SYCAMORE TOM AND JERRY’S
Rebuilds with Love from Community ALSO INSIDE: BEN GORDON CENTER HELPING DEKALB COUNTY DEKALB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HELPING BUSINESSES GROW & PROSPER STAGE COACH PLAYERS OFFERING CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE LIVE THEATRE
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2 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
INSIDE
BEN GORDON CENTER.................................. 4
Helping Meet DeKalb County’s Mental Health & Behavioral Needs
SYCAMORE’S TOM & JERRY’S.................... 8
Rebuilds with Community’s Love
STAGE COACH PLAYERS....................................12
Offer Chance to Experience Live Theatre DEKALB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.........14
Helping Local Businesses Connect, Grow, and Prosper
est. 1851
Photography: Shaw Media Project Manager: Lisa Angel Writers: Johnathan Bilyk Layout & Design: Courtney Weed Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media. No portion of DC Magazine may be produced without written consent of the publisher.
DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2026 | 3
Ben Gordon Center
Ben Gordon Center continues to meet the mental health, other needs of DeKalb County communities By Jonathan Bilyk
T
he story of DeKalb’s leading community mental and behavioral health center doesn’t begin in a clinical consultation on a couch.
Instead, the opening scenes are set at the front counter in a downtown DeKalb hardware store with a friendly chat between strangers sharing cups of coffee and perhaps a bit about what ails them. In the 1960s, businessman Ben Gordon operated Gordon Hardware, still in its current spot on East Lincoln Highway, just across from the city’s busy railroad tracks. At that time, passenger rail still ran through the city, en route to Chicago. And when the trains would stop in DeKalb, passengers would inevitably find their way into Ben Gordon’s store. They weren’t necessarily looking for a hammer, drill or a box of nails. Rather, they were often looking for a different kind of help, or at least the chance to talk, and to be heard. For these guests, Gordon would have coffee at the ready, perhaps a sandwich, and later, information to perhaps help these folks find the help they really needed. From there, Gordon’s vision grew into something more substantial, as he spearheaded the effort to raise money, recruit the region’s first mental health professionals, and open the DeKalb County Mental Health Clinic in 1968. Five years later, the facility was rechristened in his honor, eventually becoming the Ben Gordon Center. And nearly six decades later, while they won’t find the chance to walk out with any construction-related equipment, those who call on the professional facility now known as the Northwestern Medicine Ben Gordon Center today will still find that cup of coffee, a friendly conversation, the chance to be heard, and the tools and help they need to build a better life. “Ben Gordon was more impactful then he could have ever imagined,” said Sabrina Nicholson, Behavioral Health Services 4 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
Director in DeKalb. “And we hope we are still honoring that mission.” Since 2015, when it was acquired along with Kishwaukee Hospital and the KishHealth System, the Ben Gordon Center has grown under the leadership of Northwestern Medicine. And in that time, as in the decades prior, Nicholson said leadership at the Ben Gordon Center has consistently sought to develop and evolve the professional services and mental and behavioral health programs offered to meet the needs of the people and communities of DeKalb County. “Our goal is to save lives,” said Nicholson. “Only we don’t do it with a scalpel. Rather, we use research, evidence-based practices and a listening ear.” “We do it by offering people a safe place, where they can know, whatever they’re dealing with, it’s OK to talk about it.” As they have from the beginning, psychiatry, therapy, case management and addiction treatment and recovery remain the core of the services offered at the Ben Gordon Center, Nicholson said. But through the years, the Ben Gordon Center also has focused intensely on helping people in crisis. With that goal in mind, the Ben Gordon Center has long welcomed the community to its safe place, which it calls the community’s “Living Room.” Initially situated for years in downtown DeKalb, the program was designed to honor Ben Gordon’s original mission of providing a safe place for people in crisis to start the conversation on their path to hope. About a decade ago, however, the Living Room was relocated to the Ben Gordon Center’s primary location, now near the Kishwaukee Hospital and its heavily-used emergency department. Since then, the program has transitioned from limited traditional business hours t o full “24/7/365” availability for its non-clinical peer led services.
