The Village Chandler Guild First Continental Congress
Event Agenda and Delegate Participation Guide

[ First Continental Congress Overview ] [ Friday Night, August 22 ] [ Saturday, August 23 ] [ Sunday, August 24 ]
Related pages:  [ Congress Announcement and Member Comments/Questions ] [ Delegate Registration Information ] [ VCG Congress At A Glance ]

Matyk's Dry Goods store, Home of Village Chandler and Soyawax...

Historic Matyk's Dry Goods Store at 1029 Third Street SE, Cedar Rapids - Home of Mike and Lynette Richards and their home-based businesses, The Village Chandler and Soyawax... and home base for the Village Chandler Guild First Continental Congress to be held in the Bohemian Commercial District of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. BTW, check out the uncanny similarities between our Congress' home base and the historic Carpenter's Hall of the First Continental Congress of the U.S. pictured in the sidebar at right! Click for a larger view.

First Continental Congress Overview

Two full days of learning, sharing, getting to know each other, a bit of friendly and inspirational competition, and getting organized will highlight the Village Chandler Guild's first annual business meeting. Consistent with our historical First Continental Congress theme, this revolutionary gathering will emphasize the self-organizing and community-building activity needed as we collectively begin to shape our collaborative business network.

Among the important network organizing activities, we'll be electing representatives to the Table of Twelve and forming at least six Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that will start the important work that will be the focus of our first Formative Year as members help to shape the Village Chandler Guild. In addition, we'll have candlemaking and business best practice sessions, a 'Guildmembers-only' Trade Show, the Soy Joy Banquet, and a multi-category Best in (Trade) Show Contest... Oh, and let's not forget the tradition-initiating Pouring of the Giant Candle experience we'll all share.

This document is intended as a detailed event agenda and guide to participation for delegates to this first organizing business meeting of the Village Chandler Guild. The VCG Congress At A Glance document is a 'just the facts' run-down of the agenda session titles and their time slots. Also slated for availability by the end of June is a secure on-line conference registration system that will allow you to register for the conference using your browser and your credit card.

Friday Night, August 22 (Optional for early arrivals)

  • Early-bird Delegate Registration
  • Evening Social Networking - BYO_ music, fun, open discussion time
The Arts Legion historic Czeck Meeting Hall

Full-delegation sessions will be held at the Legion Arts' historic Czech Slovak Meeting Hall. Comprising some 24,000 square feet on the upper two stories, the meeting hall features two large galleries, a 150-seat theatre, meeting rooms and studio space. This wonderful facility at 1103 Third Street SE, Cedar Rapids, is across the street from Soyawax's Village Chandler location.

If you arrive in Cedar Rapids on Friday, drop by the Village Chandler (Soyawax) 'headquarters' in the historic Czech and Slovak neighborhood known as the Bohemian Commercial District. Come to Anton Matyk's Dry Goods Store, built in 1893, at 1029 3rd Street SE to join Mike and Lynette Richards for an informal pre-Congress party. Mike and Lynette live upstairs of the dry goods store that is now home to the Village Chandler and Soyawax.

The renowned urban planner and sociologist Jane Jacobs says, "New ideas need old buildings." We'll have plenty of new ideas circulating at the Village Chandler Guild's First Continental Congress. So it is most appropriate that our Congress will be taking place in a number of the old buildings of the Bohemian Commercial District that is fast becoming a happening community of Cedar Rapids' artists, entertainers, eclectic characters, and social activists.

All Congress activities are currently scheduled to take place in the Legion Arts' Czech Slovak Meeting Hall and in the main floor of Mike and Lynette Richards' historic Matyk's Dry Goods Store. As needed, we may press space into use in the Village Chandler factory floor (where many of us took our initial chandler training) adjacent to the original store building. We are also working on bringing some of the nearby artist studios and gallery spaces into play, most likely for social networking events.

Friday night will be a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the lively Bohemian Commercial District neighborhood. You'll have a chance to register for the conference (and avoid the Saturday morning 'crush'). And best of all, you'll have a relaxing and enjoyable time meeting and getting to know other Village Chandler Guild members in advance of the formal opening of the Congress.

Saturday, August 23

8:00-9:00 AM
Delegate Registration, Pre-meeting Networking and Set-up

During this time, delegates will have a chance to set up their displays for the Guildmembers-only Trade Show and to enter their creations in the friendly competition of the Best in (Trade) Show Contest.

9:00-9:30 AM
Opening and Welcome

Mike Richards, Village Chandler Founder and inventor of soybean candle wax, will convene the Congress, recognize and introduce the Congress Core Planning Team and members of the Soyawax Regional Warehouse Partners, make some short opening remarks, and then introduce our VIP guest 'welcomers'.

