In this November Issue...
- Messages from Our Leadership
- Upcoming Events
- Strategic Plan Focus: Developing the Next Generation of Community Leadership
- The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
- Nominating Committee Report -- Board of Directors
- EBL Leadership Program
- Health Insurance Open Enrollment
- New Members
- Independent Health's Ask the Expert
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Colleen discusses the national view of Chambers and what actions the Amherst Chamber of Commerce is taking to remain relevant and viable in to the future. She shares how the culture of the Chamber has shifted over the last 35 years and how it is changing even more now with the very different work and life philosophy of millennials.
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Message from the President
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A.J. touches on today's changing business culture and how the Chamber must innovate to grow. He shares the work that the Emerging Business Leaders Council (EBL) has been putting in to create a strategic plan and how the Chamber has put a focus on growing its young professionals involvement.
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Earl shares some benchmarks of the Chamber's progress with its strategic plan. He provides updates with respect to the Chamber's activity in economic development with new partnerships, engagement in regional discussions and initiatives, as well as its focus on small business members and their needs. Earl also discusses the Chamber's activity in the area of public policy and the preparation of its 2018 legislative agenda.
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Lunch Mob
Join us
Wednesday, November 15
from
12:00pm - 1:00pm
for our first ever Lunch Mob! This is a casual, no agenda, opportunity to enjoy lunch, and make some new connections all while supporting an Amherst Chamber member restaurant. Let us know if you'll be joining us,
register here.
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Ribbon Cutting -- Bank on Buffalo
Don't miss Bank on Buffalo's grand opening and ribbon cutting on
Thursday, November 16 at 8:30am
at 5190 Sheridan Drive in Williamsville. If you have any questions contact the Chamber at 632-6905.
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Ribbon Cutting -- Woodhouse Spa
Join us for a ribbon cutting for the opening of The Woodhouse Day Spa on
Thursday, November 16 at 4pm.
Enjoy tours, refreshments and more at this new destination for relaxation, and letting go located at 5933 Main Street in Williamsville! For more information contact the Chamber at 632-6905.
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Business After Hours
Business After Hours is back after a break in October! Join us
Tuesday, November 21
from
5pm-7pm
at the
Millennium Hotel,
2040 Walden Avenue, Cheektowaga.
Click here to register
.
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Business Before Hours
Enjoy a lively, stress-free morning of networking (and maybe get a start on your holiday gift shopping) at Business Before Hours, hosted by Brian Michael's Jewelers! Join us
Thursday, November 30 from 7:30am-9:00am
at 1150 Niagara Falls Blvd. in Tonawanda.
Register here
for this free networking event.
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Strategic Plan - Developing the Next Generation of Community Leadership
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Over the last few months we have highlighted each one of our five key objectives outlined in the new Strategic Plan, this this month being the last. The final plan is a result of the input of many stakeholders and members.
Objective: Developing the Next Generation of Community Leadership
Emerging Business Leaders
The Emerging Business Leaders (EBL) Council was developed by the Chamber for Western New York's young professionals. The objectives of EBL include continuing to integrate EBL Board Members on chamber boards, committees and task forces; ensuring that the Leadership Program is sustained and generates financial resources to assist with other events and activities; increasing membership in EBL annually through coordinated activities with the Chamber's Membership Task Force; and increasing attendance at the annual Summer ProMix through coordinated activities with the Chamber's Special Events Task Force.
Leadership Development
Leadership Development is an organizational responsibility and priority of the Chamber. This includes mentoring business leaders by supporting various programs and events sponsored by EBL. Another component of Leadership Development is working with current board members in identifying executives within their respective organizations in order to prepare them to serve on the Chamber Board of Directors.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion is another organizational responsibility and priority of the Board of Directors. The Chamber is committed to a policy of inclusion and diversity in order to reflect the demographics of the community it serves. The Chamber will create a task force to start the process of a recruitment program to achieve a more diverse membership.
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The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
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Thank you to all who joined us at
The Event -- Celebrating Business Excellence. More than 350 members of the Buffalo Niagara region business community joined us at Salvatore's Italian Gardens to recognize the contributions of our eight honorees to the community, as well as celebrate the strides our region has made in the recent years as a whole.
Congratulations again to our 2017 honorees:
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR --
DENT Neurologic Institute
WOMAN OF DISTINCTION--
Mary Wilson
STEWARDSHIP --
43North
HOSPITALITY -- Th
e Shatzel Group
REVITALIZATION --
Reikart House
ENTREPRENEUR --
Nick Sinatra
INNOVATION --
Honeywell International, Inc.
COMMUNITY SERVICE --
Independent Health Foundation
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Visit our facebook page to see more pictures from the evening as well as some of the great videos created by the team at
Buffalo Video Production!
Thank you also to all of our event sponsors and partners: M&T Bank, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Kaleida Health, Keybank, National Fuel, National Grid, Phillips Lytle LLP, Uniland Development Company, Buffalo Video Production, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and Salvatore's Italian Gardens.