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“It’s always been a place for someone to go who just needs to talk, about anything,” said Nicholson. “Only now it’s available any day, any time.” And demand for the Living Room’s services has boomed “exponentially” in recent years. In 2013, for instance, Nicholson said the Living Room would average one or two visitors per month. Fast forward 13 years, and in June 2026 alone, the Living Room welcomed 248 visitors. Nicholson credited the growth in Living Room usage to several factors. The location near Kishwaukee Hospital’s emergency department and round-the-clock hours have allowed more people easier access to a space that can meet their needs much closer to where their crisis may actually be occurring. And she said, word about the Living Room has spread throughout the community, increasing awareness that the service exists. She credited money received from grants through the state of Illinois specifically to fund efforts to raise awareness. And she also credited the willingness of businesses and other organizations to help point people needing help to the Ben Gordon Center’s array of services, including the Living Room. As always, Nicholson said, guests to The Living Room are free to say as little or as much as they like. If they just need peace, they are free to sit in silence, color, journal, work with puzzles, play board games or cards, or chat with the peer recovery support specialists on site. Nicholson noted the support specialists often have had their personal experiences with crises, including mental health and substance abuse issues. And they have all received specialized crisis intervention and support training. And Nicholson said guests to The Living Room can also choose to remain anonymous. “They can say nothing,” Nicholson said. “Or they can share their life stories. It’s up to them. “And they don’t have to tell us their names, if they don’t want to. This is a space that was created for them to feel safe, like you’re in someone’s living room.” And The Living Room, of course, offers complimentary coffee. The Living Room, however, is only the beginning of the crisis services the Ben Gordon Center offers to the DeKalb County community. “The goal of our crisis services is to help people in their lowest moments,” said Nicholson. “To show them there is always hope.” For those experiencing immediate crisis, including potential suicidal ideation, the Ben Gordon Center supports the mobile crisis response team deployed by the 9-8-8 suicide and crisis hotline. When anyone calls or texts the “lifeline,” and needs an in-person supportive response, a two-person team, including a clinician and a peer support specialist, is on call to respond and travel to anyone in the county, at any time. Ben Gordon Center social workers are also embedded with police officers in local police departments, including in the cities of DeKalb, Sycamore and Sandwich, and with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, with the goal of helping local police respond to and deescalate crisis situations. Beyond crisis intervention, Nicholson said the Ben Gordon Center has further developed programs designed to support parents in the region, and particularly mothers with young children. These services include professional counseling and clinical help, 6 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
including marriage and family therapy, and counseling for children and teens. However, most recently, the Gordon Center has also begun serving the community through a partnership with the state of Illinois’ Bridge Program for Pregnant Women and Women with Dependent Children. Professionals involved in the program begin working with women before or after their children are born, coordinating with obstetricians and those involved with birthing services and postpartum care to ensure the women receive the services and support they need throughout the birth and early development of their children. “We asked, ‘How can we come together as a community to support our moms, to wrap our arms around individuals who need the support?’” Nicholson said. From there, the program helps to provide women with services they need to meet vital needs, such as food, shelter, employment, access to healthcare and more. With this in mind, Nicholson said the Ben Gordon Center has also partnered with other community organizations on such support projects. She particularly noted the partnership with Project H.O.P.E., through New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb and the DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board. Nicholson noted the team at the Gordon Center recognized that some people are more comfortable and open to receiving mental health services in their places of worship. So, the Gordon Center entered into the partnership to open new avenues of accessibility for community members to receive the services and help they need in a place they feel welcome and safe. “We are always working to identify needs in our community and respond with services to meet them where they’re at,” Nicholson said. “We are giving access to all of the resources members of our community need to support their overall health.” The Ben Gordon Center, however, also has continued to bolster the services at the core of its mission. And Nicholson said she wants the community to know that, despite what she called “nationwide conversations about the shortage of psychiatric services,” the Ben Gordon Center continues to maintain openings for those seeking help, including children and young adults for psychiatric care. She noted the Ben Gordon Center last year was able to provide services to about 3,000 people, with room for more. “In a world where people feel there’s nowhere to turn, that should never prevent anyone from reaching out,” said Nicholson. “We are here, and can always provide support and help to find the resources and services people need to live their best lives.”
