St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

We're delighted to be finalizing the details for our 2025 St. Patrick's Day breakfast, scheduled for March 14, 2025. We'll be at Westfield State University's Scanlon Hall from 7-9 am. Our premium event sponsor is Westfield State University. You can have great visibility at this popular event by being a sponsor:

*Entertainment: $300

*Registration table: $300

*Coffee bar: $250

*Marketing table: $125

This year we will welcome Irish dancers as our morning's entertainment. Reserve your tickets now! Click here to register.

The Kiwanis Club of Westfield Holds 56th Annual Auction

Westfield Kiwanians are out in the community collecting donations for the Club's premium fundraiser, the Kiwanis Auction. The auction began on radio, moved to television, and then went online in 2021. Funds raised go to support Kiwanis's various child-focused initiatives, including camp scholarships, in-school student leadership programs, Boys & Girls Club, Little League, and more.

Promote your business to the auction's hundreds of bidders. Sponsor the auction for $150 or donate an item or service valued at $50 or more. The auction runs online at www.kiwanisauction.com from March 7-9. Email the club for more information.

Amelia Park Arena plans Celebrity Bartending Fundraiser Event for 25th Anniversary

This year marks the 25th Anniversary for Amelia Park, and the non-profit arena is set to combine celebration with fundraising. Amelia Park Arena will be launching a myriad of new fundraising events, with the goal of maintaining the beautiful facility for the community for years to come.

The first on tap will be a Celebrity Bartending Event at the Westfield Applebee’s on March 7th, from 5:30-8:30pm. The Celebrity Bartending Event will be a great opportunity for the people who have supported Amelia for many years to get together for a great time, and even better cause. The fundraising teams consist of local first responders, arena sponsors, Amelia Park trustees, and special guest

USA Women’s Hockey Olympic Gold Medalist Kacey Bellamy.

Westfield Applebee’s is graciously donating 15% of all tabs during the event to Amelia Park Arena. You can also go to eat any time during the day on March 7th and mention you’re there to support Amelia Park, and your bill will go towards the fundraiser. There will be four bartending teams battling to see who can raise the most funds. If you’d like to support a fundraising team you can visit www.ameliaparkarena.org/celebritybartender or email BFellows@ameliaparkarena.org. Checks can also be mailed to “Amelia Park Arena”

21 S Broad Street

Westfield, MA.

Employment Law Q&A

courtesy of Skoler Abbott

Q: President Trump has ordered diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs within the federal government to be completely dismantled. What does this mean for the Massachusetts pay transparency law?

A: Last August, Governor Healey signed “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency,” which is intended to increase pay equity and transparency in Massachusetts. Among other things, the new law requires employers who have 100 or more employees and who are subject to the federal EEO-1, EEO-3, EEO-4 or EEO-5 reporting requirements to submit a copy of their most recent EEO report to the Secretary of State on an annual or biannual basis. EEO reports contain workforce demographic and pay data categorized by race, ethnicity, sex, and job category. The first round of these reports is due to be filed by EEO-1, EEO-3 and EEO-5 filers just days from now, on February 3, 2025. 

President Trump’s January 20, 2025, Executive Order broadly directs the termination of all DEIA “mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.” However, it allows federal agencies, departments, and commissions 60 days to implement the Order and does not identify any policies, programs, or other equity-related activities by name. Additionally, the Massachusetts pay transparency statute merely requires employers to file a copy of their most recent EEO report with the state.

For these reasons, any impact the Executive Order may have on the EEO reporting requirements is not likely to impede employers’ ability to comply with the Massachusetts pay transparency law this year. And that means covered employers will likely be expected to comply with that law by the upcoming February 3 deadline despite any uncertainty created by President Trump’s Executive Order. If and when the Trump Administration’s agenda results in changes to the EEO reporting requirements, we expect the Healey Administration to issue further guidance regarding compliance with the pay transparency law in future years.  

BULK MAILING

We will be sending out a bulk mailing within the next few weeks. Get your business in front of all of our members with our mailer. Just drop off 250 copies of your flyer or promo piece and we'll do the rest. Call us at 413-568-1618 to hold your spot (spaces are limited). The cost to participate is $250.

The State of Massachusetts Business Address

AIM President and CEO Brooke Thomson delivered via video the 2025 State of Massachusetts Business Address, which articulates each year the vision and priorities of the Massachusetts business community for the coming year.

The good news is that we enter 2025 for the first time in four years buoyed by a stable, post-pandemic national economy with modest growth and moderate inflation. At the same time, Massachusetts faces significant challenges in areas ranging from economic growth to outmigration to housing, health care and energy.

WATCH THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS BUSINESS ADDRESS

CHAMBER EVENTS IN JANUARY & FEBRUARY

We look forward to seeing you at one (or all) of our upcoming events!

• Wednesday, January 29 -- WE2BA Meeting at Westfield Tech Academy, 8 am
• Tuesday, February 11 -- After 5 Connection at Memories on Elm, 5 pm
• Wednesday, February 19 -- Mayor's Coffee Hour at Westfield River Elementary School, 8 am. Please note change in date from February 5.
• Thursday, February 27 -- Morning Brew at Shortstop Bar & Grill, 8 am

Register for these events at www.westfieldbiz.org/events

THE CHAMBER'S 2025 GOLF TOURNAMENT IS GEARING UP

The Chamber's primary fundraiser, our annual Golf Tournament, is in the planning stages. Join us for a terrific day of golf, networking, and fun! We'll be at Tekoa Country Club on Monday, May 19 (please note NEW DATE and LOCATION). Our Event Sponsor is Westfield G+E. Be a part of this terrific event by signing on as a golfer or sponsor (or both). Or donate a raffle item from a local business.

CHAMBER COMMITTEE OPENINGS

Would you like to have more input on Chamber happenings, initiatives, and growth? Let your voice be heard by joining a committee. Our BCAC (Business Community Affairs Committee), Marketing, Events, and Membership committees are always looking for members. Each committee meets once a month by Zoom, though we will be shifting some meetings to in-person at the Chamber office. Join us and make a difference! Email amanda@westfieldbiz.org for more info.

Meeting times are as follows:

BCAC: First Tuesday of the month; 8 am via Zoom

Marketing: Second Thursday of the month; 9 am via Zoom

Events: Third Tuesday of the month; 9 am via Zoom

Membership: Fourth Tuesday of the month; 9 am via Zoom

Wellness Cruise with Pro Tour & Cruises

We're inviting amazing women to prioritize themselves and replenish their spirit by joining Kasie and Amber on the Norwegian Escape for our Wellness & Kindness Cruise to Bermuda from 9/24-29, 2025.

Over the course of six transformative days, you'll have the opportunity to connect with like-minded women while engaging in a thoughtfully curated schedule of inspiring activities. Embracing the "take what you need" philosophy, all activities are optional, empowering you to select what truly resonates with your needs. From Group Dinners to Sail-Away-Intentions, Yoga, Meditation, Sound Healing, Journaling, and 'Cocktails with Kindness,' our goal is to ensure you leave recharged, refocused, and ready to embrace your journey with renewed energy.



Monthly Payment Plan, Low Deposit - Pricing starts at $1185 per person for this amazing Deal!

MORE INFORMATION & FLYER