Chamber Golf Tournament a Huge Success  

Start with perfect summer weather; add 31 teams of golfers, over 70 sponsors and supporters, an enthusiastic and hard-working group of volunteers and a beautiful venue at the Southampton Country Club. Mix in raffles, games, prizes, lunch and dinner, and you get the perfect recipe for the Chamber's signature annual event.

Congratulations go to the first-place winners, the Turning Leaf team (Dede Johnson, Fran Cornacchioli, Michelle Morgan and Kevin Horrigan).

This year not only celebrated the 30th year for this event, but also was dedicated to the memory of the tournament's first chairperson, William A. Cater Jr., a lifelong golfing enthusiast and former Chamber president for five years. Dorothy Cater donated the prize money for one of the holes, and a portion of the raffle proceeds will go toward holiday lights, a Chamber initiative near and dear to Bill's heart.  

Says Dave DelVecchio, who chaired the event with Ed Batchelder, "Many thanks to all of our sponsors and volunteers who supported the tournament. It was an honor to help coordinate an event that started 30 years ago, thanks to the vision of Mr. Cater, and continues to thrive and helps to fund many of the Chamber's community initiatives."   

The Chamber would like to thank our major sponsors Easthampton Savings Bank and Five Star Building Corp., as well as all the other sponsors, volunteers and golfers who made the day a true success. A complete list of all those who helped us can be found here.

 

Member News: Web-tactics Celebrates First Year in Shop Row  

Photo by Kevin Gutting

Founded in 2004, Web-tactics, inc. moved from Northampton to its new location here in Easthampton. "Our new location has added the convenience of free parking for our clients right out in front of our building. Being located right on Main Street has increased our visibility and our walk-in traffic," says Janel Jorda, owner and president. Located in one of the oldest buildings in Easthampton, Web-tactics' interior boasts original maple flooring, original brick walls and the original tin ceiling, while the decor has a very modern, comfortable, Zen-like feel to it.

 "Easthampton is the warmest, most friendly city in the Valley. The other local businesses, Chamber members and local residents are all like neighbors to us. Since our move to Easthampton a year ago August, Web-tactics' business has doubled. We want to take a moment to thank our clients for a successful year. Also, we would like to invite anyone who hasn't stopped by our new location, to do so anytime."

Web-tactics is a Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE). Web-tactics is the only Web development company in the Pioneer Valley to offer a 50% off discount for nonprofit organizations on Web design and maintenance.

Web-tactics' services include website design, hosting, website maintenance, search engine optimization services, social media management, Internet marketing, promotions and much more. More about Web-tactics, inc. can be found at www.web-tactics.com or find them on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter at @webtacticsinc. 

 

Member News: In Memoriam, Gregory A. Cole 

The Chamber is sad to report that Gregory A. Cole, 58, a Chamber member since 2009, passed away on July 22 in a scuba diving accident off the coast of Salem.

He was born in Westfield, worked for many years as a machinist, and owned and operated his own business, Specialty Sealing out of Westfield.

He loved the outdoors, enjoyed cruising on his motorcycle and was an avid skier, scuba diver, hunter, and fisherman. Greg even drove in a few demolition derbys, did a skydive, and traveled the Caribbean. He was a fan of the Patriots and Red Sox. He was a member of the Slovak Hall and Springfield Ski Club.

Contributions in Greg's name may be directed to the Divers Alert Network or the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Chamber sends its sympathy to Greg's family, friends and colleagues.

 

Area News: Help Artists Affected by Paragon Fire  

Several artists were affected by the fire at the Paragon Arts & Industries Building on the night of August 4. Sprinkler systems ruined thousands of dollars' worth of original artwork by Marlene Rye, Joey Pesce and Maggie Nowinski.  

Here are links to various funds set up to help these artists recover their work:

Paragon Studios Emergency Relief Fund:

Paragon Phoenix:

 

Chamber Member2Member Benefits: Let's Help One Another Right Now

"Member2Member" benefits, those discounts and special offers that are provided by Chamber members, to Chamber members. 

For example, the Wireless Zone of Easthampton offers 20% off smartphones with new 2-year agreements, and a 20% discount on all accessories.  

Also, TechCavalry, the on-demand service team from Innovative Business Systems, will waive their $35 registration fee for a service appointment within Hampshire County.  

And new Charter Business customers are eligible for a one-time $100 credit when signing up for Charter Business communications. The details of all these offers can be found in the right-hand column of this newsletter, as well as in our Membership Directory.

Have you taken advantage of these offers? Do you have an offer of your own for fellow Chamber members? Let us know, and we'll list your offer in our monthly newsletters all year 'round. If we know about it by September 1, we can also include it in our "Benefits of Membership" pages in our next directory, due to be published and distributed by the Hampshire Gazette in November 2014.

Send details of your offer to Denise Gross at info@easthamptonchamber.org, or call her at 413-527-9414 if you'd like more details about Member2Member benefits available.