Grow business and expand your knowledge through Chamber Academy.
The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is committed to offering education programs focused on professional development, growing business, and improving operations. And we make it possible for your employees to enhance their skills, making them more valuable employees, increasing their productivity and improving overall morale.
Business Growth Series
Hosted by Butler University
Turn contacts into contracts. The Indy Chamber’s highly acclaimed Business Growth Series positions businesses to pursue contracts with large corporations. In fact, 80% of attendees have secured contracts as a result.
BGS is an 11-session educational series for small business executives to learn from industry experts. Experts will share their stories, offer advice and teach best practices in their fields. At the end of the series, participants will be invited to attend a Corporate Procurement Fair. Click here for a list of previous Procurement Fair Corporations.
Participants will be paired with an advisor from the Chamber's Board of Directors during the year following graduation.
Gain first-hand insight from the city's finest leaders and entrepreneurs who have built viable and sustainable businesses, contributing millions to Indianapolis' thriving economic conditions. If you want to learn from the best and brightest, while securing and growing your business, then the Business Growth Series is the program for you!
Attendee Criteria
BGS participants must be in business for a minimum of two years. BGS is open to Sr. Executives only.
Class Schedule & Descriptions
The 2012 class schedule is coming soon!
For more information contact Bradi Ballard at
bballard@indylink.com or 317.464.2232.
Education Plus
About the Program
Through the Indy Chamber’s partnerships with local college and universities, we are able to offer Chamber members continuing education course discounts, customized education opportunities and scholarships for children of Chamber member employees.
These education-based opportunities will help train your employees and provide them with the tools and resources to be productive and effective in the workplace. Scholarships for children will help ensure the success of tomorrow’s workforce.
Participating Colleges and Universities
Ivy Tech Corporate College
Corporate College is pleased to offer Chamber members a 10 percent discount on any open-enrollment professional development course. These courses generally prepare participants for third-party licensing or nationally recognized certifications, or meet continuing education requirements for currently held credentials. In addition to this discount, a free consultation and needs analysis is being offered to all Chamber members. Allow Ivy Tech to discuss with you your current barriers and challenges and build a workforce training plan specifically for your company. Course information and the latest schedule can be found at ivytech.edu/CorporateCollege. Contact the Ivy Tech Corporate College Customer Service Center at 888.999.3639 for more information.
Harrison College
In 2012 Harrison College will award 15 Chamber members with non-recurring $2000 scholarships to continue or pursue an education at Harrison College. The scholarship eligibility requirements are as follows:
• Participants must work for or have a family member who works for an Indy Chamber member company.
• Participants must be interested in attending Harrison College to continue or pursue a college credential.
• Participants must demonstrate that a college credential will provide improved career opportunities.
• Participants must meet Harrison College entrance requirements.
For more information about the application process, please visit www.harrison.edu. All applications are due by March 1.
IUPUI -Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
IUPUI’s Division of Continuing Studies is offering Chamber members a 10 percent discount on most of its noncredit courses. These courses are designed to provide professional development and personal enrichment. Please contact Myron Duff at 317.274.5050 or mcduff@iupui.edu for a course list or for more information about the program.
Western Governor's University
Western Governor’s University (WGU Indiana), our state’s non- profit, online university offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the areas of Business, Education, IT, and Health Professions. The university was created for working adults and is fully accredited, flexible, and affordable. WGU Indiana is offering Chamber members an application fee waiver. Visit www.indiana.wgu.edu for more information. Use code SP7 to get the Chamber discount.
Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series
SKL Class Lists
Emerging community leaders have the opportunity to become more effective in their community leadership through the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
SKL is a program of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce designed to help emerging community leaders become more informed about the issues and needs facing Central Indiana, more motivated to get involved in addressing those issues, more connected and more effective in their service to our community.
SKL participants will:
• Learn about the issues facing our community today, explore them in-depth with current community leaders and discover ways to get involved and help affect change.
• Meet the business and civic leaders who have made our community what it is today—and can help you shape and realize your vision for what we’ll become in the future.
• Glean insight into how to be a difference-maker in our community from the community leaders and decision-makers who act as “faculty” for SKL.
• Develop positive and meaningful relationships with fellow class members and the class moderator.
• Build a network of community contacts that will be helpful in your future community service efforts.
The SKL class year begins in September with an orientation and a two-day, out-of-town opening retreat. From October through May the class meets for monthly, full-day sessions around the greater Indianapolis area, providing class members an in-depth look at the pertinent issues facing our region. Class day topics include education, government, health and human services, the justice system, diversity, quality of life, economic development and more. In June the series concludes with a second out-of-town retreat and graduation ceremony.
Throughout the class year, class members will work on a class project in small groups to gain hands-on community leadership experience.
Offered by the Indy Chamber, SKL is offered at less than half of what other cities charge for similar programs.
SKL Selection Criteria
Applicants should:
• Be between the ages of 25 and 45.
• Have both a demonstrated interest in community issues and a record of leadership and achievement in significant voluntary community activities.
• Occupy a position of leadership reflecting significant achievement relative to age and experience and providing the opportunity to have significant influence on issues facing our community.
• Have lived in the Greater Indianapolis/Central Indiana area for three or more years and have a likelihood of staying in the area for the foreseeable future.
• Be able to commit to the attendance and time requirements.
The SKL Selection Committee selects 25 participants each year, striving to choose a group that reflects the community in terms of gender, racial, cultural and professional diversity.
Applicants must be able to commit to attendance at the orientation, both out-of-town retreats and at least 80% of the monthly class days, as these are mandatory graduation requirements. Time outside of the class days is necessary, including class day preparation, work on the class project and optional social time. Time outside of class can range from five to fifteen hours per month.
Application Process
We accept applications each spring, typically beginning in early March, with a late April deadline. Applications for Class XXXVII will be available beginning in early March, 2012. If you would like to be notified when applications become available, please email Linda Kirby, Program Director, at
lkirby@indylink.com.
Program Fees
The fee for selected applicants to participate in the program is $1200 and may be paid for by an applicant’s employer, sponsor, or by the applicant. Payment is made upon selection into the program.
Three scholarships are available to assist qualified applicants. Scholarships may cover full or partial tuition, depending on the needs of class members each year. Application for scholarships occurs at the time of application to the program.
• The Lacy Leadership Association Memorial Scholarship funds one or more motivated and committed individuals who may not otherwise be able to participate. Special consideration is given to those from non-profit organizations or government entities.
• The Lacy Scholarship funds one or more qualified individuals on a needs basis.
• The Edna B. Lacy Scholarship funds a building-based, professional educator in the Indianapolis Public Schools system.
The Stanley K. Lacy Legacy
A banker and vigorous participant in civic projects, Stanley K. Lacy had established himself as a recognized community leader in Indianapolis by his mid-20s. In 1973, Mr. Lacy’s life was tragically cut short by an automobile accident.
That same year his mother, Mrs. Howard J. Lacy II, established a foundation in his memory. In 1976, she worked with the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to establish the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
Funds from the foundation have since been channeled through the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to underwrite the SKL series. Thanks to the generosity of the Lacy Foundation, SKL’s program fee is less than half of what many other cities charge for similar programs. The Greater Indianapolis Chamber manages and staffs the program.
For more information about SKL, contact Linda Kirby, Program Director, at
lkirby@indylink.com or 317.464.2261.