CertifiChecks Update

As many of you know, the Princeton Chamber and Chambers of Commerce across the country discovered that CertifiChecks, Inc., the company which administered gift certificate programs for Chambers and other organizations, ceased operations as of February 26, 2009 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 13, 2009.

The Princeton Chamber had stopped using CertifiChecks on February 1, 2009 and began a new local gift certificate program because we were not satisfied with their services.

When we became aware of the CertifiChecks problem on February 27, the Princeton Chamber took immediate action. We notified all members to stop taking the CertifiChecks, and encouraged them to send the certificate holders to the Chamber office. We also reimbursed, in full, any Chamber Members who had taken CertifiChecks prior to the initial notice. Then we provided a public notice, asking everyone to bring any outstanding CertifiChecks to the Chamber Office by May 1, 2009.

Once we had all of the outstanding CertifiChecks, the Chamber Board of Directors could assess the damage done to our community by CertifiChecks.

CertifiChecks gift certificates in the amount of $9930 have been turned in to the Chamber office. The Chamber Board is committed to be responsible for 100% of the value of these CertifiChecks. We ask for your patience while the Board attempts to raise these additional dollars. At this time we are committed to reimbursing everyone but we do not know where the funds will come from or when they can be paid.

If you can help the Chamber find the funding for this reimbursement, or can step forward to help us through this financial challenge, the entire area will appreciate your generosity and community spirit. We assure you that if we are awarded any money in the bankruptcy case, it will be used to repay those that have helped.

The Chamber is in the process of preparing a claim in the amount of $9930 against CertifiChecks’ bankruptcy case in an effort to reclaim the money.

As we noted above, the Princeton Chamber had already switched to a new, locally-managed Gift Certificate program as of February 1, 2009. We encourage you to use our new Gift Certificates to continue to encourage local purchases.

For further information, please feel free to contact Erika at the Chamber office at 815-875-2616.

Sincerely,


Erika Robbins
Executive Director, Princeton Chamber of Commerce

Rex D. Conger
Chairperson, Chamber Board of Directors
President and CEO, Perry Memorial Hospital

Why Should You Be A Member of The Princeton Chamber?

The Princeton Chamber of Commerce is a service and action organization for business as well as a community development organization. It provides a venue through which businesses can take effective action for the progress of Princeton. The Chamber’s Board of Directors and full-time staff act as a proactive voice for their membership.

The Princeton Chamber also provides a number of services to its members including business referrals, networking opportunities, co-op advertising, breakfast seminars, a gift certificate program, and a web site. In addition, there are many community development activities the Chamber is actively involved in including economic development, downtown revitalization, tourism, a community calendar, and we act as a clearinghouse of community information.

The personal and financial support of its members enables the Chamber to carry out its broad program of work to protect business, encourage continued growth, and improve the quality of life in Princeton.

A few of the things the Chamber working on today...

Women In Business - Co-Chair, Andrea Anderson (from the Zearing Child Enrichment Center) and I are working on a summer luncheon. More details will be announced as the speaker and venue are confirmed. At our January luncheon, we had just over 60 attendees, great food prepared by Kramer's Kitchen, and an inspiring presentation by Nedda Simon. Have ideas for future topics? Please share!

Bureau County Farmer's Market - The market kicks off this Saturday, May 30 at 8:30am at Darius Miller Park. Every first Tuesday of the month, there will be a cooking demonstration by Chef Monika from Chestnut Street Inn at 5:30pm and children's activities throughout the afternoon. Farmer's Market Hours: Tuesday's from 3:30pm-6:30pm and Saturday's from 8:30am - 2:00pm.

The Ambassador Golf Outing held last week was a great success. Thanks to everyone who played. We had 14 teams. Thanks also to our generous sponsors. The proceeds from the outing will help to fund the Chamber's Building Improvement Grant. All members within the city limits are eligible for this $500 matching grant. It can be used for permanent improvements to your buildings. Like more information? Click here for guidelines and application.

Princeton Tourism Marketing Partnership Grant - We've been busy writing a grant to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a Marketing Partnership Grant. If we are awarded this grant, we will be able to expand the promotion of Princeton to prospective visitors. Some of the projects included in the grant are billboard, radio, cable TV, and newspaper advertising as well as printing costs for various guides about Princeton and web site development. We hope to hear by July 1 about our award status. I'll keep you posted.

The fourth annual Kids Market is being planned for Saturday, June 13 at Soldiers & Sailors Park. The sale will run from 9:00am to noon. Young entrepreneurs are required to register by June 5 by calling the Chamber office at 815-875-2616. What is Kids Market? Princeton area children (entrepreneurs) ages 6-12 are invited to participate. If your kids have too much stuff and they'd like to turn that stuff into cash, this is the perfect opportunity. The kids bring their toys they don't play with anymore to the sale and sell them to shoppers or trade with other entrepreneurs at the market. Remember, you need to pre-register or you won't get the cool FREE t-shirt.

What's on your mind right now? If you'd like to comment on any of the topics above (or other business issues and concerns), I encourage you to do so.