It's been quite the year here at the Chamber, and we want to share what we have been up to in case you missed any of it!
2010 brought many significant changes to Chamber. Our membership grew to include many new businesses, we welcomed our new Programs Manager Catherine Green to the team, created a strategic plan, rewrote the bylaws and will launch a brand new website in the next two weeks! We continue to be grateful for the trust our members place in us and will work hard to live up to your expectations in 2011.
The organization strives to serve your needs as businesses large and small in a challenging economy in a city, as tough as it is unique. As we endeavor to shape the Chamber to better serve our members and the changing needs of the business community, we will send out our 2nd annual survey of the membership to help drive our goals and programming and ensure your needs are being met. Once again, we encourage you to take the survey - this is your opportunity to provide perspective and inform the Chamber, as we embark on the new year. Our business is your business. It's not just the Chamber's new tag line, it's the core of every program, initiative and service we offer. So please take our survey when it comes out in the New Year.
In 2010, we continued working hard, advocating for our members on issues such as rents, taxes, small business concerns and INT 0097, the paid sick leave bill. The GVCCC argued against this bill, for its potential to kill some businesses and cripple others, and our work with other groups in the city paid off. City Council Speaker Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg both came out against this bill and it was moved from the Council agenda. While the fight against this initiative may not be over, we have made big strides and a big win! The Chamber has continued to work with NYU and the New School to ensure that the business interests are heard alongside community residents and since the closing of St. Vincent's hospital, this organization has been the leading voice of business in the area. As a community we need a hospital, and we are very much a part of that conversation, but also as a community, we need to ensure that the businesses in hard hit areas also have a voice and an advocate.
Some of the highlights of our 2010 calendar of events included luncheons featuring City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Borough President Scott Stringer and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. These luncheons were informative and gave our members an opportunity to express their opinions face-to-face with these important community leaders.
Along with Google, one of our new members, we hosted an event aimed at arming businesses with a greater knowledge of web opportunities, and equally important we hosted a small business forum in partnership with NYU, to try and understand the plight of the businesses surrounding St. Vincent's after it closed. We continue to work with local elected officials to address this serious and perplexing problem.
Other events included the 2nd Annual Village Jazz Alive, which honored the great Art D'lugoff and welcomed an incredible Latin jazz performance by Bobby Sanabria. Coffee & Cards, a morning networking business card exchange was launched with great success. As a result, we plan to host them monthly in the new year. At our November mixer we partnered with the Food Bank for NYC and provided an opportunity for our members to donate to those in need.
Our 7th Annual Safe Cities, Safe Streets luncheon, once again presented our membership with the opportunity to say "thank you" to the officers of the NYPD who act as protectors of our community and businesses day-in and day-out. The Cop of the Year awards were covered by NY1, The Village, DNAinfo and the NY Daily News.
Everything at Safe Cities was purchased from or donated by a Chamber member and we continue to urge each of you to patronize our member business and spend money locally. With that in mind, click here to view our 1st ever holiday gift guide, filled with gift ideas coupled with discounts from our membership. We hope you will participate in the holiday guide next year!
While this was a tough year for everyone, we brought on many new members and will continue to grow in 2011. In the upcoming year members will be able to participate in our revamped referral program, which is a great way to reduce your dues while helping to grow the organization. We aim to create a true network of support and to be a powerful resource for our members while continuing to fight for your interests at City Hall, Albany and Washington.
Don't forget to update your listing and sign up for the discount program in time for the website launch, giving your business as much exposure as possible. Consider offering discounts to the general public and to the membership as a way to ramp up businesses throughout the year and keep people shopping in our neighborhoods.
In the coming year, we have much to look forward to including a packed calendar of events, the implementation of the new website which will be the ultimate resource for you and your business and much more! We look forward to sharing all of it with you.
Thank you for being an active part of this amazing community and we look forward to working together in 2011.
Happy holidays and a joyous new year.
Lauren Danziger Tony Juliano
Executive Director Chairman
