Chamber Made

By Renee Blue | Photography by Thomas Balsamo

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When the BACC was formed in 1968, Barrington was home to several large businesses. Employers such as the American Can Corporation (which occupied the current site of The Garlands senior living community), the Jewel Tea Company (whose former headquarters is now Citizen’s Park), Quaker Oats, and First National Bank (now Harris Bank) supplied jobs to many area residents. When the leadership of these companies offered Carol Beese the Chamber presidency, there wasn’t even a Chamber office. They thought she could do the job from home, on a part-time basis.

Then the phone started ringing. It quickly became clear that the Chamber needed a home. “So Mr. Pearson of the Jewel Tea Co. took all of the drapes out of his office, and First National Bank found a little square cubicle above the dime store… So that was the beginning,” Carol recounted in a recorded interview with a Barrington Area Library archivist. She began with 55 members, and devoted 32 years to building the Chamber from the ground up.

When Carol retired in late 2000, Janet Meyer took the reins. As a Hoffman Estates native, the former owner of a local residential construction company, and a former area realtor, Janet knew Barrington well. Her experience in human resources and public relations prepared her to further develop the Chamber’s resources. After more than a decade in the role, Janet has grown the Chamber in both membership and staff: The BACC holds the distinction of having the state’s highest per capita Chamber membership, representing over 18,000 employees. All of this success and its foundation was built under the leadership of just two women – Carol and Janet – who as the only two chief executive officers who have led, built and grown this Chamber through 44 colorful years.

A Chamber for the region

Almost 18,000 voices, when unified, send a strong message to lawmakers empowered to affect change to benefit area businesses. The BACC runs a Government Affairs Council that engages in research on public policy issues related to infrastructure and transportation; budget and finance; healthcare; energy; labor and workforce; and taxation and fees. The Council develops platforms on critical issues, and cultivates relationships with legislators to ensure their concerns are addressed. Janet sites the Chamber’s testimony before Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle: “We called for a rollback of the Cook County sales tax [increased in 2008] to decrease the divisiveness [affecting retailers] on Lake-Cook,” she says. The tax was rolled back as of Jan. 1, 2012.

“We also support growth in area hospitals, such as Advocate, St. Alexius, and Northwest Community,” Janet says. “We go to Springfield and argue for more affordable insurance options.” This healthcare advocacy includes the Chamber’s creation of the “Live Healthy Barrington” campaign, in cooperation with area employers, which will run again in 2012. “And we have reached out to area insurance providers to create reasonably priced insurance plans for small business owners.” The Chamber will host a Barrington Expo on March 10, at the Advocate Good Shepherd Health and Fitness Center.

The Chamber recognizes that cooperation with other business organizations, including the Northern Illinois Business Advocacy Coalition (NIBAC); the Illinois State Chamber; the Illinois Retail Merchants Association; the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association; the DCCA (Department of Commerce and Community Affairs); and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is a key element of their advocacy programs. They attend the annual Illinois State Chamber’s Legislative Conference and Business Day in Springfield, and work to develop alliances with the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG).

Recession-proof growth

Janet is quick to credit her growing staff for their part in developing and managing these relationships. Lauren Brown is the Director of Communications and Director Relations; Eric Zitron is Director of Business Development; Kathleen Connelly is Director of Events; Molly Grudzinski is Director of Operations; and Ginny Sweeney is the Administrative Assistant. The staff works closely with the 2011, 17-member Board of Directors, chaired by Michael Beightol of Coyote Marsh & Assoc., Inc., to optimize programs for members. Chamber membership has risen steadily despite the struggling economy, adding 237 new members in 2010 and 190 in 2011(as of press time).

As the Chamber’s staff, membership, and program offerings expanded, so did their need for a larger and more visible space. This prompted their recent move from their perch above Harris Bank (at Liberty St.) to the current location on East James Street, just east of Hough Street. “This location really enables us to offer more services to members,” says Eric Zitron.

The welcoming lobby features photos of past chairmen and chairwomen, a visual display of the Chamber’s long history. A conference room with warm, exposed-brick walls and leather chairs invites collegial conversation. Next door, a generous, light-filled space doubles as a meeting room and technology center. Every so often, a train thunders past on the Canadian National Railway, a consistent reminder of commerce.

The meeting room often provides both networking and temporary office space for small businesses, telecommuters, or those who work from home. As 62 percent of Chamber members are from businesses with fewer than 10 employees, this ability to connect—whether at a networking function or casually in the Chamber offices—can have a significant impact on their business. The Healthier Barrington Needs Survey respondents indicated that nearly 30 percent of Barrington households have one or more members who work from home, which can prove isolating. “We as a Chamber strive to be that connector,” Janet says. “We reach out to members to let them know that the resources are here.”

