Changes at Chamber630

At the end of July, the Chamber630 Nomination Committee finalized interviews for those applying to serve on the Board of Directors. Their recommendation was presented to the full Board and unanimously endorsed. Joining the Chamber630 Board are Ron Castrogiovanni, Waddell & Reed – Ron Castrogiovanni; Daniel Coil, Waddell & Reed – Daniel Coil; Dean Malone, Midwestern University; Kevin O'Flaherty, O'Flaherty Law; and Chuck Zimmerman, Corporate Strategies & Solutions.

Per the Chamber630 bylaws, additional nominations may be made by any Member in good standing by presenting a petition signed by 50 or more Members in good standing. If there are no additional nominees, these fine folks will be considered unanimously elected. There will be a more formal announcement at the Chamber630 Awards Ceremony on September 17that the Tivoli Theatre. Their three year term will commence on October 1^st. 

We’re very excited to have new leadership injected into the governance process of the Chamber while maintaining the sage leadership of second term Directors, Dan Coil and Dean Malone. I’m grateful to the extended time the Nomination Committee dedicated to this process. Jim Delaney of SpeedPro Imaging, Marc Hausmann of Maclyn, Joe Malas of Advocate Health Care, Bill Timmins of Prudential, Gene Sallee of YonanCarpet One and Lisa Wenzel of Wenzel Select Properties all did a tremendous job of vetting the candidates.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank and recognize the many outgoing Directors. With the two-Chambers merge last July, the Board instantly grew to over 30 members, in contrast the 2015 Board will consist of 21 Members. On behalf of all the Members, I’d like to extend gratitude and thanks for the hard work put into the creation of Chamber630. Having served two or more terms and leaving the Board are Keith Hoffman, 1st Advantage Mortgage; Melna Langham, Blooming Color; Bob Miller, MRS Consulting; Barbara Schmith of West Suburban Community Pantry and Kandy Sladek. Brian Kot, Cray Kaiser LTD. and Brian Kwilosz, EXIT Real Estate Partners have also completed their term. Without the dedication of these business people, Chamber630 would not be in the coveted and respected position it is in today.

Chamber630 has welcomed two new staff members as well. Coming to us fresh from Western Illinois University, Shannon Kragel is the Marketing & Events Associate. She has experience in public relations, interned at the Bulls/Sox Academy redesigning their website and has a degree in Graphic Communications, minor in Marketing with an emphasis on events. Heidi Brugh is the new Business Development Associate focusing on the businesses in the southern region of the Chamber630 area. From Indianapolis, she worked with their chamber of commerce and is an experienced marketing and sales professional.

Every person mentioned in this column has positively impacted the business community in this area. I am grateful for their service and look forward to a bright future for Chamber630.