Northwestern Suburbs Networking and Events

Metro Business Friends Networking Group
Upper level conference room at Price Chopper
5440 N.W. 86th St., Johnston
Meets Thursdays from 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Learn more at www.metrobusinessfriends.net.

Rotary Club of West Polk County
Toyota of Des Moines, 1650 S.E. 37th St., Grimes
Meets Mondays at noon
Learn more at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/8304/.

Rotary Club of Johnston
Hyperion Field Club, 7930 N.W. Beaver Drive, Johnston
Meets Tuesdays at 7 a.m.
Learn more at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/1649/.

Rotary Club of Northwest Des Moines
Urbandale Golf & Country Club, 4000 86th St., Urbandale
Meets Fridays at 11:45 a.m.
Learn more at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/1664.

Grimes Chamber and Economic Development
Holiday Celebration
Grimes Community Complex, 410 S.E. Main St., Grimes
Dec. 3, 4-6 p.m.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are coming to Grimes. Bring the kids to see Santa and enjoy activities including face painting, balloon artistry, crafts, cookies and hot chocolate. This annual event is fun for the whole family. Learn more at www.grimesiowa.com.

Grimes Chamber and Economic Development
Kum and Go Ribbon Cutting
Kum and Go, 801 E. First St., Grimes
Dec. 6, noon – 12:30 p.m.
Join in to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of the new and improved Kum and Go. This will be one of the largest stores they have. Learn more at www.grimesiowa.com.

Grimes Chamber & Economic Development
Lunch & Learn
Dallas Center-Grimes High School, 2555 W. First St., Grimes
Dec. 13, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Join in on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the Annual Holiday Lunch and Learn. This annual event is a welcome respite in our busy holiday schedules. Please join in celebrating the holiday season. Learn more at www.grimesiowa.com.

Grimes Chamber and Economic Development
YP Ugly Sweater Social
Location TBD
Dec. 21, 5-6 p.m.
Join in for a Holiday Celebration. Wear your ugliest holiday garb and hang out with some other young professionals from the area. Learn more at www.grimesiowa.com.

Johnston Chamber of Commerce
Breakfast Before Business with Stoney Creek
Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center,5291 Stoney Creek Court, Johnston
Dec. 12, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Register online and learn more at https://johnstonchamber.com.

Johnston Chamber of Commerce
Holiday Party
Johnston Chamber of Commerce, 8711 Windsor Parkway, Suite 2, Johnston
Dec. 13, 4-6 p.m.
Join in for hors d’oeuvres and wine to celebrate allthat was 2017. Register online and learn more at https://johnstonchamber.com.

