midland States Bank

Sauk Valley Bank Sterling Federal Bank

US Bank Wahl Clipper Corp. Wal-Mart DC #7024

Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson

Amazing Grace of Sterling Froet Industries LLC Greater Sterling Development Corp. Hughes Resources Illinois American Water Lance's Plumbing Linnea & Wolf Koch McDonald's

Moore Monument & Granite Co. Phil Mattox Insurance Agency Sterling Commercial Roofing Sterling Moose Family Center Twin Cities Homeless Shelter-PADS United Craftsmen, LTD Wiersema Waste Service, Inc.

150% Club Members

Al J. Dieterle Decorating All Season's Patio & Furniture Allstate Insurance Agency Andersen Statewide Buildings, LLC Bargain Exterminators Cater Construction Cassens Drainage Central Heating & Cooling Dale Carnegie Training Dennis Electric of Tampico, Inc. Folsom's Bakery

Garage Door Specialists Grummert's Hardware Hawkins-Cassens Insurance, LLC Imprintable Memories Inc. Kelly's Restaurant Inc. Kiwanis Club of Sterling Melton Seed & Service LLC Mertes & Mertes, PC One Main Financial Plainwell Brass Rock River Ready Mix Sauk Valley Sun Scholl Insurance Agency

Servicemaster of Sterling/Rock Falls Sherwin Williams Showplace Antiques & Treasures Sinnissippi Townhomes, Inc. St. Vincent DePaul Society Sterling Optimist Club The Cornerstone Agency, Inc. The Medicine Shoppe The Spa At Central Park Wells Family Dentistry Wendler Engineering Services, Inc. Whiteside County Genealogists

110% Club Members

Aaron’s

Bard Optical

Brothers Flooring

Cater Construction

Citadel of Sterling

Communication and Design

Dirks and Youngs Auction Service

Deer Valley, LTD

Fiesta Tables, Chairs, and Tents

Glik’s

Hair Cuttery

Massage Works

Menk USA, LLC

Professional Lot Maintenance

Raynor Garage Doors

Rock River Ready Mix

Sauk Valley Community College

Sedona Staffing

Zoeller Ag Services

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 4

Assets in Action

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 5

Chamber Ambassadors Nicole Bollman - CGH Medical Center

Shannon Richter – SBM

Jon Byar – Midland States Bank

James Keenan – Country Financial

Roy Dern – State Farm

Sherry DeWalt – CGH Medical Center

Cassandra Salmon – Illinois Bank & Trust

Allie Johnston – University of Illinois Extension

Mary White – Community State Bank

Angie Smith – Avon

Pam Fluck – Sauk Valley Bank

Melissa Ryan-Bergstrom – Candlelight Inn

Amanda Baron– Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson

Karen Voss – Rock River Hospice and Home

Sheila Martinez – U.S. Bank

Danielle Vance – Morningside of Sterling

Chandra Meyer – Re/Max Sauk Valley

Victoria Maloney – U.S. Cellular

Katie Murray – Wipfli LLP

Nick Krumbholz – Sterling Federal Bank

Justin Wiggins—Wiggins Computing, LLC

Ambassador Spotlight: Jim Keenan—COUNTRY Financial

I’m a Financial Representative at COUNTRY Financial in Amboy. This December marks 15 years that I’ve been with the company. I love being in this business because it puts me in touch with many different types of people and no two situations are the same. Being able to help people solve their problems is a great feeling. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month – my job is to ask you about life insurance, please don’t make it my job to tell your family you didn’t have any!

Being involved in the community is important to me, which is why I serve as a mentor and board member for the WACC CEO Program. I am also a member of the NAIFA Illinois Greater Illinois Board of Directors as well as the NAIFA Illinois State Board of Directors.

I like being involved with the Chamber because you get to understand how things work behind the scenes with the different committees. A word that gets used a lot is collaboration, and this chamber exem-plifies that. It’s good to work with someone like Kris who works tirelessly to help improve the lives of every-one in our area.

