Just over two weeks ago, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce hosted our Annual Meeting, where we seated our 2026 Board of Directors, who will once again be led by Peter Petrella, President of TalentRise, and unveiled our 2026 Public Policy Agenda. Our agenda continues to serve as a vital advocacy roadmap shaped by input from our diverse Economic Development & Public Policy Council and everyday member feedback. This year's priorities focus on promoting a more business-friendly environment across New York State, rolling back some of the regulations that coincide with development, updating the tools necessary for our industrial agencies to incentivize projects, and we continued to opposing unrealistic timelines and mandates from the Climate Action Council, while affirming the Chamber's commitment to environmental protection and recognizing past successes in emissions reductions through technological advancements. The agenda also addresses a variety of human service issues and outlines the benefits of supporting our higher education institutions. While our agenda is unveiled at the beginning of the year, we recognize that issues come up all the time, which is why we constantly update our website. I encourage everyone to visit our website to learn more about the issues important to our members.

We were fortunate to have newly elected town Supervisor Shawn Lavin join us to provide his State of the Town Address. The Supervisor, already one month into his term, has hit the ground running on several priorities and shared some of those details with our audience, including an emphasis on making it easier for a business to open in town. It was an opportunity for Supervisor Lavin to introduce himself to many of the non-Amherst business owners who make up our membership, and many of our attendees enjoyed hearing his personal story. I had the pleasure of serving on the Supervisor's transition team, and he was very direct and sincere about his desire to see an improvement in the speed at which government works. He hopes to provide residents and businesses in the town with a clearer picture of the expected timeframes for various tasks.

This month, the Chamber officially kicked off its Emerging Business Leaders (EBL) Leadership Program with its inaugural session, welcoming a select group of young professionals from diverse industries across Western New York. Our EBL program is designed to cultivate the next generation of regional leaders. The program features monthly classes covering essential topics such as navigating workplace conflict, team management, time management, and advanced leadership skills that participants can apply throughout their careers. Highlights include mentoring from the Amherst Chamber Board and Councils, multiple networking and mixer events (both in-person and online), community engagement projects, and a standout new addition for 2026: an optional complimentary six-month membership (April–October) with the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Toastmasters for honing public speaking and communication abilities. The curriculum also incorporates a half-day Leadership Symposium sponsored by BankonBuffalo and conducted by Daemen University's Graduate Studies. As an added benefit...[Read More]