Happy Manufacturing Month to our manufacturing business members!

DCEO is hosting a handful of virtual events I thought some of you might be interested in:

Last week we published an invitation to watch the second forum on the graduated income tax amendment which will be on the ballot this fall. Panelists Leslie Munger and Ralph Martire engaged in a robust discussion on the issue. They answered many questions on the minds of the small business community. Please click here to view the recording. Feel free to share it with those who you think might be interested in the topic. 

DCEO will be hosting numerous webinars regarding this program.  You can register for the webinars coming up this next week by using the links below:

• Wednesday, October 14, 2020 9:30 am – 10:30 am Registration link
• Wednesday, October 21, 2020 9:30 am – 10:30 am Registration link

The BIG program is open to all eligible businesses (for profit and nonprofit) with $20 million or less in annual revenue in 2019 and experienced losses due to COVID-19.  

As I'm sure many of you saw, a few weeks ago we sent a letter to the Governor's office over concerns of additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts that were put in place in Region 4. We did receive an email communication back from the Governor's office that we felt was less than satisfactory. We have since responded to the Governor with our additional concerns, calling for more transparency in how positivity numbers are determined. We requested that the state start using more than one data set point for making decisions on mitigation efforts. We also asked that politics be removed from closure decisions and that those be made using science and hard data that the state has available.

We have since reached out to the Governor, once again, requesting that our region be opened back up. We've also continued discussions with local Senators and Representatives.

Please know that your Chamber is ALWAYS advocating on your behalf. Most of our efforts are through developed relationships at the local, state and federal level and are not always made public. Anytime that you have questions please feel free to reach out!

Our local EvUCC is seeking a director of Audio/Visual Ministries.

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Breese and Highland and HSHS Holy Family in Greenville are hosting their monthly Diabetes Support Groups at three locations in October. The topic of this month’s support group meetings will be Healthy Eating.
 
The Diabetes Support Group is open to those with diabetes and their family members. Caregivers are also invited. 
 
The Diabetes Support Group will be held on the following days and locations in October:

• Monday, October 12 at 2 p.m. – Board Room at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Breese
• Tuesday, October 20 at 2 p.m. – Cedar Conference Room at HSHS Holy Family Hospital 
• Thursday, October 22 at 2 p.m. – Sullivan Conference Room at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland 

 
Due to COVID-19 group restrictions, reservations are required to ensure social distancing. Masks are also required and temperature checks will be done upon arrival.
 
Please call 618-526-5743 to make your reservation to attend one of the above classes. For more information, email Megan Stanley, diabetes nurse educator, at megan.stanley@hshs.org. 
 
Diabetes education is also provided through an online support group, offering helpful resources and engagement with others going through the same journey. To join the group, search Facebook for: Diabetes Support Group: Bond, Madison and Clinton counties, and request to join.

Did you know that our local SBDC office offers free face-to-face business consulting and at-cost training, on topics including business planning, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, technology development, international trade and much more?

We have arranged to have Jo Ann Di Maggio May, Director of the IL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE, speak with us on October 15th from 12 -1pm. 

This is a great opportunity for you to learn about all the resources offered by the Illinois Small Business Development Center for the Metro East at SIUE to help you start and/or grow your business.
 

Don't forget that this weekend is the #ShopLocal "Sidewalk" sales.

Please get out and support our local retailer!!!

<a href='https://www.freepik.com/photos/sale'>Sale photo created by jcomp - www.freepik.com</a>

Round 2 — applications due Oct. 15

Over $100 million in additional Child Care Restoration Grant help will soon be made available to Illinois providers who are struggling with financial losses in the COVID pandemic.  Through Oct. 15, interested child care programs can submit applications for this state-and-federal help; eligibility details and further information can be found at https://www.ilgateways.com/financial-opportunities/restoration-grants.

This second round of restoration-grant funding follows on the heels of a first round that resulted in awards totaling more than $156 million for nearly 4,700 child care providers in 95 Illinois counties.  

This year's Lighted Christmas Parade Theme will be
Keep reading for more details on how the Christmas Parade will happen safely in the midst of a pandemic. 

Registration for our Fall 2020 Job Fair is now open! We are delighted to provide this networking opportunity to our students, alumni, employer partners, and community! 

In order to ensure the safety of you and all job seekers, we will hold a VIRTUAL job fair on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 from 9am- 4pm. With this change, the format of the fair will be different than past years. Next week, we will launch a virtual area where you will be able to link your calendars and video conferencing links to your profile to be available for the virtual job fair. By October 2nd, I will send you specific information about the virtual function. Here is our plan for how the virtual fair will work:

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland will host a drive-thru health fair Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21 from 6 to 11:30 a.m. at the Highland-Pierron Fire Department, 12611 Iberg Road, Highland, Illinois. 
 
All hospital colleagues will be wearing masks and required personal protective equipment, and participants will be required to wear masks as well. Please wear short-sleeved shirts and coats that are easily removed to make the process easier.
 
Those wanting to attend must register for an appointment online at stjosephshighland.org/healthfair before October 19, 2020. There are limited spots available and on-site registration will not be accepted. If you are unable to register online, you can call 618-651-2739 for assistance.

Highland Chamber Members, we have been invited to participate in the Belleville Chamber's Take-A-Way Tuesdays. A three-week speaker’s series featuring high-level speakers thrilled to present to our Chamber Members.

October 27 | 10-11am
The Importance of Video for Companies to
Set Themselves Apart & How You Begin
With Little Experience
with Jon Stamm and Danny Gula, Redding Creative
 
November 3 | 10-11am
Strategies for Maintaining Values and Priorities Through
Adversity, Change and Loss
with Chaz Franke, MSW, LCSW, Light Source
 
November 10 | 10-11am
Leadership Is Not About You, But It Starts With You
with Justin Patton, International Speaker, Best Selling Author
 
Want a sneak peek of Justin’s presentation…view it here.
 
Enjoy one for $15 or all 3 for $30!

Registration is required. 

Scheffel Boyle CPAs is pleased to announce the recent promotion of 10 professionals throughout its seven offices. On behalf of our firm, we would like to wish all those who were promoted the best of luck in their new roles. 

Manager:
Jenna Andres, CPA
Lisa Bohnenstiehl, CPA
Heather Clugston, CPA
Julie Graham, CPA
​ 
Supervisor:
Garrett Hay, CPA
 
Senior Accountant:
Julia Billhartz
Kyle Moist
 
Semi-Senior Accountant:
Sydney Boschert
Alex Hoffmann, CPA
Jessica Roman