Monday, December 19, 2011

2012 promises to be another exciting year for the Chamber

So much for down time.

The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber completed its event calendar for 2011 when we hosted our annual Holiday Mixer Dec. 7 at Edison’s in downtown Birmingham. Owner Judi Roberts and her team did an awesome job providing a festive atmosphere, sumptuous food and innovative libations for our members and their guests.

With a successful 2011 in the rear view mirror, the Chamber staff already is hard at work planning out the first quarter of 2012 to ensure our member businesses realize even more benefits in return for their investment in the Chamber.

First up is our annual Membership Directory, which is set to go to the printer as I write this column. The directory is distributed to thousands of homes in our six member communities, and is a yearlong resource for area residents. Look for it in early January as a supplement to Birmingham Bloomfield Lifestyle Magazine.

We also are very excited about a new event we are planning for March. The Chamber is partnering with Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital on a health and wellness event. The breakfast program will feature a keynote address from the hospital’s President and CEO, Gerard Van Grinsven, about revolutionary changes that are taking place in the industry, as well as a panel of exports who will discuss the challenges the private sector faces in providing health care benefits to their employees in the face of ever escalating costs.

While the Chamber’s programs and events are the most visible evidence of what we do, the core of our mission is simply working with our member businesses on a daily basis to ensure their success. We receive hundreds of referral requests on a yearly basis, and it is gratifying to be able to recommend one of our members that we know will provide that referral with an outstanding business experience.

Happy holidays, and I hope to see you soon at a Chamber program or event, or simply drop by our offices at 725 S. Adams in the Adams Square shopping center to hear what we have in store for 2012.

Joe Bauman is president of the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber. He welcomes feedback at joeb@bbcc.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber Announces New Directors








The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber has appointed Sunny Connolly, Gail Evo, Monica Haider, Donald Lee and Chris McLogan to its 2012 Board of Directors for a three-year term.

Connolly is senior partner with the Bingham Farms-based Patterson Bryant Group. He has been a Chamber member since 2008.

Evo is corporate director of integrative medicine for Royal Oak-based Beaumont Health Systems. She has been a Chamber member since 2007.

Haider is vice president of Birmingham-based Shore Financial Services. She has been a Chamber member since 2010.

Lee is chief marketing officer for Clark Hill PLC. He has been a Chamber member since 2005 and works out of the law firm’s Detroit and Birmingham offices.

McLogan is a real estate sales professional with Birmingham-based Max Broock Realtors. He has been a Chamber member since 2009.

In addition to the new appointments, Alicia Green was named Chair of the Board of Directors for 2012. Green, a resident of Bloomfield Township, is owner of Troy-based Aqua Advantage. She has been a Chamber member since 2003, and has served on the Board of Directors since 2007.

Also named as officers for 2012 were Bruce Kridler, senior vice president of Huntington Bank’s Wealth Advisory Group, 1st vice chair; Karen Pifer, a partner with the Honigman law firm, 2nd vice chair; Mark Smith, a partner with Mellen, Smith & Pivoz, PLC, CPAs, treasurer; and Linda Hatfield, vice president of marketing for the Birmingham Bloomfield Credit Union, secretary. Brian Henry, commercial services counsel for eTitle and chair of the Board of Directors for 2010-11, will serve as past chair. For more information contact Joe Bauman joeb@bbcc.com