September 18th, 2022

Oak Park Bank is thrilled to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Chamber's Spotlight Celebration for the second year. This business community is the heart and soul of why we are here, and we want to celebrate with you! So join us all month long to Honor the Titans - those amazing people who have gone above and beyond. We could not do it without them!

Melissa Cleveland

Board of Directors

Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce

Vice President and Director of Retail Banking

Oak Park Bank 

Chris Griffith

Director of Commercial Development

Oak Park Bank

Monday September 19, 12:15 - 12:45pm - Meditation Mondays at CrossFunction Flexible Workspace

Join us again this month for our program aimed at taking care of you, our small business community. Welcome to our monthly Meditation Mondays! All it takes is half an hour (that's only 30 mins!) for us to help you put your to-do list aside, empty your head of all the chatter and truly look after yourself.

We are thrilled to partner with the Kadampa Meditation Center in Oak Park to bring you this monthly meditation.

Tuesday September 20, 11:30am - 12:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at Civinte Candle Bar

This time we'll be at Civinte Candle Bar celebrating this new business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Check out this new business and indulge your senses!

Civinte is a mother-and-daughter-created business where you can craft a beautiful object and a beautiful scent, by designing your own candles under the staff's expert guidance. It's a great place for a quiet, relaxing evening, or a fun party built around a shared activity. 

Wednesday September 21, 12:00 - 3:00pm - #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 for our third Membership Call Campaign!

Callers will be given a brief list of current members to reach out to.

Of course, there will be refreshments and light nibbles provided during the event. 

Friday September 23, 2:30 - 3:00pm - Ribbon Cutting at Candycopia

This time we'll be at Candycopia celebrating this new business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! Check out this new business and indulge your sweet tooth - or shop for someone else who has one! 

Candycopia was created to bring some sweet relief to the world by helping people discover and experience new flavors that hit their sweet spot. 

September 23 & 24, Oaktoberfest

Join us at this year's Oaktoberfest to work a fast-paced 3 hour shift of selling drink tickets and promote your business!

Wear branded gear, bring promotional materials and talk with the community. You'll also get a free branded souvenir mug and 3 drink tickets for your time.

Check out the website for more information and to sign up for a 3 hour time slot.



Come and see us at this great event!

Monday September 26, 5:30 - 7:00pm - BIPOC Affinity Group at Jeffrey Hines State Farm

We will be gathering at Jeffrey Hines State Farm Insurance at 5:30 pm. Connect with Latinx, Asian-American, Black and indigenous peers from the OPRF business and nonprofit community! 

Come join us to make connections with great folks, and be part of this new group!

Tuesday September 27, 5:30 - 7:30pm - Second Annual Young Professionals Game Night at Adam Doe State Farm

Adam of Adam Doe State Farm and his crew are having us over again for cornhole/bags and other sidewalk games on the back patio, and providing food too! Join us for an outdoor evening while the weather is still good - though if weather is bad, we'll just move indoors and maybe play board games? 

Feel free to bring your favorite games for indoors or out!

Wednesday September 28, 10:30 - 11:00am - Ribbon Cutting at Oak Park Barber Salon

This time we'll be at Oak Park Barber Salon celebrating this business, taking pictures of the ribbon cutting, and enjoying a great networking opportunity! 

Oak Park Barber Salon is open again after a complete renovation, necessitated by extensive fire damage. We're thrilled to welcome them back on their grand re-opening! 

Friday September 30, 12:00 - 12:30pm - Takeout Stakeout at Great Sip Cafe

Come join your fellow Chamber members for our next Takeout Stakeout, this time at Great Sip Cafe! 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.

Be sure to check out the available items on our website and book your meal today.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday October 5, 5:30 - 7:00pm - DCRE Affinity Group Meeting at American House

Come join the Chamber's Design, Construction, and Real Estate affinity group at American House, Oak Park's newest building, not yet open to the public! Come check out this new landmark on Madison Avenue, and enjoy food and drinks courtesy of our hosts.

Plus, get to know the new co-chairs of the Chamber's Design, Construction and Real Estate Affinity Group!

Thursday October 6, 1:00 - 2:00pm - NPO Affinity Group: How to Approach Businesses for Support

Come join the Chamber's nonprofit affinity group for our monthly gathering - and this month American House is hosting us! Check out this brand new senior living home in the middle of Oak Park, before it opens to the public! 

This month we'll learn from local businesspeople about how they would like to be approached by nonprofits looking for support. Confirmed guests are Natalie Casas of First Eagle Bank and David Silverstein of Whirlwind Coffee; we hope to add one or two more! 

Spotlight Celebration

Who are the Titans in YOUR Community?

