Faye Pfenninger, Owner & Boutique Photographer with Pfenninger Photography, started the business in 2019. Pfenninger Photography is a locally owned boutique style portrait photography that focus on moments that can be displayed on your walls instead of in your phones or computers. Pfenninger Photography is one of the Chamber’s women-owned business members.

Faye's husband bought her a professional camera in 2018 for Christmas and it changed her life. She grew a passion for it right away. She always loved taking photos of events in life and people in her life, but never thought of it as a career to pursue. Then, Faye's friends started seeing her work on Facebook posts and started asking her to do photos for them. It began as a hobby in fall of 2019 and grew to a business after having their daughter in October 2020. She began to really dig deep and self teach herself (with the help of her husband) in 2020 while on bed rest while pregnant. In 2021, she began doing it part time. While still working full time, she got a studio as her clientele grew. 

Geng Wang, CEO & Co-founder of Civic Champs, started the business in April 2019. Civic Champs was created to change how nonprofits operate and engage with their supporters. Their web and mobile platforms automate volunteer management and help nonprofit organizations convert their volunteers to donors. The technology eliminates manual data entry and other time-intensive tasks so nonprofits can focus on doing what matters most. Civic Champs is one of the Chamber’s Asian-Pacific Islander-owned business members.

Geng grew up in Vermillion, South Dakota. He attended Michigan State University where he got a dual degree in Supply Chain Management and International Relations (where he met his wife, Stephanie). He then continued that education further when he got my Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Professionally, Geng started his career in consulting at McKinsey & Company, and has founded two startups in addition to Civic Champs (Rent Jungle and Community Elf).
 
He and his family moved to Bloomington 7 years ago when Stephanie accepted a position at IU’s Kelley School of Business as a professor.  Both of their boys, aged 3 and 7, were born here in town and he says it’s been a fantastic place to raise a family. They have found the community to be incredibly welcoming, and are excited to see the growing support ecosystem for startups, such as the Dimension Mill.

Nichelle Whitney, the CEO & Founder, established The Guarden four years ago. The Guarden is a diversity, equity, and inclusion training group that focuses on education, accountability, and grace. They create tailored training programs for teams that are committed to diving deep into understanding intercultural competence and the importance of transforming and dismantling barriers to health, education, and wealth for historically excluded populations. The Guarden is is one of the Chamber’s women-owned, and Black-owned business members.

Nichelle is originally from Indianapolis, but she moved to the Bloomington community in 2011 to start her education at IU Bloomington. She has enjoyed serving Bloomington and Monroe County for the last 10 years, and Nichelle couldn’t think of a better place to call home for The Guarden. 

Nichelle has been working in DEI consulting spaces for over 10 years; however, she formally established this work under The Guarden about 4 years ago.

On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held it's 12th annual Women Excel Bloomington awards ceremony at the Indiana Memorial Union's Alumni Hall. With over 150 attendees, our seven award winners were able to celebrate all that they have accomplished. The 2022 Women Excel Bloomington award winners are: Danielle Bruce, Jennifer Crossley, Kaisa Goodman, Ashley Hazelrig, Amy Meek, Erika Oliphant, and Karin St. John. 

We were fortunate enough to have such support from our sponsors and our community. We would like to thank our sponsors for their contributions: B97, Cassady Electrical Contractors, Cook Group, Old National Bank, City of Bloomington, Indiana University, Nature's Way, IU Credit Union, IU Health Plans, Bill C. Brown Associates, Building Associates, CFC Properties, Duke Energy, First Financial Bank, German American Bank, Indiana Members Credit Union, ISU/The May Agency, Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington, Smithville, The Herald-Times, and The Monroe County YMCA.

Check out some of the photos from the event below.

We also have videos from each of the award winners. Check them out below!

On Thursday, May 19, 2022, The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held it's monthly Business After Hours in partnership with the College Mall.  See the photos from the event below!

Listen in as Jim Webster of WVNI Spirit 95 talks with Kyle Netter of Bloomington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital. Bloomington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital is a 40-bed free-standing medical rehabilitation hospital. They provide comprehensive inpatient rehab services to people recovering from injuries or illnesses. They are the only rehab hospital within 50 miles from Bloomington. Their patients receive 3 hours of therapy a day. The have a wonderful patient to staff ratio where there is 1 nurse to every 6 patients. They accept all major insurances. To find out more visit  brrh.ernesthealth.com

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held it's quarterly Morning Buzz on Wednesday, May 18th at the College Mall Food Court. Over 40 members were in attendance and were able to make many business connections. Please check out the photos from the event below!

​Congratulations to Steven Fortune and Jason Lanham, Edward Jones Financial Advisors on their new, beautiful location. The day of their opening was also Edward Jones’s 100th year so there was much to celebrate. At their branch, they are driven by an unshakeable commitment to building financial strategies with you at the center and a "do unto others" philosophy.  Whether it's planning for retirement, saving for college for children or grandchildren, or just trying to protect the financial future of the ones that you care the most for, they take the time to identify each goal and develop a strategy to address it.

​Listen in as Jim Webster of WVNI Spirit 95 talks with Brian Richardson owner of Veteran Hauling, a veteran-owned junk removal and demo company that provides dependable services, with military precision, to businesses, property managers, and overwhelmed souls. At Veteran Hauling they can remove almost anything from hoarding, to helping you clean out a garage. Just last year they removed 300 tons of trash. At Veteran Hauling they love what they do and believe that the way they treat people before, during, and after the process is what sets them apart from the rest. To find out more or set up an appointment visit them at www.veteranhauling.com 

​Listen in as Jim Webster of WVNI Spirit 95 talks with Marisa Churchill, Director of Operations for Girls Inc. Monroe County. At Girls Inc., they inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. They have various programs that are tailored to help girls do just that, in the school, after school and in the summer. Girls Inc.’s summer program starts on June 6th- July 29th.  They are always looking for members of the community to volunteer with their girls. To find out more about volunteer opportunities or membership visit girlsinc-monroe.org.