The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce today announced the ten young professionals who will receive a Ten Under 40 Award at this year’s celebration. The 11th Annual Ten Under 40 Awards will be held on Friday, July 22 at the Woolery Mill. The Ten Under 40 Awards, co‐hosted by The Chamber and its YPB (Young Professionals Bloomington) program, is an awards celebration honoring young notables under the age of 40 who are rocking the business world through professional achievement, leadership, and civic involvement.
This year’s Ten Under 40 award winners are: Adam Beasley American Senior Benefits Kasey Butcher Williams Brothers Health Care Pharmacy Priscilla Cuevas Middle Way House Josh Dodds Evergreen Villages at Bloomington Kayla Dusseau Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington Lisa Greathouse IU Health Dr. Julius Hanks Indiana University & Renaissance Leadership Achievement Academy Megan Holtzclaw German American Bank Emily Pike New Hope for Families Aubrey Williams Edward Jones
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NOTE: This news story regarding the Chamber's Community Conversation was published on June 3, 2022 at WTIU/WFIU by Haley Ryan. The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held the Community Conversations: Future of Lake Monroe event Friday.
It featured a presentation from Lake Monroe watershed coordinator Maggie Sullivan and a panel discussion featuring on challenges that may impact businesses, tourism and sustainability. During her presentation, Sullivan discussed the threats facing Lake Monroe and the 2022 Lake Monroe Watershed Management Plan. “The big thing I wanted to do was give an overview of Lake Monroe and the top issues facing the lake, which are harmful algal blooms, sediment, nutrients and fecal contamination.” Sullivan said in an interview. She also wanted to discuss the Watershed Management Plan and the steps it outlines for addressing those problems at the source. “By making changes up in the watershed so that those contaminants don't get into our water,” Sullivan said. The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce welcomes Leslie Abshier to the Board of Directors5/25/2022 ![]() Leslie Abshier was brought into the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors effective May 25, 2022. "I am honored to join this group of community leaders to serve on the Board for the Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington. The Chamber has a strong history and reputation of supporting nonprofit members and I am pleased to be a part of that continued effort in the years to come." Leslie Abshier has served as Resource Development Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington since 2014. She has grown the organization from a $900,000 annual operating budget to a $3.2 million operating budget today. She successfully led an $11 million Capital Campaign for the Club in 2016. She leads a Resource Development Team of three professionals at the Club doing work in fundraising, events, marketing, communications, grants and donor relations. Leslie has earned national and state recognition for her work in development at the Club. In 2020, she won the Resource Development Professional of the Year for the Midwest Region of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She also won the Indiana Area Council of Boys & Girls Clubs Professional of the Year in 2021. She has earned awards locally, as well, including the Fast 15 MVP Award in 2021 and the 10 Under 40 Award from the Chamber’s Young Professionals Bloomington group in 2019. Previously, Leslie worked two years in full-time ministry, and spent two years as Development Director at LIFEDesigns. Leslie is a proud O'Neill Alum holding a Master’s of Public Affairs in Fund Development & Nonprofit Management, a Master’s Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Affairs all from Indiana University, Bloomington. Leslie enjoys giving back to her Alum Mater as an adjunct faculty at Indiana University teaching undergraduate students about the non-profit sector and fund development. Leslie has lived in Bloomington since 2005 and is very active in the community. She has served on the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association board, the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission, Business Networking International (BNI) leadership, and with the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals group. She is also a volunteer staff member and teaching pastor at Genesis Church. Leslie has been married to her husband Chris, a lifelong Bloomington resident, since 2011. She has two young sons, Jack and Charlie. The Abshiers like to fix-up their 100-year-old house, go antiquing, attend IU sporting events of all kinds, watch the Colts play football, visit local markets and shops, and are very involved in activities with their children. ![]() The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is inviting key stakeholders and interested parties for lunch and conversation on the future of Lake Monroe on Friday, June 3rd at the Golf Club at Eagle Pointe. “This discussion will help guide future planning for Lake Monroe,” said Eric Spoonmore, the Chamber’s President & CEO. “As the primary water source for the region, the lake is one of the most critical resources in the greater Bloomington area, and we must steward it accordingly.” What Lake Monroe Means. This body is the sole drinking water source for over 130,000 people and generates over $40 million in economic impact annually. The Lake Monroe watershed consists of over 440 square miles of land in Monroe, Brown, Lawrence, and Jackson Counties. NOTE: This "It's Your Business" column by Chamber CEO Eric Spoonmore was published in the May 16, 2022 Bloomington Herald-Times. ![]() Last week the Bloomington City Council unanimously approved a 51% increase to the local income tax rate that applies to all Monroe County residents. The tax increase will generate about $14.5 million in new annual revenue to fund additional economic development initiatives proposed by Mayor John Hamilton that address climate change preparedness, equity and quality of life, public safety and essential city services. Under the new local income tax rate, Monroe County government will also receive a new annual influx of $9.5million and the town of Ellettsville will receive roughly $1 million in new annual revenue. While the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce did not support a 51% increase to the local income tax rate, we did support new revenue that would provide the needed resources to fully fund our public safety and law enforcement services as well as certain enhancements to public transit services. The Chamber calculated that these investments would cost Monroe County taxpayers $7 million or about half of the amount that the city of Bloomington ultimately approved. NOTE: This article with Chamber CEO Eric Spoonmore was published in the May 12, 2022 Bloomington Rotary Club's weekly newsletter "Roundabout" ![]() Jim Bright introduced Eric Spoonmore, president and CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. Eric started the job on Dec. 1, 2021. Eric said he was particularly pleased to be in the IMU, where he got married. He and his wife met while both were working at Macri’s Deli, a place many of you will remember. He grew up on the west side of Indianapolis; his father was a teacher and his mother a nurse. He came to Bloomington as an IU undergraduate in 2000 and never left. He received his bachelor’s degree in local government management and his master’s in public management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, now the O’Neill School. He worked at the IU Kelley School of Business, and “got the itch for politics” in 2015, when he won a seat on the Monroe County Council. He served six years. NOTE: This Noon Edition interview with Chamber CEO Eric Spoonmore was published in the May 5, 2022 WFIU Noon Edition by Nathan Moore. Noon Edition airs on Fridays at noon on WFIU.
Monroe County homeowners should expect higher property taxes next year. With the increase in home prices and construction of the new hospital, values of homes in Monroe County are rising. According to an article from The Herald Times, values for homes in Monroe County have risen 15% in the past year. With the construction of the new hospital, the county’s assessments have risen $1.9 billion, a record increase for a single year. Furthermore, homeowners who have improved their homes or who live in a highly desired area can see an even higher increase in home value. This rise in value also can raise the value of neighboring homes. On top of it all, concerns of continuing inflation may affect the housing market. NOTE: This "Your Turn" guest column by Chamber CEO Eric Spoonmore was published in the April 24, 2022 Bloomington Herald-Times.
WGCL Glass in the Afternoon: Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Update: April 20, 20224/20/2022 NOTE: This Kelley School of Business Go from Moment to Momentum article was published on April 5, 2022 with Indiana University's Kelley School of Business Blog. By: George Vlahakis As a student at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Lance Breitstein fell in love with the stock market. He read or watched anything he could find on the topic, whether it was a book, a blog or a video.
“What I realized was that I really wanted to go into the field of stock trading,” recalled Breitstein, a 2011 Kelley alumnus who today lives in Chicago. After getting a bachelor’s degree in finance, Breitstein spent a “wonderful” decade working at Trillium Management, one of the nation’s first and fastest growing digital trading firms. He managed its Chicago office and became one of its top traders. |
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