Buffalo Grove chamber official wins coveted award
Lynne Schneider, executive director of the Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, might be collecting more than just one award this fall.
She took the first honor earlier this month, when she was listening to her colleague Janet Meyer at a podium during a statewide event.
Meyer talked about the time when she had just taken the helm of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce and received a call from a veteran chamber official just 10 miles away. Meyer described this woman as the glue that held her group together, spearheaded initiatives and maintained her energy to help her chamber thrive.
“It wasn't until she mentioned some (detailed) things that I realized she was talking about me,” said Schneider, a 22-year veteran at the Buffalo Grove chamber.
That's when Schneider received the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives' coveted Braun Award. It's the highest honor presented in the state to a chamber executive for their dedication and work.
“I am not sure the exact number of chamber executives that she has mentored over the years, but I can safely say that she has gained the utmost respect from her colleagues,” said Meyer.
And it all started out of her home. Schneider started part time at the Buffalo Grove Chamber as a secretary. The position and the group have since grown and she became executive director in the late 1990s.
While she has remained active in every facet of the association, she continues her other interests, like singing. Schneider had auditioned for the Lyric Opera in the mid-1970s.
“But they didn't need a soprano that year,” Schneider said.
Instead, she got married, raised a family, and entered into the chamber work.
Singing continues to be a force her in her life, and she's hoping to be part of another team that could win an award soon.
She's a founding member of the BG Singers, enjoying show tunes and oldies. The group could learn on Tuesday whether it's won the 2011 Sing competition. The grand-prize winning vocal group will be awarded $20,000 to donate to its favorite charity, among other prizes.
“I just love to do this,” said Schneider. “I like to make the most out of life.”
Braun goes to D.C.
Mike Braun, CEO of Lisle-based 123 Exteriors, was at the White House with other business leaders to discuss how to create more high-quality jobs in the United States. “It was great to see real political action in a live setting,” he said. Braun didn't see President Obama, but many of his top level officials, including Department of Energy senior adviser Gil Sperling and Assistant Secretary of Commerce John Fernandez, and others.
Newlywed Braun recently moved to St. Louis, Mo., but maintains homes in Bolingbrook and Lisle.
Watching that weight
Barbara Tyrrell of Oak Brook joined the staff of Medi-Weightloss Clinics in Hinsdale and Naperville, as director of corporate wellness and patient development. She's a former McDonald's franchise owner for about 20 years.
Larson honored again, posthumously
The late William J. Larson of Batavia, a longtime member of the Des Plaines-based American Society of Safety Engineers' Three Rivers chapter, was recently honored by the Illinois Senate with a memorial resolution. Larson, who died on Aug. 1, joined the association in 1946 and was a safety engineering supervisor at Argonne National Laboratory until he retired in 1987. Even in retirement, Larson had remained active with the association and was honored with the Charles V. Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in 1991.
FastTrack
John Schmitt, president and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, is touting the group's five-star accreditation again from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Only 75 of about 7,000 chambers nationwide have received that honor. ... John Gannon of Naperville is now a transportation consultant for American Fast Freight. While the company is based in Fife, Wash., he'll remain here to represent the company and its affiliates in this region.
Naperville-based Tellabs President and CEO Robert W. Pullen will be heading to New York on Tuesday to speak to the investment community at the UBS Global Technology Conference. Then his chief financial officer, Timothy J. Wiggins gets to go to warmer climate, Scottsdale, Ariz., to address the Credit Suisse Annual Technology Conference on Nov. 30. ... Richard Widdowson of Arlington Heights was named the 2011 recipient of the Electrical Safety Foundation International's Outstanding Service Award. He received it during a meeting in Philadelphia.
Christopher B. Begley, chairman of Lake Forest-based Hospira, was elected as a director through 2014 for Downers Grove-based DeVry. He also serves as a director for Downers Grove-based Sara Lee Corp. ... Advisors Andrea (Andy) Cohen of Chicago and Edward Edens of Western Springs, both of Kovitz Investment Group LLC, have bee named 2011 Five Star Wealth Managers by Chicago Magazine. ... Doug Cook, owner of Des Plaines-based Feldco Windows, Siding & Doors, donated new windows to Habitat for Humanity.
Kristen Karpus of Naperville is a new CPA at St. Charles-based Jones Sager Haines & Co. LLP. She's a 2011 graduate of Aurora University. ... Mike Verska is the new global director of research and development at Chicago-based Wilson Golf. Verska and his family lives in Dallas now, but is searching for a home around the suburbs. ... Dhvani Shah becomes the new chief investment officer on Dec. 19 for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund in Oak Brook. She replaces Walt Koziol, who retires on Nov. 30.
About 25,000 employees at Northfield-based Kraft Foods volunteered to help fight hunger and promote healthy lifestyles at about 800 events in 72 countries. ... Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur was named to the board of directors for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, a global organization of toll operators and related companies.
Mike Domek of Crystal Lake, and the founder of TicketsNow.com that was sold to Ticketmaster, is among the speakers at the Great Lakes Entrepreneurial Bash at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, at the University of Chicago Forum. It's hosted by Naperville-based TechAmerica. ... Paul Sprecher, Harry & David store manager, and his colleagues at Deer Park Town Center will be among the first in the holiday spirit at 4 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, by hosting Jingle Bell Shop Girls Night Out. Chocolate, wine and discounts, what more can you ask?
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