ELMHURST CHAMBER ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS

ELMHURST, Ill., November 13, 2013 – Two of the six recently-elected members of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry Board of Directors were sworn in to serve their three-year terms as Directors at the Board’s November 12 meeting at Community Bank of Elmhurst (330 West Butterfield Road).

            Installed as first-term Directors were:

Mike Carson, Owner of Carson Closets & Cabinetry (662 County Farm Road, Bensenville); and

Kevin Kost, Investment Representative with Edward Jones Investments (928B South York Street).

            Elected to second terms as Directors were:

Mary Ahart, Sales Representative with Matrix Credit Card Processing (2500 West Higgins Road, Suite 1105, Hoffman Estates) since 2008;

Jackie Hayden, newly-hired as Independent Insurance Agent and Partner at Delta RMS (384 Arlington Avenue);

Paul Koch, Partner and General Manager at Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge (200 West Grand Avenue); and

Dare Messina, Real Estate Agent with L.W. Reedy Real Estate (101 North York Street).

“Our Chamber is blessed to have well qualified individuals willing to serve on the Board of Directors,” said Quigley.  “Four of the newly-elected Directors were already serving on the Board, including a member of the Executive Committee.”

Koch installed Carson and Kost in his next to last duty as 2013 Board Chair, while Messina is a past Board Chair (2007).

            All of the elected Directors were slated by a non-Board Nominating Committee, per recently-adopted changes to the Chamber’s By-Laws, which also pared the election from seven to six seats.  The inaugural slate ran uncontested, with no Chamber member filing the required petition to run for election.

            The Nominating Committee was comprised of the following five past Board Chairs:  Scott Levin (2010) of Howard & Howard, Jason Janes (2009) of Edward Jones Investments, Debra Catalano (2008) of Catalano & Associates, Cathy Bajkowski (2003) of CB Health Insurance and Rich Reichert (2001) of Community Bank of Elmhurst.

 “Slating Directors is a more-business-like method for recruiting candidates with Board-specific skills, as compared to the popularity contest typical with most elections,” said John Quigley, the Chamber’s President and CEO since 1999.

The Board is comprised of 18 to 21 elected Directors serving three-year terms, plus three Ex-Officio Directors.  Directors are limited to serving two consecutive elected terms, not counting years as an appointee or as a post-term Past Chairperson.

            Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.

            The mission of the Elmhurst Chamber is to promote an environment that creates success for local businesses and our community.

The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.