The VOICE

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees Recent new and amended Illinois leave laws By Samuel J. Castree, Staff Management, Inc. Over 15 state and federal laws provide employees with protected leave and time off from work. Illinois employers will soon need to navigate new and expanded employee leave rights,…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees Don’t gamble with your organization’s future By Lesly Couper, Workplace Whether you operate a small family business or lead a mid-sized organization, leadership transitions are inevitable. Yet many local companies admit they haven’t formally prepared for who will take the reins when key…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees The Chamber accelerated progress in 2025, and there’s even more on the horizon By Christine Hand, managing editor The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) is on a roll and gaining momentum. Under the direction of its new(ish) CEO, Angela Kay Larson, an…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees A strategic marketing approach By Rebecca Francis, Ignite Change Solutions In an increasingly crowded philanthropic landscape, nonprofits must do more than simply exist. They must stand out. Effective marketing isn’t about selling a product; it’s about selling a vision, a mission, and an…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees The power of partnership By Brittany Freiberg, Rock Valley College Foundation At a quick glance, the relationship between businesses and nonprofits could be viewed as one-sided. The nonprofit makes the ask, the business supports the cause, and both move on to the next…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees Solving our most significant social issues together By Pam Clark Reidenbach, Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence Talk without action is a waste of time and resources. Isolated activities or interventions result in more and more programs and more and more money needed…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees Build your own app to upgrade processes By Sam Kirker, SJK Enterprises Sales run through Stacey’s spreadsheet, customer service runs through Carl’s Post-it Notes, and the warehouse runs through Willie’s brain. Every small business has a version of this duct-taped system that keeps…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees The time is right for renewed regional investment in economic development By Terrance Hall, Eight Fifteen Impact In March 2024, the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) engaged Eight Fifteen Impact to develop a new strategy and tactical plan for the organization’s newly…

Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce Announces Class of 40 over 40 Honorees Our rights, duties, and privileges as citizens By Angela Kay Larson, Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce On my desk, you’ll find a small textbook, “First Lessons in Civics,” published in 1898. The book is a relic, yet I find many of its lessons…