By: Diane Benjamin
The McLean County Chamber of Commerce if holding their 10th Annual Gala to hand out “Business Excellence Awards”.
The cost is a tiny $125 per person. You can be a sponsor for between $500 and $5000, depending on how many accolades you want to receive at the event.
WGLT – Public Taxpayer Funded media is an Emerald level sponsor – $2,500.
The Town of Normal, the City of Bloomington, ISU, and Heartland College are Ruby level sponsors – $1,250
See the website for the gala here: https://www.mcleancochamber.org/events/annual-events/annual-gala?platform=hootsuite&utm_campaign=HSCampaign
Taxpayers will be paying for more tickets to this event, Ruby level sponsors only get 6. That won’t be enough so all board members can attend.
So what businesses are getting “excellence awards”?
The Chamber has a Non-Profit category for awards, both Green Top and Connect Transit should have been in that one!
Green Top has been begging for more money from “owners” and Connect Transit continues to lose at least $800,000 every month. To the Chamber, this is excellence!
All the local infamous will put on their finest, the Pantagraph will take lots of pics, and all will pat each other on the back for fleecing the little guys with such grace.
If this doesn’t prove the Chamber of Commerce isn’t working for you, nothing will. Why would a business be a member of this organization? Keep this in mind when they recommend candidates for next April’s election. Their picks will love Green Top and Connect. Your wallet won’t be safe if their people are elected.
Thanks Diane… I needed a Friday morning laugh! Large Business: Transit Disconnect? New and emerging business: Green Top? OMG! This is all they have? We are in deep trouble with these half-wits driving the Bloomington/Normal clown bus!
I’m hoping Green Top wins and then folds a month later.
So much wrong with this!:
Taxpayer money used to sponsor a private event, for the gain of taxpayer salaried individuals.
Taxpayer funded, financial train wrecks receiving honors.
McLean County Chamber of Commerce–the great betrayer of American economic values–gets a “pat on the head”.
My “suspicious mind” makes me wonder if they might not be common threads (hidden agendas) among most of the honored businesses. (Hint: Walk into the Heartland Branch on Ft Jesse Road.)
un-f’n- believable. If I didn’t pay 38% of my hard earned money in taxes and fees to support communist organizations like this I would by a ticket and make a scene. We have been looking at buying a house I guess we won’t be using ReMax’s realtor anymore. Guilt by association.! Thieves all of them.
The important thing to remember is all of these organizations and its members are in “The Club”. “The Club” is made
up of people of all political persuasions and social classes. In order to be accepted and considered a member in good standing in “The Club” requires a desire to tell others how to live their lives, a narcissistic personality and an unquenchable desire to always be recognized. It also helps to “be on” at all hours of the day and night just in case other club members may be lurking around the corner. It requires that you have no problem being part of a mutual admiration society with other self-absorbed individuals who’s main goal in life is to continually self-promote ones self for whatever means you see fit (professional advancement, self worth, etc.). “The Club” has been in existence for years without most people in the community knowing about it. It decides if you will be accepted socially, economically or politically in the local power structure. It is B-N’s “Chicago Way”. It is good we have “The Club”.
Wow! Where to begin?! The Chamber of Crony Commerce continues to embrace big government and its allies in the private sector. The left has and continues to be in control of the Chamber. They support or stand idly by while both Bloomington and Normal continue to become more anti-business, raise fees and taxes, and engage in crony capitalism with “right fit” companies, while watching good paying, high-skill jobs and employers leave the community. Both Connect Transit and Green Top are failures. They bleed money and rely on tax dollars and the support of government to operate. Yet, the Chamber lauds them as successful businesses worthy of admiration. The fact that government and government-related entities comprise a significant number of sponsor dollars would necessarily suggest that the private sector sees it as a waste of money and time. The attendees at this and other Chamber events are all the same people. It’s disgusting. They’re like high school cliques competing for popularity and the chance to sit at the cool kids table. At the end of the day, this is a waste of time and money and won’t lead to any new business for the attendees. These folks have plenty of time to attend these events, so apparently, they don’t spend any time working on innovating or growing their businesses.
It is just hilarious to me that grown men and women in 2018 would gather at a Gala (black tie formal event) to celebrate and reward their inability to see their hopelessly flawed crony system that is dying (along with its businesses) every day. How desperate do you have to be do have among your nominees Transit Disconnect and the Green Top Grocery?
Gemology 101: Good Rubies are Much Rarer then GOOD Emeralds.. Maybe we should have a “Coprolite” award for GTG and Connect Transit-that would be proper..
Just the mention of Connect Transit makes my blood pressure spike. Losing almost 800,000 dollars a month of taxpayer money is as corrupt as it gets. Time to get back to tar and feathers.
$800,000 is the minimum they loose!