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Partnering for Success

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February

Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Directors & Staff

Executive Committee President: Lance Buser

First Vice President: Claudia Sauer Second Vice President: Sheila Martinez

Treasurer: Brian Hawkins Past President: Mike Loos

Board of Directors

Terms Ends January 31, 2021 Brian Hawkins, Hawkins-Cassens Insurance

David Knie, Knie Appliance & T.V. Tim Determan, Pinney Printing

Steve Munson, The Medicine Shoppe Lance Buser, Walmart D.C. #7024

Ryan Olson, Ward Murray Pace & Johnson

Term Ends January 31, 2022 Jim Cesarek, RE/MAX Sauk Valley

Claudia Sauer, CGH Medical Center Rebecca Munoz-Ripley, YWCA of the Sauk Valley

Josh Johnson, Whiteside Area Career Center

Term Ends January 31, 2023 Mike Loos, Edward Jones Investments

Sheila Martinez, U.S. Bank Rick Turnroth, Turnroth Sign Company

Pam Fluck, Sauk Valley Bank

Staff Executive Director ~ Kris Noble

Marketing Coordinator ~ Dallas Knack Financial Specialist/Office Manager~Brandi Langner

February 5 Executive Board

February 8 HBLC

February 11 Board of Directors

February 11 Education

February 13 Ambassadors

February 18 Ag

February 19 PWN

Thanks to all of you who attended our Annual Dinner and

Meeting on Thursday, January 23, 2020. The annual dinner

is a time to reflect on the past year, and to thank our

members for their continued support of working to fulfill

our mission: To Enhance the Economic Climate and

Improve the Quality of Life in the Sauk Valley Area.

A few highlights of 2019:

o In 2019 we welcomed 29 new members and ended 2019

with 393 members (representing 12,321 employees in 23

cities.)

o Retention Rate: 93.3%

o PWN organized and implemented 3 events, and held 4

lunch and learn events; providing education and training to

over 250 members and community leaders.

o GIVING BACK: IN 2019 THE SVACC GAVE BACK:

$22,500.00 INCLUDING

- $13,750 in scholarships: ag, manufacturing, and business

- $3,700 to support education projects in the Sauk Valley

- $5,000 to Not for Profit Organizations and Service Clubs.

To read the full 2019 annual report:

visit www.saukvalleyareachamber.com

2019 was another incredible year for our chamber. I would

like to thank the BOD for their commitment and vision. I

would also like to thank Mike Loos, Edward Jones, for his

role as President of the Board for the past 2 years - your

leadership is much appreciated. In addition, I want to

thank Mary White, Community State Bank, for being a

member of the BOD for the past 9 years. She has been a

great advocate for this community and her willingness to

share her time, talents, and resources is so much

appreciated. As we move into 2020, I would like to

welcome Lance Buser, Walmart Supply Chain #7024, to the

role of President of the Board.

A Message from the Director

Member Update February 2020

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We would like to give special recognition to the following groups who provide extra support to the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. This extra effort and support is truly appreciated. If you have the opportunity to express your sincere appreciation to these members, please do so!

Investing over $1000 in Dues

CGH Medical Center Community State Bank Farmers National Bank - Morrison Midland States Bank Sauk Valley Bank Select Employees Credit Union Sterling Federal Bank US Bank Wahl Clipper Corp. Wal-Mart DC #7024 Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson

Allstate Insurance Agency Amazing Grace of Sterling D & E Furniture Derns Ins. Agency/State Farm Froet Industries LLC Happy Tails Humane Society Hughes Resources Illinois American Water Lance's Plumbing Linnea & Wolf Koch

Moore Monument & Granite Co. Phil Mattox Insurance Agency Plainwell Brass Smoked on Third Sterling Commercial Roofing Sterling Moose Family Center Sterling Rock Falls Child Care The Spa At Central Park Twin Cities Homeless Shelter-PADS United Craftsmen, LTD