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With community’s love, Sycamore Tom & Jerry’s builds for future By Jonathan Bilyk
D
iann Beaulieu and the rest of her team at Sycamore Tom & Jerry’s always knew what the surrounding community meant to them, but it wasn’t until February 2026, while standing amid wreckage and ashes, that she began to really know what the restaurant meant to the community. Months later, just talking about it still brings tears to her eyes. “The love we’ve felt from the community, there’s just no words to describe it,” said Beaulieu. “I can only hope that everyone gets to feel this once in their life.” The name Tom & Jerry’s has been a DeKalb County institution for more than five decades, including nearly 40 years in Sycamore. Founded in DeKalb in 1972 by originators and namesakes Tom Rosenow and Jerry Blessing, the restaurant changed hands in the 1980s, when it was acquired by local businessman John Pappas. The Sycamore location opened in 1987. In 2002, Beaulieu and her husband, Tom, first acquired the Sycamore location, and then the DeKalb location. She sold the DeKalb spot two years later and focused her energy on the Sycamore Tom & Jerry’s and the associated business, Catering by Diann, which launched in 2012. Over the decades, Tom & Jerry’s has grown a strong and loyal following, in Sycamore, DeKalb and beyond, thanks to the innumerable Northern Illinois University alumni dispersed throughout the Chicago area and elsewhere, who carry fond memories of grabbing a gyro, hot dog, Italian beef or any of the other long list of delicious quick serve item offered by Tom & Jerry’s for lunch, dinner or a late night snack. Through the years, the Beaulieus and their team, led by general manager Sarah Meyer and Assistant General Manager Josh Osenga, worked to not only build the business, but also further 8 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
intertwine the fate of the restaurant with what they described as their beloved local community family. The Tom & Jerry’s name was a constant for community nonprofit sponsorships or fundraisers. “Schools, churches, youth sports teams, 4-H, you name it, we love to be a part of it,” said Sarah Meyer. “If you come in here, it doesn’t matter if you’re a stranger, because we don’t want you to be a stranger for long.” In recent years, however, Beaulieu began to edge out of the business, retiring with her husband to Florida. “We were enjoying golfing three days a week,” she said with a laugh. Beaulieu and Meyer noted that toward the close of 2025, the Beaulieus had begun the process of transferring ownership of the Sycamore restaurant to Meyer and Osenga, in a transition that would have mirrored Beaulieu’s own path to ownership. She had begun working at Tom & Jerry’s in 1994, learning the ropes of running the business before ultimately buying the Sycamore restaurant eight years later. On the night of January 31, 2026, all of that went up in flames when a fire that officials say began in the roof of the restaurant spread quickly and left the building a charred wreck. In the aftermath, Beaulieu, Meyer and Osenga said there was never a moment’s hesitation of what they intended to do. “We were going to rebuild,” Beaulieu said. “Never a hesitation,” Meyer added. Meyer and Beaulieu added they knew they must rebuild, not only for themselves and the future of the business, but also for every member of the Tom & Jerry’s family, from the restaurant’s staff to the regular customers and the community at large.
DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2026 | 9
They knew it would take time, months, at the least to rebuild. “We couldn’t imagine being out of the community for that long,” said Osenga. Into that uncertainty stepped the community they loved, now returning the Tom & Jerry’s team’s investment of love and support in spades. “We could write a whole book just with all of the random acts of kindness we’ve experienced since the fire,” Beaulieu said. From the start, fellow DeKalb County business owners and others from the community arrived to comfort, console and encourage. Others helped formulate a plan. “Right from the start, people were stepping in, starting to plant seeds, saying, ‘You’re going to need a temporary location,’” Beaulieu said. They ultimately settled on a spot in a strip mall on West Peace Road, just west of Route 23, on Sycamore’s far north end, in the space that had most recently been occupied by Eggsclusive Cafe. While not ideal for the Tom & Jerry’s concept, they said the space would work for a few months, at least, as it offered a large dining room and a drive thru, and even some space from which to run the catering business. They said those accommodations were only the starting point for the restaurant’s continued vitality. The real secret sauce, they said, has come from a combination of two factors, beginning with the loyalty and hard work of Tom & Jerry’s staff. They noted that nearly every employee who was with the restaurant in January 2026 stayed with them, up to the opening of the temporary Peace Road location on March 7 and in the months following, as the restaurant found its stride in its new home-away-from-home. “After the fire, we had a meeting and asked them all to stick with us and trust us, that we had a plan,” said Meyer, tears moistening her eyes as she recalled those moments. “And they did.” The final ingredient to their success has come from the community. Numerous other businesses have donated labor and services to renovate the space or provide other touches, big and small, to combine with the elements that could be salvaged from the ashes to make the temporary quarters feel more like home. Beaulieu noted that Tom works in construction and he was amazed daily by the number of contractors and others who would simply show up daily to work, often donating their time 10 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
and skill, helping the restaurant to reopen “five weeks to the day” of the fire. Since the moment they again opened their doors, customers have poured in daily, eagerly fueling the business with their life-giving dollars in exchange for their favorite Tom & Jerry’s menu items. While the business has fairly hummed, Beaulieu and Meyer said they knew the Peace Road location would never be a permanent solution. They noted the joy they felt from the community response at the temporary location was always tempered by the sinking feeling they encountered every time they drove past or pulled into their true home off Route 23. “It was just an empty lot,” said Beaulieu. So, in the months since the fire, the new home of Sycamore Tom & Jerry’s gradually rose from the ashes and rubble, beginning in the spring of 2026. Beaulieu said they are aiming to open the new restaurant in 2026, perhaps in late fall. Meyer said they expect the new restaurant will “feel very similar” to the longstanding establishment lost to the fire. The catering business will operate from a space at the rear of the building, which is being built with a larger above-ground footprint than its predecessor to make up for lost basement space. Inside the restaurant, Meyer said the familiar open front counter will return, and Tom & Jerry’s counter staff will again call customers’ orders by name. She and Beaulieu said customers will experience a few changes, which are being put in place to improve efficiencies. Beaulieu said she will be more involved in the restaurant than she has been for some time, saying at the age of 62, the past few months have “reenergized” her to help Tom & Jerry’s return to its place in the community. “We want people to walk in and feel like they’re at Tom & Jerry’s again,” Beaulieu said. “We want our people, our family, to walk in and feel like they’re home.”
DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2026 | 11
Magical gem of opportunity Stage Coach Players offers chance to experience live theatre By Jonathan Bilyk
B
ill O’Hagan and Gloria Dennison never intended to market themselves as magicians, but they and everyone else involved in DeKalb’s Stage Coach Players community theater say they are very much in the business of spreading magic. “There is just something magical about live theater,” said O’Hagan, president of the Stage Coach Players board of directors. “Stage Coach is a place where anyone can fall in love with theater, as a kid, as an adult, and where you can continue that relationship throughout the rest of your life.” Since 1947, the Stage Coach Players have brought the stage to life in DeKalb. According to its website, the unofficial first performance took place that year, shortly after the end of World War II, when Ann Eddy Gray directed young performers in a presentation of “Pure of the Driven Snow” at the Masonic Temple building on Locust Street in downtown DeKalb.
some shows, Dennison says it is the love of theater that has kept her coming back year after year to volunteer. She believes Stage Coach Players keeps alive an increasingly rare space. “It’s just so important to keep this going,” Dennison said. “Theatre gives space for people to get away from their problems, if just for a little while, and to enjoy.” Unlike professional theatre companies, Stage Coach Players runs entirely on volunteer energy and almost entirely on donated resources. That includes everyone involved in the production, from the actors on stage, to the director in charge of the shows, and all of the set designers and technicians who help to bring every show to life. “Almost no one gets paid,” said O’Hagan. “And if they do, it’s not much. Everyone involved in this pitches in their time and their talent and their resources to create the art.”