I reside in Sterling with my family and love to spend time with my children and granddaughter. I also enjoy coaching (primarily basketball) which I’ve been doing for 33 years.

Ambassadors: Serve as the public relations arm of the Chamber. This professional business group works within the membership serving as a liaison between membership and the community. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at different member locations. Individuals interested in becoming an Ambassador need to submit an

application for consideration. Please email knoble@saukvalleyareachamber.com if you are interested in becoming a Chamber Ambassador

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors!

The nomination deadline is October 1st. Please mail or email nominations to the Chamber office.

Email Kris at knoble@saukvalleyareachamber.com

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 6

Ribbon Cuttings

Computer Dynamics of NW Illinois LLC 451 W. South Street, Freeport

815-233-2641

Xtreme Realty 1201 1st Ave, Rock Falls

815-380-2500

Ambassador Spotlight:

Sherry Dewalt— CGH Medical Center

I am the Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator for the CGH Health Foundation. Our mission is

to help the residents of the Sauk Valley to live healthier lives. Our programs are offered

to underserved individuals, in workplaces, and to the general public. Services include

financial assistance for women’s health, eyeglasses, medication, and dental services. We

also provide screenings, classes, and support the Love on a Leash therapy dog program.

As a certified health coach I teach people about the lifestyle behaviors that affect their weight and long

term health and I perform cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar screenings. I write the Beyond Trim

column for the Sauk Valley Newspapers and the What’s Cooking CGH recipe blog.

I’ve been a chamber ambassador for nearly 15 years and a lifelong resident of the Sterling/Rock Falls

area. Being a chamber ambassador has allowed me to appreciate my hometown in altogether different ways

than I did growing up. It’s a great place to live and work!

Castor Home Nursing 2317 E. Lincolnway Suite B, Sterling

815-564-0977

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 7

Business After Hours

August 2018 | YWCA

Thank you to the YWCA for hosting our Business After Hours for the month of August! It was a wonderful time filled with networking and fun! We hope you join us for our Chamber Week Celebration on September 13th at the Factory!

2018 Steak Fry in the Country

Thank you to all who attended. The SVACC Agribusiness committee would like to thank the

sponsors and donors who helped to make this event a success, in particular

Ted Jacobs Farms for hosting this year’s event.

Proceeds from the Steak Fry in the Country fund scholarships for

students in the Sauk Valley area who are pursuing a career in an Ag

Related Field.

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 8

For more information on CEO email Le Hartman at lhartman@wacc.cc

Meet the WACC CEO Class of 2019.

They are twenty-six members strong from nine different area high schools. Our first weeks of class focused on getting to know one another through team problem-solving activities, DISC personality profile, and class discussions. Students were challenged with their first lesson on cash flow as they start the year with a zero balance and need to purchase polo shirts and lanyards. Let the problem-solving begin! Back row: Spencer Schutz, Justin Young, Brady Moran, Kyle Yde, Cailean Davids, Grant Minssen, Hunter Buser, Jalen Bickett, Sean Lahey, Andrew Wilson, Riley Wescott, Nolan Randick

Front Row: Brittney Shipman, Natanna Jacobs, Elise Moeller, Allison Rhodes, Alyssa Mathews, Mehgan Morales, Kennedy Anderson, Erin Porter, JoHannah Ruff, Lauren Moeller, Grace Mahoney, Olivia Edmondson, Lauren Humphreys, Camryn Johnson

Sauk Valley Community Leadership Program

LeAndra Hartman, Facilitator Tours, Panel, Speakers and More

The Sauk Valley Community Leadership team kicked off their year with an all-day session on August 8, starting with Carol Siefken at The Food Bank of Northwest Illinois. Her remarks gave class members a great overview of food insecurity, which was followed by a tour of the facility. The rest of the day was spent at Halo Branded Solutions where speakers included David Hellmich, Leadership Theories, Le Hartman, Personality Profiles and Leadership, and Terry McGuire and Stephanie Preston from Halo on Leadership. The day was rounded out with a panel discussion on the Community Challenges and Solutions of the Sauk Valley Area with panelists, Dave Schreiner, Bob Sondgeroth, Heather Sotelo, Robert Urbanski, and Darryl Hogue. This third year program boosts its largest class so far with seventeen members. Each month they meet for an all-day session or two half-days and cover a variety of community and leadership topics. September will find them at Camp Benson for another packed day of topics and activities. Learn more at svleadership.org.