150% Club Members

1st Gateway Credit Union Al J. Dieterle Decorating Bargain Exterminators Blue Appraisals, LLC Cassens Drainage Cater Construction & General Contracting Central Heating & Cooling Compeer Financial Dale Carnegie Training Dennis Electric of Tampico, Inc. Folsom's Bakery Hawkins-Cassens Insurance, LLC Jim Prescott’s BBQ Shop

Kelly's Restaurant Inc. Kiwanis Club of Sterling Large Marge BBQ Melton Seed & Service LLC Mertes & Mertes, PC Midwest Activity Productions LLC New Millenium Directories Potthoff Tax & Accounting RE/Max Sauk Valley Rock River Ready Mix Sauk Valley Foodbank Sauk Valley Physical Therapy Scholl Insurance Agency Schuneman Insurance Agency

Sedona Staffing Servicemaster of Sterling/Rock Falls Sherwin Williams Showplace Antiques & Treasures St. Mary's School St. Vincent DePaul Society Sterling Chevrolet Sterling Optimist Club The Cornerstone Agency, Inc. Wells Family Dentistry Wendler Engineering Services, Inc.

110% Club Members

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Soar N Skies Adventure Park® was founded by a local mom & entrepreneur who just wanted to do something great for the local youth in our community. Tired of seeing stores close and sit vacant for years in our town, and tired of driving long distances for family entertainment, she started working with SBDC summer of 2019 and registered the business with the state of IL October of 2019 being awarded a registered trademark in November 2019. Soar N Skies is currently looking for locations in Whiteside County, working with a premium trampoline park equipment supplier, and hoping to open early 2021.

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Ready or Not To and through: What research says about what works (and what doesn’t) to help students complete college Written by: Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat

Getting to college is just the beginning of the challenge for America’s students looking to earn a degree. About 40 percent of students who enroll in college for the first time won’t have a degree six years later, the latest data show. And the disparities here are striking: While two-thirds of white students who start college finish a degree in that time, only about 40 percent of black students and 50 percent of Hispanic students do. Students from more affluent families are also much more likely to earn a degree than students from low-income families. These differences reflect the many barriers low-income students of color face in making it through college. Chalkbeat has been examining those challenges in our Ready or Not series, which has highlighted how students’ K-12 schools and their colleges often fall short in preparing and supporting students — and how some schools are trying to close those gaps. Some research provides other reasons for optimism. Studies show that certain policies, particularly tuition grants paired with intensive, in-college support, can substantially raise low-income students’ chances of completing college. “The interventions that seem to yield the best success provide unified supports — the kinds of systems of support that may provide students financial aid but that also attend to the other structural barriers that students face, or the guidance and help they need in terms of how to organize their courses and organize their time,” said Lindsay Page, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. We’ve combed through dozens of studies to try to pin down what else we know about what’s working — and what isn’t — to help students make it to and through college.

Here’s a rundown. What helps: More and better high school counseling What helps: Grants for college — usually What helps: Intensive in-college support paired with financial aid What helps: Going to better-resourced, more-selective colleges What helps: Better schools and teachers before college What might help: Going to certain charter schools in cities What might not help: Nudging students toward college What does not help: traditional remedial courses To read the full article: https://chalkbeat.org/posts/us/2020/01/15/ready-or-not-research-college-enrollment-persistence-completion

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Chamber Ambassadors

Allie Johnston – University of Illinois Extension

Amy Tessman — Frary Lumber

Angie Delhotal— Sauk Valley College Foundation

Angie Smith – Hawkins-Cassens Insurance Agency

Beau Ebenezer—Regency Care of Sterling

Cassandra Salmon – Sauk Valley Bank

Chandra Meyer – Re/Max Sauk Valley

Christina Bystry—House in the Country

Janell Loos—Petersen Health Care

Jerry Binder—Whiteside Area Career Center

Jon Byar – Midland States Bank

Justin Wiggins—Wiggins Computing, LLC

Karen Voss – Rock River Hospice and Home

Mary White – Community State Bank

Melissa Ryan-Bergstrom – Candlelight Inn

Nick Krumbholz – Sterling Federal Bank

Nicole Bollman - CGH Medical Center

Pam Fluck – Sauk Valley Bank

Roy Dern – State Farm

Scott Sandrock—Ward Murray Pace & Johnson

Sheila Martinez – U.S. Bank

Sherry DeWalt – CGH Health Foundation

Janell Loos — Petersen Healthcare

As a Community Relations Coordinator for Petersen Healthcare,

Janell Loos helps Arrow Wood Estates Independent Living, Pleasant

View Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Rock Falls Rehabilitation

