Chamber Blog

Microsoft, US Chamber of Commerce want increase in H1B visa cap

WASHINGTON: With the filing of application for H1B visa, widely sought by Indians, for the next fiscal set for April one, the US Chamber of Commerce and major corporations like Microsoft are pushing for extending the cap on the numbers for benefit of the American economy.

Last year the limit of 65,000 was breached on the first day itself and the situation is expected to be no different this time around.

The US Chamber of Commerce is throwing its weight behind the idea to relax the numbers on the ground that it would benefit growth.

However, the general feeling is that Congress is neither going to do anything on an explosive issue in an election year that saw debates on outsourcing and displacement of jobs.

Indications are that law makers will use the remaining session of the 110th Congress by looking at the abuses of the H1B and other visas by the employers rather than considering an increase of the quota.

Read full story [India Times]

Chamber CEO on paid leave

Terry Carter, president and CEO of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, is on administrative leave with pay and the chamber is "working on a process of disengagement," the chamber's attorney said Wednesday.

The chamber board decided Wednesday in a special meeting to put Carter on administrative leave with pay and make executive vice president Ken Treviño the acting president and CEO, chamber attorney Van Huseman said.

"The board did this to get all this discord and dissension behind us," Huseman said. "We are trying to put an end to all of this."

Carter's attorney, Rene Rodriguez, said he informed his client of the decision late Wednesday afternoon and Carter would decline to comment. Rodriguez said he did not know the reason for the board's decision and he had no further details.

Chamber chairman Freddie Martinez Jr. said that because of pending litigation he didn't want to comment any further on Carter's employment status with the chamber.

"I don't know what can and can't be said right now so I would rather not elaborate," Martinez said.

Carter has been with the chamber since 2004

Read full story [Caller.com]

Kansas City Chamber of Commerce names top 10 small businesses

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has named 10 area businesses as its Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year.

The businesses were selected from a record 151 candidates and will now compete for the annual Small Business of the Year and Mr. K awards.

The winners will be announced at the chamber’s annual small business luncheon on May 20.

Criteria for the award include growth, sustainability, community service and employee relations.

The Top 10 are. . .

Click here for full story [KC Star]

For additional Information on Kansas City, visit the KCinsider.com

Chamber program helps students make good CHOICES

When the freshmen students at Huntsville High School walked into their history and world geography classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, they didn’t find their regular teachers and they didn’t learn their regular lessons.

Instead, they were faced with community leaders from a variety of businesses and organizations in Walker County who were there to discuss the importance of choices.

During the two-day CHOICES program, which was organized by the Chamber of Commerce, the community leaders spent approximately an hour and a half with the freshman classes discussing the role even the smallest choices can play in the course of their lives.

“With our program this year, we were hoping to talk to all freshmen students in the Walker County school districts including those in New Waverly,” said Jacki Dawson, owner of Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. “We were hoping to let them know that, as community leaders, we care about them.

“We want them to understand that every single choice they make has a consequence; it might be good and it might be bad, but there is always a consequence.”

Kimm Thomas, Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce vice president, said the presentations made during the program focused on encouraging the students to make life decisions at an early stage which would have long-term, positive affects.

“If they’ll learn self-discipline now, they’ll make better choices,” she said. “With better choices now, they’ll end up making better decisions later on life, and that’s what we’re going for today.”

Read full story [The Huntsville Item]

One such example is the chamber's ongoing communication with the Department of Transportation. Along those lines, here is some information you will find of interest:

One such example is the chamber's ongoing communication with the Department of Transportation. Along those lines, here is some information you will find of interest:

Most of you are now aware that over the next few years, Upward Road will be widened to four lanes. This is the rest of the story.

After several years of planning, DOT had come to a pivotal point in the design process for Upward Road. Many businesses along that corridor, as well as the Chamber, were asking for a five-lane road with a center turn lane. DOT was committed to a four-lane divided road with a few left hand turn options. With the project at a critical point of going back to the drawing board (something that would have pushed this essential highway improvement back as much as 20 years), I along with a small chamber contingent, met at DOT headquarters in Raleigh for a day of discussion. Over the course of several hours, we were able to work with DOT to increase the number of left-hand turnouts, as well as add more intersections. This solution met DOT's needs for a safer thoroughfare that would keep traffic flowing. It also was more business friendly with improved access over the previous plans, and helped to create what will be one of our city's most attractive entrances, complete with attractive landscaping.

Carl Shaw, our 2007 chamber board president, really brought home the scope of what the Chamber helped to accomplish: "Ten years from now, there are likely to be several additional successful businesses located on Upward Road as a result of the work that the Chamber invested many years before." It is our goal to continue making an active difference in our community in the years to come for our members, friends and Henderson County. 

Read full story [BlueRidgeNow]

Man suing Martinez chamber of commerce

An ousted Martinez Chamber of Commerce board member is suing the organization for defamation, infliction of emotional distress and discrimination, according to court records.

In a lawsuit filed in Contra Costa Superior Court earlier this month, Jay Jahangiri, who owns an environmental consulting firm in Martinez, also alleges he has lost business because chamber members have been urging others to boycott his business. Jahangiri's business remains open.

Neither Jahangiri nor former chamber President John Crain, who is named as a defendant, returned calls seeking comment. Lou Schoeneman, executive director of the chamber, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but he said the chamber's attorney is scheduled to meet with the board about it next week. The incidents happened in 2007, according to the suit.

Some of the most damning allegations in the suit are ethnically charged statements attributed to Crain. Jahangiri, an American citizen born in Iran, accuses Crain of referring to him as they crossed paths in Martinez as a "Middle Eastern al-Qaida troublemaker." All of the derogatory remarks made by Crain were directed to Jahangiri and weren't in front of a chamber audience, according to the suit.

