Dear Members:

In cooperation with the Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187, City of Elmhurst and Elmhurst Park District, our Chamber is organizing an in-person 104th Annual Elmhurst Memorial Day Parade and Post-Parade Military Ceremony on Monday, May 30, with Vietnam War veteran and retired U.S. Army Lt. Robert “Bob” Fonzino serving as the Grand Marshal.

The Parade will step off at 9:30 a.m. from Third and York in downtown Elmhurst and concluded at the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial in Wilder Park, where a Post-Parade Military Ceremony will be conducted starting at 11 a.m.

If you want to march along, simply click HERE to view our Chamber website’s calendar event listing with a link to access parade entrant application.

Also, parade organizers are in need of two more convertibles in which members of the United States military will ride.  If you can “loan” a convertible or are willing to drive your own, call the Chamber office at 630-834-6060.

As part of its now-traditional display of America flags on the lawn in front of the Wilder Mansion, True Patriots Care will pay special tribute to more than 100 graduates of York Community High School, IC Catholic Prep and Timothy Christian High School who were killed in action.  The front lawn also features a stone monument and brass plaque dedicated to 14 Elmhurst residents who were KIA during the Vietnam War.

ECCI Civic Hall of Fame Fundraiser
The ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-designated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has selected the month of May to solicit tax-deductible gifts to fund a Civic Hall of Fame Public Memorial.  Simply click HERE to donate online.

In August of 2021, the NFP purchased more than $15K in TouchPros hardware and software for development of a Civic HOF public memorial, which will feature a TouchWall interactive, touch-screen TV monitor (65 inches) on which users can view biographies, photographs and video clips of each of the inductees.

A Civic HOF website will go live later this year and the TouchWall is expected to be installed at a temporary site by year’s end.

Created in honor of ECCI’s 100th Anniversary in 2018, the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP’s one-of-a-kind $250,000 Capital Campaign has raised some $300K for the Ralph P. Pechanio Student Internship Endowment Fund at Elmhurst University versus a goal of $150K, exceeded the Second Century Fund’s $50K goal and collected more than $25K towards the $50K Civic HOF goal since 2016.

Since its creation in 1992 as part of the Opening Ceremonies at Elmfest, the Civic HOF has inducted 32 businesspeople, community volunteers and elected officials.  Since Elmfest’s end in 2009, inductees have been honored at ECCI’s Annual Awards Gala in all but one of those years.

20th Annual Economic Outlook Luncheon
Some 250 businesspeople and 39 exhibitors from ECCI, Westmont Chamber of Commerce and 22 other chambers of commerce participated in the 20th Annual Multi-Chamber Economic Outlook Luncheon and Business Expo, featuring Anna Paulson of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as the Keynote Speaker, at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove on April 19.

Click on the following links to read post-event press release and/or view photo page.

Titled “The Economy:  How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Headed?”, Paulson’s power-point presentation highlight the “rapidity” of both America’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic-induced financial crisis and the inflation-producing recovery.

The luncheon program also included a power-point presentation on the Metropolitan Emergency Response & Investigation Team (MERIT) by Village of Westmont Chief of Police Jim Gunther, who is serving a two-year term as Chair of MERIT’s Executive Board.

Explore Elmhurst Summer Trolley
I am happy to report that all 24 spaces in our Chamber’s partnership with the City to sell interior display advertising for both the 16-weekend Explore Elmhurst Summer Trolley starting in June and five-weekend Holly Trolley starting in November “sold out” in the first week of availability.

Participants include Access Sports, Adapt Chiropractic, Alpine Creek Dental, Bacci Pizzeria, Beyond Shades, Cloud Nine Restaurant Group (One Fifty One Kitchen/Bar and Pints), Community Bank of Elmhurst, Edward Jones Investments (Kevin Kost), Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst Park District, Elmhurst University, GIA MIA Elmhurst, Hauert Law Office, Hinton Insurance Agency – Farmers Insurance, IC Catholic Prep, Kelley Stetler Real Estate (Broker with Compass), La Jolie Boutique MLN, See Your House Right Here (Eva Snachez), Spring Road Business Association, Suburban Bank & Trust, The Katris Law Group, Total Window Treatments, Unlimited Heating & Cooling and York and Vallette Business Association.

103rd Annual ECCI Awards Gala
You can watch ElmhurstTV coverage of the 103rd Annual ECCI Awards Gala held in Elmhurst University’s Frick Center on March 25 on Comcast Channel 6 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 during the month of May on Saturdays at 7 p.m. or simply click HERE to view online.

New Members
Our Chamber welcomed one new member in April as follows:  Hello Donuts.

Happy Anniversary
Ten members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in May as follows:  55 yearsEdward-Elmhurst Health and Elmhurst University; 50 yearsElmhurst Dental Care; 35 yearsMama Maria’s Pizza; 30 yearsCommunity Bank of Elmhurst and Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram; 20 yearsElmhurst Eagles Football & Cheer; 10 yearsAccounting HELP! LLC and Elmhurst Heritage Foundation; and 5 yearsBema, Incorporated.

Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following four members in April:  JDog Junk Removal & Hauling-Elmhurst, Maxine, Pied Piper Group and Steadfast Painting Solutions Corp.

Gone, But Not Forgotten
Our Chamber lost a longtime active member with the March 29 passing of Alex Richard King Jr., 78, of Elmhurst.  He was the Owner and President of Villa Park-based King Construction, a Chamber member since 1998.  His final Chamber event was the Annual Holiday Business After Hours hosted by Community Bank of Elmhurst last December 9.