From there, the performers sought to make a go of it as an ongoing theatre troupe. Local luminary John Ellwood then secured permission for the players to use the loft in a barn on the Ellwood Ilehamwood Farm on North First Street for their shows.
Dennison and O’Hagan said the quality of that art, along with the quantity, offered to the community has only increased with each passing season. “We always want to give our audiences interesting shows every year,” said Dennison.
When Ellwood gave them the use of his authentic stagecoach to act as a box office, the troupe quickly became known as the Stage Coach Players, and the name has stuck ever since.
Typically, Stage Coach presents seven to eight shows every year, O’Hagan said. These usually include three musicals, two comedies, a drama, a mystery or thriller—”usually around Halloween,” O’Hagan said—and a seasonal holiday-themed show during the Christmas season.
Now entering its 80th season, the Stage Coach company has bounced about to different spots in and around DeKalb to present their annual repertoire of live performances, finally landing in their current permanent location, tucked behind Gordon Hardware on South Fifth Street, just south of East Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb, in 2001. No matter where the curtain may have fallen, the Stage Coach Players have offered the community not only the chance to feel the magic of live professional-quality theater, but the opportunity to help create it. When discussing Stage Coach, current board member Gloria Dennison makes certain to remind people that she hasn’t been a part of the organization forever. But Dennison still freely admits her legacy at Stage Coach stretches well back through the decades. In addition to the thrill of at times performing on stage and even directing 12 | September 2026 | DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE
In 2026, Stage Coach has presented the musicals Gypsy, Spongebob: The Musical, and Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical; the acclaimed Tennessee Williams drama, A Streetcar Named Desire; and comedies The Man Who Came to Dinner and The Play That Goes Wrong. In October, the company will present Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula, and in December, they will present the 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol. Dennison said the quality and quantity of Stage Coach’s annual run of shows has regularly amazed others in the world of theatre. “They say, ‘You’re a community theater?’” Dennison said. “Your production is more like that of a regional theatre.” Next year’s shows have not been formally announced. But O’Hagan and Dennison confirmed they will present the musicals Come From Away and Disney’s Frozen.
Like some other very popular musicals performed by the company in the past, such as Elf, Stage Coach will present Disney’s Frozen at the much larger Egyptian Theatre to accommodate expected public demand. O’Hagan noted that Stage Coach’s regular space is “rather intimate,” with 155 seats. The Egyptian, by contrast, can hold about 1,400 people at a time. With such well-known and popular shows, O’Hagan and Dennison said they are also already preparing for what is likely to be a significant spike in demand for auditions. As a community theater, Stage Coach relies both on a roster of recurring cast members and on regular infusions of new talent from the community. Talent, they said, comes to Stage Coach from throughout the region and beyond. Some lead actors carrying particularly demanding parts, for instance, have come from as far away as Chicago, Joliet or Woodstock. But the vast majority of all those who bring Stage Coach productions to life come from the region around DeKalb, they said. “I’d say at least 85 percent of them are from the area,” said Dennison. No matter the part on stage, prospective performers must also be willing to participate in the audition process and a fairly extensive rehearsal schedule. Rehearsals typically run about three hours, five days a week, for 6-8 weeks, including mandatory rehearsals during the final three weeks before the show. “It’s a hugely important commitment, from everyone,” Dennison said. O’Hagan said the roster of Stage Coach talent generally comes from three pools of talent: Young performers in their teens and 20s, who love the arts and want opportunities to grow in the craft; middle-aged
