Princeton Chamber Blog

Chamber Carnival Fundraiser Set for Beef & Ag Weekend

2009-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Chamber Members,

With the financial responsibility we are facing due to the bankruptcy of CertifiChecks, Inc., the Chamber of Commerce is moving forward on a number of options to quickly resolve the issue, one being a carnival fundraiser during Beef & Ag weekend. Our goal with the carnival is to raise funds toward the reimbursement of the outstanding CertifiChecks gift certificates that have been collected, which total $9930. In order to enhance the carnival, we are inviting your organization to participate.

The Chamber has hired a local amusement company to provide a small carnival with rides, games, and concessions for July 17-18. We’d like to invite you to add other activities that will help draw attendance to the carnival and also give your organization exposure, for instance; child safety seat demonstrations, a display to promote a non-profit organization, etc… Do you have other ideas? We’d love to hear them.

We want to add activities to compliment what has already been planned for Beef & Ag weekend. The Bureau County Cattleman’s Association will be holding their annual cookout Friday night at Soldiers & Sailors Park and Saturday at the Bureau County Fairgrounds. Citizens First National Bank will again sponsor the Decatur Park Singers on Friday night. And Festival 56 will be in full swing.

Please help the Chamber of Commerce raise the necessary funds.

Give me a call or email me with your ideas. We would greatly appreciate your involvement and are hoping that our members will support us in our efforts to resolve the CertifiChecks issue as well as provide the community with a fun weekend.

Sincerely,

Erika Robbins
Executive Director

Chamber Carnival Hours and Location:
Prouty Building parking lot
435 S. Main Street
Friday, July 17 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
$10 wristbands: unlimited rides between 4:00 pm - 8:00pm
Saturday, July 18 2:00 pm – 10:00 pm
$10 wristbands: unlimited rides between 2:00 pm - 6:00pm

Building Improvement Grant Applications Available

2009-06-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Chamber Ambassador Club and The Chamber of Commerce are offering up to $500.00 in grant funds for the purpose of repairing and improving the character of buildings located in the city of Princeton. Grants are offered to Chamber Members as one-to-one matching funds for the actual costs of qualifying projects. Funds will be offered on a first-come basis until all existing grant money is used. Although more than one project may be funded on a single property, the total of grant funds that may be obtained for a single property is limited to $500.00 in any one-year period.

The goals of the program include offering an attractive environment for visitors to Princeton, improving the business economy, adding to the pride of ownership of buildings, and generally improving the quality of life for the residents of Princeton.

In 2008, nine businesses were awarded nearly $15,000 for improvements that included roof repair, paint and drywall, new windows, and new signage. The projects that we assisted were estimated to total just over $77,000. The funds were awarded to both new start-up businesses as well as some long time Princeton business, including one not-for-profit business. For an application or more information, contact Erika at 815-875-2616, visit the Chamber web site at www.visitprinceton-il.com under the Business Development tab.

Illinois Main Street Designation

2009-06-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Chamber Members, June 19, 2009

We wish to notify you regarding the discontinuation of Princeton’s Main Street designation with the State of Illinois. Over the past three years, we have become increasing frustrated with the lack of support from Springfield as well as the costly demands being made on member communities just to be part of the program.

A year ago, the Chamber and Main Street Board of Directors wrote letters to the National and State Main Street offices outlining our concerns and recommendations for improvements. We have received no response. This lack of response during the past year has given us reason to focus our resources in areas we feel are more cost effective.

The discontinuation of the Main Street designation has no affect on our current programs. The only change this discontinuation will have is the removal of the posted “Illinois Main Street Community” signs on the outskirts of the city.

The mission of the Princeton Chamber of Commerce continues to be to promote the viability, continued growth and quality of life in the Princeton area. The Chamber remains committed to meeting with and working closely with the membership to offer programs and services that support our mission. A number of these programs are listed.

Member Services:
Business referrals via phone, mail and web site
Building Improvement Grant Program
Gift certificate program
Bi-monthly newsletter
Ribbon Cuttings
Networking opportunities - monthly Business After Hours and the Annual Meeting
Co-op advertising and sponsorship opportunities
Web site with a searchable membership directory
Chamber Ambassador Club

Community Development Activities:
Economic development support
Christmas Open House
Lunch In The Park
Farmer’s Market
Tourism marketing and promotion
Community calendar
Community information clearinghouse
Flower pots on Main Street

The Chamber also remains focused on developing new ideas to encourage new or expanded business, promoting Princeton as a tourist destination, and encouraging local support of our Princeton businesses.

Please feel free to give me a call at 815-875-2616 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Erika Robbins

Bureau County Farmers Market Kick Off

2009-06-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

The kick off for the Bureau County Farmers Market is this afternoon at Darius Miller Park. Activities start with a ribbon cutting at 3:00pm. There will be children's activities throughout the afternoon, a cooking demonstration with Chef Monika Sudakov from Chestnut Street Inn at 5:30pm, a live broadcast with WZOE radio, and of course fresh produce by our local producers.

Strawberries, rhubarb, radishes, salad greens, and various herbs are some of the items in season right now. You'll also find baked goods and jams every week.

Remember, the Farmer's Market is open every Tuesday from 3:30pm to 6:30pm and every Saturday from 8:30am to 2:00pm.

Ground Breaking Ceremony:
I was able to attend the ground breaking ceremony at Zearing Park yesterday to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the new soccer fields. Elaine Russel, Director of the Princeton Park Distri ct said that their goal for completion is summer 2010.

Congratulations to the Princeton Park District Board and Staff, the City of Princeton and all those involved in making this project happen. As Mayor Cain said during the ceremony, “This is a great project to help keep young people interested in Princeton.” I couldn’t agree more. Just goes to show you what can happen with teamwork and a shared vision. Read the full story.

CertifiChecks Update

2009-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

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.