Oakland attorney Michael Crain, who is John Crain's brother and is representing him in the suit, dismissed the allegations.

Read full story [mercurynews]

Study: Best companies to work for are usually chamber of commerce members

The best places to work tend to belong to their local chamber of commerce, according to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in the United States and Canada this year, 94 are members of their local chamber, including all of the top 24.

Separately, ACCE found that in a random sample of 100 companies in the Fortune 1000, at least 75 were members of their local chamber.

“This ‘Best Companies to Work For’ information is one more indication that the best companies tend to be chamber members,” according to ACCE President Mick Fleming. “If a company cares about its employees, there’s a good chance it also cares about its community and the chamber is the way that great employers invest in both.”

Read full story [Springfield News-Leader]

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce aims to assist entrepreneurs with 'JumpStart'

FLINT -- Does your business need a jump-start?

The Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce is offering training to entrepreneurial spirits looking to start a new business or give a boost to an existing one.

"JumpStart" -- the first event of its kind sponsored by the chamber -- starts at 8 a.m. March 20 at the Holiday Inn in Mundy Township and will feature business tips from area professionals.

Starting a small business is a common dream in Genesee County, where thousands of autoworkers have taken buyout packages that left them with a lot of time and money on their hands, said Nell Taylor, business development manager for the chamber.

It's one of the chamber's goals to help them succeed, said Taylor, who views small businesses as the key to Flint's economic recovery.

"We want to streamline the process for business assistance," Taylor said.

Brenda R. Williams, owner of Vision Manufacturing & Plastics Inc. of Flint, will attend the program to learn the elements of a good business plan and how to market her company nationally.

read full story [Mlive]

Chamber of commerce a fine example of good leadership

In order to properly frame this article, I must start off with a disclosure. I am a proud past-president of the Orillia Chamber of Commerce. Commerce, whether it be industry, commercial, retail or service, is vital to the health of every community. I have always been a great believer in the chamber of commerce movement.

Government employment at all three levels, school board employment and non-profit employment are important, but remember, without commerce to generate activity, income and taxes, the public sector would be hard pressed to exist. Castro has been trying to prove this for 50 years. A visit to Havana, not the beaches of Varadero, will prove that point.

I was president of the chamber in 1975. As I once told a chamber audience, we all tend to remember "the good old days" with fondness when we ran faster, played harder, worked harder, and generally surpassed today. Well, we suffered in comparison with today's chamber.

We had the Santa Claus Parade and had just started to think seriously about the waterfront by installing 10 power outlets so that overnight visitors could hook up to electricity. We ran the license bureau. We didn't have much of an impact.

Over the years, the chamber has developed the waterfront into a jewel of an attraction on the Trent-Severn. Crowd-pleasing and fundraising events have made the waterfront a terrific attraction during the summer. The annual general meeting has grown into a "must be at" event in early January each year with a star speaker. Membership is strong and vibrant. In short, the chamber is a going concern.

One other new program of the chamber is the Business Achievement Awards evening. Over the years, I have been at a few notable events. I still get a charge out of this one.

Read full story []Chamber of commerce a fine example of good leadership

In order to properly frame this article, I must start off with a disclosure. I am a proud past-president of the Orillia Chamber of Commerce. Commerce, whether it be industry, commercial, retail or service, is vital to the health of every community. I have always been a great believer in the chamber of commerce movement.

Government employment at all three levels, school board employment and non-profit employment are important, but remember, without commerce to generate activity, income and taxes, the public sector would be hard pressed to exist. Castro has been trying to prove this for 50 years. A visit to Havana, not the beaches of Varadero, will prove that point.

I was president of the chamber in 1975. As I once told a chamber audience, we all tend to remember "the good old days" with fondness when we ran faster, played harder, worked harder, and generally surpassed today. Well, we suffered in comparison with today's chamber.

We had the Santa Claus Parade and had just started to think seriously about the waterfront by installing 10 power outlets so that overnight visitors could hook up to electricity. We ran the license bureau. We didn't have much of an impact.

Over the years, the chamber has developed the waterfront into a jewel of an attraction on the Trent-Severn. Crowd-pleasing and fundraising events have made the waterfront a terrific attraction during the summer. The annual general meeting has grown into a "must be at" event in early January each year with a star speaker. Membership is strong and vibrant. In short, the chamber is a going concern.

One other new program of the chamber is the Business Achievement Awards evening. Over the years, I have been at a few notable events. I still get a charge out of this one.

Read full story [Packet and Times]

Olathe Chamber of Commerce Earns U.S. Chamber Five-Star Accreditation

Top designation places Olathe Chamber in top 1 percent in nation

The United States Chamber of Commerce today awarded the Olathe Chamber of Commerce a Five-Star Accreditation for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures, and positive impact on the community. Fewer than one percent of the nation's chambers have earned this highest level of designation from the organization.

"We are proud to be the first and only chamber in the state and in the Kansas City area to earn the U.S. Chamber's Five-Star rating," said L. Franklin Taylor, Olathe Chamber president. "Achieving this level of accreditation reaffirms the importance of our mission, our impact on the community, and the overall outstanding vision and work of our staff, members, volunteers and community partners."

The Olathe Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber in Johnson County and the second largest in the Kansas City area, is, by mission, "the voice of business that advances the economic well-being and quality of life in Olathe." In 1999-2000 the Chamber was selected by the National Association for Membership Development, an affiliate of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, to receive the "Nation's Best Chamber" Award for Excellence.

"Accreditation recognizes chambers for their high standards of practice, full accountability to members, and steadfast commitment to community," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We applaud these organizations for advancing these principles of free enterprise."

Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement. To receive accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs, communication, and technology. The accreditation process is an intensive, three-to-six month process.

Read full story [KC infoZine]