July August 2020 Commerce Connection

JULY / AUGUST 2020

Volume 27 | Issue 4

years

25

A PUBLICATION OF THE CHAMPAIGN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

more

than

COMMERCE CONNECTION

p u b l i c at i o n

for

Celebrating AG

INSIDE: PG. 10 Soil Health: Agriculture’s Next Step Permit No. 29 Champaign, IL

PAID

Presorted Standard US Postage

C h a m pa i g n C o u n t y ’ s

t ru s t e d

b u s i n e s s - to - b u s i n e s s

in Champaign county

PG. 11 Public Policy Update: USDA PG. 12 Ag Month Recap

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When you need a business banking partner who can help you navigate the tough times, First Mid will be there!

Count on our team to provide personal attention for: • Cash Flow Solutions • Traditional Financing and Lines of Credit • SBA Financing

Patrick Pfeifer

Commercial Lending 114 W. Church Street • Champaign 217-398-0512 ppfeifer@firstmid.com

Kyle McFarland

Commercial Lending

114 W. Church Street • Champaign 217-398-0067 kmcfarland@firstmid.com

Darlene Johnson

Vice President Treasury Management 114 W. Church Street • Champaign 217-373-8136 djohnson@firstmid.com

Look for us in these area communities: CHAMPAIGN 398-0067 | URBANA 367-8451 SAVOY 351-3526 | MAHOMET 318-3750 RANTOUL 893-8100 2

www.firstmid.com

303 West Kirby Avenue Champaign, IL 61820 P 217.359.1791 | F 217.359.1809 www.champaigncounty.org

FY20 TOP INVESTORS TOP INVESTORS GOLD Busey SILVER Carle University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center BRONZE A & R Mechanical Contractors Amdocs BankChampaign, N.A. Christie Clinic First Mid Bank & Trust Health Alliance Hickory Point Bank & Trust Midland States Bank Napleton’s Auto Park of Urbana

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE Illini Radio Group - MIX 94.5, WIXY 100.3, Rewind 92.5, WYXY Classic 99.1, True Oldies 97.9, Extra 92.1, Hits 99.7 Stevie Jay Broadcasting - Q96-96.1FM, US105.9, Christian FM 95.3 & ESPN 93.5 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE NewsTalk 1400 WDWS, Lite Rock 97.5 WHMS, Classic Hits 107.9 WKIO

150 PERCENT CLUB Awards, Ltd. / Stamps Direct Dish Passionate Cuisine Hyatt Place LongHorn Steakhouse TrophyTime, Inc. W.K. Cooper II Asset Management Corporation

CHAMBER STAFF Laura Weis President & CEO LauraW@champaigncounty.org

Madeline Herrman Public Policy Director MadelineH@champaigncounty.org

Matt Bradley Business Growth & Development Director MattB@champaigncounty.org

Lindsay Quick Director of Marketing & Events LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org Stephanie Smith-Jeffries Office and Accounting Administrator StephanieS@champaigncounty.org

Mindy Cain Director of Workforce Readiness MindyC@champaigncounty.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OFFICERS Rachel Coventry

Justin Overstreet

Kyle Emkes

Chip Craddock Clark Dietz, Inc.

Deb Reardanz Clark-Lindsey Village

Tonya Horn

Linda Difiore

Dr. Jared Rogers

Dan Kirby

Curtis Orchard, Ltd.

Silgan Closures Dan Hurley FedEx Ground R.J. Hynds English Brothers Company

Susan Jepsen

Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon

Pradeep Khanna University of Illinois

Martin Hood LLC

OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center

Julianna Sellett Carle

Amie Smith

BankChampaign N.A.

Chair, Maatuka Al-Heeti Emkes LLC

First Vice Chair, Rogards

Treasurer, CliftonLarsonAllen

Mike Estes

Past Chair, Fisher National Bank

Laura Weis

Secretary, Champaign County Chamber of Commerce

Bill Walter

A & R Mechanical Contractors

Chuck McReaken TSM Ventures, Inc.

FINANCIAL SERVICES Provided by CliftonLarsonAllen

All information contained within this publication is property of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and cannot be reproduced without prior expressed or written consent. This publication contains paid advertising; the opinions expressed in those advertisements do not reflect the views of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce. For advertising information, contact the Chamber at 217.359.1791.

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WELCOME TO THE CHAMBER

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Help Us, Help them.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses in our community are feeling the effects economically. Temporary closures can be devastating to these businesses and to those that own and work at them. Help us, help them.

