Inside The Chamber: Recent Episodes
Oak Park and River Forest Chamber
Inside the Chamber is a project between the Oak Park and River Forest Chamber of Commerce and D.M. Burton. The OPRF Chamber advocates, and provides network and resources for our small business community. D.M. Burton is a Creative digital marketing start-up homegrown in the OPRF Community. Both are committed to building a resilient small business community. or more information on the OPRF Chamber & D.M. Burton Follow us on Social @OPRFchamber and @dmburtonstyle Respectively.
Join Chamber President Darien Marion-Burton and Chamber Vice President Rob Gunthener as they host a conversation with the candidates for Oak Park Village Trustee.
Our final episode on gifting is all about consumables. Today we have Shana Taveras of Blackout Baking Co. talking to us about the gift of food. Food and drink are not complicated, but it is from the heart and it lets people know that you are thinking about them. By baking the perfect bite of cookie, she creates deliciousness for all who receive them. Let's get some great consumable gift ideas for this holiday season or any time of the year.
Part 2 of our multi-part series on Gifting. We know gifting can be difficult. Who do we gift? When do we gift? How much do we spend? Get some great insights on gifting from Oak Park's Trusted Realtor, Swati Saxena, as she shares with Darien some of her secrets on cultivating strong relationships and finding the perfect gift for all of our different associations, clients, friends, family, and more. She makes gift-giving local, to support our local economy and personal, to show her appreciation and joy during this holiday season and all year long.
The holiday season is synonymous with gifts. And just in time, Darien chats with some of our amazing business mavens to share their take on gifting ideas to help us maneuver through this holiday season. Today as part of our multi-part series, we have Lisa Munro of Elle Belle Box. Founded during the height of Covid-19 to support local vendors and women-owned businesses, she creates beautifully wrapped themed gift boxes for all who need help finding the perfect gift. Listen to some of her great gift ideas for this season to bring a smile to all who receive them and support Local.
We all know and love our local independent retailers but they have been hit hard by this darn pandemic - overnight closures, limited numbers in their stores, and no touching of beautiful things! So how can you help to ensure the survival of our Village gems? Come and spend some time with three owners of some of the most visible businesses in Oak Park and learn right from these business warriors how you can help them weather the storm and why they love to hate pivots in each of their businesses.
Join us as we welcome Anne Pezalla from Lively Athletics, Kim Humphrey from Bead in Hand, and Cheryl Vargas from Studio 928! Let Anne tell you about her favorite item in her store and how you can help Lively survive this pandemic. Find out how Cheryl's virtual painting parties are attracting bookings from Netflix to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and help connect you with friends and family across the country. She even enlightens us about Google Business. And let Kim's plans for at-home beading projects save your family holidays in lock-down. Nothing is predictable anymore in the retail world and these women know it. It's going to take a Village to make sure our shops are around next year - listen-in so you can do your part this holiday season.
Who is dreaming of a beach vacation or some time away with friends? We are all craving to get out of our Covid bubble and see the world again, and with the holidays around the corner, is it safe to travel yet? Can you book family vacations? Should you travel? Is Spring break even going to be a thing next year? We checked in with our local travel expert, Lydia Villanueva-Soto from Tan Travel to bring you the inside scoop on everything from middle seats, getting your credits & refunds, and where you can still travel in Mexico! And don't miss the tips and tricks to find the perfect Mimosa in a deserted airport. Our crystal ball says there could be a return of the Travel Agent - get ahead of the curve and meet Lydia! Hear it here first and get connected!
Latina business owners are a rising demographic in this country and with over 4 million businesses in the US being Hispanic-owned, we want to shine a light on our Hispanic entrepreneurs. As we close out Hispanic Heritage Month, join us to get to know one of our newest Chamber members, Esther Grachan. It's been a long journey from dreams of Flamenco on the west side of Chicago to owning her own insurance agency here in south Oak Park. Proving herself in a male-dominated world, supporting her Latino community, and being too social to fit the corporate mold, Esther has landed on her feet with her passion for community. Her dedication to her insurance family and her journey of caring for her clients will inspire you to see insurance in a whole new light!
Welcome to Membership Month, where we celebrate all things Chamber! And what better way to kick off October than to learn from the Chamber experts. Join Darien in the studio for a chat with our Board President, Dr. Mary Ann Bender - two veteran entrepreneurs, who started their businesses from scratch - an empty schedule, no clients, and a dream. But we know that teamwork makes the dream work, and these two have made use of every ounce of the secret cause that makes this Chamber special. Want to know what that is? Tune in to find out!
Did you know that your local village potter can school you on juggling ping pong balls, Nigerian jazz, and the entrepreneurship of craft? We speak the truth and we captured it right here on the Chamber airwaves. Listen in as two of our youngest Chamber members ruminate on the joys of hiring staff and bringing pretty things to the masses. And yes, they will also convince you that successfully adulting does include bespoke dishware on a weeknight!