folks, who are eager for opportunities to perform on stage with their kids;” and more seasoned empty nesters who perhaps had formerly performed on stage or worked in theatre before starting families, or who have always wanted to try, and now have the time and space in their lives to return to the stage or support the theatre in other ways. O’Hagan said he particularly understands that final group. After years of performing with Stage Coach, he took “a 10-year hiatus” to raise his kids, before finally returning to help lead the organization. “People kept saying, ‘When are you coming back?’” he said. “I knew I couldn’t stay away for long.” Typically, O’Hagan and Dennison said Stage Coach gets about 150 auditioners for each show. But more popular titles, like “Disney’s Frozen,” typically draw much larger numbers of prospective performers, and particularly performers seeking the parts for children. Auditions typically are held several months before the shows’ run dates, and Stage Coach can audition up to three shows at a time. However, even if landing a role on stage isn’t in the cards or even something desired, O’Hagan and Dennison said Stage Coach still could have a fulfilling and essential role for you off stage. The Stage Coach theater, for instance, always has need of those who can maintain the facility or assist with customer service, marketing or other administrative tasks. While on-stage talent is important, equally so who quite literally set the stage, including those who operate the lighting, audio and other technology and production equipment. “Theatre is one of the most ephemeral of all art forms,” said O’Hagan. “Yes, it has a script. But the play doesn’t really resonate with audiences until they see people on stage, moving around, performing, in the set.”
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Connect, grow & prosper After 100+ years, DeKalb Chamber continues to help local businesses, community By Jonathan Bilyk
A
ll across DeKalb these days, there is a new feeling, says Matt Duffy. That change may perhaps most readily be seen in the Interstate 88 corridor, along Fairview Drive and Gurler Road, where billions of dollars of new investment since 2020 have transformed the city.
such connections has always stood at the heart of the mission of the DeKalb Chamber.
Founded in 1924, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce has always sought to support local businesses and boost the local economic climate. “We’ve continued to evolve based on the needs and Companies including Meta, Ferrara, Kraft Heinz, Amazon and others situation of our community,” said Duffy. have reimagined the city as one of the hot spots for new economic development in Illinois, a center of employment, and a massive On the economic development front, Duffy said, the Chamber source of new tax revenue for the community. often serves “as the first point of contact” for those from outside DeKalb looking to build in the community. They’ll drop in or call and “People across the state have told me they are jealous of what say, ‘Tell me about your community,’” Duffy said. “They want to look we’ve seen and continuing to see in DeKalb,” said Duffy, who and see how strong business is in our community.” has served as executive director of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce since 2012. “There are so many metrics where we’ve In those situations, Duffy said, the Chamber gets to not only seen so much improvement.” introduce them to DeKalb, but to the local resources and people who can help to bring their vision to life. The Chamber has While the new construction may offer a great view, the changes consistently helped local business owners connect with their in the community may be best felt at a more personal level, Duffy community, in ways that he said enhance life for all in DeKalb. said. For instance, take a look at DeKalb’s downtown. Once a much less inviting locale, the area has been transformed once more into “We’re here to serve the community,” Duffy said, noting the a buzzing dining and entertainment destination, with real variety Chamber excels at creating “events, programs and other for visitors. opportunities for the business community to connect, grow and thrive.” The area’s resurgence has led even to the renovation and resurrection of important structures, some of which had long Today, the Chamber has more than 600 members, recovering lain dark and dormant. Farmers markets and other large events strongly since the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. sprinkled throughout the calendar only add to the synergy, drawing Throughout the year, the Chamber’s team and many of those many more people to drop into the heart of the city. members will gather at events large and small, all designed to “celebrate businesses” and enhance the community, Duffy said. “Now, if you go downtown, and just walk around, you can feel the energy,” said Duffy. Each month, the Chamber hosts special “ribbon cutting” celebrations to welcome and draw attention to new businesses, But the secret behind the resurgence in the Barb City, said Duffy, as well as to celebrate milestone anniversaries for DeKalb’s comes from the power of connections. And, he said, facilitating longstanding establishments and innovative institutions.
