Dates for the 2019 See Yourself in Ames summer intern event series have been announced. This series of events is part of the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission’s Workforce Solutions program. 
​
This series of events are open to interns, recent college graduates and young professionals who are in the Story County area this summer. The goal of this series is to help connect young adults in the business community while providing opportunities for them to get involved in Ames beyond their internship or classroom.

The first event, Enjoy Ames, will be held on Thursday, May 30 from 5-7pm at Reiman Gardens. Interns are invited to attend the first-ever FUEL Fest (an event hosted by FUEL of Story County, an affiliate organization of the Ames Chamber of Commerce) for a night of live music, food, drink carts and free admission to the gardens. This event will also feature a panel of current FUEL Story County members.

The second event, Raise Ames, will be held on Tuesday, June 18 from 5:00-7:30pm at the Sukup Basketball Complex. During this event, interns will hear from ISU Athletics Director Jamie Pollard about overcoming adversity and facing challenges head-on.

The third event, Lead Ames, will be held on Tuesday, July 16 from 11:30am-1:00pm at Prairie Moon Winery. This event will encourage attendees to bring their whole selves to work and encourage others to do the same. 
The final event of the series, Grow Ames, will be held Wednesday, July 31 from 11:30am-1:00pm at Campus Cycle. Interns will hear from local business owners on the importance of civic responsibility and how volunteering is vital to the health and growth of the community. 

Events are free to attend by registration is required. For more information or to register, call (515) 232-2310 or visit www.AmesChamber.com.

The Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market (AMSFM) kicks off its ninth season on Saturday, May 4. The 2019 market season will run every Saturday through October 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in historic downtown Ames. In October market hours will change to 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
​
The Market will be held in the 300 and 400 blocks of Main Street and offer fresh local produce, baked goods, wine, cheese, meats, eggs, jams, cut flowers, handcrafted art work, delicious prepared food and so much more. The Market will also feature live music, local entertainment, free children’s activities and other special events during the season.

“We’re excited for our ninth season on Main Street,” said Market Manager Lojean Petersen. “We are expanding again with 15 new fulltime and occasional vendors joining the market this year. With special events planned each week, a variety of live music and children’s activities, there will be something new and exciting every Saturday.”

The opening weekend will bring its Fourth Annual Food Truck Showdown. The Food Truck Showdown will have a variety of Ames and Central Iowa food trucks competing for the best overall food truck, voted on by the Ames community during the Market from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Additionally, Joyful Colorz will provide free face painting sponsored by Stoltze & Stoltze Family Dentistry, and Cy will make an appearance between 10am-Noon. Deery of Ames will be also be onsite to hand out specially-designed AMSFM canvas bags to the first 300 visitors to the Market. It is going to be a great opening day!

Special Events for May:

• May 4 – Food Truck Showdown, Free Face Painting by Joyful Colorz, appearance by Cy from 10am-Noon, and 300 free market bags will be given away to attendees
• May 11 – Free Meyer’s Pony Rides
• May 25 – Free Hovick Petting Zoo

For more event information and to keep up-to-date on weekly vendors, kid’s activities and special events at the Market, please bookmark www.amesmainstreetfarmersmarket.com and become a fan on Facebook (Ames Main Street Farmers Market), Instagram (Ames Farmers Market), or follow on Twitter (Ames Farmers Mkt).

The Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market is led by the Ames Chamber of Commerce and is supported by the Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program.

Ames, IA – Aspiring and experienced leaders can access the knowledge and experience of local and world-renowned leaders by attending Leadercast® Ames on May 17, 2019. This event is part of the Ames Chamber of Commerce 2019 CHARGE Leadership Series.

Leadercast® is annual leadership event that is filmed live from Duluth, GA then rebroadcast to hundreds of sites around the world, including Ames. The event features a range of world-renowned speakers, authors, entrepreneurs and more.

The 2019 Leadercast® Ames event will be SUPERCHARGED, as it will also feature three local speakers highlighting their experiences with leadership and facilitating change in the community. The Ames Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome the following local speakers to share their inspirational stories:
​

• Andrew Allen – President & CEO, YSS
• Linda Carr – Health and Wellness Advisor and Professional Encourager
• Danielle Minde – Realtor, iHome Reality and 2018 Ames Chamber Ambassador of the Year

This year’s event will inspire attendees to lead healthy teams, focusing on effective collaboration, fulfilled employees, high organizational engagement and greater long-term success. Featured on this year’s Leadercast® broadcast will be:
​

• Gayle King – Co-host, CBS This Morning and Editor-at-Large, O, The Oprah Magazine
• Patrick Lencioni – Best-Selling Author and Founder, The Table Group
• Dr. Caroline Leaf – Communication Pathologist and Cognitive Neuroscientist
• Marcus Samuelsson – Award-Winning Chef, Restauranteur, Author and TV Personality
• Juliet Funt – CEO, WhiteSpace at Work
• Andy Stanley – Leadership Communicator, Author and Pastor
• Ginger Hardage – Founder, Unstoppable Cultures
• Craig Springer – Executive Director, Alpha USA
• Carla Harris – Vice Chairman, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Leadercast® Ames SUPER CHARGED will be held on May 17 from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center in Ames. Registration is $95 for Ames Chamber members ($105 for the public) and includes lunch, a souvenir gift and refreshments throughout the day. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (515) 232-2310 or visit www.AmesChamber.com

The Ames Seed Capital will be hosting their annual event on April 23, 2019 at the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center in Ames. Registration is still open to attend the Entrepreneur Showcase and the Startup Ames Pitch Competition.
​
The Entrepreneur Showcase will take place from 9:00-11:00a.m, with nine entrepreneurs presenting their businesses for investment. Companies presenting include: Voxello, Pitchly, Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc., SwineTech, Inc., Whirrx, ClearFlame Engines, VetMeasure, Inc., SydnerBio, Inc., and Etalyc.

The Ames Seed Capital Luncheon and Annual Meeting will be held 11:00a.m.-1:00p.m. to celebrate key accomplishments from the past year. This year’s luncheon features keynote remarks from Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook and University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld. The luncheon will host 400+ attendees from across the State of Iowa. There is currently a wait list to attend the luncheon.

Following the Luncheon, a Pitch Competition hosted by Startup Ames will be held with eleven start-up companies presenting their business ideas to a panel of judges. A total of $4,000 will be awarded to top presenters in the Startup Ames Pitch Competition. Companies presenting include:  My Nest Egg Invest, Cardio Diagnostics, Lunchsox, True 360, Xilution, Inc., Stratafolio, NX Gen Care, Aloha Corporation, Insulights, Nova Home Control Technologies, and Ramdo Solutions, LLC.

The companies presenting span a wide range of industries including: Agriculture, Cancer Therapeutics, Electronics, Engineering, Health and Beauty, Medical Devices, Land Surveying, Software, and Transportation.

Please join us to support local entrepreneurs as they present their business ideas at the Entrepreneur Showcase and Startup Ames Pitch Competition. Registration for both events is free. To register or for more information, call 515-232-2310 or visit https://www.ameschamber.com/events/ and go to “Chamber Events”.

Ames Seed Capital is a for profit investment group that is affiliated with the Ames Economic Development Commission.