9:30-10:30 AM
Pouring of the Giant Community Candle

Every Delegate at the First Continental Congress will pour a few ounces into a 35-pound Giant Community Candle.

World's Largest Bull at Audubon, Iowa - photo courtesy of RoadsideAmerica.com

Once Guildmembers have poured the Giant Community Candle, the world's largest bull near Audubon won't be the only extraordinarily oversized thing you'll find in Iowa!

The making of a Giant Community Candle will be a tradition at each Village Chandler Guild Annual Business Meeting. Delegates at this First Continental Congress will have the unique opportunity to begin a personal tradition of knowing you have poured wax into each and every Giant Community Candle as the collection grows.

Delegates will announce themselves, their business, geographic affiliation, etc. in the boisterous tradition of the political convention whereupon they will pour a small amount of soy wax into the first of the Guild's Giant Community Candles.

Each delegate (or delegate group) will have his, her or their photo taken pouring into the Giant Community Candle. If possible, the mini-pitcher used to do the delegate pour will be engraved (or painted) with the event name and date to be taken home as a keepsake. (Together with the photo, we'll supply a press release template for Guild members to use for local press coverage when they return from the Congress.)

10:30-10:45 AM
Morning Break

Coffee, teas, soda and water will be available. BYOS (Bring your own snack if you'll need a mid-morning pick-up.) Sorry no Internet connections will be available nor pay telephones. So bring your cell phone if you need to keep in touch... but please remember to turn them back off or on vibrate-only ring when the Congress sessions reconvene.

10:45 - 11:30 AM
Call for Nominations for the Table of Twelve

Mike Richards explains what the Table of Twelve is, and how it will work.

Self nomination to available seats at the Table is encouraged. If you know an inspirational member already, or if you have been impressed by a member's constructive contributions on the Chandler Guild web site, don't hesitate to step up and nominate him or her to the Table. Members will have the option to accept or decline nomination.

Nominees will be given an identifying ribbon to be attached to their name tags so folks can get to know them before the election on Sunday.

Sohodojo Jim briefly explains the Internet-based, browser-based platform that the Table of Twelve members will use to conduct work on behalf of the Guild. Answers/questions.

11:30 - Noon
Delegate Soapbox and Open Q&A

Delegates with thoughts they want to share will have an open mike to address the Congress. We'll also handle any agenda-related or other questions folks may have.

Noon-2:00 PM
Informal Lunch and Guildmembers-only Trade Show

First Annual Village Chandler Guild Trade Show opens during this session. All Chandlers will have table space to set up representative candles from their product line. These candle displays will be on view during the entire event until we announce category winners.

These candle displays will be natural focal points for informal discussion groups to gather to discuss the candle trade during the lunch break.

2:00-2:30 PM
Mike Richards Keynote - Past, Present and Future of the Soy Wax Candle Industry

In his keynote, Mike will reprise the interesting and sometimes tumultuous history of his invention of soybean candle wax, reconnize the present state the soy wax candle industry, and reflect of where he hopes the future will be for our collaborative business network. Mike will specifically address the evolution of the Soyawax Regional Warehouse Partners, most being both supply warehouse partners as well as Village Chandlers.

Following his keynote, MIke will congratulate and recognize all delegates present as The Founders' Forum of the Village Chandler Guild. Only the first 100 Village Chandlers will be recognized as permanent members of this forum as the Village Chandler Guild microenterprise network grows. The Village Chandler businesses represented by this initial founding group will have status as the permanent "electoral college" of the Guild. Members of this group only will have the right to nominate candidates for available seats at the governing Table of Twelve. All future Guildmembers will have the right to vote in the general elections conducted at the Guild's annual business meetings.

2:30-3:00 PM
Sohodojo Jim Salmons and Timlynn Babitsky Keynote - We Have A Dream - Envisioning The Village Chandler Guild as a Microenterprise Network

Have you seen the videotape compilation of television coverage about Mike and Lynette Richards' inspirational entrepreneurial social action as founders of Candleworks? Their understanding that private business can be a platform for social change was reflected in the wonderfully successful homeless and welfare-to-work employment initiatives at Candleworks.

Where, you might be thinking, will that spirit find expression in the Richards' new business venture, The Village Chandler Guild? That persistent desire, to fuse entrepreneurial private business with effective social action led Mike to seek out a collaboration with Jim Salmons and Timlynn Babitsky, founders and research directors of Sohodojo, a 501(C)(3) independent R&D lab supporting solo and family-based entrepreneurs in rural and distressed urban communities.

