Chamber OnLine
News from the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
These are busy times at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce... and that's good!
In September we held our 26th Annual Decision Makers' Agriculture Forum. Over 40 people attended and learned more about Farm Credit, Batavia Downs and New York Craft Malt. Many thanks to our presenters for an interesting and educational day. (read more)
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You are cordially invited to attend the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, November 5 at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility, 5122 Clinton St. Rd., Batavia. This year's meeting will feature the election of Chamber board members, a Year in Review of Chamber activities and keynote speaker Ken Pokalsky. Ken is the Vice President of Government Affairs for The Business Council of New York State and is responsible for management of the Council's overall legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts in Albany.
Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with a buffet lunch beginning promptly at noon. Cost is $25 per person. Contact Melissa George at 343-7440 ext. 27 or email to make your reservations.
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CHAMBER SPECIAL SECTION IN THE DAILY NEWS
The Daily News will be publishing a special "Chamber Connection" section in its Saturday, October 17th edition. The tabloid will contain Chamber stories, business tips from Chamber members, featured stories on Chamber Member businesses and photos from recent Chamber events. Look for Chamber Connection in the October 17th edition of The Daily News.
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2015 CHAMBER BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
"Profit Improvement Strategies - Increasing Cash Flow" will be the subject of a small business workshop to be hosted the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on October 14.
This is the eighth 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.
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You may qualify for a low interest loan or grant through the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce's Microenterprise Loan Program. Take advantage of free of charge direct one-to-one counseling with a consultant from the New York State Small Business Development Center who can assist with preparing your loan application. For more information visit the Chamber's website or contact Tom Turnbull by email or by phone at 585-343-7440 ext. 29.
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DISCOVER CHAMBER TRAVEL TRIPS
Informational meeting for two of the Chamber's trips - Discover Cuba and the Alpine Countries - will be held during October.
The Discover Cuba travel presentation will be held on Tuesday, October 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Chamber office, 210 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 Chamber also is sponsoring a tour of the Alpine Countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland from September 15-27, 2016. A special travel presentation will be held on Tuesday, October 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the GO-Art! Building, 201 East Main St., Batavia.
The Canadian Rockies by train trip is scheduled for April 21-29 and will include stops in Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff and Calgary.
More information on all tours is available on the Chamber's website or by contacting the Chamber at 585-343-7440.
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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.
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TOURISM NEWS
Call for 2016 Discounts & Deals for Visitors: The tourism program is working on updating information to be included in the 2016 Genesee County Visitor Guide. This year we will include the Discounts and Deals sheet as a page in the visitor guide. If you would like to be a part of this free promotion, please fill out this form and send it to Kelly Rapone by October 30, 2016. Click here to see the 2015 Discounts & Deals for visitors.
Tourism Inquiries on the rise
Direct Tourism Inquiries:
- Direct requests to our office for the Genesee County Visitor Guide increased by 12% YTD as compared to our 2014 during the same time period (Jan-Sept).
- Additionally, (tracked separately) - Requests for the Genesee County Travel Guide received through the Haunted History Trail of New York State website also increased 121% over last year (Jan-Sept). This program continues to be very successful in generating tourism interest for our county as well as across the state.
By November we will have distributed all 80,000 visitor guides printed this year. In December we will go to print with the 2016 Genesee County Visitor guide. Thank you to all of the businesses who are advertising in this upcoming issue!
Traffic to the tourism website for Genesee County is up 16% over last year (Jan-Oct) by domestic online users.
- Notably our social media efforts had a positive impact in that the Genesee County Facebook page generated a 460% increase to referrals to our website.
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SAYING GOOD-BYE TO EVE HENS
It is with mixed emotions that we are saying good-bye to Eve Hens as she leaves her position as the Genesee Business Education Alliance coordinator to take a position as the Purchasing Director for Genesee County. While we are happy for Eve in her career move, we are sad to see her leave our office. Eve has done a fantastic job in elevating the BEA program in the past five years and her cheerful, positive "can-do" attitude and enthusiasm will be missed by those of us who were fortunate enough to work with her.
Best of luck, Eve. You will be missed!
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HOW TO GET AN EXTRA HOUR A DAY
Someone asked me how I managed my day where I can have a full time job, bringing up two kids, volunteer to help the homeless and still have time to write.
There is really no secret to it. I just have to be careful with how I choose to spend my time. I would just focus on things that brings me maximum outcome and mindful of how I spent my time. Time is the only thing that is finite and cannot be replaced.
Up until last year, I would easily spend hours surfing the net. I surfed in the net in the name of research and learning. None of the sites that I visit has a direct correlation with my work or my life. I was consuming all kind of junk information.
Click here to learn what I did to reduce my non-productive time.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"The essential question is not 'How busy are you?' but 'What are you busy at?'." -Oprah Winfrey
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Your Chamber Resources:
Kelly Bermingham, Director of Membership & Special Events
Ginny Elsasser, Staff Accountant
Melissa A. George, Executive Assistant
BEA Coordinator
Taylor White, Tourism Marketing Assistant
Kelly Rapone, Tourism Marketing Director
Tom Turnbull, President
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Thank you
Chamber Champions!
at 585-343-7440.
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The Chamber of Commerce sells E-Z Pass. Stop in the office to learn more or to purchase one!
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Connect with your Chamber:
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210 East Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
M-F, 8:00am-4:30pm
585-343-7440 |
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