Marion Chamber of Commerce Newsletter 070616

Calendar

Employment Law Seminar
07/07/2016
A comprehensive review of important aspects of both Illinois and Federal Employment Law will be covered in this full day seminar presented by members of SmithAmundsen’s Labor & Employment Law Group.

2016 Employment Law Update for Illinois Employers
07/07/2016
In this day long live seminar, the presenters will not only identify key legal trends, but offer practical options in dealing with the plethora of issues surrounding the daily tasks of managing employees on a local, regional and national basis. This seminar will offer attendees an intimate guide to more effectively and creatively manage the workplace despite the ever changing substantive and procedural changes in the law.

Peter Frampton, will be performing live at Marion Cultural and Civic Center
07/09/2016

Best practices, tips and tools for strengthening your cybersecurity program
07/12/2016
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Schaumburg Business Association proudly present the 2016 Cybersecurity Conference on Tuesday, July 12 at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, IL.

Cybersecurity Conference
07/12/2016
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Schaumburg Business Association proudly present the 2016 Cybersecurity Conference on Tuesday, July 12 at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, IL.

Supervisor and Manager Development and Training
07/12/2016
One of the most difficult tasks ANY supervisor faces is how to provide leadership to employees. It takes experience and training for one to obtain and constantly maintain the skills necessary to manage others effectively. Supervisors of all levels (especially in this day and age) need to know and understand areas of vulnerability and realize that those are constantly changing.

2016 Cybersecurity Conference
07/12/2016
This conference was designed with both small and large businesses in mind.  The event will bring together top experts from government, law enforcement and the private sector to help businesses navigate the cybersecurity framework released by the White House.  Get best practices, tips and tools for strengthening a cybersecurity program and more. 

July Monthly Membership Luncheon
07/12/2016
The Marion Chamber of Commerce Monthly Membership Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, July 12 at noon at Kokopelli. 

The presenters will be Susan Sloop and Lynn Heins with the University of Illinois Extension office. They will give a brief overview of what U of I Extension has to offer and then present “Being Mindful in a Busy World” from their Putting Wellness to Work programs. “Being Mindful in a Busy World” will help participants explore the benefits of mindfulness meditation and teach them techniques that reduce stress and increase life satisfaction. 

Mayer Networks is the sponsor of the July Monthly Membership Luncheon.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Celebrates 79th Birthday in a Big Way
07/13/2016
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts will celebrate its 79th birthday in a seriously sweet way. On July 13, Krispy Kreme Marion customers who buy any dozen doughnuts at regular price can then also buy a second dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts for 79 cents.

HR Roundtable: Oak Brook Group
07/14/2016
The HR Roundtables will provide groups of human resources professionals an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss problems, look for solutions, and discuss important issues in the regulatory environment with peers. These roundtable discussions will enhance you and your company!   

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at James Coleman Ministries
07/15/2016
A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held on Friday, July 15 at 4 p.m. at James Coleman Ministries Outreach Center & Worship Center Church, 201 South Market, Marion.

Children Learn the Fun of Theatre at Summer Workshop
07/18/2016
The community theatre company, Paradise Alley Players, is hosting a Children’s Theatre Workshop the week of July 18, 2016 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.

Children Learn the Fun of Theatre at Summer Workshop
07/19/2016
The community theatre company, Paradise Alley Players, is hosting a Children’s Theatre Workshop the week of July 18, 2016 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.

Marion Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee meeting
07/19/2016
The Membership Committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month at noon. The location of the meeting varies. Please call the Marion Chamber of Commerce to join the Membership Committee, inquire about the location of the next meeting or if you have any questions.

Children Learn the Fun of Theatre at Summer Workshop
07/20/2016
The community theatre company, Paradise Alley Players, is hosting a Children’s Theatre Workshop the week of July 18, 2016 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.

Marion Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee meeting
07/20/2016
The Marion Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m. at the Chamber office. 

Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee meeting
07/21/2016
The Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee meeting is held on the third Thurday of each month at 8 a.m. at South Porte Bank. 

Children Learn the Fun of Theatre at Summer Workshop
07/21/2016
The community theatre company, Paradise Alley Players, is hosting a Children’s Theatre Workshop the week of July 18, 2016 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Top Notch Auto Repair
07/22/2016
A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held on Friday, July 22 at 4:30 p.m. at Top Notch Auto Repair in Marion. 

Children Learn the Fun of Theatre at Summer Workshop
07/22/2016
The community theatre company, Paradise Alley Players, is hosting a Children’s Theatre Workshop the week of July 18, 2016 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.