The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a 501c3 not-for-profit charitable foundation.

Donations made to the Foundation will be used for micro-grants to help our small businesses get back on their feet in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Contributions to the Foundation’s Business Relief Fund are tax deductible.

Our foundation also supports the chamber’s efforts in the areas of education, workforce development and leadership development. The foundation supports its mission by developing strategic partnerships and initiatives with schools, businesses, community leaders and other supporters.

Support our economic development, education and workforce through a tax deductible donation to the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc.

www.champaigncounty.org/chamber-foundation 4

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Business Name___________________________________________________________________ Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Billing Address: ___________________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________ Fax: ___________________________ Email Address: ___________________________________________________________________ Please complete this form and return to: Lindsay Quick, Director of Marketing & Events via email at lindsayq@champaigncounty.org

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COLLABORATION IS KEY

WRITTEN BY: LINDSAY QUICK

this idea in mind, the owners of Industrial Donut are always looking for new ways to partner with other businesses.

With just over a year under their belt, Industrial Donut quickly discovered one of the keys to success: collaboration.

Industrial Donut is a made-to-order donut (and coffee) shop specializing in fresh cake donuts, customized with a large assortment of icing and topping choices. Owners Becca and James Powers, who are avid travelers, have always made it a point to seek out the best breakfast treats (donuts) while on the road. Finally, they decided it was time to bring their favorite donut ideas and concepts back home to Champaign County. Industrial Donut first opened their doors in April 2019.

In the short period of time that they have been opened, Industrial Donut has become a quick favorite among local residents. Part of their early success (aside from really tasty donuts) can be attributed to their strong sense of community and collaboration. Whether it be topping a donut with popcorn from CBPB Popcorn Shop, sourcing coffee locally from Columbia Street Roastery or ordering things like t-shirts and tables from fellow small businesses, Industrial Donut believes that everyone wins when collaboration happens.

“We know the hard work and heart that goes into owning and operating a small business and believe that when we all work together, we all benefit,” explains owner Becca.

Most small businesses share a common goal: reaching new customers. And it just so happens that people who like donuts might also like coffee and might also be fans of gourmet popcorn. With 6

Becca adds, “We collaborate with the small businesses that we have grown to love and trust.

Just like us, these businesses have an interest in reaching new people and are innovative enough to try new things. We’re always looking for other small businesses that we can work with to showcase their products or services with ours.”

When small businesses form partnerships and begin working together on projects, it strengthens the local economy in a number of different ways.

Small businesses that support other small businesses give consumers the opportunity to shop local in a whole new way. It can create new customers for both parties and encourage people to try something they might have never had before.

Small businesses help make Champaign County unique. When small businesses partner with each other a strong sense of community is created that resonates through business owners and consumers alike.

“Supporting small businesses is more important now than ever before, if we want our community to look the same as it did before the pandemic began. There are so many ways to support small businesses from eating local, shopping local and taking your family to enjoy local activities. When purchasing gift cards, do it from a local business, not big box stores or chains. Spread the good word with friends, write reviews, and always use the golden rule,” Becca elaborates.

Businesses in Champaign County can experience new successes when partnering with each other. It can be as simple as shifting every-day purchases to local retailers or more outside-of-the-box like putting popcorn on a donut. Regardless of how you do it, collaboration creates a sense of community and drives business in our local economy.

Wondering how to get started? Becca shares some insights: “For the most part, collaboration can pretty informal; a DM on social media, an e-mail or even a conversation while purchasing products. Sometimes you’re just eating something fun and think, ‘ooohh… this would be great on a donut!”

Don’t be afraid to reach out to other businesses in the community. It can make all the difference in the world.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INDUSTRAIL DONUT AT: WWW.INDUSTRIALDONUT.COM

GET CLOSER TO NATURE

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SUPPORT. Busey’s right beside you.

And right now, we’re at the ready to support our neighbors and vibrant communities, offering financial relief for those in need. Visit busey.com/financialreliefprogram or contact our team at 1.800.67Busey to learn more.

Busey. Grateful to Serve the Communities We Call Home.

busey.com

Member FDIC

New to entrepreneurship?

The Chamber Has Your BAC. BAC Complimentary Services

Business Counseling: With over 15 experienced advisors with backgrounds in a variety of fields, BAC is committed to growing business one idea at a time.