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Nominating Committee Report -- Board of Directors
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The Amherst Chamber of Commerce is fortunate to have an abundance of business leaders who support our organization and offer to serve in a leadership capacity. Our organization is led by a Board of Directors that is organized to represent the diverse interests of our membership that spans over 85 zip codes from across the Buffalo Niagara region. Consequently, we are dedicated to identifying representatives that truly reflect our members. Unfortunately, that means that we can’t accept all applicants requesting consideration. However, we will work to make sure that every member indicating an interest has the ability to serve in some leadership capacity within the Chamber. The following slate was selected to serve a three year term, beginning January 1, 2018:
David Mingoia - Amherst IDA
Jeffrey Bochiechio - Bouvier Law
Rachael Brown - Employer Services Corporation
Michael Anderson - KeyBank
Frank LoTempio - LoTempio P.C. Law Group
Lukas Woeppel - M&T Bank
Jeffrey Lehrbach - McGuire Development Company
Mary Grace Welch - National Grid
Mark Gaulin - PCI
Leah Halton-Pope - Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Erin McGee - UB Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Jesse Wendell - WENDEL
Gina Fedele - Windsong Radiology
This is a single slate. No response is considered a favorable vote and the entire slate will be approved as stated. Members in good standing who were not selected are eligible, pursuant to our by-laws, to circulate a document for the purpose of securing 10 signatures of members and a new slate will be prepared and distributed for a full membership vote.
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EBL Leadership Program 2018 - Meet the Presenters
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The Emerging Business Leaders is now accepting applications for its Leadership Program. The program will run from January - August 2018, and focus on the key personal development skills young professionals need to grow into strong leaders within the business community.
The program consists of eight, two-hour classes. The classes take place the first Friday of each month from 8am-10am at Dopkins & Co., LLP in Williamsville. Applications are now being accepted with a $100 deposit.
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Health Insurance Open Enrollment Open Houses
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The Amherst Chamber of Commerce operates a Health Insurance Agency within our organization, with three licensed professionals on staff who devote a great deal of time and energy in making sure they are well informed about the benefits available to our members. We are here to service our clients every business day of the year. Health Insurance is one of the tools we provide that allows our members to focus on their core competencies and grow their profitability.
We offer plans from the local carriers at all price points, and will work with you to identify the plan that meets your needs. We offer health insurance for individuals, sole proprietors and small groups. We can write insurance from different carriers within a single business. We can service your employees individually and take that onerous task off your plate.
Please stop in during one of our Open Enrollment Open Houses to let us service your health insurance needs:
Tuesday, November 7, 2pm - 5pm
Friday, November 17, 7:30am - 11:30am
Thursday, November 30, 10am - 3pm
If you are not able to stop in during one of our Open Houses do not worry, our office is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30am-5pm, and we welcome you to schedule an appointment or stop in during a time convenient for you. To make an appointment call the Chamber at 632-6905.
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Ian Pasternack
Katrina Young
Benjamin Sayers
Steve Obletz
Michael Tobin
Lou Catalano
Tom Adams
Guy Sadkin
Cindy Cummings
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Jeffrey Bochiechio
Rosanne Davis
Michele Zimmer
Pamela Nelligan
The LIT Media
Pavel Ketsuk
Susan Light
Phoenix Global Solutions
Shane Khanjani
Theresa Von Vreckin
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Ask the Expert -- with Jeremy Walczak, Chief Information Security Officer at Independent Health
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Q. Is my health information protected or can it be shared?
A: Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), health insurance plans may use or disclose the health information of its members for payment, treatment, health care operations and as required by law. For all other uses and disclosures, a health insurer must have a signed Protected Health Information/HIPAA Authorization Form from a member before it can share the member’s health information with a spouse, relative or employer. Also, teenagers ages 13 and older have the right to keep information about their care confidential, even from their parents or guardians.
If you are an Independent Health member and would like to give a loved one access to your health information, you can complete the Protected Health Information/HIPAA Authorization Form by clicking
here.
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University at Buffalo News
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Germs on smartphone? UB engineer receives grant for light-based disinfection innovation.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mobile devices are not only smart, they're dirty — often containing millions of invisible bacteria and microorganisms from our faces, ears, hands and elsewhere.
In everyday environments this bacteria is usually innocuous. However, in sensitive environments such as hospitals and food processing facilities, spreading diseases such as the flu or norovirus via mobile devices can have serious health consequences.
To prevent this from happening, University at Buffalo researcher Edward Furlani is working with two Western New York companies — CleanSlate UV (Buffalo) and Grantwood Technologies (Rochester) — to deliver faster, more effective and easier sanitization of mobile devices using ultraviolet light, which damages the DNA of microorganisms and renders them inactive.
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Thank You to Our Investors
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Amherst Chamber of Commerce | (P) 716.632.6905 | (F) 716.632.0548 | www.amherst.org
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