West Ridge Community News West Ridge Chamber of Commerce
March 2014
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New & Renewing Chamber Members
| Chicago Public Library
Fish Keg
Illinois SBDC/The Duman Center
Maggie Blondis/Ivah Urbanski -Dreamtown Realty
Masti Grill
Mills Realty
North Town Garden Society
Ray Miller Realty
Rogers Park Business Alliance
Rose Powers
Schmooz the Clown
Have a business? For only an $85 annual investment in your business you too can become a member of the largest referral network in West Ridge! |
Community Recycling Options |
Recycling & Paper Shredding Date
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014 9am - noon Devon Bank Parking Lot
New for 2014 Recycle clothing, sheets, towels, bedding, carpeting, sewing/quilting scraps
Recycle old electronics and cell phones
Shred documents while you watch!
Loose papers including newspapers, magazines, school and business documents can be recycled at two convenient locations in West Ridge.
Devon Bank 6445 N. Western
High Ridge YMCA 2424 W. Touhy
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Wastemaster
| The City of Chicago recognized long ago that businesses in the same area pay a wide range of prices for trash hauling services.* Many times businesses pay too much when compared to a similar business nearby.
Wastemaster is an online resource for independent business owners who want to reduce their waste disposal and recycling costs. Using a proprietary database application, we offer our subscribers easy access to local service pricing information that otherwise would be time-consuming and cumbersome to assemble. Wastemaster's savings program will create greater competition among the various waste haulers competing for your business in your neighborhood. The result is potential lower disposal rates for you. Your help is needed!
What do I need to do? Please send us 2 of your recent trash hauling invoices . You can do this in one of three ways. 1. Fax to 773-326-3582 2. Take a picture using your smart phone and email to info@wastemaster.com. 3. Email an electronic copy to info@wastemaster.com.
What's in it for me? After we complete the data analysis you will receive a customized report detailing one of two scenarios. 1. Scenario 1 - Great job! You have one of the best waste disposal service rates in your zip code and Wastemaster will continue to send you notifications if a better rate is discovered in the future. 2. Scenario 2 - You are currently paying a higher rate than your neighbor who has a similar pick up frequency and dumpster size. Wastemaster will help you understand the data analysis and provide you with the tools necessary to renegotiate a lower rate through a contract extension or to negotiate a new service agreement with a different hauler when your current contract expires. Do I pay for this service? There are no fees for the initial data analysis. Wastemaster will send you an alert if we believe you can save money. Once you receive this alert, you will have the option of working with us to help you save money. If you decide you want to partner with Wastemaster, our fee is based on your total savings. We can either provide you with the information to allow you to negotiate on your own or we can manage the entire process for you. It's your choice on how you want to proceed and you are not obligated to pay for anything.
What is your privacy policy? All personal information is kept strictly confidential. We only share your zip code, service frequency and hauling rates with other members. Your name, address, and contact information is not shared.
*http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/doe/general/UrbanManagementAndBrownfields_PDFs/Chicago%20Franchising%20Summary%20090908.pdf
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Girl Forward - Girl Jam
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Purchase tickets at http://girljam.brownpapertickets.com/
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Greetings! | This monthly newsletter is an opportunity for you to find out about news and events happening in the West Ridge community. Chamber members are strongly encouraged to submit information about business specials, news and announcements. Make it social! Please share this email on your social networks AND remember to shop local! |
Community Events
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March 3 Pulaski Day - Offices Closed
March 13 St. Patrick's Day Community Party
March 13 CAPS Meeting
March 17 "West" Safety Meeting
March 26 24th District Business Safety Meeting
April 6 Community Recycling and Shredding Event
Find event details, times and other info on our website |
FREE Workshops for Business |
All worshops are FREE and are located at the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection - City Hall 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 805
check out the Google calendar that lists all the workshops as well:
To learn more about BACP's workshops, visit www.cityofchicago.org/bacp
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Attention Restaurants & Grocery Businesses
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A new tax that was introduced in the Illinois Senate and House last week. The bill, if passed, would institute a $.01 per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, to be passed onto the consumer. The West Ridge Chamber of Commerce is a partner of the We Deliver Chicago coalition, which advocates for businesses like yourselves on issues like this tax. We Deliver Chicago raises awareness about the impact of the beverage industry in our community.
If you would like to join the coalition to oppose this tax, please click this link and sign up: http://form.jotform.us/form/23125410064136. There is no cost to join and by joining you are allowing the coalition to advocate on your behalf.
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By 2016 All City Permits Can Be Applied For Online
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MAYOR EMANUEL ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF FIRST PHASE OF PAPERLESS ONLINE PERMIT AND LICENSE PORTAL FOR BUSINESSES Businesses Can Apply for Environmental Permits Online; All City Permits and Licenses Will Move to Online One-Stop-Shop by 2016
As part of a continuing effort to make City government more efficient and effective, Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced the launch of the first phase of an online permit and business license portal that will allow residents, business owners and contractors to easily apply, pay for and print permits and business licenses on the web. The portal launches today with the Chicago Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Air Pollution Control (APC) permit, with all City permits and business licenses moving online by 2016.
"As more and more residents go online to pay bills, shop and telecommute, City Hall needs to keep up," said Mayor Emanuel. "Going paperless by creating an online one-stop-shop for licenses and permits will eliminate the need for trips to City Hall, allowing business owners to focus on their customers."
