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Page 2 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Southern Illinoisan
STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN
Todd Darnstaedt (middle) smiles after cutting the ribbon Tuesday at Today's Technology Auto Repair new location at 1235 E. Walnut Street behind the University Mall in Carbondale. Darnstaedt and co-owner Mark Chaney (to the left) were previously located on Main Street but moved to the East Main address expand their operation.
Joining the chamber: Still a must for businesses BY LES O’DELL FOR THE SOUTHERN
In an era of economic uncertainty and tight budgets, businesses across the nation are searching for ways to cut costs and eliminate unneeded expenses, yet membership in the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce continues to be a priority for many area business leaders. Even new business owners consider chamber membership as a must. Laura Hughes recently opened a new insurance agency in downtown Carbondale. Along with telephone service and an electrical connection, she said becoming a member of the chamber was
important. “Basically, to be connected in the community and to be connected to other business owners, is why I joined the chamber of commerce,” Hughes said. “I wanted to have the support of the community and also to participate in the growth and health of businesses in Carbondale and Southern Illinois.” She said that even in her business’ earliest days, she saw the benefit of chamber membership. “It’s only been a couple of months, but already representatives of the chamber attended my open house, and they’re helping to spread the word about what we do,” she added.
Other new businesses see the organization as a way of learning how to be successful. “The chamber gives you a feel for other businesses and what it takes to be successful,” said Kelse Schmid, director of advertising and public relations for Walker’s Bluff. “We try to attend as many functions as possible to get an insight on other businesses.” She added the chamber has assisted her business with publicity. “It’s been a great public relations tool for us, helping to get our name out in the community,” she said. SEE JOINING / PAGE 4
The Southern Illinoisan Friday, January 29, 2010 Page 3
We’ve got the shot.
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOINING: Still a must for businesses
They’re the sights that capture Southern Illinois, and our photographers are there to get the shot. Visit us at www.thesouthern.com/photos to purchase museum-quality prints of the photos you see in our paper or view expanded galleries of additional shots.
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FROM PAGE 2 Participation in the chamber is not only for new businesses, according to Kristin Gregory, executive director of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce. She said the organization works to promote business in the community and region regardless of size or age. For many businesses, membership in the chamber is about working together. “The first thing to me is to have a common voice, supporting small business owners in our community. That’s what our chamber is about, first and foremost,” said John Forbes, owner of Forbes Financial Group. “Obviously, also the relationships that you can make through membership are also
important, but those come second.” Forbes said the chamber offers a number of programs to benefit both the community and its businesses, including efforts to assist Southern Illinois University Carbondale in recruitment and retention of students, widespread efforts to promote local retailers and service providers and activities designed to educate both students and leaders about the community and its businesses. For Jim Jacobs, owner of Jacobs Air Conditioning and Heating, being a member of the chamber has several advantages. “There is opportunity for networking with other business owners, which can be valuable. While there is a sense of community obligation, there is real value in being
recognized as a member of the chamber and benefitting from their programs and publicity,” he said. Todd Darnstaedt, owner of Today’s Technology agreed. “The most important benefit of being a member of the chamber, to me, is the incredible networking possi-bilities that come with membership,” he said. “Any time there is a ribbon cutting, afterhours event or function, it’s an excellent opportunity for members to inform others about their growing company.” Schmid said she feels that the benefits of participating in the chamber are numerous, regardless of cost. “The chamber of commerce has helped us a lot. We’ve really benefitted from it,” she said.
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STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN
Liz Estes, 13Pro member and Herrin Chamber President, asks a question regarding the group's tailgate tent at the SIU Homecoming.
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN
13Pro member Jenni Janssen laughs at a comment from another group member during their meeting Wednesday at the Herrin Chamber of Commerce.
BY LES O’DELL
13Pro brings young professionals together to help reach their goals, build Carbondale business
together for development and support. The organization, 13Pro, grew from a conversation between Kristin Gregory, executive director of the Carbondale The Carbondale Chamber of Chamber of Commerce, and her Commerce has as one core mission - to colleague from the Herrin chamber, Liz promote businesses in the community Lively. The organization took its name and region. But a desire to promote businesspeople led to the development of from the state highway that runs through the region. In only a few months, the an organization designed to bring young organization has attracted hundreds of business people and professionals FOR THE SOUTHERN
members and offers a variety of professional development and social activities. The new group is meeting a need and should benefit the region, according to Darryl Jones, owner of Splattered Ink in Murphysboro. “The group is a great opportunity for younger business people to grow, network and to hopefully develop into
the next generation of leaders for Southern Illinois,” he said. “It is an absolutely vital group. We needed a way to cultivate young business people in Southern Illinois into leaders and 13Pro is doing it.” Group president Brandon Zanotti of the
SEE 13PRO / PAGE 6
The Southern Illinoisan Friday, January 29, 2010 Page 5
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 13PRO: Reaching goals FROM PAGE 5 Carbondale law firm Feirich-MagerGreen-Ryan said that like the area chambers, 13Pro hopes to promote the area. “The primary goal is to provide venues for young professionals to come together,” he explained, “but the group also endeavors to improve the communities in which we live. These young professionals have made a decision to stay in Southern Illinois.” Zanotti said the group targets people age 21 to “40-ish” for membership as a way of combating what he called “brain drain,” an exodus of young people to more metropolitan locations. “A lot of us here that are younger and have chosen to pursue careers here have felt sort of alone,” he said. “13Pro is a good way for young people who are just starting out in their professional lives to get together and network.” Jones said the organization has allowed him to meet new people and expand his business.
