At this Business Afterhours Networking Event - hosted by The Parks Chamber and sponsored by the City of Loves Park - attendees will enjoy complimentary food, two drink tickets, and opportunities to win raffle prizes.

Celebrity Guest Bartenders - with proceeds benefiting GiGi’s Playhouse - will include:

• Geno Iafrate from Hard Rock Casino Rockford

• ​Mayor Greg Jury from the City of Loves Park

• Darrell Snorek from LaMonica Beverages

GiGi’s Playhouse will also be onsite to support their mission of inspiring and empowering individuals with Down Syndrome to succeed in life.

Tickets for the event are $25 for Members and $30 for Non-Members, and advance registration is required online HERE or call 815.633.3999.

Members of The Parks Chamber are invited to attend a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Tommy's Express Car Wash – located at 6803 Forest Hills Road in Loves Park – on Friday, February 24 at 9:00 AM. Private tours and exclusive media interviews with franchise owners will also be available between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, immediately prior to the ceremony.

Participants in the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will include:

• Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise Co-Owners Keith Zimmerman and Rich Divelbiss
• Tommy's Express Car Wash General Manager & Site Leader Tyler Lucas
• City of Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury
• Village of Machesney Park Mayor Steve Johnson
• The Parks Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Mike Broski 
• Young at Heart Queen and Princesses
• Aldermen, Trustees, and senior staff from the City of Loves Park and Village of Machesney Park
• Board Members from The Parks Chamber of Commerce

During the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on February 24 at 9:00 AM, franchise owners will announce that they will provide FREE "The WORKS" car washes to all visitors at the new Loves Park location throughout the weekend, starting on Friday, February 24 and ending on Sunday, February 26. They will also share details on how guests can receive a free month of unlimited washing when they download the TommyClub app and sign up for the Unlimited Club. 
 

Participants review methodology and lessons learned from previous shifts, deciding what and how to implement while working with realistic constraints such as available resources, cash flow, and resistance to change.
 

BENEFIT FROM HANDS-ON FACTORY SIMULATION

Following the Lean Manufacturing Overview and Simulation, participants will have learned several new techniques to aid you in the Lean transformation on-site. You’ll be able to:

• Differentiate between a “push” and a “pull” system
• Identify the eight (8) wastes that must be eliminated to make the manufacturing processes Lean
• Explain how those wastes reduce company profits
• Understand the functions of a Kanban system
• Make more effective use of the employee’s time following waste elimination

AGENDA

• 8:00 AM -Traditional Manufacturing & 8 Wastes
• 9:00AM – Round 1 – Traditional Manufacturing Simulation Workplace Organization (5S)
• 10:00AM – 5S System, Visual Controls, Standardized Work, Plant Layout, Point of Use Storage, Batch Size Reduction, Quick Changeover
• 11:30AM – Round 2 – Applying Basic Lean Tools
• 12:00PM – Break – Lunch
• 12:30PM – Teams, Quality at the Source, Cellular Manufacturing, Pull Systems, Total Productive Maintenance
• 2:00PM – Round 3 – Applying Intermediate Lean Tools
• 3:00PM – Wrap-up