& Healthcare Center and Sauk Valley Senior Living & Rehabilitation to

successfully interact with the surrounding communities. Janell is in

charge of their marketing efforts such as community educational

events, outreach projects, senior fairs, and maintaining positive relationships with

physicians, hospitals, clinics, community groups, skilled nursing and assisted living

facilities.

Janell is proud to be an Ambassador for the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and

looks forward to welcoming new businesses to our community and working with the

Chamber to help advance the economic growth of our region. Janell has four children

Sean, Breanna, Andrew and Olivia, lives in Sterling with her fiancé, and her 2 youngest,

Andrew & Olivia and their 2 dogs, Traveller and Moo.

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Congratulations to Smoked on 3rd

for receiving the Customer Service Award! Nominated for their extraordinary

staff and fabulous food, Smoked on 3rd works hard to give customers a

great experience.

Smoked on 3rd 14 E 3rd St, Sterling.

(815) 632-3773

Ribbon Cuttings

CGH Valet Service at CGH Main Clinic 101 E. Miller Rd., Sterling 815-625-4790

Sterling Park District / Westwood Fitness & Sports Center 1900 Westwood Dr., Sterling 815-622-6201

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Annual Dinner & Meeting | January 23, 2020 Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Annual Dinner & Meeting! The WACC CEO Class put on a wonderful evening! Thanks to Deer Valley for the venue, and Walmart for sponsoring the student meals.

- SVACC presented Church Women United with the Chamber Champion Award - The Lavonne Colloton Ambassador of the Year Award was presented to Jon Byar, Midland States Bank - Mary White was recognized as an Outgoing Board Member Melissa Burgstrom-Ryan was recognized as the Outgoing Ambassador Co-Chair

SVACC Ambassadors presented a check to PADS Board President, Cindy Sheehan and Vice President, Shirley Vasquez.

Congratulations Sterling High School FFA program on receiving a donation from the SVACC Agribusiness Committee. The Agribusiness Committee exists to promote Ag education in the Sauk Valley .

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Sauk Valley Community Leadership Program experienced a January with two sessions, each filled with amazing tours and interesting topics presented by local experts in their fields. The SVCL cohorts visited the impressive Wahl Clipper and Wal-Mart Distribution Center, two very large employers in the Sauk Valley area. Speakers for the month included Greg Wahl, retired CEO, Wahl Clipper Corporation; Bruce Kramer, Senior VP, North America Consumer Division at Wahl Clipper Corporation; Lance Buser, Human Resources, and Jayson Sechrest, DC Manager. The community topic of Agriculture was covered by Katie Pratt, Family Farmer and Lee County’s Agriculture Literacy Coordinator and Nik Jakobs, Partner, Jakobs Brothers Farms. A panel discussion took place covering the leadership topics of Human Resources, Tough Conversations, Performance Reviews, and Sexual Harassment. Those panelists included Sandi Baylor Schmidt, Director of Human Resources,

CGH Medical Center; Suzanne Ravlin, HR Director, KSB; Sara Dail, Sterling Schools Assistant Superintendent; and Lance Buser, Human Resources Director, Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

PFLAG Workshop January 14 Amazing program and discussions this morning with Nancy Mullen & Emma Vosicky about cre-ating a supportive work environment for LGBT staff and customers. A big thank you to our partners PFLAG Sauk Valley, Discover Dix-on & Brandywine Banquets!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT “We love gardening, no two ways around it. We love gardeners. They’re the coolest, most open-minded people around. We feel lucky doing a job we love. We opened this garden center because it’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, and share in our passion for plants, gardening, and community.”

Join us for Gardenstock 20 August 15th 10 a.m.—10 p.m.

