Friday, June 3, 2022
Claudia Pazmany
Executive Director
Greetings!

What an incredible week of connection.

The response to our poster campaign has been incredible. Above we met up with our Terry Bresnahan of our member Bresnahan Insurance who stopped by to pick up posters for both his Amherst and Holyoke locations.

We then responded to Ann Bronner's request for them, and we happily stopped by at Summerlin Floors in Amherst. We are grateful for our community's commitment to supporting equity & inclusion.

Call, email, stop by - we will get the posters to you. We will be walking about next week to get more out.

And just in time for the Pride Proclamation this afternoon at 5:30 at Town of Amherst Town Hall, our PRIDE banners are up thanks to help from our town's DPW! Check out local window displays and product offerings across our community...from Amherst downtown to the Mill District, from Yankee Candle to the Hampshire Mall, from Amherst Cinema to The Drake...pride is being celebrated everywhere.

And the upcoming Juneteenth and Yidstock festivals will also bring diverse groups together to celebrate diverse heritage and learn across difference. See more information below.

The rainbow colors are bright and cheerful but mark a dark past - and often a painful modern day. As much as we all love the colorful displays, remember that 50 years ago, the rainbow flag was created, which took inspiration from the stripes of the American flag, designed with the purpose of inclusion - including multiple colors, signifying acceptance of all groups and communities.

Again, our poster campaign will not solve these issues but when your place of business shares them, they tell those who might feel targeted that they matter, and that they are WELCOME. Please contact Joan for yours today.

New Member Expo!

Thank you to the many Amherst Area businesses who found your way to our business community by joining during a pandemic. You understood the value and meaning of building your business through marketing and exposure...something our Chamber can offer you. That includes opportunities to get your brand visibility and increase your brand awareness. Our expo was just that!

The skies remained clear and we had a beautiful evening with Hadley views and breezes, amazing food from SO many partners and pourings too and in person networking!
Famous rolls & Caesar salads by Texas Roadhouse Hadley
Amazing Bacon Cheddar Potato Salad & Tricolor Macaroni salads by Hamel's Creative Catering
Ice Cream from the famous local brand Herrell's Ice Cream, huge cookies from our local Hadley Panera, and tastings from Four Seasons Wine & Liquors and V-One Vodka!
And the live music by Hadyen Treble of the Groover Cleveland Band - never disappoints! We cannot wait to have you back again.

And to gratitude to ALL who made it possible:
Thank you to Homewood Suites for opening your beautiful outdoor space and dedicating so much staff time to making this event a warm & welcoming one.
Thank you to UMassFive College Credit Union for investing with us as a Presenting Sponsor.
And to our supporting sponsors who always show up, Steve Lewis Subaru and Superior Plus Energy/Osterman Propane.
And thank you for listening to the amazing work of the Children's Advocacy Center. Please take Kara up on her offer for a tour and you will really understand exactly how they truly support families and children threatened by domestic violence.

And some of the most simple items can make an enormous difference so when NO tables were to be had to rent, both Atkins Farms Country Market and Amherst Recreation came to the rescue. Thank you!

And huge hanks to our Amherst Area Chamber staff: John Page for all the marketing, Janet McKenna Lowry for creating a fabulous Passport so all our vendors and sponsors benefitted from one-on-one networking, and to Joan Temkin for always being our favorite registration greeter. And a very special nod of gratitude to Joan Dahl-Lussier of Homewood Suites, who exemplifies what it means to be a Chamber Ambassador. She truly helped us support our businesses to make them feel the Chamber connection. It takes a village, and we cannot create these marketing opportunities for our businesses without a team effort.

Here is a link to the media coverage of our event and enjoy perusing the Facebook album below.

SO much to work on, so much to celebrate...

In your corner always.
NEW MEMBER EXPO 2022 in the books!
Check out the Facebook photo album.
See our recent e-blast highlighting LGBTQ+ Pride Month's significance detailed in Town of Amherst's proclamation, programming that is happening in the Amherst area, and an opportunity to self-identify as a LGBTQ+ owned or ally business on our "Support Diverse Local Business" listing.
NEW MEMBERS!
TickReport
Located at 29 Cottage Street, Amherst
TickReport provides molecular testing of ticks and mosquitoes to help users gauge their personal risk of exposure to Lyme bacteria and over 20 other pathogens.