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In August, the Chamber held special ribbon-cutting events to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Mexican restaurant Burritoville on West Hillcrest Drive and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fargo Skateboarding, the popular indoor skate park inside the former Fargo Theater building on East Lincoln Highway. Each year, Chamber members continue to gather for the organization’s annual dinner, to network and celebrate outstanding businesses and Chamber members in the community. Duffy said the most recent Chamber annual dinner welcomed about 400 guests, up from 225 five years ago. The Chamber, however, does more than celebrate the past. The organization also helps to grow community leaders. For more than two decades, the Chamber has led an annual Leadership Academy. Over 10 months, the Leadership Academy helps local business professionals and community officials grow their leadership skills and effectiveness, while also connecting more deeply with the DeKalb community. The most recent Leadership Academy welcomed 25 participants. In all, 467 community leaders have completed the program in the past 23 years, Duffy said. The program is open to all, Duffy said, though Chamber members will pay a discounted rate. “These connections that are made are invaluable,” he said. “We are still seeing the effects years after.” The Chamber also offers special networking, development and connection opportunities for women business owners and other professionals through its annual Gather program. The program offers six events throughout the year. In 2026, the events included luncheons and networking breakfasts, a self-defense class, a “paint and create” evening, movie night, and the annual ATHENA Award Night, designed to “celebrate and honor” outstanding women professionals and community leaders.
15-19 chances to try out various jobs in the trades through hands-on experience and connect with local business owners and other trades professionals, and all at no cost to the students or their families. In 2026, Duffy said the Heavy Metal Summer Experience welcomed 32 students from 10 area high schools, making the DeKalb camp one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. Last year, Duffy said the DeKalb Heavy Metal Summer Experience program drew the second most applications in the nation, behind only a similar camp in Las Vegas. “It’s eye-opening for many of these students,” said Duffy. “Many of them come into it not even knowing these kinds of careers are available to them. They walk away saying, ‘I can see myself doing this.’”
Duffy said the Chamber has also moved in recent years to help facilitate connections between young people and local businesses, as the Chamber seeks to help open new avenues of opportunity for those entering the workforce.
Duffy said the program has succeeded thanks to partnerships with a number of local businesses, notably led by DeKalb Mechanical and Resource Bank. “There are so many that played a part in making this happen,” said Duffy. “It’s a true community effort.”
In recent years, the Chamber ramped up those efforts through the DeKalb Chamber Foundation. While a separate 501(c)(3) organization, the DeKalb Chamber Foundation helps to support the Chamber’s overall community development efforts, with a particular focus on workforce development, leadership programming and enhancing minority business resources.
The Chamber Foundation, however, also works with local high school students to help them develop the more generalized skills they will need to land just about any kind of job, such as how to interview for jobs and how to engage with people face-to-face in a professional way.
Those efforts have manifested in several concrete ways, including partnering with local educators, contractors and other businesses to introduce students to a range of career pathways, including through the building trades. The effort begins each fall with the annual Trades Exploration Day, which in 2026 is scheduled for Oct. 21 at DeKalb High School. The day offers students the chance to talk with those involved in the trades to discuss opportunities and how they may get involved in the business. Then, each year, the Chamber Foundation rolls out its Heavy Metal Summer Experience. The summer camp gives local students ages
The Foundation will help some students secure a certificate of employability, as well. “These are the kinds of ‘soft skills’ that are needed in the workforce, no matter where you work,” said Duffy. “And we see students improve quite a bit in a short amount of time.” But perhaps more valuable still, Duffy said students who participate in these programs can also make connections with local employers and other professionals, potentially positioning them for a more successful future. “Altogether, what we do helps to get more people working, more networking, more connections, and more growth, throughout the community,” Duffy said. DEKALB COUNTY MAGAZINE | September 2026 | 15