Mike and Lynette share a vision with Sohodojo Jim and Timlynn to realize The Village Chandler Guild as a unique business that is much more than simply a convenient buyers' co-op and community of shared interest. We want to realize the Guild as an innovative microenterprise network that will be both a sustainable, independent small business opportunity for its participants, as well as a significant competitive force in the candle industry – a competitive force that will help reshape our industry.

The purpose of this keynote is to share this dream with you, the innovators and risk-takers who are the Founders' Forum of the Village Chandler Guild. It will take the collective skills, experience and spirit of the individual members to make The Village Chandler Guild all that it can and will be. We need you to understand and share our passion for this mission: To change the World, step by step, one industry at a time. Together we can make a difference.

  • What are ME-Nets (microenterprise networks)?
  • Selling Different: Story-driven, Game-oriented Markets
  • Levels of Participation
  • Does Size Matter?
  • Reconciling Personal Wealth and Commonwealth
  • 21st Century Guilds
  • How Can the Village Chandler Guild Be Realized as a ME-Net
  • Next Steps and the Best Business Practices Research SIG
  • Q and A

3:00-4:00 PM
Forming Special Interest Groups

We will call for volunteer leaders of our first six Special Interest Groups. Once these leaders are selected from the Guildmember delegates at the Congress, expert resource people will be available to work with each group. (Example: An expert in the essential oil/fragrance industry will participate in Fragrance, Essential Oil and Dye Research SIG organizing meeting.)

We will have one expert resource person to work with each group, but the volunteer SIG leader will be in charge of each of the six respective small group sessions.

We've identified six core competencies around which to form SIGs to be active for the first Formative Year of Village Chandler Guild. These six areas will not be the only special interests areas around which SIGs will form. However, we want to concentrate on these domains during our Formative Year. (Part of the work performed by these initial SIGs will be the determination of how new SIGs are formed.)

Each Guild member should participate in at least one SIG throughout this all-important first year. While we know you'll only have enough time and energy to participate in one or a limited number of SIGs, you and all other Guildmembers will benefit from the work of each and every SIG. The SIGs will evolve as sub-communities of knowledge and experience to enrich the value of the Guild to its members.

The Core SIGs for our Formative Year will be:

  • Fragrance, Essential Oil, and Dye Research SIG
  • General Supply Research SIG (wicks, containers, packaging)
  • Best Business Practices Research SIG (accounting and business management, both for individual Village Chandler 'nodes' and for the Guild's microenterprise network)
  • Marketing and Business Presentation SIG (marketing methods, brand identity, and special promotions)
  • ChandlerGuild.com Web Site Technical and Editorial SIG (both for experienced folks and those who want to learn)
  • Candle Production Methods and Quality Control SIG (arguably the most important SIG that creates the foundation on which the need for all other SIGs depend)

During this hour, we'll participate in some goal-oriented self-organizing. Each SIG will have a 'rallying point' in the main meeting hall. Delegates will have a chance to circulate to the various groups that interest them. Prospective SIG leaders will self-nominate themselves and engage in prospective group members in 'platform-oriented' conversations with prospective group members. At 3:45 PM, all groups will call for final SIG leader nominations and conduct a hand-count vote to elect the group's initial leader.

4:00-5:30 PM
First SIG Working Sessions

The new leaders of the six SIGs will invite all Congress delegates to choose to focus participation in one of the six groups listed above. (Note: You'll be able to participate to varying degrees in multiple SIGs throughout the year. At this time, however, we request that you focus your attention on active participation in the group that interests you the most or that you feel is most critical to the Formative Year's success of the Guild.) All six groups will then convene their first small group work session.

The objectives of this work session will be:

  • Define the mission of the SIG, the scope of research, and action steps for the SIG during the Formative Year of the Village Chandler Guild.
  • Choose a Coordinating Team of three members committed to achieving the action plan of the SIG.

The SIG leader and Coordinating Team take responsibility for accomplishing the work of the SIG, however this does not mean that other SIG members will be excluded from contributing to the work of the SIG. The Coordinating Team will be especially active seeing that the works of the SIG are published in a timely and usable manner in the appropriate sections of the Village Chandler Guild web site.

5:30-6:30 PM
SIG Reports to Full Congress

The entire Congress delegation will reconvene in the theater of the Czech Slovak Meeting Hall to hear the initial report on the goals and objectives of each SIG. These reports will define much of the follow-up work and activity of The Village Chandler Guild for this Formative Year in our history.

These reports will be the foundation of each SIG's knowledge base that will be the basis of important content to be published on the ChandlerGuild.com web site. These knowledge bases and community-moderated content will benefit all Village Chandler Guildmembers as we each grow our individual businesses as well as participate in the collaborative microenterprise network of the Guild.

SIG formation, retirement, and benchmark goal setting will be a regular part of each subsequent annual business meeting of the Village Chandler Guild.

