by Richard Ortiz | May 20, 2019 | Uncategorized
The annual Freeburg Chamber/Freeburg Rotary BBQ is scheduled for Monday, June 10 at the Freeburg Sportsman Club. The annual BBQ is one of our longest-running events and is a great chance to network, enjoy BBQ, and see what the Freeburg Chamber has to offer. Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser will give an update on the
The BBQ includes dinner, refreshments, and a chance at prizes. Admission is $10. Current members are welcome, as are prospective members. For prospective members, this is a great no-obligation way to meet the Freeburg business community and see what our Chamber can do for you and your business.
As a member of the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce, you are entitled to exclusive networking events like our business luncheons. Our most recent luncheon had over 40 attendees at The Weingarten with guest speaker US Representative Mike Bost.
Our recent constitutional revisions allow us more flexibility to move some of our night meetings to lunch meetings. We aim to offer a healthy balance of night and lunch opportunities to allow for a variety of continent times for our members to get involved and enjoy their benefits. After our meetings, we also have secondary business networking opportunities. Chamber members also are given a listing in our business directory.
To learn more about benefits available to Freeburg Chamber members, click here. To become a member, click here. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @freeburgchamber to stay up to date on our activities and events.
by Richard Ortiz | May 20, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Chamber body voted to pass revised constitution on Monday, May 13. Revising the constitution has been more than a year in the making. Thank you to the constitution committee and all of those within our organization who have worked tirelessly to get this project finished.
The main aim of revising the constitution was to allow us the flexibility to have more day meetings in the place of night meetings. In the past, we were restricted to holding meetings the second Monday of the month at 7pm. The revised language will now allow for lunch meetings instead, in some instances.
The demand for lunch meetings has increased as our quarterly business luncheons has increased. Our most recent luncheon at The Weingarten in April was well attended and featured guest speaker US Representative Mike Bost.
We have more events coming up, including our annual Freeburg Chamber and Freeburg Rotary BBQ on Monday, June 10. The BBQ starts at 6 and is $10 per person with food and refreshments included.
We will be holding Chamber Pool Night at the Freeburg Pool on Monday, July 8. This is our second ever pool night, and it will feature hot dogs and hamburgers, refreshments our monthly Chamber meeting, and a night in the Freeburg pool for you and your family.
For access to exclusive networking opportunities like these only some of the benefits of becoming a member of the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce. As a member, you are also entitled to a listing in our business directory. To learn more about the benefits of becoming a Chamber Member, click here. To become a Chamber member, click here.
by Richard Ortiz | Apr 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
Our annual banquet in February was a massive success. This year again featured mouse races, and the event was attended by over 200 guests. The record attendance and success of the evening are due to the tireless work of our banquet committee and wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions from so many in our community.
The Freeburg Chamber of Commerce would like t thank our donors Country Mart, Ace Hardware, Freeburg Pharmacy, Exchange Cart, Freeburg Liquor, Mathis Marfin Richter Law Firm, Pat Cook, Citizens Community Bank, Freeburg Care Center, Brad and Kim Towers, Rural Family Medicine, Jack’s Car Wash, Jerry Costello, Seth and Elaine Speiser Construction, Total Fitness, Renner Funeral Home, Freeburg Rotary, Edward Jones – Clay Mason, Niebruegge Insurance, Domin’s, Asset 1 Real Estate, Regions Bank, Jerry’s Auto Body, Freeburg Towing, Cedar Trails, Reifschnieder’s, Pizza Hut, Freeburg Animal Hospital, Casey’s General Store, Computype, Trenton’s, Freeburg Vision, Grey Eagle Distributing, Fritz Distributor, Sam’s Club, and ATI.
Check out these other upcoming Chamber events.
The next regular meeting of the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce is Monday, April 8 at 7pm at the Freeburg Library. This meeting will feature important discussion regarding the Chamber Constitution and a proposed building facade grant program.
A ribbon cutting event is scheduled at the newly opened Rosie’s Gaming Lounge at 302 S. State Street in Freeburg at 5pm. Please help us welcome Rosie’s to the community.
From a new business to a long-time pillar of the community, the Freeburg Care Center has an open house on April 11 to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Please join us as we celebrate Freeburg Care Center!
Joining the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce allows members exclusive networking opportunities like our quarterly business luncheons. Our next luncheon is scheduled for April 18 at 11am at The Weingarten. The guest speaker will be Representative Mike Bost.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on our activities.
by Richard Ortiz | Mar 31, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Freeburg Chamber of Commerce is considering hosting an electric Christmas parade The concept being discussed would see a parade covered in Christmas lights that would lead to the Freeburg Village Square park. This parade would coincide with the Village of Freeburg’s Annual Lights in the Park event in December.
