Chamber Conversation -- Exceptional Customer Service

Providing exceptional customer service is the cornerstone for all companies. There may be challenges when working with a customer who is “difficult” or unreasonable. Come to our Chamber Conversation to learn the most effective customer strategies.

 Presented by Steven Rossetti, Director of Training and Development for The Synergy Companies, Inc., please plan on joining us on Thursday, March 1 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Chamber office in downtown Elgin. Reservations can be made at elginchamber.com. There is a $15 charge for Chamber members and $25 for non-members. 

At this interactive Chamber Conversation, you and your staff will come to understand the importance of exceptional customer service, implement strategies to provide exceptional customer service and learn effective communication techniques to deal with the “difficult” customer.

Chamber Conversations are casual monthly events that give our members the opportunity to network and gain a quick grasp of a timely business topic from a featured speaker. These speakers can be Chamber Board members, Business, or Community Leaders speaking on a variety of topics within their area of expertise. Make your reservation online at elginchamber.com to learn to make your collections more successful! 

Workforce Committee Seeks Nomination

The EDG's Workforce Development Committee is accepting nominations for its annual Workforce Development Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize a business, educational institution or organization that is making an exceptional contribution to our area's workforce development.
The award is based upon the following criteria:

• Employers who have developed innovative training programs
• A corporate culture emphasizing employee learning
• Promotion and involvement in skill development and educational attainment resulting in certifications or special honors
• School / business partnerships including internships, work / study programs and facility tours 

  

  Jeanette Mihalec and ECC's Dr. Sam

  

The award will be presented at the Chamber's Annual Awards Luncheon in March. Previous award recipients have been Schleifring Medical Systems, Fabric Images, DLA Architects, Hoffer Plastics and Elgin Community College, (Skills USA) and the River Valley Workforce Investment Board.

For more information on the award or to make a nomination, please contact Bob Malm at the Chamber office, 847-741-5660. Nominations will be received until February 29, 2012.

Nelson Retiring as Elgin Area Chamber President; Gieske Appointed to Position

Leo Nelson, president of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce announced his retirement at this morning’s meeting of the Chamber Board of Directors and Carol Gieske has been appointed to assume the role of President of the Chamber.

 “On behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors, we accepted Leo's retirement as President with regret,” said John Hurlbut, Chamber Board chair. “At the same time, we are pleased Carol Gieske has accepted the position of President of the Chamber. The Board agreed we are in the best possible position to continue to be successful both in our traditional business advocacy role as well as our economic development program with Carol in the leadership position.”

Gieske has extensive leadership experience, serving as President of the Provena Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation for seven years before joining the Chamber as Vice President of Communications and Special Events in 2007. Prior to joining the Hospital, she was President of the United Way of Elgin from 1986 to 2001. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to leverage the expertise of our Board of Directors, staff, and community volunteers to reach out to our business community and advocate on their behalf,” said Gieske.

On staff with the Chamber since 2000, Nelson agreed to stay on part time with the organization to work in economic development. He joined the Chamber after retiring from Hoffer Plastics as Human Resources Manager for 16 years. Previous to Hoffer, Nelson came to Elgin as the City Manager from 1972 to 1984. “We are fortunate that he has agreed to stay with us and work, on a more limited schedule, to continue our important economic development efforts,” said John Hurlbut.

“When I took the position, I promised I would give the Chamber at least two years as president.  Time has flown by. The work has been challenging but very satisfying. Those two years I promised have somehow turned into 11,” said Nelson. “Now that I'm 77 years old, I plan to take more time for myself, my wife, and our grandchildren.”

Hurlbut said under Nelson’s leadership, the Elgin Area Chamber has been successful in developing the public/private economic development program Elgin. Through the Elgin Development Group, Hurlbut said, “Leo has been instrumental in developing partnerships which leverage the City’s investment with the Chamber’s economic development experience and expertise, giving our city a real competitive advantage in retaining and attracting businesses.”

Dear Chamber Members:

On November 16^th, Terry R. Royer, CEO/President of Winergy Drive Systems Corp., had the opportunity to spend the day in Washington DC along with ten of his peers from the Industry to discuss challenges that our industry leaders are facing. This was a joint effort coordinated by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The purpose for the trip was to educate and drive support with legislators for the extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which is currently set to expire at the end of 2012. 