Resources for the tapping

What Chamber membership provides is access; and, as author Lisa Gansky says in her book The Mesh, “access trumps ownership.” It rarely makes financial sense for a small business to have a human resources or marketing person on staff, so the Chamber provides access to those critical services. Eric Zitron is available to sit down with a new or potential business owner to craft a marketing plan—members need only tap into these resources to realize the benefits of their membership.

“We offer members a golden shovel, and they have many pots in which to dig,” Janet says. “They can build relationships, make friends, and get to know their competition.” With the business region changing rapidly—the Deer Park Town Center, Arboretum of South Barrington and growth in home-based businesses have expanded the Chamber membership—those “pots” are evolving too.

Several area businesses on the continuum of growth have availed themselves of a shovel, and dug into the Chamber’s offerings with exceptional results. Each business owner or key executive tapped into Chamber resources at different stages of the business lifecycle. Andrea Herran of Focus HR Consulting is moving past that critical entrepreneurial start-up window from founding her firm to securing its future. The founder of Norton’s U.S.A, Deborah Leydig, maps her retail vision to the greater good, while working hard to grow her business in-store and online. Brad Stetson has leveraged the Chamber long enough to have given back all he can.

Each fall, the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce brings together a community of member businesses and guests from the area for its signature event, the Taste’fest & Expo.

About 65 exhibitors set up shop at the Millrose Restaurant & Banquets for an evening of food, drink and lots of fun. A great time was had by all, while area businesses had a chance to showcase their products and services. Here are photos from last year’s Taste’fest & Expo, held on October 27.

Chamber of Commerce Stories

Andrea Herran: A Human Resource

Six years ago, Andrea Herran took a flying leap, and hit the ground running. After nearly 15 years in the human resources industry, she honed in on her strength: consulting. “Consulting was something I’d always wanted to do, and project-based work was really my forte,” she says. Andrea enjoys solving HR conundrums for a wide variety of clients, and her company, Focus HR Consulting, offers them a variety of ways to contract her services.

Andrea brought years of industry experience to the table, but still needed support building her business. “I thought I would just start telling people I was a consultant, and they would hire me,” she laughs. She found she needed to reach out to the community, and the Chamber was the most effective way of doing so. She became a member five years ago, and in the last two years has become involved as a board member and leader of the Small Business & Entrepreneurs Council. Andrea often attends Women’s Biz Net luncheons, and finds that this networking is far more fruitful than many other means of marketing her business. “Almost all my business comes from referrals,” she notes. But Andrea is quick to point out that the Chamber has changed her impression of networking. “It’s not just about asking for business; it’s about getting to know people.”

Although Andrea has experience working with companies of all sizes, most of her clients are companies with fewer than 100 employees. “So when Janet asked me to chair the Small Business & Entrepreneurs Council, I was thrilled,” she says. Andrea believes that the companies in this Council, consisting mainly of companies with 20 employees or less, have a unique ability to boost the economy. “Large companies do a great thing for the country … but when they do a layoff, 2000 people end up in the unemployment line,” she observes. “Small businesses can’t afford to overstaff in the first place. They’re a lean machine, and they’ve always had to do more with less. They adapt a lot more quickly—big companies can’t be as nimble.” Good news indeed for a majority of Chamber members.

Andrea notes that just being a part of the Chamber increases members’ visibility. Appearing twice annually in the annual Chamber directories means that members’ names circulated to 27,500 addresses in a high-quality publications. They are also accessible via the Chamber’s website, and have access to deeply discounted marketing opportunities. Andrea notes that prospective clients often source companies through the Chamber, which effectively prescreens the contact. “When people call you, you want them to be genuinely interested and not just looking for the best price.”

Andrea also volunteers her time as a CareerPlace board member, serving as an HR Advisor and as a Job Coach. In her years in HR, she’s often been the bearer of bad news for employees. “I like to think I’m correcting my karma, so to speak. I love to get that call that someone’s gotten a job.”

Deborah Leydig: Made in America

Deborah Leydig is a master of reinvention. Trained at the Art Institute of Chicago as a fashion designer, she and Dana Buchman assisted Linda Allard at Ellen Tracy in New York, and eventually Deborah had an eponymous dress line. After having children, she became an actress—starring as Barbara Ehrenreich in Steppenwolf’s production of Nickel and Dimed. “It was during that time that I realized that the United States didn’t have a manufacturing base anymore,” she recalls.

Deborah’s entrepreneurial spirit and desire to affect positive change led her to open Norton’s U.S.A. in a former livery barn on Lageschulte Street, to create a one-stop shop for all things made in America. She also wanted kids to have a general store they could visit, and purchase something nice for under $5. “I really thought I could just put out my shingle and customers would come,” Deborah remembers. They did, but not in the numbers Deborah needed to grow the business. “So when the Chamber came to me in my first year, I joined right away.”