If you would be interested in joining this event or attending it, please let us know on Facebook or Twitter. We would love feedback and we are attempting to gauge community interest.
Don’t miss these upcoming events.
The next regular meeting of the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce is Monday, April 8 at 7pm at the Freeburg Library. This meeting will feature important discussion regarding the Chamber Constitution and a proposed building facade grant program.
A ribbon cutting event is scheduled at the newly opened Rosie’s Gaming Lounge at 302 S. State Street in Freeburg at 5pm. Please help us welcome Rosie’s to the community.
From a new business to a long-time pillar of the community, the Freeburg Care Center has an open house on April 11 to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Please join us as we celebrate Freeburg Care Center!
Joining the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce allows members exclusive networking opportunities like our quarterly business luncheons. Our next luncheon is scheduled for April 18 at 11am at The Weingarten. The guest speaker will be Representative Mike Bost.
by Richard Ortiz | Mar 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Freeburg Chamber of Commerce will hold our quarterly business luncheon on Thursday, April 18 at The Weingarten. The luncheon will be from 11 am – 1 pm with a $10 lunch. Guests will have the option of a harvest salad and chips, chicken salad wrap and chips, grilled cheese with tomato gouda bisque and chips, or a French dip and chips. A non-alcoholic drink, top, and tax are included.
The guest speaker will be US Congressman Mike Bost. Freeburg Chamber luncheons feature a keynote guest speaker, an update on Chamber activities, and a unique networking opportunity in a relaxed environment.
Please RSVP to Matt Trout at 618-410-8077 or email at mtrout@freeburg.com ASAP if you wish to attend. The luncheon has limited space and is open to the first 35 people who RSVP. If you are not a member but wish to attend the event, come see what the Freeburg Chamber can do for your business. You can join the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce by filling out our membership application.
We are working to book more frequent luncheon events in the future, so make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on Chamber events.
by Richard Ortiz | Jan 21, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival was a big hit in 2018, thrilling the community, filling bellies, giving local businesses a platform to promote themselves, and raising money for two worth causes in our great community. A big part of that success is the triumphant return of the Freeburg beer bucket, which we sell at the Chili Cook Off with the option for refills of draft beer. For the last few years, we’ve offered the buckets with an imprint relating to the history of our community.
In 2018, our bucket featured the antique pumper that has been a parade and display fixture of the Freeburg Fire Department. Once the buckets are sold, they are in private hands forever. The Fall Festival is the one and only place to get your hands on this beautiful, practical piece of Freeburg memorabilia that makes a one-of-a-kind addition to any home bar.
…or is it?
This is your chance to get ahold of one of our commemorative beer buckets. We are giving away the last of our beer buckets on our Facebook account and our newly created Twitter account.
Enter on Facebook by liking the post, sharing the post, and commenting below. Enter on Twitter by liking and retweeting. A winner will be selected at random and given this great piece of Freeburg memorabilia.
If you miss out and want to get in on the action next year, be sure to like the Freeburg Chamber and the Chili Cook Off on Facebook for all the latest updates. Be sure to follow our new Twitter account for all the latest on the fun community events being organized by the Chamber.
Save the Date – February 9, 2019
Speaking of great events, our annual banquet this year is can’t miss. For $40, you will get admission to the Freeburg Downs Mouse Races. These races feature high-end prizes, as well as marketing opportunities. You can sponsor a mouse by contacting Cindy Niebruegge at ______.
With your ticket, you are also entitled to an all-you-can-eat prime rib dinner (with chicken breast also available), as well as an open bar. Please join us for fun, good food, better company, and a celebration of the vibrant business community in Freeburg.
by Richard Ortiz | Jan 20, 2019 | Uncategorized
Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 9. The Freeburg Chamber is holding its Annual Banquet in the St. Joseph Parish Center. Like last year, this event will feature mouse races. Attendees are given tokens to bet on mouse races, and can purchase more if they wish. If your mouse wins, you can win more tokens which can be used for large raffle prizes at the end of the night. We will also have a 50/50 drawing, lottery boards, and many more great prizes.
In addition to the mouse races, tickets also include a prime rib dinner (with chicken breast also available) and an open bar! Tickets are $40 per person or $300 for a table of eight. Tickets can only be purchased in advance by calling Cindy Niebruegge at 618-539-6000 or by visiting Citizens Community Bank, Niebruegge Insurance, or the Freeburg Village Hall.
