Welcome New Members since the last luncheon!

• Around the Clock Cleaning, Jessica Stearns
• Heartland Metal & Building Supply, Dan Wilke
• Jenmar Services, Stevie Young
• KEB, Danielle Hope
• Saluki Sports Properties, Michael Fossali
• Wyatt Merchant Services, Greg Wyatt (registered for the luncheon)

Recent Projects

We would like to thank everyone that attended our 103^rd annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony on January 19^th, here at the Pavilion. This event is always a wonderful night to celebrate individuals and businesses who impact our community and the Chamber. If you haven’t already done so, please recognize the following individuals on their award.

• Award of Excellence: Southern Il Chili Cookoff & Patricia Odum
• Citizen of the Year: Dale Fowler
• Distinguished Business: SIU Credit Union
• Distinguished Member: Jeff Mayer
• Lifetime Achievement: Harry L. Crisp II and Vernell Sellars
• Mayor’s Service Award: Sam Lattuca
• Young Professional Leadership Award: Rachel Stroud

Upcoming Projects

• We are very excited to partner with the Marion High School and the FBLA Students on this year’s Chamber / FBLA Career Fair this Friday! Twenty six businesses are taking part to interact with students, provide career advice, and talk about job opportunities.
   
• Please remember to share your eclipse related events with the office or post on the Chamber calendar. We will share them with regional partners to best inform visitors to our region. Eclipse glasses can be reserved through the Chamber office. Limited quantities available.
  
  
• The 12^th annual Chamber Foundation Bass Tournament will take place on Sunday, April 28^th at the Lake of Egypt. We have spots for 2 person teams and opportunities for team sponsorship. We are also looking for an additional ‘Big Bass’ Prize sponsor and volunteers for the event. Proceeds for this event go to the Chamber Foundation and the Scholarship Program.
   
• We would like to remind you that the Chamber Foundation Scholarship applications are now available for MHS seniors, the Grad Spree Scholarship and a 1-year tuition waiver to John A Logan College. This year, we are also excited to add two ‘trades-based’ scholarships as well for those seeking hands-on careers. Applicants need a Chamber member’s signature, so if you know of any seniors, please encourage them to apply!
  
  Join us at our upcoming Duck Spree event on March 20^th at 11 am on the Lazy River at the Hub. Funds from this event will go toward this year’s Grad Spree event. Join Decoy Sponsor, Banterra Bank, as a sponsor - there is already a mad dash for the gold and green ones, so don’t’ miss out!
  
  
• The Marion Graduation is scheduled for May 16^th, and we would like to invite you to support this year’s Grad Spree event. Grad Spree has been hosted by the Marion Chamber for nearly 40 years and provides a safe space for graduations to celebrate their accomplishments in supervised and substance-free zone. We are excited for you to participate through volunteering at the event or donations to the Marion Chamber Foundation to help cover entertainments and prizes for the attendees. This event is free to all participants, and we are grateful to everyone who takes part to make it happen. The next planning meeting is Feb 26^th at noon.

• Last chance to be part of the Chamber Community Guide. Ad space is available. Please check your listing online!

• Join the planning committee for our Sister City visit in August. We are excited to spotlight Marion and our members to the Japanese delegation and their students. The first meeting will be on February 21^st at 9 am at the Chamber Office.
  
  
• To better meet state mandates and build stronger workplace environments, we are hosting Sexual Harassment Trainings opportunities several times this year. Attendees will take part in a general hour-long training session based on Dept of Labor standards and receive a certificate of completion for their employee file. Employees in the restaurant industry can take advantage of additional training and certification. Our first training session will be February 22^nd at 8 am here at the Pavilion.
  
  
• This year’s Chamber Day is April 10^th in Springfield. This is a great opportunity to hear presentations from officials across the state on issues that will impact our region. If you are interested in attending, please contact the Chamber office or look on the Chamber calendar for registration and hotel information.
  
  
• If you are interested in mentoring the leaders and employees of tomorrow, the MHS business department is building a contact list of potential shadowing sites for local students. Check last week’s e-News for the contact form link or log onto MarionIllinois.com under “Marion” and “Mentorship” 

On April 8th, a solar eclipse will cross Southern Illinois and bring tens of thousands of visitors to our area. Many of us remember the 2017 event and we’re lucky to be in the position to take the lessons learned and create more impactful experiences for visitors. Another opportunity like this won’t be in our area for several centuries. What will this mean for your business? We hosted several civic and tourism leaders to talk about this year’s event and how to make the most of it. The panel was moderated by Matt Carnaghi and included:

• William Lo: Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Owner of New Kahala, and Admin for Southern Illinois Eats
• Jennifer Olson: City of Marion, Director of Business Development
• Ashlee Spiller: visitSI Executive Director
• Neil Vincent: Crab Orchard NWR Visitor Services Manager
  

New Paragraph