The federal production tax credit (PTC), wind energy’s primary policy tool to promote U.S. wind development, is set to expire at the end of 2012. The PTC has been allowed to expire on multiple occasions in the past, and at those times, wind energy installations have dropped by as much as 93% from the previous year, leading to a boom-bust cycle for the wind industry. As you can imagine we cannot allow this to happen again. On November 2, 2011, Representative Reichert (R-WA-08) and Representative Blumenauer (D-OR-03) introduced H.R. 3307 to extend the renewable energy production tax credit. Without such an extension the Industry is at risk of once again experiencing a downturn. While in Washington the team met with a number of Congressional leaders to push for support of this bill.

In addition to meeting with Members of Congress from both sides we also had the opportunity to meet at the White House. There the team met with Peter Rouse, senior advisor to the President and a member of the White House staff. Once again the team of industry leaders had the opportunity to tell about our success story of the Wind Industry and the need to continue and support the extension of the PTC. 

In all cases the meetings were a success.  The team had the opportunity to tell our story and ask for support. 

In addition Mr. Royer is working with those members of congress from the state of Illinois to gain their support as well.  Mr. Royer expects to get some of them into the facility in the near future. 

While it is not clear as to the outcome at this point, it is clear that we must all speak to be heard.  The attached link below is where you can learn more about the PTC and why it is necessary to support growth the industry. In addition you also can show support by contacting your local members of Congress and urging them to sign the bill. http://action.awea.org/page/content/windPTC/   

Mr. Royer along with his industry colleagues will continue to make a difference within the industry.

Sincerely,

Terry R. Royer, PE
CEO/President

Winergy Drive Systems Corporation

Elgin Showcased



Sharon Stead, Mayor David Kaptain, Leo Nelson



Sharon Stead, Director of the Illinois West European Trade and Investment Office in Brussels, was in Elgin earlier this month. As part of her visit to Illinois communities, she included Elgin in her itinerary because of our relationship with her office and the EDG's reputation for attracting foreign companies to our city. While in Elgin, Sharon was shown several of our business parks and the downtown. During the whirlwind visit, she had the opportunity of greeting Mayor David Kaptain and Sean Stegall, City Manager. Sharon came away very impressed with our community and the quality and diversity of our business parks. 

It was extremely enjoyable and interesting to visit Elgin, commented Sharon after returning to Brussels.

 "I would like to thank you all for hosting me, driving me and showcasing Elgin. It was very educational, and I now have a very good understanding of what Elgin is about, and why you have been successful in attracting so many foreign companies.

Mike O'Kelley, Sharon Stead, Leo Nelson

My colleagues and I look forward to a continued working relationship and to helping you bring more companies to Elgin, and to putting Elgin clearly on the radar screen of foreign companies looking to invest unto the U.S."

Elgin's Unemployment Rate - A Five Year Perspective

The accompanying table presents Elgin's monthly unemployment rate NOT seasonally adjusted, for the five years 2007 - 2011. The last column indicates the average rate for the respective year.

City Of Elgin

Unemployment Rates

NOT Seasonally Adjusted

Source: Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)

There are approximately 57,800 people in the Elgin labor
force, according to the most recent figures from IDES.











Suzlon Opens State-of-the-Art Training Center in Elgin

Suzlon Wind Energy Corp., the North American subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL) - the world's fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer - opened a state-of-the-art training center in Elgin on October 19th. The center will provide training for wind technicians across its North American operations.

The training center is a new edition to Suzlon's 64,000-square-foot central distribution center in Elgin, IL., which opened in October 2010.

Suzlons eco-friendly training facility will feature a 4,000-square-foot lab, an 8,000-square-foot wind turbine training center, and North America's only fully operational wind turbine dedicated exclusively for training purposes.

The center also is equipped with a fully powered independent hub and pitch system to allow for simultaneous training in the nacelle and in the hub. Suzlon has also installed a unique "working-at-heights" training area to simulate on-the-job experiences working atop wind turbines. Suzlon has also designed the facility to allow room for a second turbine to accommodate growth.

Environmentally friendly features of the center include energy-efficient LED lighting, LED televisions and sound-proofing technology that converts sound to heat. The HVAC system operates at better than 98 percent efficiency, and the building materials were made with recycled or eco-friendly products.

Andris Cukurs, CEO of Suzlon

"People want to see more green jobs, and I'm proud to say that Suzlon plans to train 300 wind technicians this year who work at our wind farms across North America," said Andris Cukurs, CEO of Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. "This is valuable training and knowledge that our employees will bring to maintaining more than 1,200 turbines in 16 U.S. states and Canada. Investing in our workforce is a key reason that our fleet in North America frequently exceeds 98 percent availability."