Christmas in July
07/23/2016
Free admission. Free pictures with Santa. Silent Auction. 50/50 raffle. Vendors and crafters

Maintaining a Union-Free Workforce for 2016 & Beyond
07/28/2016
Union activity continues to increase for private sector employees of all sizes, shapes and industries. Employers need to be prepared with the right information in order to combat the growing onslaught of union activity. For those employers who wish to remain union-free, it's crucial to understand key labor law developments that continue to impact management's ability to maintain a union-free work environment. 

Baby's Best Start Fair
07/30/2016
You and your family are invited to kick off World Breastfeeding Week

Marion Main Street Open
07/30/2016
Saturday, July 30 • 1-5:30 p.m.
Downtown Marion • Cost: $50 • Only 50 tickets available

Welcome New Members

KELLY Architecture & Consulting, LLC
Andrew Kelly
Website
andrew.kelly@kellyacllc.com
Join Date: 06/16/2016

Culver's of Marion
Maria Jones
Website
amkmtj5@gmail.com
Join Date: 06/20/2016

Top Notch Auto Repair
William Miller
Website
topnotch62959@gmail.com
Join Date: 06/29/2016

Jackson County Mass Transit District
Ted Gutierrez
Website
director@jcmtd.com
Join Date: 06/30/2016

Send a Member eBlast!



The Marion Chamber of Commerce is happy to send promotional eBlasts once a week on behalf of members as a member benefit for $50. Slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. A company may only request a Member eBlast once a month. Click here for the form. 

Space available for your business on the Chamber's digital sign!

The Marion Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee members worked together to design and coordinate the construction of the new digital and stone outdoor sign at the Chamber office. The Marion Chamber of Commerce makes the electronic sign available for rent to a wide variety of Chamber members, local businesses, organizations, community groups and residents. 

Ads can be up to 2 lines of text with the typical line containing about 18 characters (including spaces). Ads will be displayed for 15 seconds on a 5 minute loop. We allow for a maximum of 20 ads, which means each ad is live on the board 288 times every day and approximately 8,760 times per month. The sign runs 24/7 so your message gets maximum exposure.

For more information or to take advantage of this great opportunity, click 
here.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at James Coleman Ministries

Business Happy Hour 7/20



The Marion Chamber of Commerce Business Happy Hour event will be held every third Wednesday each month throughout the year from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Martini Joe's in Marion. All drinks during the Happy Hour will be 1/2 price for all Marion Chamber of Commerce members. There is no charge to attend. 


All Marion Chamber of Commerce members are encouraged to attend to unwind, network and share in good company.

The 2016 schedule for the Marion Chamber of Commerce Business Happy Hour events are:
  • July 20
  • August 17
  • September 21
  • October 19
  • November 16
  • December 21

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Top Notch Auto Repair, 07-22-16

Ribbon Cutting and Open House at U of I Extension Center, 08-16-16

2nd annual Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Summit



The 2nd annual Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Summit will be held on Friday, August 26 at 11:30 a.m. at Kokopelli. 

The event will include a buffet-style lunch (cost $15 to Kokopelli), updates by your Legislators, each followed by a Q&A session moderated by a member of your Legislative Affairs Committee, and networking. 

Deadline to RSVP is August 19.


RSVPs are required.

The Legislative Affairs Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month at 8 a.m. at South Porte Bank in Marion. The Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee serves as a research and advisory committee for the Chamber's Board of Directors. The goals of the Legislative Affairs Committee are to monitor governmental matters that could impact the community or local business, present recommendations to the Chamber's Board of Directors, and to assist in the initiation of the appropriate action. The Legislative Affairs Committee is a non-partisan organization and shall neither endorse candidates for public office nor political parties.

Chamber news

Business Happy Hour held on June 15 at Martini Joes
06/15/2016
The Marion Chamber of Commerce held a Business Happy Hour event on June 15 at Martini Joes.

Business Happy Hour held on June 15 at Martini Joes
06/15/2016
The Marion Chamber of Commerce held a Business Happy Hour event at Martini Joes on June 15.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony held at Beltone Midwest on 6/21
06/21/2016
A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held at noon on June 21 at Beltone Midwest in Marion.

Marion Community Day a success
06/24/2016
Marion Community Day was held on Friday, June 24.

Official Ground Breaking Ceremony held at Culver's of Marion
06/24/2016
On Friday, June 24, Culver's of Marion held a Ground Breaking Ceremony for their new restaurant location.