Visit their website to learn more here.
CHAMBER EVENTS
Arrive @5 with Curran & Keegan, the Greater Northampton Chamber, and your Amherst Area Chamber!
Location: Hosted by Curran & Keegan Financial at 104 Middle Street in Hadley
Date/Time Information: Wednesday June 8, 2022, 5pm - 7pm
Fees/Admission: This event is free of charge!
GOLF REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
REGISTER YOUR TEAMS AND HELP US FILL THE COURSE FOR
CANCER CONNECTION!

This year, a portion of our proceeds will go to our Chamber member, Cancer Connection. They offer a haven where people living with cancer, their families, and their caregivers can learn how to cope with their changed lives and bodies and emotional turmoil by sharing strategies, resources, hope, and strength. All services and programs at Cancer Connection are offered free of charge. We are proud to support them.

In addition, the Chamber will partner once again with Cooley Dickinson Health Care, to award four $1,000 scholarships to four deserving seniors from Amherst Regional, Hopkins Academy, Belchertown High School, and Frontier Regional School pursuing business and/or healthcare-related studies, in an institution of higher education.

HAMPSHIRE MALL RETURNS AS OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR
and WE WILL RETURN TO THE BEAUTIFUL
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE. Email Claudia
Get ready for the annual Golf Tournament with some custom merch!
Job Board
Remember to visit our Employment Opportunities page for job postings and other area job resources.

As a member, you can post directly to the site and it will upload automatically to this page and across our social media channels. Membership matters.

We are here to support YOU.
NEW! AMHERST EXISTING SMALL BUSINESS GRANT APPLICATION

The Amherst BID, in collaboration with the Town of Amherst, has been allocated $25,000 to help small, brick and mortar, storefront businesses throughout the Town of Amherst MA with project-based grant assistance.

There are limited funds and we want to make sure that these funds have a direct impact. In order to do so, we are requesting you apply for funding for a specific "project" that will assist your businesses to thrive post-pandemic. A "Project" can be, but is NOT limited to: exterior upgrades such as paint, lighting, or awning replacement; interior upgrades such as paint, shelving, internal branding/marketing; Marketing Technology needs such as branding, logo upgrades, web design, social media training. These are just a few examples. Grants will be between $1,000 - $5,000.

The application deadline is June 30, 2022. Applications will be reviewed using a scoring system and then by a committee between July 1- 15. Funding will be released immediately upon award notice. Follow-up and completion of projects will be required. Please contact [email protected] with questions.

Your Amherst Area Chamber was proud to work with the Amherst BID in creating an Amherst-wide list of businesses. If you know a business based in Amherst who did NOT receive this email, please forward the application to them. We did our best to make as comprehensive a list as possible.
AND free tests are available at our office.
MassDOT’s FY2023-2027 CIP

Thank you to all of you who wrote in with your local priorities for inclusion in MassDOT's FY2023-2027 Capital Investment Plan (CIP). 
 
Elena shared the following remarks at last week’s public meeting (while Jo was debating the budget). You can read the full text here: https://senatorjocomerford.org/sen-comerfords-testimony-on-2023-2027-capital-investment-plan/ - THANK YOU FOR ADVOCATING FOR HADLEY, BELCHERTOWN, AND AMHERST!
 
MassDOT is still accepting public comment. Comments can be submitted in the following ways. 
 
CIP Comment Tool: Comments will be accepted directly through the CIP Online Comment Tool. Members of the public can add general comments or project specific comments.
Email: Comments can be emailed to [email protected]
Letters: Physical letters will be accepted from stakeholders and members of the public wishing to use non-virtual means to participate. 
___________________________________________________________________
Grants workshop series

We’ve just finished 4 out of the 5 sessions planned as part of the series of state funding information sessions for western MA municipalities. Each session has provided a wealth of information thanks to presentations by our state agency partners and the steadfast work of the local regional planning agencies: Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. It’s our job to help our region access our fair share of state grants. We hope this series will prove equal to this task and we hope to hold series like this every session we have the privilege to serve. 

