Well, Weller and Wellness

I’m glad blog headlines are not subject to strict English guidelines. But on to the business of the day.

If you’re in the wellness world (promoting it within your company, offering products or services to others, or simply interested for personal reasons), read on. If you’re not, maybe you should be so read on anyway.

There is a wellness trifecta going on at the Indiana Chamber — and we want you to be able to take advantage of the opportunities.

  • As announced earlier, the Wellness Council of Indiana became part of the Chamber at the beginning of this year. Chuck Gillespie (cgillespie@indianachamber.com) is the executive director and he’s working with many of the longtime volunteer board members to expand wellness programming, benefits and certifications throughout the state. Chuck can fill you in on the details.
  • The Chamber’s BizVoice magazine has been publishing wellness columns and roundtable discussions for more than five years. The upcoming July-August issue will be largely dedicated to wellness stories, programs and initiatives from throughout the state. You won’t want to miss it; and if you’re one of those in the wellness business, it’s a great way to advertise your wares. Jim Wagner (jwagner@indianachamber.com) will help you take care of that.
  • Finally, the Chamber is partnering once again to produce the 2011 Employee Health and Wellness Summit. It’s September 27 at the new JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. Agenda details are still to come; sponsorhip opportunities are another great way to get the word out. Jim Wagner will help you in that area also.

As Gillespie often writes, says, who knows maybe sings at times: "It’s good to be well!"

BizVoice Stands Tall in Ever-Shrinking Media Pool

The master of this space, colleague Matt Ottinger, shared a post a few months ago about the future of the newspaper industry. Since then, more bankruptcies and closings have been making headlines. As someone who spent nearly 20 years (seriously, I started when I was in high school) at various newspaper publications, it’s a sad thing to see.

In a related development, Indiana Business Magazine announced its shutdown last week after 52 years in the business. That also is not a good development. It reduces the number of voices — the business stories being told and the information and analysis made available.

Our Indiana Chamber BizVoice publication is now the ONLY general business magazine in the state. Not that we didn’t already do so, but we will take that responsibility seriously. Just a few facts:

  • BizVoice has earned nearly 50 national and state awards over the past 10 years
  • Our audience of 15,000 (and more for event distribution to both Best Places to Work and Chamber Annual Awards Dinner audiences) includes top Indiana business, political and community leaders
  • We’re blessed with a staff that excels at telling those stories and creating an important and effective publication — both in print and online
  • Jim Wagner, our Chamber business development coordinator, boasts more than 25 years of experience in working with Indiana companies and organizations. He knows what works for those looking to get the word out about their products and services

We’re hard at work on the next issue, honoring 70 Best Places to Work companies, featuring a special health care section and a Community Focus on Terre Haute. Learn more online.