“It’s given me a chance to network with people that I really should be networking with and because of the regional nature of the group,” he said. “It’s expanded my exposure.” Zanotti said he is pleased with the way the organization has expanded so quickly and said there is more to come. “We’ve had great progress, and our membership is growing,” he said. “But in many ways we’re still trying to get off of the ground as a new organization. We have lots of things planned for the future, and we hope to have at least one event each month.” He said the chambers of commerce have been instrumental in establishing and nurturing the organization. “The chambers should be given most — if not all — of the credit for getting this going,” he explained. “It was a brilliant idea, and I think I speak for many people in saying that I appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into the group.” More information on 13Pro is available by calling the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce at 618-549-2146 or by visiting www.thirteenpro.com.
STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN
Brandon Zanotti, president of 13Pro — a newly formed group of young professionals in Carbondale, raises his hand along with other members of the group to indicate who is going to be bringing items to the group's tailgate tent at the SIU Homecoming.
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618.457.3344 www.BuySIHomes.com Page 6 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Southern Illinoisan
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Q&A: Executive director talks business natural disaster. How have all of these factors affected businesses in the community as well as the chamber?
BY LES O’DELL FOR THE SOUTHERN
Slightly more than a year after taking the reins of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce we talked with executive director Kristin Gregory about doing business in Carbondale and the organization as a whole. SI: In the time since you were named director of the Carbondale chamber, our region has been through a economic downturn, a state budget crisis and a
KG: I think it has been a trying year. In many ways we’ve been impacted differently than others have on the national level. I think this past year has forced people to assess the financial situations within their businesses and also their level of preparedness. We did have a stormy year, not only with the economy, but also with the ice storm and the derecho, but what I find is
that people have been smart, they’ve been making good decisions, are still taking good risks and doing things that are keeping them going strong. Of course we’ve lost some businesses, but we’ve also gained some businesses. From a chamber perspective, in terms of membership, and we’ve done pretty well, all things consid-ered. SI: Given the state of the economy and the belt-tightening that many business have undertaken, what value is there for businesses to belong to the chamber of
commerce? KG: There was a time when businesses joined the chamber just because it was the thing to do. We, of course, like that. But at the same time, we are always looking for things that we can do to help the business community. We’re here to promote business, but we also look at ways to improve our events, services, publications, anything we can do to help SEE Q&A EXEC / PAGE 9
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The Southern Illinoisan Friday, January 29, 2010 Page 7
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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STEVE JAHNKE / THE SOUTHERN
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Page 8 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Southern Illinoisan
Carbondale Assistant City Manager Kevin Baity makes a point to the Leadership Carbondale group about how some entrepreneurs looking to start up a business within the city sometimes do not take the proper steps to ensure its success and how the services offered at the DunnRichmond Center can help them do so.
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Q&A EXEC: Interview FROM PAGE 7 their bottom lines, to draw business to people and also to have a positive business image as a community, not only for people we’re looking to bring in, but also for those looking to expand and further develop in the community. There are strengths in numbers, period. And we think having this association of different business owners, managers and leaders is to the benefit of the whole community. SI: How would you describe the last year? KG: It was definitely a year of change for the chamber. Of course it was my first full year here. George Sheffer started as president during the course of the year, a position he’ll continue this year. We also developed a new web site and logo—not just for aesthetics, but as a better way for us to share information with people who are looking to visit
Carbondale, who are looking at SIU, all who could come and spend money here with our busi-nesses. Of course, we also maintained many of the same programs that we’ve had. SI: What is in store for this year? KG: BentonSansCond-Medium We are looking to do some different things in 2010. We have some new board members with new ideas. One of the things our governmental affairs committee will be doing more is taking a stand on various issues that may impact the business community. We’re going to be taking online polls of our membership to see what members think and then the board will be able to decide whether or not to take a stand. Being able to have that voice of solidarity will be important this year. SI: How is the relationship between the business community and Southern Illinois University Carbondale? KG: I think all of the businesses are
aware that SIU plays a large role in both the local and regional. In the end, our businesses have very good relationships with SIU, and, of course, just want to see SIU succeed. It is a recip-rocal relationship. We know students and employees make purchases here in the community. How many students you have determines how many employees you have and that determines how much is being circulated through the local economy in the terms of dollars. Of course, one of the things that we do to encourage the university and students is our Saluki Pride committee, and that group has been talking about ways that we can help and establish linkages to help SIU. This year we’ll be looking at other things we can do from a community standpoint.
