A Franklin County Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Union High School Fine Arts Theatre.  The event is coordinated by the Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Clair Area Chamber of Commerce, Union Area Chamber of Commerce, and Washington Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Outstanding Young Professionals Class of 2022 will be recognized at the Member Luncheon on Monday, October 3rd.  For more information on the awards, along with a nomination form for 2023, visit the Awards page in the Programs Menu.

Together, the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce and Missourian Media Group are recognizing the up-and-coming generation of area leaders. Following are the rules for the “Outstanding Young Professional Awards.” Awards will be presented at a Chamber luncheon on Monday, October 3, 2022.

ELIGIBILITY
Nominees shall be an employee of a company or organization which holds a membership with the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce. Nominees must be 40 years or under as of January 1, 2022.

PROCEDURE
• Nominations are due at the Chamber Office by August 19, 2022.
• Nominations shall consist of the Official Nomination Form, including the following three questions
o How has the nominee gone above and beyond the call of duty for his or her employment position?
o Tell us about the nominee's involvement in industry-related organizations, including memberships, certifications, leadership roles, and other professional development
o What participation, involvement, or leadership roles has the nominee held in their community?
• The persons selected to receive awards will be notified to ensure attendance at the Chamber Luncheon.

JUDGING
Judging will be done by a committee of five: three from the Membership PR committee of the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce and two from Missourian Media Group. The committee reserves the right to determine additional persons for consideration.

The Outstanding Young Professional Awards were created in 2013.  To date, the Chamber and Missourian have honored 119 recipients.  Information on past honorees is available at www.washmochamber.org/PastAwardWinners.

Ben King and his family recently opened a specialty grocery store, The Grazing Board, in downtown Washington.

TLC MO Events is a new Craft & Vendor gift shop on Jefferson Street.  There are currently over 15 featured vendors offering a variety of items.  For more information, visit ​tlcmoevents.com.

A new tradition was started at this year's Annual Banquet - recognizing members that have reached their 50th Membership Anniversary with the Chamber.  A "Chairman's Circle" award was created to honor these long-term supporters of our organization.  Each year, members reaching that milestone will be recognized at the banquet, and we had a great group to start with!
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​Members who reached their 40th, 30th, and 25th anniversary of membership were also recognized with an anniversary decal to display on their membership plaque.
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AQM, a commercial and residential IT provider,  originally opened in Union in 1993, and recently expanded with an office in Washington at 802 Rainbow Drive. 
​For more information, visit their website at  aqmcomputerhelp.com

Alex Demczak will deliver the keynote address at the March 26 Chamber Banquet.  Other agenda items include presentation of the Missourian's Washingtonian Award, as well as a report from the Washington Town & Country Fair and selection of 2022 Fair Queen Sponsors.
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Alex Demczak is a former SEC quarterback for the Missouri Tigers, who graduated with a degree in Communication and a minor in Business.  He is an inspiring communicator, facilitator and trainer who challenges businesses, schools, sports teams, and non-profits to maximize their potential and make a difference.

Alex is the author of Thrive U, an inspirational collection of stories from 100 collegiate and professional athletes from across the country. The book has been used by many youth groups, schools, and businesses as a resource to help others maximize their platform and thrive rather than simply survive.

Alex is a top keynote speaker and trainer for the Jon Gordon Companies. He frequently delivers keynotes and conducts training programs based on The Power of Positive Leadership and The Power of a Positive Team with the goal of helping leaders transform their teams and change the world. He is the Executive Director of the Touchdown Foundation which raises money to build water wells in 18 third world countries. Alex is an innovative entrepreneur that has a knack for starting new ventures such as Thrive U, Coach's Corner, MU Courtesy Carts, Thrive Speakers, Ignite small groups, and collaborates with multiple startups.

Alex is passionate about helping high performance leaders take the next step in their leadership journey and has worked with some most successful companies across various industries. Some of Alex’s past clients include The Cincinnati Reds, Bridgestone, Cintas, Veterans United Home Loans, OneCoast Retailers, O’shea Builders, and many others. Alex's mission is to help people increase their performance, enhance their leadership, and maximize their life.