Board of Directors

Executive Board

President

Martin Gardner

Village Bank & Trust

President Elect

Holly Sorensen

Des Plaines Public Library

Treasurer

Ellen Yearwood

Yearwood & Associates

Secretary

Barbara Van Slambrouck

Chromatech Printing, Inc.

Past- President

Fred Scharm

Scharm Floor Covering

Board Members

Will Brown

Edward Jones

Ed Domingo

Rivers Casino

Dan Fink

Juno Lighting Group

Dr. Colette Hands

Oakton Community

College

Bob Lewandowski

R. Franczak & Associates

Joe Mok

Gmotorcars. Inc.

Lauren Munson

Two Men & a Truck

Mike Rickert

Rickert Realtors

Jeff Rozovics

Rozovics Group LLP

Fred Siebert

Abbott Molecular

Kim Sutter

Café la Cave

Ella Woodford-Parker

Presence Holy Family

Health

Connecting Businesses.

Creating Opportunities BUSINESS

A publication of the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry

April 2015

The Des Plaines Chamber of Com-

merce 13th annual “Food Fight”

brought in a total of 3,993 pounds

of food for the Self-Help Pantry.

The Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines

won the challenge with 2,227 pounds

of collected food. The additional

groups participating in the 2015

Food Fight included: Des Plaines

Camera Club (2141lbs); Rotary Club

of Des Plaines (372lbs); Des Plaines

Library Board & Friends of the Li-

brary (263 lbs.); Des Plaines Cham-

ber of Commerce & Industry

(354lbs); Des Plaines Garden Club

(184 lbs.); Mill Run Condominiums

(237 lbs.); The Diplomat of Des

Plaines (142 lbs.)

Thank you to everyone who partici-

pated!

Annual Food Fight Challenge

Executive Director of the Self-Help Pantry Debbie

Walusiak, (left) presents the Annual Food Fight win-

ners certificate to the Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines.

(left to right) Kiwanis Club members Eldon Burk, Club

President Linda Traina, John Burke, Joe Piskorski and

Rev. Chuck Reid.

Multi-Chamber Networking Breakfast

Thursday, May 7, 2015 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore, 5300 W. Touhy Avenue, Skokie

With the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire, DBR, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lincolnwood, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wheeling/Prospect Heights Area, Wilmette/Kenilworth, and Winnetka-Northfield Chambers of Commerce.

Register on-line at: www.dpchamber.com

Creating Opportunities

Advertise In the 2015 Football

Raffle Book 1200 books will be

printed. Books will be sent to every business for

increased advertising exposure. The Monday Night Football Raffle is an exciting way to raise awareness of your business while supporting the Chamber. 1,200 Football Raffle advertising books will be published and will be in circulation from July through February. Advertising space is exclusive to Chamber members at reasonable prices.

A business card is only $40!

For more information or to purchase an ad, please call the Chamber office.

2015

YPN After Hours With Mayor Matt Bogusz

Tap House Grill

April 15

6:30 to 8 pm

Home Comfort 550 Busse Highway Park Ridge, IL 60068 847-824-4336 Www.homecomfort.net

Platinum Members

Accurate Auto Clinic, Inc. 1580 Oakton Street Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-297-1330 www.accurateautoclinic.com

Ace Hardware 1045 E Oakton Street Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-824-7201 www.acehardware.com

AlphaGraphics, Inc. 1583 Lee Street Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-296-9225 www.us056.alphagraphics.co

Horton Chiropractic 960 N Rand Road Suite 207 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-296-3877 Www.drjanethorton.com

Katie’s Kitchen 623 N. Wolf Road Des Plaines, IL 60016 847– 803-3544 www.katieskitchenonline

Americaneagle.com 2600 S River Road Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-699-0300

Rickert Realtors 1585 Ellinwood St., Ste. 109 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-455-1939

Millennium Bank 2077 Miner Street Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-296-9500 www.milbnk.com

Pesche’s Flower Shop, Garden Center & Nursery 170 S. River Road Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-299-1300 www.pesches.com

Re/Max Renaissance 2250 S. Devon Ave., #249 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-375-9293 www.renaissance.illinoisproperty.com

Alkafaji & Associates

www.alkafajicpas.com

Carlucci Rosemont

www.carluccirosemont.com

Countryside Saloon

www.countrysidesaloon.com

Harold O. Wyckoff, Jr., D.D.S www.wyckoffdesplainesdentistry.com

First Midwest Bank

www.firstmidwest.com

Home Comfort

www.homecomfort.net

Home Helpers of Northern Illinois

www.homehelperscares.com

Luxury Auto Salon

www.luxuryautosalon.com

On the Beaton Path

www.onthebeatonpath.com

T. H. Weiss, Inc.

www.thweissinc.com

Increase the value of your membership in the

Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry

by joining the Member Plus Program. For an

additional investment of $100

members receive the following benefits annu-

ally:

2 - E-mail blasts $150

1 -Mailing list in electronic format $ 75

One extra category listing: $ 25

Bold listing in the Des Plaines Community

Guide $100

Listing in our monthly newsletter $150

Website listing w/link in the Member Plus

Section of the Chamber website $150

Total Value: $650

Connecting Businesses Business News

Employers: Don’t Overlook the Small

Business Health Care Tax Credit

Do you own or run a small business or tax-exempt group with fewer than 25 full-time employees? If you do, you

should know that the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit can help you provide insurance to your employees.

