January 15th, 2023

Growing up, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of my idols; the first webpage I built was in his honor. As we take a day to reflect on his life and legacy, it is vital that we do not allow his accomplishments to blind us to the ongoing injustices that Black people face every day. As business and community leaders, we must continually educate ourselves on the systematic disenfranchisement of Black People and commit to prioritizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives aimed at helping the Black population. I call on every leader to consider, how they can help bridge the racial equality gaps that exist in our society— then go do it! 

Darien Marion-Burton

Board President

Join us!

Want to be part of a supportive and

amazing group of people?

Connect with our Affinity Group for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. We meet every month. Join us on January 23rd, or keep on eye on our website to check out a future meeting!

Monday January 23, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting at D.M.Burton

OPRF Chamber Board President Darien Marion-Burton of D.M.Burton is hosting our BIPOC Affinity Group meeting in January and wants you to think about your goals and aspirations. Not just for the new year, but for your life. We will be creating Vision Boards to create a visual representation of these goals. Join us to make connections and plan for your future!

During these events, you will learn how you can help the Assessor's Office be more accurate by providing more detailed information about your property or business by submitting a Real Property Income and Expense (RPIE) form. Meet with Assessor Fritz Kaegi to learn tips to ensure an accurate assessment and ask questions you may have about this process.

Plan Ahead!

What is coming up soon?

Check out the events we have put together for you this week and through the rest of the month.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday January 18, 5:30 - 7:00pm - Health & Wellness Affinity Group Meet Up at Kettlestrings Grove

Join us at Kettlestrings Grove for our first get together of the year!

We will be asking you what the Health & Wellness industry needs from the Chamber all while enjoying signature mocktails. Help us best support you over the 2023 year and beyond all while growing and strengthening your healthcare network!

Thursday January 19, 9:30 - 11:00am - #chamberLOVE Call Campaign at Grachan Agency

Love the OPRF Chamber and eager to share your story? Looking for ways to connect with potential referrals and likeminded people? Join us at Grachan Agency for our quarterly Membership Call Campaign!

Everyone is welcome to join us, you do not need to be on the Board or Staff to attend, nor do you need to be there the whole time.

Thursday January 19, 11:00am - 7:00pm - Stop & Shop Chamber Member Sale Day at Candycopia

Join us for our very first Stop & Shop event, starting at Candycopia! Drop by during regular business hours to meet the owners and get 15% off your purchase! Just tell them that you are a member of the OPRF Chamber of Commerce and you will be all set.

We guarantee they will take care of you!

Friday January 20, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at Tacos '76

Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at Tacos '76, the tasty taqueria that opened on Madison Street this past year! In this event, we convene at a designated restaurant to pick up our takeout lunch choices, and get to see each other for a bit while we're at it.

Friday January 20, 8:00 - 10:00pm - Young Professionals Meetup at Kinslahger

Come join us for a fun night at Kinslahger Brewing Company! The Chamber's Young Professionals will gather starting at 8pm for a relaxed hangout time, sampling the tasty brews at this local microbrewery. Bring snacks to share if it's convenient - Kinslahger is BYOF. Otherwise we'll order some! 

Friday January 27, 1:00 - 1:30pm - Ribbon Cutting at Kribi Coffee

This time we'll be at Kribi Coffee in Oak Park celebrating this new business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity. Come meet owner Jacques and learn about Kribi's signature air-roasted coffees. You won't want to miss their delicious coffee and meeting the great staff!

Speed Networking!

Registration is OPEN!

Were you able to join us last year for our SOLD OUT Speed Networking event? Well, you have another chance this year! We had so much fun last time that we decided to keep it going into 2023.

Event Presenting Sponsor

Want to get your business noticed? This event is a great way to get your name out there right in the first quarter of the year. Don't wait too long, the Table Sponsorships are nearly half gone already!

Member Benefits Series

Are you a new member

or new to your business?

Take advantage of these events geared specifically toward new Chamber Members to learn how best to take advantage of your membership! Feel free to join us for any or all of these events.

Check out all of our New Member Programming!

Wednesday January 18, 2:00 - 3:00pm - Chamber 101 via Zoom

In this seminar we will go over all of your digital benefits that come with your membership, including:

- how to significantly increase your SEO

- how to leverage your Member Profile to boost traffic to your own website

- how to track your Member Profile statistics

- how to be sure that your website is linked to your membership

This event is perfect for new members, or those who need a refresher!

Thursday February 16, 8:00 - 9:30am - New Member Breakfast at Belmont Village Senior Living

Join us at our quarterly New Member Breakfast to introduce yourself and tell us about your business. This is an ideal opportunity to meet fellow new members, Chamber staff and Board leadership. You will also learn about your benefits, hear how you can get involved and get answers to your questions. 

Wednesday March 15, 2:00 - 3:00pm - Chamber 102 via Zoom

In this seminar we will go over all of your marketing benefits that come with your membership, including:

- how to maximize your e-blast benefits.

- the role of your Member Profile in your marketing advantage and how to track digital traffic.

- how to generate marketing collateral that can be shared in your social media.

- how to tap into our Affinity Groups to grow your network and feature your business.

Sponsor an Event!

Did you know that you can Sponsor our events?

With each of our Special Events we have many different opportunities to Sponsor the events. When you become an event Sponsor, your company will be listed on the website, and included in the marketing for the event. There are six events throughout the year, which allow you to get your logo in front of thousands of business owners throughout the Oak Park and River Forest areas, not to mention helping us to keep these fabulous events going every year.

Click on the images below to learn more about each event.

Meet Your Board!

Who are your Board of Directors?

Our 2023 Board of Directors held its annual retreat last week and welcomed seven new Board members as plans for the new year were ironed out. Check out this fabulous group of people and learn more about each of them in our Board Feature each month!

If you haven't met them yet, come to our next Business After Hours or join us for some of our other events!