The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly Make It Monday membership forum at noon Jan. 24 at the Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 W. Fifth Ave. Doug North, president of Alaska Pacific University, is scheduled to discuss employers' changing needs and what education can do about it. Cost is $16 for members and $22 for nonmembers. To prepay for seats online, go to www.anchoragechamber.org and click on the events section. E-mail the chamber at admin@anchoragechamber.org or call (907) 272-2401.

The Kashim Toastmasters Club holds its regular weekly meeting Jan. 24 from noon to 1 p.m. in the training room of the Municipality of Anchorage City Hall, 532 W. Sixth Ave., Suite 700. Members will be demonstrating effective public speaking skills. Meetings are free and open to the public. Contact Beth Fread at bfread@integritysi.com or call (907) 351-3489 to register.

The Mat-Su Small Business Development Center holds Starting Your Own Business Jan. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Willow Public Library, 23557 W. Willow Community Center Circle. The workshop will cover the basics of starting a business in Alaska. Preregistration is required. Call the center at (907) 373-7232 for more information and to register.

The Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly Must Be Tuesday luncheon Jan. 25 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn, 1300 W. Lake Lucille Drive. The scheduled program information was not available at press time. Cost is $3 for chamber members and $5 for nonmembers. Lunch is optional and cost varies according to the meal. For more information call (907) 376-1299.

The Greater Soldotna Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly luncheon meeting at noon Jan. 25 at the Riverside House, 44611 Sterling Highway. Jim Posey of the Anchorage Municipal Light and Power is scheduled to discuss future power in Cook Inlet. The cost is $15. For more information call (907) 262-9814.

The Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce holds its General Membership Luncheon at noon Jan. 25 in the gold room of the Westmark Hotel, 813 Noble St. The scheduled program will feature Brig. Gen. James Hirai, the new commanding general of the U.S. Army Alaska. Cost is $15. For more information call (907) 452-1105.

The Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly membership luncheon at noon Jan. 26 at the Palmer Moose Lodge on the corner of Cobb and West Geranium streets. Neal Fried, labor economist for the state of Alaska, is scheduled to discuss the state's economy. Cost is $12 with lunch or $3 without lunch for chamber members. For nonmembers, the cost is $15 for lunch and $5 without lunch. For more information call (907) 745-2880.

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly membership luncheon at noon Jan. 26 at Paradisos Restaurant, 811 Frontage Road. Sheryl Miller and Christine Gehrett of Kenai Peninsula College are scheduled to offer an update on the college's new degree programs. Cost is $11. For more information call (907) 283-7989.

The Anchorage Economic Development Corp. holds the 2005 Economic Forecast Luncheon Jan. 26 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 W. Fifth Ave. The scheduled program will feature Ernesto Sirolli, founder of the Sirolli Institute. For Anchorage Economic Development Corp. investors, the cost is $35 per person and $250 for a table of eight. For non-investors, the cost is $40 per person and $300 per table. Call (907) 258-3700 to register.

The Juneau Chamber of Commerce holds its weekly membership luncheon at noon Jan. 27 at the Aspen Hotel, 1800 Shell Simmons Drive. The scheduled program will feature Linda Thomas of West Douglas Development Task Force. Cost is $15. For more information call (907) 463-3488.

The Mat-Su Small Business Development Center holds Advanced QuickBooks Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 201 N. Lucille St., Suite 2A, in Wasilla. The workshop will cover using QuickBooks 2005 for payroll and inventory, plus how to use the program for business bookkeeping. Attendees should be very familiar with the basic use of QuickBooks. Cost is $90. Preregistration is required. Call the center at (907) 373-7232 for more information and to register.

The Mat-Su Small Business Development Center holds Seven Keys to Financial Success Jan. 27 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Talkeetna Public Library, mile 13.5 Talkeetna Spur Road. Rene Russ, financial advisor with Waddell & Reed, is scheduled to discuss topics including tax laws, developing a business plan and paying yourself regularly. Preregistration is required. Call the center at (907) 373-7232 for more information and to register.

A one-day planning session for the Alaska Contaminants Alliance is scheduled during the Alaska Forum on the Environment Feb. 10 at the Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 W. Fifth Ave., in Anchorage. Tribes and organizations concerned about environmental contaminants are invited to attend. Call Brenda Holden at (907) 450-2452 for more information.