Johnston Chamber of Commerce
Monthly Membership Luncheon
Johnston Public Library, 6700 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
Dec. 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$20
Register online at https://johnstonchamber.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
Sample Urbandale, A Celebration of Business
Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites DM Northwest, 4800 Merle Hay Road, Urbandale
Nov. 16, 5-8 p.m.
$35
Get ready for one extravagant evening. Join in for wine and food sampling, a silent auction, live music from Jason Walsmith of The Nadas and the awards program. They will be honoring their 2017 Citizen of the Year and revealing the 2017 Business and
Connector of the Year.
They will feature their third annual “Best in Class” segment at the awards ceremony, presented by Golden Openings. This segment has 24 categories with several nominees per category (chosen by our membership) and will unveil all the winners on this night. This jam-packed evening is one of a kind. They will also offer mobile phone bidding again. No more hovering over sheets of papers, wondering if you got out bid or not. Now, you will receive a fancy alert on your smart phone every time you are outbid, and with one click, you bid on an item. Before the event (whether you can attend or not), be sure to download the app HANDBID on your smart phone to bid. Learn more at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
Beyond Daily Tasks and Routines in QuickBooks Desktop
New Horizons Computer Learning Center, 6200 Aurora Ave., Suite 207E, Urbandale
Nov. 21, 8-10 a.m.
$29
The Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, ATW Training Solutions & New Horizons Computer Learning Center are proud to offer a QuickBooks tips and tricks training session.
In this session, you will step away from the daily tasks and visit ways you can customize QuickBooks Desktop for your use, including the layout, forms and QuickBooks features. They will also explore improving the performance of QuickBooks data files. Lastly, they will review timesavers such as keyboard shortcuts, memorized reports andtransactions. Register online and learn more at
http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
AM Exchange, Presented by Susan Bonnicksen/Superior Printing and Promotions
Granite City Food and Brewery, 1208 University Ave., Clive
Nov. 28, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
People do business with those they know, like and trust. What better place to start building relationships than our AM Exchanges? Urbandale Chamber of Commerce AM Exchange allows members a strategic networking opportunity to gather and do business in the morning. Attendees will be divided into groups of five and will answer two rounds of questions within their groups. The third and final round, groups will share their answer to all attendees. This strategic networking event allows members to get to know each other and start developing relationships. Cost is included in your membership, but RSVPs are requested to accommodate for food and
beverages. Register online and learn more at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
BONUS Hot Topic Session: Difficult or Just Different? Dealing with difficult people and situations in the workplace
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce RODAN Board Room, 2830 100th St., Suite 110, Urbandale
Nov. 29, 3-4:30 p.m.
$29
Facilitated by Dee Oviatt, ATW Training and Consulting. Dealing with difficult people and situations in the workplace can be very challenging. Many either avoid difficult conversations altogether or do not handle such conversations effectively. But what if our perspective of others contributes to what makes conversations so challenging? Are others difficult or just different?
It is more effective to think of problems as difficult and people as different. Recognizing differences in styles and expectations is an important interpersonal and leadership skill. We deal with people differences when we align to work together on issues rather than label others as “difficult” and work at cross-purposes. When we prepare for challenging conversations and follow a threestep
conversation model — initiate a conversation, explore issues and focus on the future — we are more effective in dealing with difficulties in working together.
This session is a repeat session that was originallyoffered at the Central Iowa Business Conference. Free for attendees of the Central Iowa Business Conference (apply discount code when registering) and $29 per person for non-conference attendees.
Seating is limited. Register online and learn more at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
First Friday Pop-ins
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, 2830 100th St., Suite 110, Urbandale
Dec. 1, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Each month the Urbandale Chamber Connectors “Pop-in” to member investor businesses and thank them for their membership and learn about the latest news and trends in each member business. Pop-ins begin at 9 a.m. and depart in a caravan fashion from the Chamber office and end at 1 p.m. We ask that you arrive between 8:45-8:55 a.m. to add your business cards into each envelope that we hand businesses when we visit.
There are approximately four member business visits per hour, all geographically located close to one another. End the day with a group lunch from noon to 1 p.m. at a member restaurant business, paying individually. Connectors should register to attend these visits online and indicate the timeframe they will be available and if they’ll be able to attend lunch in the comments box of the registration form. Register online and learn more at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
genYP Winning at the Game of Life #adulting series
Kaplan University, 4655 N.W. 121th St., Urbandale
Dec. 5, 4-5:30 p.m.
$15
House. Retirement. Career. Finance. Balance. Optimal Health. It’s all part of this thing we call adulting. But what is the best way to do it? And is there only one way to do it? This series will host expert speakers on all of these topics and include workshop exercises to make sure you leave with a goal and a path to success. Register online and learnmore at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
BONUS Hot Topic Session: Fuel Employees for Top Performance
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce RODANBoard Room, 2830 100th St., Suite 110, Urbandale
Dec. 6, 3-4:30 p.m.
$29
Facilitated by Jason Kiesau, leadership and talent development manager, Aureon HR. People are like high performing vehicles. The wrong fuel will lead to poor performance and breakdowns. The right fuel will efficiently produce top performers. Forty years of research suggest that our observable behavior can be described in one of four ways that when understood give leaders the insight to fuel their people properly, leading to fewer breakdowns and more top performance.
Key takeaways:
• Understand your individual social style
• Identify how to best fuel other team members for improved productivity
• Improve relationship-building skills
This session is a repeat session that was originally offered at the Central Iowa Business Conference. Free for attendees of the Central Iowa Business Conference (apply discount code when registering) and $29 per person for non-conference attendees.
Seating is limited. Register online and learn more at http://uniquelyurbandale.com.

Urbandale Chamber of Commerce
Connector Meeting
Location TBD
Dec. 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Connectors promote and support the role of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce as the welcoming arm of the Chamber. It is a privilege to be a part of this group and it shall be limited in number not to exceed 10 percent of the membership. If you are interested in becoming a Chamber Connector, please contact our chair Monica Hoover (mhoover@shelterinsurance.com). Learn more at http://
uniquelyurbandale.com. ♦