If you are an aspiring business professional that has recently become a member of our Chamber of Commerce, Wednesday 10/18/17 in the evening will be very important.

Each year, members of the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce get together to plan for the upcoming year. We get our Board of Directors elected for the coming year, discuss what we have done in the past, and then listen for feedback on what we can do better. We will be doing it again, on Wednesday 10/18/17. Here’s the event.

This year, we’ll be having the event at Lynch’s Restaurant – a much more casual atmosphere than the classroom atmosphere we’ve used in the past (although I’m personally gonna miss it, I love whiteboards). This will give us the incentive to speak openly about what the Chamber has done right, and what we can improve on in the coming year.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog – I am so proud of the three areas where we have made significant progress this year:

• More networking events, with greater attendance and activity
• Greater and more diverse number of members, from all walks of life, industry and experience
• Discounts program that allows businesses to save money by working with colleagues in our community

While we certainly plan to expand on these three areas in 2018, we want to hear your feedback on what efforts by the Chamber have been useful. Wednesday night at Lynch’s Restaurant is the perfect place to do that.

Members can come and elect the Board of Directors for 2018 in the closed, members-only portion of the event. However, afterwards there will be time for networking. So if you have interest in joining the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce, consider dropping by later in the evening! We’ll be there for a while!

Here’s the event.

It’s been a while since we’ve updated this news area. As this is a three-day weekend (technically), I thought it might be a good time to sit down and update many of you about some awesome things that have been accomplished by your Chamber of Commerce this year.

First of all, I have to say that I am so proud of our Board of Directors, our Committees, and our Volunteers, who work so tirelessly to build this Chamber of Commerce, for the good of the local business professionals of North Rockland, and for the long run. We all clearly have committed to the fact that our efforts are not a sprint, they are a marathon. We have dug in for the concerted work to build this Chamber into a positive force for North Rockland for decades to come.

So, here’s a brief synopsis of some things we have accomplished over the past year, thus far:

1. Events, events, events! Business breakfasts, luncheons, networking evenings, business card exchanges, speed networking, and even a Multi-Chamber event on October 12! Much of this work can be attributed to Kristine Koval from Bel Viso by Kristine (Spa Treatments, Facials, Anti-Aging), who works non-stop to create awesome events for the community. Great work, Kristine!
2. Members, members, members! We have significantly built up our membership this year! I haven’t done the final numbers, but at this point I would say our membership this year alone has increased by at least 30%. That’s amazing for a small Chamber of Commerce. Special thanks to Rosemary Sidoti from Better Homes Rand Realty, and Jim Keenan from J Keenan Security, for their tireless efforts toward building membership this year.
3. Deals, Discounts, and Dollars! We have introduced a new program, a member-to member discounts system, that allows Chamber members to provide other members exclusive discounts that may otherwise be unavailable to the general customer. Jennifer Schnalzer from Wells Fargo Advisors is running this program, and I am so impressed with the level of work and detail that she has committed to getting this program off the ground. Saving money is something every business owner should provision for, and Jennifer is providing a clear avenue to achieve this in our local community. I can only see this program expanding in the coming years.

There is so much more to humblebrag about, and so many other Board Members and Volunteers to speak of, but the best way for you to learn how you can get all the benefits of the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce is to join us for an upcoming event! Check out our events calendar to learn more! You can come as a member, or in many instances a non-member to get the feel for what’s going on, before committing. But I surmise that once you spend some time with the high-quality, high-energy, high-integrity people that encompass our Chamber of Commerce, you will be back for more.

Have a great week! 🙂

Tom