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 9

August 3, 2018 | Downtown Sterling Over 7,000 hot dogs sold at 9 cooking sites, a Kids' Fun Fair full of games and activities, cookies, ice cream, sidewalk sales, dunk tank, movie matinee, car wash and so much more, Downtown Sterling was rockin’ for this year’s Hot Dog Day!

Congratulations to Champs Banquet Venue for receiving the Customer Service Award for August!

Syngenta Workshop | August 22, 2018 Thank you to all those who attended the Syngenta Workshop at Sterling Federal Bank! Paul Osborn, Attorney at Ward, Murray Pace& Johnson spoke to corn producers and crop share landlords on the background and current dealings with the Syngenta Case.

Champs Banque Venue is located at 9 East 3rd St. Sterling. 815-626-6003

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 10

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 11

Government Affairs Update

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 12

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation to reduce burdensome licensing requirements for real estate businesses. The new licensing program is expected to save the state money by reducing a duplicative and unnecessary licensure structure that provides no benefit to the public and discourages business creation and growth.

“House Bill 5210 is a win for small business and licensed professionals in Illinois,” Rauner said. “It is another step forward in our goal of reducing the amount of red tape, paperwork, and regulatory burden that puts our business owners and our state at a disadvantage.”

The bill was supported by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

“On behalf of more than 47,000 realtors throughout Illinois, we support this effort and appreciated the opportunity to work with IDFPR in crafting and passing this legislation,” said CEO of Illinois Realtors Association, Gary Clayton. “This is a sound policy initiative that will streamline the regulatory process for Illinois businesses.”

Additionally, it clarifies that a licensed individual may establish a limited liability company to receive commissions directly, allowing them more flexibility in selecting a business entity that fits their needs. The new practice will also allow the individual to derive more favorable tax treatment than they would receive when operating as an individual.

"The licensing requirements for professionals in Illinois, especially those in the real estate field, are often times too burdensome and redundant," said State Senator Pamela Althoff, R-McHenry, who co-sponsored the bill. "In an effort to untangle some of the red tape in these processes, this bill no longer requires brokers to obtain a license from each branch of office they operate in, but instead they will only need one license and will simply just need to notify IDFPR of each office." Finally, the legislation pushes back continuing education deadlines, establishes one basic standard for all business entities, simplifies the business entity license application, establishes common sense ownership requirements, and reduces barriers to industry.

“These reforms lower the cost of doing business in Illinois,” said co-sponsor Representative Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. “We should look for more opportunities like this for state government to get out of the way of small business owners and grow our tax base.”

The governor also signed House Bill 5502 removing an unnecessary testing requirement to encourage new real estate appraiser trainees to enter the industry. This will reduce a barrier to entry and increase labor market liquidity within the industry.

“The signing of HB 5502 is the first step in rebuilding the appraisal industry here in Illinois,” said Representative Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, who sponsored the legislation. “Due to the increased costs of education and mandates those receiving licenses have continued to decline. I am pleased to have sponsored this bill and the signing of this legislation is a positive change for Illinois. HB 5502 will grow jobs and opportunities for people wanting to enter the real estate appraisal field.”

The changes will reduce the regulatory burden on Illinois real estate related businesses and workers, while improving IDFPR operations.

As of April 2018, there were 1,195 active branch office licenses, according to the IDFPR.

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 13

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S U C C E S S 14