I am excited to share that we have hired a new Executive Director for the Chamber!  Hillarie Holzinger accepted the job and started on 5/19/21.  Holzinger stood out as the exact person that we needed to fill this position during this time in the organization as we continue to support all of our businesses in Highland.  

Hillarie has hit the ground running, she is in the office and out visiting with our members.  She has been busy learning everything at the office, so please be patient with the transition, but we know she will do an amazing job working on everything!  

I am extremely excited for our Chamber with the hire of Hillarie and everything that she can do for us!  She is always cheerful and ready to get the job done, so let's all give her a huge WELCOME!
 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!  

If you would like anything put in the newsletter, please let us know, we are happy to share your information.  If you need anything please feel free to reach out to Hillarie or any board member, we are here to help you.

We are working with the Parks & Rec on PB&J, so please stay tuned for more information.

Save the date for our Street Art Festival, 9/18/21.  

I hope you all have an amazing and safe holiday weekend!

Chamber Office Hours

Monday - Thursday:
9am - 3pm

If you would like to meet with us and want to insure that we are in the office, feel free to call ahead of time as we may be out and about visiting with Chamber members. 
Thank you!

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DEADLINE for getting information in the Chamber weekly newsletter is Thursday by 3:00pm. ***

If you miss the cut-off date, we keep your information for the next publication.  Please submit your information to hillarie@highlandillinois.com.

810 Main Street
Highland, IL 62249
www.thelorytheater.com
Press Release Re: Reopening!
                For immediate release: The Lory Theater, closed since March 16^th 2020, set to reopen for movies again on Friday June 11^th 2021.
                Like most businesses, when the Lory Theater closed their doors due to covid-19, they assumed it would only be for a few weeks. Owners Justin & Hillary McLaughlin never envisioned an entire year of not showing movies, but that’s exactly what happened. Fast forward to present day, and you’ll meet a very grateful married couple. “We’re just so happy to have survived to this point where we can finally reopen,” said Justin. “This community supported us all the way. We can’t wait to see everyone back!”
                The Lory was able to weather the storm of mandated closures via three avenues: Support and flexibility from their bank, Bradford National; Government programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (aka the PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (aka EIDL); and finally, creativity on the part of the McLaughlin’s who came up with new ways to generate revenue. Out of the front door of the Lory while it was closed, they sold Gourmet Popcorn and Frozen Custard to walk up customers.
                Justin again: “If there is a silver lining to being closed, it is this: all of the stuff we learned during the closure, such as how to make frozen custard and gourmet popcorn, that knowledge is ours now. We get to keep it. That’s pretty valuable.” Just how valuable will become clear in the near future as the busy entrepreneurs have elaborate plans to keep the frozen custard business going at a yet to be announced location in Highland to make room for the movies coming back to The Lory.
                “We have a date for movies: June 11^th. We should be able to announce our new location for the Frozen Custard business just before that, with a goal to get it open by the Fourth of July. This will be a summer of movies, a summer of frozen custard, but most importantly it will be a summer of healing. We will have the opportunity to gather again, the lights will go down, and we’ll experience a story together. That sense of community, it’s what makes the movies special, and it’s our job.”   

Good news! HSHS Medical Group and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital have come together to identify a solution that will enable us to resume all Occupational Health Services at the Highland Clinic effective immediately. We appreciate the community and business leaders who shared feedback and expressed appreciation for the value that this Clinic brings to Highland. We are also grateful for your patience as we worked toward a long-term solution.

Today representatives from Anderson Healthcare, Triple Net Management, The Korte Company, and City of Edwardsville ceremoniously broke ground on a new addition to the Anderson Healthcare Goshen Campus.   
 
“We are excited to add a 50,000 square foot medical building to our Goshen Campus in Edwardsville,” said Anderson Healthcare President and CEO, Keith Page. “This unique 2-story building will help us consolidate many of our Anderson Medical Group primary care practices into one convenient location,” he explained. “The facility will have clinical space for approximately 20 providers.”

In addition to Anderson Medical Group physicians, the building will house several outpatient services including an imaging center, urgent care, lab services and outpatient rehab therapies. “The imaging center will be known as the Goshen Imaging Center and will be an affiliate of the Maryville Imaging Center located in Maryville,” explained Page. “We are also in discussions with a healthcare partner to offer urgent care services specific to pediatrics.”
 

Trouw Nutrition, broke ground today on a $12.1 million addition to its existing Pilot Plant at 80 Executive Drive, Highland, IL 62249. 
 
The expansion increases the existing 8,100-square-foot Pilot Plant to a 32,052-square-foot modern new facility. By repurposing this building sustainably, Trouw Nutrition is able to limit the energy and materials required for the new plant.
Trouw Nutrition continues to invest in new blending technology for the pet food industry with this project marking the start of the company’s growth plan. 


Named the Blending Innovation Center,...

In its 2021 hospital ranking just released, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded Anderson Hospital a coveted, five-star rating.
 
The annual CMS stars program serves as a healthcare guide to hospital quality, comprising more than 50 individual measures that include hospital mortality, avoidable readmission, hospital infections and patient experience.
 
“Only 13% of hospitals nationwide are currently recognized as a 5-star facility,” explained Keith Page, Anderson Hospital President and CEO.  “We are incredibly proud of our physicians and staff for this accomplishment.”  
 
Anderson Hospital is the only hospital in southwestern Illinois to earn the 5 Star Rating.  In the St. Louis area, only 3 other hospitals hold this rating including Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Mercy St. Louis, and St. Lukes in Chesterfield.  
 
Posted on the federal “Hospital Compare” website, the CMS hospital rankings serve as hospital report cards to help inform where to best receive medical care.