| Find A Member
Post an insert next month
|
|
|
Shop Local on
November 24
See what some local businesses are up to
|
|
|
NetworkingByNight
2013
Reserve your month to host now!
|
|
Recycle! Nov. 2
|
|
Growth is Great
Learn more about our new members | | |
|
|
|
|
Membership Directory Hits the Street!
2012-2013 Local Resource Guide distributed
The Chamber's 2012-2013 Membership Directory and Local Resource Guide "hits the street" today with an over 18,000 copy distribution to Daily Hampshire Gazette subscribers and mailing through The Summit to non-subscribers. The Directory will also be available electronically soon on the Gazette's website at www.gazettenet.com. Plus, by mid next week, the Chamber will have copies here at our office for our members to have at your place of business for your customers.
As the cover illustrates, the Chamber invites the reader to Unwrap Your Complete Local Resource Guide and it is packed with valuable information about member businesses. The latest, 76 page, edition contains a complete listing of our members by business category and an alphabetical member listing for each with contact information. Plus, there is a quick reference telephone guide. The guide also includes important contact information for local city and town departments and agencies, regional business resources and local and state legislators.
The Directory will be a fantastic marketing tool for you and your fellow members and we encourage you to display and distribute it at your business. Please feel free to contact the Chamber office at 413.527.9414 or email us at info@easthamptonchamber.org and we'll set aside a start-up group of Directories with a convenient display holder for you!
Eric Snyder, Executive Director
|
|
Member Spotlight: Susan Lapointe, TurningLeaf Design
 Susan Lapointe, outgoing president of the Chamber and owner of TurningLeaf Design, was awarded 2011 Business Person of the Year at the annual dinner in January. This award is given to a member who shows exemplary community service, public spirit and respected leadership in the business community.
 Susan has a total of 20+ years in the field of graphic design and has operated her business, TurningLeaf Design, since 2000. She has worked with all sizes of businesses, from startups to Fortune 100 and 500 companies across the country. In addition to serving as board member and president of the Chamber, Susan was board chairperson and member of various committees for Riverside Industries, helped with other local creative and business efforts such as ECA+ and regional tourism, and received the Business Woman of the Year award in 2003 from the Women Business Owners Alliance of Pioneer Valley. The Chamber's award not only recognizes Susan's business success and community leadership but also her strong work ethic, poise and positive attitude.
At TurningLeaf Design, Susan employs her skills in design, printing and photography to serve as creative director for her clients' projects. She can also bring together a marketing support system of professionals on an as-needed basis to meet her clients' needs. Her business offers the full range of design services, including graphic design, web design, photography, videography, creative marketing, PR strategy, and event planning.
View this video for a closer look at Susan's business and what it does for its clients.
Susan Lapointe can be reached at 413-527-1447 or at turningleaf@charter.net , her website is www.turningleafonline.com, and her Facebook page is www.facebook.com/TurningLeaf32.
| |
Would you like your business to be featured in a future Member Spotlight? Contact the Chamber office and we will put you on the list.
|
|
Member News: ECA+ Seeks New Cultural District Designation, Plans Holiday Events
 ECA+ is seeking Mass. Cultural Council approval to designate a cultural district in Easthampton. The City Council adopted a resolution in October creating the Easthampton Cultural District, and now the city will finalize the application process and await state cultural council certification in January.
Created by the Mass. Cultural Council from an economic stimulus bill passed by the state legislature in 2011, the cultural district designation is "designed to help communities attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job growth, expand tourism, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development," according to its website.
The district includes the densely populated area of Main Street, the northern portion of Union Street, a portion of the Manhan Rail Trail to Payson Avenue, and the Cottage Street portion of Route 141. Burns Maxey, ECA+ coordinator, said the committee submitted three possible districts and this is the one the Council chose, because it's the city's most compact, connected, and densely populated area with over 100 cultural assets. The district could be expanded in the future, and the areas off the district can participate as partners and be included on the Cultural District map. The only cost for the district is $200 for the two MCC-created signs.
ECA+ and the city are sponsoring a community meeting on Nov. 1 at the Municipal Building from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m., with refreshments and information provided.
ECA+ also kicks off its busy holiday season on Dec. 6 with the Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Old Town Hall, 43 Main St. This celebration will include a festive Silent Auction, Small Works Show and Sale, and an announcement about Bear Fest auction proceeds to be provided to the schools and Riverside.
More information about the cultural district and holiday events can be found at the ECA+ website or from Burns Maxey at 413-527-8278.
|
|
Member News: Windows of Opportunity Open at RSI
In November, Riverside Industries, Inc. will launch a new $1.135 million fundraising campaign called "Windows of Opportunity" to replace 912 aging windows at its location at One Cottage Street, improving the 1859 historic mill building and making it more energy-efficient.
In August, the City Council approved $300,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for the project, which will fund the replacement of 241 windows. The remaining $835,000 will be fu
nded through donations as part of RSI's campaign.
The project is expected to save RSI approximately $50,000 a year in energy costs. The project will make the 165,000 sq. ft. building more comfortable for RSI clients and for the 84 tenants, mostly artists, who rent studio space from RSI. The building is heated with gas, but tenants often use electric space heaters to warm their studios in the winter. Char Gentes, President and CEO of RSI, said the project has been on RSI's to-do list for a dozen years, since it commissioned an energy audit to see how the building could be more efficient.
Donations to Windows of Opportunity can be made online. For more details on the benefits of the Windows of Opportunity project, and about RSI and its services, go to their website at www.rsi.org or contact Char Gentes at 413-527-2111.
|
Area News: Manhan Bridge Project Text Alerts
The Manhan Bridge Project in Easthampton is due to start in the next few months. In anticipation of traffic and other possible disruptions to both residents and businesses, especially during the bridge shutdown, the Chamber has taken on the responsibility of providing a new text alert system during that time, using a web-based system called Simplified SMS.
The system will be used to provide text alerts, whenever needed, during the construction phase of the bridge. With the possibility of daily changes in traffic, the system will help the Chamber notify business owners and the public more quickly than email.
In addition to the text system, the Chamber plans to email regular updates using Constant Contact, beginning in the next few weeks. The goal is to have both communications methods in place at the same time. Any interested parties will be able to sign up for both the Chamber's email list and the text alert system.
More information will be released on the sign-up process in the near future. In the meantime, if you have questions, contact Pat Brough at pbrough@finckandperras.com.. |
Member/Area News: Making Moves If your business is "making moves" in the greater Easthampton area, let us know and we'll post your info in future issues.
|
|
|
|
|