One-On-One Banker Consultation: The Chamber has partnered with local banks to provide existing business owners or aspiring business owners a neutral space to discreetly discuss their financials on a one-on-one basis with a banking professional without the pressure of sales.

www.champaigncounty.org/business-advisors-council 8

A very special thank you to the

150+ volunteers

who participated in the iRead • iCount program.

Collectively, these volunteers helped

200+ kindergarten students

improve their literacy and numeracy skills throughout Champaign Unit 4 elementary schools.

Community challenges can only be overcome with community participation. When you volunteer one-hour a week, you’ll be helping to improve Champaign County’s future workforce. Please consider volunteering for the spring of 2021. Many volunteer opportunities will be available in both Champaign and Urbana elementary schools.The students will need the extra help now more than ever.

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Image: freepik.com

Soil Health: Agriculture's Next Step An update on local soil health from farmer, Frank Rademacher

Our farm’s motto is “Proudly Giving the Neighbors Something to Talk About,” and if you drive by one of our fields, it is not hard to see why. You will never see a tillage tool running, we have something growing nearly the entire year, and during planting of cash crops, you will see us planting into a field full of tall, living plants. It is quite a sight and always a conversation starter, hence our motto. All of this is done in the name of a thing called “soil health,” but things were not always like this for us.

I am 25 years old and a third-generation farmer growing corn, soybeans, and wheat on a 600 acre farm near Gifford, IL. Ten years ago, our operation would have been nearly indistinguishable from any other farm. Since that time however, we stopped all tillage, began reducing/eliminating pesticides, and began growing cover crops.

Cover crops are plants that we seed between cash crop growing seasons that take up excess nutrients to save them for the next crop, sequester carbon, suppress weeds and reduce erosion. The reason for all these changes is something called “soil health.”

What is soil health? The official definition is the “continued capacity of a soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans.” On our farm, I define it as modeling our farm as reasonably close to nature as we can. The main principles of soil health are 1.) Reduce/Eliminate disturbances from tillage, chemicals and fertilizers as much as possible, 2.) Keep a living root in the soil year round 3.) and add plant diversity. It is not hard to see that the typical model of agriculture fails on all those fronts. But why would we radically change our operation to pursue soil health?

While I am the first to admit our management system is not perfect, conventional agriculture is facing a lot of issues. Tillage leaves soil bare, structureless and prone to flooding and erosion. Overdependence on chemical control of pests, such as insects, diseases and weeds is causing chemical resistance in those species, which further increases producer cost and chemical use. Overfertilization and nutrient loss is a major contributor to degradation of environmental health/water quality and the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. Regulators and the public are beginning to take notice. Understandably, consumers increasingly prefer products produced with less synthetic inputs.

To us, the benefits of soil health go beyond the environmental benefits, as they have also allowed us to increase profits by switching to all Non-GMO crops, drastically reducing synthetic inputs and reducing machinery/labor expense. It has also allowed us to design our operation in a way that is safe from any future regulations targeting erosion, pesticide and fertilizer use. Beyond the economic and environmental benefits, it adds a lot of fun to what we do. We get to grow plants year round, the soil is dark, rich and full of life and we have a near year round habitat that attracts everything from mice and pheasants to deer.

While adoption of soil health practices, such as no-till and cover crops, is still quite low, interest is increasing fast.

We get questions all the time from farmers wanting to experiment with conservation practices, especially cover crops. Some farmers want to plant cover crops to stop erosion, others need them for weed suppression, while others want to try because landlords or grain buyers are starting to push for conservation. We are at an exciting time in agriculture that could bring about radical changes to the status quo. These changes towards soil health have the potential to not only be beneficial from an environmental aspect, but will potentially also have a great impact on farm profits. Agriculture has a bright future ahead if it continues down the path to a soil health focus. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach me at fnrademacher@gmail.com or 217-530-5572.

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PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE: For the month of July, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce celebrated Ag Month.

From our weekly agriculture updates, to business spotlights, an incredible keynote, and of course, a wine raffle, the month has been aimed at recognizing the contributions, innovations and importance of agribusinesses in our community.

The connection between agriculture and public policy is critical. The two subject matters intertwine. It is important to take moment to learn how agriculture policy affects each of our day-today lives.

The United States Department of Agriculture was created by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.

