Endorsement for Alyssa Knobel for Highland Park City Council Highland Park News February 14, 2013

3 I have known Alyssa Knobel as friend and colleague for several years and I believe she would be an excellent addition to our city council. Many have praised Alyssas extensive volunteer work supporting children and families within our community, and she is well deserving of that praise. I want to call attention, though, to her considerable professional talents which have helped to make her a valuable asset to our business community and me personally. A seasoned marketing and advertising professional with a bachelors degree in Communication from Boston University, Alyssa has already put her considerable professional talent in many different volunteer capacities for our city. Alyssa chairs the Citys Business and Economic Development Commission (BEDC), serves on the executive board member of the Highland Park Downtown Alliance, and sits on the Ravinia Business District Alliance Advisory Committee and the Briergate Business Association District Committee. Alyssas professional experience and background in communications and marketing have helped to bring a new focus on communication to these groups. She has helped me personally in this regard as well. Her work has resulted in the development of a BEDC newsletter, which helps citizens, and businesses in Highland Park understand what is happening in each of our nine diverse business districts. The newsletter has provided an excellent opportunity for businesses to gain a broad picture of the Highland

Park Business climate, and promotes synergy and development opportunities. She has also helped to foster and grow these organizations' presence on social media, which provides a valuable marketing resource for our businesses, and offers local citizens upto-date information on sales, promotions, and ways to make the most out of the dollars they spend locally. Alyssa's business sense and marketing experience have helped her find creative ways to support our business community in a tough economic environment. As our current occupancy rate in Highland Park hovers around an admirable 93%, I believe these efforts are working. An energetic mother, enthusiastic supporter of Highland Park, and active volunteer, Alyssa will make an excellent member of our city council. Her communications background, focus on consensus building, and approachable style makes her an ideal candidate. I hope you will join me in voting for Alyssa on April 9. Charles Chuck Frank Highland Park