Join us for the first Business After Hours of the year! The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center (formerly Holiday Inn Taunton) will be hosting TONIGHT from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. They are located in the Myles Standish Industrial Park at 700 Myles Standish Blvd. First drink FREE, compliments of the Clarion Hotel!

Business After Hours is an evening of fun, food, and fellowship among Chamber members and their guests, with a chance to network, make new friends, and meet potential customers. Register below.

April is Financial Literacy Month and a good reminder to reach out to an SBA resource partner for free financial counseling and training. Connect with a Community Navigator, Small Business Development Center, SCORE, Veterans Business Outreach Center or a Women's Business Center near you. Learn more here.

The Baker-Polito Administration, including MassHire Career Centers and Workforce Boards and the Commonwealth Corporation, is hosting a series of 10 regional employer roadshows from late April to May, with the goal of connecting employers to new and existing workforce supports from the Commonwealth. Learn more here.

You can register for the below sessions today:

o  Market Maker / MassHire Engagement Session. Learn about how the MassHire system can help your company build a pipeline of skilled employees. Meet your new Market Maker and hear how you can access more than $200M in workforce funding.

o  HireNow Workshop. Learn more about the new HireNow program - you can receive $4,000 per new hire to support hiring, training and retention.

o  Workforce Development Roundtable. Sit down with MA workforce leaders to share your perspective and discuss broader workforce trends in the state.

Gov. Charlie Baker recently signed into law a $1.67 billion supplemental budget bill that included funding for additional COVID-19 response efforts and other mid-year spending needs. The law also extends the pandemic related restaurant policies that allow for outdoor dining and alcohol drinks-to-go for an additional year, through April 1, 2023.

A decision recently handed down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will result in a more rigid application of the state’s Wage Act and render violations more costly for employers. In the case of Reuter v. City of Methuen, No. SJC-13121 (Mass. April 4, 2022), the Court ruled that when an employer terminates an employee and fails to pay them accrued wages on the day of discharge, as required by the Wage Act, the employer immediately becomes liable for triple the amount of the unpaid wages. In effect, any employee paid late—regardless of the reason for the delay and even if the wages were subsequently paid by the employer—is now entitled to three times the total amount of wages in question. This includes honest payroll errors and even good faith disputes over what an employee may be owed.

The decision overturns 20 years of guidance from the lower courts which limited damages for violations to three times the interest owed on the delayed wages when an employer pays the late wages prior to the employee filing a complaint in court. With this ruling, the need for employers to strictly comply with the Wage Act when terminating employees has become much more important. Employers must ensure that any and all unpaid wages are calculated correctly and paid in a timely manner on the date of discharge. Failure to do so will expose the employer to strict liability for three times the amount of unpaid wages and the employee’s attorney’s fees. It remains unseen whether this change will apply retroactively or to other violations of the Wage Act.

On March 28, President Biden announced his administration’s fiscal year 2023 budget request to Congress. While it had looked like many of the anti-small business policies included in the Build Back Better Act were eliminated last year, the new Biden budget assumes the Build Back Better Act will be enacted this year and requests additional tax increases and mandates on top of that.

The most harmful Biden Administration policy proposals are:

This budget request will not become law, but its policy options will be used as a baseline for Congress moving forward. “The assumption that the Build Back Better Act will be enacted continues to raise alarm bells and it’s important for small business owners to continue to push back,” Kuhlman explains.

To join in the fight to stop the Build Back Better Act’s small business tax increases and mandates still being considered in Congress, please email your concerns to your U.S. Senators and Representative.

Did you know there are 257 national holidays in April alone? You may find them hard to keep up with, but they can be a great source of engagement for your business. You just have to know how to use them for maximum return and get a little creative. Celebrating these days serves to connect your audience with your business so make sure you have a little fun with this. Click here for 20 ideas.

The Annual Meeting will include the presentation of the Annual Business Awards, and new this year, an Educator of the Year award and recognition of the Charles E. Volkmann Scholarship recipients.

We are excited to announce the Business Award honorees:

Congratulations to the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year, Steve Kulpa, Special Ed Teacher at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School.

The two recipients of the Charles E. Volkmann Scholarship are Alec Rego and Timothy Luc, both of Taunton High School.