He referred to the Department as “The People’s Department” due to the direct impact on food, agriculture, science and more that the Department oversaw for Americans. Currently, Sonny Perdue serves as the Secretary of the USDA. The mission of the USDA is expansive.

The Department provides leadership on areas of food production, agriculture, nutrition, rural development, natural resources and other related issues through public policy work and initiatives.

Many encounter the USDA’s impacts in their daily lives and may not even make the connection. It may be that one prefers to buy food products that are USDA Certified Organic. Schools often teach MyPlate to encourage healthy nutrition habits; MyPlate is an alternative to the food-pyramid that many of us are more familiar with. Of course, many of our states crop and livestock farmers work directly with the USDA for inspections and guidance.

With twenty-nine unique agencies, it is almost a guarantee that each of us will encounter the USDA’s work throughout our lives.

The USDA is a government department which means that its funding is subject to appropriation by legislature. As with most appropriations, the U.S. House of Representatives will propose the legislation.

It must be approved by both the House and Senate before being signed into law by the President. On paper it is a simple process, but any legislation can encounter negotiation and debate.

Currently, the U.S. Congress is considering an agriculture appropriations bill that totals approximately $23.98 billion for fiscal year 2021.

This marks an increase of $487 million dollars and features funding for rural broadband development and nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP. The House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee approved the legislation, and some members of the committee speak on the fact that this bill builds on other pieces of COVID-19 relief legislation that Congress passed previously. It was approved by the overall House.

It now heads to the Senate for potential approval and/or amendments.* Agriculture and agribusiness have a unique set of challenges much like many other industries in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Many saw the impact of the pandemic on our meat supplies at our local grocery stores, and that all ties back to agriculture. The USDA helped food banks access $850 million in Congressional COVID-19 relief finding as well as assisting states with their needs through the Emergency Food Assistance Program. As we look to negotiations continuing on the next phase of COVID-19 relief funding*, it is clear that the USDA and related programs may receive additional funding to offer support to our nation’s farmers, agribusinesses, and those in need.

To learn more about the important role the USDA has in our lives, visit usda.gov.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to Madeline Herrman at madelineh@ champaigncounty.org *Status as of the time of writing.

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Thank you. Thank you for helping us celebrate agriculture and agribusiness in Champaign County throughout the month of July. Like many communities in the Midwest, agriculture and agribusiness are integral to the economic success of our community. Whether it is traditional farms that are becoming modernized with technology each day or businesses that may not be top-ofmind when you traditionally think of agriculture like an orchard or green house, the industry is alive and thriving.

Historically, the Chamber would celebrate agriculture during an event in June called Come Wine With Us. Given the circumstances regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, our plans for 2020 were put on hold causing us to reevaluate how we could still showcase the importance of this industry to our community.

Thus, Ag Month was born. We kicked the celebration off with a welcome from current agribusiness committee chair, Beth Bolger, marketplace initiatives manager at Farm Credit Illinois. Throughout the month, we did several ag month spotlight videos featuring different agribusinesses across the county including: Curtis Orchard, Parkland College Ag, Danville Gardens and Fowler Farm (an educational farm created by 12

the CU Schools Foundation).

Chamber members also received a weekly ag e-newsletter with industry updates and information on the current state of agriculture.

We also held weekly trivia contests on our Facebook page to educate people about agriculture in Champaign County and in Illinois.

One of the highlights of Come Wine With Us has always been our annual wine raffle. Continuing the tradition, raffle tickets were sold exclusively online this year. One lucky winner, Jenni Fridgen, agriculture program director at Parkland College, was named the sole winner of 75 bottles of wine provided by Sun Singer Wine and Spirits and Alto Vineyards. Thank you to all who purchased raffle tickets.

Ag Month culminated with keynote speaker, Dr. Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions. Eric’s presentation, Predicting Chaos, discussed the science of weather prediction and how it has evolved rapidly

as computing technology has increased and new methods of observing weather with high resolution satellites and Doppler radars has become common place. Attendees learned about predicting high impact events like hail storms, extreme lightning, tornadoes, severe winds, hurricanes, flash floods and drought.

Again, thank you to all those who helped us celebrate agriculture and agribusiness throughout Champaign County in July.

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A very special thank you to all who joined us for our golf day on Monday, June 22.

Congratulations to the winners of the day: 1st Place Luke Sherman & Chuck McReaken 2nd Place Kolby Jackson & Scott Johnson Longest Drive Dan Patkunas Longest Putt Matt Davidson Closest to the Pin Barb Gallivan

THANK YOU SPONSORS:

Ready for Round 2 of golf?