together. There is a benefit to taking advantage of the strengths of the different communities and for businesses to work together. Many of our mem-bers do business at each other’s companies and that is to their advantage. The fact that we’re all so tightly connected geographically is a piece of it. The other thing, especially in our chamber, is that we don’t just have membership from people with addresses in Carbondale. We have members who have businesses in places like Anna, Marion, Saline County and even Mt. Vernon. We’re aware of our ability to do business not just in Car-bondale or Jackson County but across the region. We see the importance in working together to share resources and to cooperatively promote and bring new business to the area.
SI: You mentioned the regional economy. How does the entire area figure in to the mission of the Carbondale chamber? KG: We can’t ignore the fact that all of our communities are tied so closely
The Southern Illinoisan Friday, January 29, 2010 Page 9
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Business of the Year YEAR
WINNER
1997 1998
Kroger Co. Com-Pac International Midwest Internet
1999
2000 2001 2002 2003
PMCL Ltd. Old National Bank University Mall E.T. Simonds Construction Co.
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
710 Book Store First Southern Bank Mary Lou’s Newell House 1187 Creative
Business Leader of the Year YEAR
WINNER
1997 1998 1999
David Coracy Stephanne Miller George Sheffer
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Jack Buckley John Dosier Dr. Marsha Ryan Steve Payne Dennis DeRossett
2005 2006 2007 2008
Trace Brown Dr. Tom Firestone Greg Sprehe Curtis Baird
Regional Business Partner YEAR
WINNER
2005 2006
Silkworm, Inc. — Murphysboro John A. Logan College — Carterville
2007 2008
Com-Pac International The Southern Illinoisan
Citizen of the Year Awards
PROUDLY SUPPORTING ONE OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS’ FINEST CHAMBERS!
YEAR
WINNER
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
H. Mason Parker Sam M. Hunger Archie Stroup Gordon A. Parrish James A. Cherry Dr. E.R. Crandle Dr. John B. Taylor Dr. Delyte W.Morris William E. Eaton Ulmont Crawshaw Charles Goss Donald L. Meyer Paul F. McRoy J.W. “Pete” McKinney Richard “Dick” Hunger Elizabeth Leighty
1976
Johnathan W. Burton, DMD Diplomate - American Board of Oral & Max illofacial Surgery
Check us out on the w eb at: www.shawneehillsoms.com Page 10 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Southern Illinoisan
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
David J. Emerson Eldon O. Ray Standford L. Hoye Carol J. Fry Donn Carsrud Hans J.Fischer Matt Maier Archie Jones Orlen Wallace E.T. and Katy Simonds Elsie Speck Mike Kimmel Mike Diamond Helen Westberg Larry McLeod Dianne Dorsey Jeanne Foster Tom Langdon
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
David Kenney James S. Prowell Mary Simon Stephen Shauwecker Ellis and Betty Mitchell Gail and Linda White John and Nancy Jackson Frank Black Neil and Mary Ellen Dillard John Cherry Helen Deniston Harvey Welch Milton and Corene McDaniel Ann Knewitz
President’s Service Awards YEAR
WINNER
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
E.M. Webb Dennis Lyle Gregg Parrish David Sanders Frank Black John Green George Maroney Robert Harty
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Charles Renfro Dan Parrish Don Glenn Kassy Simonds Jerry Howell James S. Prowell Don Beggs Barry Smith Pam Schilling Ed Reeder
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Andrew White Phil Schaefer Helen Coracy Bonnie Brackett George and Diane Sheffer Brad Cole Jeff Doherty Sally Wright
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1114 N. Marion St. Carbondale, IL • 618-457-5919 The Southern Illinoisan Friday, January 29, 2010 Page 11
Making Carbondale a better place to live, work, visit, play & invest. Carbondale Chamber of Commerce • www.carbondalechamber.com • 131 S. Illinois Ave. • 618-549-2146
Chamber Board of Directors 2010 George Sheffer
President
Murdale True Value
Woody Thorne
Past President Southern Illinois Healthcare
Kevin Baity City of Carbondale
Bob Bleyer The Bank of Carbondale
San Chan Hunan Inc.
Sam Cox My Favorite Toys
Page 12 Friday, January 29, 2010 The Southern Illinoisan
Dennis DeRossett The Southern Illinoisan
Jason Bourque Common Grounds Coffee House
Larry Dietz Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Darin Fager Fager-McGee Construction
Janice Payne
Treasurer Payne, Gaertner & Associates
Joel Sambursky
President Elect Forbes Financial Group
Dan Terry Newell House
TJ Martin The Blue Martin/TJ’s Fine Jewelry
Todd Darnstaedt Today’s Technology Auto Repair