You may be able to save on your taxes if you paid for at least half of their health insurance premiums. Here are

several things that you should know about this important credit:

Maximum Credit. For tax years beginning in 2014 and after, the maximum credit is 50 percent of premi-

ums paid by small business employers. The limit is 35 percent of premiums paid by tax-exempt small employers,

such as charities.

Number of Employees. You may qualify if you had fewer than 25 employees who work full-time, or a com-

bination of full-time and part-time. For example, two half-time employees equal one full-time employee for pur-

poses of the credit.

Qualified Health Plan. You must have paid premiums for your employees enrolled in a qualified health plan

offered through a Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, Marketplace. There are limited exceptions

to this requirement.

Average Annual Wages. To qualify for the credit, the average annual wages of your full-time equivalent

employees must have been less than $51,000 in 2014. The IRS will adjust this amount for inflation each year.

Half the Premiums. You must have paid a uniform percentage of the cost of premiums for all employees.

The amount you paid must be equal to at least 50 percent of the premium cost of the insurance coverage for each

employee.

Two Year Limit. An eligible employer may claim the credit for any two-consecutive taxable years, begin-

ning in or after 2014. This credit can be claimed for two consecutive years, even if you claimed the credit at any

point from 2010 through 2013.

Tax Forms to Use. All employers use the Form 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums,

to calculate the credit. For-profit businesses claim the credit on Form 3800, General Business Credit. Tax-exempt

organizations claim it on Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return.

If you are a for-profit business and the credit is more than your tax liability for the year, you can carry the unused

credit back or forward to other tax years. If you are a tax-exempt employer, you may be eligible to receive the

credit as a refund. This applies so long as it does not exceed your income tax withholding and Medicare tax lia-

bility for the year.

If you found this Tax Tip helpful, please share it through your social media platforms. A great way to get tax in-

formation is to use IRS Social Media. You can also subscribe to IRS Tax Tips or any of our e-news subscrip-

tions.

Additional IRS Resources: Small Business Health Care Tax Credit for Small Employers

Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: Questions and Answers

Creating Opportunities Networking After Hours

Join us for our next

After Hours

Ridgewood Memorial

Park

April 14

(left to right) Chamber Board President Marty

Gardner , Jon Jorgenson, Brookdale Des

Plaines Executive Director and Kristina

Liszkiewicz, Brookdale Des Plaines Sales &

Marketing Director.

Chamber members enjoyed a great evening in March at Brookdale Des

Plaines. The event included great refreshments, beer, wine and soft drinks.

Guests had a chance to tour the facility that offers assisted and independent

living for seniors. The event also included a business card drawing for a beau-

tiful gift basket. A St. Paddy’s basket was also raffled off to all members who

participated in our ice-breaker event.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend next month’s After Hours on April 14

at Ridgewood Memorial Park.

Multi-Chamber After Hours at Rivers Casino

Members from the Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Niles, Park Ridge

and Rosemont Chambers enjoyed a night at the Cube at Rivers

Casino and had the chance to network with over 150 guests.

New Members

February New Members

Member

Anniversaries

Accounting/Tax Services

Alkafaji & Associates, Ltd. 2720 S. River Road, Suite 245 Des Plaines, Il 60018 773-509-1700 773-681-7224 www.alkafajicpas.com Attorneys

Porada Law Offices, Ltd. 208 West Washington Boulevard, Suite 1012 Chicago, IL 60606-3574 312-357-6800 312-357-6900 Accounting/Business Consult-ant/Payroll Provider

CFO Today 701 Lee Street, Suite 660 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-699-9630 888-512-6639 www.cfotoday.com Computer Services/Consulting

XL.net 701 Lee Street, Suite 430 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-686-0200 www.XL.net

Distributors

Moda Furniture, LLC 1663 S. Mt. Prospect Road Des Plaines, IL 60018 224-500-3365 630-206-0800 www.modarus.com Painters

CertaPro Painters 411 E. Business Center Drive, Suite 100 Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 847-376-8215 800-462-3782 www.desplaines.certapro.com Real Estate Agents

ARNI-American Realty Network, Inc. 800 Lee Street Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-699-8177 847-257-0889 www.arnirealtors.com Sports/Entertainment

Glenbrook Lacrosse Club 18 Park Lane Golf, IL 60018 312-286-0096 www.glenbrooklacrosse.com

10 Years – 2005

Dr. John Zanoni, D.D.S.

5 Years – 2010

3D Extreme

Joseph Academy

Parker Hannifin

1 Year – 2014

Action Metals Recycling, Inc.

Balkanika Restaurant & Bar

Bojczuk & Zadrozny, LLC

Creative Promotional Apparel, Inc.

Elk Grove Township

Glass House Real Estate Brokers

JD Sewer Service & More

New Ability Inc.

