Overall, it was another busy year for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and I am proud of what we accomplished during that time. The Chamber hosted some great luncheon programs, which included a 25th Congressional District candidate debate and a State of the County presentation from Supervisor Kathryn Barger. The Chamber's Education Foundation had another great group of Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA) graduates, which started 10 new businesses. Our Work Ethics Scholarship Committee helped give out $17,000 in scholarships to local high school students. Not to mention the dozens of ribbon cuttings and mixers that our chamber hosted, helping celebrate business grand openings, anniversaries, and expansions.

The Lancaster Chamber also worked closely with other community and business organizations to host a variety of events, including our first advocacy trip to Sacramento. I am happy to report that our relationships with our sister chambers of commerce and other local business and community organizations have never been stronger.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the hard work of our members, and the support of our wonderful sponsors. I would like to give special thanks the Board of Directors for their patience, guidance and support throughout the year, as well as our great staff, led by Mark Hemstreet, for all the work they do to help the chamber run smoothly.

It is hard to believe that my year as Chairman is almost over. I am thankful for the opportunity to represent an organization, and membership, comprised of such great business and community leaders. I am excited about the year ahead. We have a great Board of Directors, which, under Chairwoman Katie Nelson's leadership, will undoubtable thrive.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope you will join me to celebrate our accomplishments of the past year at the Lancaster Chamber Installation Banquet on Friday, June 21.

Lancaster Chamber of Commerce

CEO, Mark Hemstreet