Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Baker has accepted the position of president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce in Michigan. Baker will begin his new duties in April. Grand Rapids is located in western Michigan, and is part of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area, pop. 776,000.

Baker's experience in the chamber of commerce field spans more than 23 years, including 17 years in the Quad Cities. He served 16 years as president and CEO of the Illinois Quad City Chamber before taking on the role of president and chief operating officer of the recently-formed Quad Cities Chamber last fall. Prior to arriving in the Quad Cities, Baker was president of the Newton, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce. He began his chamber career in Rochester, Minn., in 1987.

"The merger of the Illinois Quad City and Iowa Quad Cities Chambers amplified the visibility of our region on a national stage and increased the professional marketability of chamber staff. This new opportunity in Grand Rapids came about because of the visibility related to the merger," said Baker. "The offer from Grand Rapids was simply one that I could not turn down. Still, I will leave the Quad Cities with many fond memories and immense gratitude for those whom I've worked closely with over the years."

Tara Barney, Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce CEO, commended Baker. "I wish Rick well in his new community. He is a consummate professional and a great leader. His many years of experience helped pave the way for the chamber's transition to the current regional model; the merger simply could not have happened without Rick's support and guidance. That another chamber came knocking at his door does not surprise me. He is highly respected within our field," she said.

Baker added that he has "every confidence in the new regional model for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce."

The Grand Rapids Area Chamber has approximately 2,800 members. "We look forward to bringing on a leader who will hit the ground running, building on the base of success we have established at the Grand Rapids Chamber," said Meg Goebel, president, Paul Goebel Group and chairperson of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

SPRINGFIELD - February 28, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today sent a formal request to President Barack Obama asking that 60 counties be declared federal disaster areas, in order to help local governments recover from the major blizzard and winter storm that impacted much of Illinois in early February. State and local government expenses related to storm response and recovery are estimated to be more than $64 million.

"Record snowfall and dangerous ice from this major winter storm created significant challenges for local governments earlier this month", said Governor Quinn. "While the snow is mostly gone, the serious financial impacts of the storm remain. Today I am asking President Obama to help these communities recover many of their expenses by approving this request."

In the letter to President Obama, Governor Quinn requested that 60 counties receive federal reimbursement for extraordinary storm-related expenses, including emergency protective measures, debris removal and permanent repair of damages to government-owned facilities and electrical cooperatives. If approved, local government entities could receive reimbursement for 75 percent of their eligible storm-related expenses.

IEPA Director Doug Scott to Lead Commerce Commission, Manny Flores to Lead IDFPR Division of Banking

CHICAGO - February 28, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced several top appointments to his executive cabinet. Today's actions are the next step in a series of appointments Governor Quinn will continue making throughout the first quarter of 2011 as he continues to fulfill his commitment to creating jobs, recovering our economy and making state government more efficient and accountable to the people of Illinois.

Today Governor Quinn named Doug Scott as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Manuel "Manny" Flores as director of the Division of Banking of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Scott has served as director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) since 2005 and Flores has chaired the ICC since January 2010. Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state's chief operating officer and Lisa Bonnett as interim director of IEPA.

"Throughout their careers, Doug Scott and Manny Flores have proven themselves to be strong advocates for the interests of Illinois' working families," said Governor Quinn. "Today's appointments will allow them to keep fighting for Illinois' consumers by ensuring proper oversight and regulation of utility companies and banks throughout our state."

As director of the IEPA, Scott has protected Illinois' consumers by working to significantly reduce emissions from the state's power plants. He has also worked to support low-emission coal technology, wind power, and other alternative energy and fuel sources. Prior to leading the IEPA, Scott served as mayor of Rockford, and from 1995 to 2001 he served as state representative from Illinois' 67th District. Scott has a bachelor of arts from the University of Tulsa and a juris doctorate from Marquette University.

As chairman of the ICC, Flores worked to ensure consumers received efficient, reliable, safe and fairly-priced utility services. Before leading the ICC, Flores served on the Chicago City Council and as a prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Dominican University and juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School.

Lisa Bonnett will serve as the interim director of the IEPA. Bonnett is currently serving as the agency's acting deputy director and previously served at its chief fiscal officer. Bonnett has worked in state government for more than 30 years and lives in Springfield. She has a bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Today Governor Quinn also named Andrew Ross as the state's chief operating officer. Ross, who for the last two years has served as a deputy chief of staff in the governor's office, will lead efforts to promote continued job growth in Illinois. He will manage efforts in the governor's office and across state government to keep and attract new companies, encourage expansion of the green economy, and spur entrepreneurship and innovation across Illinois. In his previous position, Ross worked on an incentive package to keep Navistar and 3,000 jobs in Illinois, aided implementation of the state's $31 billion capital program and helped overhaul the regulation of the Illinois cemetery industry following the tragedy at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.

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On Friday, February 18th, students from Orion High School and United Township participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional contest at Quad City Arts. The event was exciting and enriching and all in attendance were edified and entertained by the student recitations.

We are happy to announce the winners of the contest: 1st place was Nathan Walter from Orion HS. Nathan recited "Memory As A Hearing Aid" by Tony Hoagland and "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe. Runner-up was Amanda Wales from United Township HS. Amanda recited "Fairy-Tale Logic" by A. E. Stallings and "When You Are Old" by W. B. Yeats.  Lisa Amlong from Orion placed third and thus qualified as an alternate and will also attend the State Contest. Lisa recited "A dream Within A Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Fairy-Tale Logic" by A. E. Stallings.

The winners of this competition will now advance to Illinois' State Poetry Out Loud Competition, being held Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield. The State champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 28-29, 2011 in Washington, DC, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed with the grand prize being $20,000.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is honored to provide travel support for regional and state finals of Poetry Out Loud in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information, call Poetry Out Loud Regional Coordinator, Tracy White at 563-579-7630