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The Chamber is pleased to announce 31 participants into its Leadership Irving-Las Colinas Class of 2011.

The Leadership Irving Class of 2011, which represents numerous local private, public, and non-profit organizations, will meet the first Friday each month through April and will focus on a different topic specific to Irving-Las Colinas at each meeting.

The mission of Leadership Irving-Las Colinas is to identify, educate, and develop future leaders and to motivate these leaders for civic, charitable and community involvement. If you are interested in sponsoring this year's class or want to recommend a local business or community leader for the Class of 2012, please email Alysia Bell at abell@irvingchamber.com .

Congratulations to Tamara Davis, the Chamber's Ambassador of the Quarter, pictured above with Irving Mayor Herbert Gears!

Tamara Davis is an Irving resident and Bank Manager for the OmniAmerican Bank branch located in Irving.  As a long time member of The Irving Chamber, OmniAmerican Bank is focused on providing support to businesses in this community. The bank encourages participation in the chamber as their projects have a positive impact on our community. 

"Tamara Davis has truly earned Ambassador of the Quarter for the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber," said Chandra Hill, Director of Finance and Member Relations. "She's an invaluable member of this important committee, and she's gone the extra mile recently in welcoming new Chamber members and being a resource to businesses that are new to Irving."

To become involved with the Chamber Ambassadors, contact Chandra at chill@irvingchamber.com.  

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a medical condition that weighs heavy on thousands of people in North Texas and many in Irving. The Chamber-sponsored Irving Senior Services Alliance, a group of member businesses allied by a common focus to serve senior adults and their families, recently did something about it. They hosted a live and silent Hollywood-themed auction on August 19 at Aspen Catering raising $5,501 exceeding their goal of $5,000.

The $5,501 goes to battle CHF through a simple but very effective tool: bathroom weight scales. At $10/each, the Senior Services Alliance raised enough money to purchase 550 scales for Baylor Irving!

John Drake, Irving Healthcare Foundation President, gets everyone ready to bid for a fantastic cause.

Live entertainment rocked Aspen Catering before the auctioneers took the stage

Holly Hullum, WiseGroup Insurance, warms up the audience, encouraging everyone to open their hearts and their wallets to a great cause!

Hollywood chic!

A small touch at the bar reminded folks of the importance of giving back to worthwhile causes

The full team of professional auctioneers moments before the live auction

 A worthwhile cause and auctioneers who were next to impossible to say "no" to, all helped make the event a tremendous success!

On Thursday, August 19, the Chamber hosted the State of Retail, its fourth quarterly event of the (fiscal) year.  Prior to the keynote presentation from John Menzer, CEO of Irving-headquartered Michaels, Jo Ann Goin (Chair of the Chamber's Small Business Committee and Owner of Glory House) took the podium to share some great news about an upcoming Chamber marketing campaign.  The "In Irving" campaign is designed to bring awareness to Irving's many fine retailers through advertisements and such programs such as First Saturdays in Irving -- expected to roll out October 2! 

Jo Ann Goin Talks About the New In Irving Campaign

John Menzer had many insights to share on the state or retail and also Michael's formula for success, and we are pleased to share his presentation for those who missed the program or would like to review it again.

John Menzer Delivers Keynote Remarks

Tax Free Weekend is upon us, and the Chamber encourages you to shop Irving's many fine retailers during this time of savings. A great directory of retailers is available via the Chamber's membership directory. Additionally, the office of the Texas Comptroller provides the following information:  

Tax Free Weekend in Texas: A Definitive Resource:
Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales taxes on August 20, 21 and 22 - the state's annual tax holiday. Lay-away plans can be used again this year to take advantage of the sales tax holiday.

As in previous years, the law exempts most clothing and footwear priced under $100 from sales and use taxes, which could save shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. Backpacks under $100 and used by elementary and secondary students are also exempt. A backpack is a pack with straps one wears on the back. The exemption during the sales tax holiday includes backpacks with wheels, provided they can also be worn on the back like a traditional backpack, and messenger bags. The exemption does not include items that are reasonably defined as luggage, briefcases, athletic/duffle/gym bags, computer bags, purses or framed backpacks. Ten or fewer backpacks can be purchased tax-free at one time without providing an exemption certificate to the seller.

School Supplies
The 81st Texas Legislature passed HB 1801 (2009) expanding the list of items qualifying for exemption from Texas state and local sales and use taxes during the annual sales tax holiday in August. In addition to clothes, footwear and some backpacks, Texas families also get a sales tax break on most school supplies priced at less than $100 purchased for use by a student in an elementary or secondary school.

The following is an all-inclusive list of qualifying school supplies (if priced less than $100):

No exemption certificate is required - with one exception. If the purchaser is buying the supplies under a business account, the retailer must obtain an exemption certificate from the purchaser certifying that the items are purchased for use by an elementary or secondary school student. "Under a business account" means the purchaser is using a business credit card or business check rather than a personal credit card or personal check; being billed under a business account maintained at the retailer; or is using a business membership at a retailer that is membership based.

List of Clothing, Footwear and Backpacks, and Their Exemption Status

A word of caution: If you sell items that do not qualify for the exemption, you may not advertise or promise that you will pay your customers' sales tax. Additionally, you are prohibited from advertising that you will not collect sales tax on items that do not qualify. You may advertise that tax is included in the sales price of the taxable items that you sell, however.

For information on how to report tax on these sales, please visit Reporting Sales Tax on Tax-Free Items or call (800) 252-5555.

