Chamber Committees
Business Advocacy Committee

     Creating a vibrant business environment requires our participation in the legislative process - advocating those issues that will benefit our membership and keeping our membership informed of legislation that will impact their business interests. Creating a vibrant business environment also requires that we seek out organizations that share our goals and collaborate with them, actively pursuing our common goals.

Click here to see the Business Advocacy Committee's webpage of legislative advocacy issues and resources. 

Strategic Plan Responsibility

Goal 1:  Create a vibrant business environment in the Pekin area

Strategy:  Advocacy  Proactively participate in the legislative process, serving as an advocate for our members.

Strategy:  Collaboration  Collaborate with organizations that share the Chamber's goal of a vibrant business environment.

Strategy:  Information Sharing  Keep our membership informed of legislative issues that can affect their business.

Committee Focus:  Primarily focus on legislative activities that will create a vibrant business environment.  Can expand focus beyond the legislative arena to projects and issues that will create a vibrant business environment.

Examples of Activities

• Represent the interests of Chamber members before legislative bodies
• Monitor and react to legislative activities of legislative bodies
• Collaborate with the City of Pekin on economic development tasks
• Collaborate with local and regional units of government and organizations on projects, events and issues
• Prepare candidate questionnaires for local races and share the results with members and the public
• Maintain a policy document, outlining the Chamber's position on various issues
• Publish a legislative scorecard showing how local elected officials voted on issues affecting business.

Authority:  Makes recommendations to the Board of Directors.  Can develop additional activities to support the above strategies.  Can develop sub-committees or ad hoc committees to address specific committee activities. 

Budget:  There is no money in the 2008 budget for the activities of the Business Advocacy Committee.  Therefore, any unbudgeted expenses must be offset by unbudgeted revenues.

Schedule:  The Business Advocacy Committee meets on the third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00am at the Chamber office.

Committee Members

• Dave Calhoun, Let It Shine
• Brian Ford, Facet Computers
• Bart Haas, ReMax Home Realtors
• Mary Ann Ladendorf, Coldwell Banker Realty
• Jeff Livengood, Herget Bank
• Glen Rittenhouse, Pekin Community Bank
• Randy West, Chair/Board Liaison, Illinois-American Water Company

Measurements of Success:  Ensuring that the Strategic Plan is a living, breathing document, the Executive Committee will continually evaluate the appropriateness of the Plan's goals. The Executive Committee will also evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and activities. On at least an annual basis, this committee will be evaluated on:

• Participation in the Illinois Chamber's annual Legislative Summit
• Examples of development of Chamber positions on issues
• Examples of advocacy of Chamber positions on issues
• Examples of collaboration with others who share a common position on issues
• Examples of legislative information shared with the membership