Chamber OnLine
News from the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
 
One of the lesser known benefits of being a member of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is the Chamber's role in government policy advocacy.  While your local Chamber does not have the resources to act on its own to influence state and national policy regarding business, the Chamber does have a voice in Albany through its membership in The Business Council of New York and a voice in Washington through its membership in the United States Chamber of Commerce.
      
2015 CHAMBER BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
 
"Holiday Marketing - Tips for Small Businesses" will be the subject of a small business workshop to be hosted the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on September 9.
 
This is the seventh in a series of business workshops for 2015 held in conjunction with the United States Small Business Administration and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.  The workshops are open to all Chamber and non-Chamber businesses and their employees and will offer expert advice from experienced business professionals designed to help small businesses succeed and grow.
 
Social media is a great way for your business to market itself at a lower cost. In this program, participants will understand the difference types of social media and how they are used, learn to choose the social mediums that best fit the needs of the business, learn how to define social media strategy and recognize common mistakes made on social media.
 
Other workshops on the 2015 schedule are as follows:   October 14 - Profit Improvement Strategies"; and November 18 - "Customer Service That Wins Sales.
JOIN US FOR OUR AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS TOUR - SEPTEMBER 23RD
 
wheat-stalks.jpg The Chamber's Agricultural Committee will be hosting its annual Agricultural Business Tour on Tuesday, September 23rd.  The tour runs from 8:00 a.m. to noon and will visit area agri-businesses in Genesee County.  The Ag Committee would like to strongly encourage all area business and community leaders to attend this very informative tour!  
 
Click here for more information and to see the tour agenda or contact Melissa at the Chamber office at 585-343-7440 ext. 26 if you would like to attend.
INTEGRYS ENERGY IS NOW CONSTELLATION ENERGY
            
Constellation Energy Services of New York, Inc. (formerly known as Integrys Energy Services of New York, Inc.) has been working with the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and its members for many years.  During that time, Constellation has provided the highest levels of customer service, competitive energy ricing and the most flexible energy product solutions that Southern Tier companies have needed to achieve their energy purchasing objectives.
                
Constellation has offices in Buffalo and its staff is all long-time residents of the region.  When it comes to an energy organization that been in the market for many years focusing on the needs of the business community, there is no company that compares to Constellation, which is why your Chamber has continued to partner with Constellation to offer significant savings to our members. 
 
Among the advantages of purchasing electricity from Constellation through the Chamber:
  • Competitive pricing, local presence and a special discount for Genesee County Chamber of Commerce members.
  • Constellation Energy has a strong energy background with local market expertise in upstate New York.
  • Constellation Energy is endorsed by over 25 chambers of commerce and associations statewide.
  • Your choice of fixed or variable electric supply programs.
To learn more about how you can save money by purchasing your electricity from Constellation Energy through the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, fill out the application and send back to Melissa at the chamber.
DID YOU KNOW?

Chamber members can take advantage of exclusive discount programs including our Member 2 Member Discount Program. Members are offered discounts to area businesses not only for your business but for your employees as well. 

Click here for more information and to view the current list of discounts.
DISCOVER CHAMBER TRAVEL TRIPS
 
Informational meeting for two of the Chamber's trips - Discover Cuba and the Canadian Rockies by train - will be held during September.
 
The Discover Cuba travel presentation will be held on Thursday, September 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the GO-Art! Building, 201 East Main St., Batavia.
 
For over 50 years legal travel to one of our closet neighbors, Cuba, has been off limits.  But times are changing.  The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Chamber Explorations is proud to announce its first ever travel trip to Cuba March 2-8, 2016.
 
Chamber Explorations are experts in travel to Cuba.  This trip promises to be a highly rewarding educational experience and the opportunity to learn more about the Cuban people and their culture. 
Only a limited amount of seats are available for this trip and a sell-out is expected.
 
The Canadian Rockies by train trip is scheduled for April 21-29 and will include stops in Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff and Calgary. A special travel presentation on the Canadian Rockies tour will take place on Tuesday, September 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Go-Art! Building, 201 East Main St., Batavia.
 