Due to the success of our first Chamber Golf Day in June, an additional time for members to get together out on the greens (following public health safety guidelines) and enjoy a round of golf before the course closes for the season has been set.

The Chamber’s Golf Day: Round 2 will be held Monday, September 28 at Lincolnshire Fields Country Club in Champaign. Those interested in golfing may sign up as a foursome or as an individual. Individual golfers will be matched with others to form a complete foursome. Attendance limited to keep our golfers safe!

For more information or to register, visit www.champaigncounty.org/events/calendar/ 14

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MEMBER ACCOLADES & NEWS REGENCY MULTIFAMILY Regency Multifamily is excited to announce the promotion of Kaci Conklin to Director of Leasing and Training. Conklin joined Regency in April 2016 as a Leasing Coordinator at Fountain Park Apartments in Bloomington, Indiana. She has since held leasing positions at most of Regency’s thirteen apartment communities in addition to operational and marketing roles.

As the Director of Leasing and Training, Conklin will share best practices with all new leasing team members, provide regular leasing quality audits, manage the company lead management system, and assist with marketing strategy and implementation.

FIRST MID BANK & TRUST First Mid Bank & Trust was recently awarded $20,000 in grant funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago COVID-19 Relief Grant Program to assist small businesses and nonprofits affected by the pandemic. Today, the bank has announced that the awarded 16

grant funds will be distributed across the bank’s footprint to local food pantries.

“With the help of the Federal Home Loan Bank, we hope these funds will be able to provide some relief to these organizations that are helping individuals and families within our communities,” says Matt Smith, chief financial officer of First Mid Bank & Trust. “Giving back to the community has always been a focus for First Mid, so we are happy that we are able to support these organizations during these times.”

ROSECRANCE Rosecrance received a grant from the Champaign County COVID-19 Response Fund, which is administered by the United Way of Champaign County and the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois. This grant will provide telehealth equipment for clients in central Illinois who rely on Rosecrance’s Mobile Crisis Response program for counseling and support.

“We are grateful for the incredible generosity of the United Way and their community partners,” said Anne Boccignone, vice president of communications and development. “The grants allow us to keep a safe, healthy environment for our clients and staff, and they help us stay connected ILLINOIS AMERICAN WATER Illinois American Water announced the following promotions within its Operations leadership team: Karen Cooper, formerly Senior Operations Manager in the Southern Division, has been promoted to Operations Director of the Southern Division and Central Divisions in Southern Illinois. In this role, she has management oversight over the company’s Interurban District (Metro East), Cairo District, Hardin County, as well as the Central Division, which serves the Alton, Godfrey and Riverbend areas.

Joe Ahlvin was named Senior Operations Manager for the Southern Division (Metro East, Cairo, Hardin County). Ahlvin has been with American Water since 2006, most recently as an Engineering Manager-Project Delivery responsible for capital investment projects in the Southern and Central Divisions.

Power 2020 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM. Illinois American Water also ranked #1 in the Midwest in the 2016 study, which was the first year for the J.D. Power Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The study measures satisfaction among residential customers of 90 water utilities that deliver water to at least 400,000 customers and is reported in four geographic regions and two size categories: Midwest Large, Midwest Midsize, Northeast Large, Northeast Midsize, South Large, South Midsize, West Large and West Midsize. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining 33 attributes in six factors (listed in order of importance): quality and reliability; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service.

In addition to ranking #1 in the Midwest Large region, Illinois American Water also achieved the highest score in the Midwest Large region for five of the six factors measured within the 2020 study – price, conservation, billing and payment, communications and customer service.

Have news to share with the local business community? Tell us about it and get featured in the Chamber’s next Commerce Connection. Email Lindsay Quick with your news, LindsayQ@ champaigncounty.org.

Brian Wiemers has been named Senior Operations Manager in the Eastern Division (Champaign, Pontiac, Streator and Sterling service areas). He has been an employee of Illinois American Water since 2010, most recently as Senior Production Manager in the Eastern and Northern Divisions.

Eric Larson has been named Senior Operations Manager for the Western Division (Peoria, Pekin and Lincoln service areas). Larson started his career at Illinois American Water in 2016 as Senior Field Operations Superintendent.

