Celebrating the latest business happenings and honors
1si Honored as 2020 Statewide Chamber of Commerce of the Year One Southern Indiana (1si) received statewide recognition as the 2020 Indiana Chamber of the
Year today at the annual meeting of the Indiana Chamber Executives Association (ICEA).
“One Southern Indiana continues to perform at an exceptional level, even in the midst of 2020 national challenges,” said ICEA President Shelli Williams. “The 2020 ICEA Chamber of the Year continues to be bold in their leadership through a powerful strategic plan resulting in outstanding successes for the communities that they serve.”
1si President and CEO Wendy Dant Chesser
said, “I have never been prouder of our team. Being recognized by ICEA as the Chamber of the
Year is a great honor which is entirely due to the professionalism, dedication and enthusiasm of the entire staff. Appreciation for their hard work, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, is well deserved and I want to thank them for all they do.”
By the end of 2019, the 1si team had taken the lead in reaching 80 percent of their goal of $50 million in capital investment. The staff celebrated
an impressive 584 jobs created with new job wages of $32.26 per hour, well-above their goal of $21 per hour new job recruitment. In 2019, the staff successfully relaunched an insurance program for members, launched a YP mentorship program and reformatted roundtable groups to better serve member needs. For the first eight months of the fiscal year, this chamber was on-track. Then came COVID-19.
The organization immediately launched 1si Cares, a three-prong approach to assist businesses
in navigating the current health crisis. The first prong, 1si Connects, provides businesses the resources needed to continue business during this disruption to normalcy. The second prong, 1si Collaborates, was accomplished by staff members stepping up to work with local elected officials and foundations. This resulted in the successful funding of 123 business loan requests, totaling more than $1.2 million directly awarded
to businesses in need. The final prong, 1si Calls, offers daily Facebook Live events called “Ask an Expert,”
allowing businesses to have real time conversation for assistance during the pandemic. These videos posted to their website have been viewed more than 18,400 times since the pandemic began.
The Chamber of the Year award is given annually by ICEA to recognize excellence in the chamber of commerce leadership profession. The chamber of the year application process focuses on four core areas including leadership/governance, finance,
advocacy and programming/membership.
Award finalists were reviewed by a panel of industry
professionals from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
In addition to the top award, 1si received two 2020 Communication Excellence Awards for the
2019 Annual Meeting “Mission SoIN Possible” marketing campaign and the 2020 Business
Resource Guide, which is a new publication for 1si.
Joe Glover Named President of New Albany Rotary Club Indiana University Southeast Director of Athletics Joe Glover has been sworn in as the President of the Rotary Club of New Albany.
“It is a great honor to lead the Rotary Club of
New Albany. I consider it a great privilege to serve
in the same role as so many of our community’s
greatest leaders over the last 105 years,” Glover
said. “This organization has meant a lot to me since
Bill Ryall encouraged and invited me to come to
meetings and eventually become a Rotarian. My
love for the City of New Albany and my personal
dedication to service make this opportunity
special for me. I look forward to engaging with
our community and working with hundreds of
Rotarians in Southern Indiana to continue to
our goal to make the world a better place while
opening opportunities for others.”
Glover has been a member of the Rotary Club since November 2012 when a long-time mentor
and former IU Southeast Tennis Head Coach Bill Ryall sponsored his application to the club. Glover has been in charge of the club’s social media and public relations efforts previously and has helped with the annual Salvation Army Angel Tree toy drive and Rotary Community Toast and Benefit Banquet.
Glover has previously served the club as Vice-President, Secretary and as a Board Director.
The Rotary Club of New Albany was established in 1915 and enjoys a long history of serving its community through the meaningful acts of service of its members and through philanthropic giving. Rotary membership represents a cross-section of the New Albany’s business and professional men and women and is an organization committed to
peace and helping others.
The main objective of Rotary is service — in the
community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Locally, Rotarians develop community
service projects that address many of today’s most critical issues. Rotary has focused its efforts in six areas: peace and conflict prevention/resolution,
disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic
education/literacy, and economic /community development.
Glover has been Director of Athletics at IU Southeast since 2010. He currently serves as
Board President of the NAIA-Athletic Director’s Association and serves on the NAIA National
Administrative Council (NAC). He is also an active member of both the National Association
of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD). Glover serves as the Secretary for the Floyd Memorial Foundation and is a member of the Knights of Columbus Cardinal Ritter Council #1221 in New Albany.