More than 2,000 businesses apply for the APC permit each year. Businesses are required to obtain this permit if their facility has equipment and areas that have the potential to emit air contaminants into the atmosphere. Businesses with this type of equipment include dry cleaners, body shops, wood shops, metal finishers and manufacturing plants. Additional permits issued by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and four other City departments, including the Departments of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Buildings, Transportation and Cultural Affairs and Special Events, will be added to the online portal gradually over the next two years.
It is estimated that converting from a paperless to online process for the APC permit will have annual savings of nearly 1,400 hours of staff time previously spent on scanning and filing; up to 28,500 pages of paper; and $3,365 in postage that was spent to mail notifications, reminders and certificates.
"The new online portal makes the process of applying for the APC permit much easier," said Vicky Ottenfeld of J.B.C. Heating. "I can submit all required information and documents online. Once I receive approval, I can print the certificate immediately without having to leave my business." Last October, Mayor Emanuel announced the City would invest in making the Small Business Center paperless by 2016, moving all permits and business licenses online in an effort to continue to advance the quality of customer service and cut down on staff time spent handling paperwork. This project was developed by the Mayor's Innovation Delivery Team in partnership with the Department of Innovation and Technology.
When complete, the paperless Small Business Center will house business licenses, building permits, public way use permits and special event permits on a single online portal that will provide convenient access to services and customer support to business owners, contractors, and residents. The portal will include the online application, navigational tools to effectively utilize the website, a personal dashboard and a convenient online payment system. It will also feature multi-language support via Google Translate and professionally translated information and documents.
Since launching in November 2011, the Mayor's Innovation Delivery Team has spearheaded a business license reform ordinance that reduced the number of license categories by 60 percent, launched the Retrofit Chicago Residential Partnership to help home and apartment building owners save thousands of dollars on their energy bills and helped design the Small Business Center to serve as a one-stop-shop for small businesses.
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All 24th District Businesses Are Invited!
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CJE Senior Life Events for Older Adults and Their Families
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CJE SeniorLife offers ongoing support groups and programs on a wide variety of topics of interest to seniors and their families. Fees vary according to the program and individual circumstances and some groups may be partially covered by Medicare and supplemental insurance. For information or to join a group, call CJE SeniorLife at 773/508-1000 or visit us online at www.cje.net.
Visit the February Calendar
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CAPS Schedule
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"Miracle" Advertising Media
|  In the pre-internet days, Yellow Page advertising provided a significant benefit to business owners. When most local consumers were looking for the service or product which the business offered, they would likely see the Yellow Page ad. Today many consumers bypass the Yellow Pages and go directly to the internet to find the product or service they want to buy. On the internet, as in the Yellow Pagers, consumers are exposed to numerous competing offers. There is an affordable alternative media where a business ad is available when local consumers are ready to make a buying decision. In this media, there will be few, if any, competitive ads. And, every week leading up to the purchase decision time, the ad can be viewed by consumers, establishing an image of the business in their minds. So what is this "Miracle" Advertising Media? It is Weekly Bulletin advertising. Many local religious organizations publish and distribute a weekly bulletin for their members. Some of these organizations accept non-offensive advertising in their bulletins. As their members are exposed to these ads every week, they develop a positive awareness of the business being advertised. When they are ready to make a purchase, they will be comfortable buying from a business they know. For additional information about Weekly Bulletin advertising, send an email to dennisf@graceprinting.com. |
Feel Safe and Back Up with Carbonite
| You know our organization and you know how much we have on our computers - We wouldn't know what to do if we lost it all. So to protect our files, we back up everything with Carbonite. It's safe, affordable and it continually backs up new photos, documents, business files and more. We pay less than a months worth of lattes to know we will never lose a document. Best thing I have found that that we can even access documents on our desktop from our smart phones!! Click the link below to see pricing and how it can work for your business or home computers. Tell them the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce sent you!
Sign up for Carbonite NOW!
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Info American Center Announces New Executive Director
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The Board of Directors of the Indo-American Center (IAC) has named James S. Lemonides as its Executive Director.
Mr. Lemonides first joined the Indo-American Center as Associate Director in February of 2013, and began serving as Interim Executive Director in June of 2013. Under his leadership the Center has embarked upon much-needed building renovations, including the installation of an elevator for ADA compliance and a total roof replacement. The Civics Education and Public Benefits programs have been expanded to include evening instruction and Affordable Care Act health insurance enrollment, respectively.
Previously, Lemonides was CEO of Greater Northwest Chicago Development Corporation (formerly Greater North-Pulaski,) a community-based industrial advocacy group that spurred the adaptive reuse of the former Playskool Toy Factory on Chicago's West Side and pioneered industrial retention initiatives for Chicago, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
The IAC, founded in 1990, is Chicago's oldest South Asian organization. IAC promotes the well being of South Asian and other immigrants through services that facilitate their adjustment, integration and friendship with the wider society. Through senior citizens luncheons and after school youth programs, the Center reaches out to all generations of the community. Through citizenship, English language, workforce development and computer literacy classes, the Center guides immigrants toward inclusion in the economic and political life of America.
For more information: (773) 973-4444 x 101 |
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The West Ridge Chamber of Commerce thanks you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
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Amie L. Zander
The West Ridge Chamber of Commerce
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