Dear Members:

Before the end of December, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign into law a comprehensive gambling bill featuring a Video Gaming Act amendment that will allow qualified nationally-chartered fraternal and veterans organizations to apply for a video gaming license if the proposed establishment meets specified criteria—even if currently prohibited in home-rule communities, as is the case here in Elmhurst.

Strongly supported in both the Illinois House of Representatives and then Illinois Senate during the Fall Veto Session, the bipartisan legislation (House Bill 3136) opens the door for Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187, Elmhurst Elks Lodge #1531 and Elmhurst Knights of Columbus 1911 Club to install state-regulated video gaming terminals.

Civic Hall of Fame Donations
This holiday season, tax-deductible donations in support of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) Centennial Celebration NFP’s development of a Civic Hall of Fame public memorial will receive one complimentary Elmhurst-Opoly board game (a $25 retail value) for every $50 donated to a maximum of 10 games ($500).

Click HERE to donate online at $50, $100 or $250, or multiples of each giving option by adding attendees.  Donations by check can be mailed to the Chamber office at 300A West Lake Street, Suite 201, Elmhurst, IL 60126.
Donations are tax deductible through the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP, which is an Internal Revenue Service-designated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization.

The Civic HOF memorial will feature a TouchPros Touch Wall interactive, touch-screen TV monitor (65 inches) on which users can view biographies, photographs and video clips of each of the inductees, and will be installed in a publicly-accessible location (to be determined).  The wall may even “travel” around Elmhurst before finding its final home.

Last August, the NFP made an initial investment of $15,125 to pre-pay TouchPros for the Touch Wall hardware, software and related fees for installation, cloud hosting (five years), site creation (uploading of data, photos and video) and extended warranty (five years).

Since its creation in 1992—then as part of the Opening Ceremonies at the Elmfest community festival—the Civic HOF has welcomed 30 businesspeople, community volunteers and elected officials.  Since Elmfest’s finale in 2009, inductees have been honored at ECCI’s Annual Awards Gala in all but one of those years.  Scott and Charity Ahlgrim, formerly of Ahlgrim Funeral Home, were inducted during the 102nd Annual Award Gala (click HERE to view online) staged in the Normandy Banquet Room at Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187 on September 8.

To date, the NFP has raised more than $17,000 in Civic HOF funding towards a $50,000 goal set within an once-in-a-lifetime $250,000 Centennial Celebration Capital Campaign established in 2016 as part of ECCI’s 100th Anniversary year in 2018.

“State of Our City” Mayoral Address
Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin will deliver the Annual “State of Our City” Mayoral Address at a Membership Breakfast hosted in the second-floor Hammersmith Community Room at Community Bank of Elmhurst on Thursday, January 20, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.  Seating is limited to 100.  Click HERE to register.

State of the County Address
DuPage County Board Chair Dan Cronin will deliver his final State of the County Address at an annual multi-chamber luncheon and business expo (at a site to be determined) on Wednesday, January 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Click HERE to register.

Multi-Chamber Danube River Cruise
Our Chamber is among a dozen West Suburban Chamber of Commerce Executives (WSCCE) members partnering to host an Amazing Danube River Cruise aboard the 5-star MS Amadeus from October 12-21, 2022, along with an optional pre-cruise, three-night stay in Prague.

New Members
Our Chamber welcomed one new member in November as follows:  New City Moving.

Happy Anniversary
Four members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in December as follows:  15 yearsSotos Building; 20 yearsCatalano & Associates and Spring Road Business Association; and 25 yearsEvenhouse & Co., P.C.

Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following six members in November:  Aligned Modern Health, GGI – Great Guys, Inc., Layer Cake Solutions, Leonard Metzl, CPA & Associates, Lexington Health Care & Rehabilitation and Primos Locos.

Death in the Family
Our Chamber family suffered an unanticipated loss with the November 8 passing of past Board of Directors member and long-time Chamber Ambassador Jackie Hayden, Co-Owner of Delta RMS, at the age of 59.