One of the things I've learned in my short time as Chamber President is how much Chambers of Commerce have in common when it comes to conveying to their local business communities the value of joining their local Chambers.   One of the major challenges we all face is that while there is really no one, definitive reason to join our Chambers, there are many, many good solid reasons to become a member.

Betsy Demitropoulus of the American Business Magazine compiled a top 10 list of reasons why you should join your local chamber of commerce as supplied by 10 local chambers across the United States.  Not surprisingly, Betsy's top 10 list matches up pretty closely with the top 10 reasons for being a member of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.  Here's the national list along with how your Genesee County Chamber of Commerce fulfills these benefits:

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43rd ANNUAL CHAMBER AWARDS
CEREMONY FEBRUARY 28TH

The 43rd Annual Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, February 28 at the Clarion Hotel, Park Road, Batavia.  The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres, entrée tables and cash bar (no formal sit-down dinner to be served). The Award Program starts at 7 p.m. where desserts and coffee will be served. 

This year's honorees are Business of the Year - Applied Business Systems, Inc.; Industry of the Year - Muller Quaker Dairy; Agricultural Business of the Year - Corcoran Custom Services; Innovative Community Contribution of the Year - Merrill Lynch; Special Service Recognition of the Year - Genesee Cancer Assistance, Inc. and Geneseeans of the Year - Peggy Lamb of Oakfield and Bill Schutt of Basom.

This event is always the social highlight of the county's business community.  Tickets are $50 each or $450 for a table of 10.  Contact Kelly Bermingham at the Chamber at 343-7440 or by email at kbermingham@geneseeny.com for more information.  

2015 CHAMBER BUSINESS WORKSHOPS

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will be holding a series of business workshops in 2015 designed to help small businesses improve their skills and grow their businesses.  The business workshops are FREE to all Chamber members and their employees and will be made available to non-Chamber members for a small fee. The 2015 schedule is as follows:  

• February 11 - "Marketing Your Small Business"
• March 11 - "Financing Your Venture" 
• April 8 - "Home-Based Business Strategies for Success" 
• May 13 - "Selling and Succession Planning"
• June 10 - "Woman-Owned Small Business Workshop"
• September 9 - "Holiday Marketing - Tips for Small Businesses"
• October 14 - Profit Improvement Strategies"
• November 18 - "Customer Service That Wins Sales".  

Look for more information regarding times, location and other details in the upcoming weeks.

SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL FAILURES!

Many people hold the common belief that it takes luck in order to succeed at life, but Sammie U. Aysan is about to tell you why that belief is absurd. Luck has nothing to do with success in life. Rather, it's the daily habits and mindset of the individual which will determine whether they will succeed or fail. If you truly want to succeed in life then it's important that you identify bad habits and common pitfalls to avoid in order to set you on the right path towards success.

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