6:30-8:00 PM
SOY JOY! A Soy Foods Banquet

Soy Joy will celebrate all of the delicious foods available from the soy industry.

We will have ballots for three Best of Show awards to be bestowed on three participants in the Village Chandler Guildmembers-only Trade Show. Congress delegates and attendees will vote on the following categories:

  • Best overall trade show display
  • Best candle quality/craft technique
  • Most creative candle product

The Soy Joy banquet menu will include such delights as:

  • Appetizer: Edaname
  • Soup: Miso Soup with Roasted Tofu
  • Drinks: Soy milk, Soy beer and Soy "coffee"
  • Entree: Soy Pasta with Soy "Meat" (soy protein) sauces with a range of Soyfood side dishes
  • Dessert: Soy Flour cookies and Soy Ice Cream

7:30-7:45 PM
Best in (Trade) Show Contest Awards Ceremony

After excruciating deliberations and upon counting the delegates' ballots, we'll announce the three Best of Show awards of the first annual Village Chandler Guild Best in (Trade) Show Contest.

8:00-10:00 PM
Guest Musical Entertainment and the First Annual Guildmember Talent Show!

After a long productive day, we'll all be ready to chill and enjoy ourselves. We are working on yet-to-be-named guest musical entertainment. But most certainly the best show in Cedar Rapids this night will be the First Annual Village Chandler Guild Talent Show. Guildmember performances may include but mot be limited to music, poetry slam, art work -- any talent that you care to exhibit and that won't get the Vice Squad called in on us!

We will have a piano on site. All Chandler Guildmembers are encouraged to bring as many portable instruments as you can play... guitars, drums, harmonicas, washboard, kalimba, tambourine, fingers for snapping, hands for clapping, etc.

10:00 PM - 1:00 AM
The Bohemian Pub Crawl

For late night revelers who still have the urge to party down, we'll have a Pub Crawl Guide to direct you to the various happening bars and hot nightspots of the Bohemian Commercial District. Hey, they don't call it bohemian for nothing, dig it, man?

Sunday August 24

10:00-11:00 AM
Bagel and Czech Kolach Breakfast

Along with our Continental (Congress) breakfast, we'll have a Guildmember Open Mike Session where delegates and attendees are encouraged to share words of wisdom, encouragement, and hope. We also want to hear feedback on Saturday's experience as well as 'feedforward', that is, words of inspiration and challenge for what we aspire to accomplish during our Formative Year of the Village Chandler Guild.

11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Guildmember Trade Show and 'Open House'

In depth time to appreciate all of the candle displays brought by all Village Chandler Guild participants. This is a time to "talk shop" and share best practices in candle production methods as we gather in small groups around the various candle exhibits.

We'll also have some snacks and beverages to facilitate the networking opportunity among Guildmembers.

1:30-1:45 PM
Lighting of the Giant Community Candle

With the growing sense of community and hope for our collective business success, we'll light the Giant Community Candle.

Mike Richards has not yet written an inspiration Company Song (and we've promised to dip his finger in hot wax if he ever does!), so we'll settle for an informal few minutes of mutual community celebration as we congratulate and thank each other for being part of the Congress and reflect on the prospects of the Business (Ad)venture we are beginning together.

1:45-2:30 PM
"Why I want to serve on the Table of Twelve" - Nominee Pre-election Statements

Each nominee for the available seats at the Table of Twelve will have five minutes to address the Congress delegation.

2:30-3:00 PM
Table of Twelve Election

Ballots will be distributed, filled out and returned by the voting delegates of the Congress.

3:00-4:00 PM
Announcement of Election Results and A Celebration

We'll announce the election results and congratulate the new members of the Table of Twelve. And we won't let them rest on their laurels. All twelve members of the Table will be distribute themselves around the large, open spaces of the Meeting Hall to hold Open Office Hours. All delegates and congress attendees will have a chance to visit with their leadership council members to air concerns, interests, questions, issues, and anything else on your mind.

4:00-4:15 PM
Closing Remarks and Extinguishing the Giant Community Candle

Ending as we began, Mike Richards will briefly address the Congress delegation before the formal closing of the Congress with the extinguishing of the Giant Community Candle.

The giant candle will then be retired to safe storage until it is brought out for our next annual business meeting. Each year we'll pour a new Giant Community Candle to be added to the collection that will line a ceremonial passage that delegates will walk through to enter the Village Chandler Guild annual business meetings.

4:30-5:30 PM
Post-Congress Organizing Meeting of the Table of Twelve

Members of the Table of Twelve will have a one-hour meeting after the Congress breaks up to plan their leadership agenda for the Formative Year of the Village Chandler Guild.

End of Agenda and Participant Guide

Follow this link for Guildmember Comments and Questions.