We're just over a week away from a special event - the Chamber's Annual Celebration - as the organization celebrates its 100th year.

Don't miss this spectacular evening on January 23 from 6:30 - 10 p.m. when the business community comes together to celebrate the Chamber's 100th anniversary and present its 2014 Distinguished Service Award to Susanne Kildee Janis. It will be a great night of honor, celebration and memories - plus an amazing food and dessert bar from our hosts at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. Corporate cabanas and tables are sold out! 

Individual tickets are still available.

The Chamber's Annual Celebration is presented by:

How did a group of local business success stories come to life? Learn how at "Fulfillament - Come Alive" on Thursday, January 15 co-sponsored by the Chamber starting at 7 p.m. at InsideOut Gallery in downtown Traverse City. Hear five inspiring stories of local business success and win up to $500 toward launching your impactful idea at this unique program.

Michigan agriculture generates more than $100 billion in economic impact - a significant portion in Northern Michigan. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is conducting a series of town hall meetings around the state on ways to expand value-added agricultural processing. The next is set for January 28 from 10 a.m. - noon at Northwestern Michigan College's University Center. Learn more about this event and reserve a seat.

The Chamber is proud to announced the return of the Weekly Entrepreneur Focus show on WTCM-AM each Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Co-hosted by Ron Jolly and Chamber Chief Executive Officer Laura Oblinger, the Weekly Entrepreneur Focus features inspiring success stories from the local business community. Thanks to program sponsors Precision Plumbing & Heating and the FIM Group for helping get this popular and informative weekly business program back on the airwaves. Listen in to the first interview in the series featuring local hotelier Alex Mowczan of Summerside Properties, and check the weekly Chamber Bulletin for a link to previous shows. 

The first Leadership Grand Traverse class of 2015 will represent the 30th group that's come together to take a deep dive into our region to learn what makes it work.  The Leadership Grand Traverse program has helped forge community leaders for more than 30 years, and is more relevant than ever in building participants' leadership skills to help their companies and communities. Applications are open for the Spring 2015 LGT semester that kicks off in March and continues through May. Apply now before the January 30 deadline.

Chamber Leadership programming is supported by:

Business After Hours - the area's original after work business event - returns next Wednesday, January 21, to downtown Traverse City at the Corner Loft which will co-host the event with NeXt I.T.  Beat those midwinter blues with an evening of productive networking at this spacious event venue at the corner of Front and Cass streets.

Join us from 5 - 7 p.m. for some food, refreshments, prizes and fun as we kick off another great year for Business After Hours, among dozens of Chamber events coming up.

Business After Hours is sponsored by:

Michigan's energy future is making news. Questions are growing over where Michigan businesses and residents will turn to meet growing energy demands. The region's "Energy Guys" - representatives of Consumers Energy, Cherryland Electric Cooperative and Traverse City Light & Power - talk about Michigan's power generation challenges in their monthly podcast moderated by Chamber President/CEO Doug Luciani - listen in.

State voters eliminated personal property taxes for small businesses - a proposal your Chamber worked hard to get approved. But remember, small businesses with less than $80,000 in personal property must ANNUALLY file a PPT exemption form to avoid the tax liability. The deadline for filing the PPT exemption form is February 10, and local tax officials said there will be no grace period from the state allowing exemptions through the March Board of Review.

Exemptions forms are available through your local assessing office or through the state Department of Treasury at www.michigan.gov/taxes