More than 100 business leaders attended a public meeting earlier this month, at City Hall to hear Teresa Adrian, Management Operations Team Director for the City of Irving, discuss proposed amendments to the Sign Ordinance and the Dumpster Enclosure Ordinance.  The Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving Hispanic Chamber assisted city staff in communicating this meeting throughout the community by hand carrying approximately 300 invitations to businesses as well as e-mailing their memberships and posting to their websites. 

Key changes proposed in the Dumpster Enclosure ordinance would only require the full enclosure if the dumpster is in front of the building and visible from the street.  Dumpsters beside buildings that are visible from the street would have an expanded choice of materials for the enclosures and gates only required if visible from and facing a roadway.  Dumpsters behind buildings adjacent to commercial property and not visible from the street would not require screening.

Proposed changes in the Sign ordinance would allow pole signs not higher than 35 feet or 150 sq ft in area that are 20 feet behind property line and at leading edge of the building, or five feet in front if building is taller than 35 feet.  Plexiglass will become an allowable material for signs.  Businesses would be allowed two neon signs in the front window with one being an "Open" sign and an additional sign but total may not exceed 25 percent of window area.  Banners would be allowed with a special permit two times per year for up to 14 days.  They would need to be ground mounted on poles at least 25 feet from curb.  Contractor registration would only be required when applying for sign permits that involve electrical work or structural work with the signs.  There would be no changes in the sign variance process.  Timeline for future changes include presentation to the Planning and Development Committee of the City Council in September with presentation to Council in October for action. 

The Chambers were proud to assist its members in pursuing these issues that will benefit the business community.   

Teresa Adrian speaks about proposed changes to the sign ordinance

 Many business owners turned out to listen and to provide feedback.

Katie Hays, Executive Director of Congressional and Public Affairs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D,C, was a recent special guest at the monthly Irving Business Network that meets at Aspen Catering, 400 E. Royal, Ste 103 on the first Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m.

Hays is the lead lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber on all issues related to healthcare and health reform.  She discussed key provisions of the new healthcare bill including that a person working 30 hours per week will be considered "full-time" under the bill, and two part-time employees working 15 hours each per week will be considered the equivalent of one full-time employee for healthcare purposes.  She also noted that employers will now have to include on the employee's W-2 the value of their healthcare benefits and that a form 1099 will be required for the purchase of all goods and services exceeding $600 bringing new administrative burdens onto employers as well as the IRS, which plans to add 16,500 new jobs to meet this increased requirement.  Hays requested attendees to contact their congressional representatives to support HR5141 and SB3578 which is intended to remove the form 1099 burden from business. 

She also provided several resources to assist businesses with the implementation of the new healthcare bill including:  the Health Care Toolkit - and the Primer:  Critical Employer Issues in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - .   She also requested companies to post their personal impacts from implementing the bill to the Health Reform Impacts Website - . 

For more information, contact Katie Hays at khays@uschamber.com.

  Katie Hays addresses an attentive audience of Chamber members at the most recent Irving Business Network event.   

We are very often learning new things from our Chamber members, and today we learned the term "Gastroenterology." It is a branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied.  We also learned that never before has Irving had a female gastroenterologist.... But we do now as Dr. Mabel Zevallos has joined the team of doctors at the Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving!  Here's the scoop courtesy of Amanda O'Neal with the Brummitt Group:

The Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving Welcomes the City's First Female Gastroenterologist

The Medical & Surgical Clinic of Irving (M&SCI) today announced that Mabel Zevallos, MD is joining the staff as the first female Gastroenterologist in Irving.  A New York-trained Gastroenterologist, she brings experience in all aspects of general gastroenterology and hepatology and performs several gastroenterological procedures.

Dr. Zevallos finished medical school in the top 10% at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru.  She then completed Internal Medicine residency in the top 5% and was elected Chief Resident at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York, an affiliate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During her chief residency, she enjoyed teaching activities and was an academic role model to the students and junior residents.   Dr. Zevallos was honored to be offered fellowships in multiple specialties at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, but ultimately decided on Gastroenterology because she felt it was the most challenging. 

She's been a Gastroenterology attending physician at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center for the last five years. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is a member of the American Medical Association, American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

"We think there is great demand in Irving for a Spanish speaking, female Gastroenterologist," says Jeffry Duke, CPA and Executive Director of M&SCI. "We are proud that Dr. Zevallos decided to join M&SCI, as we know she had many choices.  She's a huge asset to our practice and the community."

The Chamber recently celebrated the Grand Opening of Aspen Creek, a new restaurant at 4300 Airport Freeway, with a ribbon cutting celebration.  From the restauranteurs behind the Texas Roadhouse chain, Irving is home to their first location in Texas and only their second in the nation. 

Several Chamber members stayed around to eat after the festivities and gave great reviews. The crew of Irving reporters at the Dallas Morning News also gave the place a try.  Read their reviews here!

 The new restaurant on opening day!

An official proclamation was presented by State Rep Harper-Brown's office in recognition of Aspen Creek's Opening

 Chamber representatives and Aspen Creek employees all got in the act in cutting the ribbon.

Kathy Dress, co-founder emeritus of the Annual DFW Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival held each year in Las Colinas, reports a significant achievement for her company, PDI Green Technology and its founder Henry Yiu. Yiu earned the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce's (GDAACC) Entrepreneur of the Year award. Other Irving-related notes from the GDAACC's 2010 Gala include Corporate Diversity Award honors for D/FW International Airport and honors for Neha Kunte of Irving-based MNK Infotech Inc, a full service information technology development firm. Kunte received the Asian Women-Owned Business of the Year Award. Chamber Investor, Atmos Energy, also was recognized with senior analyst, Kevin Yu, earning the GDAACC Chairman's Award. The Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber is a strong partner of the GDAACC.

Henry Yiu accepts the GDAACC Entrepreneur Award with Gov. Perry