This year's keynote speaker is Dave Wedge, a New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and communications consultant based in Boston. He has written six non-fiction books, including “Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy,” a drama about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings which was adapted for the 2017 movie “Patriots Day”; “Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture and Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss”; and “The Last Days of John Lennon,” written with co-author Casey Sherman and James Patterson. His next book, “Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang,” was released March 15 via William Morrow/Harper Collins.

Dave was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Boston Herald for 14 years and has written for VICE, Esquire, Newsweek and Boston magazine. He and Sherman host the true crime podcast, "Saints Sinners & Serial Killers." He has also worked as a communications consultant with a diverse roster of clients in politics, business, nonprofit, hospitality, health care, sports and more.

Register below to attend this virtual meeting.

Taunton Federal Credit Union will be hosting a Business After Hours on Wednesday, May 25th from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Stop by and see their new branch at 403 Winthrop Street in Taunton. Co-hosted by Brownstone Realty Group.

The Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team are thrilled to announce the recent purchase of a 42,000 square foot building located at 470 Myles Standish Boulevard, Taunton, that will soon serve as the bank’s new headquarters. Mechanics Cooperative Bank is excited for the opportunity to create a more efficient and collaborative work environment that is specifically designed to support the needs of staff and customers. Read the press release.

Have some fun this month at the Old Colony History Museum (OCHM). They will be virtually visiting the Dighton Rock Museum, celebrating National Poetry Month, and hosting their 169th Annual Meeting in April! Learn more.

LeBaron Hills Country Club is having an Easter Bruch again this year on Sunday, April 17th. First seating is at 11:00 a.m. and second seating is at 1:30 p.m. Reservations are required - call 508-923-5706. Click here for the menu.

Taunton Area School to Career (TASC), a program of Associates for Human Services, proudly presents their 18th Annual Business -Education Spelling Bee! It will be held at Taunton High School on April 27th at 5:30 p.m. Where community businesses and civic groups partner with local students for a traditional spelling bee! Learn more here. Sponsorship and Team Registration Form

Girls Inc. of Taunton is excited to announce Stronger, Smarter, Bolder. A Women’s Workshop! It was designed to bring their mission to women in our community. The workshop will be held on Friday, May 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Learn more here.

Let SCORE business advisors help you navigate the SBA Debt Relief Programs or the start-up and growth of your small business. All services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. If you are an existing SCORE client, please send an email to your SCORE counselor to schedule a phone call or Zoom conference. If you are new to SCORE, please complete the Request a Mentor form and someone from SCORE will contact you via email to schedule an appointment with an advisor. Sign up for SCORE webinars here. View upcoming webinars here.

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? SBA resource partner, SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer business mentors. Connect with a mentor today!

Are you considering entrepreneurship as a career option?

Would you like to run a business that will provide greater autonomy, financial independence, freedom from being downsized, or simply an exit strategy from corporate America?

Join SEMA SCORE and FRANNET for the latest Franchising 101 workshop. You will leave our webinar equipped with:

• A comprehensive knowledge base of franchise ownership options you may not have considered

• Assessment strategies to determine if franchising will help achieve your personal, professional, and financial goals

• Links to resources available before, during, and after your selection process

Presenter: Dana Hall, Franchise Consultant with FranNet of Boston

Register here .

You know you need a website for your business. But, how do you set it up for online success?

First, you need to have a solid plan in place. Fortunately, this webinar will help with exactly that!

After this webinar you’ll have a better understanding of:

●  Your website’s audience

●  Feature and functionality needs

●  Content planning

●  How to choose the right platform

●  Best practices for online success

After this webinar, you'll have a comprehensive plan in place for your business's website. Attendees may also request the free workbook upon completion of the webinar.

Presenter: Jessica Baldwin, Co-Founder of Cardsetter

Register here .

This year, during an unprecedented national health crisis, small businesses needed help more than ever before. In order to support these business owners when they needed it most, the SCORE Foundation provided funding for SCORE’s Small Business Resilience program. This platform allowed SCORE to pivot their mentoring and educational services onto virtual platforms, where clients could easily access the pandemic-related information, guidance and resources they needed to survive and thrive. Learn more here.

Are you looking for ways to help your small business community? Would you like to grow your network or develop professionally? As a SCORE volunteer, you get it all!

Join the SCORE network of 10,000 volunteers. SCORE relies on volunteers to help small business around the country thrive.

Interested? Visit the volunteer web page to find about the many benefits of volunteering and the right opportunity for you!

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