The Chamber is also offering a Tournament of Roses Parade trip December 29, 2015 to January 2, 2016.  The tour includes round trip air fare from Buffalo to Los Angeles, hotel accommodations, reserved seating at the Tournament of Roses Parade, a New Year's Eve gala celebration and optional trips to Las Vegas and San Diego.
 
The Chamber also is sponsoring a tour of the Alpine Countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland from September 15-27, 2016. A special travel presentation on the Alpine Countries tour will take place on Tuesday, October 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the Go-Art! Building, 201 East Main St., Batavia.
 
More information on all tours is available on the Chamber's website www.geneseeny.com/trips  or by contacting the Chamber at 585-343-7440

NEW OFFICE HOURS

 

Effective August 31, the new office hours for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will be Monday through Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Last Call for 2016 Visitor Guide Ads
 
We are finalizing display ad space reservation as we begin to work on the layout of the 2016 Visitor guide.  The guide will go to print in December of this year.  Contact Kelly Rapone to reserve your space now.  
 
German/UK Tour Operator Visits:
  • On Monday, September 7th - The Chamber will welcome three international tour operators to Batavia who are embarking on a state-wide exploratory familiarization (FAM) tour. These "women's" tour specialists are guests of New York State's I Love NY team, which is a follow up to last year's NYS delegation making the trip oversees to seek out new business partners in these areas.  The 7 day tour will begin in NYC and wind its way upward and westward, culminating in Niagara Falls.  While in our GLOW (Country Byways) region the operators will visit Letchworth State Park, The Glenn Iris, Hidden Valley Animal Adventure, Lake Ontario lighthouse, and an overnight in Batavia with a visit to Oliver's Candies. 
  • The Chamber will also participate in another German and UK international FAM tour being held on September 25th.  Where we will be hosting four UK and two German Product Managers, as well as a Travel Trade Journalist from Selling Long Haul Magazine. Details of this trip are still being finalized but we are hoping to be able to showcase another group friendly attraction along with their hosted dinner and overnight. 
Consumer Travel Shows:
 
Taylor White just returned from representing Genesee County at the I Love NY booth at the State Fair on Friday, August 28th.  The fair is seeing record crowds this year and many Genesee County Visitor Guides were distributed.  Below are a few additional shows that we'll be  participating with this month: 
  • 9/9-13  Hershey RV Show, Hershey, PA
  • 9/11-13 Scare-A-Con, Verona NY
  • Sept. 25th-27th - NYS RV Show, NYS Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY
SMART PEOPLE NEVER MAKE THESE MISTAKES TWICE
 
Everybody makes mistakes-that's a given-but not everyone learns from them. Some people make the same mistakes over and over again, fail to make any real progress, and can't figure out why.
 
QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work.  But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great as they ever were. "
                                                                           -David Rockefeller
Your Chamber Resources:

Kelly Bermingham, Director of Membership & Special Events
 
Ginny Elsasser, Staff Accountant
 
Melissa A. George, Executive Assistant

Eve Hens, BEA Coordinator

Taylor White, Tourism Marketing Assistant

Kelly Rapone, Tourism Marketing Director

Tom Turnbull, President
TTurnbull@GeneseeNY.com
September 2015

Thank you
Chamber Champions!

 

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our Chamber Champions:

 

Alex's Place  

 

Clark Patterson Lee

 

Freed Maxick

              

Lawley Genesee

 

National Grid

 

Terry Hills Golf Course, Restaurant, & Banquet Facility

 

Turnbull Heating & Air

 

The Bank of Castile/

Tompkins Insurance  

 

United Memorial
Medical Center

 

These businesses have taken the lead role in investing in our Chamber's mission of enhancing business and community development in Genesee County.  To find out how your business can become a Chamber Champion, contact Kelly Bermingham 

at 585-343-7440.

Thank you
Looking for something to do? Check out the Community Events Calendar on the Chamber Website!

Darien Lake Tickets
for Sale -  
Buy 1, get 1 FREE!!! 

 

 Discounted Darien Lake Amusement Park tickets are available for purchase at the Chamber office.  
Adult tickets are only $30.00 for Chamber members and include parking.  Non-member tickets are $33.00 each. Just stop by the Chamber office anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to purchase.

 

























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210 East Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
M-F, 8:00am-4:30pm
585-343-7440
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