Unemployment Rates Increase in Most Metro Areas
06/29/2016
A majority of Illinois’ metropolitan (metro) areas experienced increases in their over-the-year unemployment rate and half of the metro areas had increases in nonfarm jobs, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

Important Advisement Regarding Significant Risk to Future Electricity Rates

Dear Chamber members,

Just as a reminder, the Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Electricity & Natural Gas Buying Group is a real member benefit to those who participate.  Those participating from your chamber will realize estimated “real dollar savings” of $30,193 over the upcoming year.  Those are dollars that stay in your local economy and are spent over and over again.  

Important Advisement Regarding Significant Risk to Future Electricity Rates
Prepared by Affordable Gas + Electric for Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Electricity & Natural Gas Buying Group


Two prominent generators of electricity in Illinois recently announced five plant closures that will likely dramatically impact the price of electricity in Southern Illinois.

Dynegy, Inc. and Exelon Corp. both announced in separate press releases last week that they will be closing power plants in Illinois.  Dynegy will shutter 3 coal-fired power plants in Newton, IL and Baldwin, IL and Exelon will close its nuclear facility in Clinton, IL as well as their nuclear facility in Quad-Cities.  Closing dates are planned as early as September 2016 for Newton and October 2016 for one of the two Baldwin generation plants.  A second Baldwin unit is scheduled for March 2017.  Exelon has announced that Clinton will shut down on June 1, 2017 and Quad Cities on June 1, 2018.

Quoting from Q1 2016 Earnings Slides from Exelon, “According to independent analyses by PJM and MISO, there would be a significant increase in electricity prices for Illinois residents and businesses.”  A Dynegy press release states that the recent Wood River closure combined with the Newton and Baldwin closures will result in nearly 30% of the power generation capacity in Southern Illinois being lost.

OUR VIEW
AGE has been monitoring the politics behind these closures for more than two years.  Both Dynegy and Exelon claim they are operating these power plants at considerable losses and are not being compensated properly to continue to operate them any longer.  Over a year ago, Exelon proposed legislation for subsidies from all Illinois power users to cover the losses of their Clinton, IL nuclear plant.  Exelon put their proposed legislation and Clinton closure on hold for one year after a capacity auction In April 2015, yielded results that Dynegy found to be to their liking.  Results of that capacity auction (capacity is one of several components of the price of electricity) saw an 800% increase year-over-year.  Last month, the annual April capacity auction dropped to a level that both Dynegy and Exelon deemed to be too low to continue operations of their respective coal-fired and nuclear powered electricity generation facilities.

The likely impact to residential and commercial customers will be higher electricity rates at a time when the price of the actual commodity component of the price of electricity is still very favorable.  Using the car rental industry as an analogy, the number of cars available to rent at Enterprise represents “capacity”.  One still has to put “gas” in the car which represents coal, nuclear or natural gas.  In this analogy, if Enterprise didn’t have enough cars to rent, they would price that into the overall rate one pays to rent a car.  Less supply = Higher Prices.  This is what we are going to see happen in Illinois.  The actual amount of generation resources available will be significantly less, thus driving one component (capacity) of the price higher by significant levels.  At the same time, we are still in a very favorable time to secure the actual “gas” that fires the engine.

We believe that Illinois consumers will either see higher prices due to less capacity available; or prices will increase due to subsidies and legislation imposed to keep these power plants producing.  Either outcome, in our view, will result in significantly increased electricity rates.  At the end of the day, it is nearly impossible to totally protect yourself from these increases.  However, AGE believes there are recommendations we can make now to protect your business to the fullest extent possible.

RECOMMENDED STRATEGY
We believe that all electricity consumers should take advantage of the relatively low price of the “commodity” or “gas for the car” and lock in those prices for as long as suppliers are able to.

The specific strategy we have recommended to the participating members of the Southern Illinois Chamber of Commerce Electricity & Natural Gas Buying Group is to lock in a fixed rate extension that will secure rates into June of 2020, thus taking advantage of the current environment of low commodity prices - which are associated with “fueling” the generation plants.  

Any extension executed now will include today’s capacity rates, which will likely be legislatively changed in the next 18-24 months.  Regardless of supplier and contract language, all electricity supply contracts in Illinois allow for adjustments to capacity rates due to changes in law or market structure.  As a result, this impact will be felt by everyone when the dust settles on the legislative/regulatory side, but participating members in the Buying Group will realize the long-term benefits of securing the major component of the price of electricity by securing rates now.  

Rob Wielt
Sr. Energy Consultant
Cell:  (618) 231-4904
Fax:  (618) 205-5069

Marion Chamber of Commerce Newsletter - Marion Chamber of Commerce Newsletter 070616