We also have sponsorship opportunities available. You can call Cindy at 618-539-6000 or Dave at 618-539-5878 to learn more about sponsoring a mouse or to donate to our silent auction.
by Richard Ortiz | Jan 7, 2019 | Uncategorized
Dear Freeburg Chamber of Commerce Members,
I want to take some time to say Thank You to the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce and its members for allowing me to serve on the Board of Directors for 3 Years and as the President for the past 2 years. It is my hope that during my time serving as President, that I was able to leave the community a better place for everyone. I take great pride in the things that we were able to accomplish during my tenure.
This group has taken many steps to keep up with the ever-changing business trends and strives towards supporting the businesses in our town. The addition of the Business Luncheons has been a great success and heavily supported by those in the community. The Luncheons help us reach out to our business leaders and encourage open and honest discussion. I hope to see this event and other events continue.
We have also successfully launched a new website and generated a strong social media presence, allowing us the opportunity to communicate more efficiently about our events as well as topics that affect the community at large. The change in bylaws regarding meeting time has allowed the The Board of Directors as well as the Chamber body, to work with a more flexible meeting schedule to accommodate all members.
The overwhelming success of the The Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff cannot be denied. This event has become a “can’t miss” activity for families as well as business owners. In addition to providing a great community event, roughly $23,500 of proceeds have been donated to the Freeburg Food & Clothing Bank and the Freeburg Utility Assistance Fund. There’s nothing better than seeing the citizens of Freeburg coming together for a fun time, a great cause and seeing the proceeds going directly back into the town.
My hope as I step down is that the progress, we have made in the past several years continues to move forward so that we see even more community involvement, support of business development and the overall improvement of the town.
Thank you so much for allowing me to serve the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce and please feel free to reach out if I can ever be of help.
Thank you,
Matt Trout
by Richard Ortiz | Nov 24, 2018 | Uncategorized
Yesterday, Black Friday, kicked off the holiday shopping season with major retailers offering door buster deals. While the mad dashes and fistfights in line aren’t as prevalent as in years past, Black Friday is still a major shopping day. So is Cyber Monday, when the doorbuster move online.
Nestled between these days is Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is a day designed to remind you to shop local, and shop small. Instead of giving all of your business to big box retailers on Black Friday or online megastores on Cyber Monday, give small business a chance and shop local.
In our community, many fantastic businesses owned by, operated by, and employing your friends and neighbors depend on your support. Please see what our community has to offer and shop local this Small Business Saturday, and throughout the entire shopping season. According to the SBA, 47.5% of the private workforce in the United States comes from 27.9 million small businesses.
Make no mistake, this is no act of charity. Our community is full of excellent businesses that provide quality and value. To find a local business that fits your needs, check our directory. You can search by industry and find a local solution to your needs. Make sure to follow the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce on Facebook and LinkedIn for more updates and information on our member businesses.
If you are not a member and would like to be listed in the Freeburg Chamber directory, you can become a member here.
by Richard Ortiz | Nov 16, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Freeburg Chamber of Commerce recently donated the profits of our Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival in September to two worthy local charities. The profits were evenly split between the Freeburg Food and Clothing Bank and the Utility Assistance Fund.
The Food and Clothing Bank is run by St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. The bank recently moved into a larger building 1050 N State Street. The Food and Clothing Bank helps between 30-40 families each month with food and clothing donations collected from around the Freeburg community. The bank is open the first and second Tuesday of each month from 2pm to 4pm and the third Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. To contact the Food and Clohting Bank or donate, call 618.539.5070 for more information.
The Utility Assistance Fund is also a charitable wing of St. Paul’s. They help those in need in the community struggling to pay their utility bills. Both the Food and Clothing Bank and the Utility Assistance Fund received $4,223.50 donations, equal half shares of our profits from the Chili Cook Off. In addition to these donations, the Food and Clothing Bank also held a food drive at the Chili Cook Off. Other local organizations also participated in the event.
We are thrilled the Fall Festival was able to help these worthy causes. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival a major success. Thank you to everyone who came out and ate chili, supported their local organizations, and ultimately helped us raise these funds to help those in need.
As the holiday season approaches, we highly encourage you support these organizations and the other not-for-profit groups in our area who help the needy. As you plan your charitable donations for this season, please keep them in mind.
To get regular updates on next year’s Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival, like the Cook Off on Facebook and like the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. Just as a reminder, Chamber members are allowed free entry into the Cook Off, so consider that when weighing your decision to become a member.