Distinctive Gardens Inc 2020 Lowell Park Rd., Dixon 815-285-0014 Distinctivegarensinc.com

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For more information on CEO email Le Hartman at lhartman@wacc.cc

Written by: Damon Miller, Milledgeville High School I’m in CEO because of a former CEO student from Milledgeville High School and my school counselor. Mrs. Bontz and Kortney told me it would make me a better student, help me come out of my shell, and open up countless opportunities in the future. All of this is very true, but no one told me it would change how I interact with people, how I ask questions, how I approach problems, and how I look at life in general. Every speaker we meet, and business we tour, offers new advice and experience. Jason Rowe told our class to “love what you do” about 30 minutes after pulling Culver’s frozen custard out of a bag. Those are two moments I won’t soon forget. I took that advice and ran with it. Anytime I am faced with a task I don’t enjoy, I find something about it to love, and it makes the process so much easier. Whether it’s the process, the product, or a small detail, there’s always something to love in whatever you do. This advice helped me have an absolute blast at the Sauk Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. At the start of the year if someone would have said, “Damon, you will be in a pirate themed play in front of almost 300 successful men and women.” I might have quit the class before it began. Instead, I greeted people as they walked in and offered to hang up their coats, met several new people and networked with them, convinced my CEO mentor and one of my basketball coaches to jump off a stage for part of our play, played the role of “business man” with a big smile, and had a night I will remember forever, because that’s what CEO can do to a shy, nervous, and clueless junior who’s definition of public speaking is giving a speech in front of 15 classmates. I knew CEO would show me how many opportunities there are around the Sauk Valley, but I never thought it would make me happier, more confident, and a much better leader, almost immediately. This class has been everything I hoped it would be and so much more.

Written by: Kaitlin Hanrahan, Prophetstown High School This has been a wonderful, yet very busy first semester of CEO. We just finished up working on the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. We were in charge of the keynote address during the dinner. Our theme for the dinner was “Pirates of the Sea-E-O”. We have also been working hard on our class business, the Taste of the Sauk Valley. The date for our event is March 5, 2020 at Deer Valley Banquets. We have started to get the word out and have been asking restaurants to take part in our event. This class has been a wonderful opportunity for myself. This is such a unique class that is very much unlike anything I have ever taken before. My favorite part of this class is that it is student driven and we guide how a lot of things happen in class. I am very excited to start working on our individual businesses soon.

Government Affairs Update

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USMCA Crosses Finish Line After Three-Year Marathon

Written by: U.S. Chamber Staff

Some races are marathons, some are sprints. By any measure, the push to get the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) passed — which preserves and strengthens our economic ties with our neighbors and top two export markets — was a marathon.

The USMCA has been three years in the making, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was involved at every step — from the early days when the fate of NAFTA was in question, through eight rounds of negotiations on USMCA, and throughout the process to get the deal passed in the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate.

And it didn’t happen by accident. The U.S. Chamber and our partners held more than one thousand meetings with members of Congress and their staffs — not just on Capitol Hill, but in their home districts.

We put the full weight of our federation of state and local chambers, association allies, and deep relationships with international partners behind this historic effort.

Ultimately, compromise won the day — everyone gave up a little and gained a lot: Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, businesses and organized labor across the U.S., and our international partners in Canada and Mexico.

The deal is not perfect, and the U.S. Chamber and our members remain disappointed to see its intellectual property rules weakened. This action undermines the competitiveness of innovative industries that employ nearly 50 million Americans. These IP rules shouldn’t — and can’t — be a model for future trade agreements.

But in other areas—including updated rules on digital trade, non-tariff barriers, and services — USMCA promises real benefits to American businesses and consumers. Most importantly, USMCA restores certainty to these vital trade relationships and eliminates tariffs and tariff threats that have imposed real costs on the U.S. economy and hampered investment for too long.

The result of this Herculean effort by many stakeholders is a modernized agreement that will strengthen trade with our two largest export markets — by far. And it will protect and grow the ranks of the 12 million American workers whose livelihoods depend on trade with our North American neighbors.

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