Koeppen Elected Chamber President

Pioneer Press Newspaper

Greg Koeppen has been elected president of the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Koeppen, manager of the Lake County Farm Bureau and owner of Medleys In Motion Mobile DJ Service of Grayslake, "We have a great base of businesses here in Grayslake. Everyone is willing to put in the time and effort."

Koeppen, formerly vice president of the chamber, was elected to the board of directors in 2002. He has been chairman of the Summer Days Festival for the past three years and served on numerous other committees before becoming president.

Koeppen said the chamber accomplishes a lot through its volunteer efforts.

"We're all looking to make Grayslake a good place to do business in," Koeppen said. "I think there's some great opportunities with development planned at the Lake County fairgrounds and Central Range."

Koeppen said he aims to attract new members in the Chamber while finding new programs that will benefit current and future members. During his installation speech, Koeppen announced the formation of a Legislative Affairs Committee.

"There is a need to be involved at the local, state and national levels when it comes to issues that affect business owners both large and small. It's important that we keep an eye on our representatives so that they help protect our local business and our economy here in Grayslake."

The Grayslake Chamber of Commerce has approximately 250 members and continues to grow throughout the year.

"We truly have a cohesive board that works together, and a diverse organization with a mix of business owners both big and small," Koeppen said.

Koeppen will serve a one year term, following former president Roger Lutz. Koeppen praised Lutz for his service, and said he looks forward to working with Karen Christian-Smith, executive director of the chamber, and the other members.

"Greg has some great ideas," said Christian-Smith. "It's really going to be a fun year. I'm sad to Roger go, but I'm excited about the new year."