If you missed any of them here are the recordings:
PRESENTED BY BANKESB with PROCEEDS going to the
INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS & CELEBRATION

The Town of Amherst and Amherst Recreation proudly present our Independence Day Celebration on Friday, July 1st starting at 5:00 PM. Join us behind McGuirk Stadium at UMass Amherst located on Stadium Drive. There will be fun for the whole family at this annual celebration. FREE parking. 

Starting at 5:00 PM: Live Performances, Hot Air Balloon Rides, Beer Garden, Games, Prizes, Food, Raffles & More (Cash ONLY)

Fireworks at 9:00 PM

Questions? Email or call (413) 259-3065
Additional Member Events & Announcements
Amherst College Announces 20th President

Amherst College announced that Michael A. Elliott '92, a professor of English and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, has been named its 20th president.

Read more
www.amherst.edu
BankESB Makes $500,000 Challenge Grant To Cooley Dickinson 

Matthew Sosik, president and CEO of bankESB, announced that the bank has made a $500,000 challenge grant to support the Emergency Department at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. The funds will be used to support Transforming Emergency Care: Campaign for the Cooley Dickinson Emergency Department, a $19.76 million expansion, reconfiguration, and renovation effort to allow Cooley Dickinson to meet the ever-evolving emergency medicine needs of all members of the community, from infants to older adults.

“Access to quality medical care is something we all count on, and Cooley Dickinson continues to do an amazing job treating our friends, family, and neighbors who live and work in our communities,” said Sosik. “bankESB is pleased to do its part in supporting Cooley Dickinson and its efforts to transform its Emergency Department into one that’s as up-to-date as possible and can unlock its full potential. We hope others will do the same.”
Nicholas Moszynski Named Marketing & Communications Director At TommyCar Auto Group 

TommyCar Auto Group, operator of five dealerships in Western Massachusetts, recently welcomed Nicholas Moszynski as its new director of Marketing & Communications. 

Moszynski is a seasoned marketing and advertising professional. Including an extensive background in digital marketing. 

“We’re excited to welcome Nicholas to the team,” said Carla Cosenzi, President of TommyCar Auto Group. “His digital and marketing background is going to help us streamline our advertising and elevate our digital presence. As our company evolves to satisfy the demands of the tech-savvy car shopper, Nick is the perfect person to help us lead these initiatives.” Full BusinessWest story.

Welcome Nicholas!

And check out Carla Cosenzi, of Tommy Car Auto Group, on the BusinessWest Podcast!
2021 FLORENCE BANK COMMUNITY CHOICE GRANTS ANNOUNCED

Last Thursday, we held our 20th Annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Ceremony at the Garden House at Look Park in Florence! This year, thanks to the votes from our customers, 45 nonprofits received a share of $100,000. For a list of winners, click here.

Don't forget, the grant pool has increased to a total of $125,000 for 2022.


Congratulations to all!
Informational Webinar for Small Employers on the Health Connector for Business
Wednesday, June 8, 12-1pm

Health Connector will be hosting a public informational webinar session on Wednesday, June 8 from 12-1pm. We have put together a toolkit that you can use in your emails, newsletters, websites, and social media platforms to pass along this information and invitation to your members.
The agenda includes:
  • Coverage options for small employers through Health Connector for Business
  • Flexible Employee Choice models
  • Exclusive cost-saving benefits through the Health Connector for Business such as the ConnectWell rebate program and the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
  • Health insurance options for sole proprietors and owner-only groups not eligible for small group coverage
  • Health Connector as an alternative to COBRA
The toolkit includes social media content, flyers, and more. You can access the toolkit here. Interested small businesses can REGISTER HERE.
Acknowledgements
Chamber Champions engage throughout the year deepening their relationship with the Chamber and its business community. If you are interested in learning more about the Chamber Champion Program contact Claudia at [email protected]
Strategic Partners are organizations with whom your Amherst Area Chamber have agreements that allow us to promote one another while gaining value for you, our Members.