The Government Affairs Committee is getting ready to get started up again. The legislature gets going again in January. It is going to be a short session. Hopefully we will be able to get an update from our legislators at a Third House Session.

Also coming before the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce is deciding on a model resolution on the Climate Change Treaty recently negotiated in Kyoto, Japan. Look for more on this later.

There are still open positions on this committee. This committee does most of its work through mail, phone and fax. If someone in your business is interested in becoming a member of the Government Affairs Committee, please contact Shelly Neal at 219-563-4407.

The Membership Committee has been hard at work distributing packets and presentations to some possible new members to the Chamber. I would invite each of you who comes in contact with a new business to let them know what an important role the Chamber plays in our community.

The Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce began many years ago on the premise that a group of businesses would have a bigger and louder voice than each individual business. This is still very much true, however, today the Chamber offers many more advantages such as:

1. Personal Leadership and Development Skills: For those that want to get involved there is ample opportunity to do so. There are opportunities to learn to lead, direct, communicate, work as a team player, and many other valuable leadership skills. Developing these skills will enhance your current position, your community, and yourself. Therefore, I can hardly believe that an individual would want to pass up these many opportunities.

2. Networking: Through the many Chamber sponsored events and activities there are many opportunities to make valuable business contacts. These business contacts come in very handy to help an individual become more knowledgeable, which is very important in today's business world.

3. Gift Certificates: Through the Chamber anyone can purchase gift certificates that can be redeemed at any Chamber Member business. These certificates are great to give away for any kind of special event. Many companies purchase them for their employees as a Christmas gift. The certificates make great gifts because the recipient has so many options to choose from.

4. Internet Buyer's Guide and Membership: Your business could be accessed through the Internet even if you don't have a home page or e-mail address. The entire Membership is listed under the Chamber home page. You can also receive lists of Member businesses by just making a call to the Chamber office.

5. Business Referrals: The Chamber receives dozens of calls and letters daily requesting specific needs. These requests are referred to Chamber Member businesses.

6. Information Center/Small Business Development Center (SBDC): The Chamber is available to members who are seeking information, advice or support for their businesses. If you have general questions, we will attempt to set up Member to Member support. This is where the Chamber is knowledgeable of a Member who is an expert in the area in which you have questions. The Chamber will work to assist you in making contacts for this expert advice within our Membership.

   The Chamber also has available to all Chamber Members, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). A counselor is in the Chamber office twice a month for workshops and one on one counseling for new and existing businesses. This professional counseling is at no charge to Chamber Members.

7. Economic Development: The Chamber is aggressively working to retain and promote existing and possible new business and industry through business programs, business seminars, visitor promotions, and involvement with Wabash Marketplace Inc. The Chamber also assists Wabash Economic Development Corporation (WEDCOR), the City of Wabash and the Wabash Area in their marketing and recruiting efforts.

8. Legislative Voice: Many voices speak louder than one. The Chamber monitors current legislation, keeping the Membership informed of the issues that may ultimately effect their business.

   As you can see there are many benefits to being a Chamber member. You can also see that the Chamber has evolved over the years and will evolve more in the future. The one thing that has been and will remain constant is the added credibility and recognition that comes from a membership in the Chamber. Being a Member certifies you are a member of Wabash's leading business organization.

I would like to pose two questions to each of you:

More than 5 million American businesses (630 in Wabash County alone) will receive 1997 Economic Census questionnaire in December. Completed forms are due February 12, 1998. Businesses receiving a form are required to respond.

Taken every five years, the Economic Census identifies national and local business trends that are essential to measuring and encouraging economic growth. Census figures help update such widely used figures as the gross domestic product (GDP) and monthly retail sales.

"The Economic Census is indispensable to understanding America's economy," said Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. "It assures the accuracy of the statistics we rely on for sound economic policy and for successful business planning."

This is the most ambitious Economic Census ever. It will be the first published entirely on the Internet. Early in 1999, a new "advance" report will present totals for the total economy. All data will be available on CD-ROMs, with highlights in printed reports.

This also will be the first major statistical report based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Developed cooperatively by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaces the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system to provide greater comparability with international statistics. NAICS more accurately portrays the way our economy is now structured. The new system reflects the profound changes in technology and the growth of services that have marked recent decades.

Business people receiving forms should realize that the Economic Census helps them, too. The results provide vital information for strategic planning and many of the of ficial statistics that investors expect in a business plan.

"Businesses make decisions about where they locate and how much to produce based on what they learn in the census," said Maureen Haver, former President of the National Association of Business Economics. "We rely on the census to understand market trends, monitor trade, keep our surveys accurate, and keep our members informed," added Herman Cain, President of the National Restaurant Association.

State and local governments, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and others concerned with economic development also rely on Economic Census data.

"We need to understand our business climate ... and how it has changed over time ... before we can effectively work toward new business growth," said J. R. Wilhite, President, Kentucky Industrial Development Foundation.

Information collected in the Economic Census includes the number of employees, payroll and the types and value of goods and services provided during 1997. Most businesses can complete their form in about an hour. In fact, many very small businesses will not even get a form.

"To simplify reporting, we have tailored each of our forms to a business's primary activities," said Thomas L. Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau's Assistant Director for Economic Programs. "We have designed over 500 versions of the basicform."

The census is absolutely confidential. By law, only sworn Census Bureau employees may see individual responses. Business responses are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, and no business competitors can obtain the data.

Welcome New Members