Fort Wayne Students in Indianapolis

The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce has announced the creation of a new program, which partners two Chamber Departments. The Government Affairs Department and the Graduate Retention Program have joined forces to create The Chamber Legislative Intern Program.

Every year the four caucuses of the Indiana General Assembly hire interns to assist with the daily tasks of lawmaking. In addition, many of the government affairs firms throughout Indiana hire interns to participate in advocacy on behalf of their clients. As with all internships, the hands-on experience and the connections that students make are invaluable. The Chamber’s new program hopes to expand the post-graduate possibilities for students in northeast Indiana.

This month the Chamber will host a panel of elected officials from state and local government, State of Indiana staff, former interns and professional advocates to speak to students, parents and faculty about the opportunities these and other legislative internships can create.

The Chamber encourages you to tell a northeast Indiana student you know about this opportunity and encourage them to attend to learn, ask questions and get answers. Because there is a law that affects every industry, the internship possibilities are not limited to political science-type majors. Students in communications, environmental studies, health care administration, criminal justice and many more majors are ideal for the internships.

Also, in October the Chamber is hosting an intern interview fair for students to interview with caucuses and government affairs firms looking for interns for 2012.

Northeast Indiana has much to offer. The region needs to showcase its students’ abilities in Indianapolis by investing in their future and investing in the community. The Chamber Legislative Intern Program is designed to do that and much more!

For more information, contact kstafford@fwchamber.org and visit the Chamber website (www.FWChamber.org/Gov) regularly for updates on this exciting opportunity.

Chamber Members
Save Big Money!

Let’s face it; we’d all like to save more than a few dollars this year. How does $1.3 million dollars in savings sound? Too good to be true, right? Not for Chamber members. Chamber members who take advantage of the Chamber discount programs can save that much each year. Whether you’re talking about health insurance, fire extinguishers, office supplies or web design, Chamber members are saving money every day. 

PHP

PHP’s Health Matters program is the longest running Chamber savings program. For several years now, Chamber members have been saving thousands of dollars on health insurance premiums. 

“The average Chamber member who participates in the program saves approximately $3,500 per year. Some members save up to $20,000 per year in premiums. That alone is worth the price of membership!” says Michelle Merritt, vice president of membership and communications at The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. 

PHP’s Health Matters program is designed to benefit Chamber members that have two employees to 50. Members save up to 5 percent of their small business insurance premiums from PHP. 

Office Depot

Office Depot’s discount program allows members substantial savings on products they use daily Chamber members can save 60 percent on core catalog items and 4 percent off retail catalog purchases. 

Merritt recalls a recent Saturday when a member stopped her to share the value of the Office Depot program, “I was doing my Saturday morning shopping and stopped at the Olive Twist for some olive oil when the owner, Lori Berndt, greeted me with her usual friendly smile but seemed even more excited than normal. She shared with me that she’d saved the cost of her Chamber membership through her Office Depot Savings. She’d only been a member for a few months at the time.” Merritt continued, “That’s what we’re all about; making it easier to do business in Fort Wayne.”

Group Purchasing Organization

Prairie Quest Consulting has partnered with the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce to provide members with a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). A GPO provides members the buying power of a large corporation while remaining a small- to medium-sized business or nonprofit. Members can purchase products and services at prices typically only available to large companies. The program, called BuyWithPQC, markets Chamber members as vendors in various categories such as landscaping, IT services, janitorial service, office products, fire extinguishers and fuel cards. 

Hot Deals!

The Chamber also offers Hot Deals!, a service allowing Chamber members to share discounts on the home page of the new Chamber website. Simply click the Hot Deals! button on the home page and check out the discounts Chamber members offer to the community. 

Are you a Chamber member looking to offer a discount or promotion to members? Log in to the Chamber site and click on Hot Deals! to upload your promotions. This free, easy-to-use service provides you another opportunity to share your promotions with the community. 

Additional savings

The Chamber offers several additional cost savings programs to assist members in reducing costs. Chamber members receive a $25 gift card for a Plus membership and a $10 gift card for a business membership at Sam’s Club. Every employee of a Chamber also receives discounts to Chamber events such as Meet Me at 5s. Employees are also invited to attend “member only” events such as Third House forums and the Connect for Lunch programs. In addition, members receive free usage of meeting rooms in the Chamber building during business hours. Notarization and certificates of origin are also free for Chamber members.