Upcoming Events

• Missouri has been awarded more than $634,000 in competitive funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration to increase the number of small businesses in the state that export their products, creating jobs and generating additional economic growth as a result.
• The funding is part of the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant program, established as part of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 to award grants to states to carry out export programs that assist eligible small businesses. The program will be administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Developments International Trade & Investment Office and will complement the states best-in-class trade initiative, Export Missouri.
• Last year, Missouri was awarded $599,999 in STEP funding. That funding has helped 77 small businesses with export training, connections with new clients internationally, and participation in trade activities promoting their Missouri-made goods.
• Under the STEP program, Missouri businesses can receive funding to boost their exports by participating in foreign trade missions and market sales trips, subscription to services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, website foreign language translation services, design of international marketing materials, trade show exhibitions, and participation in export and trade financing workshops.
• The Brookings Institution recently ranked Missouri 8th in the nation for growth in advanced manufacturing output, which increased by 4.26 percent from 2013 to 2015. The report also ranked Missouri 6th for its annual advanced manufacturing job growth of 3.57 percent.
• For more information please see

  https://exportmissouri.mo.gov

Engaging Future Community Leaders

Leadership Joplin is a program developed by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by community businesses to identify, cultivate and motivate future community leaders. Leadership Joplin is in its 34th year with more than 850 graduates. This informative and thought-provoking program introduces participants to the community, exposes them to its challenges and requires them to fully participate in the 12-session curriculum. In addition, Leadership Joplin provides a strategic curriculum to enhance participants’ leadership skills and creates a dialogue for discussion on relevant topics and assessment of case studies, ultimately supporting the Chamber’s strategic initiatives and goals.

Dress to Impress

Class Project - Collaboration with Young Professionals Network

Project Leaders: Sherry Noller & Pat Nagel 

Leadership Joplin Program Sponsor:

JACC Staff:  Martha Getz - YP

JACC Staff:  Ginger LaMar - LJ

2017 Leadership Joplin Service Project

Dress to Impress Professional Clothing Giveaway, a partnership between JACC Young Professionals Network and MSSU Career Services, provides students with professional attire to prepare them for job interviews, build professional wardrobe, and coach them on appropriate professional dress.

How to sign up:

Sort Nights & Event Set Up (Sign up for one shift)
March 9, March 10 & March 14
bit.ly/d2isortsetup

Day of Event  - March 15 (Sign up for one shift)
bit.ly/d2ievent

Dress to Impress Volunteer Needs

Sort Nights Volunteers (March 9 & March 10)

Selector - The Selector will gothrough all donated clothes to pull undesirable and inappropriate garments.

Sorter– Sorters will separate clothing for men and women, as well as hang up clothes.

Hanging Clothes Organizer – Organizers will organize clothes according to size and type.

Pants Organizer – You will sort all pants and skirts by size and gender. Also, pulling unprofessional attire if needed.

Rover – Liaison between pants room and main sort room. Also delivering clothes to sorters for sorting. Collecting garments that will not be used for this event in bags and boxes to be donated. Able to lift 25+ lbs.

Suit Sizer – Focus on organizing suits according to size and/or determining approximate size.

Set up Volunteers (March 14) 

Mover – Transport clothing racks from sort room to Ballroom.

Pants/Skirts – Organize and display pants and skirts by size and gender.

Accessories – Organize and display jewelry, scarves and other accessories

Shoes/Ties – Organize and display shoes by size and ties by color.

Suit Sizer - Focus on organizing suits according to size and/or determining approximate size.

Day of Dress to Impress Event Volunteers (March 15)

Shopping Assistant – Individually assist students to select 3-4 outfits to try on. After taking them to the dressing room, checking back in at the front to help another student.

Women’s Dressing Room Attendant – Help students make final outfit selections, manage available rooms and hang up discarded items to be put away.

Men’s Dressing Room Attendant - Help students make final outfit selections, manage available rooms and hang up discarded items to be put away.

Accessories Assistant – Help students find accessories and shoes to complete their selected outfit. Organize accessories as needed.

Checkout Station – Bag selected clothing and accessories for the student to take home.

Floor Associate – Re-stock discarded items to appropriate racks or tables.

Condensing racks and tear down (8) – Begin condensing racks and tables as the event ends. After 5 pm, begin boxing up leftover clothes and tearing down racks.

No Charge for event

MSSU Career Services, the Young Professionals Network and Leadership Joplin 2017 are partnering for the third annual Dress to Impress event. This event is designed to prepare students for their careers by helping them build a professional wardrobe. Students are invited to shop in our "store" set up in Ballroom at Billingsly Student Center, with the assistance of a personal shopper and be outfitted with 3-5 head-to-toe professional looks. 

To assist with sorting and set up, please sign up by clicking the link below:

 http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4eafa92da7fa7-dress

To assist with personal shopping, fitting room, bagging and checkout on the day of the event, please sign up by clicking the link below.  

 http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4eafa92da7fa7-dress1

Commerce Bank YPN Presenting Sponsor

US Bank, n.a Empower Presenting Sponsor

Join us as Doug Spears, Talent Development Manager at TAMKO Building Products, talks to us about “Driving Change within an Organization.”  Doug Spears is a life-long resident of the Joplin area. He studied marketing and management at Missouri Southern State University and proceeded to work in a public utility environment. It was during his tenure there that he discovered his passion for business, more specifically, the people side of business. Doug’s unique and positive perspective on change is a product of:   serving in both the public and private sectors, being a union member and supervising union members, managing office professionals, as well as plant supervisory personnel, and developing and delivering both technical and soft skills training. A champion of change, Doug has been blessed with multiple opportunities to deploy and direct different departments, including Six Sigma, Recruiting, Training and Talent Development. Recently an empty-nester, in his free time, Doug enjoys traveling with Connie, his wife of thirty-five years. He is also active in his local church and can be found running on local trails and in various charity events.

This is a brown bag lunch. RSVP by clicking the link or call 417.624.1996.

"ED" talks are brought to you by YPN Professional Development workgroup. 

Commerce Bank Presenting Sponsor

Missouri Southern State University Develop Presenting Sponsor

Presented by Mercy Hospital Joplin
Sponsored by and located at Ozark Christian College

A quarterly breakfast gathers members for networking and opportunity to hear about what's happening in Joplin.  Morning speakers have "one minute of fame" to highlight their business.