The Chamber’s resources extend to every type of business. “Whatever you do, there’s a niche for you,” Deborah says. “There’s a wide array of people involved, and you realize that we’re all connected. I haven’t met a bad one yet!” She served on the board and assisted with the Chamber’s Spotlight on Barrington’s Stars fashion show, which she attended with her dedicated team of employees. “It was very fun, and all about appreciation.”

Norton’s has been successful, but Deborah doesn’t mince words when talking about the work involved. “I’ve worked seven days a week for five and a half years,” she says. “I do all the bookkeeping, marketing, research and ordering—often at two in the morning.” She started with products from 20 manufacturers;

now that number has grown to over 375. Her 2011 sales are 20 percent over 2010’s, a figure few businesses can cite. “It’s really satisfying. The business has grown, but so has what I’ve put into it.”

Deborah started Norton’s online store in 2010, when she realized that she needed to boost revenue. She does all the design and order fulfillment in-house, as costs to outsource were prohibitively high. The site helps Norton’s hold their own in a competitive marketplace. They’re now filling about five online orders per day, which augments their daily brick-and-mortar sales. And Norton’s customer base is consistently growing, as they’ve become a destination for seekers of American-made products.

Shoppers can help Barrington and the U.S. at the same time by shopping at Norton’s. While perusing the Housewares Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place in March, 2010, Deborah realized that many inventions that were once manufactured in the U.S. during the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s were being made overseas. “But I realized it was too daunting to manufacturers to bring all their manufacturing home. So I found myself asking them to bring one home,” she recalls. Bring One Home is in keeping with a reshoring movement that is gathering momentum nationwide.

The Chamber also encourages residents and members alike to “Shop local” by offering a preferred discount program to members. From the Chamber’s sponsorship of the trolley in December, through their annual organization of the Sidewalk Sale, the Chamber actively supports retailers. “They’re there for you,” Deborah says. “We’re all just people, and we all need that sense of connection.”

Nothing pleases Janet Meyer more than seeing local businesses thrive. “Deborah opened her doors to the Chamber five years ago with a ribbon cutting, and look at her now,” Janet enthuses. She salutes the small business owners like Deborah, who have made their dream a reality: “Barrington is a thriving community filled with risk-takers. There is certainly positive energy and camaraderie that fuels the spirit of entrepreneurism in the region.”

Brad Stetson: Long-Term Investing

When Brad Stetson, current CEO of Barrington Bank & Trust (BB&T), and Jim Bishop started the bank in 1996, they felt they were meeting a need in the community. “Consolidation in the industry left a true need for what we provide today—true community banking services,” Brad says. It was particularly important for BB&T to establish credibility through community involvement. “We got involved with the Chamber very quickly, and they were very significant in helping us get started.”

Now, having grown to five branches in three communities, BB&T is in a position to give back to the Chamber. As a past Chairman of the Board, and the main sponsor of the Chamber’s annual Taste’fest Expo (which he and his team attend, visibly, in self- described “god-awful” shirts), Brad is well-versed on the Chamber’s offerings. And as the owner of businesses in several area communities, he appreciates Janet’s regional approach to building Chamber resources. “She’s excellent at developing a conduit for businesses, and growing the organization from within,” he says.

Brad has learned, however, that business owners “have to give to receive.” As Chairman of the Board, he worked to ensure that member businesses realized true value for their investment of $200-$300, an amount he acknowledges is significant for small business owners. He believes the true value of a Chamber membership lies in its ability to build relationships. BB&T continually invests in the Chamber, and BB&T employee Charlotte Neault currently sits on the Board.

Technology enables businesses to have an online presence with little financial investment, but Brad feels that a website alone won’t ensure business success. “I believe in the importance of technology and social media, but nothing beats one-on-one. You can spend money on a site, but it’s the individuals that continue to sell a business,” he says. “Nothing sells better than one’s personal approach, one’s professionalism, and the face of one’s organization.”

Today, Brad feels it is his responsibility to give back to the Chamber and the Barrington community. “By enhancing the Chamber, we enhance the businesses around us,” he says. He would like to see an increase in mutually beneficial partnerships between the village governments and the Chamber that optimize the services provided by each organization. Brad believes that all area businesses stand to profit from those strategic alliances.

While Andrea, Deborah, and Brad had very different paths, their membership in the Chamber facilitated their businesses’ growth. Janet Meyer believes this is the best kind of reciprocity. “By engaging and giving (time, referrals, etc.), they were given the business back to grow their businesses. During the interim, they developed into supporters and fans of the Chamber, making long-lasting friends and customers along the way,” Janet says.

Janet, the Chamber staff, and the Board of Directors look ahead to 2012 and beyond with optimism, as reflected in their 2012 strategic plan: Accelerating Business Growth by belonging, engaging, leading and prospering. “We have selected a Board with open eyes to the changes in our region,” Janet says. “Our ability to afford more expertise in staff will assist us in being more attuned to membership needs,” Janet says. “We will continue reaching out to members to let them know that the resources are here. We invite them to own a part of it.”