February 12th, 2023

Sometimes the lunar calendar, the Chamber calendar and the Google calendar all align, and magic happens! This month that would be on February 14- Valentine's Day! #chamberLOVE is taking over our monthly BAH and you will not want to miss a second of it. With a special early start time (4pm-6pm) there will be time to join us before your evening plans. Better yet, bring your Valentine along for a little celebration on us. We have enough LOVE to share!

Liz Holt

Executive Director

Plan Your Week!

Ready for more love?

We know you are busy. To help make it easier and help you to join us at as many things as you would like, we have gathered our events for this week.

We'd LOVE to see you there!

Tuesday February 14, 4:00 - 6:00pm - Business After Hours at American House

Come experience a little #chamberlove, whether it's before you meet up with your sweetie, or we're your company for the evening! We know it's Valentine's Day and we don't want you to miss out on any love that day, so feel free to bring your Valentine along to celebrate. Join us for networking, food, raffles, friends, and simply a lovely evening in excellent company - we're glad to be yours on Valentine's Day!

Also, make sure you get some cookies from Blackout Baking for your Valentine and get a super cute pic taken with them with Bespoke Flipbooks! That's not all we have going on, see you Tuesday to check it all out.

Friday February 17, 11:30am - 1:00pm - Sit-Down Chamber Lunch at Fritzi's Delicatessen

Join us this month for another sit-down lunch, this time at Fritzi's Deli. Bring your appetite and your business cards for this networking lunch at one of Oak Park's local Jewish delis! Meet the business owners and enjoy your choice of a sandwich or an entree while relaxing in their newly opened space.

Plan Your Month!

Help us continue the LOVE!

Here are some events we have coming up over the next month so you can register now and receive a reminder right before the event.

Join us for these wonderful networking opportunities,

continue to grow your business and share the Chamber LOVE!

Monday February 20, 1:00 - 1:30pm - Ribbon Cutting at StretchLab Oak Park

Join us for the Ribbon Cutting of one of our new members, StretchLab Oak Park! Help us celebrate this new business by taking pictures of the ribbon cutting and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Come meet the StretchLab team and discover what they do to keep clients limber, active and healthy!

Tuesday February 21, 8:00 - 9:00am - Young Professionals Coffee & Networking at Kribi Coffee Oak Park

Join us this month at Kribi Coffee in Oak Park for some relaxed coffee and networking with our fabulous Young Professionals Affinity Group. Not "young"? Don't worry, this group is open to anyone who is young-at-heart.

Start your day off right! Grab a cup of coffee, maybe a snack, and come network with us before heading off for your busy day.

Thursday February 23, 11:00am - 7:00pm - Stop & Shop at Val's halla Records

Join us for our second ever Stop & Shop event, this time at Val's halla Records. Val's Halla has been a part of the Oak Park community since 1972. Come check out their extensive and diverse vinyl selection, meet the great staff, and find that perfect record for yourself or that vinyl-lover in your life!

Thursday February 23, 4:30 - 5:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at Wild Fork

Help us celebrate the opening of a new business with a ribbon cutting! This time we'll be at Wild Fork in Oak Park celebrating them, taking pictures of the event and enjoying a great networking opportunity!

Wild Fork has made a name for itself as a purveyor of fine meats and prepared foods, conveniently portioned and at accessible prices. Come meet the Wild Fork team and discover their impressive array of fine food.

Monday February 27, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting at LifeSpan Counseling & Psychological Services

Join us in February as Dr. Orson Morrison and his team invite everyone to celebrate Black History Month at LifeSpan Counseling & Psychological Services, LLC. We look forward to continuing to stay connected with our Latinx, Asian-American, Black and Indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! 

Thursday March 2, 1:00 - 2:00pm - NPO Affinity Group: Best Practices in Website Management

Join the Chamber's nonprofit affinity group for our monthly gathering, and learn from Jerry "Hutch" Hutchinson, owner and designer at Hutchinson. Hutch is a longtime web designer, graphic designer, and consultant for nonprofit and for-profit clients, helping them get the most out of their websites without spending excess amounts of time on them.

Member Benefits Series

Are you a new member

or new to your business?

Help us to help you make your business a success! 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, whether you are a new Member business, or simply new to your business.

Check out all of our New Member Programming!

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.

Wednesday April 19, 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!

Speed Networking!

Join us for this year's event!

Last year we hosted a sold out event at Concordia University, and we're on our way to doing that again. Thank you to this year's Presenting Sponsor, Adam Doe State Farm, for helping to make this event a success! This year is promising to be even more fun, with a wide-range of Table Sponsors and some secret prizes.

Registration is open for both attendees and Table Sponsors.

Make sure to reserve your space today!

Event Presenting Sponsor

Table Sponsors

Want to sponsor one of our 6 remaining tables?

Make sure to register your business now!

Have questions about sponsorship? Reach out to our Special Events Manager, Tasha Carlisle at tcarlisle@oprfchamber.org!

Coming Soon!

It's officially election season and we are recording a conversation with our local trustee candidates.

Look out for the podcast to drop in the next few weeks!

With over 440 other local businesses, we would love to help you survive these trying times, grow your business and get you more connected into the community.

Our Chamber is all about Community - plain and simple. And this Community knows that "a rising tide floats all boats"...and right now our boats need some float!

We are dedicated to embracing diversity and equity, providing marketing opportunities when you need them, and having a Board of Directors and Staff who reflects our business community and who work tirelessly for you, our small business owners. 

Want to learn more, click on the button below, or email us directly!