• 8/17 Back to School: What Employers Need to Know Related to COVID-19 and Childcare for the Upcoming School Year (Webinar) REGISTER HERE

 

• 9/10 Employee Leaves Update (Edwardsville, IL) 

 

• 9/15 How to Confront and Discipline Employees in the Age of COVID-19 (Webinar) 

EVERYONE IS INVITED to Join Lisa Sauer - State Farm Agent for a fun celebration!!

Lisa has been in Highland as an agent for 10 years!!!
Ice Cream, Popcorn, Bakery treats, Flowers, Hot Dogs and giveaways are all part of the week long celebration. We look forward to seeing your faces while practicing social distancing. 

Thank you to our long time and current customers!  Now is a great time to join the State Farm Family if you aren't part of it already! 

HSHS Medical Group is pleased to welcome Christopher Sutton, DO, pulmonologist, to their medical team. Dr. Sutton sees patients at HSHS Medical Group Multispecialty Care - St. Elizabeth’s. He will also provide care at Medical Group Pulmonology - Highland starting in September and HSHS Medical Group Multispecialty Care - Edwardsville in October.

Last week, Illinois Chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch discussed why voters should be wary of the Progressive Income Tax amendment. In his seventh video in a series on the Progressive income tax amendment, Maisch addressed the issue of trust. If the amendment were to pass, Maisch said it would provide incentives for bad actors to take unfair advantage of the new tax code. The entire video can be viewed here. 

The Chamber is adamantly opposed to the Progressive Income Tax amendment for many reasons, the foremost is the adverse effect it will have on the Illinois economy. 

 

Scott Credit Union was recently named one of the top credit unions in the State of Illinois in a Forbes Best-In-State ranking.

Forbes, in partnership with market research firm Statista, ranked Scott Credit Union fifth in the state based on surveys of credit union members on their overall satisfaction.

The survey also measured trust, terms and conditions, branch services, digital services, and financial advice, according to Scott Credit Union President & CEO Frank Padak.

“We were very pleased and honored to be in the top five in the state,” Padak added. “We are always focused on doing the right thing for our members. The ranking tells us we are on the right track.”

The new guidelines and region breakdown aims to take a more granular approach to coronavirus mitigation, targeting smaller areas than the original plan did and separating Chicago into its own region. 

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July 30, 2020

This morning, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated a 32.9 decrease in the U.S. GDP for 2nd Quarter 2020.

In response to this alarming contraction, the Chamber released the following public statement: 
Illinois must respond to historic economic collapse
"Today's announcement of a 32.9 percent drop in U.S. GDP, the largest on record, reiterates what the Chamber has been saying all along - that the government must address both the economic and public health crises simultaneously," said Illinois Chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch.
 
"These dual crises necessitate that the administration weigh the priorities of job creators on equal footing with the dictates of scientists. While Illinois is releasing daily public health metrics, we cannot have state government considering economic metrics as an inconvenient afterthought. COVID-19 has created both crises, but we have to recognize that government decisions have contributed to the implosion of our economy.
 
That is why the Chamber is reiterating our call for four actions:

• Suspension of the minimum wage increase, that makes it even harder for small businesses to reopen;
• Immediate suspension of support for the progressive income tax amendment, that will put another burden on job creators forcing them across state lines;
• A complete repudiation of CEJA, a piece of legislation that threatens all Illinoisans with increased energy costs; and
• A rapid review of regulations to reduce red tape and administrative costs on employers."

To help businesses quickly improve their online presence, Think with Google is introducing Grow My Store: a free and effective way for retailers to get actionable tips on how to improve their online store and understand how they are doing compared to peers in the industry. Businesses can get started at growmystore.thinkwithgoogle.com.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is disseminating a survey that looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), how these SMEs are adapting to the current circumstances, and how this may or may not be connected to broader weather-related stressors they may face. The focus is to inform Federal agencies as they continue to provide information and assistance. 

TAKE THE SURVEY

The main focus of the survey work is to document:

Looking to learn how to merchandise your store display to draw your shopper's interest and sell more merchandise? Do you feel you don't know how to organize merchandise effectively? Does the front of your store resemble a yard sale more than a going retail space? Are you looking for the do's and don'ts of inventory management? Read on...