New Life Exteriors LLC

Taco Burrito King

The Mortgage Marketplace

Tiffany’s Restaurant & Café

Window Works

YNL Drywall Group

Friday, April 10

7:30 - 9:00 am

First Friday Networking

Katie’s Kitchen

623 N. Wolf Road

Des Plaines

Enjoy a great breakfast while you increase

your business at this structured networking

event. The morning starts with a brief

roundtable introductions and then guests

are seated at non-compete tables for a full

45 minutes of networking.

Cost: $12 - Buffet Breakfast included

Registration Deadline: April 8

Tuesday, April 14

5:00 - 7:00 pm

Networking After Hours

Ridgewood Memorial Park

9900 N Milwaukee Ave

Des Plaines

Networking After Hours gives you the op-

portunity to meet with a variety of

members in a casual atmosphere.

The event includes appetizers, beverages

and business card drawing and a chance to

promote your business!

Registration Deadline: April 11

Wednesday, April 15

6:30 to 8:00 pm

YPN After Hours

Tap House Grill

1472 Market Street

Des Plaines

If you are between the ages of 21 and 40

you won’t want to miss the first YPN

Networking After Hours. The event in-

cludes appetizers, drinks and a chance to

socialize and connect with young profes-

sionals. Special guest for the evening is

Mayor Matt Bogusz.

Cost: $10

Registration Deadline: April 10

Tuesday, April 28

11:30 to 1:00 pm

Women in Business

Brown Bag Lunch

Chamber Office

1401 E Oakton, Des Plaines

Program: Eyes Filled with Light

Presenter: Dr. Shelley Kim.

Best Vision Optometry

Learn how vision can affect your percep-

tion and efficiency at work at this informa-

tive meeting. The event includes roundtable

introductions, raffle prizes, desserts and a

chance to network with a dynamic group of

women.

Cost: $5.00

Registration deadline: April 27

The Chamber office will be closed on

Friday, April 3 .

Members can register for all chamber

events online at:

www.dpdchamebr.com.

Credit card payments are also accepted

on-line.

Meetings and Events

Get Involved

and

Get Noticed!

Each month your chamber of-

fers numerous ways for you to

connect with other business

owners and gain solid business

leads.

Networking happens morning ,

noon and night at the Des

Plaines Chamber in a variety

of formats. Mark your calen-

dar and plan to attend one of

our April events.

NEW

DATE

Connecting Businesses Creating Opportunities

Nine middle school students from District 62 pitched their business ideas to a panel of nine

investors on March 24 at the Young Entrepreneur’s Investment Panel Event. The students

have been participating in this after school program since October. Through their weekly les-

sons, and with the assistance of instructors, guest speakers and mentors, they have learned

how to write a business plan and market their business successfully.

Teachers, mentors, business hosts, guest speakers, and CEO advisors are all volunteers from

the Chamber of Commerce membership. Financial support for the program came from the

Lewandowski Family Foundation, Oakton Community College and Rivers Casino.

The investor panel consisted of the following business professionals who contributed a minimum of $500 to the businesses:

Rosemary Argus, Des Plaines Community Foundation , Jack Valdez, Rivers Casino, Brian Schuster Manager, BMO Har-

ris Bank , Agnes Laton, VP/Branch Manager Village Bank & Trust, Mark Lewandowski, Lewandowski Family Founda-

tion , Steve Pokrak, Controller Millennium Bank and Jeff Lakemacher, Fifth Third Bank. In addition , Sam’s Club has

become a national sponsor of the YEA! Program and Kamar Henry, Member Services Sam’s Club Des Plaines,

was part of the investor panel and awarded a $500 gift card to one student business. The award went to Sam Hooson of Sky-

line Smokehouse.

The funds were divided and allocated to the businesses that the investors felt had a well thought out plan, and an idea that had

a good chance at success. A total of $6,000 was invested in the nine businesses.

The investors were also asked to select one student business to advance to the semi-final Investment Panel Event in Boca

Raton, Florida on May 28. Juhi Soni owner of Scootle, a product based company that makes a small scoop for removing all

the lotion and make-up from a bottle was selected to represent our chamber.

(left) Sam Hooson,

Skyline Smokehouse

receives a $500 Sam’s

Club Gift card from

Kamar Henry of

Sam’s Club #6464 in

Des Plaines.

(right) Juhi Soni

owner of “Scootle”

gives her presenta-

tion to the judges.

Juhi was selected

to represent our

community at the

semi-finals in Boca

Raton, Florida.

The YEA! Class of 2015 (left to right) Ann Kalena, owner of Dry-it! Herb

Dryers, Sam Hooson, owner of Skyline Smokehouse, Riley Whittenhall, own-

er of Gossip Girls Nail Art, Karina Pittro, owner of Presto! Pocket, Kayla

Linse, owner of Nailed-it!, Juhi Soni, owner of Scootle, Alan Arzimendi,

owner of Iso-Typical Tutoring, Casey Fitzgerald and Ethan Giovanni, owners

of Slap Stick Hockey.