This Is Your Chamber: Tell Us Your Thoughts

The Village of Gurnee Chamber is YOUR CHAMBER! This Chamber was built on the premise of having a Chamber that would focus and help grow the area businesses in Gurnee. We have now passed our first year anniversary and our looking for your input?

• How do you think the Chamber is doing so far
• What do you like about the Chamber
• Are there any changes you would like to see?
• Do you have any ideas for meetings or speakers?

This is your Chamber!

Member Spotlight: Salon Bliss

Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce

Member SpotLight

Salon Bliss

Owner: Lisa Ruley

Gurnee Town Center Mall

7075 Grand Ave. Gurnee, IL 60021

847-336-4554

Our first Village of Gurnee Chamber that was picked for our member Spotlight was Salon Bliss. I have personally been to this salon and have nothing but great things to say. They are always friendly, do a great job and yes, open on Sundays! Here is my interview with Lisa Ruley, owner of Salon Bliss. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I had finding out all about this salon in Gurnee.

Cheryl: What is something interesting about Salon Bliss that not many people would know?

Lisa: Our Mission is an Acronym Beauty-Love-Integrity-Serenity-Sharing which spells Bliss; I feel we truly try to work by that at Salon Bliss

Cheryl: How long have you been in business?

Lisa: Salon Bliss has been in business for 9 years and I have been in this industry for 27

Cheryl: What is the best way to get some specials or coupons for Salon Bliss?

Lisa: We try to get to get everyone’s e-mails so we can send them weekly e-mail specials

Cheryl: What are some interesting things about Salon Bliss that you would like to share with the Village of Gurnee Chamber members and those who follow this blog?

Lisa: We do a lot of donations! Especially in our community and our schools. We work with Woodland School District and give each child who receives a 3.0 or higher a discount card with a 10% discount. We also work with different issues primarily due to death or illness, for children’s organizations, and sporting events.

Lisa: Another interesting thing is that every year since we have been open we are in the Gurnee Days Parade. We have won a plaque for our float every year.

Cheryl: I have gone to the parade every single year since I moved here 14 years ago, and they always really do a great job!

Cheryl: What kinds of services do you offer at Salon Bliss?

Lisa: Our services include but are not limited to: full hair care, hair extensions, hair retexturizing, full nail care, nail enhancements, pedicures, full spa services, facials, massages, body treatments, microdermabrasions, and waxing.

Cheryl: What retail lines do your carry?

Lisa: Our retail line includes: Aveda, Aquage, L’Oreal Professional, Bumble & Bumble, Bioelements, Mirabella and OPI

Cheryl: When you walk in the Salon you also see some other “fun stuff”

Lisa: We have a great line of purses and jewelry that are designer inspired by Coach, Channel, Tiffany, and Juicy just to name a few.

Cheryl: Is Salon Bliss involved with any charities?

Lisa: We are involved every year in raising money for clean water and for breast cancer

Cheryl: Is there anything you would like to tell us about your employees?

Lisa: I think of my employees like family. Our clients too!

Cheryl: What can a customer expect when they come to your salon?

Lisa: We try to have a professional, classy, yet homey feeling in our salon

Thank you for sharing with us all about Salon Bliss. Lisa has included a coupon below for you to use at her salon. Please stop by and tell them you read about Salon Bliss on the Village of Gurnee Chamber Blog. From my personal experience, I can tell you that you will not be disappointed!

Print this page out and bring into Salon Bliss for 10% off one service.

Can not be combined with other specials. Limit one per customer.

Interview and blog by Cheryl Furstoss of Marketing Monkey

“Don’t go bananas…Get A Marketing Monkey”

One Year Down, ? to go.

It's official, the Gurnee Chamber completed it's first year. In case you haven't been following the progress, there's been plenty to celebrate. And celebrate we did! The annual celebration was held at Six Flags' Hurricane Harbor. The theme was of course an island luau theme to fit the location, and to fit the mood. After countless months of planning and strategizing, and one year of gathering members, it was time to let loose a bit.
In true chamber fashion, the cost of the event was a reasonable $45 per person, leaving virtually no profit for the chamber. The chamber is adamant about keeping costs low, and not being focused on fund raising. Attendees received an open buffet, draft beer and sodas, a souvenir cup, and a Hawaiian lei.
A 100% payback raffle was held; the winner taking home $400 for her efforts. Congrats Barb "Kay"! Of course there were other prizes. Six Flags kicked in 4 free tickets, KeyLime Cove Resort gave an overnight stay, Churchill Photography gave a $350 gift certificate, Scentsy donated a gift basket, Star Capital Management gave a free financial plan valued at $1000, Gurnee Flowers gave two arrangements, and TravelHost magazine gave tickets to SummerFest and the Renaissance Fair.
In addition to the prizes listed, there was a special prize of $50 given to the wearer of the ugliest Hawaiian shirt. It was well deserved in this case. Go get yourself another shirt!
The "formal" part of the evening (10 minutes in duration), was devoted to awarding the Business of the Year Award and the President's Award for distinguished service. Craig Hathaway from Churchill Photography took home top honors for Business of the Year, and Ken Lechman took home the President's Award. Congrats to both men for their dedication and hard work!
We of course are looking forward to another great year at the chamber, and who knows, maybe another luau to cap it off again!

May Meeting

The TribLocal was the headline speaker at our meeting this month. They have a great opportunity for businesses to post their own events and news stories. Members in attendance agreed that learning of these kinds of opportunities is one of the many benefits the Chamber is providing. We are moving ahead with our Shop Gurnee campaign, as plans are developing for the new program. Keep an eye out on the website for the updates. We are working closely with the Village of Gurnee to make the campaign a big success.
The official member count is at 135 and growing! Keep up the networking, and keep spreading the word. Email this blog link and/or our website to your friends and peers.

Kenosha Chamber

Did you know the chamber has friends all over the country? We are partnering with our friends to the north, the Kenosha Area Chamber for a networking event. This is their bi-annual speed networking event that is designed to introduce you to new faces and potential business partners across the Wisconsin border. In this day and age, business knows no boundaries. Kenosha is one of the fastest growing and progressive city centers in the midwest. See what opportunities exist for your business. The possibility of meeting a new client or several new prospects, makes this lunch event an easy choice. See you there!

March Lunch & Learn

Wow, what a great event! 150 attendees came to hear the Commanding Officer of Great Lakes Naval Base, Captn. John Malfitano speak. Everyone got the opportunity to make new business acquaintances from other local chambers. Grayslake, Waukegan, Kenosha, GLMV, and LLV Chamber were present with their members. Feedback thus far has been all positive from the attendees. We will continue to strive to provide our members with ways to promote and expand their businesses through networking and group meetings. As always, we need your ideas. If you want to see a speaker or have a program idea, please let us know.

Keep following us on www.gurneechamber.com for upcoming events.

Play Ball!

60 members and nonmembers joined together to hear about the new Lake County Fielders semi-pro baseball team's upcoming season. The new team is owned by the famous actor Kevin Costner. They are currently constructing the $15 million facility in Zion and are out in the community making sure everyone knows about this exciting new team. Some might ask what a new baseball team has to do with a chamber of commerce. The answer is marketing. The team offers a local opportunity to advertise and market your business to an expected 300,000 attendees for the season. Some businesses may choose to use the team's proximity to conduct client appreciation events at the ballpark, while others may use the many opportunities to advertise in the programs or on the stadium itself.
As a chamber, we want to provide our members with as many options to promote your business as possible. Maybe the Lake County Fielders can be an opportunity for your business.
As always, don't forget to check out www.gurneechamber.com to keep up to date on our upcoming events.