Illinois American Water has also received the J.D. Power award for ranking highest in customer satisfaction among large water utilities in the Midwest according to the J.D. 17

CHAMBER STORE - Your Marketing Partner MAILING LABELS

EVENT SPONSORSHIP

An exclusive benefit of Chamber membership, we sell mailing labels containing the names and addresses of Chamber member businesses for the purpose of member-to-member communication. Target the local business community. Two lists are available for purchase:

From monthly First Friday Coffee and Business After Hours to our annual Golf Outing, the Chamber hosts a number of events each month. By sponsoring a Chamber event, your business obtains great exposure not only at the event itself, but also within all promotional materials (emails, mailings, e-newsletters, Commerce Connection, website, etc.).

Here’s what’s coming up:

Long list (approx. 2,000 names and businesses): $175 Short list (approx. 900 names and businesses): $125

• Golf Day: Round 2- Opportunities are still available.

Additional information available upon request. Contact LindsayQ@ champaign county.org or call 217.359.1791 with any event sponsorship inquiries.

Contact Stephanie Smith-Jeffries at StephanieS@champaigncounty.org

E-CONNECTION

Our electronic newsletter is sent to nearly 2,000 businesses and businesspeople in Champaign County each week. Sponsor an e-Connection and get your business seen by thousands.

Header sponsorship (one week): $100 Contact Lindsay Quick for more information, LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org

WEBSITE MARKETING

With over 400 unique views PER DAY to the Chamber website, you’ll have the opportunity to reach thousands of customers each month. With pricing starting at just $300 this affordable and effective.Contact Lindsay Quick at LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org

EMAIL BLAST

EMAIL FOOTER SPONSORSHIP

For a great price, place an ad in every email that is sent out of the Chamber office. That’s an average of over 12,000 emails per week. The best part? Link the footer wherever you would like.

Contact Lindsay for details at, LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org

WEBSITE DIRECTORY ENHANCEMENTS

Email Blast Advertisement: $500

COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES:

This is a bi-monthly publication that is distributed to over 2,000 businesses and businesspeople in Champaign County. Content varies, but is always relevant to local business. There are a variety of ad sizes available. Ads start at only $90.

Ask about the exclusive cover package that allows your business to gain exposure before the reader even opens the publication.

Contact Lindsay Quick for more information, LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org or 217.359.1791.

Footer (one week): $75

Do you have a new product, service or information you would like to share with our entire Chamber membership? Take advantage of this exclusive offer to send broadcast emails to our entire nearly 2,000 email list.

Contact Lindsay Quick for more information, LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org

COMMERCE CONNECTION

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Rental of laptop computer; conference space and LCD projector; Certificate of Origin; Notary service; information, assistance and resources.

Reach thousands on a small budget.

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Enhance your listing on the Chamber’s online business directory. The directory gets hundreds of thousands of views each day-turn your standard (complimentary) listing into an eye-catching, search engine optimized advertisement.

Basic upgrade: included w/membership Enhanced Listing: $79/year Contact Lindsay Quick for more information, LindsayQ@champaigncounty.org

calendar of events Thursday, August 20 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

BSSS Webinar: Managing & Motivating Remotely Thursday, September 3 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Circles In-person Networking Event Thursday, September 3 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

LEAD Champaign County Kick-Off Event

Tuesday, September 15 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

BSSS Webinar: Understanding Cyber Threats for Small to Mid-Market Businesses Monday, September 28 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Chamber Golf Day: Round 2 For more information or to register for an event, visit www.champaigncounty.org/ events/calendar/

In adherence with the Restore Illinois guidelines regarding large events and mass gatherings, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce has CANCELLED the following upcoming events and programs: Thursday, August 20 Business After Hours Flooring Surfaces

Thursday, September 17 Business After Hours Iroquois Federal

Friday, September 4 First Friday Coffee First State Bank

Fast Facts

10.1% Champaign County Unemployment Rate in May 2020

29 business licenses applied for in Champaign County in June 2020

92.8

May 2020 U of I Flash Index for Illinois

199,670

rides were taken on CUMTD in June 2020

5,982 visits to the Chamber’s website, champaigncounty.org in June 2020

7,829 number of unique searches on the

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Online Business Directory in June 2020

2014 The year that the Champaign County

Chamber of Commerce was named the Illinois Outstanding Chamber of the Year

In addition, the Chamber’s large and office conference rooms will NOT be available for outside use through the end of August.

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AIR CONDITIONING

•

REFRIGERATION