What do tires, Oh- boy moments, and the pioneering spirit of selling women's undergarments have in common? All this and more is happening for the magnanimous Trent Stoner, who flew the coop from an accidental career in Corporate America to seize his third-generation entrepreneurial spirit here in Oak Park. Join us on location at the historic Boulevard Arcade as we talk with Trent about how making tires sexy set him up for his real passion - creating a community for entrepreneurs at CrossFunction Flexible Workspace. Need an oasis from the home office - listen in, we can tell you how!
Who's scared to talk the real-talk with their accountant? Or do you only share the good news with your bookkeeper? We at the Chamber know that cash is king, but talking about cash can be like wallowing in your own dirty laundry - nobody wants to deal with it, but it has to be done! BOSS Lady Julie Thompson knows what small business owners need and she's with us this week handing out free advice for her favorite clients - entrepreneurs. Join us and learn how going to confession with your accountant is a must for every business owner, how financial statements are like learning a whole new language. Cash is king baby and we want you to rule the roost. Listen to the BOSS and learn now!
Ever wonder what a forty-something, white, established business owner, with two kids has in common with a young, black, gay, chronically single, entrepreneur? Well, there's a lot of common ground discovered in this conversation with Oak Park Village Trustee Dan Moroney. Growing up in Oak Park and the shared legacy of being OPRF alums, these two Oak Parkers discuss social justice warriors, bad branding in the face of authentic politics, backing up passion with facts, and why we should vote for the Rock for president.
Phase 4 of reopening was a long time coming for our indoor fitness facilities and nobody knows it more than Jeff Long from FFC. Join us as we talk to the General Manager of the Oak Park location as he lets us in on how the network of eleven gyms have been impacted by the Covid shutdown, what one does in an empty gym for four months and the importance of this community to the success of his facility. You might even be inspired to start working out!"
Episode #10 | Crime, Fireworks & Systemic racism | Dan Haley (Part 2) by Oak Park and River Forest Chamber of Commerce
Hands up - who questions what they read and hear in the news these days? For Dan Haley, being a trusted source of information has been at the forefront for his over 40years of owning the local Wednesday Journal. Come and spend some time with Dan and learn about trust in news media, survival in a dying industry, and why every young person should see their name in print.
It's no secret that there are a few new highrises that have gone up in the past few years in Oak Park, but who is living in them and where are they coming from? Join us as we get to know Casey Gustafson, leasing agent for the new Eleven33 property on Oak Park's South Blvd. Casey will give us the inside scoop on what it's like to be a newcomer to Oak Park, about the hunger for high rise living and how our fabulous business organization gave Casey a community to call his own.
Our Village trustees have a lot to manage these days and River Forest Trustee Erika Bachner is no different. She has been a champion of minority rights for years and we were thrilled to have her join us in the studio to talk about advocating for undocumented members of our community, LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace and diversity in River Forest in the age of the BLM movement.
Liz Holt, Executive Director from our OPRF Chamber joins as a co-host to a chat with Jerome' Holston, the Executive Director of the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. There was a lot this June that co-opted Pride month, but we are taking it back and refocusing on what matters to us - engaging LGBT employees, getting certified as an LGBT business and how we all can support LGBT businesses in our community and throughout Chicagoland.
Ever wonder what happens when activism, passion and entrepreneurship intertwine? Join Darien as he talks to Reesheda Graham Washington, owner of L!VE Cafe and find out. They will unpack being Black in Business, the L!VISIBLE Business Coalition and living in a real-life revolution.
Though not consider ‘frontline workers’ Mental Health Professionals are dealing with this crisis head-on, literally. While helping their patients cope, they are also dealing with all the changes happening as well. Introducing new technology, dealing with employee issues, while also having to be present for there family. Sharing Unique viewpoints of all the craziness and highlighting strategies to coup and to be in the headspace to deal are the goals of this episode. Guests Vanessa Matheny from VOP Contracts Manager at Community Mental Health Board and Annie Arnold from Riveredge Hospital.
We speak to Majamas owner, Germaine Caprio, about taking your retail brand from brick and mortar to a digital platform while protecting your brand as it becomes accessible worldwide on the web.
Co-Host Alex Hutchinson from Recipe Revolution and guest Judith Lalor from Little GemRestaurant discuss restaurants as they were the first group of businesses to be closed; they might also be amongst the first to reopen- but it will certainly be under a strict set of guidelines. From Zero Contact payment transactions to rearranging the dining room to allow for social distancing, to managing customer expectations there are a lot of things to consider. A chat with an industry veterans on what potential changes businesses can begin to thing about implemented as we move forward.
Pivoting business models to continue to grow and operate in our "new normal." We’ve assembled a team of local leaders who are changing up the game. From differentiated service models to new product offerings these businesses are weathering the storm the best way they can; even if they only opened their doors in the last 3 months. Guests: Corey Thomas from D.M. Burton, Sam Yousif from Fuller Health Group, Constance Contursi from Hit it Fitness!, Marissa Grott from &thentherewas well.