When you think of all of the business people who have helped you over the years, who are they? How have these amazing Visionaries, Innovators, Community Impact Makers, Mentors, Social Responsibility Warriors, and Collaborators impacted the community? What better way to honor them, than to nominate them to be recognized by the OPRF Chamber of Commerce and the business community at large? 

Then join us at the Spotlight Soiree on October 11th at the Cheney Mansion where we will honor each of these nominees, with the the help of our Exclusive Presenting Sponsor, Oak Park Bank!

Exclusive Presenting Sponsor

Each month there will be one specific topic that is timely and relevant to the community. Planned topics include:

• October 5, 2022 - "Inflammation Eradication: Health & Harmony from the Inside Out
• November 2, 2022 - "Balanced Boundaries: Healthy Habits When Saying YES & NO"
• December 7, 2022 - "Protect Your Peace: How Not to Kill Your Family or Yourself During Obligatory Gatherings"

Host a BAH!

Want to invite the business & nonprofit community into your space?

Hosting a Business After Hours (more fondly referred to as a BAH) is a great way to bring 100+ people into your business, highlight your space and what you do. You will get a chance to tell everyone about your business as part of that evening's announcements, as well as opening up your space to invite everyone in.

Get to know your Board!

Want to learn more about your Board of Directors?

Each month we will be featuring a different Board Member (or two). These features will tell you who they are, what they do, and some fun facts about them. This month we are featuring two, Kimberly Augustin & Brian Dubina.

Name: Kimberly Augustin

Place of Business: Kale Realty

What does she do?

I work diligently by serving communities throughout Chicago as a Real Estate Broker and Accredited Commercial Practitioner (ACP) – bringing your real estate goals whether your first home, new commercial project, or investment to reality. Proudly, my business continues to thrive by repeat clients and referrals. There’s no goal too big or small. My motto is to make real estate a wonderful achievement for all.

What does she do for fun?

For fun, I love nature walks, eating sushi, and spending time with friends. When you work hard, it's a no brainer to play even harder!

Why does she love the Chamber?

I've been a Chamber member for a very long time, and this is my last year serving on the Board for a total of six years. Throughout these years, I really love attending various Chamber events. These events have fostered relationship building along with other networking opportunities. More recently, I'm enamored with the BIPOC affinity group. It gives me the opportunity to make a direct connection to discuss matters as an entrepreneur within these communities of color. 

Name: Brian Dubina

Place of Business: D200 - OPRF High School

What does he do?

I am the Pre-Vocational Education Coordinator at Oak Park and River Forest High School helping students with jobs and careers. I connect students with local part-time work opportunities and help them explore careers that may or may not require a college degree. I specialize in working with individuals with disabilities, finding supportive work experiences for them, and helping employers structure their work environments to meet the student’s needs.

What does he do for fun?

My choice of fun depends on the time of the year. My first choice would be to go outside and go kayaking, hiking in the dunes, running, or making my family take long walks in the woods. Weather doesn’t deter me as I have been known to hike in Starved Rock during a snowstorm or go for a run during a warm summer rain or at 6am in February. If it’s a cold winter night, you will find me in front of my fireplace (with a fire of course) working on a crochet project or streaming a very low-budget movie and eating popcorn.

Why does he love the Chamber?

I love the chamber for various reasons. First and most foremost, it benefits my role at the high school to know as many businesses as I can. The Chamber has been a great and efficient way to connect with other businesses. That’s the “job” reason I love the Chamber. Personally, I love the Chamber because it has made it fun to do my job. I thoroughly enjoy coming to events, meeting new people, and hanging out with people I have come to consider friends. It’s so interesting to learn about each business, listening to people’s story of what brought them to that career, and learning how someone gets into that field. Not only am I working, but I’m having fun doing it . . . you can’t get much better than that.

Oak Park is home to a library for everyone. Business owners, nonprofits and employees can get a library card and gain full access to all the services and resources the public library offers. Business owners can apply with a lease or a tax bill and a current photo ID.

Employees can provide current proof of employment and contact information for the business or nonprofit owner (who will be responsible for any fees or lost materials).

These cards have a one-year expiration from issue date and are easily renewed over the phone (708-383-8200).

Want to see a short list of what a library card gives you access to? Take a look here!

Curious about specific support for your business?

Browse this list and watch the video!

Need a card?

Let’s get started!

Green business program launches

The Village is partnering with the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center to offer the Illinois Green Business Program to Oak Park businesses. SEDAC helps local businesses identify sustainable solutions that will help reduce operating costs and climate impacts in areas such as energy, water use and waste. Oak Park businesses can participate at no-cost through this special partnership. More information is available in a flyer posted on SEDAC’s website – click here to view.